MR. CLEMENT EDWARDSTo ask the hon. Member for South Somerset, as representing the President of the Board of Agriculture, if he will state what were the reasons which induced the Board of Agriculture to revert to the autopsy test for rabies in the case of the two dogs alleged to have been suffering from rabies in the town of Northampton; whether this method of diagnosis was discarded as worthless as far back as 1898; whether the port mortems were conducted by duly qualified veterinary surgeons; and upon what evidence did they arrive at the conclusion that they were authentic cases of rabies.
(Answered by Sir Edward Strachey.) The Board have not accepted the postmortem examination to which my hon. friend refers as conclusive evidence of the existence of rabies, and the final diagnosis awaits the result of the inoculation test. The post mortem examinations were conducted by a duly qualified veterinary surgeon, and his opinion was confirmed by the chief veterinary officer of the board.