Reports on the outbreak of rabies among deer in Richmond Park during the years 1886-7 / by A.C. Cope and Victor Horsley ; presented to both Houses of Parliament by command of Her Majesty.

  • Cope, Alexander C.
Date:
1888
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Reports on the outbreak of rabies among deer in Richmond Park during the years 1886-7 / by A.C. Cope and Victor Horsley ; presented to both Houses of Parliament by command of Her Majesty. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    Inoculation of rabbits with portions of spinal cord of rabid deer. Result of the inoculation of a dog. Extension of the disease to another herd of deer in Richmond Rark. Total losses during the outbreak. wo.o forwarded to the Royal Veterinary College ; the fawn, however, died four hours after admission. A post-mortem exami- nation was made of this animal. The first stomach was found to contain a fair amount of the usual food; mixed with it was a considerable quantity of hair. The vessels of the brain appeared to be somewhat congested. The medulla of this animal was taken to the Brown Institution, where, under the direction ot Professor Horsley, rabbits were inoculated, which died of Rabies. The buck became so wild and violent that the persons in charge were unable to enter the loose box in which it was placed. Tins animal died two days after its arrival, and other rabbits were inoculated with portions of its spinal cord, with the same results as in the former case. On April ] 8t.h another buck was sent to London; this time to the Brown Institution. It was placed in a loose box, and pre- sented the same violent symptoms as the animal that died at the Veterinary College; but in this case paralysis of the limbs set in before death. These animals, usually so timid, would rush at any person looking at them, and bite at a broom or a stick if put through the bars of the door. Although the inoculation of the rabbits resulted in their death from paralytic Rabies, I suggested to Professor Horsley the desirability of inoculating a dog to see if true Rabies could be produced in that animal. Accordingly, on May 26, a dog was inoculated with part of the spinal cord of another affected deer which had been sent up from Richmond Park. Eleven days after the inoculation, i.e., June 6th, the dog presented symptoms of Rabies, and died on June 12th; the autopsy was conducted by Professor Horsley, who found all the characteristic symptoms of Rabies present. It having now become certain that the disease amomr the deer in Richmond Park was true Rabies, it was considered desirable to stamp out the disease as soon as possible. The animals were still confined to the enclosure in which they had been placed, and Mr. Sawyer was advised to forthwith shoot any animal presenting the least indication of the disease. This was accordingly carried out. The next feature in connexion with this outbreak was the ap- pearance of the disease in the month of June in the herd which had been grazing in the park next to the infected herd. As soon as the disease was detected in this second herd the whole of the animals were driven into an enclosure and this time divided into small lots. The animals in this herd suffered in a larger propor- tion than the previous herd, and the disease continued with more or less virulence until September 24th, by which time 264 animals had succumbed to the disease. Since that date no further cases have been reported.