MR. SPAHLINGER'S SUCCESS
[To the Editor of SPECTATOR.] SIR,—In your description of the Spahlinger cattle -vaccine tests, reported on by the Northern Ireland Ministry of Agriculture, you do not give a full account of the tests. Thirty-two calves were divided into six groups and only nine of them remained unvaccinated. Why were the calves not divided into two equal groups, vaccinated and unvac- cinated ? The 23 calves that were inoculated were divided into five groups, and treated with five different preparations, two of which, the British Medical ,Journal points out, were apparently not expected to have any immunising value at all.
The results of the inoculation were as follows.: of the six animals in group I, three died of tuberculosis, the other three remaining in good condition. Group II : one animal died of acute general tuberculosis, the other was, killed in good condition. Group III : one animal died of tuberculous meningitis and pneumonia, one developed a tuberculous udder, while the remaining nine animals were killed in good condition. Group IV : one animal died of acute tuber- culosis, while the other when killed was found to be suffering from chronic general tuberculosis. Group V : one animal When killed was found to be suffering from chronic general tuberculosis, the other was killed in good condition. Out of group VI (the controls) five animals died of acute general tuberculosis, the remaining two were killed in good condition. All the animals killed in good condition ,showed on post-, mortem examination small lesions, particularly in the lungs and glands.
While the vaccinated animals certainly possessed some advantage over the controls,. the numbers are far too small for a statistical test of any significance. You state that B.C.G. has been doing well in veterinary tests at Cambridge. Why have the results of these tests not been published in full ? For some years now the Ministry of Agriculture has been issuing B.C.G. to certain farmers. Are there any collected results or is the stuff merely circu- lated without any record. of its.effects ?—Yours faithfully,
L. LOAT,
Secretary, National Anti-Vaccination League. 25 benison house, 296 Vauxhall Bridge Thad, Westminster, S.W. 1.
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