Sent from Frederick William Twort
21 Dec 1911
Description:

‘Dear sir,

I examined your dog yesterday and it showed as follows. Congestion of most of the internal organs with haemorrhages. These haemorrhages were very small in the wall of the intestine and very large in the lung. The lymphatic glands & the groins and [illeg.] all showed fair size haemorrhages. From the pathological conditions observed with the natural eye it is certain that the dog died from some acute infectious disease.

I examined the organs for bacteria; the lungs showed some micrococci and several types of bacilli. As several types of microorganism were found, I consider it probable that the microorganisms have grown [illeg.] since death and have nothing to do with the disease and since no microorganims were found in the lymphatic glands this is confirmed. I conclude that the acute infectious disease was not an ordinary bacterial infection but probably an infection with some ultra-microscopic virus impossible to see, stain or grow and thus impossible to diagnose. The most likely virus of this nature in young dogs is distemper and the pathological lesions present agreed with those found in distemper but I could not see much indic. of discharge from the eyes or nose and this is usually a very marked feature. Perhaps you observed it during life. In any case I think it most probably distemper. I expect all your other dogs will get infected. Your only hope is to separate the dogs, disinfect the cages especially before fresh dogs are put in, ventilate your animal home well and if you want to prevent a recurrence always quarantine imported dogs before placing in your home.

Re: the eyes I am sorry to say I had no [illeg.] prepared I very rarely use this fixative. I telephones you up yesterday but was informed that you would not answer the phone so I placed them in 10% spirit and have placed them into 20% spirit this morning. I usually use Muller[?] containing 10% formalin but I thought this unsuitable as you wished to look for pigment. I have also placed some of the organs into spirit. I am sorry to say I have no one here to put on to study the organs for pigment and I have my time full up with research work. It is a very interesting subject but I think the work if done at all must be done thoroughly and with very great care especially as regards the selection of fixing agents and as I say I have no-one here to do it. Will you let me know what you wish me to do with the organs. Shall I send them all on to you[?]

Yours[?] faithfully,

F.W,. Twort.

Of course there is no fee for the examination.’