Anniversary address by the president T. P. Anderson Stuart.

  • Thomas Peter Anderson Stuart
Date:
[1894]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Anniversary address by the president T. P. Anderson Stuart. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

    17/42 page 15
    PREVALENCE OF HYDATIDS AND THE REMEDY. In 1888, I drew attention in the press to the prevalence of the dire disease hydatids, and urged that steps should be at once taken to lessen the number of ownerless dogs which infest the city and suburbs. Something was done at the time, and occasionally and spasmodically since, but for a long time these dogs have apparently been as numerous as ever. The disease arises from the egg of a tape-worm of the dog being swallowed in drinking water, or in food, or perhaps ingested as dust. The egg gives rise to an organism which may find its way into the blood, and so may be carried by the circulation into any part of the body producing the insidious and dangerous disease. The only way to entirely rid ourselves of the disease would be to get rid of all dogs. That is not possible, but it is possible to keep down the disease by adopting the suggestions which I made, and to which I still adhere viz., to make the regis- tration of every dog absolutely compulsory, to issue annually a distinguishing badge to be attached to the collar, and then to impound every collarless dog or dog without the badge of the year, and dispose of it unless claimed within a reasonable time. And these regulations should be really enforced, not left as dead letters. To this end their execution should not be imposed upon the police, with whose essential duties this dog catching is quite incompatible. A few dog catchers with veritable dog carts per- ambulating the streets would do all that is needed, and the extra revenue derived from the better collection of the dog tax would, I am sure, meet all the extra expenditure entailed. To reinforce what I have already said, I might add that from the msthetic point of view the removal of the wretched creatures, which meet us at every turn, would be a boon to us and a blessing in disguise to the animals themselves, for it is not the dogs with homes that would be removed, but only those that having no owner remain uncared for, pick up a living anyhow, and drag out a miserable existence to a miserable end. What I propose is less than is carried on successfully in some places, but I think it would suffice for us here, and I have gone a little out of my way to speak of it, because it
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