A simple technique for the collection of brain samples for the diagnosis of heartwater.

A simple technique for the collection of brain samples for the post-mortem diagnosis of heartwater (Cowdria ruminantium infection) is described. A sharp spoon (curette) or teaspoon and a knife are the only instruments required. After the head has been removed from the body a sample of cerebellar cortex is collected with the spoon through the foramen occipitale, thus obviating the need for opening the skull itself. This diagnostic technique appears to be as reliable as the convenient technique of collecting samples from the cerebral cortex.