The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-12-11
How Germany Stamps out the Cattle
Plague.


German officials seldom do things by halves
whether investigating scientific sebj9cts, or
the application of this science to the every
day affairs of life. The last outbreak of the
cattle plague occurring there, was in Silesia.
1t was confined to two villages, and did not
spread further. How this was accomplished,
Professor EULER, of the Royal Veterinary
College of Berlin, makes known in the Yet
erinGridn. 1t shows success ia localizing the
disease, and eventually stamping it out, with
out further spread. In his report he says:
"Cattle plague was reported to exist on
July q, at Szarley, in COW belonging to
miner, Sobolla, and also on the same day at
Radoriorkan, in a COW belonging to another
miner, Okulus. Soboa had received the
cow seventeen days before from a miner,
Bloom, at Radoriorkan, whose second COW
was found on examination to be healthy.
The cow belonging to Okulus had been bred
on the premises. The introduction of cattle
plague into these two villages has not been
tle-I mean the list or number of cattle
which is compiled with much care in all dis
tricts bordering on Poland, showed that the
cattle belonging to the cottagers in the two
villages had been either long time on the
premises or had an origin that could not be
suspected. Certainly the cause of the out
break must be sought for in the smuggling of
cattle from the neighboring Polish districts,
and it must be added that the smuggling of
cattle is most in force along the densely-
populated mining districts of Upper Silesia.
am of the opinion that the introduction
of the disease was caused either by smug-
gled fresh meat or by diseased animal which
was slaughtered soon after having passed the
frontier in fraudulent way. Indeed 1t has
been satisfactorily proved that strange cattle
had not been brought into the infected prem
ises, and it cannot be supposed that there
should not have been other outbreaks if liy-
ing diseaed cattle had been introduced into
the premises of the cowkeepers. The fact
that cattle plague broke out the same day on
the premises of two different villages great
ly supports the opinion that the disease was
propagated by the Strengthening of Struggled
plague-stricken animal, 1t was on Saturday,
2lst OF July, that cattle plauge was reported
to exist in Upper Silesia, and on Sunday the
most stringent measures were taken with re-
gard to the cattle markets for slaughtering
purposes at Breslau, Berlin, Dresdin, and
Hamburg Altoona, which were held on Mon
day in each week. On Monday, 23d, of July
no cattle nor sheep (nor other ruminants, as
the order says) were permitted to leave the
above mentioned markets alive. all animals
of the ruminant tribe had to be slaughtered
on the spot. These stringent measures were
efficiently carried out, although
they met with the greatest resistance from
the cattle dealers, who suffered heavy losses
by the order. In Berlin market about 1000
lean sheep were retained three weeks at the
cost OF the proprietors. The closing of the
market was vigorously maintained until the
authorities were convinced that the outbreak
OF cattle plague was only local. 1t was abol-
lshed at Hamburg, where the market received
during July only one transport of unsuspect-
ed cattle from BresIau and Berlin, on Aug
ust 9. and at Breslau, Berlin and Dresden on
the 18th.
have ascertained on examination of the
books and railway directions at the stations
IN Upper Silesia that the order prohibiting
the loading of cattle in the railway trucks at
all stations, except Oppein, Kosel, Groskan,
and Neisse, has been executed with great
care and cOnscientiousness, and that cattle
had been received at the four mentioned
stations only with special license of the
head authority of the circle, and after veterin-
airy examination. At Szarley, cattle plague
was confined to the premises of Sobolla; but
at RadoFiorkan it extended on July rs, to the
single COW belonging to the widow Tabor;
and on August 5, it was detected on the
premises of the miner, Criegalla. The last
two named places are in the neighborhood of
the first infected. On the four infected
premises four cows were diseased (three of
them died) besides these there were six COWS,
two sheep, and two goats, all of which we've
killed and buried. The authorities also ord
cred two COWS and two goats killed on two
not yet infected premises. Cattle plauge was
declared to be extinct at Szarley on the 18th,
and at Radoriorkan on the 25th of August"
Exchange.