The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1877-12-13
Vbe EARN.
Hog Cholera.
13, 1871

DNIo" w SNN 1AlIdClS from Two
If the best Known American vcter-
mary surgeons. DR.. Salmon stud
led in the French schools. and has
had some fifteen years practice in
this country.
DR.. ID. F.. SALMON.
"Among the diseases affectino
the live stock of our country. hoo
~euoIera unquestionablv stands in
the front rank for Importance. and
wear after year 1t carries away mil
lians and tens of millions of dollars
worth OF hogs. while our legislators.
ignorant Of the measures BY which
such diseases are controlled. stand
helpless, among the multitude Of
opinions and petitions that are
pressed upon them, unable to make
contribution respecting It's origin
o. 10 raise Il hand TO check its ray-
ages. And this must be the case.
toa certain extent, where everything
= III the masses who are Ignorant
Of medical matters. who do not
have the time to investigate or
master IN any way the nature Of
diseases or the method of prevent
llg them: for the more ignorant of
these subjects the MAJ is. the more
confident do we find him i'm his
opinions, and the more pains does
he take take to assert them. Thus.
there was much opposition to the
establishment OF guarantees and
boards of health: there were even
those who denied that hydrophobia
could be transmitted from animals
TO man. and, wen at the present
day. there are monomaniacs who
deny the contagIousneSs of the
rinderpeSt, of contagious pleuro-
pneumonia and of hog cholera. and
who are continually offering speci-
ties for their cure.
But what has checked the ray
ages of such diseases in Europe:
Has it been the search for specifies.
the change of diet, or measure to
prevent the spread as the contagious
germs: | assert and my assertion
Is sustained by the experience Of
nations IN all ages-that there IL
but one successful means to employ
to prevent the losses occasiOned BIZ
such diseases, and that Is To isolate
affected animals, to sacrifice them
when necessary. and to take every
precaution to destroy the conta@ion.
But it is this. When pleuTo-pneu-
,,, f,r,rp li~aasn u-,y in+rn
duced into our country Il few years
AGO some of our States refused to
take measures to stamp it out: they
have allowed it to become 4 fixed
institution. and now there Is con
tinual danger OF its spreading to
every part Of the country and re-
producing the destruction which
has characterized it IN Europe. And
so with hog cholera while our ag-
r~icultural periodicals are filled with
absurd SpeculatIons as to Its origin,
and no less absurd directions for
its prevention and cure, the disease
itself is continuing its work. dis
troying millions upon millions OF
our capital. = < * 3
And so hog cholera has its cause,
and that cause is generally conta-
gion. and the only successful
treatment is a prevention OF the
cause. And when | say this SO
confidently it is not because have
a pet theory to force upon the at
tention of people, but 1t Is because
know the experience OF many
countries with similer diseases, ana
because | know [ am speaking the
opinion of the most learned Veter-
inarians in every part OF the Worlu.
Recipes are few, there IS scarcely d
q sinoIe one in the whole list OF
medicines that comes up TO the
popular idea Of IL specific, and not a
half a dozen that can lay any claim
10 the name. How absurd then 10
put off action in regard to ho9
cholera till Il specific shall nave
been discovered, when this may not
happen IN the next thousand years
even if such a specific eNlsts-which
is very doubtful. = s. *
And. now, as B. F. J. in Illinois
is convinced that hog cholera Is
caused by feeding corn, a1d III
Stradlv i'm Tennessee Is equally Ger
tain that it is caused by feeding
clover. will mention an outDreah
in which it has been caused by mel
Their. Western North Carolina is a
country of mountains, covered py
vast fo ests miles in extent, IN which
hogs live the year round feeding on
roots and wild grasses, on nuts ana
worms. and whatever they can get