The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-11-21
Hog Cholera.
FAI,oNo. y. C.. Oct. 81. ISIS

LNttDI -heNNbUVtJ II - Sl'Si-N
that many subjects of but trivial
Importance, comparatively speak
ing. receive so much attention..
from the mass Of men, and the
press che great source OF Informa-
ton for the people, ana entirely
%neglecting others Of vital interest.
| propose to make a few remarks
on a subject in which millions of
dollars IN value are annually con
cerned in tie United States.
Subject-Iiog Cholera or Plague.
What is it: The question has
been often asked. but rarely ans
vered, perhaps eve correctly.
do not myself propose to answer It,
but merely hint At subject, hoping
to encourage investigation and IN
quiry. All the endemic and cpl
demic disease of swine are improp-
erly called hog cholera. There are
two distinct epidemic diseases that
| have observed. One was pneu-
monia or lung fever and attended
with perhaps all the symptoms as
We observe them IN man. The
other epidemic, and by far the
most common, may be called Bowel
or Intestine fever. These diseases
are epidemic Zemetic diseases and
both infectious and contagious.
In the post mortems that | have
made in hogs dying with bowel
fever, | find the liver generally
quite healthy, occasionally the
lungs are pneumonia making a
complication always fatal. Small
bowels seem to be but little affected
the large bowels always, and severe
". They are liberated more or
less through the whole extent IN
less the hog died early in disease,
where | sometimes failed to find it
distinct. They often contain guam
titles of black and hardened feces,
especially in early death. The
kidnies and bladder generally
healthy.
In commencement of disease
there is high fever with hot skin
and rapid pulse, which declines
after a few days, leaving the AMI
NAL quite chilly the ' sys-
tenn seems to suffer greatly they
often loose their sight. for days,
sometimes permanently. There is
often severe aphthous inflammation
of throat and mouth which pre-
vents taking nonrishment, and the
animal dies soon. The skin is af-
fected in every case with eruptions,
cracking and scaling OFT and hair
dropping. | have seen bloody
urine in few cases and the animals
died.
Much more might be said rela-
tive to the disease, but | do not
deem it necessary.
Treatment.-I am sorry that |
have SO little to offer relative to the
successful treatment of disease, |
should Judge though, and it is my
experience that a mild purgative in
commencement of attack, say, q
dose of salts and sulphur combined
is Of service, afterwards giving
small doses of SPIT. turpentine
mixed with meal and water, and
using tar and sulphur freely as
ointment; use copperas, chloride
Of lime and carbolic acid as a dis
injector.
The fatality Of the disease is very
great at least, through this part Of
the State. | think at least three
fourths Of III that are attacked die.
and generally not more than one in
ten will escape If exposed to dis
ease. The disease generally attacks
IN about eight days after exposure.
There may be specifics for the
disease, but | have no idea of such
d thing.
Now my experience is that the
hog raiser need not tax his skill
much in trying to cure these cpl
denies, but to prevent them.
From personal observation and
inquiry | feel warranted in making
the statement that the disease
spreads from farm to farm by con-
tagion. that is hogs take it from
hogs by contact. If such is the
case, what is the remedy? 1t is
SIMPLY this: That every hog owner
shut up his hogs in pens or pas
lures until the disease is stamped
out or disappears from vicinity.
| feel sure that by cutting off inter
course the disease may be stopped
in every locality and much loss pre-
vented. 1t seems that it is certainly
worth a trial.
Doo~oo4elI-