Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-04-17
Pleuro-Pneumonla.

Pleuro- Pneumonla
We gave some weeks sinco the
characteristics ard symptoms of
this plague among cattle which is
now exciting so much attention.
The following history of the dis
ease is taken from the Scientific
American:
"The cattle plague, which is Gre.
ating so much anxiety throughout
the Eastern States is O contagious
fever affecting COWS chiefly. char
aoterized by extensive exudations
into the respiratory organs and at
tended by q low typhus infamma.
ton OF the lungs. plurm, and bron,
CHA. II has prevailed in Europe
for ages, at times developing into
widespread scourges, causing in
calculable loss. It. was imported 10
to England in 1889, and again
three years later; and it was es,i-
mated that within twenty-five years
thereafter the losses by deaths
alone in England had amounted TO
$3.50, 100000. In 1853 the disease
was carried to Australia by an Eog-
lish COW, and spreading to the
cattle ranges almost depopulased
them.
Gin 1S43 an infected Dutch COW
brought the disease to BROOKLYN,
where it has since fingered, slowly
spreading among the cattle in Kings
and Queens counties. In ls47 sew
eral head of infected English cattle
were imported into New Jersey, and,
spreading among q herd of valuable
cattle, made it necessary for them ali
to be slaughtered, the only certain
method OF stamping out the disease.
In 1859 four infected COWS were inn
ported into Massachusetts, from Hol-
land; the plague spread rapidly, and
was stamped out only by persistent
effort, the State paying for over l,
600 slaughtered cattle. Since 1867
the disease has not been known there
Meantime the pest had invaded East.
ern Pennsylvania, Delaware, and
Maryland, where it has since pre-
vailed in isolated localities. The abb
sence of large herds of moving cat
tie in these districts, except tor speedy
slaughter, has prevented the disease
from developing into u general plague.
"The recent action of the British
Council in forbidding the importation
Of American live cattle is likely to
prove of inestimable benefit to this
country, in forcibly calling attention
to the grave risk that the presence
of the disease on Long Island and
elsewhere constantly entails. Fortu-
nately the drift of the cattle traffic
is eastward, and as vet there has
been no propagation Of the poison in
the cattle ranges of the West. Un-
less summarily arrested, however, the
disease will surely reach those
sources OF our cattle supply, and oc.
casion losses that can be estimated
only in hundreds of millions of dol.
lars.
"The experience of all countries
into which this disease has gained
access appears to prove that there
10 only one way of getting rid of it
namely, the immediate killing OF
all infected cattle, and the thorough
disinfection Of the premises in
which they are found The disease
is purely infectious, and is never
found in regions where it has not
gained foothold by importation.
Palliative measures have in every
instance failed to eradicate tho dis.
ease, and are only justifiable, as IN
Australia, after the plague has
reached dimensions utterly beyond
the reach OF any PROCESS OF EXTERN.
nation.
professor Law, OF Cornell Uni
versity, one of our best informed
veterinary surgeons, most emphati.
calIy opposes every attempt to con-
troll the disease by quaranlining the
sick or by the incubation of the
healthy. We may quarantine the
sick, be says, 'but we cannot quar-.
antine the air To establish quar-
antine yards is simply to maintain
prolific manufacturers of the paison,
which is given off by the breath of
the sick, and by their excretions, to
such an extent that no watchfulness
can insure against its dissemination.
Besides, the expense of thorough
quarantining operations would
amount to more than the value of
the infected animals whose llves
might be saved thereby. Inocula-
ton is still less to bo tolerated at
this stage of the pest. The Profess
sor Gays: Germany, Holland, Bel
GUM, France and England, have
been treating the victims of this
plague for nearly halt century,
but the result has only been the i'm
crease of disease and death. Our
own infected States have been treat.
ing it for a third of a century, and
to.day it exists over wider area
than ever before. Contrast this
with the results in Massac husette
and Connecticut, where the disease
has been repeatedly crushed out at
small expense, and there can be no