Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-04-16
PLRuRO.PNEUMONIA.
The Result OF an OmcInl Investiga-
tlon-Heport Of tho Secretary Of thc
Tronrurv

WASHINGTON, April 0.
The Secretary Of the Treasury has
transmitted TO Congress the result Of an
investigation made by skilled officers
into contagious diseases afilictng ami
mails. In his communication the Secre-
tary says;
1.-THE Department Of the Treasury has been
| long embarrassed with several questions nris-
ing from the prevalence Of the disease known
/ as pleuropneumonia, or lung plague, IN neat
| cattle These questions relate; ID to the ex-
/ junction and prevention Of the disease in tho
/ United States Cg TO our commerce with Ma
/ tlons beyond the seas, especially with Great
Britain gl to our trade in cattle with the Do
miniQn Of Canada.
"With Wow TO such legislation as oircum-
stances may seem 70 require, it seems proper
at this time TO submit 10 Congress some brief
remarks upon the nature Of the disease in
countries and the United States, with state
| ment of the provisions of law now in force nnd
of the various orders issued by this depart
/ ment relating 70 II, and some suggestions rs TO
/ what measures may be properly enacted by
Congress Tor the suppression and prevention
A description and a history Of the disease is
| then given Ht great length, covering not only
/ its appearance In the United States, but In
! other countries. The value of the cattle inter
| est, and the extent Of stocll-raising In this
| country Is described I'm detail, and an exhaust
/ i've review Of the various measures that have
/ been used from year TO year In this and other
| countries to suppress the plague g given The
| letter then goes ON to recommend measures to
prevent and suppress the disease.
! Among tho measures suggested TO prevent
| the spread Of the pleurO-pneumonia, Isolation
OF injected cattle Is naturally suggested This
metnod however, nus neen, ana no doubt Will
| be, found TO be entirely impraotioable. The
| disease, as we have seen, is readily transmits
/ Bible, not only by contact with the diseased
| animals, but by contact with buildings, hay,
/ bedding or cXcretions of any kind which have
/ been IN contact with diseased animals. Neat
! cattle are short lived, and when once infected
! by the disease In question, even II they re-
! cover, are OF very small value either for breed
! ing or fnttening, or for labor Although O
| large percentage Of the cattle diseased may
! apparently recover yet, upon dissection, the
! lungs will be found to be seriously Affected,
! so TINT IL may be fairly said that the cattle
| once infected with the disease arc worthless
Added to this, isolation is very expensive. is
| attended with great risk to the neighborhood,
an ana the lnieoted nerd must be always suspect
! cd, and therefore, unsuitable. In no view can
| the Isolation Of the cattle be recommended
! further than for the mere purpose Of ascer-
| tanning definitely whether or not the disease
Inoculation is, as has been heretofore stated.
| another method practiced in some countries to
prevent the spread of the disease; but this has
never been employed except I'm countries
! where the disease had broken through all re-
straint, and rs n last resort to preserve sound
! cattle from the general infection which sur
| rounds them. Besides the expense and incon-
venience Of the practice, It Is often attended
with the mutilation Of the cattle by the loss Of
their tails or otherwise, and sometimes by the
! loss of their lives. IL Is not to be thought of
us a remedy under any conditions such as OK
list ut the present time i'm this country.
The only cffectual method of eradcating the
disease IS by prompt slaughter Of all infected
and exposed cattle. by this method, energet-
ically administered, tho disease has been thor
| ouV6lv stnmned o,it in sevcrai ,,iocoe n, Mosea
chusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and other
States. To effect this, however, prompt and
| energetic measures are requisite. Several
States have adopted such measures, and are
ready to prevent, to attack and exterminate
/ the disease wherever It may appear in their
| borders. Most Stntes, however, nave adopted
no such measures, and IL seems absolutely
| necessary that some measures should be
adopted by the General Government to pre-
vent tho prevalence Of a disease, which, as we
have seen, would amount 10 a national calam-
ity. IL Is for Congress, and not forthis depart
ment' TO devise the measures necessary for
this purpose 10 may not be improper, how
ever, to make some general suggestions upon
the subject for the consideration of Congress.
The Legislature of Massachusetts has recent
ly sent to Congress a memorial requesting
prompt action for the prevention and suppress
sion of this disease; and from all quarters q
cry Is heard that the General Government
should intervene in the matter.
The most obvious method of meeting the
emergency Is, perhaps, the appointment of a
Veterinary Sanitary Commission, whose duty
II shall be to promptly investigate all reported
cases OF tpleuro-pneumOnia in any part of the
country, to collect Information with regard 10
the disease from all parts of the world, and to
report the result OF theirinvestigation TO some
department of the Government for publica-
| uOus
II would be necessary that such commission
should be composed, principally at least, of
veterinary surgeons or experts in the diseases
Of cattle. The commission might be small
consisting of from three TO seven members,
with authority TO employ assistants or agents,
who should be responsible directly to the com
mission. From such a commission, even with
no greater powers than have been above indi.
Gated, much good might result
Owners of suspected herds and their neigh
bors would nt once bo informed whether the
contagious disense was really present or not
" It were found TO exist, State and municipal
authorities might be invoked for It's suppress,
sion. IL found not TO exist, publication Of that
faot would be of very great value, not only 10
the suspected neighbOrhOod, but TO the ooun-
try and world In general.
Going a step further, Government might in,
vest such commission with authority, on
proper occasions, TO MD municipal and State
authorities In the suppression OF the disease
and, by means of appropriation for the pur
pose, grant proper indemnity to the owners OF
cattle condemned 20 slaughter. Such proceed
ings would be in u close analogy with the
methods adopted for the prevention and sup
preston of the yellow fever in the acts estab
fishing the Board of Health.
! Under the provision found In the third 500
tion Of the act OF June =, 1879, entitled AN act
to prevent introduction of contagious and in
fectious diseases into the United States," II Ii
"The National hoard of Health shall cooper
ate with, and, so far as Il lawfully may, aiC
State and Municipal Boards of Health IN The
execution and enforcement Of the rules ant
regulations OF such boards to prevent tho In
PRODUCTION Of infectious or contagious diseases
into the United States from foreign countries
and into one State from another"
IL understood that this act does not apply
TO diseases In animals.
appropriation contained in the act have been
expended In cooperation with the authorities
of several cities and states infected or threat
ened with Infection by yellow fever; and Il II
not doubted that, through similar agencies
appropriations by Congress might bo properlS
and elfeotually used for the prevention nnC
| pInnraqalOn of nlnllrQ-nn pmmpnin
cattle.
As suggested by the british Minister, tn,
most obvious method OF dealing with the dis
ease would be by the appointment of n com
mission of some kind, with full power 10 pre-
vent aud eradicate the dseuse, in any manner
they think proper, in any part of the territOry
Of the United States-such power as Is eXer
clsed by the Privy Council Of Great Britain
Without expressing any opinion whether
under the power to regulate commerce, Con
gress has authority TO send its agents into thu
States and destroy, upon the judgment of
commission, herds belonging to oitizons, whicl
may be found TO be dangerous 70 inter-Stat
or National commerce. IL is somewhat doubt
ful whether measures apparently 30 arbitrar!
State or municipal authorities.
The disease Is not In existence In any OF ou
Western States or Territories. Indeed, It ha
existed and is known In only few States o
the Union; and the propriety of so energetic
/ movement on the part OF tho General Govern
ment might not be appreciated in those State
, where the disease has not been known. Som
scheme for the prevention and prompt erNdi
I cation OF the disease seems TO be demanded
and it Is for Congress 70 dehne tho limits bot
OF policy and legality Ia Its enactment
Inspection Of cattle upon railway trains o
j our great lines Of transportation has been sup
gostod Qs procaution agninst the conveynnc
OF the disease. The objections TO this propOs
tion are based upon the fact that cOntagiOu
, pleurorpneumonia Is not Indigenous 20 thi
country, that Il has never existed in our Wesi
ern States, whence cattle found upon sue
lines OF transportation are brought, and tina
therefore such inspection Is unnecessary.
, Again, tho disease has an incubation of fror
nine TO sixty days during which the seeds O
the disease would not be obvious 10 any IN
apeotor, however skilled. The interest OF a
shippers Of cattle is clearly against the shiI