The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-03-05
The EpizOOtic-Aphtha, or FOOt.and.
Mouth Disease.

IHE New 1Ork HefGtU OF q reCenL
date says: a
Since the introduction of pleuro-pneu-
monia among the cattle of the United
States by the importation to Brooklyn
in 1843 of single diseased COW from
England, no discovery more startling to
cattle owners has been made than that
of the existence of epizootic-aphtha on
board the steamer France. This
discovery has been made within two
days past by Veterinary Surgeon
Hopkins, who was called on to inspect
the Jersey cattle brought over last week
on that steamer. 1t will be remembered
that the cattle are part of valuable
consignment of blooded stock to Mr.. w.
Easton, full description of which was
published in the Herald last week. The
entire consignment, with the exception
of three horses which died on the
voyage of non infectious diseases,
arrived in port, it was supposed, in
good condition. 1t was only after some
days had elapsed that the disease named
was detected in the cattle, but after it
had once been discovered other
veterinaries confirmed the diagnosis,
and it is no longer doubted that one of
the great English cattle plaques is
present on these shores.
The cattle, comprising four bulls and
eight heifers, are of the pure jersey
stock, bred by Mr.. Tattersall at Old Oak
Farm, Shepherds Bush. They are
beautiful specimens of the stock, and
the herd is valued at about $4,000.
They are intended for breeding in this
country, and were selected especially
with reference to their fine points. A
reporter visited them yesterday, in
company with DR.. Hopkins and was
greatly impressed with their beauty,
even in their condition. They were
still standing in the stalls in which they
had made the voyage, and were care
fully blanketed, but seemed alert and
almost unconscious of their disease,
which is still in an incipient stage.
"What is epizootic-aphthaP'' asked
the reporter.
cit is one of the great cattle plaques
of Europe replied DR.. Hopkins, sol
which there have hitherto been no cases
in this country. 1t is commonly called
the foot-and- mouth disease, affecting, as
it does, the foot as well as the mouth.
1t is blood disease, but what the specific
poison is that affects the blood no man
has yet been able to tell, any more than
the specific poisons in various human
diseases are known. 1t is contagious,
never arising spontaneously, so far as is
known, but being acquired by mediate
or immediate contagion. If you put
other cattle with these they would be
affected, or if you removed these and
placed others in the same quarters, with
out thorough disinfection, the new
corners might and probably would catch
the Infection"
elbow were these cattle infectedpn
81 do not know. The shippers de-
clare that they were in first-rate condi-
ton when they were put on board, and
the people connected with the ship say
they have never had the disease aboard
They do not make any very strenuous
declarations, though" he added, with a
half smile, "for they lost fifteen head of
cattle on this same ship on her last voy-
age"
elbow did they lose them?" .
"They don't know, for there was no
veterinary surgeon on board. All they
know is that the cattle died. l should
think that the value of fifteen head of
cattle would pay the expense of vet
Urinary. But we do not know where
these cattle caught their disease. All
we know is that they have it and that
these quarters are now infected. 1t is a
very fortunate thing that the disease
was discovered before the cattle got out
among others in this country, for the
spread would probably have been as
great as that of pleuro- pneumonia has
been, and that has spread so in less than
forty years that it will cost the Govern
ment $50,000,000 to stamp out the dis
ease if they try it as is now proposed. f"
els this disease as dangerous as
| euro-pneumoniap"
+" In one sense it is not. The danger
of infection is not as great, because the
disease breaks out sooner after infection
The period in leuro-pneumonia is some.
times as long as ninety days, which is
long enough for beast to travel to San
Francisco and back twice over. In cpl
zootic-aphtha it is from two to six day;
usually, although it has been known to
be as long as three weeks. OF course
during the period OF incubation the dis
ease can not be detected. 1t is, how
ever, dangerous disease when devel
oped."
"Will these cattle diep' at.
81 can not tell yet. 1t will depend
perhaps on whether the disease assume.
a benign or a malignant type. shall
remove them at once to horse stable
in New York, where they will be under
medical treatment, at any rate, until th'
danger of infection is thoroughly done
away with. The ship, also, is to be thor
oughly fumigated, and will take no cat
tie on board till sign, as Gen. Patrick
assistant, certificate that she is entirely
free from danger"
When the reporter left, the floors o
the stalls and all the slighter woodwork
! of the cattle deck we're being torn away
: preparatory to washing, fumiOatin0 an(