Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-03-21


Omciaf Report OF the United states veteri-
nary surgeon to the Governor or Kansss
I'm Regard co the Drsa dfgl sceurse. S esss
ToPEkA, KAs., March 1s.-The following
Is the report of DR.. Holcombe, the veterinary
surgeon commissioned by Governor Click to
investigate the disease which recently made
its appearance among the cattle In Woodson
County, Kas.:
NEosHo FALLS. wooDsoN. COUNTY. KAN, -
March 10 1854. Z -
To the Governor Of Kansas: nra1
SIR--I have the honor to report hers-
with the results OF my investigation
into the nature. cause and progress
Of the disease existing among tho cattle
in this neighborhood. by permission of Gen
eral Augur, commanding the Military Depart
ment Of the Missouri, / reported TO you IN
instructions to proceed 10 this point without
delay. 1 arrived here on the 9th inst, IN com
pany with yourself and Colonel Sims, score
tary of the State Board of Agricuiture,
and q delegation OF citizens of Emporia-
nrst inspected the herd of Daniel kSith: ioca-
TED four miles northwest OF Neosho tsils. IN
u rs follows; II consists Of l20 animals, most
OF which are yearlings. the remainder COM
Ali of these animals were picked up in the
surrounding country last autumn. The lasto1
sixty were received on December To. 1SSj All
time between tie a5th and Sist of December;
nve OF the yeariiugs were seen TO be iame anu
to present more or less swelling OF the ane
feet A day or two aftcrward six more were
found with similar symptoms. After time
II was noticed that the feet affected showed
signs of slonghing at the Soronet, or
was attributed to freezing of the diseased
members. Notwithstanding the changes i'll
the weather, new outbreaks in the. herd con-
Hnned until he m of rival SiNtyWCrC
or had been affected. made critical exam.
ination of a large number both of the well and
been sick four Jr fa i've days days, was uv t%oyearod
steer, with the following symptoms: The right
hind foot was considerably swollen ana the
was found on the skin In the cleft of the hoof.
touched it with my finger when 1t ruptured;
the er hgid escaped leaving Ting an oG bo ,n
tender to PRESSURE while f the sweih Ss
temperature, taken in the recline, was 104 2~5
degrees Fahrenheit An examination of the
mouth revealed three small ulcers and one
recently formed ulcer on the mucous mem-
brane OF the lips and gums. Another case.
said to have been affected about ten days, was
q red yearling steer, the right hind foot sup
purating at the fetlock joint, while the parts
below were dead. The mucous membrane OF
the upper and lower lips of the gums
and palate as far back as to the
second second m9lar teeth showed numerous ,n. rns
to Lima bean. These ulcers were of pale,
reddish purple color, or of yellowish brown.
tent. defacated. revealing on the mucous
membrane of the rectum a small ulcer from
which escaped some blood. The thermometer
registered lOi degrees Fahrenheit. Another
case, said to have been of the first affected,
was awhile yearling steer. He refused tn get
up, was greatly emaeiated and sIf-
hind leg presented stump at tho
fetlock Joint, covered over with a dark
brown scab from beneath which escaped n
| thick yellow when pressure anplieO.
The stump was tender and swollen about half
way to the hook The left hind leg was swol'
| len, hot and intensely painful as high as tho
| fetlock. The toes stood wide apart. showing
tenser yellowish skin at the buse OF the cleft
beneath which collections of pus could DO
felt. The horn of the outside toe was de-
tachcd at the heel. undermined with pus and
nearly ready TO drop OH The exposed
bone, was. dead on the surface. The
mouth showed several ulcers, some
healed, others nearly SO. The tempera
ture was 1CR degrees Fahrenheit. These
three cases are fairly illustrative of the dis
ease as il existed here In the various stages
In some cases the mouth LESSONS are compare
lively slight while the feet are seriously af-
fected, and vice versa. Some have had the
| disease i'm mild form and escaped without
! loss of any portion of their limbs; some have
lost one toe, some both toes, some one leg at
the fetlock, some both legs and one three legs.
| The older the animal the less disastrous does
| the disease appear to be, for but few cows
have lost even one foot. One COW with Q
calf by her side about ten days old
took the disease and developed ulcers
on the teats and udder as well as I'm
the mouth. Three days afterwards the C alf
died with all the symptoms of the disease in
it's early stages. The second herd inspected
belongs to MIR. Goodrich, of Kansas City, Mo-,
and is located on the opposite side OF the high
way, about one hundred yards from Mr.
Keith's place The first case appeared in this
herd four or five weeks ago, and the number
affected on the 9th inst. was thirty-five out OF
a total of ninety-fiv head. But two of these
cases require special attention. One is red
yearling steer with one foot affected. showing
ulcers hOth Inns the al an
the roof of the mouth back to and
including the soft palate. The other is a
twO-year-old hcifer that will lose all four legs.
This herd was I'm fine condition when the dis
ease broke out. The third herd infected is sit
uated about two anu half miles south of
Mr.. keith's place, in Woodson County, Kan.
and belongs to John W. Beard. On the 9th
inst, but four cases had been affected, Que Of
which died while the disease was at its height.
The total number of animals in this herd is
seventy-fve. 1t has been infected about two
weeks.
Regarding the nature of the disease there
can be no question but what II is contagious
one. This is shown 10y the repeated outbreaks
which have taken place III the hero
ease to the herd across the highway, and
finally to Mr.. Boards cattle by the purchase
of a COW from Mr.. Kcith's farm That it is
foot and mouth disease cannot he doubted
when the symptoms are considered; for. TO re.
capitulate, the various cases show: Vcsicles
and ulcers of the mouth, vesicles and ulcers
In the cleft OF the foot, suppuration and
slOughing at the feet, ulcers OF the rectum,
vesicles and ulcers of the udder diarrhC a. a
temperature varying from lOl 10 l04 20 de-
grees Fahrenheit. and the most marked enact
alton even in cases where the appetite IL good
How the disease originated am at Il loss to
know. In the past the foot and mouth dis
ease has never appeared in this country ex-
cept when brought here from Great Britain or
Europe. That 1t cari originate spontaneously
do not believe, for many observations have
shown that specific diseases canuot bc pro-
duced except when the specific virusis pres
cnt in the system, and that this virus is always
the result of like pre-eXisting virus.
That the disease was brought to Mr. Keith's
herd i am fully convinced; bur when. how
and where from, my Investigations up to the
present time do not enable me TO say. On tho
9Th inst. three new herds were reported In.
fccted. L visited them and found the report
groundless. Since the 9th inst. twelve new
four or FIVE i'm Mr.. Goodrich's. The in
fected district has been surrounded with
quarantine notices, but to all ntcnts and pur-
poses, they are imperative. That the disease
will appear in other herds unless efficient
measures OF eradication are adopted Is patent
10 all who are acquainted with the past history
OF foot and mouth disease. In my opinion
the infected herds should all be destroyed and
The infected premises quarantined against all
cattle, sheep and dogs for n period
hay, fodder, fences, etc, should be
destroyed with tho cattle. and the stables
thoroughly cleaned and disinfectcd. The dis
case Is now so near to the great cattle ranges
and where its disastrous effects would he in.
calculable, and it's eradication impossible. that
any delay of action Is most dangerous to the
crcat interests ut stake. / am, sir. vc-y res
pcctfully your obedient servant
[Signedl a. A. HOLCoMBE, d. v. g.,
Iusp ectinR Veterinary Surgeon, u. s. A.
Tho IyntvoyoaI Uucnctjcida