Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1884-04-03
History ofFoot-and-Mouth disease.

Prairie Farmer.
The first authenticated appearance of
foot-and-moUth disease in England was
in 1889. Mr.. Youatt the well-knoWn vet
erinarV authority, believed it to have
been introduced by antelopes brought
from the continent of Europe to the ZOO
logical gardens, but Prof. Brown thinks
it may have been contracted from sur
plus ship stores that had received the
virus at some foreign port.
The first outbreak was among the cat
tie of London. The disease was more or
less rife until 1912, when it disappeared,
to reappear again in 1916, when it crea-
ted considerable alarm. This time it
was not suppressed until 1913. The next
year, 1849, 1t again broke out, lasting I'M
til 1852, when it again disappeared. Thus,
it will be seen, that in these early out
breaks it had run of three years each.
From this time on for nine years moth
ing more was heard of it. In 1861 there
is some account of the disease, but as no
mention is made of it the succeeding
year, its prevalence must have been quite
limited. Eight years later it again ap-
peared in serious form, nearly one
half the cattle England being at
tackled during the three years that it
prevailed. The losses in this fifth period
over $97 100000. Between this date and
1874 we have been able to find little ac-
count of the disease, but from 1874 to
1876 there was considerable loss from its
Tavages. Since the latter date it has pre-
vailed more or less throughout the United
Kingdom, being at It's maximum in 1888,
when, up to November 10th, $4,000 an
imals had been attacked by it. Our lat
est reports from England and Ireland are
that it is gradually disappearing, fresh
outbreaks being quite rare.
In Cheshire, one of the great dairy
counties of England, during the outbreak
| of 1925 one-third of the cattle suffered
from it. The fatal cases were not numer-
GUS. the enormous losses resulting from
depreciation in value, which ranged from
! $40 to 500 per head.
In Wiltshire in 1872, 81 ,444 cattle, 6,545
pigs, and liz, 800 sheep were affected, this
being one-half the cnttle and one-sixth OF
| the sheep of the county. The cases in
! the same county in 1875 amounted to
"a, 900 cattle, 5000 pigs, and $4,000 sheep.
AS in other cases, the death losses were
! light, but the depreciation in values was
very great.
The first invasion of foot and mouth dis
ease in the United States was in 1871. 1t
spread from Montreal over Northern New
York and the New England States. Gre
ating considerable alarm among the farm
ers and stock dealers. The disease was
contracted in Montreal frGn two import
ed English Shorthorn COWS. Occurring
in the Autumn the natural seclusion OF
Winter aided in its suppression, and
there seems to bel no record of its exist
ence after April of the following year.
In 1881 the steamship France, Of the
National Line, landed at New York {
small herd of Channel Island cattle
which were suffering from foot and
mouth disease. As they were prompt
quarantined the contagion did nOtspreaU
The steamer Messmore, landed at Bal
timore in March of last year, cattle from
the same locality that were ailing from
this disease, but it was again suppressed
2 without difficulty.
This brings us down to the outbreal
at Portland, Maine, few days ago, an,
in Kansas at little later date, and com
, pletes our brief outline of the history c
the terrible scourge in this country an
in Great Britain, from whence we hav
received it.