Daily Republican., 1885-07-08
PIeurO.PneumOnfa.

| OFFICE PENNA BOARD OF AGRICUI
TURE, HARRISBURG, July 9th, 1856
EDITORS REPUBLICAN,. Dear Sirs -
My attention has bsen called to an
article in a recent number of your pa.
per, Of which the following quotation
10 the substance II not the exact words
There is not case of pleuro.pneu.
monia at the present time among the
cattle Of our county. The COW belong
ing to Thomas Williamson, of Chris
tiana Hundred, which was inoculated
by calves brought from the Darlington
herd in Chester County. died some two
weeks ago, and the other COWS on his
farm have. thus far, exhibited no sigus
OF the disease"
This statement IL materially incorrect
in many of its vital points the herd
of Thomas Williamson is not and has
not been infected with contagious
and hence was not
inoculated from calves from the Lar.
lingtoD herd in Chester County. The
cow alluded TO as dy ing some two weeks
ago was affected With tuberculosis (tub-
ercuIar comsumption), and the surgeon
in attendance 30 declared at the time
The reported existence of the disease In
the Williamson and other herds having
been reported to me our surgeon, Or.
Bridge, WAS three times detailed to &c
to Centreville and give them careful
examination each case proved either
to proceed from cases of tuberculosis, OF
to be without any foundation in fact.
All were merely the exaggerations OF
neighborhood rumors as they passed
from mouth to mouth.
After no little time spent in invest i.
ga ting, DIR. Bridge il well satisfied that
no cases Of contagious pleuro pneum o.
mia are to be fonnd around Centreville,
and that not single case has been
traced to Chester County herds. We
feel equally certain that no infected
herds are to be found in Ches,erCounty,
nor do we have any reason 10 believe
that we have single case in the State
1t IL very often the case that those not
having experience with either or both
OF the diseases, cOniOund tuberculosis
with contagious pleuro pneumonia, but
the only similarity is that both are dis.
eases of the lungs, and both are conta
giouB. In the case OF tuberculo losis we
may add that the additional trouble
is hereditary, and may be, and often is,
transmitted by the IL Ale asd through
the calfis introduced into the herd,
where it afterwards becomes contagious
and spreads from this Ca use.
In our eight years struggle with con-
tagious pleuro pneumonia III this State
we have probably found nine tenths of
the reported cases of this disease to be
tuberculosis, and in number of cases
have traced it into different herds into
which 1t was carried by the progeny
of diseased bulls, often of improved
breeds, whose calves were raised on &C.
count of the improvement in the stock.
A number OF such cases might be cited
and names given of more than one
breeder who is in this way disaeminat-
ing the disease and spreading 1t among
healthy herds.
Allow mo to repeat that after care.
ful investigation of every reported
case, either near Centervile in your
State or in our own State, we are of the
belief that no foundation whatever ex.
lists for the reported prevalence OF con
taGious pleuro pneumonia in that por
tion of either State. The continued
repetition of these reports exercise a
damaging effect upon the live stock in
tcrests of both States and should be
discouraged. 1t is much to be regretted
that the report must always precede
the examination, and that the result of
tho latter can seldom, If ever, over.
take tho former. All such reports are
used 30 keep up an unnecessary and
foolish excitement, which in fiicts
iucaicu!abie injury npon one of the
most important agricultural interests
OF our country.
The most careful examination which
we have been able to give has failed to
show a case in which the disease has
escaped from Chester County herds into
those of your State, nor have we any
good reason to suppose that any cases
now exist in any of the localities allu
ded to. A careful examination of all
such reports demonstrates that il there
is any foundation at all for them it is
caused by n failure to recognize the dis
tinction between tubercu Iosis and pleu-
ro-pneumonia.
Respectfully Yours, THos. j. EDGE.
Special Agent of the Governor,