The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-04-15
PLEURO-pNEUMONIA.
The Agricultural Commissioner Talks of the
Dangerous Character of the Disease.

Dangerous Character of the Disease.
WASHINGTON, April 14-Commissioner Col
man practically began the discharge of his official
duties Commissioner of Agriculture to-day.
Heis already familiar with the general working of
the department. but will give himself some time
to study the details of its machinery before
formulating any general plan of operations. He
will go to Boston the latter part of next week to
hear the opinions of cattle importers and others
interested in the matter of removal of the cattle
quarantine from Waltham to Littleton, Mass.
An Associated Press reporter asked the Com
missioner of Agriculture to-day for information
respecting the outbreak of the pleuro pneumonia
in Missouri. He sad in reply that the disease
had thus FAR been confined to single county, and
that the people of the State were acting ener-
geticaly and intelligently for its eradication.
Their great difficulty was lack of funds. He
thought the Legislature of Missouri ought to be
called together to make more liberal provisions
to meet this emergency, but there was doubt
whether its members had been educated up to
the point of taking the only efficient means pos
sibe for the suppression of this scourge. 1t was,
he said, fact that no outbreak of this disease,
either in the United States or abroad, had ever
been suppressed without governmental aid The
bureau of animal industry of the department,
while rendering invaluable service, still lacked
the power, under former interpretations OF the
law. to take the steps which experience
proved to be most effective in cases of
this kind. There was no known way of suppress
ing pleuro- pneumonia but by killing every ami
NAL which had been either affected or exposed
Having been killed. they should be buried
deeply, hides and all, for the disease was com
municable after death. The original law estab-
fishing the bureau of animal industry gives
authority for expenditure of such portion of the
annual appropriation as may be necessary for
investigation, disinfection and quarantine, but
does not, in direct terms, authorize the expendi-
ture of money to help pay for cattle to be killed
Mr. Colman entertains the opinion that inasmuch
as death is the only effective method of dealing
with pleuro pneumonia, a fair Interpretation of
the law would sanction the expenditure of a
portion of the appropriations for this purpose
He intends to lay the matter before Attorney
general Garland for an opinion. The insidiouS
and alarming nature of the infection was, he
said, illustrated by the origin of the present out
break. A young bull was purchased in Ohio or
Illinois, and taken to Missouri; it was suggested
as a possibility, at the time of the pur-
chase, that the animal had been ex-
posed to pleuro-pneumonia, and for this
reason it was quarantined for three months, af-
ter which it was allowed to run with the herd
belonging to the insane asylum. Almost imme-
diately the herd became infected. The entire
herd has been slaughtered, about hundred ami
mails having been killed, but the Commissioner
thinks many more should be sacrificed. 1.-The
expenditure" said the Commissioner, 'of $50 900
now may save us an epidemic which will per-
haps cost half million to suppress two or three
weeks hence"