Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-09-23
PLEURO-PNEUMONIA.
Steps Taken by the State Authorities
to Prevent the Spread OF the
Epidemic in Chicago.
The Remarks Of weii-Known STOCK
Expert on the Origin, Nature and
Extent OF tho Disease


At Harvey's farm they will be under the
state veterinarian and will be paid by the
state. II will be their duty TO see that
none Of the cattle get away or are re-
moved and that they are not permitted to
come In contact with any other cattle.
The authorities believe that the disease
can be confined within the present limits,
regardless OF how severe 1t may prove.
well-known stock expert said last
evening: 1.-THE plague first made Its APP
pearance in that neighborbood about two
years ago, when IL was brought by some
Jersey cattle from a herd belonging to
Mr.. DYE OF Troy, Ohio. IL was said that
tine cattle originally came from near Bal
tlmore, Md, but that WAS denied. The
only thing certain about the matter
Is that the cattle came from some OF the
seaboard states where the disease existed
for some years These diseased cattle
were sold at public auction at Virginia
City in this state, and the Infection made
its appearance afterwards, first in Geneva
In Clerks herd, and after that at Elm
hurst In Boyd's herd. Efforts were made
at that time TO stamp out the disease by
quarantine and rigorous measures, but
the cattle dealers, particularly the stock
yard men, made such lullaby and cry
that It was not contagious disease,
that the attempt to extir-
pate the infection was merely
q scare gotten up for selfish purposes,
that II was impossible TO carry out the
proposed measures and the quarantine
was relaxed. am satisfied that II there
had been no outcry we should not have
been troubled with the present outbreak.
Unless fresh infection has been i'm
ported, tnink that every case Of pieuro-
pneumonia now is directly traceabie to
the Elmhurst and Geneva herds.
The great trouble with this disease Is
It's insidious nature and the length Of
time that the germs require for
incubation. / can compare 1t to
nothing but slow fire, smouldering
unseen, but still consuming aud suddenly
bursting out in great conhagration.
Cattle may be 80 lightly affected as TO
escape notice, and they may even sppar-
entity recover, but they will always carry
about them the germs Of the disease. II
has been found that the only safe way is
to kill every animal that has been exposed
TO the disease, and TO burn TO the ground
every building which has sheltered them.
The disease appears to resemble tuber-
culosis, but autopsy reveals q marked
difference. There are no tuber-
Giles on the lung In pleuro-
pneumonia The pleuro and the lungs
are grown together, and the lungs are
hard and can be cut in slices with knife
Healthy lungs will weigh about fifty
pounds, but the lungs Of COW having
pleuro- pneumonia have been known Il
weigh over one hundred and thirty pounds
ha haav tad hut ta IA
satisfactory. The disease cannot h
cured portion Of the lungs once at
tackled by pleuro-pneumonia Is as hope
lessly gone as finger cut of
The plague Is now largely confined II
the dairy stables. II a dalrymeu finds
COW ailing he sends her to the stables an,
brings in another from the country, thu
keeping the fame Of the disease bufnin
and perhaps regularly having two o
three sick beasts In the stable all tn
time, In one sense this IL less danger
Gus than II the Infection were to brea
out In the stockyard; but in another IL |
more dangerous in that II enhances tn
difficulty Of ascertaining the existence Z
the plague and starts new centers Of II
fectlon.n
CHICAGO, Ill, Sept. 22--Chairma
Pearson of the Illinois Live Stock COMM.
sion and Mr., McChesney, also memhe
OF the commission, held a consultation
to-day with number OF veterinarians |
this city. Among the experts preser
were DR.. Casewell, veterinarian for Ill
nois, and his associates, Doctors Hughe
and Murphy OF Chicago. Fro
abroad were DIR. Salmon of III
United States board, DR.. Alexand,
Murray OF Detroit, formerly OF d
Michigan Live Stock board, and DR.. A
kinson OF Milwaukee, veterinarian Il
Wisconsin. The commission proceede
TO the Phoenix distillery sheds, follcwe
by the veterinarians, where post.morte
examinations were made, and DR.. Sa
mon Rld the state experts unanimous
agreed that the disease was contagio,
pleuro.pneumonia.
Concerning considerable movement
cattle into this particular locality fro
the stock Yards to utilize the feed fro
these distillerles, II can not be asce
tained that theirs had been any retui
movement. Whel cattle at the distillu
les are fat II is understood they are co
consigned TO slaughter house
Bridgeport (this side OF the stock yard
and Il can not be ascertain,
that any mad recently been slaughter,
elsewhere. II there had been any shl
ments OF the slop-fed cattle, they mu
inevitably have been made east and n
west, so It il not likely that the disea
can have spread from this center la 1
past and as to the future everything W
be In close quarantine and eve
preoaution taken 10 guard the cat
passing through this city from the pos
bility OF exposure The infected local
Is 10 the extreme northwestern portion
the city, from six TO ten miles from I
stock-yards, which are outside the sout
ern limits OF the city, and eommu
cation between the two throu
the city streets and blocks is l
convenient and can never be accident
State and federal authorities are {
operating in the matter, and there seel
no more occasion for interruption OF cat
movement through the ordinary chanu
OF trade here than II the outbreak had
CURED In some remote county OF |
state.