Daily Yellowstone journal., 1886-12-22
AMERICAN RINDERPEsr.

AMERICAN B1NDERPEST.
A synopsis Of Its Origin. History, Pro-
gress, Causes, Evils and Remedy.
Public Interest has been aroused as
to the significance Of rinderpest. and
as II is not generally known what the
disease IL In fact. nor its origin, peru
sal of this limited sketch OF its history,
progress, causes and the evils follow
ing this dread scourge. will not be Ill
repaid. especially by those interested
In stock raising who may be ignorant
Of the ravsges ensuing from an intro.
duction of the disease. The following
account is cleaned from the Hoof and
Horn. of Prescott, Arizons:
The rinderpest, or, as this German
name is literally translated, the cattle
plague, belongs to the class Of zymotlc
diseases of W hich, according to former
pathology, the blood wac believed to
undergo putrid ferment. 1t ID
equally contagious, malignant and
fatal. It IL q blood disease, but ths
blood experiences . change much
worse than fermentation, for ID be
comes infected with the virus OF thu
disorder, 80 thai every particle Of tn,
olood from an infected animal be
comes capable Of injecting all the bloot
Of any other animal of the bovine rae,
with which is may be brought int
contact. The rinderpest took its rise
according TO authentic history, mors
than one thousand years ago in Asiati,
Russia. It appeared In Great Britain
in June, 1855, brought In by SOM
Esthonian cattle imported from Go
penhagen, which In the short space o
nine months destroyed over thret
hundred thousand cattle; and In June
1883, the disease appeared at Cairo
ILL.,, which was quickly recognized a
that called "6psnish fever" In th,
Gulf states. From Cairo IL sprea(
through the interior of Illinois ant
Indiana, aud made itself knowr
along all the great lines of communi
cation between the west and New
York city. 1t was brought by cattl,
driven from Texas, and becam,
known "a the "Texas cattle disease, >
but the infection conveyed by thes,
} animals to the native cattle of tn,
states through which they passed wa
vastly more fatal to the latter than e
the former. Indeed IL was affirmed
at first that the wild cattle from
Texas, though imparting the diseas.
to others, themselves constantly %
capped, but this was soon disprovsd.
The cause which originally dsvel
! Ioped the disease In question among
, the wild cattle owned by the thou
sapds In Texas 10 not within our pro
! Ivlncs TO discuss. Sufi1ce IL 30 say In
! InumbeFieas instances steen seleoted n
. random ffom droves Of Texas cattle
! which In extsrnal appearance were IN
lpsrfbct health, would present. on beinS
Islsuehtsred the unmiseakAble soaa
(which the disease invariably leAysl
. upon the co.h Of the stomach.
wherever the foreign cattle had
! traversed the roads or been pastursd
} or svsu hssisd over night, their dFsp'
, piurs retained % much and "a up<ivt
. form of the virus thAk ~ na1ivs aaI'
mals thai occupied The sams ground
even weeks OF months altsr, rapidly
: sieksned end died, u lsass ths greateI
: number of them. The poison was ap
, parently commuuicAtsd 70 then
through being absorbed By the open
; ine In the e1eit, fUr native cattle hav
: been known to take this disease from