The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1886-07-10

radical means are taken al Once, anu CdiilSu
into effect, to totally eradicate the disease
from our herds, and thereafter keep our
selves free from it by stringent sanitary
measures. Massachusetts, is entirely free
from this disease, as the authorities went
at it tooth and nail, regardless of the seem
ingly great expense, and did not stop until
there was no trace of the trouble; now they
can boast that they are free of the disease,
unrestrained by guarantees of other states,
and that the apparently heavy cost of be-
coming so has proved in reality very eco
nomical. Enough stress cannot be laid
upon the importance of strict veterinary
sanitary inspection of this state, for the
only way that we can free ourselves entirely
of this pest is to root it out, to grub it out
| by the roots and burn the refuse.
HOG CHOLERA AND CHAMBERS.
Governor Lloyd did not say word in
his message in regard to the existence OF
hog cholera, or CHAMBERS among horses,
both of which diseases are prevalent to
more or less extent, and which seem to at
tract no attention at all from our State
Veterinarian. Surely hog cholera is caus-
ing enough loss to farmers, to many OF
whom the losses are distressing, in destroy
ing great source of their income, as to
demand attention from those whose duty
is to investigate epizootics among our. do
nestle animals, no matter what the nature
may be, or what class of animals may be
attacked. Cases of CHAMBERS exist at pres
ent among the horses of Baltimore, and
although it is not now epizootic, by mat
tention it can easily become so, and cause
great losses to those on whom it will fall
/ heavily. Chambers is much more easily
propagated in the stables of the poor, as
they are generally unfit for horses, being
damp, i'll ventilated, and i'll lighted, and
neglected in general, thus offering better
targets than the Widowed and wainscotted
stables of the nabobs These remarks may
be somewhat lengthy; but I am sure too
much cannot be said on the subject to suf-
fciently impress on your minds its impor-
lance We shall now take up the subject
proper or
CONTAGIOUS PLEURo PNEUMONIA.
The history of the disease of contagious
pleuro pneumonia has been traced away
back; and it is thought to have existed cen
turies ago, inasmuch as Fleming, in his
''Animal Plaques" volume recording all
outbreaks of plaques, both of man and ami
mails since the flood, mentions an instance
of an outbreak as early as 67 A. D., as fol-
lows: "During the reign of the Emperor
Nero, it rained so much of the so called
blood in Albania that rivers ran blood.
An epizootic broke out among the domes-
tic animals; and an epidemy in man. The
accounts of some Roman authors lead to
the inference that the symptoms OF the
malady correspondent with those of the
epizootic pleuro pneumonia OF our own
times" The ancient Romans even then
used means to eradicate contagious dis
eases and slaughtered their animals as soon
as they showed signs of any such disease.
The first authentic outbreak appeared in
France in 1863, and it has since invaded
different parts of the world, 1--WE may safely
say all parts of the world); first showing
itself in the United States at Brooklyn, in
1S47 or 1S49, since when it has extended
through all the Eastern States, and few |
of the west and now threatens the entire
country.
HOW IT ORIGINATES.
This is contagious and infectious dis
ease, which is to say it can be contracted
by its virus, or special poisonous germs,
coming into contact with living tissue, as
sore or raw spot or the membranes of the
nose, mouth, &C., as in inhalation into the
lungs of the virus from the air For in
stance, healthy COW could take the dis
ease in running at pasture by licking or
coming in contact with the diseased one,
or in the stable by breathing the air ex-
pired from the sick COW. 1t is caused al |
ways by these germs or poisonous seeds,
and not from any swill slop feeding, damp
hot stables, excessive milking, or such at
tributed causes; however, these may so
predispose an animal by depicting the sys-
TEN, and ill-nourishment, that it takes the
disease more readily than one with better
bygienio surroundings. These germs can
be carried in the air to distance of from
so to 300 feet, according to the state of
the atmosphere, which seems a better We
hicle at one time than at another; they can
be carried from one animal to another, in
the clothes of an attendant, and if animals |
diseased are driven along roads, housed in
stables or cars, or pastured in certain fields,
and healthy animals are taken into these
parts even three months afterward, they
are liable to be infected The flesh of a
dead animal can convey the disease to
healthy ones by its effluvia, unless buried
sufficiently deep or burned. All the bo-
vine race may be attacked by this disease,
but never horses or sheep; as in Scotland
they slaughter affected animals and turn
sheep on the pasture, thus finding a use
for otherwise useless ground. An out
break of pleuFo pneumonia, pot contagious,
however, among horses came under my OBJ
servation about year ago; it was caused
by bad surroundings and food and gener-
ally rundown condition of the stock.
The seat of the disease of contagious
pleuro pneumonia is the lungs and their
outside covering the pleura, that allows the
lungs to move freely in the act of breath
ing, acting by its moist condition as oil on
an axle in the prevention of friction. This
pleura also winds around, after completely
covering the lungs and the outside of the
sac containing the heart, and is spread over
the walls of the chest, covering thus the
inner side of the ribs. Contagious pleuro |
pneumonia is a pneumonia or inflammation |
of the lung tissue or substance, in conjuc-
ton with pleurisy, or inflammation of the
pleura; it is characterized BY special symp-
toms, or signs visibly or otherwise conveyed |
to us by the actions of the animal. The
description of the visible symptoms will be
taken up shortly. This disease leaves
marks in the lungs that are also character
istic, or especially peculiar TO it, and which
enable an experienced person to say at once,
on seeing them exposed, that the animal
has been affected with the disease 1t
generally attacks only one lung and a part
of that at first, and goes on there in its
various stages, then commencing on another
part Both lungs may be attacked at the
same time and there is no prediction for
either lung, as we find it as often in the