Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1886-10-28
PLEURo.PNEUMoNIA.

DR.. Salmon ON the Cattle Disease-A Crisis
Reached in the Cattle Industry.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 21-Dr. Salmon,
Chief Of the Bureau of Animal Industry, In
his official report upon the outbreak Of
| pleuro-pneumonia at Chicago says: ION
September % l visited the Phoenix and
Shufeldt distillery stables in company with
the State Live Stock Commissioners and
the State Veterinarian. Post mor!em ex'
aminations were made on the carcasses Of
four animals and In every case LESSONS
were revealed, which are considered by the
veterinarian profession the world over to
be typical and characteristic Of contagious
pleuro- pneumonia. On several subsequent
occasions visited these same stables and
witnessed the examination OF other car.
casses, which presented equally plain evil
dence of the same disease"
The doctor describes the manner In which
the plague was traced to and discovered in
these distlileries' stables and says that it
was of itself a demonstration Of its con.
tagiOus character, and continued as follows:
"The milkmen at first st0utly denied the
existence of any disease among their cattle,
bu: when the evidence became too strong to
be longer contested it was admitted they
had recognized the appearance OF lung
disease in 1854. They at first attributed it
10 chemicals used in the mash by the dis.
tillers and to feeding the s!op TOO hot, but
had finally concluded it was contagious
pleuro-pneumOnia, and had been practcng
incubation to lessen the mortality. 1t was
ascertained that cattle had been removed
I'm inf Aiotiltors, 81
over the streets Of Chicago and allowed to
work to be done was to prevent
any more animals from leaving the infected
stables and the next to learn how far the
c0ntagiOn had been already disseminated.
10 accomplish this first object the guards
were strengthened, two men being placed
ut each stable In the city and four at night,
while for the latter six veterinary inspect
Ors were directed to examine all OF tho
herds found running on the commons about
the city. The cattle in the distillery stables
have been counted daily in order to insure
prompt detection OF any owner who might
succeed in removing any of his stock,
and it might be safely said that nothing
of this kind could occur without being
known by members of the State Live
Stock Commission. The inspection of
city and suburban herds brought out the
fact that the cOntagiOn had been very
widely disseminated; that diseased animals
have been running upon lots where many
cattle grazed. and that practically We
must consider all of the unfenced pastures
and vacant lots on the west and south
sides of Chicago as infected. and all of the
cattle running at large as exposed. Most
of the cases OF disease found were chronic,
and some Of the herds presented plain evi.
dence of having been inOculated. This In.
oculation, which has been extensively re-
sorted to in Chicago. while it has lessened
the losses. appears to be one of the means
scattered. The origin OF the cOntagion In
tho distillery stables is still matter of
doubt. The miikmen believe it was intro
duced with some COWS bought at the Union
Stock Yards in the fall of 1884 by Mrs.
Mary Kelly. 1t this version is correct it Is
obviously impossible to learn at this late day
whether the animals were infected at some
of the centers of contagion which existed
in Illinois in that year or whether this
occurred by contact with some of the many
calves which were then passing through the
yards.
''With contagious pleuro-pneumoni pre-
valent in the vicinity of Chicago. the great
live stock center of the country, from which
cattle are constantly moving in all direc
tons, it may be truly said that the cattle
industry Of this country has reached q
crisis. It may be still rescued from this
scourge il Congress at the coming session
can be made to realize the necessities of the
situation"