The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-08-02
STAMPING OUT DISEASE.
Consumption May be Contracted py
Eating Diseased Animal Meat
From the Philadelphia Times

Eating Diseased Animal Meat
From the Philadelphia Times.
Between April and June so Of this year
the United States bureau of animal in
dustry slaughtered nearly 10000 suspected
cattle in the district within a radius OF
eight miles of the new city hall. In the
same time they have, in conjunction with
the state, inspected 9, COS herds, visited 1919
stables, inspected Al, 067 animals, tagged
%, 026 animals, and have destroyed ID
diseased herds containing $50 cattle.
Although it may not be generally known,
the district has been in cattle quarantine
since April 9.
1t WAS placed in quarantine by procle-
nation issued by Gov. Beaver on that day in
compliance with the provisions of an act OF
tue general assembly of the state of Penn
sylvania, entitled, IAN act to prevent the
spread OF coutag ,ous or infectious pleuro-
pneumonia in TINS state. The district was
guaranteed on inforpation as to the eX-
iStence of the disease, contagious pleuro
pneumonia, furnished through the proceed
ings of the meeting of the veterinary sur
geons of Philadelphia and from reports OF
Francis Bridge, V. s., state veterinarian.
and Thomas j. Edge special agent OF the
governor.
The disease at the time of the proclama-
ton was widespread. According to the
usual custom il dealing with quarantine
districts, the United States department OF
agriculture, for the suppression and extir-
patton of contagious, infectious and COM
municable diseases among domestic ami
mails OF the United States, established their
branch, the bureau of animal industry, in
this city, with headquarters in Swayne's
building on the west side of Seventh street,
above Chestnut.
HOW THE INSPECTORS WORK.
DR.. William s. Devoe is chief inspector in
charge of the branch. He has under him
eight inspectors and twenty assistant
inspectors, all of whom work i'll conjunction
with State Veterinarian Bridge. There is
an inspector stationed at the abbatoir on the
west side of the Schuylkill, north of Market
street bridge and another at the North Penn
yard. On market days each Inspector at the
stock yards has six assistants. The other
six inspectors are distributed in the suburbs,
while the assistant inspectors work in the
stables OF tho city
They act as an advance corps They visit
all the stables and farms first, and after Sc
curing description of each COW or bull,
with its weight and the name of its owner,
the animal is tagged" and its description
placed in a book, the same as mans name
in city directory. The tag" consists of
a small brass plate, with a number stamped
on it, which is attached to the ear of the
COW. The number is also entered on the
book. In t1is way 2S,0 26 animals have
been marked SO that their location can be
easily found when wanted
CARCAssEs OF DISEASED ANIMALS.
The inspectors come after the 'taggers, "
and If they find any animal afflicted with
the disease it is killed and its number and
description stricken from the books. All
animals in the stockyard escape the tagging
except those that are to be kept for dairy
purposes. When the animal afflicted with
pleuro-pneumonia is killed it is cut open
and coal oil poured on the meat, SO that it
cannot be eaten. Thirteen herds were thus
treated. After the animals are killed and
oil poured on them the owners of the numer-
Gus rendering works in the city take the
carcasses and allow the inspectors So per car
CaSs.
DR.. Devoe said yesterday that he did not
believe the meat of cow afflicted with
chronic pleuro-pneumonla unfit to eat, but
when the disease was in an acute form it
should be tibooed. AS it is, none Of the
meat of the COWS afflicted in any way with
pleuro-pneumoni is allowed to go into the
market.
In this methodical manner the bureau
has almost succeeded in entirely stamping
the disease out OF the district and us not a
case has been found in three weeks, Dr.
Devoe said that he believed the district would
be out of quarantine in a short time.
WORSE THAN PLEURO-PNEUMoNIA.
Continuing, DR.. Devoe said: Although
we have almost stamped out pleuro-pneu-
monia, we have cases every day Of a disease
which, in my opinion, is more dangerous to
both the human and brute family-that is,
tuberculosis, or consumption. While it Is
more dangerous than pleuro-pneumonia, its
existence would not keep the district i'll
quarantine.
"There is no law which empowers us to
destroy or condemn cattle afflicted with
Tuberculosis, and when we find it in an ami
NAL all we can do is to advise its owner to
destroy it, for his own good and the good of
his stock for it is not only contagious
among tue cattle, bat can be transmitted to
the human family through its milk and in
other ways. To prove this assertion we
killed COW last week afflicted with it, and,
on an autopsy being made, tubercles were
found in its udder, or milk bag In many
cases VIII re the inspectors find the disease
very acute, they take the law in their own
hands and destroy the animal.
NO PROTECTION FROM TUBERCULOSIS.
while the meat of the animal afflicted
with pleuro-pneumonia is only unfit to eat
when the disease is acute, the meat Of the
animal afflicted from tuberculosis is always
dangerous, and the disease can be trans
mitted by it. Notwithstanding this, the
butcher cannot be stopped from buying and
selling the meat of consumptive animal,
while he can be stopped from buying tho
less dangerous meat of the pleuro-pneu-
monia animal.
1.-THE 10000 cattle slaughtered by the bu-
reau is made up principally of animals that
have run dry on their owners, and being of
no more use for dairy purposes they sell
them for their beef. All these cattle have
to be killed before our eyes to assure us that
their lungs are not afflicted"
The slaughter-houses of the city, of which
there are 1852, constitute great part Of the
in visiting nearly all of them on days when
any killing is done.
THURMAN HELPED CLEVELAND