St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1889-04-06
0lG.HeAO m CATTLE
How - Prevent the Spread % Thls n
agreeable sud Fatal Disease.

0lG.heA0 m CATTLE
How - Prevent the spread oe Thls N.
agreeable and Fatal Disease.
This disease. always fatal when it II
not checked at the beginning, is in
creasing with great rapidity among the
large herds Of cattle and has become q
source Of anxiety and alarm. It pre-
walls. too. to q large extent in diaries.
and especially among the most valu-
able pure breeds Of cows kept for but
termaking and milk. Its peculiar nat
ure and its unquestionable contagious
ness give to 1t an unusual importance
and call for immediate attention. It's
hereditary, and is of a scrofulous char
ucter; some veterinarians consider 1t to
be variety of cancer. but this is some
what doubtful. considering the facts In
the case.
The first appearance OF the disease
is hard swelling on the upper jaw or
the bones of the face; it rarely attacks
the lower jaw unless at the same time
the tongue and adjacent parts OF the
mouth are diseased. The hard SWELL
ing increases and in time supurates.
discharging a fetid pus mixed with
blood and leaving the peculiar 0dOr OF
decayed bone. This discharge irritates
the skin and causes sores and ulcers.
which eat away the tissues until the
bone is laid bare and the food eDcapes
through the opening. Finally the jaw
is eaten away sud starvation ends the
animals life. if Il Has not been de-
stroyed by blood poisoning before this
The cause of the disease has not been
we'll understood until within few years
back, when it was found to be caused
by a peculiar parasitic growth. which
really eats away and consumes the
feshy and bony tissues. and which h
conveyed from the diseased animal by
heredity or by cOntagion to Others-
Gases have been known by the writer
iu which the progeny Of diseased AMI
mails have been affected through sew
eral generations. until the young calves
were attacked and the race ceased 70
exist Considering the nature OF this
class Of diseases, it is clear that this
disorder is encouraged and made pos
sible by mal-nutritiOn. a deficiency
of bone-making material weaken
ing the structure in q part where
it is most readily attacked by the
waiting organism, already lurking
in the mouth and among the teeth. and
very possibly finding subsistence in the
decaying organic matter which is al
ways found there When the favOra-
BILE conditions arise the parasites at
tack the bone or the tongue or the It's
sues of the cheek and spread their
ravages from one to the other. The
disease is now known as acsino my
tosis. but more commonly - big
head" and is sometimes still called
osteo-sMrcoma. 1t attacks horses rs
well as cattle.
The treatment of . disease Of this
character should clearly include and
begin with preventive measures
these consist of the exclusion from
breeding herds Of every diseased ami
nal which. because Of the scrOfulOus
nature Of the disease. should be put
safely under the ground as soon rs
possible. No diseased COW should
be bred; nor should she be kept as
The milk might and probably would
infect the calf, or even persons
who might use it. although SO
far this disease has not become
IN object OF dread among physi-
.ians. unless it may be thought
hat the fatal cases Of malignant dis
use OF the tongue or throat which
lave of late been SO conspicuous be-
.ause Of the high position OF the suffer-
.rs, and which Is becoming more and
more common. have had their origin
in infection through the milk Of dis
eased cows
The disease is durable II treated in
its early stages. The writer knows OF
several cases which have been success
.ully treated at the beginning Of the
outbreak. The successful treatment
has consisted in the use Of daily doses
of one ounce OF hyposulphite OF soda.
continued in some instances for three
months before the disease was finally
and permanently cured. One typical
case was that of a heifer pregnant with
her first calf and under two years old.
Her dam, a pure-bred Jersey. had pcr-
ished OF the disease. and the sire. .
pure Jersey bull, was slaughtered be-
cause it was hopelessly diseased. The
swelling appeared and discharged
the typical fetid pus in course
Of time. when tho above treat
ment was used. and the dis
charge slowly decreased, and finally
stopped. The opening was maintained
md washed twice daily with warm wa
or and carbOlic soap by injection until
it healed BEAUTIFULLY and nothing re-
NAMED but small, hard cxcrescence.
which is not painful. and is merely u
blemish. The heifer calved, and the
calf at two years Of age gave no indica-
lions of being affected by the disease.
This heifer belonged to a valuable
strain Of Jersey blood, and her escape
was worth large sum to her owner.
The use of this antiseptic in this
class of diseases has been found ex-
,eedingly effective. and it Is advisable
that1t should be given to cattle that
are exposed To this special disease rs
a means of avoiding the results of con-
tagion, whether inherited or not
Sometimes this disease follows the
decay OF a tooth, when the conditions
favorable to the attack Of the parasitic