The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1890-09-11
A CATTLE EPIDEMIC.

Words Of Warning from the state yoteri'
Larian--Missouri Cattle May Possibly bs
Afflicted with Foot and Mouth Disease
mo Present Cause for AIarm-Iow to
Meet and Check tho Maiady When 10
Appears.
COLUMBIA, Mo-, Sept 5.-State Vet
erinarian Paquin has prepared for pub
lication the following circular:
FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE.
kt the outset beg the stockmRn not to be
alarmed Mt this heading and the uewspa-
pcrs not to raise scare by partial cxplana-
tions Of this letter or inaccurate descrip-
tons OF the disease am about to explain,
or by partial explanation Of my opinion.
Heretofore much damage has been done
our live. stock mon, farmers and our mar
kct centers Just because OF rash, un:
tustnnDle, Incorrect publications and
| by ridiculous excitomcnt aided, per-
maps. by nscrupulous spectators.
IN the livestock Gent ccntcrs a' because
which had been termed foot and mouth dis
| case. Tho error was very uufOrt unate, but
had there been no error and had 1t been t9e
loot ana mouth disease of Europe, why
| such excitement " is tho mildest ep-
| demc of stock known, and the death ratio
| scarcely rises to 10 per cent. In the most vir-
uient outbreaks and not ~ per cent. in the
ordinary. Tho only serious damage that it
stopping the milk. Here it does hurt to the
amount Of several dollars per head 1t is
to prevent such possibilities and limit the
now prevalent malady attacking tho
mouth and feet of cattle In several counties
| In our State, and creating CONSERVATION
among farmers and stockmcn.
My object is to explain what to do, and
emphatically declare that there Is oDsolute-
| ly no need OF alarm in the slightest degree.
| Now If some wise man or knowing charac-
! ter does not feel called upon to scare tho
! people, all will be benefited who are suffer-
/ ing and none will suffer who are free.
| The State Veterinary Department would
| attend to all the outbreaks silently, If 1t
u mn .1n nnI htn # hn
! matter until official reports are published,
| Ii is our policy to destroy all contasion and
! Infection quietly and without publication.
/ But In this instance we are taxed beyond
! our capacity The demands for advice arc
| too frequent and the trouble too much scat
tered, and erroneous notices have already
! been published. We can benefit all and the
whole state only by general public work.
| respectfully request every paper of this
State to copy this in iul-preface and also
that every community may be informed OF
Its duties and how to prevent losses.
IT is A MOUTH AND FOOT DISEASE.
There is u disease now prevailing among
! cattle in several counties in which Dlistcr5
break IN the mouth, particularly about the
| lips and gums The cattle appear gauuter
and gUuntcr day after day for want of food.
II examined the nose may be found hot, dry
| ana sometimes Wine color in patches Bis
tCrs appear on the inside and on the margin
of the lips, which become more or less raw,
and bleed easily. The pad (uppcr jaw gum
corresponding to the front teeth of lower
! iaw)also presents Dlisters, which soon break,
form thick, ycllowish, cracked, soft crust,
sometimes the tongue is blotchcd or blis-
tered but rutely. There is much drooling
of stringy, wHtcry matter from the mouth,
and the odor from 1t if any thing but agree
ablc-Uftcn very fctid, indeed. Those yell
lOwish crusts slough out after II few days
aud leave raw surfaces or sores. In II few
cases complications arise by which gan.
creme (rotting in faCt) of the gums extend
to the jaw bones or teeth, and in few in
stances the teeth becomes loose and even
drop off.
There is often present peculiar smack
ing of the lips.
Most Of cases become stiff and lame from
the same LESSONS breaking In the feet (the
cleft particularly. Occasionally, also, blis-
ters and consequent results (scabs, crusts
and even raw s0rcs) occur on the uddcr. In.
three or four cases ! know these appeared on
the neck, the belly, the back and ubout the
root of the tail Uncommonly there is
diarrhGa. The mulady runs its regular
course IN an average OF about eight days.
The shortest course l have noticed was five
or complicated cases which last much
longer Fever, more or less intense, keeps
up most of the time. The type is very mild.
death rate being so far as can learn, less
than one in two hundred.
PREVENTIVE AND CURATIVE TREATMENTS.
/. Separate all the sick and suspicious from
the healthy stoclt-lcaving the former where
the disease began and putting the healthy
in Il new pasture or lot
O. Wash the mouth twice day with solu-
ton Of borux or alum, or both combined, /.
O., Il wash composed Of, say, tablespoonful
or more of pulNerlZcd DornX ana alum TO u O.
pint of water.
~.
aud separate every new case as Gauntncss
appears, or az any suspicious symptom may
present Itself such rs lnmenessi stlHness'
Gullncss, dry nose, difficulty in takng food,
etc, etc.
1. Persons attending to such diseased stock
should not visit pastures or places occupied
by healthy stock. whether on their own
property or at their ncghbor's; and all who
have healthy stock should abstain from vis'.'
iting diseased stock.
rascd stock should not be used for any thing
rlse unless washed and schldcd.
g. stock from infected herds should not be
shipped to market or moved from the in.
tcctGd grounds, and none should be allowed
!. II is prudent TO keep sheep and perhaps
swine away from the infected herds.
y. Persons with sores Or chnpped hands
should handle the disease carefully ana
wash clean after dressing cases
1t viii pay to follow strictly all these
measures di precaution Some of them may
appear unnecessary, but they all are based
ON rational hygiene principles that should
not be transgrcssed. In bad or conplicatcd
cases. in which the feet are much affected,
daily wash with II coppcras solution Will be
Il great assistance
Fced-Thcl lips usually become so sore that
the cattle can not pick any food. That i5
What causes such extreme gauntnesS anu
fatiing in flesh AS characterzrs the nhlauy.
when death occurs 1t is rarely due to in:
ternal LESSONS, but seems generally caused
chiefly by starvation during the fever TO
avoid uch results feed the stock Cruel and
pIsh cars of corn into the mouth directly
under the grinders. when the patients WI
ropean foot ana mouth disease? lconicss
AM not yet positive, though 1t corrc-
! sponds exactly with authoritative de-
, / scriutions of Il. But this much Is cor-
| tain IL is an epidemic affection OF
the mouth and feet In cattle, and 1t Is new
| to me. know IL Is neither simple aPE.y
| nor simple cczcma nor crgotism am
familiar with all these, We are now en-
| gagged with tests with view to solve the
question of Infection and contagion, but we
deem 1t necessary to instruct the people ut
once and not wait for the results OF these
experiments. -
The number of letters received concern.
| ing this disease precludes the possibility or
| Official visits to all, SO it Is urged that stock
| owners follow the directions given here ana
! quarantine their own ,seascd stock. They
= will find it profitable to themselves anu
, | country ,- -
, Any citizen having this affection among
his herd will kindly report TO me at once.
, | giving their township, county, nature OF
| disease, number of cases, number OF deaths
= and stating II any other animal than cattle
, took the disease.
AGAIN ] ask all papers interested In the
| welfare of their community to please copy
, in full PAUL PAQUIN,
Missouri State Veterinarian.
Fatally Injured by Dynamite.
CANAsERAGA, N. Y, Sept. 6.--James
: Curry, a farmer, was fatally injured by