The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-04-09
VERY Much EXAGGERATED,
Is the General Verdict On the
Chambers Scare.
Prominent Veterinary Surgeons and Horse
men Agree That the Disease Is in
Very Narrow Limits

among horses was spreading IN the city
caused thorough Investigation to be made
and published a correct article on the mat
ter, showing exactly how far the alarm was
justihable. Ii was proven that although
some few eases existed in the suburbs, still
only where every proper precautiOn in feed
ing and ventilation was neglected. aud The
CALL gave the opinions of various yeterin-
any surgeons aud horsemen, warning all
horse-owners of the prevalence in some
quarters of the disease, and setting forth
the measures which should be adopted to
prevent either the termination Or spread
ing thereof
The sensational article on the subject
Therefore which appeared recently in an
issue of a daily contemporary, and which
seems &c have been chiefly suggested
by young and comparatively ineXpe-
rlenced veterinary surgeon, came like
thuEderbOlt among the borsemen. num-
bers OF whom are now arriving in the city
to participate in the forthcoming blood
b orSe races, livery-Stable keepers and
EOrse-owners of every description. Consid-
cradle CONSERVATION was created among the
most timid of the owners who keep their
horses at LIVERY, and these in some in
stances went so far as to state that they
would remove their horses TO private
stables. The CALLS previous inyestiga-
ton shows, however, that the scare is
interviews with yeterinafies and other
prominent horsemen will show that in their
opinion the article referred TO is calculated
to do a great deal of injury TO borse-owners
of eyeTy degree, facts being overstated and
ineXcusable blnnders made.
Dir. ". T. Egan, who has one of the
largest veterinary practices among horses
in this city and neighborhOod. was seen and
made the following statement: Il rarely
pass day without visiting stables where /
NJ pfaIp w hp
al least 1000. l read the article you refer 10.
and say without hesitation that it is rdicu-
lousy and grossly exaggerated and full of
mlSstatemen;S. To begin WITH ii states that
CHAMBERS is epidemic in San Francisco.
Chambers is a contagious disease. which can
only spread by cOntagion, that is. absolute
contact with the glandinal discharge either
on the mucous membrane or the blood OF
man or horse where an abrasion Of the skin
exists, for instance. Chambers is not in the
air, ana therefore cannot spread as an cpl
demic.
Again the article in question says:
There Is hardly livery stable in the city
that is free from it, This is absurd. In
all my practice i have never come across a
single case of CHAMBERS in any livery stable.
And to show you that have at least an eX-
tenslye practice among the livery people, l
may tell you that my services are retained
by the following stables and you can add
about the average number Of horses they
have stabbed:
Centennial stables, 1870; Nolan's Cali
fCrnia stables, 100; FOxhall stables, 30; West
EOd stables. 20; Sulliyan'S stable. 100: Cor
{ e rs stables, 40: French'S Golden Eagle
ST. b es and many Others. la addition / am
The Government Inspector at Black Point
and am retained by Miller x Lux, who gen
orally have 20 TO so draught horses up. in
addition 10 several driving horses, besides
owning several thousand head on their vari-
GUS ranches. Why. right here" pointing to
the Overland Freight Transfer COmpany's
stable. Il look alter 81 head. And yet L
have never seen case of CHAMBERS in any
one CT the establishments mentioned for at
least two years.
THE assertion, therefore. made that liv-
cry stablemen in general. afraid Of losing
patronage, conceal the cases until the entire
stable Is infected, Is a misstatement. L
| doubt very much whether the bacilli have
been discovered at all in trough-water. l
| admit there are cases Of CHAMBERS in the
| eubuTbs out Point LobOS way aud among
! contractors and milk-ranches in the Mission.
| These are serious. Of course. and should be
attended TO by the inspector of the Board
| of Health, but these do not justify the
| alarming though incorrect and sensational
| statements
Several prominent trotting-horse men
| were also seen on the subject. Fred w
| Loeber of the Vineland stock farm, Napa
| County. large and prominent breeder,
| said; 81 have been engaged in the horse
| breeding business for many years, and for
the past - in California. L consider that
| the article which ap peared the other day is
| not only very detrlmen al to the great horse
! interests Of the State, even If true, but rs 1t
| Is, ia my nplnlon, very unjust and highly
| exaggerated il is liable to work incaleulable
| mischief. While / am satisfied that CHAMBERS
exists in this State, / am certain IL is not
| more prevalent than in other parts OF the
| Union. During my long experience | have
made CHAMBERS a special study and indeed
| have acquired certain amount or rnpo pu-
larity at times by my strenuous efforts TO
| stamp out the disease in the few Isolated
| cases l. have seen IN my own Immediate
| locality.
" l am satisfied that IL requires untiripg
| observation and long practical experience to
even distinguish what and what is not
genuine CHAMBERS, and then the disease
| only becomes contagious by direct ln0cu-
lation. am fully aware OF the dangerous
character OF the disease, for there is nc
remedy known az present, but as to It's
being raging epidemic L am firmly con-
WINGED that il cannot become epidemic III
California, at all events with the precau-
tions now adopted, and from personal OBJ
| servatl0n / am also satisfied that the disease
makes less progress and spreads less rapidly
IN THIS State than IN any other part oil the
| United States"
Several others expressed an opinion thai
the article, being published al time when
! all the best thoroughbTeds in the State are
arriving for the blood-horse races, was
| likely TO create a panic, and, moreover, dc
| serious Injury TO California horses in the
East especially as it exceeds the facts Of
| probabilities of the case. That prominent
horseman joseph Calrn Simpson alsC
shared these opinions. 1T cannot be cor
rect" said he; ''for with al my years o
| experience IN California, during which
have seen and handled some thousands o.
| horses Of every description, have seen but
one case Of CHAMBERS"
Gilbert Tompkins, although not long il
the breeding business has also handled
| large number of horses. He said: Il hav,
never yet come across a case of CHAMBERS
| why, II the disease were quarter as bat
as the paper tries 10 make it out. Their
| would very soon be neither horses nor mel
left"
DR.. c. Masoero for the past IL years ha
enjoyed by far the largest horse veterinary
practice in this State. He is retained b.
the Palo Alto stock farm, the Valensi
| stock farm, the La Siesta ranch, MonrO
| Salisbury, the Hobart stock farm. the Pa
| cifc Improvement Company, Charles War
rem, many Of the most prominent livery
men and the bulk Of the French and Italia
colonies In this city. who alone own som
1000 horses. He was interviewed by a CAL
reporter and stated as follows: "The at
Gle you refer To is not only ridiculUusly ex
| aggerated, but untrue in most of its asseI
tons. There are only q few isolated case
here and there, as there viii be In any par
|. | OF the world where there are large number
| OIL horses, out as Tor there being any ep
demic that is utter DonSence. In the trs
place the disease can only be communicate
by incubation; IL 1t were epidemic. tina
Is in the air. we should speedily hav
no horses at all. The whole articl
is cruel infection on most people I'm tb
horse business, more especially the livery
stable keepers. Why. / attend to the horse
at the Preside for the Government. som
400 head, and in addition TO the leadin
breeding establishments the ST. George
stables. where 80 horses are on the aver
age kept, the St Lawrence stables 100, tn
. Club stables 40, besides Charles Warner
the big contractor, who keeps up about q
| head of horses. The LARGEST stables ON Ii