The Portland daily press., 1895-01-21

the money to Ieplaoe the animals thus con
demned so it results that for theklast r1our
months of the first biennial year ana the
last eight months of the second year our
board was entirely out of funds ana an
appeal to the Governor and Councll result
| ed in their authorizing our board TO 40 Just
| what was absolutely necessary and no
| more to carry on the work until the present
Legislature convened.
In his annual address Governor CleaVes
| struck the keynote when he said 1.-The pro-
lection of the live stock of Maine agalnst
| contagious disease is of great Importance
| and any neglect of this duty may enIail
| upon the owners very large losses. The
| appropriation for this purpose for the past
| few years has been insufficient to meet the
| expenditures that were necessary to prop
| erly guard this interest and fully protect
| the public health. The sum appropriated
! ha wing been exhausted in July last the
| Governor and Council authorized the Com.
| missioners to expend an additional sum OF
| $1,000 IN carrying forward their necessary
| work, which amount has been paid from the
| treasury.
| I'VE are now appl opriating large sums of
money to protect our fish and game. and
certainly we should not neglect to make an
| adequate appropriation for the protectlon
| of our herds and fl ocks."
| The largely increased number of inspec-
| tions made during 1894, over any previous
| year. plainly show that the demands upon
| us are increaing. and we feel tnat nuch
sanitary work is left undone that should re-
| ceive more attention from the cattle COM
| mission han the present law and approprl-
| alton adequately provide for. The proper
disinfection and care of premises, out of
| which diseased animals have been taken
| should be under state control instead OF
| being left TO owners who generally under
rate the Importance of the work. or neglect
altogether to give it their attention.
The humane killing of such animals and
| their proper disposal afterwards, is oIen to
| the same objec and still no provision is
| made for such work being done under the
present law, and no money appropriated for
| the purpose.
| Several cases have come to our knowledge
| the past year where repeated cases nave
| been found in ables, out of which some
horse had been condemned and where such
| horses after being inhumanly killed have
been left above ground for fox bait or dogs
| to devour, and thus scatter the dlsease
| broadcast all over the state.
| There is another feature of our oversight
| of dairy herds that has been heretofore
| overlooked OF underrated, in allowing con-
| sumptive people to act attendants upon
| mich herds. The recent reports OF the
| Johns Hopkins hospital prove that the ex-
| pectoration CT a single conSumptlVe patient
was about four ounces in twenty-four hours,
and that il contained more than fcur
| thousand million of bacillia in single day.
| The proper ,disinfection OF tuherculons
| sputum would seem out of the question in
barns and stables where phthisicai persons
| have the charge of feediEgand milkingsda1ry
the germs exist in all discharges from
| tubercular foci. and are constantly aecu-
mulating from vast storehouses OF dust In
which the bacillus retains its vitality for
years only 10 reproduce the disease i'll the
future occ upants of the same stable.
Since our last report was issued a very
important discovery has become generally
adopted in diagnosing tubeIculosis in, all
stages of the disease, by the use OF tuber-
culin. Massachusetts is depending almost
wholly upon this agent. and out of three
thousand and nine hundred cases. recently
disposed OF in that state, only SIX cases OF
failure are reported. The system of tuber-
culosis patients being charged with the
roxalbumins of The germ of the disease the
product of the germ is nothing more or less
than tuberculin. The addition of a small
amount of artifieally prepared tuberoul1D to
that already contained in the system causes
a temporary fever, reaction, in from two
to fourteen hours after the injection; The
reaction varies from one to six degrees
above the normal temperature. In healthy
subjects the quantity Of tuberculin injected
is so small that the animal is not affected
y It. aTf %ane IS Eesp
of the times some provision should be made
for it's future use.. although there is very
little probability that its general adoption
will he needed in this state.
Before closing our present report we
would call special attention to the great In
crease during the past year in the number
of horses affected with that loathsome and
fatal disease of glanders: In 1888 but
twenty-five horses were found affected.
appraisal of 1896, n 1894 sixty-fonr have
been condemned at an appraisal fS2. 692 5O,
and the average number destroyed for the
past five years is less than fifteen. while the
facts of a year ago are reflected in our
present report that hut very limited num-
ber of the horses destroyed were bred in
Maine, the great majority of these being
Western horses purchased in the Boston
market and brought here by the carload to
De disposed of by auction and by private
sale. Among those destroyed, nine of the
number were not appraised, as not having
been owned in Maine, the req u1red time
under the amended law of 1892, while among
cattle all were appraised excepting two
against whichsthe same objection existed.
1t will be remembered that our board
uuarantined this state in 1888 against Texas
mustangs, or broncho horses brought into
Maine and sold to the number of 2900 during
the season of 1887, and among which
thirteen cases of glanders were found in
bronohos have heen brought here, but their
places have been more than supplied by
whole car loads of Western horses that for
various causes are cheaper than ever before
and all OF which have been exposed to
| glanders before coming into Maine. the
disease being more prevalent among horses
| of their class han any OF her.. We believe
| that some proper restraint other than at
| present existing, should be placed upon the
| wholesale intI oduotion of these horses, al
| though quarantine may not ne advisable,
| as we have honorable dealers in various
| parts of Maine who are especially fitted up
| for dealings in workers anda busine essahorses
| of this class, for which the demand seems
| 10 exceed the supply among Maine pred
| horses. The present hardship TO such deal
| ers seems to be that outsiders can bring the
| same class of horses into Maine and sell
| them by the ear load at auction in cities and
| towns where hey pay no rent and no taxes.
| Our commission strongly urged an in,
| creased appropria tion at the last biennial
| session OF The legislature, and if it should
| prove that this is the last appeal, the
| present board will ever make for the same
| purpose. we ask for our successors in office
| a decent amount of money to enable item
| to faithfully aLd expeditously carry on the
| work without being subjected to the annoy
| ances and delays We have encountered for
| the past.tive years. 1t is an absurdity, ap-
parent upon the face of it, that no compe-
| tent commission can be appointed who can
| do the amount of work required in this
| state. making over two hundred inspections
| in herds and stables scattered from kitIery
| 10 the A1oostook, and from the mountains
| to the sea. with anything like the present
| appropriation.
THOMAS DAGGETT,
President, Foxcroft.
f. o. BEAL,
Treasurer. Bangor.
GEO. II. BAILEY.
d. ". s., Deering,