Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1896-05-07
FARMER ANDPLANTER.
HOG CHOLERA.
Methods Of Remedying, Restricting snd
discriminating tho Disease

mcthous OF hemcuying, Restrictins Shu
DISCRIMINATING tho Disease
just now q good deal Is being said
In the public press on the subject Of
hog cholera. People are casting about
for remedies, means of restriction and
methods OF exterminating the disease.
This Is an interest that awakened Pc
riodically, and always coincidcnt with
IN outbreak Of the disease. Last fall
the farmers experienced unusual fa.
talities among their swine from this
disease. All the causes which contrib
uted to the unusual extent of this cpl
zootic may not be perfectly apparent,
but certainly number, very large
number of active ccnters were started
little more than ayear before through
shipping Of hogs from the drouth-
stricken districts Of Nebraska. A num-
Der of instances came under my obser-
walton where such shipments were fol-
lowed by outbreaks of the disease, In
communities where the swine had been
perfectly healthy up to that time.
frequently have the questions put
to me: what are we going to do?"
"ls there any remedy for this thing?'
"Can It be prevented" and so on
through the list.
For moro than fifteen years have
been saying, whenever the occasion
presented itself, and sometimes when
1t did not, that the only rational
method of relief under the present
state Of medical science is sanitary POI
lice regulations; that specific treat
ment must, from the very nature of
things, fail of satisfactory results. l
do not know that | can state my posi-
ton on this question much better than
to give few extracts from one of the
first articles ever wrote on the sub
ject. II not the first OF my writings
on the question, 1t certainly embonies
the essentials OF the first deliberate
judgments arrived at as to the meth
DDS Of control.
The theory that the disease is not
contagious, but due to unhealthful
food and neglect of sanitary condi-
tions, is NO longer entertained by any
investigator whose work in any sense
entities him to be regarded as author
ity. A diet of corn In den of filth
can no more generate a case of swine
plague than similar surroundings and
unwholesome food will develop small
pox In man. II Is specific type of
disease. 1t comes from Its own kind,
and produces It's own kind Sections
of the state arc to-day free from the
disease whore few years ago 1t ragged
with such violence that the production
of pork almost ceased for a time
Other counties that were free from the
disease at that time had large part
OF the pork crop swept away for two
or three years in succession. Yet the
conditions under which the animals
are kept in these different sections
have not changed In any essential fea-
ture during these years. We must
seek elsewhere than In dietetic and
sanitary causes for an explanation OF
these facts. The method OF
communication Is not always obvious,
but the instances are 80 numerous in
which the disease has been reproduced
by accidental exposure and by expert
ments that the inference can not be
avoided that contagion Is the cause OF
It's spread over the country.
1t is OF material Importance in dealing
with the disease to know whether 1,
may develop spontaneously at hun
dred points In the state, or whether
there must be some method of com.
municating the injecting material tc
the unprotected animals. If its devel
opment is spontaneous, then we have
little hope of ever freeing the country
from the scourge. Plans for eradicat
Ing the disease would be no guarantee
against fresh outbreaks at any time
There is little hope from therapeuti,
agents. Hog cholera cures may be ex
cellent commodities to sell, but SO fal
as my experience and observation g,
they are poor class of property t.
buy. 1t is my opinion that the money
sunk in these nostrums would blu,
more pork in the market than it save
In the pen. AS with TIN
highly fatal epidemics, safety rests no
In specific cures; but in proper meth
DDS Of prevention. Legislative in
reference can be interposed with i'm
portant results If properly directed
but this must look to stamping on
the disease, not curing the sick ami
mails. II proper, uniform Legislation
could be had In the several states, or
what would be much better, simila
legislation by the national congress
the disease could be eradicated in thi
country at a cost of 25 per cent. of tn
total loss for one year. This coul
only be done by visiting every infecte
community as soon as the disease mad
It's appearance, and at once destroyin,
oil infected swine, thoroughly disin
fecting the premises and imposing
J such quarantine restrictions as woul
arrest of further infection. Railroa
cars, and all other conveyances use
for the transportation of swine, shout
never be allowed to move from the Sta
tion to which consignment was mad
until they have been thoroughly di'
infected. There would be much of d,
tail in carrying into effect such sy'
TEN, but nothing that is impractibl,
So far as known, this is the only syl
I TEN that has in 1t a reasonable hop
of success.
Other discoveries may yet be mad
that will throw additional light on tn
question, but as yet they only exist i