The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1902-12-24
FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE.
Statement from the Vt. Exp. Station.

to the symptoms of foot and mouth
disease and a brief history of the out
break in this State. Inasmuch as the
veterinarian of the station has been
placed in charge of the suppression of
the malady in Vermont by the Chief
of the National Bureau of Animal In
dustry, the statement may be consid-
cred authoritative.
This disease is highly contagious
eruptive fever resembling in many
ways some Of the contagious eruptive
fevers comm on to man, 1t usually
attacks cattle, sheep, or swine but
may be communicated, though less
readily, to goats, deer, rabbits, man,
fowls, dogs and horses the likelihood
of communication being in the order
indicated, goats being most and horses
least open to attack.
Symptoms. From "a hours to IA
days may ensue after exposure before
the symptoms become manifest. The
onset of the disease is marked by dull
ness, shivering and loss of appetite.
The mouth is hot and the eyes are
often swollen and fearful Discomfort
in the feet is shown by moving them
uneasily about. When the animals
are caused to move they appear stiff
and lame, keeping the feet close to-
gether Very soon blisters appear in
the mouth, on the inside of the lips,
upon the tongue and gums and more
or less upon the outside of the lips
and muzzle. These also appear around
the top of and between the claws and
frequently upon the udder and teats.
The discomfort due to the blisters in
the mouth causes the animal to move
the lips almost constantly with a
characteristic smacking sound. These
are soon ruptured, and yellowish,
ropy, sometimes blood stained saliva
oozes from the mouth. Irregularly
shaped red ulcers then form in the
mouth, and more or less liberation
of the feet and between the claws
occurs. The udder and teats also be-
come sore. The milk flow is gener-
ally suppressed early in the course of
the disease, and is not re-established
until the animal is convalescent.
There is characteristic offensive
odor about the animals, especially
noted in the more severe cases and in
those having intestinal involvement
with diarrhea. The high fever
which characterizes the early stages
of the disease usually ceases after the
blisters rupture. All the affected
parts finally heal and usually heal
rapidly, the whole course of the dis
ease being of about two weeks dura-
ton. Different from some maladies,
one attack does not give immunity
against subsequent attacks. Animals
have been known to suffer two at
tacks in one month, and may have
four or five attacks in one year
Quarantine, slaughter and disinfec-
ton rather than attempted care are
the only safeguards with such an ex-
tremely disastrous disease. The
statement recently sent broadcast
throughout the State press, that this
disease has existed in Washington and
Orange counties for years and has
been successfully treated by local
practitioner, is without foundation in
fact.
History. The present epidemic of
contagious foot and mouth disease in
New England was first discovered near
Boston, where it rapidly spread into
many towns in eastern Massachusetts
and into Rhode Island and Vermont.
The history of it's outbreak in Ver-
mont is as follows: Sixteen COWS
bought at sale at Acton, Mass. were
shipped to Gassett's station in the
town of Chester, and received ON
November 81, whence they were
driven to a nearby farm. Thirteen
of these cows were sold and driven to
Chester station, four miles distant,
on November a. where they were
distributed among the farmers who
purchased them. These infected cows
caused a new outbreak of the disease
at each place where they went, and
also infected the highway over which
they travelled. Four of them were
driven fifteen miles further to
farm in the town of Windham, from
which in turn other farmers have be-
come infected. November 26, two
days later, the original Vermont buy
er, becoming alarmed, drove the dis
eased Massachusetts COWS back to his
own farm. Before becoming aware
of the presence of the disease in his
herd, however, he sold two calves to
two parties living near Perkinsville
in the town of Weathersfield, in
whose herds foot and mouth disease
now prevails. Two herds in the town
of Springfield are quarantined on sus-
picion because of exposure through
these Perkinsville cases. No cases
n