The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1909-05-20
ORIGIN OF THE RECENT OUTBREAK
OF FO0T-AND-MOUTH DISEASE.

mouth disease IN Michigan, New
York, Pennsylvania, and Mary
land started from calves used in
the propagation of smallpox vac
cine virus which had been contain
mated with the virus of foot-and-
mouth disease, and the contami-
mated strain of vaccine originally
came from a foreign country.
These are the conclusions from an
investigation made jointly by the
Bureau of Animal Industry of the
Department of Agriculture and the
Public Health and Marine Hospi-
tai Service of the Treasury Depart
ment, a report of which has Just
been issued. The investigation
was conducted by DR.. John R.
Mohler, chief of the Pathological
Division of the former Bureau. and
DR.. NJ. J. Rosenau, director of the
Hygienic Laboratory of the latter
Bureau.
Foot and mouth disease was dis
covered among cattle in Pennsyl-
vania November 10, 1908, and was
reported to the Department of
Agriculture by the State veterin-
arain Of Pennsylvania ia. a few days
later it was found also in Michigan,
New York, and Maryland. In
view of the strict quarantine main
tanned by the Departmental Agri-
culture on imported live stock and
the fact that the importation of
ruminants from countries where
this disease existed was prohibit
ed entirely, the Department con-
sidered it highly improbable that
the infection was brought in with
animals. When, therefore, the
disease was traced by inspectors of
the Bureau of Animal Industry to
calves that had been used for vac
cine by a Detroit establishment
Parke, Davis & co.. and the
cases of longest standing were
found among these calves, these
facts caused Secretary of Agricul-
cultural James Wilson and Dr.. A
D. Melvin, Chief of the Bureau of
Animal Industry, both of whom
had gone to Detroit to make a per-
sonal investigation of the outbreak,
to suspect that the vaccine was
contaminated with the virus of
foot and-mOuth disease. As the
United States Public Health and
Marine-Hospital Service wa 5
charged by law with the super
vision or biological products used
in human medicine, that Service
was requested to join the Bureau
of Animal Industry in making an
investigation.
The main facts regarding the
outbreak as brought out in the re
port are as follows: The H. K.
Milford Company of Glen Olden,
Pa, imported certain smallpox
vaccine virus which was contami-
mated with the infection of foot
and mouth disease. In May, 1903,
some vaccine of this strain was
procured by Parke, Davis &: Co.,
of Detroit. Calves used by the
latter firm in propagating vaccine,
were sent October rs to the De.
troit stock yards and thence on
the same day to a farm near De-
troit. On October 20 three car
loads of cattle from points in Michi-
gan reached the Detroit stock
yards and were put into the pens
that had been occupied by the vac
cine calves four days previously.
Some were sold for slaughter at
Detroit, while the remainder were
shipped to Buffalo and some were
reshipped to Danville and Wat
sontown, Pa, where the disease
was was first observed some days
later. The disease spread to vari-
Gus places in Pennsylvania and
New York and to one locality in
Maryland.
Three seperate series of expert
ments were made by Doctors
Mohler and Rosenau. Young
cattle and sheep were inoculated
with vaccine virus obtained from
both firms. Foot and mouth dis.