The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1914-11-14
Fighting Foot And
Mouth Disease

that of hog cholera, has never been
isolated.
The chief difficulty in the fight is the
ignorance of the farmers or cattleman
concerning the disease, according TO
DR.. Hickman. Every cow or hog or
sheep seen limping is open to suspicion
and should be examined by an expert
as soon as he can be procured, is DR..
Hickman's opinion.
"The symptoms are easy to see he
said. when any animal with clo
ven hoof begins to limp, the farmer
should not hesitate in the belief that
it is sore simply from walking or just
an accidental injury. Ny office should
be notified or an expert on live stock
diseases called to inspect the animal.
"When any of the live stock gets off
its feed or loses flesh or the saliva be-
gins to flow freely, it is safest to have
it examined Immediately. Delay may
mean loss of the whole herd,
"The disease shows itself in the
cleft of the hoof and sometimes on the
outside of the mouth, although most
frequently first on the upper gums.
But any sick animal ought to be $50
lated at once and examined
1t is now believed that the trouble
is in fair way toward control in this
State. Only three herds were report
ed as having the disease in them. One
of these was in Washington county
and involves Is head of cattle and Is
hogs, one case was reported by tele-
graph last night in the Middetown
Valley of Frederick county and the
third was the Howard county case re-
l.,
Officials of the State Board had ap-
proximately 100 head of cattle killed,
together with large k,umber CT
sheep and hogs, and this slaughter Of
infected stock will be continued until
every animal in the State known TO
have been in contact with diseased an
imals shall have been killed.
Considerable concern has been man
ifested about the course of action that
is being taken in Pennsylvania, from
which State the disease was brought
into Maryland. 1t was reported yes
terday that the Pennsylvania farmers
are Strengthening their cattle and hogs
right and left, and it was said that
since the outbreak was reported at
least 400 head of cattle had been
slaughtered in York county alone. If
IHe Slel Ieu Ccttlle tldU Deell III EOIt-
tact with diseased animals, even
though they themselves showed no
signs of the disease, the handling Of
them and the shipping of their hides
may cause trouble later, and for that
ious to learn what becomes of the
hides.
A shipment of hogs from Dundee,
-
cause of a great dea! of anxiety on
the part of the State Board and i
good deal of controversy with the raii-
road. 1t seems that the shipment was
made on the day after New York had
were landed in Wilmington the day
that Delaware was put under quaran-
tine regulations. The State Board
ed whether the hogs could he sent on
ed that they be held in Wilmington
thorities. His next information was
to the effect that they had arrived at
Easton, and he was asked for permits
sion to have them unloaded. This he
refused and ordered that the hogs be
sent to the Baltimore stock yards for
immediate slaughter.
His order resulted in some rather
sultry telephone messages between his
office and the offices of the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad, which was notified
that the railroad had violated the Fed
eral quarantine regulations of three
Statesmen York, Delaware and
10, h - h.
hogs, and he refused to assume any
responsibility for the matter or to al
low Maryland, so far as he could help
it, to assume any.
The Maryland Public Health author
tiles took hand in the campaign
against the foot-and mouth disease
and DR.. c. w. G. Rohrer, acting chief
of the Bureau of Communicable Dis
eases, sent out "A notice indOrsing the
quarantine on the farms By which per
sons are prohibited from visiting
farm OH which the disease has been
found and urging great care II the
use Of milk
at is highly probable" he says in
his letter, that people residing on
the infected farms are carrying the
disease from one farm to another. In
order to prevent such an occurrence
the persons residing on the infected
farms should be guaranteed until the
disease has been eradicated. Ever
then these persons should be subjected
to thorough fumigatiou before they
are permitted to mingIe with their
friends and neighbors.
physicians and health officers
should be wide awake to the posi-
bility OF human cases occurring. The
disease may be transmitted to human
beings through the use of milk OBJ.
tanned from infected animals, or by
coming in contact with the secretions
of diseased animals Boiling the mill;
would prevent the spread Of the dis
ease, but in communities where the
disease prevails it would be far better
to use milk obtained only from ami
mails known to be healthy