New Britain herald., 1914-11-19


 but there arc number Of otncr ani- mals of less commercial importance which are also susceptible. Occasion ally human beings are affected, but. in the majority of instances the dis ease is not severe In the case of man. Children, however, may become dan- gerously. i'll If their milk is infected. The first indications of the disease are a chill followed by high fever. the temperature rising rapidly, some times to 1O6 degrees, Fahrenheit. In a short time vesicles about the size of the pea appear in the mouth at the end Of the tongue, on the inside or the cheeks, and on the gums. These yesicles contain yellowfsh watcry fluid. They spread as the disease advances and cause the animal! to open and shut its mouth uneasily with a characteristic smacking sound. A day or two after the first appear ance of the eruptions in the mouth
 similar indications appear upon the feet. which are swollen, red and
 tender. Because of this the animal frequently persists in lying down and
 bedsores develop with much rapidity.
 In the case of cows the udder and.
 more frequently. the teats are af- fected by a similar eruption.
 Once the disease is well estab-
 lished it becomes so painful for the animal to eat that food IS frequently refused altogether. Strings or saliva
 hang from the mouth. and flesh Is lost with astonishing rapidity. When the udder Is seriously affected the milk becomes contaminated and may cause serious results to sucking calves and young pigs In mild cases from ten to twenty days may bring about an apparent recovery, but this time may be greatly extended. More over, an apparent recovery by no means implies real cure. The ami may may carry the virus In It's blood for year or more and is liable dur ing all this time to spread the con tagion, or to experience a recurrence itself The mortality, considering the
 seriousness of the disease and the losses it occasions. is very small. be- ing estimated by some authorities at five per cent, although it Frequently is much greater than this. The nor tality, however by no means repre- sents the real losses ocoasioned by the disease. No revenue lis possible from infected herds, and in the case of dairymen an outbreak of foot and mouth disease frequently means that their business is completely ruined. Flooded or other cattle that have become sick with the disease naturally lose their value as breed ing animals. 1t Is, however. impossi- ble to get rid of the disease by ig- noring 1t. The only possible remedy is to kill off infected herds, disinfect the premises, and begin over again.
 What the disease means to those countries where it has gained real grip is shown by the fact that on its last serious outbreak in Germany the German government spent $2,- 00O,0 in fighting 1t. Tn 1890 off, cial statistics showed that in the German empire 431, ,235 head of cat tie. 230.S6S sheep and goats. and 153,S0S swine were affected with the disease. During the same year the pestilence ravaged live stock in France, Italy. Belgium, Austria Hungary, Switzerland, Roumania and Bulgaria. In 1883 it was estimated that the disease cost England S5,- 00O.000. On the occasion of the last outbreak in the United States in 1908 $300,000 was appropriated by congress. and with the exception of a few hundred dollars it was spent in stamping out the disease. This Of course does not include the indi- rect loss caused by the interruption Of business and other factors.