The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1914-03-13
PLAN TO COMBAT
CHOLERA IN STATE
VETERINARIAN WOULD PLACE
HOG SERUM-VlRUS CURE
WITH EXPERTS.
SAYS THIS is SAFE COURSE
Expert Declares Administration Is the
Secret Upon Which the Success
or Failure of Treatment
Depends.

Minneapolis.-Adm Of the
serum-virus treatment for hog cholera
under the control of the state by sci
entifically trained men in the employ
OF the state is the main feature OF
plan offered for insuring the re-
stocking of the large areas of Min
nesota swept by hog cholera last year
at loss estimated at between So ,000,-
600 and $5,0O0,OO0.
Reynolds Offers Plan.
The plan is offered by DR.. M. H.
Reynolds, chief of the veterinary divi-
sion of the college of agriculture and
member of the state livestock sanitary
board. 1t is intended as a means of
protecting the hog breeders of the
state against the spread of vaccina-
ton cholera which is just as danger
GUS as natural cholera.
By the serum-virus treatment is
meant the method by which active
virus and immunizing serum are in
jected in the animal at the same time.
Should the person administering the
q
use it in connection with poor serum
or fail to observe a large number of
conditions vaccination cholera" will
result. Therefore, the plan of admin
istering and distributing serum-virus
is the most serious one Tor the hog
breeders.
Administration Is All.
On the distribution and administra-
ton of it, DR.. Reynolds claims, the
value of the treatment depends He
says:
at is very plain that the serum
virus method will in the future prove
great blessing if it can be kept under
proper control and that it will prove a
curse to livestock interests if it cannot
be kept under proper control. 1t is
doubtful whether this treatment has
not done more harm in spreading chol-
era than good in saving threatened
herds, because of the irresponsible use
of the serum-virus method"
Under DR.. Reynolds plan the virus
would be handled and administered ex-
clusively by scientifically trained men
employed by the state. 1t would be
administered to healthy herds in in
fected territory and to apparently
healthy hogs in infected herds where
the supply of natural virus may be
limited. 1t would be used rarely in
uninfected territory. A limited num-
Der of field veterinarians would be
NV cfo -
the treatment in occasional cases in
uninfected territory.
Employ Local Veterinarians.
Local veterinarians would be en-
ployed to give the treatment to herds
in infected territory. The veterinari-
ans would be paid out of fund sub
scribed by the farmers for whom work
was done. The charge for the service
would be based on the amount of SER
um used or the number of hogs treat
ed. The state would supply the SER
UNI at low price to the limit of the
serum plants capacity.
At present the state is paying three
fourths of the cost of producing the
serum. DR.. Reynolds would have this
condition reversed so that the user
of the serum would pay three-fourths
of the cost and the state one-fourth
This would enable the state serum
plant to become Self-sustaining and
the cost to the hog breeder for the
veterinary service and the serum and
virus would be from 1 a to 2 cents per
cubic centimeter for the amount used.
Advantages of Plan.
Advantages claimed for the plan
are: Uniformity in dose, and method,
prompt reporting and determination
as to when and where the virus may
be used and who may use it. Incom-
petent men who did not get results
could be quickly dropped from the
lists. Vaccination cholera could be un-
der state observation from the first
and neighborhoods would be insured
protection. Veterinarians doing the
work would have no money transac-
tions with the owners of hogs, but
would receive their pay from the
state.
"As previously suggested" DR.. Rey-
nolds says, there is no thought of
forcing this upon hog-owners."
The plan has been approved by Off
GERS of the livestock sanitation board
and DR.. H. Preston Hoskins, in charge
of the state serum plant.