Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-01-08
Editor Courier:

have been somewhat amused at the
glowing report about the wonderful re
suits of vaccination Of hogs by the
Ames boosters for vaccination, publish
ed in the Courier Saturday, January
3, 1914. having been written by John
A. Burgess of this city. do not know
why John should have been so des1r
Gus of getting this article IN the
Courier unless it was because OF the
desire of DR.. Stowden of Ames to have
it done, in answer to an article writ
ten by myself published in the Courier
a short time ago.
DR.. Stowden had promised several
" eeks ago to give us data OF the 70
suits of their work. I requested him
tc do this and to give us the facts az
thew are, from both sides. But in this
glowing report John, supposedly under
the instructions of DR.. Stowden, fails
to tell US of single loss from vaccina
ton from serum made in this factory
at Ames, or by men sent out from
Ames.
Again, John is either not posted
when he makes this statement, or is
trying to suppress the facts and mis-
inform the people. He says the loss
this year in Iowa from hog cholera
will reach twenty millions Of dollars
This does not speak we'll for the ser
UNI treatment, which has been in use
In this state this year more than any
previous year. Why don't he and Dr.
Stowden tell the hog raisers Of Iowa
why they haven't gotten better results
John says that the use of good serum
will prevent the disease in ninety.
eight cases out of a hundred. If So
then why this terrible loss this year
and the terrible spread of the disease?
He says further that the loss Is caused
by the disease not being recog'
nized in time and the serum
being used too late, since after an
animal is seriously affected the serum
Is Of no avail. If it is not cure, why
Is it used in the herd after the disease
is recognized as cholera? He says the
serum is all very carefully tested be-
fore being sent out, and If not up to
the standard Is thrown away. That
seems strange, for I know of and can
give several instances where serum
made at Ames was used on hogs that
were not sick, to prevent them from
becoming sick, and in some cases all,
and in other cases nearly all, died.
John says no figures are available from
this county
If Ames wants me to give them fig
ures, will gladly do so; If losses from
vaccination, I will give the names OF
plenty of parties in Wapello county
who have had such losses, without the
expenditure of one cent on their part
John says another difficulty in the past
has been the administration of serum
by persons not competent to give the
treatment, causing needless loss. That
does not speak very we'll for the grad.
uated veterinarians CT our state, for
thew are the ones who have done at
least 80 Der cent of the work, and If
this statement is true, their education
while in college was sadly neglected,
If they are not now competent to dag
nose hog diseases and apply serum,
then they should not have been given
diplomas to practice mistakes on the
people at the peoples expense. The
serum is sent free to graduates only
and others who are competent to use
it. This indicates that the graduates
are getting and using most Of this ser.