Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-04-30
}, RAW SKINNED MILK
MENACE IN SPREADING
LIVESTOCK 0IoEA0G9

Washington, April 30.-A feature OF
the present outbreak Of foot-and- mouth
disease to which the federal authorities
attach much Importance 10 the UNI
precedentedly large number OF hogs
which have been affected. Both actual
~ and In proportion to the total num-
Der Of animals stricken, this nas been
much larger than in any Of the previous
outbreaks in this country. The chief
reason, the authorities say, IL the
spread Of the infection thru uncooked
SKINNED milk and other creamery by
products returned to the farms to be
fed hogs. Infected garbage. 1t IL
thought. Is also to be held responsible
for a portion Of the loss.
In the epidemic Of 1902 In which
4,46l animals were lost. only $50 Of the
total were hogs. The loss In cattle
amounted to nearly 81 per cent of the
total. that In hogs to only s per cent,
and In other animals to only per cent.
In the present epidemic, however. the
loss in hogs has been almost equal to
that of cattle, each being within a
fraction OF AZ per cent. OF 146,13S ami
mails lost since the outbreak Of the
disease In Michigan last fall. 6S.776
were cattle; 6s.275 hogs; and the re-
mainder. s.0S7 sheep and goats. The
epidemic Of 1908 stands in this respect,
az well as in time, midway between
those of 1902 and 1914. In 1908, Sc per
cent of the loss was in cattle, 81 per
cent In hogs, and approximately per
cent in other animals.
In the opinion of specialists these
figures demonstrate the necessity for
more rigid regulations in regard to the
feeding of SKINNED milk, similar dairy
products and garbage. Since 1902
creameries have become much more
common and the danger to the country
Of their returning unpasteurized milk
to the farms has become correspond
ingly greater. In Michigan, 1t has been
definitely established that In the early
days Of the outbreak the infection was
spread thru SKINNED milk fed to hogs,
and there Is every reason to believe
that the same thing occurred in num-
Der of other localities. 1t Is easy to
pasteurize the SKINNED milk and the
extra expense u not sufficient to war
rant the neglect Of this precaution.
Pasteurization has been shown to be
complete safeguard against the spread
of oot-and-mouth disease thru milk,
either to human beings or to animals.
Inc question Oh lntSCSeu SsIUdSS Is
more difficult to handle, for by no
means all Of the meat in this country
is subject to federal inspection. In
many sections meat animals are
slaughtered locally Cooking will de-
stroy the t-and mouth germs so that
this meat can be eaten without bad
results. but the trimmings-the skin,
the fat, and particularly the marrow
which are thrown away or fed to hogs
may be at the same time highly in
fictitious.
In Philadelphia the disease has re-
Gently appeared in several herds Of
.garbage-fed hogs. and altho 1t is not
certain that the contagion
was conveyed thru this means, 1t seems
quite posi- lie that it was. The steril-
ization Of garbage intended for hogs is.
therefore, like the pasteurization of
skinned milk and similar products,
very desirable precaution. In fact, the
federal authorities do not hesitate to
say that experience in this outbreak
demonstrates the need of state legisla-
ton on this subject. In the absence of
legislation the farmer who wishes to be
sure Of his SKINNED milk should boil
1t after its return from the creamery.