New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1917-02-07
FEDERAL PLAN ADOPTED
BY SWISS GOVERNMENT

AS result of the adoption of Fed
eral plan Of combating the foot-and-
mouth disease of cattle similar to that
employed in the United States, the Swiss
Government has succeeded in practically
discriminating the malady from it's
country, according to Vice Consul
James ;. Z. Burrell. of St. Gall, Switz-
-erland:
The Swiss agricultural interests suf-
fered severely from foot-and mouth dis
ease for number Of years, large num-
Der OF the animals either perishing
or being so weakened by the malady
that they had no economic value. The
cattle-raising districts are dependent
on expectation of the animals to adjacent
countries and this business was greatly
disorganized because of the prohibitions
placed by such countries on importa-
tons OF the cattle on account of the
disease. Various efforts were made
separately by the various cantons to
combat the disease, each in its own way,
sometimes with injury to neighboring
districts; but all remedies and rules
and regulations were in vain. Finally
Federal veterinary bureau was es-
tablished and took up the work against
the disease without regard to cantonal
boundaries, adopting the practice of
slaughtering all infected cattle. Thru
this method success eventually has been
obtained. At first this general slaughter
ing met with great opposition from
farmers and from Veterinarians of the
old school, but the success was so ap-
parent that all prejudice was overcome.
The principal slaughtering of infected
cattle was begun about the time of
the outbreak of the present European
war. Swiss scientists pronounced the
meat fit for food, and since no preju-
dice was manifested against it much
OF it was fed to the troops. In the
United States dealers and consumers
have been unwilling to handle or eat
the meat of animals affected by foot
and-mouth disease, and as result
the animals slaughtered in the cam
paigns against the malady have been
destroyed. - /. 49, .-
The chief problem in the determination
OF foot-and-mouth disease in Switzer-
land hinged on the practice of keeping
the cattle in the valleys in the winter
and pasturing them in the mountains
in the summer. Each spring when
cattle were taken into the highlands,
foot-and-mouth disease would break
out in many herds and run it's course
during the summer. After apparently
having regained their health, the cattle
would be gathered into the valleys
for the winter. = In many places, the
disease would then again break out,
later dying down, but only to. attack
the animals anew when they returned
to the mountains. The reason for this
cyclical course was found to be carriers
of the Infection animals which after
their recovery harbored the virus OF
the disease on, their hoofs or in their
bodies. Much of the success of the
Swiss in eliminating foot-and-mouth
disease from their boundaries is ascribed
TO FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE
by the veterinarians of the country
to, the elimination through slaughter
of these moving carriers It was found
in hundreds of cases that infected
animals, even after apparent complete
recovery and most careful disinfection
still harbored the germs for several
months and in many cases even longer
While it is anticipated that the disease
may appear sporadically in the future
the authorities feel that they now know
how to deal with it effectively.