May 3, 1920.] Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W 339 



Safeguarding Farm Stock from Disease* 



(1) By Preventing the Introduction of Infection. 



MAX henry, M.R.C.V.S., B.V.Sc. 



The control of infectious disease is, in all countries, becoming more and more 

 a matter of careful study and strict supervision on the part of those entrusted 

 with the work by the State. In every civilised community there is now a 

 veterinary service, the main duty of the officers of which is to endeavour to 

 prevent the introduction of infectious diseases of animals into the country, 

 to control them if they have already gained entrance, and to eradicate them 

 if possible. 



The machinery devised for this work varies in different countries. In 

 Europe, before the war, such countries as Germany, France, Belgium, and all 

 the progressive nations had highly-developed veterinary services for this 

 work, and presumably now that peace is restored, these services will be 

 resuscitated and improved. The need for such resuscitation is obviously the 

 more urgent when it is remembered that the war (like the Boer war in 

 South Africa) has left its inevitable aftermath .of disease in animals — ^in this 

 case from one end of Europe to the other. 



Apart from European nations, the finest veterinary State service exists in 

 the United States of Anierica, and is known as the Bureau of Animal 

 Industry. This bureau controls everything connected with the health and 

 disease of stock, and employs over 1,000 veterinary officers. Canada and 

 New Zealand are also developing very fine services. On turning to New 

 South Wales, we find, as in so many things, that the State is behind the 

 times; that the legislation regarding stock disease is obsolete, control is divided 

 b^^tween several departments, and is therefore inefficient, and the necessary 

 institutions for the proper study of disease are not yet complete. However, 

 control is not entirely lacking. The introduction of infectious disease from 

 other countries is watched by the veterinary officers of the Department of 

 Agriculture working under the authority of the Federal Quarantine Act. 

 The Stock Branch of the Depai-tment of Agriculture is entrusted 

 with the control of certain scheduled diseases wherever found, and the 

 Board of Health is concerned with certain diseases of dairy cattle. 

 There will be no really generally efficient work in Australia, however, until 

 there is established a Federal department like the veterinary departments 

 of the United States of America, Canada, or New Zealand, dealing with 

 all aspects of animal disease. At present the energy of one State is liable 

 to be nullified by the apathy of its neighbours. 



Good examples (;f the absolute protection of a country from certain 

 diseases are seen in the freedom of Austi-alia from rabies, glanders, foot and 



