No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 99 



REPORT OF THE STATE VETERINARIAN. 



ETarrisburg, December 31, 1902. 

 Honorable John Haniilton, Secretary of Agricultvre : 



Sir: I have the honor to present to you herewith a report of my 

 work as State Veterinarian for the calendar year 1902. Since it is 

 impossible to separate the work that falls to me as State Veter- 

 inarian and as Secretary of the State Live Stock Sanitary Board, I 

 also incorporate a review of the work of the Board. The volume of 

 work for the year is greater thao ever before. As the work of the 

 State Live Stock Sanitary Board becomes better understood by the 

 live stock owners of the State there is increased demand for the 

 help that it alone can furnish. The Board is asked not only to take 

 action and to make inspections in more instances than in the past, 

 but it is also communicated with by persons in need of advice and 

 assistance in respect to Sanitation and the care and management 

 of live stock. The miscellaneous correspondence that is thus grow- 

 ing up is becoming so large that it requires a great deal of time to at- 

 tend to it and brings into prominence the question as to whether it 

 may not soon be necessary to in some way curtail it or to enlarge the 

 organization that is caring for it. 



There has been a noticeable diminution in the prevalence of most 

 of the infectious diseases of animals during the past year; this is par- 

 ticularly true in respect to tuberculosis of cattle and of anthrax and 

 black-quarter. There has, however, been a slight increase in the pre- 

 valence of glanders, hog cholera and rabies due, in respect to gland- 

 ern and hog cholera, to the importation of diseased animals from 

 other States. There is no State inspection of horses or swine com- 

 ing into Pennsylvania and practically all of the outbreaks of glanders 

 and hog cholera that occur here are due to infected animals from 

 other States. It is possible, however, in every instance, to gain con- 

 trol of and to eradicate outbreaks of these diseases, but in the case 

 of hog cholera this may not be accomplished until considerable loss 

 has occurred. In reference to rabies, the difficulty lies in the im- 

 possibility of establishing an effective quarantine of dogs when it is 

 necessary to do so to control an outbrenk. A bill will be introduced 

 in the coming Legislature having for its object the correction of this 

 defect. The text of the proposed bill is given below under the head- 

 ing or rabies. 



