No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 127 



gomeiy, Montour, Nortliumberland, Philadelphia, Potter, Snyder, 

 Washington, Warren, Wayne, Wyoming and York. In a few in- 

 stances the diagnosis was based on the history and symptons of the 

 affected animals, usually a dog, but in nearly all cases the brain of 

 the animal was examined in the laboratory and the presence of the 

 disease was established positively by the discovery of the changes 

 in the nervous tissue which are recognized by all authorities as 

 conclusive evidence of rabies. After the existence of the disease 

 was determined an investigation was made to ascertain the origin of 

 the rabid dog or the point at which it was first seen, the highways 

 or premises traversed by it, and the animals bitten. All dogs 

 believed to have been exposed to infection by being bitten by the 

 rabid dog were quarantined by serving a quarantine order on the 

 owner unless, as frequently occurred, they had been destroyed by 

 the owner; and other animals were placed in conditional quarantine. 

 When the rabid dog had roamed over a wide territory and there 

 was reason to believe that all dogs exposed to rabies could not be 

 located and quarantined individually, an order was adopted by the 

 Board requiring all dogs within the suspected district to be fitted 

 with a suitable muzzle when running at large. Printed copies of 

 this order were posted in the quarantined district, and the order 

 was also advertised in two papers published in the county, as 

 required by law. Six hundred and twenty-eight dogs were quaran- 

 tined individually, and lOi cows, 3 horses, 82 hogs and 52 sheep were 

 placed under conditional quarantine. Two hundred and sixty-four 

 dogs which had been exposed to infection with rabies were de- 

 stroyed by the owners. A general quarantine on dogs was estab- 

 lished in 12 districts. Forty dogs developed rabies after being 

 placed in quarantine. If these dogs had not been confined or muzzled 

 each one may have bitten several persons or a number of other 

 dogs or other animals. Our records show that 69 persons were 

 bitten by rabid dogs; three died, the development of the disease in 

 the others being prevented by proper treatment. As the established 

 facts regarding rabies become more widely known, the public in 

 general is availing itself to a greater degree of the methods for 

 preventing and controlling the disease that are based upon these 

 facts. During the past year a greater number of heads of animals 

 suspected of rabies have been forwarded to the laboratory for 

 examination. These examinations have been made without cliarge 

 to the i>ersons forwarding the material, and they have been promptly 

 advised of the result. In many cases children or adults had been 

 bitten by the suspected animal and the result of the examination 

 was awaited before sending them away from home to be subjected 

 to the preventive treatment. 



HEMORRHAGIC SEPTICAEMIA. The losses reported from this 

 disease during this year have been considerably less than last year. 

 Fourteen cattle died in the following counties: Clearfield, Cum- 

 berland, Luzerne, McKean, Pike and Potter. Change of pas- 

 ture and burning or proper burial of carcasses of diseased animals 

 are the measures recommended for controlling this disease. 



MANGE OF HORSES. This disease occurred in Bedford, Berks, 



Bucks, Carbon, Chester, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, 

 Luzerne, Mercer, Monroe, Montgomery, Philadelphia, Susquehanna 

 and Tioga counties. 



