No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 225 



these laws is in charge of the State Livestock Sanitary Board. 

 Fcnusylvania, like several other Eastern states, is more in need 

 of the protection afforded bj these laws than some of the other 

 states farther west, because w^e use several times as many horses 

 and mules and cattle and sheep and swine as w'e produce. Natur- 

 ally, it is necessary to go into other parts of the country to get 

 these animals, and in doing this, we are liable to bring infection 

 in Asnth the animals. This fre(|uently occurs with horses. We are 

 called upon at frequent intervals to investigate outbreaks of glan- 

 ders, and we find in almost everv case that the animal which 

 started the outbreak was brought in from the West. For this 

 reason we are continually having outbreaks of glanders, and will 

 continue to have them, because we are continually bringing in 

 horses from other parts of the country. But as long as these cases 

 are promptly re])orted, and proper modiods applied for the stamp- 

 ing out of the disease, it cannot become wide-spread or established 

 here. 



Last fall a rather interesting but entirely unwelcome discovery 

 was made in connection with a disease of horses. Horses were found 

 affected with a disease that is generallv believed did not exist in 

 this counli'v. This disease is known to veterinarians as epizootic 

 lymphangitis — there is no shorter or plainer name for it. Until 

 a few years ago it was not known to exist among horses and mules 

 in the countries north of the equator. The only territory under 

 the United States government known to contain affected animals 

 was the I'hilipj)ines. A few years ago w'hen the English troops 

 returned from South Africa after the Boer War they brought 

 this disease with them to England. While it was only found in 

 this State last fall wathin a few miles of this town, the information 

 we have obtained regarding it indicates that it has existed among 

 horses here for several years. This disease in its mild form has 

 no doubt been mistaken for a simple non-infectious disease of the 

 skin, while the more severe cases have been mistaken for farcy, 

 which is the name given to glanders when it manifests itself by 

 disease of the skin. Up to this time we have found in Pennsyl- 

 vania about two hundred and fifty cases of epizootic lymphangitis. 

 Of these, ninety were in such condition that it was not deemed ad- 

 visable to undertake curative treatment and they were destroyed, 

 the owners being compensated for the animals in the manner pre- 

 scribed by law when it is necessary to destroy animals to prevent the 

 spread of contagious or infectious diseases. The others were 

 placed in quarantine, and of these sixty-three have been cured at 

 this time and are being used under a conditional quarantine. 

 While they have apparently recovered, they are still kept under 

 supervision so that if the disease should again break out they can 

 be put back in full quarantine. The necessity of the control of 

 animals infected with contagious or infectious diseases has been 

 well dnmonstrated in connection with this disease. If the owners 

 of the affected animals observe the con^litions of the quarantine, 

 and if any other cases which have not been discovered are reported 

 as reqjiired by law, it will be possible for this disease to be stamped 

 out and to prevent it from becoming established in this State as 

 a permanent menace to horses and mules. 

 15—7—1908. 



