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Hygienic. 



This aims at destroying or preventing the spread of infection 

 in all places where cattle are kept, and the second, to endeavour 

 to fortify the systems of susceptible animals against an invasion 

 of the black-leg germs. 



Similar to anthrax (charbon) in this respect, black-leg infection 

 is largely spread from the dead animal through the medium of 

 carnivorous animals and birds (dogs, buzzards, etc.), or omnivo- 

 rous animals (hogs) attacking the carcasses and carrying the 

 germs broadcast, or the victim may be skinned for its hide, or in- 

 cisions made into the swellings to "doctor" the patient, and the 

 infection scattered from the cuts made in the swelling. These and 

 other processes naturally assist in disseminating the virus or poi- 

 son. In a circular on this disease, issued by the United States 

 Department of Agriculture, at Washington, D. C, thefollowingpara- 

 graph is italicized in order to give it emphasis: "It is, therefore, 

 of the utmost importance that cattle owners in the infected dis- 

 tricts be made to realize that an animal affected with black-leg 

 may be the cause of large subsequent losses from the same disease, 

 perhaps not immediately, but within a period of years to follow, 

 and it can not be recommended too urgently that they make every 

 effort to reduce the danger by taking adequate measures to des- 

 troy, as completely as possible, this source of renewed infection." 



The best method of disposal is to cremate or burn the dead ani- 

 mal, and in order to ensure complete destruction of it, it should be 

 placed on a couple of logs, or over a trench, and plenty of dry 

 wood heaped around it. A few quarts of coal oil should then be 

 poured on, and fire set to it. It has been claimed that in some 

 parts of the State it is not possible to obtain sufficient wood for 

 the purpose of burning up the bodies of animals that have died 

 from infectious diseases, such, for example, as in certain parts of 

 southwest Louisiana. This section, however, has the advantage 

 of having oil in abundance, and an inexpensive and convenient 

 method is, first, to dig a trench of sufficient size, and placing in 

 the bottom of it a quantity of old sacking to act the part of a 

 "wick," then saturating the sacking by directing a pipe from a 

 barrel filled with oil into the trench. By regulating the flow of 

 oil, a continuous flame may be kept up until the carcass is com- 

 pletely consumed, and at a minimum of cost where such a method 

 can be conveniently undertaken. 



It is important that the carcass be entirely destroyed. The 

 place, also, where the body has lain should be subjected either to 

 heat or it should be sprinkled with some powerful disinfectant, 

 such as crude carbolic acid, creolin, zenoleum,ilime, or other agent. 



Unfortunately, there has as yet been no sure method found of 

 completely eradicating black-leg infection from a pasture. 



Preventive or Prophylactic. 



It is to the division of prevention which we term prophylactio, 

 combined, necessarily, with the hygienic, that we have to look for 

 the most gratifying results, which are to be found in preventive 



