118 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



Huntingdon, Jefferson, Montgomery, Potter, Susquehanna, Warren 

 Wayne, Wyoming and York. The total number of reported deaths 

 from blackquarter during the year is 154; total number of cattle 

 vaccinated is 822. While these numbers are in excess of those pre 

 viously reported it is believed thai the excess is due to greater 

 efforts directed toward the discovery of the disease than to increased 

 prevalence. For example, in Huntingdon county, it was reported 

 that young cattle were dying from an unknown cause. Investigation 

 showed a group of ten farms where blackquarter has occurred re- 

 peatedly for a long series of years, and where it has caused very 

 great loss, but the nature of the disease was not known and no 

 report was made of it until this year. The act of Assembly ap- 

 proved March 30, 1905 (P. L. No. 56), is likely to be of service in bring- 

 ing such outbreaks to notice. Of course this must be the first step 

 toward any prophylactic measures. Last year for the first time 

 advertisements were published in a number of papers issued in parts 

 of the State where blackquarter was believed to exist. These adver- 

 tisements were as follows: "Owners of live stock in 



county, whose, cattle are exposed to the infection of blackleg or 

 blackquarter, may have their cattle vaccinated against this disease 

 by the State Livestock Sanitary Board without cost to the owner 

 of the cattle by complying with the following rules: 



"1. An application for vaccination shall be filled out and mailed 

 to Dr. Leonard Pearson, Secretary of the State Livestock Sanitary 

 Board, Harrisburg, before April 15, 1905. 



"2. The application shall contain the name and address of the 

 owner of the cattle, a statement as to the location of the farm 

 upon which the cattle are kept and the number of animals in the 

 herd. 



"Vaccination cannot be made at the expense of the State Live- 

 stock Sanitary Board upon applications received after April 15th. 

 For such cases vaccine will be furnished free of charge, but the 

 owner will be required to defray the expense of employing the 

 veterinarian to administer it." 



As a result of this arrangement, which had been carried out 

 previously with regard to anthrax, reports of the disease in new 

 localities were received and it is believed that considerable loss was 

 prevented. 



Wherever there was reason to believe that cattle were exposed to 

 the infection of blackquarter, they were vaccinated at the cost of 

 the State. By this means, protection comes not only to the owner 

 of the vaccinated cattle, but also to all other owners of cattle in 

 that locality, and if vaccination is continued regularly and for a 

 sufficiently long period, it should eventually lead to the complete 

 eradication of blackquarter. This result cannot, however, be ex- 

 pected to come as promptly as results come from the vaccination 

 of people against small-pox, because blackquarter is not transmitted 

 directly from the diseased to the healthy animal; transmission is 

 indirect from the carcass of the victim, through the soil. That is, 

 the germs of the disease which are present in the animal pass, after 

 the death of the animal, and ag tht carcass decomposes, into the soil, 

 where they remain for several years constantly available for th« 

 infection of susceptible cattle. For this reason, vaccination against 



