THE CUBA REVIEW. 



25 



Foot and Mouth Disease. 



The foot and mouth disease is said by 

 experts of the United States Bureau of 

 Animal Industry to be an excessively 

 contagious malady, peculiar to ruminat- 

 ing animals, such as cattle, sheep, goats 

 and swine. The Bureau's report says: 

 The disease is characterized by the 

 eruption of blisters in mouth, on heels 

 or between the toes and on the teats or 

 udder. The appetite is depressed, the 

 milk flow diminished and the animal 

 loses condition and becomes lame. Af- 

 ter a day or two the vesicles break, 

 peel off and leave a raw surface that 

 may heal in a few days or, especially 

 upon the feet and teats, may remain 

 sore for a long time and lead to serious 

 complications. The death rate is very 

 low, but it attacks the whole herd and 

 many animals are seriously damaged, so 

 that the loss to a herd owner is heavy. 

 Unlike most infectious diseases, it may 

 attack animals repeatedly. 



The statement is made by officials that 

 stock owners of England, France and 

 Germany have been injured by this dis- 

 ease in a single year to the extent of 

 $5,000,000. 



Horses, dogs, cats, and even poul- 

 try have been victims of the infection, 

 the last three classes being particularly 

 dangerous as carriers of the contagion. 

 Man himself is not immune, and the fre- 

 quency of his infection by coming in 

 contact with the diseased animals them- 

 selves is established by numerous obser- 

 vations. Children suffer as a result of 

 drinking the unboiled milk from in- 

 fected cattle. In such cases the symp- 

 toms resemble those observed in ani- 

 mals. There is fever and difficulty in 

 swallowing, followed by an eruption of 

 blisters in the mouth and very rarely by 

 similar ones on the fingers. The dis- 

 ease is very seldom fatal, and chiefly 

 restricted to children and to those adults 

 who handle sick animals or drink large 

 quantities of unboiled milk. The disturb- 

 ance of health is usually too slight to 

 come to the notice of the family doctor. 

 As regards the depredations of this 

 dangerous disease in semi-tropical coun- 

 tries, the following letter conveys valua- 

 ble information: 



UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRI- 

 CULTURE. 

 Bureau of Animal Industry. 

 Washington, D. C. 



December 2, 1908. 

 To the Editor of The Cuba Review: 

 Dear Sir. — Foot and mouth disease has 

 been known, to appear in tropical coun- 

 tries, having caused the loss of 10,400 



cattle in the presidency of Madras in 

 East India in 1894-95. 



Semi-tropical lands have suffered se- 

 verely on several occasions. Algeria, in 

 Africa, has had trouble in the past in 

 eradicating this disease, which not only 

 affects cattle but camels as well. 



The shores of the Caspian Sea have 

 been visited by the infection in a very 

 malignant form. Southern Italy has 

 also suffered from its ravages on several 

 occasions, especially in 1845-46, 1855-57, 

 and later in 1883. 



Its worst form seems to have occurred 

 m temperate zones, but there is no 

 doubt that it will appear and spread in 

 tropical latitudes if the germ is allowed 

 to be introduced under suitable condi- 

 tions. 



Very respectfully, 



HENRY J. WASHBURN, 

 Acting Chief, Pathological Division. 



Tobacco Receipts. 



From the 6th to the 19th of Novem- 

 ber inclusive, there have arrived at Ha- 

 vana from the tobacco districts of the 

 island, the following lots: 



Tierces. 

 Per Western Railway from Vuelta 



^Abajo 5^808 



Per Western Railway from Semi 



Vuelta 2,229 



Per Western Railway from Parti- 



dos 1,233 



Per United Railways main line 



from Santa Clara 9.956 



Batabano branch from Vuelta 



Abajo 149 



Guanajay branch from Partidos.. 198 

 By steamers and schooners from 



Santa Clara 7 915 



By steamers and schooners from 



Vuelta Abajo 1,913 



From Matanzas 'OOO 



From Puerto Principe 1,305 



From Santiago de Cuba 876 



Total during fourteen days .. ..31,582 

 Previously since January 1 .. ..459,024 



Total up to November 19, 1908.490,606 



Nicholas Whelan, former speaker of 

 the Michigan house of representatives, 

 to-day leaves for Bartle, Oriente Prov- 

 ince, Cuba, where he will make his fu- 

 ture home, engaging in the dairy busi- 

 ness. Whelan, who began his career as 

 a country school teacher, studied law, 

 and was practicing here at the time he 

 was elected to the legislature, says the 

 Muskegon (Mich.) Chronicle. 



