312 Missouri Agricultural Report. 



be necessary to inoculate only a comparatively small number of 

 hogs in any neighborhood, if the disease is recognized soon after 

 it appears and prompt action is taken. The disease does not 

 originate spontaneously, but is carried in from some outside source, 

 whenever it appears in any place where it has not previously ex- 

 isted; or reappears on grounds that have been disinfected. The 

 prompt inoculation, therefore, of the first herd that becomes infect- 

 ed, and a few herds on adjoining farms that are most liable to be- 

 come infected, will, in most cases, stop the further spread of the 

 disease, if proper precautions are also taken by the farmers and 

 veterinarians to quarantine and destroy the infection on the 

 farms where the disease first appears. 



I will mention an instance in my own work where by such 

 means a wide spread outbreak was probably prevented. One of the 

 well known swine breeders and exhibitors of this State had the 

 misfortune to bring the disease to his farm in his "show herd" 

 that was exposed to the infection at a live stock exhibit one hun- 

 dred miles or more from his farm. As a precaution against infect- 

 ing the home herd, these infected animals were quarantined and 

 inoculated with the "hog cholera serum." Some of these "show 

 hogs" were saved, but those that were severely ill, died. The 

 home herd was also inoculated, and only one of these became sick 

 and died; whether from cholera was not definitely determined. 

 The disease was stamped out without a single case occurring in 

 other herds of the neighborhood. No other cases of cholera ex- 

 isted in the county so far as known, and none has been reported 

 since that time. One of the deputy State veterinarians who as- 

 sisted in this work, has kept a close watch for several months for 

 the appearance of new cases. 



In this case prompt action and the use of a comparatively 

 small quantity of serum probably prevented a wide spread out- 

 break that would have resulted in great loss and required much 

 time and labor to suppress; and which would have required the 

 use of a thousand or more doses of serum. In this case due credit 

 must be given to the stringent quarantine and disinfection meas- 

 ures which, upon my advice, were carried out by the owner. 



In contrast to the above, the disastrous results which follow, 

 when, from any cause, the disease is not recognized early, and 

 prompt steps are not taken to inoculate the herd with the protec- 

 tive serum, and to apply appropriate quarantine measures to pre- 

 vent the spread of the disease to other farms, is well illustrated by 

 another outbreak of cholera which originated in exactly the same 



