403 



Division of Animal Industry 



Honolulu, Hawaii, October 31, 1916. 



Board of Commissioners of Agriculture and Forestry, 

 Honolulu. 



Gentlemen : — I have the honor to submit herewith the report of 

 the Division of Animal Industry for the month of October, 1916: 



Hemorrhagic Scpticcmi in Cattle and Hogs. 



During the past month a number of outbreaks of this fatal 

 disease have come to notice here, simultaneously with the ap- 

 pearance of many similar epidemics in nearly every part of the 

 United States. The disease is characterized by more or less well 

 defined hemorrhages under the serous and mucous membranes, 

 serous exudations in various tissues and organs, local edema, 

 infectious pleuro-pneumonia and hemorrhagic enteritis. The 

 cause is a specific microorganism which normally may be found 

 in the air passages and intestinal tract of healthy animals, but 

 which at times becomes disease producing, the exact conditions 

 and causes for w^hich are not yet definitely established. But any 

 condition which tends toward reducing the vitality is likely also 

 to lessen the animal's power of resistance to disease. Malnutri- 

 tion, exposure to inclement weather, prolonged physical exertion, 

 such as met with when shipping livestock on land or water, 

 moldy or decayed feed all tend to cause the appearance of the 

 disease. Young stock is especially susceptible but no age or class 

 is exempt. So many cattle of late have died in stock yards that 

 the disease in certain sections is called "shipping fever." 



The disease was first observed here about four years ago dur- 

 ing a shipment of cattle from Hawaii. At the same time the first 

 reports of its appearance as an epidemic was received from a half 

 dozen of the States. Since that time we have seen little of it 

 here while it has spread over practically the entire Mainland 

 until, this year, several States have had to take special measures 

 to guard against it. 



In this Territory it would seem that the Kona side of Hawaii 

 is most seriously infected, even though no outbreaks have been 

 reported direct from there. But nearly every case which has' 

 come under observation here can be traced more or less directly 

 to Kona. Unusual heavy shipments of cattle have arrived here 

 from Kona and a number of them have had dead or dying cattle 

 among them at the time of arrival. One shipment as high as five 

 head. These deaths cannot be attributed to rough weather or 

 hard handling, although shipping undoubtedly accelerated the de- 

 velopment of the disease. 



