PART X 



Papers on Agricultural Subjects, Live Stock and 

 Extracts From Bulletins 



THE FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE. 



(Paper Read by Dr. K. Y. Stouder, Ames, Iowa, at Annual Meeting of 

 the Aberdeen Angus Association.) 



This Aphthous fever or Murrain of Europe sometimes called Aph- 

 thous Epizootica Vesicular Apthae and Eczema Epizootica in the classi- 

 cal discussion, but in common parlance receiving the highly descriptive 

 term of foot and mouth disease and also hoof and mouth disease, has 

 again invaded our country, obtained a foothold in one of our greatest 

 markets and worse yet, came very near getting a foothold in our 

 range country. 



Briefly, the history of this disease is that it has prevailed in Asia 

 from time immemorial, gained an entrance to Europe in the eighteenth 

 century and at various times since has occurred in widespread out- 

 l)reaks in continental Europe as well as England. It has also been 

 imported Into both North and South America by cattle traffic from 

 Europe and other means at various times. It was imported from Eng- 

 land to Montreal in 1870 and spread over most of New England. Very 

 little transportation of livestock westward caused the disease to be- 

 come rather self-limiting naturally and its course was spent in a few 

 months. Authorities then present seem to place great credit to the 

 slight amount of westward livestock movement as the most effective 

 barrier operating to control the IS 70 outbreak. 



Those outbreaks occurring in the United States within the memory 

 of the present generation are as follows: One in 1902 in Massachus- 

 etts, Rhode Island, Vermont and New Hampshire, which was controlled 

 comparatively quickly and rather cheaply, since less than 4,000 head 

 of cattle were destroyed at a total cost of about $300,000. 



The next outbreak was in 1908 and was more expensive in that 

 Pennsylvania and New York as well as most of the North Atlantic 

 states were involved. This outbreak was more expensive to control 

 since more territory was involved. In both instances the infection 

 was proven to have been imported into this country but not through 

 channels under the quarantine control of the federal Bureau of Animal 

 Industry. 



