562 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Animal Industry, Washington, D. C, under date of September 

 25th gives an accurate description of the method of procedure in 

 connection with the work: 



September 25, 1912. 

 Dr. J. I. Gibson, State Veterinarian, 

 Des Moines, Iowa. 



Sir — The bureau was first advised of the presence of this outbreak of 

 dourine in Iowa through your letter of May 24, 1911, stating that the 

 affection had been diagnosed by Dr. Quin of Creston, Iowa, and his 

 diagnosis confirmed by Dr. Bauman of Birmingham, Iowa, and requesting 

 assistance in eradicating the same. 



In accordance with such request Dr. Enos L. Day, veterinary inspector 

 of the Bureau at Chicago, was directed to proceed to Creston and inves- 

 tigate and make a complete report of conditions. 



Under date of June 1st, Dr. Day reported that as a result of the exam- 

 ination of a number of animals at Clearfield, Sharpsburg, Gravity and 

 Denison, Iowa, he considered the symptoms very strongly indicative of 

 dourine, and that you had placed all suspicious animals under State 

 quarantine. With a view to confirming Dr. Day's diagnosis, Dr. E. T. 

 Davison, veterinary inspector, Athenia, N. J., was directed on June 3, 

 1911, to proceed to Creston for a conference with yourself and Drs. Quin 

 and Bauman. 



Dr. Davison's preliminary report was made on June 13th. His diagnosis 

 of dourine was confirmed on the part of the Bureau at a conference at 

 which the Chief of the Bureau and the Chief of the Pathological Division 

 were present, and it was then decided to purchase some of the affected 

 animals and ship them to Washington for experimental purposes. 



Dr. A. W. Miller, who had been placed in charge of the Bureau work 

 of eradicating the disease, was accordingly directed to purchase four of 

 these animals and forward them to the Bureau Experiment Station at 

 Bethesda, Md. 



One of the animals died enroute, but as a result of examinations of 

 the others which arrived at the above station, the Bureau pathologist 

 was successful in determining the presence of trypanosomes in serum 

 obtained from one of the mares, thus establishing the identity of the 

 disease beyond question. 



In the meantime Dr. Miller had been directed to arrange with the 

 various owners for the slaughter of infected animals, paying for the same 

 upon an equitable basis, it being considered essential in order to success- 

 fully combat and stamp out such a disease that every possible source of 

 infection be absolutely eliminated. 



In accordance with such plan some thirteen stallions and mares have 

 been destroyed within the state and post-mortem examinations made, 

 tending in all cases to confirm the diagnosis. The bureau records Indi- 

 cate that some one hundred exposed animals showing no evidence of 

 the disease are at present being held under State quarantine in Iowa. 

 It is probable that arrangements will be made in the near future to 



