NINETEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART VIII 469 



II. Quarantine — "Quarantine" is the most abused and least understood 

 word in the English language. Most people regard it as a club or means 

 to restrict personal liberty. It really is quite the contrary and means pro- 

 tection. As applied to hog cholera it includes the care of the sick hogs 

 and the destruction of the dead. All sick hogs should be confined under 

 cover in order to confine the virus they discharge with their urine, feces, 

 eye and nose secretions, and to prevent their scattering virus about the 

 premises. It is just as sensible to scatter virus over the premises out of 

 a bottle as to let the hog sick with cholera run at large to do the same 

 thing by its body discTiarges. All dead hogs should be destroyed by burn- 

 ing. This can be accomplished with fire above the ground or by burying 

 in quicklime. By observing these practical quarantine measures the owner 

 of the infected herd and the neighbors are alike protected. 



III. Sanitation — A thorough cleaning and disinfection of pens, sheds, 

 hog houses, around straw stacks, etc., where the sick hogs have nested 

 is essential to rid the premises of infection and make them safe for the 

 next crop of pigs. In addition to this all farm premises should be cleaned 

 and disinfected annually, preferably in the spring time. 



These control measures are being generally employed with gratifying 

 results. Following the successful demonstration in Dallas County, where 

 the losses were reduced from 25 per cent of all hogs raised in 1912 to 

 15 per cent in 1916, the control work was extended July 1, 1916, to a dis- 

 trict comprising twenty-seven counties in central Iowa, with headquarters 

 in Des Moines. With the conclusion of the demonstration in Dallas 

 County the use of free serum and treatment was discontinued. Seven 

 experienced inspectors were assigned to districts of four counties each, 

 and intensive work begun to secure the adoption of the control measures 

 wherever cTiolera made its appearance. 



The work of these inspectors includes investigation of reported out- 

 breaks, sanitary surveys of infected premises, warnings to neighbors 

 supervising the cleaning and disinfection of farms, inspection of imported 

 hogs, consultations with practicing veterinarians, etc. 



The work was further extended to include the entire state in Septem- 

 ber, 1917. Twenty veterinary inspectors were assigned to the work and 

 have been actively prosecuting it since that time. These inspectors are 

 located in such a manner as to be easily available for every county. Their 

 services are free. The success of their work depends largely upon the co- 

 operation of the farmers, and as their work becomes better known and 

 more thoroughly understood we look confidently to a continued reducing 

 of the losses from cholera until its eradication has been accomplished. 



