352 Annual Report for 1911 of Royal Veterinary College. 



numbei- of swine returned as attacked with the disease was 7,994 

 (in 1881), and the largest 41,973 (in 1887). During the last 

 complete year of this period (in 1892) there were 2,377 out- 

 breaks, with 11,729 swine attacked. 



Since the 1st November, 1893, the disease has been dealt 

 with directly by the Board of Agriculture, and during the first 

 complete year of the new regime 5,682 outbreaks were con- 

 firmed and 56,296 swine were slaughtered in connection with 

 these. Between 1895 and 1905 a marked impression was made 

 on the prevalence of the disease, the outbreaks having been 

 reduced in the last of these years to 817 and the swine 

 slaughtered to 3,876. The further history of the campaign is 

 completed by the Table, which shows that there has been a 

 very serious recrudescence of the disease during the past year. 



Suggested explanations of the failure of the attempt to 

 stamp out swine-fever have been contained in previous annual 

 reports, and need not be here repeated, more especially as it 

 cannot be said that they account satisfactorily for the great 

 increase in the number of outbreaks in 1911. The procedure 

 of the Board has been varied from time to time in some 

 important particulars, the alterations having presumably been 

 inspired by a desire to diminish the loss and inconvenience 

 occasioned to owners by the regulations, or to reduce the annual 

 expenditure involved in the slaughtering of animals suspected 

 of having been exposed to infection. 



The Departmental Committee which w^as appointed in 

 April, 1910, to inquire into the subject has already published 

 an interim report, from which it appears that none of the 

 evidence submitted by the witnesses who appeared before the 

 Committee indicated that it would be advisable to make any 

 radical change in the administrative machinery now employed 

 by the Board. Among other recommendations the Committee 

 advise that the policy of " slaughtering out " should be applied 

 generally as soon as practicable, and they do not favour any 

 relaxation of the general restrictions which have been placed 

 on the movements of swine in districts where the disease exists. 



Unfortunately it must ])e admitted that the recent great 

 increase in the number of outbreaks almost precludes the 

 general adoption of the drastic policy recommended by the 

 Committee, that is to say, the prompt slaughter, not only of 

 visibly affected swine, but also of evei-y pig that can reasonably 

 be suspected of having been within the range of contagion. 

 Such a plan can only be successfully carried out when liberal 

 compensation is allowed for the apparently healthy swine 

 slaughtered, and at the present moment it would involve 

 enormous expense. Meanwhile more, rather than less, severe 

 restrictions should be imposed on the movement of pigs in 



