Annual Report for 1911 of Royal Veterinary College. 353 



infected localities, and .the utmost penalties allowed by the 

 law should be imposed on persons convicted of having con- 

 cealed the existence of the disease, or of having unlawfully 

 moved diseased or suspected animals, 



FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE. 



During the course of 1911 this disease broke out in five 

 different parts of England, viz., in the county of Surrey in 

 March, in Middlesex and Sussex in Jul}', in Derbyshire in 

 August, and in Somerset in September. In the case of the 

 Surrey and Derbyshire outbreaks the disease was detected 

 before it had extended beyond the premises in which the first 

 case occurred, but in the Middlesex and Sussex outbreaks 

 animals on three different premises, and in the Somersetshire 

 one on ten different premises, were involved. In each case the 

 whole of the diseased and suspected animals were slaughtered 

 by the Board of Agriculture, and fortunately this pi'ompt 

 action, coupled with temporary restz'ictions on the movement 

 of animals within a certain radius of the outbreak, speedily 

 brought the disease to an end. 



In the circumstances this result must be regarded as very 

 satisfactoi-y, but the appearance of the disease at no less than 

 five different centres within a period of seven months is very 

 disquieting, and must cause constant anxiety as long as the 

 plague continues to exist in the western parts of the Continent. 

 It is to be hoped that the Departmental Committee which has 

 been appointed to study the subject may succeed in throwing 

 some light on the manner in which the disease is introduced, 

 although from the nature of the circumstances the prospect of 

 being able to trace the exact passage of the virus from the 

 Continent to this country in any given case is far from bright. 



Meanwhile it is of great importance that, in spite of the 

 supposed freedom of the country from foot-and-mouth disease, 

 farmers should regard with suspicion any case in cattle, sheep, 

 or swine in which soreness of the mouth (manifested by 

 slavering) and lameness or tenderness of the feet are observed, 

 and any such case should be promptly notified to the police. 



Parasitic Gastritis in Sheep. 



During the past year losses occasioned by stomach worms in 

 sheep were exceptionally severe in many parts of the country, 

 especially in the months of April, May, and June. The worms 

 which commonly infest the fourth or true digestive stomach in 

 the sheep belong to at least three species, and in cases of 

 parasitic gastritis — that is to say, cases in which the worms 

 are sufficiently numerous to cause illness — two, or even all 

 three of these species are often present together. Contrary to 



VOL. 72. AA 



