REPORT OF THE BUKEAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 441 



The accounts of the symptoms were meager, but such as I could get were those of 

 Southern cattle fever. 



In this outbreak there was an incubation period of about fourteen days, allowing 

 two days for the stage of fever, and supposing that they may have been infected in 

 the Chicago stock-yards. The fever was completed in twenty-two days from the 

 time that the cattle left Chicago. No natives were reported sick. There being 105 

 head involved, and but 10 died, shows that the disease did not spread extensively 

 in the herd. As 4 others only were reported sick, it may have been that these 

 14 belonged to one of the smaller bunches that composed the large herd and were 

 alone exposed in some of the cattle-pens at the Chicago stock-yards. 



The coincidence in dates between this outbreak and that occurring amongst the 

 cattle bought at the same yards but little earlier (the 6th of August) by Mr. Darius 

 Devilbiss and taken to Union ville in Carroll County is worthy of attention. In each 

 outbreak the cattle began dying about the same date, and the maximum of deaths 

 on a given date was noticed in each instance about the same time. The stage of 

 incubation in each case was strikingly alike. This outbreak would confirm one in 

 the belief that the Unionville outbreak originated in Chicago. 



The following are the facts, as near as I could learn them, regard- 

 ing an outbreak of disease among cattle near Union Bridge, Md. 

 The information was kindly communicated to me by Mr. Repp, one 

 of the proprietors of the sick cattle: 



On August 1, 1888, the firm of Reck & Repp, of Union Bridge, Md. , shipped from 

 Waynesborough Junction, Augusta County, Va. , a car-load of cattle. On August 10 

 they shipped another from the same place. These were taken directly to Union 

 Bridge and distributed. 



The first car-load consisted of 21 head ; 7 head of these were driven to the Repp 

 farm and 14 distributed in various quarters. The second car-load contained 13 

 head ; of these 2 cows were sold and 11 were driven to the Repp farm. Within 

 four days 8 head were variously distributed. Of the 10 head taken to the Repp 

 farm 1 was sold to Mr. Lee Stoner, of Union Bridge, after a period of three weeks ; 

 another was sold about the same date to Mr. Repp's nephew: 1 was killed on the 

 third day; 2 were killed after two weeks ; 3 died on the home place ; 1, a young bull 

 from the second car-load, was still left September 9. The remaining animal is unac- 

 counted for. Of the first car-load lot, 3 died ; of the second, 2. 



Besides these introduced cattle 1 native cow belonging to Mr. Peter Perry died. 

 This cow had been pastured on the Repp farm ; she was removed from it for a day 

 or two in the week preceding her death, but was returned. She died on the 5th of 

 September. 



None of these animals were ill longer than two or three days preceding their 

 death. Their symptoms described were thirst, cold horns, constipation. In one 

 the bowels were loose ; nearly all manifested pain. Some pressed the head against 

 some object ; some had paroxysms and groaned for two hours before death ; others 

 had their necks extended rigidly to the left. In these the muscles relaxed about 

 two hours before death. The urine was like strong coffee. The natives may have 

 had bloody urine. 



The only animal that remained long on the Repp farm and is still alive is the 

 young bull, which was seen to have been around each cow that died. These cattle, 

 however, came from a county north of the permanently infected region in Virginia, 

 and the young bull was said" to have been raised there. No cattle that were deliv- 

 ered to other farms died, and in but one instance did I hear any report of illness. 



These two car-loads were brought together on the 1st and 10th of August. If the 

 disease was a communicable disease and originated from some of the members of 

 either herd, then it must have originated no earlier than the 1st for one car-load and 

 the 10th for the other. As the cattle died about the same date it would be fair to 

 assume that, were the disease a communicable one, the date of infection would be 

 no earlier than the date of arrival of the second car-load, about the 10th of August. 



The difference in time between August 10th and the dates on which the cattle 

 were taken ill is fourteen, fifteen or sixteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, and 

 twenty-four days. These dates would be the period of incubation of the disease. 

 The period of illness was about two days. 



From the history of the above outbreak, the clinical symptoms, 

 the period of time before the illness and the length of illness, I am 





