288 VETERINARY HYGIENE 



have been in contact with contagion. Methods of inoculation, 

 such as have been extensively practised both in this country and 

 abroad, are useless owing to the fact that inoculation can never 

 render less dangerous as a disseminator an animal which is affected 

 with chronic lung lesions and which is to all appearances in good 

 health. All animals slaughtered should be disposed of by crema- 

 tion or burial according to the recognised method (see p. 227), and 

 all buildings vacated should be disinfected and left clear of cattle 

 for a period of a month or so. 



FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE. 



Foot-and-mouth disease (aphthous fever) is an acute and very 

 highly infectious disease characterised by the production of vesicles 

 in various parts of the body, but most frequently on the mouth and 

 feet. Cattle are especially affected and to a less extent sheep, pigs 

 and goats. Horses, dogs and cats have been known to become 

 infected, but cases are rare. De Jong* has recorded the occurrence 

 of the disease in three foals which were turned out to graze with 

 affected cattle. Man is susceptible, children being especially liable 

 to infection through drinking milk from cows having vesicles on 

 their teats, and in them the condition may be fatal. 



The disease is produced by an ultravisible virus demonstrated 

 by Loffler and Frosch (1897 to 1900). It is contained in the lymph 

 of vesicles, in the saliva, in the milk, and during the febrile period 

 in the blood. 



Foot-and-mouth disease was first recorded as existing in Great 

 Britain in 1839, and was present continuously rom that date until 

 1886, with the exception of a few months' freedom at the end of 

 1879. Probably not less than 7,000,000 animals were attacked 

 during this period. Since 1892 the importation of cloven-hoofed 

 animals from abroad has been prohibited. From the report of 

 the Departmental Committee appointed in 1911, it appeared that 

 " in 10 out of the 21 years from 1892 to the present time the disease 

 has existed in Great Britain, the total number of outbreaks in 

 that period being 158, but of these 133 occurred during the first 

 10 years and only 25 during the last 11 years." The disease again 

 cropped up in 1892, when there were 95 outbreaks involving 4767 

 animals. In 1893 there were only 2 and in 1894 3 outbreaks, and 

 the disease was then absent until 1900 when 21 outbreaks were 

 recorded. The country was free for 6 years previous to 1908 

 when the disease appeared in Edinburgh, and from that date it 

 * Journ. Comp. Path., 1912, Vol. XXV., p. 153, Abs. 



