156 DISEASES OF SWINE AND OTHER ANIMALS. 



liad appeared in liis drove ; and, further, that he lost no hogs for some 

 weelvs after selling those to the colony.*' It may have been that these 

 hog's had the poison germ in their system before starting from home, and 

 might have succeeded in throwing off the poison if they had been re- 

 tained at home 5 but worry, fatigue, and confinement during excessively 

 hot weather, in a close box in a tight car, was enough of itself to reduce 

 the animal vitality to a low ebb, and give the most favorable encourage- 

 ment for the disease. 

 Respectfully submitted. 



Iowa City, Iowa, Decem'ber 3, 1878. 



ALBERT DUNLAP, M. D. 



REPORT OP REUBEN P. DYER, M. D. 



Hon. William G. Le Due, 



Commissioner of Agriculture : 



Sir: Having been appointed by you to investigate the diseases of 

 swine in this locality, I entered upon that duty August 1st, which duty 

 was to extend over a period of two months. Having performed that 

 duty to the best of my ability, I now proceed to make a detailed report 

 of my Investigations. 



Having carefully noted the origin and spread of the epidemic among 

 swine in this county, which first made its appearance on the farm of 

 Mr. WiUiam O'Mera in May, 1877, the report I am now to make wiU 

 commence at the time when, from that starting point, the disease has 

 become quite universal in this locality. 



In order to thoroughly understand the cause of the disease, I will 

 commence at Mr. O'Mera's farm. He is situated on the bottom-lands of 

 the Illinois River, close to the bluff, which rises some 60 or 70 feet. His 

 hog-yard, which comprises about one acre, is close to the Chicago, Rock 

 Island and Pacific Railroad, so that his herd was exposed to any conta- 

 gion that might be transmitted by moving stock-trains. An instance of 

 this land occiu-red in the case of Mr. A. Holderman's herd, which was 

 attacked about one month ago. There was no diseased herd within sev- 

 eral miles of his place, but the same railroad passes through his farm. 



The same condition is seen again in this town near the stock-yards of this 

 railroad. Pigs confined in pens near the stock-yards have been infected 

 in the same manner. Also on the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Rail- 

 road, where the railroad crosses the Hlinois and Michigan Canal, a Mr. 

 Loudergrau had some pigs confined in a pen close to the railroad. The 

 trains stopped directly opposite his pen to take in water, and his pigs 

 became diseased. As it is a well-known fact that these roads have been 

 shipping diseased hogs, it appears quite evident that these points be- 

 came infected l>y disease transmitted by the railroads, and also by wag- 

 ons transporting hogs to market. 



Owners of hogs, as soon as the disease attack their herds, and some- 

 times before, sell all fat animals, haiding them to market in wagons. 

 All along the road thus traveled herds will take the disease, and it is 

 jn-obable that the herd so attacked is infected by hogs thus transported. 

 This is evidenced in the manner in which it is distributed, as one herd 

 will take it, and then it may pass two or three farms before another one 

 is infected, and this peculiarity of attack is oidy observed on roads over 

 which tUseased as well as dead hogs are hauled. When not carried in 



