DISEASES OF SWINE AND OTHER ANIMALS. 167 



exautliemata, and is now kno^vn to some of the medical profession as 

 Rotlieln, or German measles. 



I will now proceed to give you a sliort history of the so-called hog- 

 cholera as it appeared in that section of country known as Piedmont, Vir- 

 ginia, during the fall of 1877 and during the spring of 1878. in the fall 

 of 1877 hog-cholera, so called, made its apppearance in that section of 

 country lying south and east of the Bull Hun Mountains, and the losses 

 by death reached an aggregate of 85 per cent., jnostly young animals, as 

 I learned from Messrs. John and Ludwell Hutchison, intelligent farmers 

 living near the old Braddock road, four miles below the village of Aldie. 

 The people were much divided in opinion, some believing the improved 

 stock of hogs most liable to the disease, others that they proved to be 

 more exempt from its fearful ravages. The care which a farmer took 

 with his hogs, I presume, had more to do with lessening the bill of mor- 

 tality than the difference in breeds. Hogs feeding after cattle, and young 

 hogs, were generally the first to show symptoms of the disease. No 

 remedy so far as they knew seemed to be of any benefit. Dr. Ewell re- 

 commended calomel, and some persons thought it of service. So far as 

 I could learn no case occurred north or west of Catoctin Mountains until 

 October of 1877. The section of country where it occurred as early as 

 February, 1877, is at an average altitude of 400 feet above tide-water. 

 On the 13th day of October, 1877, J. Milton McVeigh first noticed that 

 one of his hogs, feeding after his fat cattle, appeared stupid, dull, droopy, 

 mopy. He very soon noticed others appearing to be affected in the same 

 way. This farm is located just above the little village of Aldie (the 

 William Berldey farm), at an average altitude of 550 feet above tide- 

 water. He had on his farm at this time fifteen home-raised hogs, but 

 having some large cattle that he thought would justify hiui in corn-feed- 

 ing he determined to purchase some hogs to follow after the cattle and 

 eat up the waste corn. Accordingly he bought, about the 1st of August, 

 1878, of Mr. Gox twenty-two fine, healthy'shoats, of Mr. C. B. Eogers 

 twenty healthy shoats, and of Jack Simpson ten more. These fifty-two 

 animals were turned into a field to run after his cattle. The field was 

 high and dry, rolling, and at an altitude of 000 feet above tide-water. 

 The hogs had good, comfortable, dry, warm shelter to go to, and in the 

 field there was an abundance of fresh running water from a large, fine 

 mountain-spring. About the middle of November the disease commenced 

 in earnest, first with shoats purchased of Mr. Cox, then Avith those bought 

 of Mr. Rogers, and lastly with those procured from Mr. Simpson. He 

 lost fifteen head between the middle of November and the .1st of De- 

 cember. One or two would be takeu at ai time and die, and about 

 the time he would flatter himself that the disease had subsided, one or 

 two mon; would be taken. This continued until tlie 1st of February, 

 1878, and during this time he lost thirty-nine out of the fifty-two shoats. 

 After this, no other cases occurred. None of his Jiovtc-raiscd hogs took 

 the disease until he had sold his cattle and dis])0sed of the remaining 

 shoats, when, sup])osing the disease killed out by frosts and the cold 

 vreatlier, he turned a fine large sow and eleven pigs into this field where 

 the sick shoats had run. The sow escaped the disease, but the ])igs soon 

 becanje sick, and he lost seven out of eleven of them. About the 1st of 

 January following, the remainder of these shoats having become fat, and 

 being ai)parently healthy, he killed five, and after dressing them he found 

 the skin i)urplish, red to iiale black ; little pustules or pimples covered the 

 shoulders, and by pressure pus would spin out. The throat gaA^e unmis- 

 takable evidence of disease, and the lungs were in a condition of decay. 

 The lower bowel's were full of black, hard, dry balls (scj^bala?) the color 



