14 



Bedford : 



Bellingham 2 



Blackstone 1 



Canton 1 



Foxboro 7 



Franklin 9 



Grafton 1 



Rabies by Towns 



Hingham 



Manchester 



Marblehead 



Mendon 



Milford 



Norfolk 



Plainville 



Haverhill 1 ;,j^a^.,= > 



Only one of these animals was reported as a stray 



P.D. 123 



Randolph 1 



Waltham 1 



Wayland 1 



Webster 1 



Winchester *1 



Woburn 1 



Wrentham 2 



*cat 

 (owner unknown). 



Rabies by Counties and Months 



County 

 Essex . . . 

 Middlesex 

 Norfolk .. 

 Plymouth 

 Worcester 



Dec. 

 1 



Jan. Feb. 



1 



Mar. 

 1 



July 

 1 



Aug. 

 1 



Sept. Oct. Nov. 



Total 



4 



5 

 23 



1 



5 



Total 



38 



The heads of 292 animals were received for laboratory examination. Of 

 this number, 1 cat and 31 dogs were reported as positive; 47 cats, 1 chipmunk, 

 1 cow, 194 dogs, 1 muskrat, 3 rabbits, 1 raccoon and 4 squirrels as negative; 

 and 2 cats and 6 dogs as questionable. 



Fifty-four (54) persons were reported as bitten by rabid animals or ex- 

 posed to them. Seven thousand nine hundred forty-two (7,942) persons were 

 reported as bitten or scratched by animals. 



HOG CHOLERA 



During the year 82,056 head of swine were given treatments for and in 

 prevention of hog cholera on 825 premises by veterinarians in the employ of 

 the Division. In addition, 39,586 head were treated on 197 premises by veteri- 

 narians in private practice. 



In addition to the above, 24,402 head of swine were treated on 184 premises 

 for infections other than cholera by State-employed veterinarians and 5,233 

 head were treated on 27 premises by veterinarians in private practice. 



EQUINE ENCEPHALOMYELITIS (SLEEPING SICKNESS) 



That the theory that weather conditions favorable to the propagation of 

 blood-sucking insects, such as the mosquito, are a factor, if not a principal 

 cause, for the spread of equine encephalomyelitis is to some extent justified, 

 was apparently substantiated by the fact that, although a few scattered cases 

 of the disease occurred during the past season, its generally anticipated re- 

 appearance in epidemic form failed to materialize. 



Instead of a long period of warm, damp weather, such as prevailed through- 

 out the summer of 1938, the weather this year was unusually dry, resulting 

 practically in drought conditions, and therefore especially unfavorable to the 

 breeding of mosquitoes and other blood-sucking insects. > 



During the spring of the year regional meetings were held in cooperation 

 with county agents, at which the nature of the disease and ways and means 

 of prevention were discussed. The Division also prepared and furnished 

 20,000 copies of a pamphlet entitled "Equine Encephalomyelitis (Sleeping 

 Sickness)," containing information in the form of questions and answers. 

 These pamphlets were distributed with the cooperation of county agents to 

 farmers, horse owners, etc. In the pamphlets, at the meetings, by radio 

 broadcasts, and through newspaper releases stress was placed on the advisa- 

 bility of early preventive or protective vaccination of horses. 



Questionnaires were sent out by this Division to veterinarians requesting 

 information as to the cases observed in their practice, outcome of same, num- 

 ber of horses vaccinated, etc. Replies were received from 144, of which 120 

 reported vaccinating 13,509 horses with so-called "chick vaccine" — two injec- 

 tions, seven to ten days apart, being generally employed. With few exceptions 

 no serious after-effects resulted from this treatment. 



