No. 4.] CATTLE COMMISSIONERS. 535 



Diseases of Swine. 



During 1898 a few outbreaks of hog cholera or swine 

 plague have been reported to the Cattle Commission, prob- 

 ably more or less confusion of the application of the two 

 terms existing. There were seven outbreaks reported in 

 all : one at Framiugham, in January ; four in February, at 

 Framingham, Foxborough, Westport and Worcester ; one in 

 September, at Hyannis ; and one outbreak in December, at 

 Lanesborough, upon three different farms. Where disease 

 appears among a herd of swine, about all that can be done is 

 to forbid the owner to buy or sell any pigs until the trouble 

 is over. If any are fit for market, they may be killed, 

 subject to the usual meat inspection. When the outbreak 

 is over, the premises must be thoroughly disinfected ; and, 

 if traceable to the food in any way, the swill should 

 either be thoroughly boiled before feeding it to pigs, 

 or an entire change of food may be made. Occasionally, 

 where city swill is fed and swine plague is suspected, 

 which is simply a septic infection, boiling will destroy 

 the germs and check the disease ; in other cases the sickness 

 may be due to some ptomaine in the swill or some other 

 poison, or even large quantities of soap used in dish water. 

 In these cases boiling does not serve to destroy the poison. 



Of the reported outbreaks, those early in the year were 

 managed as suggested above, — that is, killing marketable 

 hogs, subject to the examination of the inspector of provi- 

 sions, and forbidding buying or selling pigs from the infected 

 premises until the disease disappeared and the buildings and 

 pens were disinfected. 



The case of swine disease at Hyannis in September was 

 investigated by a member of the Board, who reported that 

 the herd of pigs belonged to a hotel ; several had been sick, 

 two had died and the others were recovering. There was 

 no chance to hold an autopsy. The pigs were running at 

 large in a field, and were fed upon hotel swill. The trouble 

 may have been caused by soap in the swill ; it did not seem 

 to be hog cholera. It was advised to stop feeding the ani- 

 mals upon the swill from the hotel. 



