172 CONTAGIOUS DISEASES. 



PEEVENTION OF PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. 



When the disease breaks out in a herd, the affected animals 

 are to be isolated, or, if "in condition," slaughtered for beef, 

 experience having proved that such beef is good and wholesome 

 if the animal is killed early in the disease. If the animal be 

 out of condition, slaughter and burial are the safest, and, in the 

 end, the most economical ; indeed, it may be distinctly laid down 

 that the slaughter of the whole herd for human food is the 

 cheapest in the end, the hides, hoofs, &c. being carefully kept 

 from coming in contact with any healthy cattle. Some recom- 

 mend the destruction of hides, hoofs, &c. I think this a wasteful 

 destruction of property, and fail to see how the disease can be 

 propagated by them ; unless, indeed, they are actually brought 

 into contact with healthy cattle — not a very likely occurrence. 



Disinfection. — All sheds, cow-houses, or other premises which 

 have contained cattle affected by the lung disease should be 

 thoroughly cleansed and disinfected. The best and cheapest 

 way of doing this is — 1st. To burn sulphur in the buildings ; 2d. 

 To whitewash the walls, stalls, roofs, and every nook and crevice 

 within the building with lime-wash containing carbolic acid 

 (crude), in the proportion of one pint to each bucketful of 

 whitewash. 



Inoculation of Plcuro-Pncumonia. — Inoculation was attempted 

 by Dieterichs with no satisfactory results. The experiments 

 were repeated by Vix, who obtained results in the form of 

 pneumonia, which was due in all probability to pyaemia. 

 Nothing conclusive, however, was obtained until Dr. Willens of 

 Hasselt, Belgium, instituted a series of experiments, the result 

 of which led him to arrive at the following conclusions : — 



" 1. Pleuro-pneumonia is not contagious by inoculation of the 

 blood or other matters taken from diseased animals and placed 

 on healthy ones. 



" 2. That the blood and the serous and frothy liquid squeezed 

 from the lungs of a diseased animal in the first stage of pleuro- 

 pneumonia are the most suitable matters for inoculation. 



" 3. The inoculation of the virus takes from ten days to a 

 month before it manifests itself by symptoms. 



" 4. The matter employed for the inoculation has, in general, 



