TREATMENT OF CHOLERA 221 



hogs in winter. They are shut off from wind and storm and 

 should be warm at all times, regardless of how stormy or cold the 

 day may be. This is very true; but, on the other hand, these sleep- 

 ing quarters have absolutely no ventilation and they are always 

 dark and filled with foul air. The rays of the sun never penetrate 

 them, and hence they become a breeding place for germs. Hogs 

 gather in these overheated quarters, and huddle together and be- 

 come themselves overheated from the heat of their own bodies and 

 lack of fresh air. In the morning they come out steaming, and are 

 chilled through by the first blast of cold air, just like a hot-house 

 rose. The result is that they are very readily attacked by bron- 

 chitis, pneumonia, and other diseases of the respiratory tract, and 

 either die from pneumonia or are so lowered in vital resistance that 

 they very readily develop the dread disease cholera if the infection 

 is in any way introduced into the pens. 



Associated with this poor housing there is usually irregular 

 feeding and overfeeding with grains, especially com. The inevit- 

 able result is disease of stomach and bowels as well as bronchial 

 irritation, and the animal is thus prepared, as if by special in- 

 tention, for invasion of cholera. These animals usually have 

 a chronic cough all through the winter, and usually one or more 

 of them fail to thrive and become runty before the coming of 

 spring. 



About two years ago I had occasion to observe a herd of this 

 kind in northern Illinois. A hog house along the lines just men- 

 tioned had been constructed during the summer by making a frame- 

 work of timbers, and allowing the straw stack to cover this at 

 threshing time. The farmer had a herd of about 50 fine appearing 

 Poland-China animals. These animals at night crowded into this 

 pen or shed, which was about 20 feet long, 10 feet wide, and 5 feet 

 high. They had developed a chronic cough, and a number of them 

 were not doing well. The owner began to fear that they were 

 developing cholera. 



As none of the animals had died, and none of them seemed in a 

 very dangerous condition, none were slaughtered for postmortem 

 examination, but a change of quarters was recommended. The 

 animals were removed to a larger, airy barn, where they could have 

 plenty of air space, sunlight, and ventilation. Very little medica- 



