CLINICAL EVIDENCE OF VALUE OF SERUM 455 



died, do not confirm the diagnosis of hog-cholera as the cause for 

 death. 



Further doubt as to the actual cause of death in these cases is 

 caused by the fact that this farmer fed the animals an irritating 

 poison, in the form of copper sulphate, after the administration of 

 the treatment. It is very easy to see how the giving of this irri- 

 tating drug could so lower the strength of the animal that the effects 

 of the drug when combined with the effect produced by the injec- 

 tion of virus and serum would cause death. This, it appears to 

 me, is the most reasonable conclusion as to the cause of the loss of 

 these 5 animals. The injection of the double treatment must of 

 necessity cause a certain amount of reaction in the body of the 

 animal, and where this treatment is given it is proper to issue cer- 

 tain precautionary warnings as to necessary regulation of diet and 

 care of the animals for a week or ten days immediately following. 



It would seem that in this case the body of the animal was 

 somewhat lowered in strength by the action of the double treat- 

 ment given, and when on top of this we add the action of the cop- 

 peras, it was a little more than the animal could stand, and death 

 was only a natural result. 



As further evidence that the disease or condition which caused 

 death was not hog-cholera we have the report that the untreated 

 animals were not affected to any marked extent. 



If the condition were really hog-cholera, and it was sufficiently 

 death-producing in nature to cause the death of the animals which 

 had been injected with serum, it would have most certainly spread 

 to the unprotected animals in the herd. 



While the report on this herd is not complete enough to lead to 

 an exact diagnosis as to the cause of losses in the herd, I do not 

 think that the trouble can be justly laid to the double method of 

 treatment. The real fault, I think, hes in the feeding of the cop- 

 per sulphate. 



The case in this respect teaches a lesson of importance to those 

 who may engage in the giving of serum treatment for hog-cholera. 

 Never neglect after completing the work to carefully instruct the 

 owner as to the proper care of the animals for the next few days. 



Leave instructions to feed but very lightly for the first few days 

 immediately following the injection, and under no consideration 



