SPECIAL MEETING. 23 



attempted to bring them in ; but that was all the authori- 

 ties did. The question was asked me what I thought about 

 their action and if that was probably what the Cattle Com- 

 missioners of ISIassachusetts would do under similar circum- 

 stances. I said, without consulting with my colleagues, that 

 when the exigency arose, we should quarantine every animal 

 comins: into the State, we should shut them close, for at 

 least ninety days. 



Mr. BowDiTCH. I think we are getting a good deal of 

 inforaiation from the Cattle Commissioners. I would like to 

 have Dr. Winchester express his ideas. 



Dr. Winchester. There is one thing that has impressed 

 me considerably in relation to this cattle traffic, and Dr. 

 Peters has made some slight comment on that matter, and 

 that is in regard to taking care of the cars in which these 

 cattle are brought, and not only of the cars themselves, but 

 of the excrement which comes from those cattle. It is well 

 known that all the excrement and exhalations coming from 

 cattle infected with pleuro-pneumonia contain the virus, and 

 the period of the life of this virus varies very much accord- 

 ing to the circumstances under which it exists. Now, taking 

 into consideration the fact that the period of incubation is so 

 long, there might be cattle brought into the State that had 

 been exposed to contagious pleuro-pneumonia that would be 

 out of the State before the disease manifested itself; and as 

 most of the cattle brought here are shipped elsewhere, it 

 would be advisable to have the excrements thoroughly disin- 

 fected, because manure and the sweepings of the cars have a 

 sale and are taken to the farms, where the cattle would run 

 o-reat risks of contagion. So far as the disease itself is con- 

 cerned, I think the nature of it is well understood. It is in- 

 sidious, and the period of incubation varies. 



The question was then put on Mr. Ware's motion to adopt 

 the resolutions (Mr. Damon withdrawing his motion for a 

 division), and they were adopted without dissent. 



Dr. Winchester. There is another matter that I would 

 like to bring to the notice of the Board. A great deal is 

 said about contagious pleuro-pneumonia, which does not 

 exist in this State, but we certainly have what many con- 



