546 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



At the same time, this act established a precedent that 

 might be mischievous and pernicious in the extreme, if it 

 were secured for other cities and towns, where the con- 

 ditions that exist in Boston do not obtain and are not likely 

 to become the same. It is therefore better that the control 

 of contagious animal diseases be continued in the hands of a 

 central body, having knowledge of the existing conditions 

 of domestic animals in all parts of the State, and in a 

 position to secure and direct co-operation between dilierent 

 localities when necessary. 



There has never been any objection on the part of the 

 commission to having glandered horses killed by the local 

 board of health or by the inspector of animals, if the owner 

 was satisfied that the horse was glandered ; if he is not satis- 

 fied, he should be allowed to resort to the Cattle Commiis- 

 sion, as a court of last appeal. In any event, local boards 

 of health should comply strictly with the law requiring all 

 cases to be reported at once and in full to the Board of 

 Cattle Commissioners ; and a clause in the law, giving a 

 "board of health power to order horses infected with glanders 

 and farc}^ to be killed, should not exempt it from this 

 obligation. 



The Board has been as prompt as possible during the year 

 in dealing with cases of glanders, but in some instances 

 doubtful cases have to be quarantined for some little time 

 before a correct conclusion can be reached. In doubtful 

 cases the most satisfactory method for arriving at a diagnosis 

 has been the test of inoculating guinea-pigs. For a more 

 complete account of this work, the reader is referred to Dr. 

 Frothingham's report. (See page 558.) Mallein has been 

 little used by this Board, and needs further use before it can 

 be decided to just what extent it is valuable. 



Rabies. 



During 1897, cases of rabies, or suspected cases of rabies, 

 continued to be reported ; nineteen of these were dogs. In 

 addition, there was an outbreak in a herd of cattle at South 

 Hadley, in August, resulting in the loss of seven or eight 

 cows, and possibly others in the neighborhood. 



Eleven of the rabid dogs were reported during the first 



