376 DISEASES OF CATTLE. 



from disease. As an assistance to the discovery of diseased herds, 

 every animal which, from any cause, dies in the infected district 

 and every animal which is slaughtered, even if apparently in good 

 health, should be the subject of a careful post-mortem examination. 

 Many affected herds will be found in this way. 



In addition to these measures it is also necessary to guard against 

 the removal of animals from one stable to another and the mixing of 

 herds upon common pastures or in the public highways. The object 

 must be to isolate every individual's cattle as completely as possible, 

 or otherwise a single affected* animal may infect a dozen or more 

 herds. To prevent surreptitious sale or trading of cattle, each animal 

 must in some way be numbered and recorded in the books kept by the 

 official in charge of the district. In the work of the United States 

 Department of Agriculture a numbered metal tag was fastened to 

 each animal's ear and index books were so arranged that with a 

 number given the owner could be at once ascertained, or from the 

 owner's name the cattle for which he was responsible could be at once 

 learned. In this way, if an animal was missing from a stable, the fact 

 became apparent at once, or if one too many was found in a stable 

 the number in its ear would indicate where it came from. 



When pleuropneumonia is discovered by these means, the entire 

 herd should be slaughtered as soon as the formalities of appraisement 

 can be arranged. In country districts the carcasses should be buried, 

 as it is generally impracticable to dispose of them in any other way. 

 In city districts the animals may be taken to a slaughterhouse, with 

 such precautions as are possible to prevent dissemination of the con- 

 tagion. The animals should be slaughtered under the supervision of 

 an inspector. The healthy carcasses may be utilized for food, but the 

 blood, entrails, and all diseased carcasses should be heated to a tem- 

 perature equal to that of boiling water or above, and then used for 

 the manufacture of fertilizers. 



The disinfection of j)remises should be thorough and should be car- 

 ried out by a trained corps of men employed for the purpose. The 

 floors of stables should be removed, the accumulations removed from 

 beneath them, the contents of haylofts should be destroyed, and the 

 woodwork and soil beneath the stables should be thoroughly drenched 

 with a solution of bichlorid of mercury, 1 part to 2,000 of water. 

 After the flooring is replaced the woodwork should be coated with 

 limewash, containing one-fourth pound of chlorid of lime to the gal- 

 lon of mixture. 



Usually in these cases the owners are dependent upon tlieir herd of 

 cows for a living, and consequently it is difficult or impossible to 

 hold the stables vacant for any considerable period. In a majority of 

 instances cattle may be admitted at once to stables so disinfected, 

 without the reappearance of the disease. Occasionally, however, it 



