i 







TRACKING DOWN 



OUICKIiR ways to shut the door 

 on hvcstock diseases, and to pre- 

 vent their spread, are available to 

 Illinois farmers through the three 

 regional testini; laboratories set 

 up recently by the state Department ot 

 Agriculture. 



The new laboratories, equipped to 

 track down obscure animal diseases, can 

 make complete bacteriological and 

 blood tests, perform urinalysis, and do 

 clinical chemistry work. 



I'armers and veterinarians are invited 

 to submit specimens to the state-sup- 

 ported laboratories for diagnosis. The 

 laboratories are located at Centralia, 

 Peoria, and Chicago. A fourth labora- 

 torv. where tiiis same work is done, is 

 located at Champaicn-Urbana. and is 

 operated by the College ot Agricul- 

 ture. 



The four laboratories will work 

 together to brine laboratory facilities 

 closer to farmers and \eterinarians 

 throughout Illinois. 



The idea for these regional labora- 

 tories originated with a committee 

 representinq various agricultural in- 

 terests, and was supported by the 

 Illinois Agricultural Association and the 



state medical and veterinan, professions. 



The purpose of the laboratories is 

 to help the veterinarian ^ive better and 

 more efficient service to the livestock 

 and poultry owner. 



In the words of Dr. Frederick W. 

 Boebel, director of the Peoria laboraton.-: 

 "The day of over-thc-tence diagnosis is 

 fading out. Modern laboratory facilities 

 make it possible to diagnose obscure 

 diseases which otherwise miyht 1:0 un- 

 detected. 



"Many diseases out in the ticKi h.i\e 

 similar symptoms and only through lab- 

 oratory facilities can you ditferentiate 

 between the \anous diseases accuratclv. " 

 he savs. 



"We have had thickens sent in to 

 us at the Peoria laboratory to distin- 

 Cuish between ranpe paralysis and 

 Newcastle disease. \X'c liavc also had 

 specimens sent in to distincuish be- 

 tween anthrax, black lee and hemor- 

 rhaeic septicemia, or between swine 

 erysipelas and malitrnant eilema." 



The laboratories are tor diagnosis 

 only. The treatment is left to loial 

 veterinarians. Here, as Dr. Boebel ex- 

 plains it. is how the service works. 



"'A farmer or veterinarian brings in 



Shown at work (left) in 

 the Peoria laboratory are 

 Dr. F. W. Boebel (left) and 

 William Herman, labora- 

 tory helper. At the Cen- 

 tralia laboratory (right) 

 are Dr. L. D. Jones (left) 

 and George Emmett, tech- 

 nician assistant. 



Examining a bacteria slide stained to 



make it visible is V. E. Peterson, assistant 



director and chief bacteriologist at th« 



Peoria laboratory. 



a pie that is eitlier dead or dying. He 

 wants to know what is wrong. If the 

 pie is ali\e we kill it and perform an 

 auiojssy to see what we lan find inside 

 liic .mimal. 



Perh.ips the pie shows lesions of 

 er\sipelas. We immeviiatelv take some 

 ol the blood and injeit it into a pigeon. 

 If it is erysipelas the pigeon will Ik- 

 deail in IM hours. 



"We then notit'y the lotal veterinar- 

 i.in of our tindings and he can then 

 prescribe the proper treatment." 



I his is the type ol work rhe laliora- 

 tories are et|uippcd to handle, and work 

 a busy veterinarian would not lia\e 

 time to do. A tarmer sending the lab- 

 oratories specimens must furnish the 

 name of his veterinarian with each 

 sj^ecimcn. 



In addition to the diagnostic work, 

 the laboratories are doing the blood 

 te^ting for Bang's disease control work. 



The Peoria diagnostic laboratory is 

 Oeated at 2101 S. ^X'ashington street, 

 Peoria: the Ontralia laboratory M 111 

 West Broadv^av, (eiuralia: .ind the 

 Chicago !abor,ifor\ .it Rooir JiV), 994 

 Exchange a\enuL-. ( hiiairo ';. 



