FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE. 385 



ascribed to favorable conditions, such as the movement of live stock 

 from west to east, the limited trading at that period as compared 

 with the present time, the restriction of traffic by winter weather, and 

 the infrequency of travel which obtained at that time among people. 



About 1880 two or three lots of animals affected by this disease 

 were brought to the United States, but there was no extension from 

 the animals originally affected. 



In 1884, at Portland, Me., there was a small outbreak caused by 

 imported cattle, and the disease spread to a few herds outside the 

 quarantine station. Owing to the small number of animals affected 

 and the limited area of territory covered by the disease, it was easily 

 controlled by the ordinary measures of quarantine and disinfection. 



It Avill be observed that in all these early outbreaks the contagion 

 was introduced with imported animals. Since the development of a 

 stringent system of inspection and quarantine of imported live stock, 

 no instance of that kind has occurred. On subsequent occasions the 

 infection has evidently been brought in with contaminated products 

 or materials and not by means of live animals. 



In November, 1902, the disease was discovered in Massachusetts 

 and Ehode Island. The earliest cases were traced to Chelsea, Mass., 

 near the docks, and it was suspected for a time that the infection 

 was brought in with foreign shipping, by some such means as hay, 

 straw, halters, ropes, hides, hair, wool, etc. Later developments, 

 however, and especially investigations into the cause of the 1908 

 outbreak, led to the belief that a more probable source of the infec- 

 tion was cowpox vaccine virus imported from a country (probably 

 Japan) where foot-and-mouth disease existed, the vaccine virus being 

 contaminated with the virus of foot-and-mouth disease. 



A Federal quarantine was declared by the Secretary of Agriculture 

 on Xovember 27, 1902, as soon as the nature of the disease was 

 established, and steps for eradication were at once taken by the 

 Bureau of Animal Industry of the United States Department of 

 Agriculture in cooperation with authorities of the affected States. 

 The methods followed consisted of inspection to trace and detect the 

 disease, quarantine of infected premises and territory, slaughter and 

 burial or burning of diseased and exposed animals, and disinfection 

 of premises. 



This outbreak involved Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, 

 and Rhode Island, and was eradicated in about six months. Two 

 hundred and forty-four herds, including 4,712 cattle, were found 

 infected. Of these, 205 herds with 3.872 cattle, as well as 360 hogs 

 and 220 sheep and goats, were slaughtered. The cattle infected but 

 not slaughtered were those that either died or completely recovered 

 before slaughtering could be carried out. The animals slaughtered 

 were ^ alued at $184,155.10, and the Federal Government reimbursed 

 33071°— 16 25 



