264 HOG CHOI.ERA 



disseminated in this way although there is much evidence to 

 support such a theory, particularly in the South. Several out- 

 breaks have been attributed to this method of introducing the 

 virus. The hypothesis emphasizes the necessity for promptly 

 disposing of the dead animals instead of leaving them as prey 

 for scavengers. If they cannot be burned it is best to cover 

 the bodies with a liberal amount of lime and bury them. 



When healthy hogs are separated from those suffering 

 with the disease it is a safe precaution to dip them in a disin- 

 fectant to kill any hog-cholera bacteria that may be upon the 

 exterior of the body. 



§ 187. Specific treatment. A large number of inves- 

 tigations have been made to find a protective vaccine for this 

 disease and also to find a specific serum treatment. Thus far 

 satisfactory experimental results have not been obtained. In 

 a number of instances, where the practical application of the 

 " serum treatment " has been made, most satisfactory results 

 followed, but the reports fail to give evidence of an accurate 

 diagnosis of the disease treated. In these cases, the better 

 management of the animals, in addition to the serum, would 

 suffice to check the disease if the trouble was of a dietary 

 nature. There is need for additional investigation along these 

 lines. 



RKFKRKNCES. 



1. Berry. Swine fever. Jour. Corn-par. Path, and Thera.,Vo\. 

 XV (1902), p. I. 



2. Bii^tiNGS. Bulletins Neb. Agric. Expt. Station, 188S. Also 

 many special publications and contributions to various veterinary 

 journals. 



3. Dawsok. The serum diagnosis of hog cholera. Neiv York 

 Med. Jour., Feb. 20, 1897. 



4. DE SCHWEiNiTz. The production of immunity in guinea pigs 

 from hog cholera by the use of blood serum from immunized animals. 

 Annual Report of the Bureau of Animal Industry, U. S. Dept. of 

 Agric., 1898. 



5. DE SCHWEINITZ AND DORSET. A form of hog cholera not 

 caused by the hog cholera bacillus. Circular No. 41, U. S. Bureau of 

 Anitnal Industry, 1903. 



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