380 DISEASES OF OATTLE. 



which recently died of rinderpest, (2) by the inoculation of glycerinated 

 bile, followed by pure bile or virulent blood, or (3) by the simultaneous 

 inoculation of strong standardized serum and virulent blood. 



The latter method has been adopted by the United States Govern- 

 ment in its endeavor to exterminate the disease in the Philippines 

 and to protect the cattle and carabaos against rinderpest after their 

 importation into those islands. Owing to the existence of this and 

 other infectious diseases in the Philippine Islands, an order has been 

 issued by the Department of Agriculture prohibiting the landing of 

 any live stock or animals of any kind from the Philippines at any of 

 the ports of the United States or the dependencies thereof. This pro- 

 hibition removes the greatest source of danger to which the United 

 States is exposed as the result of its intercourse with the Philippine 

 Islands. The introduction of rinderpest from those countries from 

 which we import animals is rendered extremely improbable, especially 

 in live animals, owing to its short period of incubation and to the 

 sixty-day quarantine for cattle (counting from date of shipment) and 

 fifteen-day (counting from date of landing) quarantine for sheep and 

 other ruminants and swine which are at present enforced in the United 

 States at all ports of entry. 



FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE. 



This disease is also known as epizootic aphtha, aphthous fever, infec- 

 tious aphtha, eczema epizootica, and may be defined as an acute, 

 highly contagious fever of a specific nature, characterized by the erup- 

 tion of vesicles, or blisters, in the mouth, around the coronets of the 

 feet, and between the toes. 



The tremendous ravages of the disease are seen in the number and 

 variety of species attacked. While it may be regarded as essentially 

 a disease of cattle, hogs would seem to be as easy a prey. Almost in 

 the same grade of receptivity come sheep and goats. Next in order of 

 liability come the buffalo, American bison, camel, deer, chamois, 

 llama, giraffe, and antelope. Horses, dogs, cats, and even poultry 

 have been victims of the infection, the last three classes being par- 

 ticularly dangerous as carriers of the contagion. Man himself is not 

 immune, and the frequency of his infection by coming in contact with 

 the diseased animals themselves is established by numerous observa- 

 tions. Children suffer as a result of drinking the unboiled milk from 

 infected cattle. In such cases the symptoms resemble those observed 

 in animals. There is fever and difficulty in swallowing, followed by 

 an eruption of blisters in the mouth and very rarely by similar ones 

 on the fingers. The disease is very seldom fatal, and chiefly restricted 

 to children and to those adults who handle sick animals or drink large 

 quantities of unboiled milk. Some veterinarians regard the human 

 affection as by no means uncommon in countries where foot-and-mouth 

 disease prevails, but that the disturbance of health is usually too 

 slight to come to the notice of the family doctor. 



