BuBEAu OF Agbioulttjee. 327 



Contagious and Infectious Diseases. 



I tliink it wise that this report should contain a de- 

 scription of the contagious and infectious diseases most 

 commonly found among our live stock, and of the 

 methods employed in their prevention and control. The 

 most important of these and the one which has caused 

 heavier losses in Kentucky's live stock than all others 

 combined, is foot-and-mouth disease. 



FoOT-AND-MoUTH DiSEASB. 



For information concerning the 1914-1915 outbreak 

 of foot-and-mouth disease, you are referred to Bulletin 

 No. 17 issued by the Department of Agriculture of Ken- 

 tucky, which we believe covers the subject thoroughly. 

 This bulletin was issued for general distribution, so that 

 those who will read it will become thoroughly acquainted 

 with some facts that are not generally known. 



We are in possession of authentic statistical data 

 concerning this disease in a number of foreign countries, 

 which prove conclusively that there is only one effective 

 method of dealing with it, viz. : Eradication at any cost. 

 This method has been faithfully followed and the results 

 obtained are little short of miraculous when due con- 

 sideration is given to our unpreparedness for combating 

 such a crisis. Very few veterinarians in the United 

 States were familiar with the disease, which fact cer- 

 tainly caused delay in the early diagnosis, thereby allow- 

 ing the disease to spread to at least twenty States other 

 than the one in which the initial outbreak occurred. An- 

 other serious hindrance to the work of eradication was 

 the fact that very few States were financially prepared 

 to pay their half of the losses ; even the Federal Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture was short of funds and it was neces- 

 sary that the unfortunate losers await an act of Con- 

 gress. 



It is estimated by scientists that the value of ani- 

 mals recovering from foot-and-mouth disease is depre- 

 ciated to the amount of from seven to twenty dollars per 

 head. This estimate was made without taking into con- 

 sideration the value of the animals that died from the 



