STATE HYGIENE 491 



outbreak in 1872 was got rid of in a few months, while the 

 third outbreak was promptly stamped out. 



The home of the disease is Asia, it is never absent from 

 India, and though Europe at the present moment is free, 

 there is no guarantee that it can never again become 

 infected. 



The disease is one essentially affecting cattle, though 

 sheep, goats, deer, antelope, yak, and camels suffer. It is 

 a highly infectious fever, possessing a fairly definite period 

 of incubation, which is generally between the third and 

 fourth day after infection. 



The blood and excretions of the affected animals are 

 extremely virulent, and by means of the latter the disease 

 among animals at pasture is rapidly spread and water- 

 supply infected. This is especially the case owing to the 

 diarrhoea which is almost invariably present at some stage 

 of the disorder. 



Other means of infection are through human agency, 

 the excretions being carried about on the boots and clothes 

 of those who have been in contact with the affected cattle ; 

 also by flesh, hides, hoofs, horns, etc. 



The infective material does not appear to be carried very 

 far by the atmosphere ; further, it is readily killed by 

 drying and by putrefaction. 



The reason of the rapidity and certainty with which the 

 disease spreads depends, then, upon its extreme infectivity. 



Like every other epizootic disease, the diagnosis is very 

 simple when one is certain of the existence of plague ; 

 it is the earlier cases which create doubt. Even a post- 

 mortem examination, though revealing definite lesions, 

 cannot point to any particular one as being present solely 

 in cattle plague. The chief post-mortem sign looked for is 

 the ulceration of the fourth stomach and bowels; but apart 

 from this, where Einderpest exists, it is not very long 

 before overwhelming evidence of its presence is available. 

 The symptoms to which the utmost importance should be 

 attached are the red colour and probably small ulcerations 

 of the mucous membrane of the mouth, the discharge of 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



