STATE HYGIENE 537 



a fresh departure in dealing with outbreaks was begun, by 

 which a narrower meaning was given by the Board of Agri- 

 culture to the terms ' diseased,' and ' exposed to infection,' 

 so that fewer animals were destroyed-in each outbreak than 

 was formerly the case, and swine, which under the old 

 system would have been destroyed as suspects, were now 

 allowed to live and be eventually set at liberty. 



Prom 1900 up to date there have been other Orders issued 

 which are alluded to later on, the effect of which has been 

 to keep the disease under control (with the exception of 

 1901, when the outbreaks were nearly double), but this is 

 hardly what was expected by the country considering the 

 enormous outlay in compensation. 



The object of introducing this history of the disease* is 

 owing to the fact that swine fever is still with us, and at 

 present shows no sign of being exterminated ; further, it is 

 a good object-lesson of legislative weakness, and the almost 

 criminal action of entrusting such grave matters as the 

 suppression of animal plagues to the unskilled and often 

 unwilling hands of local authorities. Even allowing for 

 the years of neglect from the time of the introduction of 

 the disease, yet there can be no doubt had the matter been 

 taken up by the Central Authority in 1878, and firm 

 instead of vacillating measures adopted, a very different 

 story could now have been unfolded. t 



* In this account of the legislative history of Swine Fever, I am 

 greatly indebted to two articles dealing with the question in the 

 Journal of Comparative Pathology, vol. xv., No. 1, 1902— one by 

 Mr. Berry, F.E.O.V.S., the other by Professor MoFadyean. 



t It is interesting in this connection to read what the Board of 

 Agriculture has to say about its own inability to enforce the law. 



The following occurs in the Annual Eeport of the Assistant Secretary 

 for 1901 : 



' But the increase of disease (Swine Fever) was mainly due to the 

 strenuous resistance offered, both by local authorities and stock- 

 owners throughout the country, to the general restrictions which had 

 brought about a considerable decrease of the disease towards the fall of 

 the preceding year, and to the fact that the effort of the pohce and 

 others entrusted with the enforcement of such regulations had, during 

 the winter months, been somewhat relaxed.' 



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