540 VETEEINAEY HYGIENE 



chief factor in keeping the disease alight, cannot, therefore, 

 be claimed by the authorities responsible for the suppres- 

 sion of animal plagues. 



The suppression and eradication of swine fever can be 

 effected if the work be taken thoroughly in hand, and so 

 long as its spontaneous origin is not entertained by those 

 under whose authority regulations for its entire obliteration 

 have to be issued. 



What is required is the destruction of all affected and 

 in-contacts, and the term in-contact must be understood to 

 include every pig in the place. In this way whether the 

 disease exists in an obvious or occult form it is got rid of, 

 nothing must be spared. 



All movements of swine, markets, fairs, etc., must be 

 entirely stopped ; the veterinary profession knows full well 

 to what extent this is responsible for the spread of the 

 disease. 



The law allows the visibly healthy to live, but we have 

 seen that animals may be affected which are not visibly 

 diseased, and the sale of these produces fresh centres. 



The chronic form of the disease where all the elements 

 exist for the spread of the trouble, may frequently be 

 recognised by the unthrifty condition of the animals, 

 stunted growth, capricious appetite, intermittent diarrhoea, 

 and inability to put on flesh.* There is nothing to 

 prevent these animals being kept alive, nor any regula- 

 tion which prevents their subsequent sale as opportunity 

 occurs. 



Nothing short of Cattle Plague regulations can stamp out 

 the disease, and this is the opinion of the greatest living 

 authority on the contagious diseases of animals — Sir George 

 Brown, f 



Next in importance to the destruction of all pigs in the 

 affected place is the complete restrictions of all movements 

 of pigs in the area. There is evidence to show that cases 

 have occurred where weeks have been known to elapse after 

 the first outbreak, before the Board have declared it an 



* A. H. Berry, op. cit. \ McFadyean, op. cit. 



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