APPENDIX II 

 CATTLE PLAGUE 



Since the section dealing with cattle plague passed through the press 

 I have had the advantage of exchanging views with Mr. Stockman, 

 Chief Veterinary Officer, Board of Agriculture. He considers the 

 method of inoculating simultaneously with serum and virulent blood, 

 or with bile, to be dangerous, even in the hands of an expert, owing to 

 the risk of setting up fresh centres of infection. 



He strongly urges the use of serum alone as a protective inoculation, 

 and to guard against the short immunity serum gives, he advises the 

 inoculation of the herd every ten days for a month, by which time all 

 chances of further infection has passed. 



According to this view, blood and serum inoculation should be 

 reserved for countries where the disease is enzootic, and where, obviously, 

 the only way to stamp it out is to establish permanent immunity. 



The use in the United Kingdom of blood and serum, or bile, for use 

 in the outer cordon, as recommended at p. 493, should in the light of 

 this opinion be modified, and only serum used in the outer cordon. 



Mr, Stockman urges that the length of time required for the 

 production of protective serum has been unduly emphasized at p. 497 ; 

 he has found it may be prepared in three weeks. 



Dr. Theiler informs me, in connection with the disinfection of persons, 

 that, apart from obvious disinfection, such as hands, it is sufficient if 

 they change their boots, as the virus has a very short life outside the 

 body. 



The views expressed by me in the section deahng with cattle plague 

 were those successfully employed in Cape Colony by Dr. Hutcheon 

 .and his staff, to whom I am indebted for learning how to deal with 

 Einderpest during the campaign in South Africa. For military 

 purposes the risk of serum and virulent blood inoculation must be 

 accepted ; the serum method alone would be useless in war, owing to 

 the brief protection afforded. 



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