THE DISEASES OF ANIMALS 
CHAPTER I 
GENERAL ADVICE 
Domestic animals are kept under conditions that 
are more or less artificial.—conditions created by man 
and largely under his control. These conditions may 
be conducive to the good health and utility of ani- 
mals, or if neglected or improperly attended to they 
may prove injurious; and they are frequently the 
active agents in the production of disease. 
Wherever animals are gathered in large numbers 
there is an increased tendency toward contagious and 
infectious diseases, and extra precautions must be 
taken. It has been stated by some writers that the 
function or economy of disease-producing germs is to 
prevent an undue population of the earth. The fact 
that contagious diseases are most prevalent where 
numbers of animals are gathered, where hygienic and 
sanitary rules are not enforced, and where ignorance 
prevails, tends, at least, to enforce this conclusion, and 
to show that, in the main, “the fittest survive.” 
In the care of domestic animals, the old adage that 
“9 stitch in time saves nine” is applicable, for it is 
much easier and more economical to prevent diseases 
A 1) 
