170 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



veterinary surgeon. During the time he had experience in Scot 

 land they never killed any cattle, though sometimes their hoof^ 

 dropped off. Their cows' mouths were washed thoroughly witl 

 soap and hot water and they took a tarred rope and wound tlieii 

 hoofs. They covered the hoofs with pine tar, making three ap 

 plications. They put burnt alum and tar on the mouth. The} 

 lost the profit three weeks or more. I don't think it is neces- 

 sary to kill any of the cattle in the State of Illinois or any othei 

 state. The foot and mouth disease can be cured. 



Dr. Houck : The disease usually cures itself, as far as th' 

 acute sore feet and mouths are concerned, but that is not reall'ii 

 curing the disease. Mouth washes and foot applications do nol^ 

 prevent garget and bad feet in many instances. It is the perma- 

 nent injuries following the disease that cause the most loss and 

 makes it a dreaded disease. I 



Permit me to refer to another point of interest. The dis-l 

 ease has been bred in the cattle of Europe two hundred years^ 

 and it is possible those animals are more resistant, and the dis-| 

 ease does not affect them as seriously and results are milder ti-an 

 they would be in this country. We have in the South the Texas' 

 Fever. You know what will happen if you bring an animal ta 

 Illinois carrying ticks and you put him into your herd. You wiF 

 lose about 70% of the herd. Calves are born in Texas, gq 

 through a mild form and survive. Immunity is transmitted to 

 their offspring. It may be that the foot and mouth disease acts 

 somewhat in the same way. I imagine if it were left to run ram-' 

 pant in this country it would cause more damage here than ir^ 

 Europe. i 



\ 



Mr. : What is the liability of the disease spreading! 



to humans? : 



Dr. Houck: The human feature in this disease is of ^uci"^ 

 comparatively little consequence that we do not consider it sevU 

 ously in this country. A couple of my inspectors in Michigan; 

 thought they had a slight attack of foot and mouth disease. Onei 

 of these men was one day working on a cow's foot and h^j 



