192 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 



place, and found that the cow called Cream Ecca, belonging to Mr. 

 Coggeshall, had died the 20th of July; that the cow Edith St. Hilaire 

 had improved very much during the past two weeks, and was then be- 

 lieved by her owner to be nearly well. Another cow, called Dessie 4th, 

 belonging to Mr. Boyd's herd, was very sick. This animal was suffering 

 from acute lung disease, with complete dullness and loss of respiration 

 over the right lung, and dullness over the lower part of the left side of 

 the thorax. Her temperature was 105° F. An examination of Edith 

 St. Hilaire revealed dullness and loss of respiratory murmur over the 

 posterior part of the right lung. An examination of Cream Ecca had 

 been made by a local physician, who pronounced her affection to be 

 consumption, and called the changes which he saw in the lung tissue 

 caseous degeneration. A piece of this lung tissue, which was secured 

 and shown to me by Dr. Trumbower, was hepatized as in pleuro-pneu- 

 monia. 



These facts appeared sufficient to justify the diagnosis of contagious 

 pleuro-pneumonia, but in the absence of any history beyond the Clarke 

 herd, and considering the fact that the only cow of which a careful post- 

 mortem examination had beeu made was certainly affected with tuber- 

 culosis, it seemed best to reserve a decision until more complete evidence 

 had been obtained. In regard to Cream Ecca, it was said that her sick- 

 ness came on soon after calving, which occurred July 2 ; that she re- 

 tained the afterbirth and failed from that time. Two or three days 

 later the afterbirth was removed by force and she commenced to sink 

 rapidly and died July 20. The autopsy was not made until two days 

 later. There was consequently some reason for thinking that her lung 

 disease might have been the result of septic infection as a consequence 

 of the forcible removal of the afterbirth. In regard to Dessie 4th, it 

 was said that she had been tied by one of the farm hands to a wagon 

 in the lot where she had been exposed to a cold rain and had undoubt- 

 edly suffered in consequence. It was believed by her owner that this 

 exposure had aggravated, if it had not caused, her disease. In regard 

 to Edith St. Hilaire, it was thought that she might have taken cold, 

 and there were some indications that she had a tendency to tuberculo- 

 sis. Taking all these facts into consideration the only safe course ap- 

 peared to be to make further investigations before deciding as to the 

 nature of the disease, and I urged Mr. Boyd to allow the slaughter of 

 one or both of his sick animals ; this he willingly consented to do, 

 but it was now so late in the afternoon that we postponed the slaughter 

 until the following day. On visiting the farm August 13, I found Mr. 

 Boyd somewhat undecided as to whether he ought to allow the slaughter 

 of his valuable animals for examination without further, evidence that 

 they were affected with a contagious disease. While discussing the 

 matter one of the Chicago newspapers w 7 as received which contained a 

 sensational article announcing the outbreak of contagious pleuro-pneu- 

 monia among Mr. Boyd's cattle, and a few minutes later two reporters 

 appeared, who had been sent to make an investigation. It was now 

 thought best to delay the slaughter and examination until the fol- 

 lowing morning, when this could be accomplished in quiet and with- 

 out undue publicity. In the mean time arrangements had been made 

 to isolate the sick animals from the remainder of the herd, and two 

 cows which had shown loss of appetite and an increased temperature 

 without any perceptible lesions of the lungs were also placed by them- 

 selves. On the morning of August 14, 1 made a third visit to Elmhurst, 

 and in the presence of Mr. J. H. Sanders, member of the late Treasury 

 Cattle Commission, Mr. Wadham, and Mr. Boyd, the two sick cows were 



