April, 1910.] 315 Live Stock. 



disinfection of infected premises. As in 

 the other method, the effort is toward 

 the destruction of the virus, but less 

 directly, the idea beiug that all auimals 

 having been rendered immune for the 

 time being by serum inoculation, the 

 disease will be checked automatically 

 because of the want of susceptible 

 animals in which to propagate. Further 

 spread of the infection is controlled by 

 the isola tion of the sick, that they may 

 not corae in contact with the healthy 

 animals. The object in establishing 

 quarantine lines to control the exit of 

 carabaos and cattle is to prevent the 

 carrying of the contagion by animals 

 which are in the initial stages of the 

 disease and therefore not readily recog- 

 nised as having it. 



It is unnecessary to add that it has 

 never been possible to accomplish per- 

 fectly the four essential principles, viz., 



(1) inoculation of all susceptible animals, 



(2) isolation of the sick, (3) quarantine, 

 aud (4) disinfection of infected areas. 

 It is difficult to gather every animal for 

 inoculation, even if the supply of serum 

 is ample, which has seldom been the case. 

 Owners of sick animals often conceal 

 them to prevent their isolation. Lawless 

 individuals too often evade the quaran- 

 tine lines, escaping with theii animals 

 into clem districts and spreading the 

 diseases as they go. The iufeeted areas 

 are often so large that complete dis- 

 infection is impracticable. 



• To a great extent the chief factors 

 that have interfered in the work have 

 been attended with the public's lack of 

 knowledge of the general conditions 

 tending toward the spread of the 

 disease. This is of much less significance 

 now, as stock owners are taking a keener 

 interest in the problem, and express- 

 ing this interest by more satisfactory 

 co-operation. 



Rinderpest, because of its short period 

 of incubation, ready identification, 

 limitation to ruminants, short life of the 

 virus in the sun, aud availability of 

 serum therapy, is more readily suppress- 

 ed than some of the other infectious 

 diseases, providing it is possible to in- 

 stitute ideil conditions in the work. 

 Failing in any of those conditions, it is 

 one of the most difficult to handle, be- 

 cause of the extreme rapidity with 

 which the contagion of rinderpest is 

 disseminated. 



The rapid elimination of rinderpest as 

 a grave factor in the economy of the 

 Islands seems assured, now that the 

 entrance of the disease has been im- 

 peded by legislation, satisfactory quar- 

 antine facilities have been provided for 

 44 



cattle at each port of entry, a large corps 

 of veterinaiiaus have been stationed in 

 the provinces, the serum laboratory 

 has been improved to'meet the increased 

 demand for serum, and the public 

 aroused to the uecessity of intelligent 

 activity in their own defence, 



Diseases which may be mistaken for 

 Rinderpest are :— 



I. Malignant Catarrh of Cattle. — In 

 many respects this disease resembles 

 Rinderpest, but there is excessive swel- 

 ling of the eyes, there is no active con- 

 tagion and the disease does not run 

 through the herd. 



II. Thrush of the Mouth.— This occurs 

 only in very young stock, fever is absent 

 and abdominal derangement is slight, 



III. Foot-and-Mouth Disease. — The le- 

 sions in the mouth appear more like 

 blisters, and when they break leave a 

 healthy-looking red patch. Fever is 

 slight and diarrhoea is absent. In foot- 

 and-mouth disease the feet are neaiJy 

 always affected and the disease is 

 seldom fatal. 



IV. Dysentery. — In this there are no 

 lesions in the mouth, the peculiar 

 Rinderpest odour is absent and it does 

 not spread. 



V. Castro-Enteritis. — This disease has 

 recently been brought to notice in 

 British East Africa, and in many cases 

 its resemblance to Rinderpest is remark- 

 able. In some animals which succumb 

 to the disease the lesions are identical 

 with those of Rinderpest. The chief 

 points of difference are (a) Full grown 

 animals frequently recover, (b) It is 

 the young stock which die, and in these 

 anaemia is nearly always constant, 

 whereas in Rinderpest every mucous 

 surface is in a state of congestion, (c) 

 The Rinderpest odour is absent, (d) 

 Diarrhoea is not so severe as in Rinder- 

 pest, there is not the constant straining 

 with exposure of the rectum, (e) The 

 spread of the disease is slower than in 

 Rinderpest. 



Mortality. — On the introduction of 

 Rinderpest into a country in which it 

 has not previously existed the mortality 

 reaches 90 to 95 per cent. In countries 

 where Riuderpest is endemic, or at the 

 end of an outbreak which has lasted a 

 considerable time, and when the virus 

 has become attenuated the mortality is 

 not so great, the figures varying from 

 10 to 50 per cent. 



Inoculation ,/or Rinderpest.— In 1897 

 Koch advocated subcutaneous inocu- 

 lation of cleau animals in the vicinity of 

 a Rinderpest area with bile taken f»'om 

 an animal just dead of Rinderpest, or 



