Swine Fever. 
439 
in contact with them ; the regulation of sales and markets, and the 
prohibition of movement of swine into certain districts. The 
regulations adopted failed, however, to produce any marked effect 
upon the disease. 
Though in the year 1892 there was a considerable reduction in 
the number of cases of disease reported, there is reason to believe 
that this reduction was more apparent than real, and that it was 
due in some measure to a reduction in the number of swine in the 
country, and to a still greater extent to the discontinuance on the 
part of the Local Authorities of the payment of compensation, 
which had the effect of making the owners of swine negligent in 
giving notice of the disease. 
The failure of Local Authorities to make any impression on the 
disease was chiefly due to the absence of uniformity of action in 
different parts of the country, and it appeared in evidence that 
many of the Local Authorities had discontinued slaughter and other 
measures of repression, on account of the discouragement which 
arose from swine fever being repeatedly introduced into their 
districts from other districts where the regulations were extremely 
lax, and slaughter was not adopted. 
The extension of swine fever to Ireland was probably due to the 
importation of infected swine from some part of Great Britain. 
The disease certainly became prevalent in Ireland soon after it was 
recognised in England. 
Character and Nature of Swine Fever . — Swine fever is a 
contagious and infectious eruptive fever of the pig, distinguished by 
characteristic symptoms, 1 which vary to some extent in different 
stages of the disease. 
In the severe form of the malady, there is usually redness of the 
skin behind the ears and on the inside of the thighs, belly, and 
under the armpits, with a short, husky cough, loss of appetite, great 
thirst, elevation of internal temperature to 105°, 106°, and 107° F., 
constipation, followed by profuse diarrhoea, emaciation, prostration ; 
and there is frequently loss of power in the hind extremities. 
The principal post-mortem appearances are congestion of portions 
of the lung, in some cases with consolidation ; swollen and hyper- 
semic condition of the bronchial and other lymphatic glands ; 
inflammation of the pleural and peritoneal membranes, and exuda- 
tion of fluid into the cavities of the chest and abdomen. The 
mucous membrane of the intestines is often congested throughout : 
and the mucous membrane of the large intestine, near the ilio-crecal 
valve and throughout the crecum, is in a state of ulceration in 
various stages. This ulceration or croupous exudation is a constant 
and characteristic morbid condition of swine fever. 
In the milder form of the disease several of the most marked 
symptoms may be altogether absent, and in some cases there are no 
indications of departure from health which would in any way attract 
the attention of the ordinary observer, 
> See this volume of the Journal (Part I., 1893), p, HO, 
