332  Anrmal  Report  for  1^0^  of  Royal  Veterinary  College. 
all  pigs  which  could  reasonably  be  suspected  of  having  been 
exposed  to  contagion,  and  it  is  worthy  of  note  that  this  was 
the  time  when  the  greatest  reduction  in  the  number  of 
outbi’eaks  was  effected.  During  the  second  period  the 
slaughter  of  suspected  animals  was  not  rigidly  enforced,  but  a 
prolonged  period  of  isolation  was  imposed  on  such  animals 
after  the  last  detected  case  of  swine  fever  on  the  premises,  and 
more  severe  restrictions  on  the  sale  and  movements  of  pigs  in 
are^s  where  the  disease  was  prevalent  were  also  enforced. 
This  modification  of  the  original  plan  of  dealing  with  the 
disease  of  course  effected  a great  saving  in  the  amount  payable 
in  compensation  to  the  owners  of  apparently  healthy , 
slaughtered  pigs,  but  it  threw  a much  greater  loss  on  the 
owner  when  the  disease  broke  out  in  large  stocks,  and  greatly 
interfered  with  the  trade  in  pigs  in  badly  infected  areas. 
Lastly,  and  most  important  of  all,  as  a stamping-out  measure 
this  plan  proved  altogether  abortive,  and  latterly  it  even  failed 
to  hold  the  disease  in  check. 
In  the  summer  of  1908  the  method  of  dealing  with  the 
disease  was  again  modified  by  allowing  a greater  freedom  of 
movement  (under  licence)  in  infected  areas,  by  ordaining 
the  prompt  slaughter  of  all  breeding  animals  on  infected 
premises,  and  the  strict  isolation  of  the  other  apparently 
healthy  pigs  until  such  times  as  they  could  with  least  loss 
to  the  owner  be  disposed  of  by  sending  them  (under  licence) 
to  a bacon  factory  or  slaughterhouse.  Provided  there  were  no 
concealment  on  the  part  of  owners,  this  method  ought  in 
theory  to  lead  eventually  to  the  eradication  of  the  disease, 
for  it  is  founded  on  the  view  that  any  pig  which  has  been 
exposed  to  infection  must  ever  afterwards  be  regarded  as 
dangerous,  and  it  compels  the  isolation  and  slaughter  of  such 
animals.  It  differs  from  the  earlier  plan  in  that  it  does  not 
compel  the  immediate  slaughter  of  the  apparently  healthy 
“ in-contact  ” pigs,  but  allows  the  owner  time  to  fatten  them 
while  isolated,  and  thus  avoids  claims  for  compensation. 
As  1908  was  the  first  complete  year  since  the  new  method 
of  dealing  with  outbreaks  was  introduced,  it  is  still  too  early 
to  gauge  its  effects,  but  it  must  reluctantly  be  confessed  that 
it  does  not  appear  to  hold  out  much  promise  that  it  will 
eventually  stamp  out  the  disease. 
The  remark  of  the  late  Sir  George  Brown,  that  no  measures 
less  drastic  than  those  which  were  applied  to  cattle  plague 
will  ever  stamp  out  swine  fever,  has  often  been  quoted,  and 
it  cannot  be  denied  that  the  experience  of  the  last  fifteen 
years  appears  to  lend  support  to  that  opinion.  But  cattle 
plague  measures  would  now  be  enormously  costly,  and  it  is 
not  quite  certain  that  they  would  succeed  within  a reasonable 
