Annual Report for 1908 of Royal Veterinary College. 289 
Sheep Scab. 
The returns with regard to this disease for the past year are 
also disappointing, the number of outbreaks reported having 
been 849, as against 751 in 1907, and 534 in 1906. These 
figures must be very disappointing to those who expected 
that the compulsory dipping Order would make any serious 
impression on the prevalence of the disease. To dip sheep 
which are not infected does nothing to prevent sheep scab, 
though it may be beneficial in other respects. Sheep scab 
spreads because it has a permanent home in the hill and 
mountain pastures in Wales, the North of England, and the 
North of Scotland. What is required to root out the disease 
is the enforcement of more drastic regulations in these areas, 
and the infliction of heavy penalties when unreported disease 
is detected. 
Foot-and-Mouth Disease. 
The discovery of foot-and-mouth disease in a cowshed in 
Edinburgh during the early part of the year was naturally a 
cause of much anxiety to stock owners throughout the whole 
country. That the disease was speedily stamped out after only 
112 animals had been attacked was in the first place due to 
the fortunate circumstance that the owner at once recognised 
that it was foot-and-mouth disease, and in the second place to 
the prompt and energetic measures taken by the Board of 
Agriculture. 
The re-introduction of the disease is another reminder that 
the country is not absolutely safeguarded by prohibiting the 
importation of cattle, sheep, or pigs from countries in which 
foot-and-mouth disease is known to exist. It appears to be 
most probable that in this instance the infection was intro- 
duced with hay imported from Holland, and the action of the 
Board of Agriculture in prohibiting the importation of forage 
from abroad will be approved by every one who realises what 
enormous loss another serious visitation of the disease might 
cause to British stock owners. Incidentally it may also be 
said that the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the United 
States of America during the past year, and more particularly 
the fact that it had extended to several States before the 
report of its existence reached this country, is solemn warning 
of the risk which would follow if all foreign cattle imported 
into this country were not slaughtered at the port of landing. 
New Tests for Tuberculosis. 
As a number of inquiries have been received during the 
past year regarding the value of certain new methods of 
applying the tuberculin test, it may be well to refer briefly to 
those procedures here. 
VOL. 69. 
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