Annual  Report  for  1910  of  Royal  Veterinary  College. 
whether  the  recent  reduction  in  the  number  of  cab  and 
omnibus  horses  in  London  has  not  upon  the  whole  operated 
unfavourably,  for  it  must  be  remembered  that  this  reduction 
was  mainly  effected  by  sale  and  not  by  slaughter,  and  in  spite 
of  the  existing  Order  an  exceptional  number  of  diseased, 
though  apparently  glandered,  horses  must  have  changed  hands 
and  formed  new  centres  of  infection  during  the  last  two  years. 
Swine  Fever. 
The  following  Table  shows  the  number  of  reported  outbreaks 
of  this  disease  during  each  of  the  last  six  years  : — 
Year 
1905 
Outbreaks 
817 
190(1 
1,280 
1907 
2,336 
1908 
2,067 
1909 
1,650 
1910 
1,598 
The  figures  for  the  past  year  are  satisfactory  in  the  sense 
that  they  indicate  that  the  disease  was  less  prevalent  than 
during  the  immediately  preceding  one,  but  the  comparatively 
small  reduction  in  the  number  of  outbreaks  as  compared  with 
that  year  is  disappointing.  The  probable  reasons  for  the  com- 
parative failure  of  the  efforts  hitherto  made  to  stamp  out  the 
disease  have  been  pointed  out  in  previous  annual  reports  and 
need  not  be  repeated,  more  especially  as  the  subject  is  at  present 
under  inquiry  by  a special  Departmental  Committee  appointed 
by  the  Board  of  Agriculture. 
Foot-and-Mouth  Disease. 
The  occurrence  of  cases  of  foot-and-mouth  disease  in 
Yorkshire  during  the  past  year  serves  as  an  unpleasant 
reminder  that  certainty  of  freedom  from  this  disease  is 
practically  unattainable  as  long  as  it  exists  in  any  of  the 
countries  of  Western  Europe.  A necessary  consequence  of 
the  fact  that  few  outbreaks  have  occurred  in  this  country 
during  the  last  twenty-five  years  is  that  at  the  present  day 
comparatively  few  farmers  have  a first-hand  knowledge  of  the 
disease,  and  on  that  account  there  is  always  a great  danger  that 
when  it  happens  to  be  introduced  the  true  nature  of  the 
disease  may  not  be  recognised  until  the  infection  has  been 
carried  to  a number  of  different  centres.  Fortunately  in  the 
outbreak  which  occurred  in  July  last  the  disease  was  reported 
and  definitely  diagnosed  before  the  infection  had  been  carried 
to  any  great  distance,  though  not  before  it  had  attacked  ten 
cattle  and  a pig.  The  Board  of  Agriculture  very  wisely 
determined  to  employ  stamping-out  measures,  and  caused  the 
whole  of  the  animals  on  the  farm  (twenty-six  cattle,  ninety-four 
