346 
J. D. HOPKINS. 
ORIGINAL ARTICLES. 
MALADIE DU COIT. 
By J. D. Hopkins, D.V.S. 
Extract from his Report to the Stock Growers’ Association.] 
Cheyenne, Wyo., Sept. 12, 1887. 
Hon. Thus. Moonlight, Governor of Wyoming : 
Sir :—I received your telegram at Chadron, Nebraska, on the 
18th of August, directing me to proceed to Illinois and investi¬ 
gate the reports of disease said to prevail among the horses near 
Bloomington, Illinois, and I herewith submit the following re 
port for your consideration : 
On arriving in Chicago I called on the Live Stock Commis- 
sioners of Illinois, who furnished me with a letter of introduction 
to Dr. Williams, of Bloomington, the veterinarian in charge of 
the infected animals in McLean and De Witt counties, also di¬ 
recting him to give me every facility in the examination of sick 
horses. This gentleman gave me much valuable information in 
regard to the spread of maladie du coit among the horses of 
De Witt County. 
Dr. Williams has, by order of the Live Stock Commission, 
quarantined nearly 200 mares and nine stallions suffering with or 
exposed to the contagion. About forty mares and two stallions 
have died of the disease. 
The mares are generally large draft animals of no pronounced 
breed, owned by farmers in bunches of from two to six head, and 
in addition to.their usual farm work are expected to carry a foal 
each year; while the stallions are all thoroughbred Norman Per- 
cheron stock imported from France. These stallions are kept by 
the importers for sale, and advertised to stand for service during 
the breeding season at prominent towns. 
This strange disease first attracted attention during the breed¬ 
ing season of 1885, and as the cool weather approached it seemed 
to die out. In 1886 it again appeared, and Mr. C. C. Culbert¬ 
son, an importer of Pereheron stallions, having some animals af- 
