406 
,T. t>. HOPKINS. 
Sanitary Science, Williams’ Principles of Veterinary Medicine, 
and Liautard’s translation from Zundel, works which I have 
drawn upon in describing the symptoms of maladie du coit. 
These books contain an exhaustive description of the symptoms, 
pathology, treatment, post-mortem lesions and sanitary regula¬ 
tions necessary to control or stamp out the contagion. 
As this outbreak among the horses in Illinois is the first ap¬ 
pearance of maladie du coit on this side of the Atlantic ocean, 
veterinarians called in to advise did not at first recognize the dis¬ 
ease. It was only when the malady became widespread, and in 
the number infected presenting all the different characteristics, 
that its peculiar nature became understood. This delay in diag¬ 
nosis has been the cause of much loss to horse breeders in Illinois, 
which might have been, in part, at least, avoided, if the owners 
of the suffering animals had early reported to the sanitary au¬ 
thorities of the State. 
In the preventive of the spread of maladie du coit from Illi¬ 
nois much, indeed everything, will depend on the intelligence and 
experience of the breeder, whose interests will not allow him to 
purchase breeding stock in an infected locality, because of the 
grave liability of carrying a pestilence to his home herd. Veter¬ 
inary inspection will fail to detect the disease in the benign form, 
and the benign form is just as contagious as the malignant. 
Legislation should be had in every State, giving the sanitary 
authorities arnple power and means to quarantine all suspected 
animals, and to kill all that develop the disease ; to castrate all 
infected stallions, and thus prevent their use forever as sires. As 
the disease has invaded our country through a neglect of the en¬ 
forcement of sanitary laws, I am of the opinion that the Govern¬ 
ment should indemnify all owners for animals destroyed because 
of this disease. The State, in granting an indemnity for horses 
afflicted with maladie du coit, insures the prosperity of the people 
by making it to the interest of all breeders to report the exist¬ 
ence of the disease to the sanitary authorities, who may at once 
take such action as will prevent its spread. In a community de¬ 
voted to the horse-growing industry, this disease is much to be 
dreaded, because of its peculiar nature; the manner of its spread ; 
