410 
FRANK S. BILLINGS. 
oculation is possible (small-pox and—it should be said—pleuro¬ 
pneumonia), that the same will be found much more practicable 
in contagious than infectious disease, because in general the 
former possesses a much greater regularity and constancy in viru¬ 
lence, and because locality plays a very insignificant role in con¬ 
tagious disease in comparison with infectious. 
A State Veterinarian lately visited Lincoln, Neb., and ap¬ 
peared before the Committee on Live Stock in the Legislature, 
and gave them the following advice : 
“ In order to clear the State of swine-plague , the State author¬ 
ities should kill and pay for all the diseased and exposed swine 
in the State , and stop all importation for sixty days” 
If the above words were truly reported to me, they simply 
show that that State Veterinarian knows absolutely nothing about 
the true nature of the American swine-plague. 
Were every sick and exposed hog in the United States killed 
at one swoop—aye, more: were every hog in the United States 
to be killed and cremated at a given hour on a given day, and all 
importation stopped for 120 days, or even for 180 days, it would 
not kill the disease out. 
Why ? 
1. Because it is primarily due to local infection. 
2. Because no attention had been given to hog-pens, hog-runs, 
straw-stock, etc., nor the places where diseased hogs had been 
buried previously. 
These facts make the outlook for preventing the swine-plague 
rather dark and discouraging at first sight, but it is not so diffi¬ 
cult an undertaking as it appears. 
1st. All hogs held in small lots, and stock hogs, can be ren¬ 
dered safe by artificial inoculation for one year at least, and 
perhaps longer. 
2d. By the united action of State and railroad authorities, 
buyers, breeders and owners, the traffic and movement of dis¬ 
eased swine can be rendered next to nothing, and by quarantin¬ 
ing all such swine to the infected locality, and then properly treat¬ 
ing them, we can soon control the swine-plague; how, will be 
shown in the appended regulations. 
