PROPHYLAXY OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES. 
650 
ind she did it with energy, and in three years succeeded in rid- 
ling herself of the heavy tribute she had paid for fifty years to 
hat terrible disease. It has cost much : 14,000 or 15,000 ani- 
nals had to be killed, but the result was success. We know 
vith what success Belgium has applied the same measures. 
During the last few years other countries, Austria and Hun¬ 
gary, have followed the example, and with relatively small ex¬ 
cuse they have succeeded in suppressing the disease. Thanks- 
0 the “ stamping out,” the slaughter of all the sick or contami¬ 
nated, completed by strict disinfection, the same result was 
eached. There is this advantage in these expenses : when once 
lone they do not again occur. 
We shall see later on that contagious pleuro-pneumonia can 
>e treated with less expense by different and more scientific 
nethods. 
The general slaughter of the sick and of the contaminated 
s still the bases of the prophylaxy of rabies. In all civilized 
ountries rabies is fought in this way. Rabies develops only 
rom bites ; if, then, all the bitten animals were killed immed- 
ately after being bitten rabies would soon be extinguished, 
ffit in practice this radical measure is difficult to apply ; it can 
tever be known what dogs have been bitten by the mad dog- 
experience has shown that it is always by dogs running on 
•ublic roads that rabies is propagated, and the proof of this is 
hat wherever these dogs are not allowed to exist rabies de- 
reases rapidly and drops to insignificant numbers. Slaughter, 
hen, ought to be carried out, not only on those that are bitten, 
>ut also on those that are on the public roads. I repeat, where¬ 
ver this is done, rabies disappears. 
We shall see directly that for herbivora which have been 
•itten the development of inoculated rabies can be prevented. 
Stamping out is again the only means that can be applied 
gainst infectious pneumo-enteritis of swine ; this disease de- 
elops only by contagion, and so far no means of artificial im- 
nunization is known. 
General slaughter would be entirely efficacious against car - 
