A BIG PRICE TO PAY FOR VACCINATION
To suppress the epidemic of 1902, as already shown, 4,316 animals were slaughtered by the U. S. Government at a cost of $130,000; and in the epidemic of 1908 the Government slaughtered 3,636 animals at a cost of $300,000. The last or recent epidemic, which has been the worst of all, extended from 1914 to 1916, invaded twenty-three States and involved the destruction of 172,222 animals, chiefly swine, cattle and sheep, in the order stated. The cost of this destruction amounted to a loss of over nine millions of dollars, half of which was paid by the National Government and half by the States! See the report of the Chief of the U. S. Bureau of Animal Industry for 1916. This is surely a big price to pay for vaccination, which was most probably the cause of this last and greatest epidemic, as it was proved to be the cause of the previous epidemics of 1908 and 1902! And at this point it should be remembered that this last epidemic of 1914 to 1916 originated in the same State of Michigan where one of the largest vaccine factories in the country is located and from which factory the epidemic of 1908 was proved to have originated!