FOOTNOTES:
[25] The Prairie Farmer, May 9, 1885, p. 292.
[26] The Country Gentleman, Dec. 4, 1879.
[27] Sanders' Hereford History, p. 348.
[28] The Prairie Farmer, Feb. 1, 1885, p. 84.
[29] Sanders' History of Hereford Cattle, p. 348.
[30] Sander's History of Herefords, pp. 352, 357.
[31] The Country Gentleman, July 30, 1857.
[32] " " " 1858.
[33] The Prairie Farmer, June 7, 1885, p. 372
[34] Rossland Park Stock Farm at Ashkum, Illinois. Prairie Farmer Nov. 14, 1885, p. 741.
[35] Cultivator and Country Gentleman, 1875.
[36] The Prairie Farmer, 1885.
[37] Sale Catalog of Anderson and Findley, 1901.
VI. CATTLE PLAGUES[38]
"In 1882, Dr. Salmon of the Bureau of Animal Industry, became convinced, from the experimental evidence at his command, that certain disease germs produced a chemical substance during their growth and multiplication which, if injected into the tissues of an animal, would induce immunity from a disease that these germs cause. In other words, he thought that the liquid in which the bacteria were grown in the laboratory might be used after the bacteria had been killed or removed, to protect animals from the disease caused by these specific bacteria.
"The first experiment made at that time with fowl cholera failed to confirm the theory. Later experiments with hog cholera bacillus gave unmistakable proof of its correctness. The results were first published in 1886 and additional evidence was published the following year.
"Many cattlemen have been prejudiced against the tuberculin test and have objected to it, due to inaccurate or greatly exaggerated statements as to the damage it caused to the cattle on which it was used. Those who have had most experience with tuberculin have consequently failed to observe any injurious effects following its injection into healthy cattle. With cattle that are affected with tuberculosis, it produces a fever which lasts only a short time, and in the great majority of cases, the effects disappear within forty-eight hours after the administration of the tuberculin. The cases of abortion following the tuberculin test have not been numerous, even when cows were tested within a very short time before the normal time of calving. The few cases that have occurred may be explained by the fact that abortion in cattle is a very common occurrence and that it would have happened even though the test had not been applied and that it was a coincidence.
"From the investigations and observations made, the following conclusions may be safely drawn:
"1. The tuberculin test is an accurate method of determining the presence of tuberculosis in an animal.
"2. By the use of tuberculin such animals as are affected with the disease may be detected and removed from the herd.
"3. It has no injurious effects.
"4. Comparatively small numbers of cattle which have aborted, suffered ill health, or fell off in flesh after the tuberculin test was made, were either diseased before the test was made or were affected by some other cause other than that of the tuberculin."
"On the 15th day of July, 1884, Dr. Trumbower was requested to visit a cow at Sterling, Illinois, belonging to Mr. C. A. Keefer. He found one of Mr. Keefer's pure bred Jersey cows, aged about six years, with symptoms of pleuro-pneumonia."
Mr. Keefer had bought this cow, Lass O' Lowrie, from Mr. W. C. Clark, of Geneva, Illinois, on June 6, of the same year. When Mr. Keefer visited Mr. Clark's farm on April 6, he saw Lass O' Lowrie with two other cows, Tama Warren, and Nutriena Tunlaw. All three of the cows had the appearance of unthriftiness, the hair was looking rough and dry, but this was attributed to a severe winter without proper care and, in the case of Lass O' Lowrie, to recent calving. Mr. Keefer bought her with the assurance that she was perfectly healthy. She was shipped June 8 and was on the road four hours. When she was driven from the car to Mr. Keefer's farm, she was noticed to cough occasionally. She had calved in March and was again pregnant. From the time Mr. Keefer bought her, she became poorer, weaker, and milk secretion became entirely suspended. She stood in the field away from the other cattle and ceased ruminating. Coughing increased in frequency and strings of mucus dropped from the nostrils.
The case was thought to be one of tuberculosis and isolation was recommended, slaughter and burial to follow as soon as possible upon the necessity of the measure. On the morning of June 8, she was bled to death. On examination, the anterior lobe of the right lung was found filled with tubercles covering a space of four inches in diameter. They presented different stages of development; some containing a thick yellow inspissated pus, while others were undergoing a caseous degeneration or calcification, and still others appeared as small indurated brown or reddish circumscribed spots in the interlobular tissue. Beginning at the bifurcation of the trachea and extending downward and backward, was found a cavity about ten inches in length, which contained a pint of fluid of a grayish-black color and of very offensive odor, holding in suspension disintegrated lung tissue; also in this cavity was found a mass of inforcated lung tissue weighing two pounds. The part nearest the right lung was breaking down and liquifying. Another mass of dead lung, weighing four ounces, of a yellow, granular, or caseous appearance, indicating that it was much older than the larger mass, was found lying in and partially buried in a separate sack which communicated with the larger cavity. In the abdominal lymphatic glands these were masses of compact tuberculous matter encysted in strong fibrous capsules, one of which measured three inches in diameter.
The cow had evidently been affected with tuberculosis, but the encysted mass of dead lung was a lesion which is not produced in this disease, but which is a frequent result of contagious pleuro-pneumonia. It seemed possible that this animal had both of the diseases at the same time, although the fact that pleuro-pneumonia was not known to exist in that part of the country made it appear very doubtful.
Upon investigating the conditions of affairs at Mr. Clarke's farm, it was learned that his animals had suffered from a disease that had caused the death of several during the spring and summer. A cow which had been sold to C. P. Coggeshall and taken to the farm of Mr. John Boyd, of Elmhurst, was very sick, and a second cow bought by Mr. Boyd was also sick. Mr. Boyd's farm was visited on August 12. The cow called Cream Ecca, belonging to Mr. Coggeshall had died on July 20. The cow, Edith St. Hilaire, had improved very much during the two weeks previous to the visit and was then believed by her owner to be nearly well. An examination of the lungs of Cream Ecca showed them to be hepatized as in pleuro-pneumonia.
These facts appeared sufficient to justify the diagnosis of contagious pleuro-pneumonia, but in the absence of any history beyond the Clarke herd, and considering the fact that the only cow of which a careful post-mortem examination had been made was certainly affected with tuberculosis, it seemed best to reserve a decision until more complete evidence had been obtained.
On August 14, Mr. George B. Loring made a third visit to Elmherst Farm, and in the presence of Mr. J. H. Sanders, a member of the Treasury Cattle Commission, and Mr. Wadham, and Mr. Boyd, the two sick cows were slaughtered. An examination of the lungs of Edith St. Hilaire showed that she had every symptom of pleuro-pneumonia. The other cow, Dassie 4th, was likewise examined with the same indications of the disease.
On August 15, Mr. Loring, the agricultural commissioner, went to Geneva, Illinois, and examined the conditions of the animals that were still on Mr. Clarke's farm. Mr. Clarke informed Mr. Loring that the first animal to show signs of the disease on his farm was the bull, Finis Lawrence, which became sick during the latter part of May and was killed in June. The cows, Ella Lawrence, Duchess of Broome County, Myrrhine, and Damask, all showed signs of sickness about the middle of June. Ella Lawrence was killed at the same time as the bull; Duchess of Broome County died; Myrrhine and Damask recovered and were on the farm at the time the examination was made. Tama Warren had also been killed, but Mr. Clarke insisted that this was because she was worthless as a breeder. Six animals in all had been killed or had died on Mr. Clarke's place since May. According to accounts received from other sources, it is probably that Tama Warren and Nutrina of Tunlaw were sick as early as April 6.
Mr. Clarke had brought on his place since June 1, one animal from New Jersey, three which he had purchased at the Epler sale at Virginia, Illinois, one from C. A. Keefer, of Sterling, Illinois, and several from Wisconsin. It was impossible to judge, from any information that Mr. Clarke could give, in what manner the disease had been brought to his place. As Ella Lawrence had come from Peoria, and as there were rumors of the disease at that place, it was decided to make investigations there.
On August 16, Mr. Loring visited Messrs. D. H. and S. S. Tripp, and Mr. O. J. Bailey at Peoria. These gentlemen admitted that they had lost animals from some disease, the nature of which they did not understand, and they freely placed at Mr. Loring's disposal all the information which they could obtain, bearing upon the matter. It was here that Mr. Loring gained a first insight into the history of the introduction of the disease into Illinois.
The first cases of this disease occurred in the Tripp herd, and the only animals that had been brought upon their place for several months before this sickness were three cows purchased at the Virginia sale, which occurred February 21. These cows, Helena, Rex, Albert's Pansy, and Fancy LeBrocq, were taken to Mr. Tripp's stable in Peoria, and afterward Helen Rex was taken to his farm, which is situated about two miles from the city. It was said that Helen Rex was coughing at the time of the sale at Virginia, and that she did not appear to be in good health, but Mr. Tripp either did not notice this or was not impressed with the idea that she was affected at all seriously. The first cow that showed unmistakable evidence of the disease was Pomare, a cow kept for family use in the town stable. The earliest symptoms were noticed with her on April 1, and she died April 17. No other cases of the disease occurred until July 12, when the cow, Annos Orphan, presented the symptoms of inflammation of the lungs and died July 27. The next case occurred July 25, when a cow called Queenette showed that she was affected. She died August 4. No disease had been in Messrs. Tripp's herd nor in any other cattle in the vicinity previous to the purchase of the three animals at Mr. Epler's sale at Virginia.
The first sickness in Mr. Bailey's herd occurred May 10. The first cow affected, Lady Florentia, had been in his stable in Peoria up to this time, when she was taken to his farm seven miles in the country. This cow had not been in actual contact with any of Mr. Tripp's cattle, and the only way in which the disease could be accounted for in her was that it had been carried by some person going from one stable to the other. This cow recovered from the disease but several others of the same herd died within a few days after taking the disease. On August 18, a cow was killed and examined in the presence of Dr. J. H. Rauch, Secretary of the State Board of Health, and Dr. N. H. Pooren, State Veterinarian, both of whom had been invited to be present in order that they might see the disease and be convinced of its nature.
Mr. Epler's place at Virginia, Cass county, Illinois, was visited August 22. No animals were found showing symptoms of the disease, and Mr. Epler stated that he had lost none from his original herd since the sale, but a cow which he had bought at Beardstown, Illinois, and brought to his place in April or May, which died in June of an acute lung disease that evidently was pleuro-pneumonia. A cow sold to Porter Yates, of Springfield, Illinois, at Mr. Epler's sale, was attacked by the disease and died in April. Another cow sold to E. S. Hodson, of Springfield, soon after her arrival was treated for a similar disease. Another cow sold to Frank Gaston, of Normal, Illinois, became sick April 6, but recovered.
As very many of the cattle sold at the Epler sale soon afterward became affected with pleuro-pneumonia, and as the mingling of the animals at the sale was the only means by which many of these herds could be connected, it became very certain that the disease in Illinois had been brought to the state with some animals that had been sent to Mr. Epler. The animals which he had collected for this sale had come from a number of different herds located at widely separated points. Upon investigation, it was found that only one of these herds had been affected with pleuro-pneumonia. That herd belonged to Mr. C. R. C. Dye, of Troy, Ohio. Mr. Epler had purchased five cows from Mr. Dye on December 28, 1883. These cows arrived at Mr. Epler's farm at Virginia, Illinois January 4, 1884. Two of the five cows purchased from Mr. Dye had been previously bought from the herd of James Lyman, of Downer's Grove, Illinois, in May, 1883. Mr. Dye had bought cattle from several farms in the east, but it was decided that the disease had been brought to his herd by some grade Jerseys which he bought in the vicinity of Baltimore, Maryland. One of these cows had, apparently, recovered from the disease, but was still able to communicate the disease which was afterwards determined.
The steps taken to eradicate the dreadful disease were as follows:
(1) Investigation to determine the existence of pleuro-pneumonia in any suspected locality in the country.
(2) The immediate quarantine and isolation of any herd in which the disease was found. If any considerable amount of the disease was found in any section of the country so as to be dangerous of spreading to other districts, the immediate quarantine of that district was enforced, as well as the prohibition of the movement of any animals from one herd or premises to any other within the district, or of any cattle to be upon any highway or any enclosed land within such district; provided, however, that animals might be moved, upon a written permit, signed by an inspector of the Bureau of Animal Industry. As soon as the quarantine order had been made, the immediate inspection, tagging, and numbering of every bovine animal in the district, and the keeping of a record of the same, and a record of all animals moved by permits was attended to so that the Bureau of Animal Industry might have complete control of the movements of all cattle within the quarantined districts.
(3) The condemnation and slaughter of all animals found to be diseased or exposed to the disease within the quarantined districts, and the thorough disinfection of all premises where such animals had been, or on which contagious was suspected to exist. At the same time, inspection and post-mortem examinations were made of every animal slaughtered during the quarantine, whether purchased and slaughtered by order of the Bureau of Animal Industry or killed by butchers, or others for their own use.