First report of the commissioners appointed to inquire into the origin and nature, &c. of the cattle plague : with the minutes of evidence and an appendix.

Great Britain. Commissioners Appointed to Inquire Into the Origin and Nature, &c. of the Cattle Plague

Date:: 1865

Credit: First report of the commissioners appointed to inquire into the origin and nature, &c. of the cattle plague : with the minutes of evidence and an appendix. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by King’s College London. The original may be consulted at King’s College London.

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$]6. The payment of indemnities awarded out of the state treasury should take place without delay after due notifica- tion of the same has come in. To this end, the adminis- trative authorities of the district must, without loss of time, send in a report, accompanied by the acts of the valuation or of the voluntary agreements respectively, to the Ministry of the Interior, which latter will thereupon take all further steps with a view to the payment. 17. The disinfecting processes to be followed after the disease is eradicated, and before the prohibition to communicate with the place is removed, are to be carried out under the direction of the pest commissioner or district veterinary surgeon, and must he superintended by the latter. 18. The expense of the measures adopted on account of the rinderpest will be borne by the state exchequer. The following are, however, exceptions :— a. In the case mentioned in paragraph three of the high Decree of the ICth January I860,* in which the ex- penses must he borne by the offender; b. The cost of disinfecting infected buildings and utensils, which, in the case of each separate farm, must be met by the proprietor; and c. Any compensation which may have to he made for the services mentioned in paragraph 10, as also for assis- tance and labour necessary for the support of persons who, in accordance with measures adopted for the pur- pose, are cut off from communication with the rest of the country, also for the keeping up of their property, likewise, finally for keeping the watches which have to be set in the diseased locality. The amount of this expenditure must be raised by the communes of the infected locality, and in case of a piece of land being concerned which is not included in the circle of the commune, with a proportional contribution on its part. In the case of such non-included isolated bits of land which do not come within the boundaries of a place (ortschaft), the expense must be borne by the proprietor of the land ; while the duties, on the other hand, mentioned in paragraph 10, fall, in this case, on the inhabitants of the nearest place (ortschaft—commune or parish). 19. Should the disease attack the sheep and goats, the pre- ceding regulations must be analogously applied. The killing, however (ordered in paragraph 8), of these animals who may still be sound, but which are suspected through their standing in contact (with diseased beasts) is left for the consideration and regulation of the pest commis- sioner at the particular time. 20. All measures which may, according to circumstances, be otherwise necessary for the extermination of the disease and the prevention of its farther spreading, as, for instance, prohibiting of cattle markets in the diseased locality and the neighbourhood, barring of public ways, &c., must be left, in each particular case, to the conscientious discretion of the pest commissioner and the chief district authority, and must be specially ordered by the latter with the agree- ment of the pest commissioner. 21. All contraventions will be punished according to para- graph 3 of the most high Decree of January 16th, 1860.f This decree is to be diligently observed until further notice. Dresden, 30th September 1855. Ministry of the Interior. (Signed) Baron de Beust. Smiedel. Translation of Supplement or Appendix to the above Decree. The rinderpest (also called Loserdurre, Viehseuche) is a foreign disease which among us never arises spontaneously from indigenous causes. It originates in the Russian steppes, whence it is introduced into other countries by contagion. Different from indigenous diseases, it is not in the least dependent on external influences, such as the * § 3. punishes the offender against the special regulations on this sub- ject, and makes him responsible 1'or all damages resulting from his in- fringement of the same. t This paragraph in question visits all infringements against the pest regulations with imprisonment up to 18 months, and liability to the amount of the damage consequent upon the special infraction of the season, weather, food, &c., by which it can neither be advanced nor averted. The original introduction of the disease from the Russian steppes into the countries of Europe lying to their West is always a result of importation of the so- called Podolian or steppe cattle. The farther spreading from land to land may however take place in many ways. Here also the introduction of the disease is, as a rule, brought about by the importation of cattle from the in- fected locality. It may, however, likewise be introduced in other ways, especially when the disease has already entered neighbouring countries, as, for instance, through everything which has had to do with sick cattle, as meat, fresh hides, horns, &c.; and again also through the so- called infectious articles, such as furs, wool, wearing apparel, &c.; and finally through domestic animals, as sheep, goats, and swine, whenever the latter have been in contact with diseased beasts or breathed the same atmosphere. The means of contagion are consequently many and manifold. The rinderpest is for our native cattle the most dan- gerous disease which exists. A loss of 90-100 per cent, must always be reckoned upon; only in especially favour- able circumstances does this turn out to he something less. Among the steppe cattle and the allied races, on the other hand, the disease is much milder, the loss being here only to be estimated at from 50 to 60 per cent., while it may indeed be less, but rarely exceeds this figure. Moreover, the rinderpest is not alone confined to horned cattle (cows, oxen, &c.); it may also spread by contagion to sheep and goats, and here also be very destructive. The loss is however less here than among indigenous cattle; (rind-vieh, cows, oxen, &c.), and may be estimated by the results of former experience up to the present time at from 50 to 60 per cent. Means of cure there arc none. Everything that has heen tried has been found useless, and every attempt at curing is for this very reason dangerous, namely, in that the disease is meanwhile retained, and the development of contagious matter stimulated. There are but two effectual ways of arresting the devastating progress of the disease, namely: 1st. Every head of cattle attacked by the disease or through being in contact with sick cattle sus- pected of it must, although healthy at the time, be straightway killed; and 2d. The infected farm shut off from all communication (gesperrt werden) until it has been disinfected. By such means the disease is nipped in the bud, and its farther spreading thus averted. The sooner these measures are set to work the surer is the result, and, on the whole, the less is the loss, although the latter may at the moment appear very great. It all, therefore, resolves itself into this, to recognize the disease immediately on its breaking out; and it is there- fore requisite that all cases of attack by the disease, and all suspicious cases of sickness, should at once be brought to the knowledge of the authorities. With a view to render this possible an enumeration of the most important symptoms of the disease, and the most important phe- nomena revealed hy dissection, is here added. Symptoms of the disease.—The animals fall off from their feed, and finally refuse to eat at all. Rumination takes place irregularly, continues only for a short time, and soon leaves off altogether. But little milk is secreted, which in the case of milch cows is usually the first striking symptom of the disease. The excrement is sluggishly evacuated, and of a dryer quality; the urine less in quantity. The hind quarters are somewhat blown up (angedostel), while at the same time slight pains in the stomach are felt (the beast looks round at its own body). Meanwhile the animals are dull and dejected (only at times is there a temporary animation), hang down their head and ears, evince weakness of the back (loins) in their movements, and generally stand with the back somewhat bent and the feet under the body (i.e. they stand over). With all this is associated evident aguish fits, manifested by changes of temperature, also hair standing on end, &c., and an in- creased sensitiveness along the vertebral column when the latter is pressed. None of these appearances, however, are in themselves in the least characteristic. They especially announce nothing more than feverish, suffering in the hind quarters, and are present also in cases of so-called indigestion or stoppage of the bowels. Very soon, already on the second or third day, other symptoms, namely, those of catarrh, appear, and these confirm more than ever the suspicion of rinderpest. To these latter belong redness and tear drops in the eyes; first a watery and then a slimy running at the nose; in- creased warmth and slobbering in the mouth, in which, moreover, red spots are often to be found in the gums, palate, and lips, which afterwards develop into sores$