"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.