board has authority to order the killing of any domestic animal that has been exposed to any infectious disease. It may also examine, or cause to be examined, under oath, through its agents, any person believed to have knowledge concerning the existence of any infectious disease among domestic animals. It specifies that the carcasses of swine that have died from any disease must be buried properly or burned. It prohibits the selling or giving away of the carcasses of swine that have died of, or been killed on account of, any disease. It prohibits the conveyance of sick swine along any public highway or on public or private grounds, other than those of the owner. It prohibits the allowing of sick hogs to run at large. CAMPAIGN AGAINST HOG CHOLERA IN MINNESOTA IN 1897. No systematic attempt had been made in Minnesota, looking to the control of hog cholera, until 1897. At that time there were probably forty-one infected counties in the state. The first effort of the board was naturally directed to the education of local officials and of the farmers themselves. Local papers took an active part in this educational campaign. Circulars describing the disease were scattered broadcast throughout the infected territory and contiguous portions of the state. The farmers' institutes assisted us in bringing the subject before the people. It was the aim of the state board to deal with this infectious disease as it would with an infectious disease among men, viz., through careful quarantine. This was carried on by districts as well as by individual quarantine. Fifteen counties badly infected in 1896 were placed under general quarantine regulations, but this did not prevent our carrying on individual farm quarantine also throughout this district. Individual farm quarantine was insisted upon in all parts of the state where the disease appeared for the first time in 1897. In many instances the disease did not spread beyond the locality in which it first appeared. Quarantine is applied only to the sick and exposed hogs and the pens and yards in which they have been quartered, not to the whole farm. Quarantine cards are posted in conspicuous places on these infected premises, and these cards read as follows: All persons, excepting the owner, duly authorized attendants, or medical advisers, are forbidden to enter any enclosures where hogs are kept on these premises, until this card has been removed by permission from the State or Local Board of Health. Hogs must not be removed from these premises after date of this card, until six months after the last case of suspicious swine disease has died or recovered, except in the following cases: 1st, by permission in writing given by the State Board of Health; and 2d, dressed carcasses of healthy hogs killed under inspection of the State or Local Board of Health. No hogs, excepting those hereby quarantined and their offspring shall be allowed upon these premises until six months after the last hog has died or recovered. During this period of six months no other domestic animal shall be permitted in these pens for any reason whatever. Parties living on this place must not go near pens or yards where hogs are kept on other farms. Keepers of these hogs will be held responsible for the unauthorized removal of this notice, and for allowing any swine hereby quarantined to escape from these pens or yards and run at large. By Order of Dated. 18 CHAPTER 233, LAWS OF 1897. Health Officer. Seo. 9. Any person visisting any provision of this act or any rale or regulation made by the State Board of Health, or by any Local Board of Health, or any order made by any such board under the authority hereof, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and be punished by a fine of not leas than twenty-Avo (251 or more than one hundred (100) dollars, or by imprisonment for not less than thirty (30) or more than ninety (90) days. Perhaps someone is already saying, "But do you really consider individual farm quarantine for hog cholera a practical thing in extensive outbreaks?" I do consider such individual farm quarantine entirely practical in recent and limited outbreaks. It can be made successful in extensive outbreaks, providing the chairmen of township boards are active and willing to do their work faithfully and in spite of opposition, and provided further that these boards of supervisors have the support of their influential and intelligent farmers. We have been able to find such conditions in Minnesota quite frequently, but there have been exceptions. I do not suppose for a moment that this work is ideal, and yet we have accomplished results that have been fairly satisfactory to ourselves and to the stock interests of the state. When farmers are generally convinced that hog cholera is an infectious disease, and are better informed concerning it, and when township supervisors are better informed concerning their duties, our work will be easier and more satisfactory. It is quite reasonable to suppose that in the near future we will be provided with a vaccine that can be economically produced, conveniently administered, and thoroughly practical. When this happy day arrives, we will have means that can be used to great advantage in connection with such quarantine as has been outlined in this paper. If an outbreak appears on a certain farm all hogs on the neighboring farms for several miles can be promptly vaccinated. In this way we will not only have all the safeguards that may come from quarantine, but we will also be able to "back fire," as it were, against the disease. Besides the quarantine card the board issues a "trespass" card which reads as follows: FOR USE BY OWNERS OF HOGS. NOTICE! ALL UNAUTHORIZED PERSONS ARE FORBIDDEN, UNDER PENALTY OF THE LAW, TO APPROACH ON THESE CHAPTER 233, LAWS OF 1897. WHERE Signature of Owner, Section 11. Whenever during the prevalence in the state of any contagious or infectious disease among domestic animals, the owner shall post on his premises a notice forbidding all persons not authorized by State or Local Boards of Health to enter any building or enclosure on said premises without permission from said owner, it shall be a misdemeanor to enter upon said premises, punishable by a fine of not less than twenty-five dollars ($25) nor more than one hundred dollars ($100), or by imprisonment for not less than thirty (30) nor more than ninety (90) days. This is for the use of those whose hogs are not affected, warning people to keep away from their pens. Farmers are using these protective cards more this season than last, for they are beginning to appreciate the advantage to be derived from their warnings. For general correspondence a "stock" letter, such as the following, is used: It is the duty of local health officers, including township supervisors, to quarantine all yards and pens in which there has recently been any suspicious swine disease. Conditions of quarantine are given on the "Hog Cholera" and "Suspicious Swine Disease" card, sent you under separate cover. I send you to-day a complete hog cholera file, containing several copies of the blank for reporting infectious diseases among domestic animals. Please fill out one of these for each farm whereon the disease has appeared, and return to me as soon as possible. It is your duty to put up in a conspicuous place one or more of the "Hog Cholera" and "Suspicious Swine Disease" cards, bearing in mind that you are quarantining only the yards, pens, etc., where hogs have been confined. Please distribute copies of the law and hog cholera circulars freely in this neighborhood. I think it would be wise for you to read the hog cholera circulars and law carefully, that you may give the neighbors such advice as they need. Call their attention especially to the last section of ine law, and see that it is enforced. The "Notice" cards should be distributed among neighbors whose hogs have not been sick, and who may wish to avail themselves of the protection which the law gives them; that is, the right to issue private quarantine in self-defense. Neighbors should be warned of the presence of the disease, and informed that it is very unwise for them to go where sick hogs have been kept on other farms, and equally dangerous to permit visiting neighbors to go into hog pens or yards. I hope your people will realize that hog cholera is infectious, like smallpox or diphtheria, and must be conveyed from farm to farm, otherwise it does not spread. The fact that there has been no sickness during the past few weeks among hogs on a farm where there has recently been an infectious swine disease gives no assurance of safety. The farm may still be infectious, and should be so regarded. It may be necessary for you to watch this thing closely for several months. It is folly to waste valuable time in discussing the name of the disease that is now prevailing in your township. The name is the least important feature; but if it is infectious, i. e., catching, it is hog cholera, and must be treated as such. Very respectfully, M. H. REYNOLDS, Some space is left at the top of this letter for the insertion of any special instructions. The letters are printed with copying ink and typewriter type. By using such a "stock" letter a great deal of clerical work is saved. era: The following regulations are in force as relating to hog chol HOG CHOLERA REGULATIONS. All railroad shipping pens in the following counties are hereby declared to be probable or possible sources of infection for hog cholera: Fillmore, Mower, Freeborn, Faribault, Martin, Jackson, Nobles, Rock, Pipestone, Murray, Cottonwood, Watonwan, Blue Earth, Waseca, Steele, Dodge, Olmsted, Winona, Dakota, Scott, Sibley, Renville, Yellow Medicine, Lac qui Parle, Chippewa, Kandiyohi, McLeod, Carver, Anoka, Stearns, Pope, Swift, Rice, Le Sueur, Nicollet, Brown, Redwood, Lyon, Lincoln, Meeker, Wright, Washington, Wabasha, Houston and Goodhue. 1. Hogs must not be removed from any railroad shipping pen located within the aforesaid counties except for immediate shipment by rail to some point for slaughter. 2. Hogs shipped from point to point in Minnesota, or from another state into Minnesota, and not intended for immediate slaughter or for exhibition at the state fair, must be crated, shipped in other than stock cars, and accompanied by a certificate stating that they were free from disease when shipped, and that there had been no hog cholera in the neighborhood from which they were shipped for a period of at least six months previous to the shipment. This certificate must be signed by a licensed physician, veterinarian or health oшcer, and must be delivered to the local health officer of the district into which the hogs are shipped. 3. Hogs for shipment in crates must not be permitted in, or loaded from, stockyards. 4. Hogs intended for exhibition at the state fair must be shipped in cars that have never carried hogs, or in stock cars that have been disinfected by Le railroad, according to agreement with the state board of health. They must be shipped in crates, and must not be loaded from or through any railroad shipping pens. Upon arrival at the fair grounds, the person in charge will be required to show a clean bill of health, as designated above, before the hogs are unloaded. Managers of county and district fairs held in any of the counties named above are requested not to have swine exhibits in connection with such fairs during 1898. By order of the state board of health. H. M. BRACKEN, M. D., The state board had two veterinarians in the field during the hog cholera season. The work of these men is partly educational partly executive, partly professional. Their educational work has been particularly valuable during the season of 1898. In carrying this out the veterinarian goes from township to township, and talks individually with the members of the local board of health concerning their duties and the importance of fulfilling them. STATE AND COUNTY FAIRS. Swine exhibits at the state and county fairs have furnished us a difficult problem. Some of the conditions imposed last year were plainly impractical, and our plans for 1898 were arranged so as to avoid these points. Ten days before the state fair opened, general freight agents were furnished with a complete list of all intending swine exhibitors, and they then provided sufficient horse cars or new stock cars, or stock cars that had been disinfected by means of steam, for this special work. Each freight train passing through places from which swine shipments were to be made carried two such cars on Thursday, Friday and Saturday before the fair. Upon arrival at the fair grounds each exhibitor was required to sign a certificate to the effect that his hogs were free from disease when shipped and came from neighborhood in which there had been no suspicious swine disease during the past six months. All hogs were inspected on their arrival by a representative of the state board of health, and thereafter daily during the fair. Pens at the fair grounds had been so arranged that visitors could not climb into them, and an extra partition, made tight, has been |