DISEASE AMONG ANIMALS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18763, 17 January 1923, Page 5

DISEASE AMONG ANIMALS

PROTECTIVE MEASURES URGED METHODS OF DETECTING INFECTION. (Peb United Pbess Association.) WELLINGTON, January 16. At the Science Congress to-day Professof H. Woodruff, director of the Veterinary School, Melbourne University, took as the subject of his presidential address “The Prevention of the Spread of Contagious Diseases of Animals.” He referred to the immense losses which had resulted from epidemic diseases of stock in Europe during the nineteenth century, notably from cattle plague, foot-and-mouth disease,, bovine plenro-pneuinonia, and he showed that these losses had impelled the Governments of various countries to establish State veterinary and sanitary services. Coincident with these costly epidemics in Britain and on the Continent, colonials in various parts of the Empire were introducing pedigree stock from Britain, and it was surprising, not that we introduced one or two contagious diseases, but that we escaped so many. The lecturer then touched upon a number of cases in which contagion of some specific disease of animals had been unconsciously introduced from an infected into a clean country; among others glanders in many horses returned to England after the South African war. Foot-and-mouth disease was introduced into the United States by some vaccine lymph imported from Japan, and cattle plague was carried into Antwerp by some Indian cattle which were transhipped in the quarantine station, but which left the contagion behind them. The lecturer then asked whether we were repeating the mistakes of our forefathers, and whether we were in danger of introducing diseases which would cause greet loss in the future. He thought we were in some instances, and gave examples.'' He then proceeded to discuss the need for the introduction of pedigree stock from abroad, and laid down the principle that the veterinary advisers of the Governments should have as their watchword “The maximum facilities for stock introduction, compatible with the safety of our own. flocks and herds.” It was easy to exterminate contagious diseases wdtli a. pole-axe or to exclude infection by excluding all live animals; but such a policy did not require very high qualifications' to carry it out. Any fool could exclude, but it required highlytrained observers capable of applying scientific laboratory tests to allow importation with safety. The lecturer then detailed the more modern methods of detecting infected animals, and concluded with a plea for the employment of highly-trained veterinary officers educated'-'np to the point of graduation on general lines, but thereafter 'made specialists in the particular line they might select for practice. He contended that such officers should he given a salary proportionate to their responsible duties, and. that they should be given the added incentive of facilities for research work into some of the many problems still remaining in connection with the contagious diseases of live stock.