THE NEBRASKA INDEPENDENT MABCH 14, 1007. la STOCK LIVE Blackleg The disease commonly known as blackleg In this country is identical with the quarter-evil or black-quarter In England, charbon symptomatique (symptomatic anthrax) in France, and rausch brand in Germany. The fact that it is sometimes called sympto matic anthrax is liable to lead to its confusion with anthrax, but it should be remembered that these are two to tally distinct diseases arising from dif ferent causes, exhibiting -different symptoms and requiring different treatment. Blackleg most frequently attacks cattle, rarely ,other species, man, horsea, swine, dogs, cats, and fowls appearing to be immune or proof against it Sheep and goats are sus- etgss- $P p "Mill .. I I mil. BLACKLEG SYRINGE. ceptible, though the writer has heard of but one outbreak in this state among sheep. As to susceptibility among cat tle, age plays an important part, in asmuch as the disease is known to ex ist more commonly among cattle be tween six months and one an one-half months and cattle over two years old are seldom attacked, though the dis ease has been observed in very young calves and adult cattle. This condition may be accounted for as follows: It has been proved experimentally by ar tificial inoculation that young calves are less susceptible naturally, and be sides, while they are being fed on milk they are not exposed to the germs as is the case the moment they are turned into an infected pasture. Cause: The organism of blackleg is a bacillus, exceedingly small, measur ing one twenty-thousandth (1-20,000) of an inch in length. As stated above, these rmall bacilli may, in same way, get imo i no system nt tne animal ana produce tho disease. T-Jie usual mode by which the animal Iwcor'H Inocu-l.tU-t' or, infected is throus.; wound of tlie skin or mucous, membrane. Wounds of the nkin, or external wound, tn.xy lx caused by barbed wiro fences, stubble, and the like. Wound of tho mucous iiR-iubranes, or internal wounds, may be cau.HHl by cattle, partaking of foreign substance that ure liable to scratch the mucous lining of tb alimentary canal, and Ki'.t lbwrvi's that Infection may tako pluro through wout.d r;utwd by cat tl.i flu-tiding Iht-lr teeth. The carcity of Internal wounds, compared with ex trml ones may "xwlbly account for the ft that It in almost lmiwllo to it.fect animals eiH-rimcntuIiy by way of h altinrntary canal, wvett wbHi the Individual wlertwl for the eiprinnt li vry utw MlMe. How ever, till Ninin vlrtw, when upplUd to an abnuilon of tho nkln, would ftlmont Invariably prw.lu tho dWaiui In ucrp title animal. Hence, It U rtmer believed Uwu cat tie beauate te- fected through skin wounds more of ten than by any other method. After these blackleg germs'enter the animal system, they find lodgment and at once begin to multiply in vast num ber, producing the blackleg disease generally within two days from the time they enter the (system. By the process of reproducing in this way, they generate a gas, which collects beneath the skin, where the so-called blackleg tumor is found. It is this gas that causes the crackling sound when tho hand is rubbed over such a tu mor. .Symptoms: The symptoms of black leg are very characteristic and for that reason the disease can be easily recognized. One 'of the first indications of the disease that may be observed is lameness in any one of the four limbs, or a general stiffness of the gait. The animal appears dull, and if the temperature be taken at this time it will bo found above the normal. Very soon rumination ceases, the ap petite is lost, and there is a marked depression in the actions of the affect ed animal. Usually a swelling appears either on the" lame leg or some, other part of the body, but never below the hock or knee joint. At first this swell ing is very sensitive, but otherwise presents no special characteristics. -,oon, however, gas collects at this point, as previously . mentioned, and then the tumor presents the character istics described above. At this point the tumor loses its sensitiveness and may be cut without producing any pain to the animal. The fluid that escapes from the incision is a frothy, dark-red exudate, having the odor of rancid butter. It may happen that a fatal case occurs without the develop ment of the characteristic tumor, though such cases are rare. The. usual length or duration of the disease is from a few hours to a day, or some times longer. Post mortem appearances : On ac count of the ease with which blackleg may be distinguished by the ante mortem appearances, and on account of the necessary scattering of infec tion resulting from tho holding" of an autopsy, little space will be given the topic of post-mortem appearances, ex cept to enable. the farmer to distin guish between the disease in question and anthrax. The following characters generally suffice to distinguish the two: In blackleg the tumor contains" gas, while that of anthrax is solid. The muscles involved in a blackleg tu mor have a peculiar odor resembling very much that of rancid butter, which is never the case with the anthrax tumor. In blackleg" the blood forms a firm clot, while in anthrax the clot is absent. The spleen is normal in black leg, while In anthrax it is considerably enlarged, and possessed of the proper ty of gravitation, that Is, if the spleen be suspended by one end, the contents will flow to the lower end like fluid in a bag. Treatment: It is admitted by all who are experienced in this line that there is no agent known that will cure blackleg. Some medicines seem to have been used with success in a few cases but so soon as they were given a thor ough trial It was found that they were of no avail. In the western part of Nebraska the stockmen often make deep-seated incisions into the tumor and apply strong caustics or disinfect ants to the wounds thus produced, but it is stated by men who have tried this treatment that it is of little or no value. And even if it were of some value, It should be practiced with tho utmost care, if at all, as the fluid which must necessarily escape from the open wound would Infect the soil wherever it happened to drop. Preventive treatment: The blackleg vaccine, as prepared by the bureau of animal industry consists of a brownish powder, which is put up in packets containing either ten or twenty-rive doses each. To prepare this powder in such a way that it may be injected hypodermicaily, it is "necessary to ob tain certain implements; which, to gether with tho hypodermic syringe, are known as a vaccinating outfit: This consists of a porcelain mortar with pestle, a small glass funnel, and a measuring glass. For filtering the r vaccine, we have found absorbent cot ton to be most suitable. Figure 1 is an illustration of the vaccinating outfit recommended by the bureau. . . Animals to be vaccinated : Calves, as a rule, should not be vaccinated until they are six months old. Under this age they are practically immune from blackleg, and it has been claimed that when vaccinated before they are six months old they are liable to lose the artificial immunity induced by means of vaccination and become susceptible again. Animals more than two years old are seldom affected, and the mor tality among them is so small as to make vaccination unprofitable. It is the animals between six months and two years old which should be vaccin ated. Vaccination has no ill effect on calves under six months old, but it should be a rule that when very young animals are vaccinated they should be revaccinated before the beginning of the following, blackleg,-season. The time to vaccinate depends large ly upon circumstances. In nearly every part of the country whore -blackleg is known there is a disti net blackleg sea son, and tho proper time to vaccinate is Just before tho arrival of this sea son. Every practical ranchman and farmer, as a rule, knows when to. look for blackleg, and as the disease may appear a little sooner or later, accord ing to climatic conditions, it is always better to vaccinate two or three weeks before the beginning of the blackleg season.. In some parts of the country it Is not unusual that the calves com mence dying when only four months old, while in others they seldom be come affected until they are eight months old. It is, therefore, much a matter of Judgment when to vaccinate and what should constitute the mini mum age at which the calves should be treated. A. T. PETERS. $5,000 Reward - iVVill be paid to any person who can find one atom of opium, chloral, morphine, cocaine, ether, chloroform, .heroin, alpha and beta eu eaine, cannabis indicat or chloral hydrate or any of their -derivatives, in any of Dr. Miles V Remedies. This applies togoods in original packages, unop ened, and not tampered with. Certain unscrupu lous persons are making ' false statements about these remedies. "I have been troubled with a ter rible headache for the last ten years: " the doctor couid do me no kuuu, I . saw Dr. Allien' Anti-Pain PillSTTRrver tised in the Sunday magazine, so I thought I would try a sample. I did so, and they helped me wonderfully. I had headache so badly I could hard ly nee to work, so I sent to the drug store and got a box. In a couple of hours I was all rijht, it was the first medicine to do me. any rood." A. A. ILUQ, Philadelphia, Pa. 6362 Tacoma Street. Dr. Mites Antl-Paln Pills are sold by your druggist, who will guarantee that the first package will benefit. If it falls, he will return your money. 25 doses, 25 cents. Never sold In bulk. Miles Medical Co., Elkhart, Ind wrote and said he had found a spider in his paper. Was this good or bad luck? I replied to him in our 'An- 7 9 U ...... VACCINATING CHUTE. SOME STRAY HUMOR. nsn were not Dicing very live ly that morning as they sat "un der a shady tree on the bank, and they turned to conversation. "What," asked the man who - was deeply interested in his country's wel fare, "what do you consider the most important question before us today? "Well," replied the man who was perfectly willing to allow politicians to run the country, "Just at this mo ment the rebate question is by far the most important," and he turned the Jug upside down to show it was empty. "It pays to advertise," said Mark Twain, at an advertisement writers' banquet. "When. I was editing the Virginia City Enterprise, writing copy one day and mining the next, I tried to force this truth home In many ways. "A superstitious subscriber once ill Tfeab c Mi m 'Mm ML k swers to . Correspondents' column as follows: ' , ;. , spider in your copy of the Enterprise was neither good luck or bad. The spider was merely looking over our pages to find out what merchant was not advertising, so that it could' snin Wts web across his door, and lead a iree ana undisturbed existence' forever., after.' " The letter "f on the typewriter of a well known novelist recently went wrong. The author was equal to the occasion, as will be" seen from the fol lowing portion of his MSS.: "Phairest oph the phalrslgher he? lover, "pbancy my pheeling when I phoresee the phearphul consequences oph our phleeing phrom your phather phamlly. Phew phellows could hav phaced' the music with as much phortitude as I have, and as phickle phortune phalls to smile on our love I must phorego the pleasure oph be coming your husband. Phairest Fhrances, pharewcll phoreverl" "Hold, Pbranklin, hold!" screamed Phrances; "I will phollow you phor everl" But Phranklin had phled, and Phrances pbalnted. Delineator: aloof from Many fathers stand tho common domestic CLACKLCa OUTTT5. I l.oihatllMai lMtdtn tmt II ami It run li. h I tor pttct Utm ? IbkM and ODAYSTBIAL a4 f YKAJtSC CtUAMANTV fzxo ru rrxt tsx. TW5 ' 11 Uim It 4U a