BoHey O RT

UPON THE

| Convention of Cattle Commissioners,

SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS, DECEMBER 1, 1868;

AND UPON THE

e

TEXAS CATTLE DISEASE,

By EDWIN M. SNOW, M.D.,

DELEGATE FROM RHODE ISLAND.

Ss sg << : , a =
Li eee -
RS re TO THE STATE.

PROVIDENCE PRESS COMPANY PRINTE

Le wr” :

Bie ete
apa:

es -
ee he

State of Rhode Solan, &e.-

iy He O Ree

UPON THE

Convention of Cattle Commissioners,

HELD AT

SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS, DECEMBER 1, 1868,

AND UPON THE

TEXAS CATTLE DISEASE;

By EDWIN M. SNOW, M.D.,
DELEGATE FROM RHODE ISLAND.

| &Q

Hovsr or REPRESENTATIVES, Marcu 3, 1869,—OrDERED TO BE PRINTED.

/
PROVIDENCE:
PROVIDENCE PRESS COMPANY PRINTERS TO THE STATE.
1869.

REPORT.

To His Excellency Ambrose E. Burnside, Governor of Rhode Island :

Siz :—In accordance with your appointment, I proceeded to the
city of Springfield, Illinois, as a delegate to the Convention
of Cattle Commissioners, arriving there on the morning of the
first day of the meeting, Tuesday, December 1, 1868.

The convention met, by invitation of the Governor, in the
State House at Springfield, and was composed of delegates from
thirteen of the United States, and from the Province of Ontario,

in Canada: in all thirty-six delegates.

The convention was organized by the choice of Hon. Lewis F.
Allen of New York, as President, with one Vice President from
each State, and four Secretaries. ‘There being only one delegate
from Rhode Island, he was on the list of Vice Presidents, and was
placed on the prominent committees, and was also cl.osen as one of
the Secretaries. .

The name of the convention was officially decided to be the
% American Convention of Catile Commissioners.”

A committee of one from each State was appointed to arrange
and present business for the action of the convention. This com-
mittee gave much time to the subject and finally presented a series
of resolutions for the consideration of the Convention. These reso-

lutions were carefully considered; were discussed at considerable
length, and were finally adopted with some amendments. ‘They

4 PUBLIC DOCUMENT.

contain the deliberate opinion of the Convention in regard to the
action necessary, not only to prevent the introduction and spread
of the Texas Cattle Disease; but also with reference to the more
generally. important subject of preventing the introduction and sale
of diseased and unhealthy animal food in our markets.

By request of the Convention a copy of these resolutions has
been forwarded by His Excellency the Governor of the State of
Illinois, to the Governors of the other States in the Union. The
resolutions are as follows :— ) |

“Section I. Article 1. Three Commissioners, or such other
number as the Legislature may deem proper, shall be appointed
by some competent authority, to hold office for five years, and
shall report annually to the Legislature.

2. Such Commissioners shall watch over the general welfare of
the animals within the State for which they are appointed, and
particularly to prevent the spread of dangerous diseases among
them, and to protect the people of the State against the dangers
arising from the sale of diseased meat.

3. They may, from time to time, appoint such Assistant Com-
missioners to aid them in the discharge of their duties, as the wel-
fare of the public’ may require.

4, ‘They shall have power to administer oaths, and to prescribe,
from time to time, such rules and regulations as may be neces-
sary to accomplish the objects of their appointment.

5. They shall give public notice of the outbreak of any danger-
ous disease among animals, and shall publish such ;practical Be
tions for its avoidance as they may deem necessary.

6. They may either place such diseased animals in quarantine,
or cause them to be killed, as may seem to be necessary for the
public protection; but in the latter case they shall cause an ap-
praisal of such animals to be made, and the county or State shall
pay such proportion of the appraised value as may be provided by
law. °

Section Il. Article 1. The Commissioners, or any assistant
Commissioner, located on the frontier of any State, shall, at such
times as may be prescribed by the Commissioners have power to
inspect all the animals brought into such State, whether by rail-
road cars, vessels, or common roads, and shall have power to de-
tain such railroad cars, vessels, or droves of animals on common
roads, long enough to make a proper inspection of them for the
purpose of ascertaining their sanitary condition.

CONVENTION OF CATTLE COMMISSIONERS. 3)

2. No animal shall be permitted to enter the State, which shall
be deemed by such assistant Commissioner to be capable of spread-
ing a dangerous disease, or of injuring the health of the inhabit-
ants: but an appeal shall be allowed to the Commissioners in all
such cases.

3. No train shall be allowed to proceed unless the animals con-
tained therein have been supplied with food, water, and rest, within
twenty-four hours next preceding the time of such inspection.

4, All animals shall rest and have access to food and water for
twenty-four hours after having traveled for a similar period.

5. The railroad companies shall provide suitable yards for feed-
ing, watering, and resting the animals traveling on their trains, and
for quarantine purposes, which shall be kept in a cleanly and whole-
some condition, to the satisfaction of the Commissioners.

6. Each train, on leaving its point of departure, shall have a cer-
tificate, signed by a Commissioner, or an Assistant Commissioner,
which shall certify that all the animals contained therein were ina
healthy condition at the time of departure, and shall also state the
exact time of its leaving; and such certificate and endorsements
thereon of the time of resting and the time of departure of the
train, at subsequent resting and feeding places, shall be exhibited to
the proper authorities whenever required.

7. Proper penalties shall be inserted in the law to prevent the
bribery of officers charged with the execution of its provisions, and
also to punish those who interfere with, or resist the officers in the
performance of their duty.

Section III. Whereas,a malignant disease among + cattle has
been widely disseminated, by the transit of Texan and other south
western cattle, through the western and north western States, dur-
ing the warm weather of the present year, occasioning great loss
to out farmers, and possibly endangering the health of our citizens, —
therefore,

Resolved, That this convention earnestiy recommends the enact-
ment of stringent laws to prevent the transit, through these States,
of ‘Texas or Cherokee cattle, from the first day of March to the
first day of November inclusive.

Resolved, That the interests of the Bee tee require the enact-
ment of laws making any person responsible for all damages that
may result from the diffusion of any dangerous disease from ani-
mals i in his ownership and possession.

At a subsequent period the following explanatory resolution
was adopted :—

for)

PUBLIC DOCUMENT.

Resolved, That all Texas and south western cattle that have been
ascertained to have been wintered in the States north of Texas
should be considered as native cattle.

A committee was appointed to select a name by which the dis-
ease among cattle should be known. The committee recommended
the name of ‘'exas Carrie Disease, and this name was unani-
mously adopted by the convention.

The following resolution was also adopted :—

Resolved, 'That this convention appoint a committee of six of its
members, for the purpose of memorializing Congress to make suf-
ficient appropriation to enable the War Department to fully and
thoroughly investigate and report upon the nature, causes, mode of
development, propagation and treatment of the Texas Cattle
Disease.

This committee consisted of Dr. Clendenin, of Ohio, Dr. Snow,
of Rhode Island, Dr. Rauch, of Llinois, Mr. Gould, of New York,
Dr. Townshend, of Iowa, and Dr. Miles, of Michigan.

A committee was appointed to aid the Secretaries in supervising
the publication of the proceedings of the convention, and by re-
quest of Gov. Oglesby, of Illinois, this committee was instructed,
after carefully preparing the report of the proceedings, to forward
it Gov.Og glesbys who offered to see to its publication and distribution.

This beat synopsis ‘of the results of the convention is sufficient
to show their general character, and the full official report, which
will probably be received very soon, will give all further needed in-
formation.

But the official action of the convention shows only asmall por-
tion of the actual results. Besides the delegates, there were many
gentlemen present who had had a large experience in the cattle dis-
ease; others’ who were interested in, and knew all about the cattle
trade in ‘Texas, and the transportation of cattle from Texas to the
north western States ; others who own immense prairie farms, and
purchase ‘'exas cattle by hundreds and by thousands to fatten
them for the eastern markets. A vast amount of information upon
the subject was obtained from these gentlemen, and I have no
doubt that all the delegates, at least those from the eastern States,

CONVENTION OF CATTLE COMMISSIONERS. 7

were impressed, as they never were before, with the enormous mag-
nitude of the interests involved in the cattle trade, and with the
great importance to all classes in the community, that it should be
properly regulated.

Every portion of the country from Maine to Texas is vitally in-
terested in this subject. The time has been when railroads were
opposed in New England from fear that they would ruin the price
of horses, and when the settlement of the great West was looked
upon with dread, from fear that it would cheapen the price of pro-
visions, and ruin the farmers of the East. So in Illinois, stringent
legislation has been adopted to prevent the introduction of Texas
cattle, from fear that it would ruin the cattle raising interests of
Illinois. |

But the price of horses has been constantly increasing with the in-
crease of railroads, and the value of provisions and the prosperity of
New England farmers never were so great as since the West has been
settled, and the introduction of hundreds of thousands of Texas
cattle into Illinois, in spite of legislation, has only seemed to in-
crease the value of Illinois cattle, and the prosperity of Illinois
cattle growing interests.

The time is probably past, in this country, when serious attempts
will be made to check the inevitable course of events, with respect .
to the laws of trade, by legislation. The time has come when the
hills of New England, the richer farms of the middle States, and
even the boundless prairies of Indiana and [Illinois, are all insuffi-
cient to supply the demand for beef. We must have Texas cat-
tle, and a considerable portion of our beef must, even now,.come
from ‘Texas, or we must suffer from the deficiency. I saw, in one
establishment in Chicago, the beef of one thousand cattle which
were feeding on the plains of ‘Texas only two weeks before. The
same cattle could have been delivered in New York in less than
twenty days from ‘Texas. When New York wants, seriously wants |
beef, and Texas has an: abundant supply which can be delivered in
New York in twenty days, it is folly, it is worse than folly, to
attempt to’stop the supply by legislation. But if the cattle are
cruelly treated, and the quality of the beef is seriously injured in
the transportation, it becomes the duty of the government to in-

terfere.

PUBLIC DOCUMENT.

H

To return to the action of the convention at Springfield. An
examination of the series of propositions adopted, shows that, with °
reference to the transportation of cattle, though they are of the
- highest importance to the people of Rhode Island, we have very —
little to do with their practical enforcement. We are located at
the terminus of the line of transportation of cattle, and all laws
regulating this transportation will be put in force and will produce
all needed results upon the cattle, before they reach us. Our safety
from the Texas Cattle Disease, as well as our protection from the
sale of unhealthy and diseased beef, depend to a very great extent,
upon the vigilant guard of our friends in I[linois and New York.
If the recommendations of the convention are adopted, and strictly
enforced by those States, very few cases of the Texas Cattle Disease
will probably reach us. :

The recommendations, in section first of the series of proposi-
tions already given on page four, relating to the appointment of
Cattle Commissioners, are, however, of the utmost importance in
every State. A judicious Board of Commissioners, by giving “ pub-
lic notice of the outbreak of any dangerous disease” among domes-
tic animals in the State, and by giving “such practical directions
for its avoidance as they may deem necessary” would accomplish
much good in the community. But aside from this duty with ref-
erence to the outbreaks of disease among domestic animals, there
is a constant and increasing necessity for the appointment of such
a Board of Commissioners “to protect the people of the State
against the dangers arising from the sale of diseased and unhealthy
meat,” and also to prevent cruelty to animals. Facts upon these
points are occurring every day inthis city, and elsewhere in the
State, which if generally known in all their enormity, would and
ought certainly, to arouse the people to action.

There is also in this State a great and pressing need of regula-
- tions concerning the treatment of cattle in cars after they arrive
within the limits of the State, and requiring railroad companies to
provide better facilities for unloading cattle, sheep, and swine, and
also requiring such corporations to provide food, drink, and shelter
for animals when they cannot be removed immediately after their
arrival. I cannot refrain from expressing the earnest desire that

:

CONVENTION OF CATTLE COMMISSIONERS. 9

this subject may receive the attention of the General Assembly at
the present session, and that efficient action may be taken in rela-
tion to it. If nothing more is done,a Board of Commissioners
might be appointed to examine the subject and report such legisla-
tion as they may deem necessary, at the next session of the Gen-

eral Assembly.

It will be noticed that the official action of the convention, as
already given, says nothing whatever respecting the nature, cause,
mode of propagation, or treatment of the Texas Cattle Disease.
These subjects, however, occupied much time in the convention,
and the discussion upon them gave rise to the most opposite and
conflicting opinions. In fact it would be extremely amusing to read
a correct list of the directly antagonistic statements upon these
points made to the convention, and all proved to be true “ beyond
all possible controversy.” As nothing approaching a decision in
relation to them was reached, it might perhaps be the wisest policy
to omit all reference to them.

There were, however, certain very important statements and in-
formation brought before the Convention, which seemed to be well
established, and to which 1 think the members of the Convention
would very generally give their assent. Some of those statements
which seemed to be established, are as follows :—

1. Texas cattle do not have the Texas Cattle Disease in Texas,
and very rarely after being brought to more Northern States.

2. A similar disease is common among the horses in ‘Texas.

3. Texas cattle, when brought to the more Northern States,
though apparently healthy themselves, do communicate the disease
to the native cattle of those States, .

4. Cattle, whether brought by the river route or driven over
land from Texas, communicate the disease to the native cattle of
the more Northern States; but much the greater portion of the
disease in Illinois, during the year 1868, was communicated by
the very small portion of the cattle that was brought by the

river route.
2

10 PUBLIC DOCUMENT.

0. Cattle, native of the more Northern States, though they take
the disease, and die from it, very rarely if ever, communicate it
to other cattle.

6. Grown up native cattle are much more susceptible of the dis-
ease than calves or yearlings; and sucking calves very rarely take
it, though their mothers may die with it.

7. Native cattle kept in pastures, or yards adjoining those in
which Texas cattle are kept, do not,take the disease.

8. As a general rule, for native cattle to take the disease, it
seems to be necessary that they should graze where Texas cattle
have grazed.

9. Generally, no ill effects are known to have followed the use
of the milk or flesh of the diseased sae: , though there are a very
few apparent exceptions to this.

10. The disease as seen in New York would seem to have been
of a more aggravated character than at the West.

11. The enlargement of the spleen is found in all cases a the
disease, and is perhaps the only easily detected change that is
found in all cases.

12. No cure for the disease has been found. Carbolic acid is
very valuable as a disinfectant, and as a preventive; but should
be used with caution.

With reference to the Cause of the disease, the official action of
the convention says nothing, and there was no settled uniformity
of opinion in relation to it. The subject was, however, discussed
at considerable length, and two prominent theories were presented,
concerning which certain facts seemed to be well established.
These two theories of the cause of the disease, may be called the
Spore theory, and the Tick theory.

With regard to the first or Spore theory, the investigations of the
New York Board of Health under the direction of Dr. Harris, and
those of Dr. Rauch, the able Sanitary Supe ae of Chicago,
established certain facts as follows:

In the blood of all native cattle sick with the Texas disease,

CONVENTION OF CATTLE COMMISSIONERS. 11

without exception, there were numerous microscopic spores, the
blood was disorganized, the corpuscles were broken down, and
largely diminished in quantity. The same spores were also found
in the gall and other secretions of the sick cattle. ‘These same
spores were also found, to some slight extent, in the blood of ap-
parently healthy Texas cattle; but never in the blood of healthy
native cattle. So much for established facts.

It was supposed that these spores were similar to those found
on certain plants in Texas, but this was not established. Dr.
Morris, of New York, in a series of very interesting experiments,
took the spores from the blood of diseased cattle and placing
them on certain substances, in certain conditions of heat and mois-
ture, succeeded in propagating them and even making them bear
fruit, which again produced the spores.

But these experiments did not establish the connection between
the spores, and the destruction of the blood corpuscles and the dis-
organization of the blood, in the ‘Texas Cattle Disease; nor did
they show whether the spores were the cause or the result of the
disease, and there is, apparently, as good reasons for believing the
one as the other.

The theory that the spores are the cause of the disease, supposes
that these spores are brought from Texas, in the blood of the Texas
cattle, that they escape in the excretions of these cattle, that they
are received, of course very few in number, into the systems of
native cattle, grazing on the same ground, and that when thus re-
ceived into the blood of the native cattle, they increase in quantity
by natural growth, with great rapidity, destroying the blood cor-
puscles, disorganizing the blood, and preducing this terribly fatal
disease. |

It might be difficult to explain why, the spores that are acknowl-
edged to exist in the blood of Texas cattle,do not increase and
produce disease in them as well as in the native cattle. According
to the usual laws of disease, we should expect that the Texas cat-
tle, debilitated and broken down by the terrible effects of their
transportation from ‘Texas, would suffer from the disease much
sooner, and much worse than the native cattie, in the full vigor of

12 PUBLIC DOCUMENT.

health, on their native soil.. But the facts are, that the Texas cat-
tle remain healthy, and yet communicate this terrible disease to the
native cattle who die from it by thousands. é

I think it must be admitted that farther investigation and more
experiments are necessary, before placing full faith in the theory
that the spores are the cause of the Texas Cattle Disease.

With regard to the second, or Tick theory of the cause of the dis-
ease, it seems to be established that all or nearly all the Texas
cattle, on their arrival in Illinois, were infested with ticks; that
the cattle which came from Texas by the river route, had many
more ticks than those which came by the land route; that these
ticks on reaching their full growth, fell off and perished, each tick
producing myriads of eggs ; that’when these eggs fell on the ground
it required a period of from six weeks to two months for them to
hatch ; and that at this time the small ticks were found in immense
numbers, covering every blade of grass and other vegetation where
the Texas cattle had been kept. |

The supposition of the supporters of the Tick theory is, that at
this time, when the vegetation is covered with these minute ticks,
the native cattle eat them in large numbers and are themselves
soon covered with them, and that by the internal and external ef -
fects of these myriads of ticks, the disease is produced.

In support of this theory it is said that the disease appeared in
all cases simultaneously with the appearance of the small ticks.
Many instances are given in which native catile were kept in the
same pastures with the Texas cattle, with no ill effects whatever
until the end of six weeks when the disease appeared. Portions
of the same lot of native cattle which were removed from the pas-
ture at different periods up to thirty days, all escaped the disease,
without exception. Other native cattle which were put into the
pasture with the Texas cattle previous to the end of six weeks,
became sick at the same time with those that had been in the pas-
ture all the time, namely when the small ticks appeared.

Other reasons in favor of the Tick theory of the cause of the
disease, may be given as follows:

CONVENTION OF CATTLE COMMISSIONERS. 13

1. The Texas cattle that are brought in crowded boats by the
river route, have infinitely more ticks, and also produce much more
disease among native cattle, than the Texas cattle that are driven
overland.

2. Native cattle do not take the disease from being driven over
dry roads where ‘Texas cattle have been driven, nor from transpor-
tation in cars where Texas cattle have been transported, nor from
being kept in cattle yards with Texas cattle; it is necessary that
they should graze where Texas cattle have grazed and some weeks
after the Texas cattle are placed in the pasture.

3. The disease, and the ticks, disappear when the weather be-
comes cold and frosts are seen, and the transportation of Texas
cattle and their mingling with native cattle are perfectly safe dur-
ing the winter season.

4. The tick theory explains how the Texas cattle, though appar-
ently well themselves, may give this terrible disease to native
cattle.

). Sucking calves do not eat grass, and very rarely have the dis-
ease though their mothers die with it.

6. The disease itself has more the characteristics of a disease
rusulting from animal than from vegetable poisoning.

So much for the Tick theory: If it be true, the question arises
why the ticks produce such terrible effects upon the native cattle,
and none whatever upon the ‘T’exas cattle in the same pastures.
It is also important to make the proot of the theory complete, to
show that eating the ticks will really produce these effects.

It is evident that further investigation is necessary before believ-
ing implicitly that the ticks are the cause of the disease, though it
must be confessed that so far as we can judge, from our present
information, the tick theory gives a more reasonable explanation
of the facts than the spore theory.

If the ticks are the real cause of the disease, its prevention will
be comparatively easy. It will only be necessary to prohibit the
transportation of cattle from Texas, during the hot weather, and
this happens to be the measure which the delegates to the con-

14 PUBLIC DOCUMENT.

vention generally believed would be sufficient to prevent the dis-
ease, and the measure which was officially recommended by the
convention.

If the ticks are the cause of the disease, it is probable that the free
use of dilute carbolic acid, about the cattle yards, in the cattle
cars, and upon the cattle, would destroy the ticks, and entirely pre-
vent the disease. ‘The experiment is certainly worth a trial.

If the ticks are the true cause of the disease, we are not called
upon to believe the most absurd doctrine, that cattle suffering from
abuse and privation, and weakened by hunger and thirst will com-
municate a@ malignant epizootic typhus to fat, healthy cattle, in
their native pastures, while the debilitated and suffering cattle es-
cape the disease entirely.

If the ticks are the cause of the disease, the disease itself is the
result of an animal poison, and is not an epizodtic disease which
is liable to spread through the country, and become acclimated at
the North. )

It is certainly important to the whole country, that the true
cause and nature of the Texas Cattle Disease should be speedily
determined beyond all controversy, and it is to be hoped that the

investigations already proposed and commenced will accomplish
this object.

Respectfully submitted,
EDWIN M. SNOW, M. D.,

| Delegate from Rhode Island.
Providence, March 2, 1869.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS