Cornell University Library SF 959.D6W72 Maladie du coit:papers concerning an out 3 1924 000 264 675 CORNE LL UNIV ERSITY FOUNDED BY ROSWELL P. FLOWER for the use of the N. Y. STATE Veterinary College 1897 J Walter L.Williams and John Oasewell .MALADIE DU COIT : Papers concerning an oufbreak^noticed by Dr. Williams in 1886, extracted from the annual reports of the Board of Livestock Commissioners for the state of Illinois for the years 1887-1888. Springfield, 111 . , 1889 . The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924000264675 CONTENTS General report of the board p. 1-3 1st report "by the State Veterinarian. . .p. 4-7 3d report hy the State Veterinarian. . .p. 8-11 AMUAL REPORT OF THE BOARD OF LIVE STOCK OOMnSSIOKERS FOR THE STAEE OF ILLINOIS For the Fiscal Year Ending October 31, A. D. 1887. Springfield, 111. 1889 Page 34 ~ MALADIE DU COIT As early as May 1, 1886, Br. W. L. Williams, Assistant State Veterinarian of Bloomington, reported to the Board the existence, in DeWitt eotmty, of a contagious venereal disease among stallions and mares Icnown in veterinary literature as Maladie du Coit. In this letter he stated thet he knew of an imported Pereheron stallion being affected with the disease, and five or six mares also affected that had been served by that horse in the fall of 1885. The nature of the disease was not then Icnown to the Board, and the report of the Veterinary Surgeon received but little notice at our hands. The subsequent outbreak of con- tagious pi euro -pneumonia in Cook county absorbed out entire attention, so that but little tho-ught was given to this dis- ease. Dr. Williams from time to time notified us of the sprSad of the disease, and \irged that some action should be taken by us to stop the spread and extirpate the disease. Maladie du Coit - 2 In Marcli, 1887, Dr. Williams wrote a very pressing letter, setting forth the fact that IE or 15 stallions and EOO or 300 i.-r mares were affected with the disease or had been badly exposed, and that many mares had died from the disease. He urged that some steps should he taken by the Board to arrest the ravages of the disease. In May, 1887, a member of the Board, with Dr. Oasewell, State Veterinarian, went to DeWitt county and exam- ihed the affected animals, and soon after, at the suggestion of the Board, a public meeting was held by the horse owners of DeWitt county, at the Court House in Clinton. Committees were appointed in each township to look up the diseased and exposed animals, make lists of the same, and report same to^he Board, which was done, when all the diseased and exposed horses and mares were placed under quarantine, and those now living are still so quarantined. The Board determihed that they should kill all horses and mares affected where they could agree with the owner as to compensation for the same, and on October EO, killed for Har- rold & Culbertson, Wa|»ella, six stallions, five imported, and one high grade Percheron stallion, for which the owners received flOO each, and on ihe same day two mares and one mule belonging to the same parties were killed, on a valuation of $E0 each. On October El, "two imported Percheron stallions belonging to Faiey & Seniff , which were diseased, were slaughtered on a valuation of flOO each and four mares belonging to different MalacLie du Co it - 3 parties at f£0 each. Three diseased stallions, and 220 diseased and exposed,.. mares are still tinder quarantine, and same will be maintained •until the diseased animals die or are killed, and the exposed ma±?es are considered to have not contracted and will not de- velop the disease. A full report of this disease by Dr. W. L. Williams will be found in the appendix, and a careful perusal of the same is recommended to all interested in the rearing of horses. AMUAL REPORT OF THE BOARD OF LIVE STOCK COmCCSSIOWERS FOR THE STATE OF ILIIUOIS FOR THE FISCAI YEAR EEDING OCTOBER 31, A. D. 1887 Springfield, 111. 1889 Page 83 — INVESTIGATED BY THE STATE VETERINARIAN Chicago, Illinois, July 5, 1887. SBo the State Board of live Steele Commissioners ; GENTIiEMEN — In compliance with telegraphic instructions from Mr, Wilson, I left Chicago Jtme 8, 1887, for the purpose of accompanying Mr. "''ilson and Dr. V/illiams in an investigation of a disease among stallions and brood mares in De^Yitt county. On arriving at Bloomington, found Dr. Williams, who showed me three stallions which he had in his hospital tmder treatment, the property of Harrold & CullDertson, of Wapella, DeWitt county. All of them had more or less swelling of the testicles and pre- puce inguinal gland slightly enlarged, and one showed a scar where the gladd had suppurated; one had a dirty, brownish dis- charge from the urethra, the external opening of which was slightly swollen and inflamed. The hair of all three had a lus- treless dry appearance. Aside from above symptoms they all seemed in fair health. Dr. Williams and I then left for Clinton. On arriving there, we first examined two stallions under treatment by Dr. Moran, one the property of Fol]ey & Seniff , and the other owned by Harrold & Culbertson; found hind limbs, testiirles and Maladie du Coit - Investigeted - 2 prepuce of both considerably swollen, submaxillary glands indu- rated; partially paralized in both hind limbs; dry, harsh, star- ing coat; itchiness in the skin. One was discharging considera- bly from the urethra a thin, transparent fluid, with small floc- culi of lymph floating in the discharge; inguinal glands enlarged. One of these stallions had almost lost the power of neighing, and both were quite emaciated. 7,'e then examined three stallions belonging to Mr. Fischer, of Clinton; found one with swollen tes- ticles and prepuce; urethral opening slightly swollen, and super- ior part of external opening had a chancrous appearance. Dr. Williams considered the other two suspicious, but their symptoms were not as plainly developed at this time. We then went to James Sommerville's farm and examined three mares; found one in a deplorable conditional emaciated, dry, harsh, staring coat, hidtebound, moved with uncertain gait from partial paralysis of hind limbs; vulva showed marks of old chancres; lining membrane of vagina of a yellowish tinge and furrowed, clitoris swollen and exposed. The other two mares, although suspicieus, did not show decided symptoms. We next went to J. S. Mills' farm and exam- ined a chestnut mare. This was evidently a newer case than some af the other cases we had examined; vulva slightly swollen, oapious discharge from vSgina of a sticky character and dirty white color, which matted the hairs of tail together, lining membrane of vagina inflamed and almost purple in color, very weak in hind limbs and walks with \mcertain gait. Next examined Maladie du Coit - Investigated - 3 three stallions owned by C. C. Culbertson; fo-ond two diseased, both emaciated, prepuce and testicles swollen, hind limbs of one very much enlarged and rsw in several places, hair dry and star- ing, skin showed evidence of itchiness, bith partially paralyzed in hind limbs, drag toes on the ground when made to move. \'Ie then went to W. C. Curtis' farm, and first examined a mare that was running at pasture, but could find mo positive evidence of disease. On our way to Mr. Curtis' house we noticed a bay filly, the property of J, A. Mtchell, that was running with a lot of other young animals, acting peculiarly} had her caught and examined her; fOTind vulva much swollen, copious discharge from vagina of a brownish color, which had considerably soiled the tail and quarters, several ulcerations on vulva, which we could not examine very closely on account of animal being wild, off hind limb partially paralyzed. We next examined a gray stallion owned by Mr. Carle; found him breathing with difficulty from thickening of the liniig^ membrane of nostrils, considerable dis- charge from both nostrils; on auscultating chest, found consider- able itchiness in skin, penis pendulous but free from swelling, walks with uncertain gatt from partial paralysis of hind limbs. We examined a mare that was brought into Clinton by a farmer, but found that she was not suffering with lay contagious disease, so did not take owner's name. After carefully eamparing the symptoms" shown by these ani- mals with the symptoms described bji some of tjie leading European MalacLie du Coit - Investigatted - 4 writers, I am satisfied tliat the disease under consideration is the true Maladie du Coit, a contagious venereal disease that has been Icnown in Europe since 1796, modified somewhat perhaps by climatic influences, as it is evidently not of such a severe type in this country as it usually appears to he in European states, although it did occasionally assume a mild form in those countries. Respectfully, John Gas ewe 11, State Y^^feerinarian ANNUAI REPORT OF THE BOARD OF EEVE STOCK COMMISSIOltERS FOR THE STi.TE OF IlilHOIS For the Fiscal Year Ending October 31 , A. D. 1888 Sprinifefield, 111. 1889 Page E9 — Maladie Da Coit At the time of writing our lait report, all the mares and stallions that a thorough investigation led us to believe were diseased with maladie du coit , or ifenereal disease among horses, or exposed thereto, had been placed in quarantine, and with the exception of four diseased stallions, all the stallions affected had been destroyed. Of these four affected stallions remaining, one was appraised and slaughtered by the owner, one was castrated, one died, according to the owner, from the effects of medicine with which he was dosing him, and the other still lives in clese quarantine. Of the diseased mares then in quarantine, nine have been appraised and slaughtered. Most of the exposed animals have been inspected during the spring and summer, some of them more than once, but none of the exposures, not pronounced at some time diseased, have, so far as inspection can show, developed the disease. So little, however, was kmown of the disease in this country, that the Board did not deem it safe to release from quarantine any of these mares, during the past year, and in fact but little objection was made by the owners to the policy pursued. There were those who desired to Maladie du ooit - 2 breed their marea, and in cases where the mares passed inspec- tion without showing any suspicious symptoms whatever, a per- mit to breed those mares that were exposed to the disease last in 1886 was granted, after certain requirements were complied with by the owner. In such oases, the owner was required to make an affidavit giving the history of the mare^s breeding in the years 1885, 1886 and 1887, and that to his knowledge she had at no time shown any symptoms leading him to suspect her to be affected with this disease. If this history was satisfactory, on the recommendation of Dr. W, I, Williams, the Assistant State Veterinarian, most familiar with the disease, the Secre- tary issued a permit to breed the mare in De V/itt county, one of the conditions being that the owner should repout to the Secretary the date of such breeding and the name of the owner of the stallion. Under this permit the ovmer could not dispos* of the mare without violating the quarantine, and the danger to be apprehended from a possible outbreak was exceedingly small. We did not feel like gging thus far with the mares last exposed to the disease in 1887, so a different plan was adopted, after much discussion upon the subject among the owners interested. Samuel Rainey, of Lane, DeWitt county, purchased a stallion which was placed in a^iarantine and not allowed to serve any mares, excepting those of the exposure. of 1887, coming with a permit, and a permit was issued, similar to that used in the cases of the 1886 exposures, successfully, to owners of mareS of the Maladie du colt - 3 exposure of 1887, after same had passed a rigid inspection al- ^.owing these mares to be bred to the Rainey stallion. This stallion is to be castrated before being released from quaran- tine. Under these arrangments 24 mares of the exposure of 1886 and 38 of the exposure of 1887 were permitted to breed, and so far no bad results have come to our knowledge from the experiment. There has been but one new outbreak of the disease since last Eeport - a stallion ptirchased by Meholas Foley for use among his own mares. By some means - it is claimed without the knowledge of the owner - a diseased quarantine mare was allowed to go to the stallion, and in a short time he developed the dis- ease and was slaughtered by order of the Board. Only one mare is know to have taken the disease from this stallion, a two- year-pld filly belonging to Foley, which was also placed in q^uarantine. Following is a statement of the animals slaughtered; EAMDIE-DU-GOIT SLAUGHTER RECORD. Jacob Zeigler, one stallion $100.00 Aaron I. Bairum, one mare 40. 00 Alfred Wilson, one mare £0.00 Jas. B. Green, one mare EO.OO John Ear rold, two mares 40.00 Thomas Harp , one mare 25 . 00 James Somerville , one mare 25 . 00 Levi Troxel , one mare 20. 00 R. C. Spencer, one mare 20.00 Meholas Foley, one stallion ^5.00 Total $325.00 Maliidie du oiblt - 4 There are at present remaining, 18 mares diseased, and one stallion, wMle there are six mares that are sufficiently sus- picious to warrant holding them in permanent quarantine. The diseased mares will he held in ahs&lute quarantine until slaughtered. The exposed mares that have never shown any symptoms of the disease, will "be Released from quarantine aa soon as we deem it safe to do so.