Sanitary Inspectors of First Class.

Report on Infectious Diseases of

Animals.

BY A. CLARK HUNT, STATE MEDICAL INSPECTOR.

To the Board of Health of the State of New Jersey:

Two additional In one instance measures were The occurrence

GENTLEMEN-During the year ending October 31st, 1907, no cases of anthrax have been reported. On February 11th, 1907, five cases of equine mange were reported in Hopewell township, Mercer county, and February 14th, 1907, five cases of the disease were reported as existing in Califon, Hunterdon county. The animals were examined by veterinarians and appropriate remedies suggested. The local boards of health in the townships in which the disease occurred supervised and enforced effective quarantine. There was no spread of the disease from the premises upon which it originally appeared. cases of mange were reported as existing in Hudson county. the affected animal was destroyed and in another appropriate adopted to prevent well animals from contracting the disease. of scabies in horses in Atlantic City last year, and again in widely separate. portions of the State this year, would indicate that owners of horses should use special care to detect the disease at the earliest moment so that it may not be conveyed to other animals, and when any animal indicates by rubbing against immovable objects that there is some irritation of the skin the advice of a veterinarian should at once be sought. Two cases of rabies were reported, one occurring in Salem county and the other in Jersey City. A report was received of a case of anthrax in the person of a man. The history of the case proved that the person who contracted the disease was employed as a freight handler. and in this capacity the hides of animals had passed through his hands. Undoubtedly some of the hides were infected with the bacillus anthracis.

The total number of cases of glanders which have been reported during the year is 108, as compared with 147 reported during the previous year. Five cases which were not included in the summary of the year ending October 31st, 1906, were also reported. Sixteen horses were destroyed in Bergen county, and there is reason to believe that the animals had contracted glanders. These cases were not reported. Examination of the summary for the present year shows that over 80 per cent. of the cases of glanders which were reported occurred in Bergen, Passaic, Essex, Hudson and Burlington counties. These counties are located near the cities of New York and Philadelphia, and the cases are often traceable originally to animals purchased in these cities. Of this number thirty-eight cases occurred in Newark and eleven in Jersey City. Of the total cases reported forty-six occurred in Essex county, twenty-eight in Hudson county and eleven in Burlington county, the remaining cases being distributed over various parts of the State.

Nov.

Cases of mange reported.

12

The following is a list of the cases of glanders which have occurred in New Jersey during the year ending October 31st, 1907:

Name of sanitary district.

Newark

Date and number
of cases reported.

1, 1906, 1...D. D. Chandler, H.O..

66