Newspapers / The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, … / Jan. 25, 1909, edition 1 / Page 6
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.1' 51 7! S V t r- - - I j ' RECENTLY the United State autbort tles were called upon to combat and defeat aphthous fever, the deadly and dreaded scourge of the cattle ranges and yards. All the tremendous re sources of the national government were exerted to cut off In detail the mysterious force of this unseen, yet remorseless enemy of our greatest single source of national wealth: for no other kind of pro duction equals In value the output of our lire stock Industry, Including ns It does, over a dozen Important branches cf sub and by-products, any one of them Involv ing a trade mounting far up In the tens of millions. The live stock trade of the United States In a single year runs close to a billion of dollars and when all this ban been devoured there yet remains an In rested capital of over a billion more in the form of actual live stock or products evolved from' the varied and various branches of Industry, primarily depend ing on cloven foot animals. In this class are Included cattle, sheep and bogs, for each and every variety of animal that walks 00 a cleft or divided hoof is sub ject to the dread foot and ; moutU dis ease. Ttto Outbreaks Last Tear. In 1908 but two important outbreaks of foot and mouth disease (as aphthous fever Is called In the vernacular) were chroni cled In the United States. The first was In the Middle West and caused cnly local disaster and was promptly stamped out by sudden extermination of the cattle in volved. The second attack occurred in the Middle Atlantic States and led to an embargo of exporting cattle from two great seaports and the destruction of thousands of dollars worth of stock. In both cases the United States authorities took Immediate charge of the situation and the national treasury was called upon 'to pay the owners, the value of the cattle Infested and destroyed. Before detailing the appearance of this dread cattle disease which causes a con stant standing expense nmonntlrg to sev eral millions annually, the origin of this epidemic is especially interesting. The first outbreaks of foot and mouth disease were simply termed epizootics by farmers hundreds of years back, and the disease, like every other known scourge but two. originated in the crowded sections of Cen tral Asia. 1 -v. v-- r ' "AMERICA'S trade and political ln M terests in the Orient are likely to J show most markedly for many years to come the Impress of the influ ence of the special mission, which has been discharged without undue fuss or feathers by the Special Imperial Chinese Embassy, which has just visited the. United States. Owing to the recent spec-' tacnlar governmental "shake-up" at Pe king, that put a new band at the helm of foreign affairs in China, the members of the Special Embassy shortened some what their stay In the New World. How ever, It was only the Social program, that originally contemplated, elaborate entertaining, that was curtailed. The official mission of the visitors extraordi nary was discharged Just as originally planned. The orientals who have recently been the republic's temporary guests comprise the most distinguished body of high offi cials of the Chinese Empire that has ever visited this continent. Indeed, it is as serted that these ceremonial callers from the Far East constitute the most exalted group of dignitaries that has ever trav eled beyond tbe confines of the Celestial Ell D lie OO IDT mission. The HtllnMnn bestowed upon the Chinese celebrities by Yankee officials will be equaled, if not exceeded, by the courtesies extended' to them In the leading capitals of Eu rope, whither these distinguished globe-trotters are now bound, en route home vis Siberia. WbSle the Chinese delegation Is incidental ly making calls at the principal Europeau seats of government the primary object and function of tbe organization Is as a special embassy to the United States; as is. ylndeed. indicated by the circum stance that its American obligation was discharged firsC At the head of the mission is Bis Excellency Tang Shao Yi. one of the foremost politicians of China. nd with him as first secxeUrv. subordi. nate to him in rank, but tversbAdowlng J utM, is mace xsai X?. a mem - ' Tr ly- -j- fJl I IIwaA'?-J ...... f V ....- " ....v, ......... V.v .......II TMS- 1:3 lull I Human Beluga Can Be Cattle plagues were Just as frequent in the Middle Ages as those frightful epi demics of diseases among men that frequently swept the entire known globe, starting In far Eastern Asia among the crowded hordes of the --ougo-Han steppe and swinging from nation to nation until it. died out in the Arctic regions not from the cold but merely from lack of more material to creep upon. The foot and mouth disease, known likewise as aphthous fever, epizootic aph tha, infectious aphtha, eczema epizootic. Is, so far as science today is concerned, a closed book, both as to specific germ or bacillus which causes the scourge and the cause or cure thereof. Science Can Do Little. All that modern science can actually do even to this day against foot and mouth disease Is a primitive and brutal extermi nation of the victims of the fever lefore other creatures have become Infected by Loeffler. a celebrated scientist of Ger many, and today perhaps the man most experienced In combating foot and mouth disease, tried inoculating healthy cattle with iujectlons of Infected material and produced Immunity in a great majority of bis cases, but the animals thus treated are sources of contagion during their Ill ness and actually this Inoculation would m if mm 1 rr nf ) XL if ber of the royal family of China. While these two men are the bright particular stars of tbe Special Embassy that has Just formally said "good-by," there are in its roster numerous other distinguished Chinamen, any one of whom would be worthy of more than passing prominence had he visited this country as a private personage. To particularize, there are 11 secretaries, all men of distinction; Dr. Hsalo Chi Nan, who Is attached to tbe embassy as medical attache, and Capt. Hsu Shin Yang, of the Imperial Chinese Army, who is the military representa tive with the party. In addition, there are under-secretarles, subordinates and servants, so that the Special Ambassa dor's retinue dnrlng his stay In this coun try numbered more than 50. persons. The primary and avowed object of the visit of this Special Embassy to the United States was to officially thank President Roosevelt and the Congress of the United States for the magnanimous action of the republic in releasing China from paying a large , portion of the In demnity awarded to the United States because of losses suffered and expense incurred as a result of the Boxer upris ing of almost 10 years ago. This country did not waive all obligations in the mat ter, as has sometimes been stated, but by action of Congress it did remit about $11,000,000 of the indemnity. The action takeucontemplates the maturity in 1940, as originally proposed, of the bonds is sued to satisfy the American claims, but reduces the yearly payments, of which CLIna has already sent to this country upward of $9,000,000 in principal and In terest. In formal acknowledgment of China's sense of obligation, the Special Ambassa dor at his first audience at the White House: preseuted to President Roosevelt a letter from the late Emperor of China, In which that ruler commended the Chief Executive for his magnanimity in taklmr the Initiative in the matter and-praised Congress for its proof of friendliness in adopting the President's recommenda tions. As tangible evMcnce oi the gratt- merely spread the disease and serve to Intrench It more firmly in infected dis tricts. Root and branch, foot and mouth as It were, nil cattle In these United States once Infected, and Indeed, when clearly subjected to Infection are slaughtered with no attempt to cure or alleviate. In Germany, however, the disease has been endemic for 30 years and has cost the empire a hundred millions of dollars, enough money to duplicate Emperor WI1 helm's cherished and .vaunted war navy. In Germany the disease is so widespread that slaughtering the animals would ruin the farmers of the nation, so that vaccin ation, which is what LosfiQer's inoculation process practically amounts to, has been tried with fairly good results. While such a dangerous foe to cattle, sheep, goats, hogs and every other ani mal that treads on cloven foot, the mor tality of aphthous fever Is not as high as with some other diseases. It runs from ten per cent, as the' usual figure, to as high as 50 per cent, where reinfection has occurred; for one attack of foot and month disease does not confer immunity on the suilerer from later attacks of in 'It 81 tude of China's ruling powers, the Spe-J cial Ambassador brought numerous gifts. The collection of thousands of rare and valuable Chinese books which constituted the present to President Roosevelt, the latter has turned over to the Library of Congress. In addition there were pre-" sented tb Mrs. Roosevelt costly silks, sables and probably the most magnificent tiger skin rug In existence, whereas the late Empress of China sent to tbe Presi dent's daughter, Mrs. Alice Roosevelt Longworth, a superb jeweled bracelet. There is little doubt now that the of ficial and ostensible mission of Tang Shao Yl and his asssolates was but intro ductory to a confidential errand -of over shadowing significance namely, the ex tension of a more or less veiled Invitation for the United States to Join bands across the sea- with China , in an alliance that would. If consummated, prove, a seven day, ..wonder , la InternatlonalV political 7 the fever. In Germany, In 1890, there were of known cases actually located and identi fied so as to enter into the statistics of the empire 431,235 cattle, 230,860 sheep and goats and 153,808 hogs. During this year the foot and mouth disease was rampant In France, Italy, Belgium, Austria-Hungary, Switzerland. Roumanla and Bulgaria. In 1883 in England alone, the losses from cattle Infected with aphthous fever ran as high as $5,000,000 and com pared tos-nited States. England pro duces so little cattle 'as to be not worth the comparison from a financial view point. Germ Cannot Be Cnusrht. The germ of the plague has been sought by many scientists and in every known manner. Numerous attempts have been made to cultivate the germ and stain it, so as to get a suitable culture for the microscope. Careful experiment has demon strated that the bacillus will pass easily through all the standard germproof filters aud even through some which, at enor mous expense, were especially Invent ed to catch and Isolate the tiny and slip circles. ! There is reason to believe that in this part of their mission the Chinese visitors were but partially successful. While he officials of the State Depart ment have made no public announcement on the subject, it is suspected- that they, delicately conveyed to the visitors the information that, whereas' the United States Is desirous of seeing the territorial Integrity of China preserved, the people of the republic woold scarcely" counte nance an open offensive and defensive al liance ' between the two nations. More over, the conclusion of the recent agree ment between the United States and Japan looking to the maintenance of the such-sought "open door" to the invalu able trade marts of the far-East rather forestalled the necessity "for any definite understanding with China. For all that Uncle Sam has not, locked arms with the mighty Mongolian, there is no doubt but that Tang Shao Yi, in his recent visit, has paved the way for a bettor enderstanding between the two powers. Certainly there could have been no choice of a Celestial statesman better " qualified for this difficult task. Taug Shao Yi is probably the foremost leader of the pregressive element in China and Is accounted the ablest representative of his race who has undertaken interna tional . negotiations since the days of Li Hung Chang. Moreover he speaks Eng lish fluently, having been educated in the United States. Tang was. one of the first groups of Chinese boys to be brought to this-country by Yung Wing la order that (K03 pery germ of aphthous fever. Its size must be indefinitely minute. It Is a 11U1 pntlan even among a class that can hang by the billion in a drop of fluid on the point of a needle. Infected. While human beings do not get the dis ease from eating the meat of animals suffering from foot and mouth disease, they readily take infection from the milk. Unboiled milk will invariably convey the K disease to human beings and especially 'Ko children. Regions where the fever prevails habitually show thousands of cases, especially in children, who nat urally are greater milk drinkers than adults. There is In human beings a high fever and Intense pain and difficulty In swallowing. Within two days the patient breaks out with blisters in the mouth and on the fingers. These sometimes cause dangerous ulcers, but death rarely comes to the human being from aphthous fever. In fact, this disease follows up the findings Jfi modern pathology, which has demonstrated that the human animal is best fitted to fight any and every germ of disease known to medicine. The vast majority of diseases common to both man and the brutes find a far readier prey in the lower animal. Government Worki Swiftly. The work of the government, once the dread foot and mouth disease has been, reported from any district, Is swift and relentless. An advance guard from the veterinary department hastens to look the suspects over and make a path ological test ns to the true nature of the trouble. If the verdict is in the affirma tive the national government immediately promulgates a quarantine order that shuts up the suspected territory in a net through which no means of contagion can escape. This Is followed np by the speedy ar rival of men who, after killing the in fected animals, sweep the stables, feed ftSS:3 mm saw:::: 5 they might be educated, and he spent eight years here, attending educational institutions in New England and also Columbia University. The concluding period of his sfay in the United. States the special Ambassador devoted to visits to those localities in New England ren dered dear to him by boyhood memories. Fo jr of his nephews are now living at Springfield, Mass., in the same house and with the same people who were so kind to Tang Shao Yi In his youth. Not only, has Special Ambassador Tang, who is now in his forty-sixth year, been for some time past closely In the confi dence of tneroyal family of China, but he has accomplished much on his own initiative. It was he who first suggested to the late Empress Dowager the wisdom of a modification in the form of govern ment of China and his memorial to tbe throne' petitioning for a constitution and a parliament made him at once the leader of the reform , movement in tbe empire. Likewise is he the most -conspicuous advocate of the new policy of "China, for the Chinese," meaning the carrying out of governmental, 'commer cial and industrial development by the Chinese themselves instead of by for eigners, as has Deen the case to such an extent in the past. Only recently Tang Shao Yi performed a most important diplomatic mission in primitive Thibet which resulted in the British govern ment recognizing ' tbe authority of . the Chinese - Emperor over Thibet and In the ( 1 irLzasriS? &y5-czzc&Ss ing places and even suspected meadows with disinfectants. Into streams, thought capable of having been Infected, for maldehyde is poured and not a vestige Is left unburned of the hay, oats, corn or any other food which could possibly have been muzzled' over by the diseased animals. No especial hardship is worked by this slaughtering of Infected animals and -the stern destruction of every possible source of contagion. The national government has sensibly and Justly taken the stand that what the constituted authorities de cide must be destroyed for the common good of the nation should be paid for out of the common funds. So the disconso late farmer, or stock herder whose valu able animals have . fallen a prey to aphthous fever is not only protected from future Infection, btt is promptly paid a fair market price for the animals de stroyed. ' Difficulties Are Tremendous. Tremendous difficulty Is Bometlmes en countered in getting the diseased ani mals into such quarters that they can be killed. Even greater difficulty has been experienced In getting sufficient labor to excavate the vast graves which must be dug deep to hold the carcases of the slaughtered animals and to put an effect ive layer of earth between the living and the Infection that can so swiftly be- ab sorbed from the dead. It is only In rare cases in this country that ,the disease progresses to & stage where the animals froth at the mouth. Usually a high fever, sometimes as much as 106 degrees, has been encountered in foot and mouth disease, but where the deadly inflammation of the germ has reached this extreme high point recovery is out of the question, owin? to serious chemical changes In the blood, among them a vicious tendency to coagulation. The final thought in the pathological search after he germ and the nature of aphthous fever Is that the bacillus must be some inflnitesimally minute vegetable parasite which defies the ordinary tests for germs like those of consumption, ty phoid fever, etc. Its minuteness Is prob ably the cause of the tremendous ease with which the disease can spread Itself. Nothing known to medical science Is so easy of propagation as foot and mouth disease. Carried Inside Doctor's Hair. It can be carried on the insides of ill! Grand Llama bowing to Chinese author ity. Perhaps the most notable of Tang's achievements In recent years was the restoration of order and the revival of industry in the province of Mukden,, of which he was made governor last year and which he found prostrate from the ravages of the, Russo-Japanese War, but the really monumental work. of his career is to be found in the reform of the Chinese currency which he has under taken with determination. What it means to revolutionize the complicated money system of a nation of 400,000,000 people is. beyond (he comprehension of any American, but suffice to- say that the monetary system of China has here tofore been the prize puzzle of the world one that has baffled even the Chinese themselves and If Tang brings older out of chaos, as he seems likely to do, for the establishment of a new sil ver coinage is already In sight, be will have earned the gratitude of all travelers and the trade interests of tbe world. Fi nally, Tang, ever since his return to China , from his school America has been preaching against and nur.jug ugainrc tne opium evil and by reason of the influential positions he has held he has heen able to do much toward ridding his country of its greatest curse. In marked contrast to Special Ambas sador Tang, tall, grave and scholarly. Is the other "headliner" of the special em bassy. Prince Tsal Fu. youthful in years and In appearance. This royal visitor, who not long since passed his majority. Is the sou-of His Highness Prince Ching, the foremost statesman of China. Prince Tsal Fu. who is, according to oriental standards, more than ordinarily goixl looking, is, -when, arrayed In the gorgeous silks and satins of his court robes and bedecked with Jeweled decorations, a vi the very clothing of the attendant (Q. ployed to exterminate it, so that In cent epidemics the physicians and all n. tendants have been compelled to went big waterproof cloaks and have them, selves sponged off In formaldehyde t prevent carrying the disease to healthy herds under their Inspection. It M, linger in a farmer's beard or In hit long hair for weeks and can cross th ocean in. a diseased bide, torn montbi before off the steer which died sick K foot and mouth disease. So that combating this, the smallest of all germs which has apparently thi greatest ease for transporting Itself nuii its deadly activity uninjured, medics! science confronts a task of tremendous difficulty. Herds In good shape, appor. ently, with no signs of illness, sppedllf become ill-natured, drop off In their feed ing and die from what the average fang, er and cattleman Is disposed to tew "distemper." Cattle are subject to many ulcers ood foot diseases that closely resomMe foot and mouth disease, and it Is highly diflj. cult for any layman, however experienced as a cattleman, to diagnose aphthous fever. It is only after a certain amount of leeway has been obtained by the epi demic that suspicion is aroused. Dot m much by the nature and symptoms ai the tremendous and, rapid Increase of the fever. Thus the fever always obtains i big start and this more than any other feature of Its course In the United States demands the stern weapon of complete extermination. It is war to the knife, bitter, bloody and unrelenting; that the scientists of lo de Sam most wage on the scourge of the cattle yards, for there is at stake our enormously profitable and proud position as not only the world's granary, hut nlso the supplier of the roast beef of old Eng land and the meat stuffs depended on b; half a dozen other nations. The cost of the battle runs Into mil lions but the stake counts np far above a billion of dollars. So far science has kept the upper band, but It would onlr take one serious mistake, only n slight exercise of hesitation and indecision to prevent this dread disease from lurndln the vast herds that roam the cattle ranges of the United States. In this case eternal vigilance is the one and only hope of safety. ::::::-:-:-:-:-::'::::x:-:-w5s4. Ilk ll. sion of splendor. If he but spoke EnRlI with a little greater facility, he mlgH hrive proven a "lion" Among title-lovM American girls. Ambassador Tang's "right-hand nrnn In the Special Embassy is Mr. Yung KwJ who might almoBt be termed an Amen canized Chinaman, for all that he contin ues to occupy a prominent place In diplomatic service of his government Mf Kwai. who was educated in this country and has an American wife, was for man .years first secretary of the Chinese Lega tion at Washington, and. Indeed, return to his native land less than a year ago- It was the original intention th China's special ambassador and bis cult should entertain lavishly during thef stay In America, and to that end there was leased one of the most notable mn slons in Washington. However, nil tbe plans had to be abandoned as the result of the deaths of the Emperor and Em press Dowager, which dvecurred while jD Special Embassy was crossing the ' cific. . In consequence, all the cbl';'j visitors were thrown into tbe n'1" official mourning of their race a mourn ing so strict that they could n0". eyen attend President Roosevelt's e Van, Miuinttnn Trxtiwut fMa nrfPIltSl etl' quette which prohibited them from m' lug or receiving cajs was given as tu main reason for the sudden terinluntw" of the visit of tbe Special Embassy. had been planped to remain in Anient until after the Inauguration of rrcsldeDi- 'elect Taft, dispensing bounteous hospi tality all the while, but with a veto un expectedly placed, on the social PrSra?! and with the official functions of tne -mission fully discharged, It was decW" that the delegation should cut 0TJ visit." WALDON FAWCETT- The school-garden Idea has Deen markably. developed In San Aniou Tex., which is said to have more g"J other place of its size in the l ' ti There nre 949 of these cultivated P'0' 'attached to the 29 schools, the Kare ; varying from one-tenth to one-quart" an acre. -
The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Jan. 25, 1909, edition 1
6
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