98 On the Effects of Fumigatmjjs 



period, there have been only four cases of putrid fever m 

 the prison ; a striking difference, when we consider the mor- 

 tality frorn epidemies in the preceding years. 



V. Letter from M. Guyton de Morveau upon the 

 Effects of Fumigations in Epidemies of Cattle^ and for 

 the Destruction of putrid Miasmata *. 



14th of April, 1807. 



X HE communication of M. Hedouin has induced me 

 to think that it would be interestirig to publish an account 

 of the advantages resulting from the employment of my 

 anti-contagious process on other occasions. I am extremely 

 sorry to observe, however, that in spite of the solicitation 

 of the government, this method is not generally known or 

 practised j for in the Journal de Paris of the 1 7th instant, we 

 find that a contagious- disease appeared in the prisons of 

 Dreux, and that all the judges of the tribunal of criminal 

 justice had been seized with it and died. 



The following two facts I have received from undoubted 

 authority : 



1. About the end of last autumn, the rot made its ap- 

 pearance in some parishes in the department of Loire and 

 Cher. Madame de P., the proprietor of two flocks of Merino 

 sheep, ordered fumigations of oxy-muratic acid to be made 

 in the folds and stables : at first in open vessels, by pouring 

 sulphuric acid upon the mixture of sea-salt and oxide of 

 manganese ; and afterwards, by means of the large apparatus. 

 The success of this induced her to intimate throughout the 

 parish, that she would lend the apparatus to those wlio had 

 diseased sheep. A farmer in the same commune had al- 

 ready lost several sheep, and he applied the preservative. 

 He opened the apparatus twice a-day, for three minutes at 

 each time, according to the instructions he had received. 

 The rot became mild ; one half of the flock were not affect- 

 ed with it, and he did not lose a single sheep. 



* AnTu de Chimitf torn. liu. p. 119. 



Two 



