ON FEVERS AMONGST HORSES, CATTLE, ETC. 257 



actively occupied in the purchase and sale of diseased meat, 

 whom present laws seem inadequate to restrain." 



Professor Sinionds* has witnessed death in pigs and dogs from 

 eating the hlood, entrails, and offal, of animals dying from 

 splenic apoplexy. 



Professor Gamgeei* gives the particulars of an outbreak of 

 anthrax disease in a bull, following which four pigs died from 

 eating the entrails, two dogs suffered violently but recovered, 

 and a man who slaughtered the bull contracted the disease by 

 inoculation through a wound on his hand, and, as supported by 

 the testimony of the surgeon who attended the case, died in 

 consequence. In East Lothian a bullock was seized with the 

 disease, slaughterefl, and the carcase sent in a basket to market. 

 The entrails had been given to pigs, which were taken ill, and 

 several died. Mr Ceely, in the paper referred to, states that the 

 disease appeared in Derbyshire, and a dog and some ferrets died 

 after eating the ofial. In Northamptonshire some pigs died 

 after eating the spleen of a diseased ox, and thirteen others 

 suffered severely after eating the offal. Some of these died, but 

 others were slaughtered, and their carcases sent to London. 



With regard to the safety in using the flesh of animals 

 slaughtered when suffering from the disease, it depends upon 

 certain circumstances : First, The animals should be slaughtered 

 early, before the blood has become largely extravasated, so that 

 the bodies may be drained as thoroughly as possible. The 

 retention of blood within the carcase hastens the process of 

 decomposition more completely than in many other diseases. 

 If the animal does not bleed well, the flesh is not so safe for 

 food. Second, Exposure to the atmosphere, as well as thorough 

 cooking, destroys the poison within the flesh of animals 

 slaughtered in the early stages of black-quarter and splenic 

 apoplexy ; but the flesh of those suffering from epizootic, or 

 malignant anthrax fever, and the various forms, accompanied 

 with external eruptions, boils, pustules, or carbuncles, is 

 decidedly unsafe. The flesh of swine labouring under mild 

 forms of charbon peculiar to them, known as •" red soldier," &c., 

 together with that of cows in parturient apoplexy, and young 

 stock in black-quarter, find their way into many of our large 

 towns, all of which are safe only to the extent to which the 

 previous blood-letting could be carried out, together with the 

 subsequent cooking. There is, however, that about eating the 

 flesh of animals known to be diseased, which is highly repug- 

 nant, to say the least, but we are inclined to go farther, and 

 object to its use altogether. It is dilticult to bring together 

 facts which prove cases of direct injury from meat purchased in 



* "Journal of Eoyal Agricultural Societ}'.'" 

 t "Edinburgh Vet. EeV.," vol. 6, p. 164. 



R 



