280 EPITOME OF EVIDENCE ON PLEUKO-PNEUMONIA. 



opinion that a place is not infectious at a given period after the 

 removal, but I would not like to say the number of days. I 

 have no reason to suppose that these cows would take pleuro- 

 pneumonia if put into a stall which had held an infected animal 

 the day before, if necessary precautions were taken. If I wished 

 to communicate pleuro-pneumonia to an animal unfailingly, I 

 would adopt actual contact. That is the only known process. 

 It is far more economical to kill the affected, and inoculate, than 

 stamping out the disease by killing the whole herd. I think 

 that no animal that has been inoculated successfully can ever 

 take pleuro-pneumonia within the life of the animal. It is not 

 like a human being, you do not keep it long. I do not believe 

 that any animal that has been successfully inoculated can ever 

 take pleuro - pneumonia, and infect other animals with it. 

 I have put healthy cows innumerable among inoculated animals 

 in cow-sheds where the space is limited, and never one of mine 

 has been affected. I have never known a case of pleuro- 

 pneumonia occurring to an animal that has been successfully 

 inoculated after fifty-six days, and that is the experience of 

 the last nine years of inoculation, during which I have had 

 innumerable opportunities . of seeing the results. I think an 

 animal may have contracted disease three months before it 

 declares itself It greatly depends on the system of the 

 animal, the strength of endurance in that animal, and likewise 

 the large dose of poison or virus it had received. I think the 

 incubative period may remain longer in some animals than in 

 others. I have always held that fifty-six days is too short for 

 quarantine. I have long been in favour of three months. But 

 I do not think that fifty-six days is too short if inoculation is 

 adopted. Without inoculation I would make the period three 

 months. I think that the Highland Society would do well to 

 investigate the effect of inoculation as a preventive of the 

 disease, the question of quarantine, and to discover what is the 

 proper limit of quarantine under the two systems of inoculating 

 and non-inoculating. Going outside of that, I think it would 

 be well for the Highland Society to get at the bottom of this 

 Irish question, because we are continually getting the disease 

 over from Ireland. I think that the inspection of Irish cattle 

 ought to be inquired into. I believe that there is more pleuro- 

 pneumonia in Ireland than there is in Scotland since 1845. I 

 think it is an important thing to discover whether a place 

 could become infected with pleuro-pneumonia, considering the 

 difference of opinion that exist between our authorities. I 

 think it is a question that should be solved. Seeing that well- 

 known authorities differ, I consider that it is the duty of non- 

 professional men to take action and judge for themselves. I 

 think the proper authorities to take up this matter would be 



