FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE IN CATTLE. 43I 



FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE IN CATTLE. 



In the summer of 1839 there appeared in Great Britain an ep - 

 zootic disease among cattle, that is to say, a disease which, had it, 

 affected the human race, would be called an epidemic ; and whicii 

 has since been known as the "Foot and Mouth" disease. Somt^- 

 what similar cases had been previously known, but only sporadic, 

 occurring occasionally and at such intervals as to give no gener.' 

 cause for alarm. But at the time abovementioned it spread with 

 rapidity, and prevailed so extensively during that and the two 

 following years (1840-1) that we are told scarcely a single parish 

 escaped throughout the kingdom. Nor was it confined to cattle, 

 but affected sheep and swine, poultry, rabbits, cats and deer. At the 

 same time, as well as somewhat before and after, influenza, catarrhs 

 and sore throats prevailed much among horses. Neither tempera- 

 ture nor weather seemed much to influence it. ^It visited all locali- 

 ties alike. Prof. Sewell, of the Veterinary College, writes at that 

 time, "as far as situation, nature of the soil and general features 

 and aspects of the country are described no exemption from the 

 disease is recorded, whether mountainous or hilly, flat, wooded or 

 open, dry or wet." 



Although not usually fatal, many beasts died, but greater loss 

 ensued from the debility which the disease produced or left behind. 

 In some cases the symptoms were slight and the animals recovered 

 without severe illness and without medical treatment ; in others 

 the symptoms were severe and attended with much suffering and 

 danger. 



During the thirty years following, the same disease has appeared 

 there several times as an epizootic, but in no case with such 

 severity or wide-spread prevalence as to create general alarm, and 

 during the early part of 1869 little was heard of it beyond its ex- 

 istence in the sporadic form in a few places in England and Scot- 

 land. At the beginning of summer, however, there was a sudden 

 augmentation of the disease ; and as this was coincident with the 

 malady assuming an epizootic form on the continent of Europe, 

 many believed the rapid increase in England to have been owing 

 to importation of diseased animals. Ofiicial inquiry, however, 

 did not confirm that opinion. It appeared, however, that the out- 

 break on the continent was quite as remarkable as that in Great 



