INTRODUCTION OP THE DISEASE. 249 



Whatever of doubt and mystery was connected with the ori- 

 gin, importation and spread of epizootic aphtha in the State, 

 existed at the time our last report was made, investigation has 

 completely dispelled. Without giving publicity to the innocent 

 and unfortunate party who was the prime cause of its introduc- 

 tion, it is sufficient to say that it was imparted to a single herd 

 in Canada by an importation from England in August, 1870 ; 

 and almost before its nature and results were known, it spread 

 through several townships. Thence, by the transit of stock, it 

 was carried to Albany and several of the counties of Eastern 

 New York and Western Connecticut. From Albany, also, it 

 was transmitted to Brighton, thoroughly poisoning the yards in 

 that place, and by distributing cattle from that point it was dis- 

 seminated among our home stock over a wide extent of country 

 in this and the adjoining State of Rhode Island. 



To ascertain, if possible, the exact extent of its dissemination 

 in this State, the probable losses it has occasioned, and to collect 

 information which might be valuable in any similar emergency 

 in the future, the Commissioners, on the 4th of March, sent a 

 communication to the proper officers of every municipality in 

 the State requiring them to report to this Board, answers to the 

 following questions, viz. : — " How many herds of cattle in your 

 town or city have had the disease called epizootic aphtha, or 

 foot-and-mouth disease ? " " How many single animals in those 

 herds have escaped it ? " " How many animals in all have had 

 it ? " " How many have died from it, either directly or indi- 

 rectly ? " " From what source did the cattle of your town obtain 

 it ? " " What is the estimated loss or damage to the stock of 

 your town by the disease ? " Through the negligence or indif- 

 ference of the authorities after the subsidence of the disease, 

 only partial returns have been received to the circulars sent out. 

 From those received, however, and from the personal knowledge 

 of the Commissioners, it is certain that it prevailed to a greater 

 or less extent in at least seventy-five towns and cities of the 

 State ; that it visited more than two hundred herds, and the 

 number of animals which had it was upwards of three thousand, 

 and the number in those herds which wholly escaped it was 

 three hundred or about one in ten. In the eastern part of the 

 State every case was traced directly to Brighton or to cattle 

 which came from thence, and in the western, to cattle from 



32 



