THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE, 



417 



(lisoase had broken out amongst cows wliicli had been on a 

 farm for some years, and had never been near others except- 

 ing as they were driven along the road passing the meadow 

 wliere the cows to which he referred were feeding. In a 

 few cases the cows recovered. One cow, whicli Imd re- 

 covered, immediately after calving was taken again, and died- 

 Professor Simonds (wlio had catered the room»during 

 the progress of the discussion) then rose, and was greeted 

 with long applause. The following is an outline of his 

 lengthened and very lucid address, which was listened to 

 with eager attention by tliose gentlemen who were fortunate 

 enough to be present. The Professor, on rising, expressed 

 the pleasure he felt in being permitted to join in the dis- 

 cussion of the very important subject they had before them 

 that evening. He explained that the pleasure was to him 

 an unexpected one, and entirely owing to the kind invitation 

 of liis good friend, Mr. Allen Eansome. He regretted much 

 that he had not been able to arrive in time to listen to the 

 paper by which the subject had been introduced. They had 

 two subjects before them tliis evening — pleuro-pneunionia 

 and llio diseases of lambs. First, as to pleuro-pneumonia, 

 he might say in the outset that this was a misnomer, and 

 the erroneous name had done not a little to mystify the 

 subject. The name of a disease should always correspond 

 with its nature. Pleuro-pneumonia signifies inflammation 

 of the pleura and the substance of the lungs; the diseaae 

 itself was really not of an inflammatory character. Is it 

 contagious? cases have been mentioned which appear to 

 prove that it is, and that it is not. We had but too strong 

 evidence that it was contagious, and, unhappily for the 

 country, this fact had been too much lost sight of. In fact 

 this disease was an cpizolic. In August, 1842, just previous 

 to the alteration of the tariff, the disease came to us. It 

 was then new to us, but it was not a new disease in foreign 

 countries. Owing to ths coincidence of the outbreak of the 

 disease with the free admission of foreign cattle, it has been 

 thought by many that it was an imported disease ; but such 

 was not the case, it was an epidemic. It had raged tlirougli- 

 out all the continents of Europe, Asia, and Africa ; but un- 

 til the last few years it had not appeared in America or 

 Australia. Recently, it had appeared on those continents 

 also ; and its arrival there could be traced to contagion. 

 Many diseases were disseminated both ways. The morbific 

 matter entered the system, and when seated there poisonous 

 exhalations were given oft'. This was the case in small pox : 

 after the disease had reached a certain stage, pustules were 

 formed, and each pustule contained the same morbific mat- 

 ter as was originally inhaled. It was not the case that all 

 animals exposed were infected, any more than it was with 

 man. There must be a susceptibility as well as a cause. 

 Some constitutions would resist more than others, just as 

 men were differently a3"ected by strong drinks; what would 

 intoxicate one man would take no effect upon another. 

 This opened the way to speak of secondary causes, and how 

 farmers might help nature to resist the disease. Animals 

 were rendered susceptible by over-crowdiiuj. Hence, in the 

 London dairies the disease was more rife than anywhere 

 else. Damp and wet yards were also to be avoided, 

 and keeping cattle in places where much muck was 

 fermenting, especially if animal matter was present. There 

 were some pastures which in dry weather were unexception- 

 able ; the same pastures in autumn, when exposed to fogs 

 and damp, would engender it. To use plain language, we 

 must have oar wits about us. The malady itself : it was not an 

 inflammatory, but a local and specific one. The morbific 

 matter enters into the blood by respiration, and then con- 

 centrates itself in the lungs. This affection was in many 



respects very peculiar. It is an eminently fatal disease. 

 We were often twitted with our inability to siop its ravages, 

 while cases were reported in which some ignorant cowleech 

 had treated it successfully. In explanation, we might say 

 that it is not every farmer who is able to recognize the pre« 

 seuce of the disease in its early stages — indeed, they were 

 not easily distinguished by the regular practitioner. In 

 those cases where these marvellous cures had been effected, 

 the truth was, the disease had not been present at all ; but 

 the farmer was not sufficiently acquainted with its early 

 symptoms to be able to detect the deception of the man who 

 said that the affection he had cured was this disease. Bring 

 any of the boasted remedies to a genuine case — one fully 

 established to be such by the testimony of competent per- 

 sons — and they invariably failed. The lungs were aurifying 

 organs, and, both in cattle and in man, nature is unable to 

 remove the deposits caused by the disease, and to substitute 

 sound tissue in the place of that destroyed. It always was 

 a fatal disease, and it always would be : the more we know 

 of it, the more positive we were of this. In no one case has 

 an animal ever been cured : the disease is sometimes ar- 

 rested, but never cured. It often happens that cattle are 

 sold appearing well; when slaughtered, the lung is found 

 diseased. Sometimes, in the centre of an apparently healthy 

 lung, a diseased portion is found which is dead and insulated 

 by nature from the living part, being surrounded by a layer 

 of lymph. In no case was the mischief done by the disease 

 upon the lung ever repaired. When does its contagion 

 cease? is a question upon which there has been much dis- 

 cussion, and which is still undecided. As soon as the ani- 

 mal sickens the disease is contagious. If it was arrested, 

 it was not easy to say how soon the animal might safely 

 mix with others. The legislature might, with much benefit 

 to the country, take this matter up. On the continent, 

 the measures taken by Governments had done much to stay 

 the ravages of the disease. In some countries, if a herd 

 were affected, it was compulsory to separate it immediately ; 

 the proprietor was compensated by the Government, whose 

 officers took possession of the herd ; those badly diseased 

 were slaughtered, and those that were not affected or had 

 recovered were branded on the horn so as always to be 

 known. By the adoption of such measures as these much 

 had been done to lessen the severity of this scourge. The 

 principles of treatment : These could only be properly put 

 into operation by a veterinary surgeon. As a farmer him- 

 self, and addressing farmers, he would recommend, when 

 the disease was decided, to spend nothing in physic. Get 

 rid of the beasts as soon as possible ; the first loss was the 

 best. There were some preventive measures wliich might 

 be put into operation with advantage. When it entered a 

 herd much might be done to prevent its spread, by remem- 

 bering the contagiousness of the disease, and that a certain 

 state of the system was necessary before it was taken. 

 Sometimes it was dormant in the system a long time before 

 it broke out. When this was the ease the morbific matter 

 might be got rid of. In this respect this disease differed 

 from all others. The first thing to be done was to remove 

 the healthy animals ; this was decidedly better than remov- 

 ing the affected, as there might be something in the x>lace 

 where the disease first appeared to induce it. In altering 

 the circumstances we might remove some secondary causes. 

 Next, as to bringing the system into a healthy condition, and, 

 if possible, to rid it of the morbific matter: first, a mild 

 purgative should be employed, to induce action of the bow- 

 els ; second, some agent to act on the urinary organs. The 

 nitrate of potash (^ to 4 an ounce daily, for two or three 

 ' days) was as good as anytliing for this purpose. Thus the 



