No. 1.] M'EACHRAN — EPIZOOTIC INFLUENZA. 4.3 



The right-hand bank of the river I examined in a cutting 

 made to the same level as that on the left, but found no fossils. 

 The only exposure was a bed of coarse reddish gravel. 



The overseer of the railroad bridge now being built in the 

 locality informed me that in digging 8 feet below the level of the 

 river, he found that the rock to which he came inclined in oppo- 

 site directions on opposite sides of the stream. If this be so the 

 Tattagouche River will occupy the crack in an anticlinal axis, 

 and the deposit examined in these notes will occupy the side 

 dipping towards the sea. 



Bathurst, Nov. 19, 1872. 



EPIZOOTIC INFLUENZA IN HORSES. 



A paper on this subject was read by Mr. D. McEachran, Y.S., 

 "before the Natural History Society in December last, and as the 

 subject is one of much interest, we publish a somewhat lengthy 

 abstract, being unable, from want of space, to give the paper ia 

 full. 



Mr. McEachran begins by stating that diseases which attack 

 a number of persons at the same time, and which are supposed 

 to depend upon some atmospheric influence, are denominated 

 epidemic ; while those of a similar nature, but occurring among 

 the lower animals, are termed ejyizoofic. The term zymotic, sug- 

 gested by Dr. William Farr, is, however, more frequently em- 

 ployed in medical nosology than either of the above. 



In the greater number of these zymotic diseases the blood 

 seems to be especially acted upon by poisons, and is found to 

 undergo important changes, both chemical and histological. The 

 poisons which are supposed to produce these changes are said to 

 be of organic origin, either derived from without or generated 

 within the body. In the living animal a double process is con- 

 tinually going on, a building up, and a removal of waste mate- 

 rial ; and while it is essential to have a regular supply of nourish- 

 ment to maintain the body, it is equally requisite that the efl'ete 

 or waste products be regularly and thoroughly removed. Other- 

 wise the blood will be rendered unfit for performing its functions. 



It must appear evident that the atmosphere is liable to con- 

 tain many impurities, derived from the decomposition of animal 



