Report on Steppe Murrain or Rinderpest. 253 



sequently it often leads to incorrect conclusions. We have seen 

 men of ability, who have been called upon to make ipost-viortem 

 examinations, hesitate to pronounce a decided opinion of the 

 existence of the pest when the third stomach has been found 

 healthy. Hardness or dryness of these contents is common in 

 twenty other diseases of cattle, and in nearly every instance in 

 which it occurs it is but an effect of suspended function of the 

 third stomach, as the cessation of rumination is of the first. 



Treatmeiit. — We have very little to report of a satisfactory 

 nature of the medical treatment of the rinderpest. Indeed, no 

 attempts at curing the disease are now made, in consequence of 

 the inutility of all the means which have been tried, and the 

 greater risk which is incurred of a still further extension of the 

 malady by the keeping alive of animals which would otherwise be 

 slaughtered at once. The advancement which has of late years 

 attached to the science of medicine would seem to hold out a 

 hope that remedies maybe found for this hitherto incurable disease. 

 All experiments, however, undertaken for this object, would have, 

 we believe, but little chance of success, unless they were carried 

 out by, or under the immediate superintendence of, the pro- 

 fessors of the different veterinary institutions of those countries 

 in which the pest prevails. 



No definite plan of treatment can be laid down, except it is 

 that of supporting the fleeting vital powers while nature is 

 attempting to rid the system of the poison, and then to endeavour 

 to counteract the ill effects which had resulted. Remedies cal- 

 culated to promote this end must however be selected for each 

 particular case, and also be suited to each particular stage of 

 the malady. 



With these few observations on this part of our Report we 

 shall proceed to give the details in full of several cases of the 

 disease Avhich came under our immediate notice. 



Case 1. 



At page 240, mention has been made of an aged cow, which 

 was observed, on our second visit to the quarantine stations on 

 May 5th, to be out of health, the symptoms indicating that she 

 was the subject of the malady. 



Considering the great fatality and the usually rapid progress of 

 the rinderpest, it is somewhat surprising that its victims should 

 so frequently show such little disturbance to their health at the 

 commencement of the attack. The animal in question was a 

 remarkable instance of this, as well as of the occasional mild 

 ■character of the disease. Tiie chief indications of illness which 

 she exhibited, when first seen, were tremors of most of the 



