The Cattle-PIar/ue. 235 



shall simply endeavour to give a clear view of what we already 

 know, for the sake not only of the present inquirer, but also for 

 him who years hence may find ready access to the pa^es of 

 this Journal, when Orders in Council, Acts of Parliament, and 

 the ephemeral publications of the day, are thrust into a corner 

 and buried beneath the dust. 



The great Sydenham, in his celebrated work upon epidemics, 

 advises that the natural history of a new disease should be 

 thoroughly studied and ascertained before any attempt be made 

 to prescribe treatment. This investigation, he says, should be 

 pursued under every possible variety of circumstances until it is 

 classed like the plant, the fossil, and the crystal, or allowed to 

 take the lead of a new line. Before the practical application of 

 this advice, the " plagues," " black-deaths," and " grievous pests " 

 of former times, have either vanished, or assumed a milder form. 

 We entertain but little fear of the Plague now, Small-pox is 

 cheated of its victims by a prophylactic artifice, and Cholera 

 will probably not long retain the secret of its deadly strength. 



The same results undoubtedly would have attended the treat- 

 ment of domesticated animals had those who attend them 

 been possessed of equal advantages and skill. Every effort to 

 substitute for the humble farrier men well trained in the 

 principles of medicine is of more recent date than the formation 

 of the Royal Agricultural Society, and even now, as Mr. Holland's 

 statistics show us, there are only IOI8 members of the Royal 

 College in practice in the United Kingdom, whilst the number 

 of those who assume the title of veterinary surgeon, without the 

 right, is 1244, and of those practising as farriers 1109. 



It must be confessed that the opportunities afforded to the 

 practitioners for the study of disease are of a very limited 

 character. Except in the case of horses, the poleaxe or the knife 

 are swiftly resorted to when sickness does ziot yield to a few 

 simple remedies, the observation of morbid appearances being 

 left to the butcher. This is one explanation of the fact that 

 apparently Ave know no better how to meet the plague now 

 ravaging the country than we did 100 years ago. 



Happily, however, the cry for indiscriminate slaughter has not 

 prevented inquiries of a very extensive and important nature 

 being made. The labours of the JNledical Committees of London, 

 Edinburgh, and Norwich,* the experiments that have been 



* The following are the gentlemen serving on these several Committees. 

 London:— i. B. Sanderson, M.D.^ C. Murchison, JI.D. : W. Marcet, M.D. ; J. S. 

 Bristow, M.D. ; Lionel S. Beale, M.D. ; George Varnell, M.E.C.V.S. ; William 

 Pritchard,M.R.C.V.S. ; E. Angns Smith, Ph. D. Edinburgh:— Dv. Andrew Wood, 

 Chairman •, Professor Dick, V"S. ; Dr. Hunter : Dr. Littlejohu, Medical Officer of 

 Health ; Professor Maclagen, M.D. ; Professor Lyon Plaj fair ; :Mr. Romanes, V.S. ; 



