250 The Cattle-Plague. 



classification that has been abandoned on more mature con- 

 sideration. It has been compared to typhoid fever, to diphtheria, 

 to measles, to small-pox, and to scarlatina. Unlike typhoid 

 fever, it has, according- to the general bearing' of the foregoing 

 authorities, no ulcerated intestinal glands. Unlike diphtheria, it 

 has no true false membranes. Unlike measles and small-pox, it 

 would seem that the eruption is neither so constant nor so marked 

 as to identify it with either. To scarlatina it bears a strong 

 resemblance ; but even here the similarity is not so thorough as 

 to warrant its being classed as an equivalent. By those who 

 claim for the cattle-plague an identity with small-pox, it should 

 be borne in mind that the arguments urged to demonstrate the 

 identity of human and ovine variola, are much stronger, and 

 have yet failed to establish the proposition. Those who possess 

 doubts on the subject will do well to consult Dr. Budd's valuable 

 little pamphlet on Ovine Variola. It appears that sheep do not 

 purchase an immunity from rinderpest by passing through the 

 severities of small-pox, which they should do were the two 

 identical, nor does vaccination protect the sheep from rinderpest. 

 In small-pox the eruption on the skin is principal, that on the 

 mucous membranes subordinate. In rinderpest, on the con- 

 trary, it is the eruption on the mucous membranes that is prin- 

 cipal, while that on the skin is subordinate. So that, while 

 small-pox may be defined as it generally is defined — as a fever 

 in which the eruption occurs on the skin, rinderpest may, in the 

 same Avay, be defined as a contagious fever, in which the erup- 

 tion falls on the mucous membranes. Some people call it there- 

 from intestinal small-pox, but as yet there are invincible diffi- 

 culties to its being categoried either Avith small- pox or typhoid 

 fever, notwithstanding that, like both, it is a blood-disease, 

 resulting from the presence of poison absorbed into the system. 

 Were this small-pox, the human subject would be exposed to it. 

 This result is not obtained. It is true that Mr. HanCOCK 

 exhibited what appeared to be a variolous eruption upon his 

 hand, as an example of the special eruption induced by the 

 cattle-plague poison, before a meeting of the Pathological 

 Society ; but many others have purposely inoculated themselves 

 with rinderpest virus without any effect, and, supposing them- 

 selves protected by previous vaccination, have subsequently 

 produced pustules by re-vaccination. Besides, amongst the non- 

 protected population of Eastern Europe, no case of communica- 

 tion during early or recent attacks is upon record. 



A few facts touching the propagation of this disease still 

 remain to be disposed of in this section. 



The announcement made by the Privy Council (August 3), 

 " That the disease especially belonged to the ox tribe, and that 



