The Cattle- PIa>,ne. 273 



an eruptive fever. It vcas, however, important to see AvLetlier it 

 should be spoken of as an eruptive fever of a peculiar kind ; because 

 the successful treatment of the disease would of course depend upon a 

 knowledge of its pathology. 



Causes or Sottkces of Danger. 



There were various other sources of danger besides the direct im- 

 portation of diseased animals or animals designated infected — that 

 was, animals in whose system the disease might be incubated. "When 

 they came to consider that the discharges from the eyes, the nose, 

 and the bowels of cattle all contained morbific matter in immense 

 quantities ; and that, if they took a small quantity of the matter, say, 

 on the point of a lancet, and let it become diy there, it would be pre- 

 served for several days ; and that then, by making an insertion of the 

 lancet so soiled into the organism of the animal, they thereby effec- 

 tually inoculated that animal, they could at once see what ready means 

 there were of transporting the affection. A man going into a shed 

 and putting his hand on the animal, or treading on the dung in the 

 shed, and going thence to other animals, might carry this morbific 

 matter, and thus be the means of communicating the affection. Animals 

 that came in contact with a diseased animal might be a fruitful source 

 of propagating disease. He thought therefore that, although we might 

 not be able to trace the outbreaks in different parts of the coimtry to 

 the direct importation of diseased animals, we must not suppose that 

 it was not in the ordinary manner a contagious disease. One of the 

 best answers to the statement that it was epizootic was the fact that 

 there were parts of the country altogether free from the disease, 

 although they were adjacent to the great centres of affection. 



Again, there was no doubt that the disease had been conveyed by 

 persons to animals in some parts of the country. He might also 

 mention, as an example of another source of danger, the fact that 

 direct proof existed that the skins of certain animals brought to 

 Taunton for the purpose of conversion into leather, had been the 

 means of communicating the disease to living animals. This showed 

 the wisdom of the regulation for burying the animals whole, and 

 covering their bodies rnth lime. 



We had good reason to believe that certain individuals had been 

 guilty of the heinous offence of wilfully transporting the disease from 

 place to j)lace ; there had been certain persons in the eastern counties 

 who, for the purpose of buying at a low rate animals that were known 

 to be fit, or nearly fit, for the butcher, had absolutely been the means 

 of transporting diseased cattle to the neighbourhood, so that, by com- 

 municating the pest to some of the animals, they might buy the rest 

 at a very diminished price, and thus get a large profit out of them. 

 No language was sufficiently strong to condemn such conduct. It 

 was further evident that other animals, such as cats and dogs, might 

 communicate the disease from one farm to another. Then, the im- 

 perfect burying of the animals was a fruitful source of the disease ; 

 the holes having frequently been made so shallow that portions of the 

 animals were scratched up by dogs, and taken to other places. In the 

 VOL. II. — S. S. T 



