The Cattle-Plague. 279 



ten miles of the Wells. He should certainly take one or two hints 

 which the Professor had given, and especially that with regard to 

 pigeons, of which he had some on his farm in Yorkshire. 



Professor Simonds said camphor was not a disinfectant, though it 

 gave out a large quantity of odoriferous matter. It might keep certain 

 things out of woollen clothes, but he did not believe it would have 

 the least effect as regarded the morbific matter of the cattle-2)lague. 

 The escape of his lordship's cattle he attributed to the prevention 

 of any communication with the infected places in the neighbourhood. 

 He should not attach any importance whatever to the presence of iron 

 in the water at Timbridge Wells. It was only a parallel instance to 

 the non-communication of the disease in other parts of the country, 

 such as certain parts of Yorkshire and Northumberland. 



Lord Cathcart said there was a French system of medical treat- 

 ment foimded on the use of camphor. It consisted, he believed, 

 chiefly in the sticking of a piece of camphor in any part of the 

 human body where a lodgment could be found for it. The author of 

 that system laid it down that the essential j^rinciples of camphor and 

 tar were the same, and contended that the best mode of treatment for 

 cattle was the free use of tar and camphor water. 



The burning of animals which had died of the disease had been 

 tried at Malton, but the odom- was so disgusting that it was necessary 

 to discontinue the practice. 



Lord Bernees said, in some cases the ground was of such a nature 

 that it was almost impossible to dig a grave six feet deep. It would 

 I)e remembered that when pleuro-pneumonia was first raging in this 

 country it was recommended that animals should be buried. He tried 

 that in two instances in accordance with the recommendation laid 

 down in that room — namely, that thei-e should be six or seven inches 

 of burnt earth, that the animal shoiild be put on it, and covered with 

 a great quantity of sulphuric acid ; and there should then be a covering 

 of from eighteen inches to two feet of burnt earth; and, lastly, 

 another covering of conunon earth. Six months, after he had the 

 place opened, and found one mass of apparently black vegetable earth. 

 This he mixed with other materials as a compost for mangold and swedes, 

 tind he found it one of the best adjuncts any one could possibly obtain. 

 Now he wanted to know whether the Professor thought sulphuric acid 

 might be used in such quantities as thoroughly to decompose and 

 disinfect an animal, so that it might be safely used afterwards as 

 manure. 



Professor Simonds thought the use of sulphuric acid would be a 

 very effectual means of effecting the destruction of animals in pits in 

 ■certain districts — rocky districts, for example — which did not admit of 

 animals being interred at any great depth without a very considerable 

 amount of labour. Supposing the bodies of animals to have been 

 destroyed by means of sulphuric acid, he did not think any more 

 harm could arise from the subsequent use of the decomposed parts 

 mixed with earth, and so on, for agricultm-al purposes, than arose 

 from the use of artificial manure. In a national point of view, that 

 •was a question of gi-eat importance. He feared that thousands of 



