Insurance of Live Stock. 541 



steps, as we did witli regard to the cattle plague. He (Dr. Crisp) 

 liad liad a great deal to do with cases of pleuro-pneumonia. He had 

 examined many animals in all stages of the disease, and after they 

 had died of it ; and he had no hesitation in saying that pleuro- 

 pnemnonia was as acute a disease as the cattle plague itself; and that 

 might be a chi'onic disease, for he had seen a vast number of animals 

 linger on for eight or nine weeks and then die ; and although the 

 average duration of the attack in rinderpest might be seven days, in 

 very numerous cases of pleuro-pueumonia the disease was so acute 

 that death took place in a shorter time than that. This he had 

 repeatedly witnessed ; and yet in the House of Commons they had the 

 Minister of Education saying that pleiu-o-pneumonia was a chi'onic 

 disease. 



In short, he saw nothing but difficulty in the plan proposed by 

 Dr. Farr. He repeated that it was utterly impracticable, and that the 

 Government ought to take the matter entirely into its own hands. 

 The fii'st step was, in his judgment, to establish a good veterinary 

 college in England, Scotland, and Ireland. This was a most im- 

 portant item, and Dr. Farr must know that nine-tenths of the men 

 who acted as cattle doctors — he did not blame them, however : it was 

 the fault of the Government — had no proper education, and were in- 

 competent to give certificates. That state of things must be remedied. 

 There must fii-st be a good college of veterinary surgeons established, 

 and then some plan might be hit upon that woidd be carried out 

 efficiently and projjerly. 



But now came the most important thing in connection with the 

 matter. According to the returns, in the course of the seven weeks 

 ending the 6th of June, about 18,000 cattle died, whilst about 2,000 

 recovered. The "stamping-out" system was avowedly in opera- 

 tion, yet nearly 2,000 head of cattle had recovered ! How did they 

 recover? Most of them were probably treated medicinally, and 

 during five or six weeks everything around them was subjected 

 to infection. Yet this was called the "stamping-out" system, 

 and the cattle plague was to be got rid of in this way! Although 

 Dr. Farr had prognosticated that the rinderpest would subside this 

 month, there was no evidence, if one looked at its history and progress, 

 to show that the disease had the slightest resemblance to any epidemic 

 with which we were acquainted, or that it would die out. The fact 

 was that the most stringent measui'es must be adopted ; and, looking 

 at the plan suggested by Dr. Farr, he came to the conclusion that it 

 could never be carried out, and that they must look to the Government 

 alone. Dr. Farr had mentioned the case of a man who had 20 cows 

 killed, and received the value of only 2. Now, in his oj)inion, it was 

 a most monstrous thing that an inspector should be joermitted to enter 

 a man's premises, order 20 cows to be killed, and that the owner 

 should receive the value of 2 only. 



Dr. Farr said he had stated that there were 4 killed, not 20. 



Dr. Crisp nevertheless looked upon such a system as a most 

 dishonest one. 



Mr. Tobr said the inspector had nothing to do with the matter, 



