Insurance of Live Stock. 547 



kind of live stock in tlie Lealtliy grazing districts, and on farms 

 generally, and it would also answer with horses and sheep. As to 

 Dr. Crisp's proposal that a veterinary college should be formed, where 

 students might be educated in the art of curing diseases, he was afraid 

 that before that object could be carried out the farmers might lose 

 all their stock. No opportunity should be lost of forming a great 

 national insurance office, which was required not merely for cattle 

 disease, but for lung comidaints and many other epidemics from which 

 farmers were constantly suffering loss. 



Mr. W. Clode said the question whether insurance should bo 

 voluntary or compulsory did not affect the jn-iuciple advocated by Dr. 

 Farr, namely, the imi)ortance of a system of insurance. There were 

 matters of detail which would, of course, have to be well considered ; 

 but these did not affect the principle involved in the discussion. 

 Before, however, any general system was established, they must have 

 some groundwork on which a good sclieme of insurance might be based. 

 They were lamentably ignorant of the diseases to which cattle were 

 ordinarily subject. They knew that pleuro-pneumonia and other 

 diseases constantly existed, but they did not loiow to what extent ; 

 and if a proper system of recording the diseases of animals prevailed, 

 it would bring to light some important facts, and, at the same time, 

 establish a basis for a good and safe system of insurance. The 

 science of vital statistics, as applied even to human life, was of 

 comparatively modern origin ; but, thanks to Dr. Farr, our knowledge 

 of this subject had been widely extended. There was nothing au- 

 thentic, however, with respect to liability to loss inciu-red by live stock ; 

 and it was not creditable to this country that it should remain in 

 such a state of ignorance on the subject. If this Society woidd, as a 

 matter of public policy, advocate the collection and publication of 

 cattle statistics, it might thereby lay the groundwork for a satisfactory 

 system of insurance ; and he believed that all our noted agricultmists 

 and vetei'inary professors were in favom* of these measures. 



Professor Simonds could tell them most lamentable facts connected 

 ■ndth the prevalence of ordinary diseases. While the records of 

 these cases were scattered all over the couutry, they made no 

 impression on the piiblic mind ; but if they were collected together 

 and published periodically in a well-digested form, they would become 

 a most valuable addition to the stock of information possessed by 

 agriculturists. 



Sir George Jenkixson said this was a subject on which he had 

 bestowed considerable attention, in consequence of an insurance 

 society having been established in the county to which he belonged, 

 namely, Gloucestershire. A gentleman AAdth whom he had acted, and 

 who was well known in that room, Mr. E. Holland, had collected a 

 number of statistics which tended to show that no insurance company 

 could ever stand against a panic or an epidemic. Although the 

 principle which Dr. Farr had advocated was a very sound one, 

 especially as regarded human life, it was very difficult of application 

 to the case of cattle. They all knew that farmers were, as a body, 

 very lethargic. When a panic arose they might be very willing, and 



