172 THE DISEASES OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 



tion suit was threatened, and the money recovered without the case 

 coming into court. In the mean time four or five other horses that 

 had been in the same stable with the second horse were condemned 

 and killed, among them a fine mare worth some five hundred dol- 

 lars. In these cases, all the horses had stood upon the same side of 

 the stable with horse No. 2. After this experience the other horses 

 were all removed from the stable, which was most carefully cleansed 

 and disinfected, and allowed to stand empty three or four weeks. 

 Since then no new cases have occurred at this stable. During 

 this time the disease had become well dispersed around the city, 

 and isolated cases were a frequent occurrence, the days being rare 

 in which we were not compelled to condemn one or more of these 

 animals. There was no great amount of trouble in getting most of 

 the owners to consent to the destruction of the diseased horses, but 

 a few would not consent, and would quietly sell the horses, so that 

 I generally lost sight of them, as they were taken over into Connecti- 

 cut, and there disposed of. The first one for which I was compelled 

 to call in the services of the State Commissioners was owned in 

 Chicopee, Massachusetts, and after being condemned and the board 

 of selectmen notified by me, the horse was turned loose in the 

 streets, it being summer, to wander about at will ; this fact coming 

 to my knowledge, I decided to call in the commissioners. The 

 horse was killed, but not before four or five others had contracted 

 the disease from him, which were also killed. Another center of 

 infection had in the mean time come into existence at the southern 

 part of Springfield, due either to the carelessness or ignorance of 

 the previously mentioned Quack No. 1, who had been called upon 

 to see a sick horse at a brick-yard ; this person treated the horse, 

 and he finally died in a small stable containing nine other horses. 

 A few days subsequent to the death of this horse, a second animal 

 sickened, and my services were requested ; the horse appeared as if 

 it had some foreign substance in his windpipe, owing to a drench 

 which had been given it, and, while I was debating what to do with 

 him, the owner said there was another sick horse in the stable, that 

 I might look at before departure, remarking, ' Dr. Quack says it 

 has strained its leg.' I found it to be another good case of farcy, 

 •which let in light upon the sickness of the other horse. I ordered 

 the horses removed from the stable, and to be separated, the stable 

 at the same time to be thoroughly cleansed and disinfected. Five 

 of these horses died of glanders. In all, from March 8, 1878, to 

 March 19, 1879, fifty-six horses have been killed on account of 

 glanders, which is a large number for a small city like ours. It is 



