FPIZOOTIC DISEASES. 259 



Epizootic maladies travel in Europe from east to west, 

 and exist more generally and constantly on continents than 

 on islands. The British islands have been exceptional since 

 the free introduction of foreign stock for our densely peopled 

 cities. The smaller islands, such as Jersey and Guernsey, 

 most renowned for their valuable cattle, are free from such 

 diseases. 



Having described elsewhere the lung disease of the ox 

 tribe, and different forms of variolous fever, it only remains 

 for me to speak here of the Eussian plague, and of the vesi- 

 cular murrain. 



THE STEPPE DISEASE. RUSSIAN CATTLE PLAGUE. CON- 

 TAGIOUS TYPHOID FEVER OF CATTLE. TYPHUS CONTA- 

 GIOSUS BOUM. 



This terrible disease, so peculiar to the ox tribe, that the 

 Germans call it " Rinderpest," is a very contagious fever, 

 characterised by specific lesions of the intestines similar to 

 those of enteric fever in man. It originates invariably in 

 Asia or the Russian steppes, and though confined to the 

 bovine species, and only rarely affecting sheep, it attacks 

 cattle of all breeds with equal virulence. It spreads some- 

 what slowly, and is not very fatal where it originates as an 

 enzootic, but it is propagated very rapidly, and is the most 

 fatal of all cattle plagues when it passes into central Europe. 



Fortunately for us the contagious typhus is much dreaded 

 in the countries with which, at all events indirectly, we are in 

 communication. Cattle have to travel several days to reach 

 Hamburgh or Rotterdam from the eastern portions of Aus- 

 tria and Prussia. The disease has a short period of incu- 

 bation, and is characterized by alarming symptoms which 

 warn people early of its outbreak. It is not so insidious a 



