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Account of a Contagious Disease propagated by a drove 

 of Southern Cattle^ in perfect health. By James 

 Mease, M. D. 



Read, Sep. 20th, 1825. 



In the Address which I delivered before this Society 

 in January, 1817,* I alluded to the singular circumstance 

 of a drove of cattle, which, while enjoying perfect health, 

 spread disease among all other cattle with which they 

 mixed, and I promised to give a more full account of the 

 facts on a future occasioi. In the month of August of 

 the year 1796, I \v.\s on a tour for the recovery of my 

 health, and having called at i\nderson's ferry on the 

 Susquehanna, I found the people of the house in great 

 concern on account of the death of some of the cattle, 

 and sickness of others, which had occurred in a few days 

 after a drove from the south had left the place. Upon 

 inquiry I was informed, that the drover merely requested 

 and obtained permission, to confine his catde for one 

 night in a ploughed field, and I was assured, that the 

 stock of Mr. Anderson had no intercourse with the drove, 

 which after staying all night, pursued their journey in the 

 morning to Lancaster. There, several head were dis- 

 posed of to different persons, and in every instance, as I 

 was informed, they communicated disease to the stock 

 with which they mixed. The admission of a single 

 head vvas enough to give rise to it. As the drove of 

 cattle exhibited no mark of illness, the mystery of the 

 cause was inexplicable, and is so to this day. They 

 stopped a day or two near to Downing Town, thirty-two 



* Memoirs of the Soc. vol, 3, Introd. xxxix. 



