90 THE CONTAGIOUS TYPHUS 



Southern Russia, do not take into considera- 

 tion the epizootics of this typhus, the account 

 of which has been handed down to us by the 

 ancient authors of Greece and Rome ; and that 

 they refer just as little to those which are 

 quite as frequent in the republics of South 

 America as on the banks of the Dnieper. For 

 even if we allow that once, and only once, one 

 of these epizootics may be traced to the arrival 

 of a ship containing oxen brought from the 

 steppes, how, on the other hand, can we be- 

 lieve that all other epizootics have had such a 

 fortuitous cause to generate it ; consequently, 

 the typhus, in these cases, must have been 

 locally developed and diffused among American 

 cattle? 



Moreover, we seek in vain for the reasons 

 which would authorize us to assign to the 

 bovine race of the steppes a particular organ- 

 ization, rendering it alone fit to engender the 

 typhus. But let us grant for a moment, that 

 the Russian and Hungarian oxen constitute a 

 peculiar race, as their framework and the 

 length of their horns would seem to imply; 

 this much being conceded, it still remains to 

 be shown in what respect their anatomical and 



