162 EVERY JIAN HIS OWN FARRIER 



plagi^e of horned cattle is said to be of a peculiar na. 

 ture, and not communicable to other animals. Yet in 

 a contagious disposition of the air, it may chance that 

 various species of animals may be affected at the same 

 time. The infection is first denoted by a decrease of 

 appetite, difficulty of swallowing, shaking the head, 

 hanging down of the ears, and dulness of the eyes. 

 Constant diarrhoea, or scouring, foetid breath, nause- 

 ous steams from the skin, infecting the surrounding 

 air. The blood is florid, hot, and frothy, and the 

 urine high coloured. Roof of the mouth ulcerated. 

 Tumours or biles are felt under the fleshy membrane 

 of the skin ; eruptions all along the limbs, and about 

 the bags of the cows. Milk dries up suddenly. The 

 animals groan much, and are worse towards evening, 

 mostly lying down. These symptoms continue in- 

 creasing until the seventh day, in which, generally, 

 although sometimes protracted to the ninth, the crisis 

 or turn takes place. 



Dr. Darwin proposes, when this distemper makes 

 its appearance, to slaughter all the cattle within five 

 miles of the infected place, which appears to be a very 

 harsh mode of proceeding ; and although " death's a 

 cure that never fails," such a remedy is commonly 

 thought to be as bad as the disease. Mr. Lawrence 

 advises, on the appearance of the distemper, to place 

 the whole herd under the best shelter that circumstan- 

 ces will allow ; to separate those which are in the 

 most advanced stage of the disease, and slaughter such 

 as good judges shall deem to be in a state too danger- 

 ous for any attempt to cure, and bury them pretty 

 deep in the ground. In a disease so highly putrid, 

 bleeding should be moderate, yet in the beginning, he 

 thinks it will be necessary, as also setons and rowels. 

 " If costiveness prevail, the body must be kept opea 



