52 MEMOIR OF CAMPER. 



mella, and other of the ancients, and so down to his 

 own day. From this survey, it would appear, that 

 previous epidemics among the cattle had frequently 

 occurred. From 1710 to 1719 there was a great 

 mortality among them all over Europe; and again, 

 in 1740, when it attracted the attention of such men 

 as Lancisi, Haller, and Sauvages, and led to discus- 

 sions in the Memoires de I' Academic des Sciences, 

 and to the introduction of papers in the London 

 Philosophical Transactions. Concerning its nature, 

 we shall only observe, that Camper considered it as 

 most allied to the low putrid fever in man. 



Very many were the disappointments before any 

 thing was discovered which could at all be regarded 

 as a remedy, for every medicine which was tried 

 proved wholly unavailing. Inoculation for the com- 

 plaint had been recently introduced into England, 

 but the trials first made in Holland promised very 

 small success ; out of seventeen animals inocu- 

 lated, only three lived ; and it is therefore not sur- 

 prising that the peasantry offered opposition, and in 

 some instances became quite furious against the ex- 

 periments. By-and-by, however, it was observed 

 that when an animal once recovered, it seldom or 

 never became the subject of a future attack, and this 

 suggested the idea of inoculating only the calves 

 bred from animals that were thus protected. This 

 was done, when, having been sedulously guarded 

 against all exposure, they were in high health, and 

 had undergone a course of medicine which was sup- 



