60 CONTAGIOUS DISEASES OF DOMESTICATED ANIMALS. 



a circle liad dropped dead as if tbunderstriclien. Abortions were frequent, as also 

 early ])artiiritions; the greater part of the lambs died. 



Doctor Randall reports tbat in the State of New York a disease appears each win- 

 ter among the cattle, which begins by a slight swelling of the lower parts of the pos- 

 terior limbs, with stiffness of the joints. This affection, which has the appearance 

 of being very mild, invariably terminates by dry gangrene of the parts first involved, 

 which freeze after the mortification. In the severe climate of New York the animals 

 winter in the fields, and the farmers attribute the disease to freezing. Randall ob- 

 serves that if this were the real cause a circular line of demarkation would not divide 

 the dead and living parts as regularly as happens in this disease, and, finally, that 

 the external appendages, less protected against the cold than the limbs when lying, 

 should freeze sooner. He adds, and it is the opinion of several other physicians, that 

 the att'ectiou is no other than gangrenous ergotism. Indeed the Poa pratensis is rich 

 in ergot, and as it does not produce each year an equal quantity, Randall thinks that 

 the cases more or less frequent correspond to the abundance of ergot. (Veterinarian, 

 184*.) 



If, in presence of the facts enumerated, we cannot fail to recognize the existence of 

 gangrenous and convulsive ergotism with animals, we must also admit that these 

 facts are neither so precise nor have the rigorous correlation of cause and effect which 

 is desirable in i)athology ; they do not even give the elements for asymptomatic table. 

 Randall furnishes in this connection some important information; it agrees with 

 that contained in the interesting observation of Decoste. (Rec, 1848.) These mate- 

 rials joined to the phenomena studied with animals in experiments permit us to 

 trace the symptoms of gangrenous and convulsive ergotism. 



Mr. Fleming-, in liis work entitled Animal Plagues, has compiled a 

 considerable number of references to epidemics and epizootics of ergot- 

 ism, wiiicli, while they contain a large part of the early records relat- 

 ing to this interesting subject, also dlustrate the difficulty in deciding 

 at the present time in regard to the real nature of some of the diseases 

 to which allui^ions are made. 



In A. D. 992 there was a long and severe winter and an extremely 

 dry summer, followed by famine. The wheat crops were affected with 

 blight or ergot, and the forage was generally of a bad quality. Soon 

 after there was a widespread and deadly ei)idemic of ergotism {feu 

 sacre) in France. 



Ergotism was again prevalent in France in 994. (An. PI., I, p. 58.) 



In 1041 there was most unproi)itious weather, accompanied by earth- 

 quakes, tempests, and inundations. It snowed heavily during harvest 

 time. In many parts of Europe there were heavy rains throughout the 

 year. Flanders was inundated by the sea, and there were great storms. 

 The consequences of these disturbances were famine and disease in 

 England, Germany, and France. Cattle and men appear to have suf- 

 fered equally. " The plague of Divine Fire [igni^ dirina, ergotism, or 

 erysipelas) afflicted many, who were saved only through the merits of 

 the Blessed Virgin. And in all that year it was very sad in many and 

 various things, both in tempests and in earth's fruits. And so much 

 cattle perished in this year as no man before remembered, both through 

 various diseases and through bad weather." (An. PI., I, pp. CO, (31.) 



For 1085 Mr. Fleming makes the following record: Epidemic erysip- 

 elas (ergotism ?) in France, with inundations and famine. "In the year 



