CONTAGIOUS DISEASES OF DOMESTICATED ANIMALS. 93 



which was given to me by Mr, Keitli, which so closely described the 

 first s^'uiptoms of the foot-and-mouth disease ; the ulcers aud previous 

 vesication on the udder of the Keith cow, and the death of her calf soon 

 after the disease manifested itself in the mother ; the absence of abor- 

 tions or the supervention of nervous att'ectious which I exj)ected to find 

 in ergotism. 2d. Attributing- the discolorations of the mouth to the 

 remains of previous vesications ; the losing of the feet as a sequelie to 

 foot-and mouth disease aggravated by neglect, and exposure to intense 

 cold. 3d. Accepting the history of a case described to me by Dr. 

 Holcombe, where he discovered an animal on the Keith place in the 

 second or vesicular stage of foot-and-mouth disease in which he found 

 several distinct characteristic vesicles in the mouth, accomi)anied by 

 salivation, and another vesicle in the cleft of the foot near the heel the 

 size of a silver dime, aud which he caused to rupture by a i)ressure 

 with his finger, and registering a temperatnre of 104:. 4° F. 4th. Ac- 

 cepting as true the positive statement of Mr. J. W. Beard, who lives 

 2 miles south of Mr. Keith. He stated that he had exchanged cows 

 with Mr. Keith on the ISth of February, and that two days after 

 he brought the cow home from the Keith place one of his cows con- 

 tracted the disease, and that several others followed in quick succes- 

 sion; (this was strong evidence to prove the contagious character of the 

 malady); in the absence of recent cases, placing reliance upon the 

 statement made by Dr. Holcombe, and uj)on his diagnosis, having 

 no valid objections to offer to it, I was led to concur with him, aud 

 announced my belief that the disease among the cattle on the Keith 

 and on the Goodrich farms was epizootic ai)hthfe. I went out to the 

 Keith farm again on Snnday, the 9th, with the intention of obtaining a 

 complete history of the outbreak, to examine the quality of the feed, 

 Avater, and soil, to make a more extended examination of all of the dis- 

 eased animals, and to make imst-mortem examinations if opportunity 

 afforded it. But when 1 arrived at the Keith place a stream of people 

 were passing in and out among the cattle. A delegation of stockmen 

 were there with the avowed purpose of paying for and disposing of the 

 diseased animals, and another number of persons were holding a con- 

 sultation in relation to petitioning Governor Glick, re(piesting him to 

 convene the State legislature for the i)urpose of enacting laws and to 

 make provision for the stamping out of the disease. These parties were 

 mon()i)()liziiig the time of the owners of the cattle, consequently I had 

 to wait for a more favorable day to acconqjlish my work. This day, 

 however, I nnule a more extended observation of the cattle on both 

 farms, as 1 was exceedingly anxions to find a recent case. My search 

 was rewarded by finding a red yearling steer at Keith's, which pre- 

 sented a blister at the anteiior border of the soft palate; it was about 

 the size of a silver dime, and luul a thin raised pellicle of mucous nuMU- 

 braue which rui)ture(l when I touched it. Two small pointed vesicles 

 appeared on the upjier surface of the tongue. No excessive salivation 



