A NKAV DISKASK IN KiNGLAND! 5 



Ellis wrote in 1749, and since his time we find no 

 mention made of this disease as affecting the sheep of 

 this country : in fine, the only notice taken of it by 

 English authors appears to arise from the introduction 

 into their works of translations from foreign writers, 

 as we have explained already. We, therefore, con- 

 sider that the weight of evidence favours the opi- 

 nion, that the outbreak of " variola ovina," which w^e 

 are about to describe, depends on the importation of 

 certain infected animals from abroad, and this will be 

 greatly strengthened by a perusal of the facts which the 

 sequel will disclose. Our insular position has, no doubt, 

 protected us from many pestiferous affections that 

 have proved destructive to cattle in France, Germany, 

 Italy, and other Continental states ; epidemics in w^hich 

 contact is absolutely necessary to convey the disease ; 

 for althouEch several of these maladies are both infec- 

 tious and contagious, we must remember that they are 

 only so within a given distance, this is probably the 

 case with variola ovina. 



We shall now proceed to take a brief view of these 

 pestilential scourges, which we are the more desirous 

 of doing, because some of them appear to have points 

 in common with the malady here treated of. 



The most ancient records of both Scriptural and 

 Pagan history make fi-equent mention of such epi- 

 demics ; and, in the time of INIoses, we first learn that 

 Egypt had her cattle swept off by what was called 

 " murrain," a term, perhaps, employed to designate a 

 class of diseases. The cause of this dreadful visitation 

 was the disobedience of Pharaoh to God's commands, 

 in detaining the children of Israel ; and, it is related. 



