EPIDEMIC OP 1840 AND 1841. 91 



Holland with his family. Before Mr. Kcehler left this country lie gave me some of the 

 powders, and I have thought that possibly the chief ingredients mieht be detected by 

 the experiments of an accomplished chemist. If you will undertake the task of 

 having them submitted to the tests of such a person. I will send you a sufficient 

 quantity to make trial with. If the experiments should result successfully, and the 

 medicine prove valuable, the labour would be well expended, as I know of no certain 

 or plausible cure for murrain in cattle, a disease occasioning the loss of thousands 

 annually in this country. The principal part of the article (whether the virtuous 

 portion or not I cannot say) is mineral— judging from the weight." 



Another extract.—' I send you two papers of the murrain powder, being two doses. 

 For fear of mistake I wrote the directions on them when I received them." 



The two powders were jilaced in the hands of Professor Benjamin Hallowell— as 

 eminent for scientific attainments as he is remarkable for simplicity of manners and 

 benevolence of heart. In a few days he was good enough to return the powder, with 

 an exact duplicate of it, and the following memorandum : — "The powder contains 

 380 grains; it is composed of 340 grains of nitrate of potash (saW-pelre) and 40 grains 

 of bole armcvian intimately mixed" — be it remembered that the above quantity 

 makes firo doses — and the directions are: "dissolve in a pint of water." It will be 

 easy to try a remedy so strongly and plausibly recommended ; and, if found effectual, 

 the public will owe an obligation to all who may assist in diffusing a knowledge 

 of it. 



Thus we come at the following recipe for murrain :— Take nitrate of potash, 170 

 grains ; bole armenian, 20 grains. Dissolve in a pint of water, and give. — S.] 



CHAPTER XXI. 



THE EPIDEMIC OF 1840 AND 1841. 



Since the last edition of this work was published a new disease 

 has appeared amoncrst cattle and sheep, and for the last two years it 

 has spread through the kingdom as an epidemic, scarcely sparing a 

 single parish from its visitation. Though not by any means usually 

 fatal in its effects, it has yet altogether destroyed a great number, 

 and the pecuniary loss has been still greater from the debilitating 

 effects which it has produced or left behind. It has been proved to 

 be extremely infectious, and it is difficult to say whether the greater 

 number of cases have been thus produced or spontaneously occasioned. 

 It has sometimes appeared amongst the cattle of a farm, scarcely 

 sparing a single case ; and again, after some months' absence, it has 

 re-appeared on the same farm amongst the sheep, or perhaps the 

 swine. In some cases, and on some occasions, the symptoms of the 

 disease have been very slight, and the cases have soon go^vvell with- 

 out any medical treatment; but in other cases the symptoms have 

 been extremely severe, and attended with danger. It has usually 

 happened that the earlier and the later cases have been somewhat 

 slight, and the middle ones much more dangerous. In this respect it 



