DISEASES OP THE OX AND SHEEP. 207 



upon the welfare of human beings, owing to their liability to 

 become affected with it, that we propose to deal with this im- 

 portant topic rather fully. Mr. Bland Sutton has recently been 

 writing upon this dreadful scourge as occurring in birds. He 

 affirms that it affects chiefly birds which live upon grain, and 

 that its existence in birds of prey may often be attributed to their 

 feeding upon smaller birds. As an illustration of this kind of 

 causation, Mr. Sutton mentions the case of a python which 

 died of tubercular disease of the liver, having been fed upon 

 fowls, pigeons, and ducks, which are very liable to tuberculosis, 

 and some of which were, it is to be presumed, certainly afflicted 

 with the disease. 



It is with some pleasure that we take in hand to discuss this 

 most interesting and dread disease ; for by the help of the re- 

 searches of Dr. Klein and others we shall be able to throw 

 some light upon it. 



It may be found that bovine tuberculosis can be stamped out, 

 as cattle-plague, foot-and-mouth disease, sheep scab, pleuro- 

 pneumonia,* and rabies can ; and there are also some indications 

 that protective inoculation with tubercular matter obtained 

 from fowls which have died of the disease might throw some 

 light upon a method of prevention. 



Tuberculosis is unfortunately quite commonly met with among 

 human beings, oxen, and monkeys. The domesticated oxen 

 over the entire surface of the globe seem to be afflicted with 

 it. There are indications that close in-and-in breeding is at 

 least one of the causes which may make it more general. In 

 thickly populated districts, and especially when the climate is 

 for other reasons unhealthy, it is more highly destructive. In 

 Mexico the disease is so common that about 34 per cent, of the 

 oxen slaughtered for food are said to show signs of its presence ; 

 and that in England the disorder is far more prevalent than is 

 generally supposed, can be seen at once by inspection of the 

 carcases of cattle slaughtered for human food. In the cow- 

 sheds of large towns tuberculosis is very commonly met with. 



The malady seems to be found more frequently in cattle than 



* There are not a few persons who believe that pleuro-pneumonia cannot be 

 entirely stamped out, because of the milder forms of the disease not being 

 recognized in some cases, though in isolated instances it may be arrested by very 

 vigorous measures carefully and thoroughly carried out. 



