DISEASES OF CATTLE. 55 



from this country and landed in England, makes it probable that 

 the disease has attained a foothold among our animals. But ^vhere i 



Veterinary science is in a state so much less than embryonal 

 in this country, that no one knows whence these animals came ; 

 whether they were diseased when leaving here, or what portion of 

 them was diseased. 



This disease is transmissible to man. So far as my knowledge 

 extends, this has only taken place from diseased cows. 



Yalentine, of Italy, 16l>5, noticed the synchronous appearance of 

 a i^ustulous eniption in the mouths of human beings, and a similar 

 disease among cattle. Sagad, 170-1, was the first to notice that hu- 

 man beings acquired the eruption from the consumption of milk 

 from cows affected with the same. Ilertwig (of the Veterinary 

 Institute, Berlin, Prussia) first proved the same by direct experi- 

 ment, lie drank daily for four consecutive days a quart of milk 

 taken from cows having the disease. On the second day he ob- 

 served a mild fever, pains in the limbs, headache, a dry and hot 

 throat, and a peculiar sensation in the hands and fingers. These 

 mild phenomena continued about five days ; then the lining of the 

 mouth became swollen, especially the covering of the tongue. In 

 a short time small vesicles began to develop. At the same time 

 that these eruptions appeared in the mouth and on the lips, ap- 

 peared an eniption of similar character upon the hands and fingers. 

 Two medical practitioners also subjected themselves to the same 

 experiment, and at the same time similar results followed. All 

 three recovered completely. (Bollinger, in Ziemsscn's " Ilandbuch 

 der Pathologic," vol. iii, p. G37.) 



The danger from the consumption of the milk of cows afflicted 

 with this eruption is most emphatically demonstrated by the fact 

 that young animals fed upon the same frequently perish in conse- 

 quence of gastro-entcritis, i. e., inflammation of stomach and bowels. 



For man, milk from such cows, to which ninety per cent normal 

 milk has been added, is still dangerous when consumed. Cooking 

 the milk from such cows completely destroys its infectious qualities. 



Bollinger gives the following examples of the eniption of the 

 disease in human beinf]:s bv indirect infection : 



"A boy had a severe aphthous eruption in the mouth after 

 biting the edge of a pail which was polluted with the droolings 

 from the mouth of a diseased cow." " A man accidentally infected 

 himself by putting between his teeth a knife which had been pol- 

 luted in the same manner." "Another infected himself by chew- 

 ing a piece of wood which had been used to clean the mouth of a 



