History of Influenza. 5 1 



here to mention that the horses in and about this 

 place are being universally attacked with a run- 

 ning at the nose and cough, towards the end of 

 October and the middle of November, before the 

 appearance of this fever of cold among men." 

 The epizootic of 17o2 was observed in London 

 by William Gibson, author of a New Treatise on 

 the Diseases of the Horse, in 1754. In Gibson's 

 account we have as accurate a description of the 

 events of the year 1873 as of those occurring 

 one hundred and forty years before. ''About the 

 end of the year 1732 there was a remarkable 

 distemper among horses in London and in several 

 other parts of the kingdom. They were seized 

 suddenly with a vehement dry, sounding cough, 

 which shook them so violently that some of them 

 were often ready to drop down with hard strain- 

 ing and want of breath ; their throats were raw 

 and sore, many of them had their kernels (sub- 

 maxillary glands) swollen, and were painful to 

 the touch. For the first two days most of them 

 refused all manner of food as well as water, and 

 had so many other bad signs that when this dis- 

 temper first broke out, many were afraid of a 

 mortality among them. Indeed, the only good 

 sign they had was the vehemence of their cough, 

 that kept the blood in motion, and speedily set 

 their noses running, and which generally began 

 the third day, and continued in a profuse manner 

 for five or six days. Some of them in that time 

 discharged as much as two or three pails would 

 hold of purulent matter, which, however^ was of 

 a laudable colour and good consistence. While 



