24 Introduction. 



The lungs giving, through auscultation, a better chance of 

 observing changes going on in their structure, some refer- 

 ence is given to a certain lung affection with congestion, that 

 has been observed with much attention in man since 1849. 



Here the necessity of several long and forced inspirations 

 is given as an efficient means of detecting pure congestion of 

 the lungs from tubercle, pneumonia, or syphilitic infiltration. 



A short outline is given of the same disease in an acute 

 form in cattle ; commonly called the pleuro-pneumonia of 

 cattle, but really a blood disease of far wider range than the 

 lungs and pleura; but since 1856 it has become much 

 modified, or more restricted to the lungs and pleura. It 

 made its appearance in Ireland not far from 1840, and 

 about 1846 in our own land ; proving remarkably destructive. 



Yet it must be observed that there is a gradual change 

 passing over the vito-physical resources, through the 

 process of nutrition generally, which is slowly and imper- 

 ceptibly altering, and in many cases, improving our 

 vegetable and animal products. 



Breeding and cultivation get the entire credit for the 

 changes effected in our fruits, cereals, and floral gardening ; 

 and also in our horses, horned cattle, sheep, and poultry, 

 etc. ; but here a strong suspicion is thrown out that the 

 change in the nutritive powers of animated creation have 

 undergone a slight, but certain modified condition since the 

 ingress of the present epidemic era, dating from 1817. 



From this point a wider application is given to epidemic 



