SECRETARY'S REPORT. 19 



to have left it! The great mi/stery vi-Q.s solved, and we left! 

 Let it be born in mind that there was no evidence that the 

 disease called pleuro-pneumonia had ever existed in any other 

 herd than Meade's, kept in the neighborhood of Boxborongh ; that 

 Meade's cows, beyond a question, had the contagious form of 

 the disease ; that he, or his neighbors, raised his whole herd, 

 except the two animals before mentioned, and thei/ were free 

 from the disease ; and it will be seen at once that it was neces- 

 sary to adopt the theory of the old negro, the veterinary surgeon 

 referred to, or some similar one, or the doctrine of the exclu- 

 sive contagiousness of the disease must be abandoned. 



On the tenth of November, just as we were settling into the 

 belief that we had effectually checked the spread of the disease, 

 not hftvhig had a fresh case for three months. Dr. Thayer decided 

 that the herd belonging to the city of Boston, kept on Deer 

 Island, was seriously affected with pleuro-pneumonia. The 

 Board was called to confer with the directors of the house of 

 industry in relation to the matter. After a consultation in 

 which it was suggested by some of the directors, and, as I 

 thought, generally assented to by their board, that Deer Island 

 was just the place to try experiments as to the disease, it was 

 agreed on our part witli Mr. Payson, with whom the city author- 

 ities had left the whole matter, so far as they were concerned, 

 ■ that on the Tuesday following (this was on Saturday,) the 

 Commissioners would go to Deer Island, have the herd appraised, 

 Dr. Thayer would examine it carefully, and tlie State should 

 take that part of it in which he should find any evidence of the 

 disease existing, and the city should hold the remainder. 



Mr. Payson was to keep the whole stock without food 

 from Monday night till we should arrive on Tuesday, that 

 the doctor might have the better opportunity to detect any 

 trace of disease. From some cause, never satisfactorily explained, 

 I found on arriving on Deer Island on the day agreed upon, 

 that the programme had been entirely changed, and the Com- 

 missioners had agreed, without consulting me in relation to the 

 matter, to take the whole herd, and have it slaughtered, unless 

 Mr. Payson should see fit to select some of it to keep, it being 

 understood that should such part of the stock as he might 

 select thereafter have the pleuro-pneumonia, the State should pay 

 the city the amount at which they were appraised. Against this 



