History of Animal Plagues. 165 



est state of the atmosphere ; but yet to us It was unseasonable, 

 rains from time to time falling with great force. Hence, on 

 account of the moist state of the soil, and the moderate temper- 

 ature, all kinds of grain grew to so great a height and luxuriance 

 that the fear of a bad harvest speedily left the minds of all. But 

 an unforeseen mildew speedily dispelled their hopes, for the 

 wheat, barley, and all kinds of pulse were quickly demolished, as 

 if stricken by a blast from heaven. The same contagious blight 

 struck the whole cispadane and transpadane country. The 

 epidemic disease, which, in these three years, all so dissimilar in 

 their character, had filled both city and country with many deaths, 

 was the purpurata or petechial fever (scurvy).' ^ In Hesse, for 

 1693, Valentine describes a pulmonic affection among cattle, 

 which killed great numbers. He says, 'The preceding winter 

 being wet, but towards the close very cold, at the beginning of 

 spring an unusual heat set in, and continued throughout the 

 whole summer; which sudden change produced an unequal and 

 unnatural motion of the humours and breath, followed by death 

 to man and beast. Oxen and cows succumbed in numbers. 

 Amongst other causes, a corrosive dew, which spotted linen with 

 marks more or less dark-coloured, and corroded everything, was 

 supposed to produce ill effects. From the observations of the 

 butchers, it was proved that these animals died from pulmonary 

 phthisis [phthisi pulmonali necahantur) , to which, without doubt, 

 the severe cold after the intense heat much contributed. At the 

 end of July and the beginning of August, besides dysentery and 

 malignant fevers, a certain intermittent fever, like tertian fever, 

 attacked man.' ^ 



Wirth, and a few other veterinary writers, have imagined this 

 outbreak to be an cpizooty of contagious pleuro-pneumonia, but 

 there is every reason to doubt the correctness of their surmise. 

 That malady was not known for certain till a later period. 



A.D. 1692. In October swarms of locusts appeared in Pem- 

 brokeshire and the coasts of Wales ; they seem, from the descrip- 

 tion, to have been the true eastern locust.? 



1 Ramazzini. Op. cit., 187 — 193. 



2 M. B. Valentinu Constitutio Epid. llassiaca. Ephcm.Nat. Curios. Syden- 

 ham. Op. ed. Geneva. Vol. i. p. 276. ^ rhilosupliical Transactions. 



