History of Animal Plagues. 187 



was noticed in all, strange to say, that the omasum was hard and 

 compact, and the leaves closely adherent; while all were of great 

 size and emitted a horrid stench. In other parts, such as the 

 brain and lungs, hydatids were found, enclosed in huge bladders' 

 as if full of wind ; these, when dissected, exhaled a noxious efflu- 

 vium. The tontjue was covered with ulcers towards the root, 

 and full of little vesicles on its sides. I know for certain, that 

 that portion of the body which was observed in the abdomen (the 

 stomach) to be hard and compact like stone, was primarily pro- 

 duced by a contagious miasma, which, while pursuing its own 

 course of destruction, weakened and corrupted the gastric juice 

 [illud verh corpus durum et compactum ad instar caicis quod in 

 omaso ohservatiir, primum productum esse contagiosi miasmatis 

 pro certo haheo, dum tacite scevitiam suam exercens, stomachicum 

 fermentum lahefactat et corrumpit.) ... It might reasonably be 

 expected that mankind would be left uninjured ; for if, in the 

 space of three months, the plague had attacked no other ru- 

 minating and horned animal, or in any way injured horses, pigs, 

 or wild creatures, there is no reason why it should affect men, 

 who are so different from these creatures.^ ^ 



Ramazzini and other physicians were of opinion that the I 

 disease was similar to, or identical with, small-pox in man ; and ' 

 this opinion was discussed and controverted in a circular issued 

 by the Philosophical College of Padua, on the 28th of October, 

 1711. 



This bulletin goes on to say : ' We have seen the eflfects of 

 the disease to be most frequentlv in the viscera already de- 

 scribed ; that is to say, in the first ventricle or omasum {pr'imo 

 ventricolo, detto Omaso : this is an error, as the "omasum " is the 

 third compartment of the ox^s stomach), where one sees dryness, 

 hardness, and contraction towards the middle, with a collection 

 of alimentary substances rendered hard and stony; the second 

 ventricle {secondo ventricolo) is found extremely full of food 



{escre7nenti),\\'\\.\\ an abundance of fetid gas The following 



organic changes are found in the viscera, with few exceptions : 

 we see the lungs evidently inffamed, as well as the neighbouring 



' Ratnazziiii. Diss, dc Contagiosa Epidcmia qua: in I'atavino agio in liovcs 

 irrepsit. Geneva, 1711.. 



