History of Animal Plagues. 



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manifested themselves in the neighbourhood, and the infeetion 

 was carried far and near from these various and continually in- 

 creasing centres. It is recorded that soon after the epizooty 

 declared itself in London, a disease broke out among the cattle 

 in Argyllshire, Scotland, which killed six thousand animals. 

 Whether or not this was the same affection, however, I believe 

 there is no evidence to show. 



Dr Mortimer is the first writer whom I can find describino- 

 the epizooty as it appeared in London. His account of it is 

 contained in a paper read before the Royal Society on the 21st 

 November, 1745. He says : 



' As to the distemper now reigning among the cattle, I am 

 informed by the cow-keepers that a cow shall be seemingly 

 well, and feed heartily, over-night, or in the morning, and give 

 the usual quantity of milk ; that in twelve hours' time they shall 

 all of a sudden abate in their milk near half, and entirely fall 

 off their stomach, so as neither to eat or drink, and then 

 gradually lose all their milk. As soon as they perceive this 

 they give them a warm mash of malt, or the following drench : 

 "Take two ounces of caraway-seeds, boil them in a quart of 

 water, and strain it ; add a gill of white wine, and a quarter of a 

 pound of honey." Their teeth are commonly observed to be 

 loose,^ for which they lance the gums and rub them wnth salt 

 and vinegar. The very first day they have a huskiness, breathe 

 short, and wheeze, but have no great cough ; for which they 

 have blooded them (in too small quantities), and rubbed their 

 noses with tar, but with no success. Some hang down their 

 heads, and run much at the nose, for which they lay a bag of 

 scalding hot malt at their heads, tying it between their horns. 

 This has sometimes relieved this symptom, but the beasts have 

 not recovered. The second or third day most of them, not all, 

 fall into a purging, groan much, and seem to be in great pain. 

 The stools I have seen seem to be bilious, have cakes of jelly 

 come away with them, and some were streaked with blood. 

 They soon die after these stools come on. Those that arc kept 

 out in the cold air seldom live beyond the third day; those that 

 are kept warm in houses and clothed, live five, six, or even 



' This is the normal condition of the ox's incisor teeth. 



