33 o History of Animal Plagues. 



'The knowledge of the symptoms, which are easily discernible and 

 best distinguish' the murrain from other disorders incident to cattle, and 

 of the peculiar appearances that are produced in the inward parts of 

 beasts which die of it, make by far the most important object of the 

 communication of what regards this disease. It is extremely requisite 

 that all owners of cattle should have a moderate acquaintance with 

 these matters, in order they may as soon, and as certainly as possible, be 

 able to inform themselves whenever their cattle appear to be out of 

 order or die in a suspicious manner, whether they be infected with this 

 disease or not. Without such means of judging, they may either in- 

 advertently sutler the contagion to spread in their own herds or to those 

 of others, if it happens to be introduced to any of their beasts, or other- 

 wise be led, from a mistake of other distempers for it, to be at great 

 expense and trouble in trying to prevent it when there is no real occa- 

 sion. It is of equal consequence, both with respect to the public and 

 to themselves, that a certain degree of intelligence of the criterions by 

 which the murrain may be known from other disorders should be pos- 

 sessed by magistrates, constables, parish-officers, and inspectors of cattle, 

 particularly those near sea-ports, that they may, in some measure, be 

 enabled to put the Acts of Parliament and Orders of Council concerning 

 the disease into execution j as those Acts lay a task upon them, should the 

 occasion of their being enforced present itself, of a very nice and com- 

 plex, as well as momentous nature. I shall, therefore, first give an enumer- 

 ation of those symptoms of cattle diseased with the murrain, and a de- 

 scription of those appearances it causes in the inward parts of the bodies 

 of beasts that die of it, which are so simple and strong that they may be 

 readily perceived and distinguished by any persons, however little versed 

 in the observation of diseases or other subjects of medical concern. I 

 shall afterwards, for the use of others who may choose to carry their 

 speculations further and attempt the study or cure of the disease, point 

 out those more latent and less perceptible symptoms and effects of 

 it, which require a previous knowledge of physiology to their being 

 properly observed, and which are rather useful for investigating the 

 nature and kind of the disease, and the best method of curative treat- 

 ment of it, than for distinguishing it, by sensible marks, from other 

 disorders of cattle. I shall proceed also to apply the whole to that 

 purpose of examination, and to explain whatever can be at present 

 collected of the physiological principles of the disease, in order to as- 



of cattle. As the whole must be provided and laid out in a short space of time, 

 it would therefore be more to their interest to submit to the present loss and 

 recruit their stock bv future resources. 



