History of Animal Plagues. 525 



States of America, concurrently with measles in the human 

 species.^ The Gazettes of this year abound with accounts of its 

 dreadful effects.^ It continued durinsrthe followinir vear. Many 

 cases of hydrophobia were observed in the Southern States of 

 America, and in July, in that country, the weather was so hot 

 that the thermometer in the shade stood at 103°. 



In the summer, glossanthrax broke out in the duchy of Nas- 

 sau. ^ In the year 1785 a long and severe winter was followed by 

 a wet and cold summer, in which the disease spread itself over 

 this district for the third time, and this epizooty appears to have 

 continued in other districts during the years 1786-7. In April 

 of the year 1785, the malady broke out at Nassau, and till May 

 and June of the same year it ravaged the district between the 

 Rhine and the Lahn. It was the general opinion at that time 

 that hairs grew out of the tongues of the animals, and these 

 were supposed to be the cause of the disease. In a report it is 

 stated, that at the root of the tongue these sprung up so strong 

 as to be like thorns, injuring the palate, and producing putridity 

 of both these parts, whereby at last the cattle lost their tongues 

 and died. In this epizooty, however, but few animals appear to 

 have perished. From that time anthrax of the tongue has never 

 been seen in the dukedom ; whether it be owing to altered con- 

 ditions for developing the malady in this neighbourhood, or 

 whether it will again appear at. another time, are questions 

 beyond the power of answering.' ^ 



White, in his Natural History of Selborne, mentions in this 

 vear a remarkable visitation of aphides, or^ ' smother-ily,' in his 

 village on the ist of August/ 



A.D. 1786. Anthrax was very prevalent and severe this year 

 in many countries. In the country of Lippe, for instance, it 

 rei""ned at the end of this and beginning of the next year, among 

 horses and cattle. ' \n a cow attacked by tbe disease, where the 

 pustule will break, you will first perceive a redness on the fraMuun 

 of the tongue, and within six hours a hard swelling will a]i|iear. 

 In some animals, either at once or soon alter this enlargement 



> Courant. Aug. I, 1785. ^ Wdstcr. Op. cit., vol. i. p. 455. 



' Fraiu/tte. Op. cit., p. 122. 



* G. IV/iiU: 'J'lic Natural lliblory of Selborne. Jardinc's Edit., para. 53. 



