50 ON DISEASES OF ANIMALS. 



pear as the last effort of nature. Pain and distress 

 were more particularly manifested in horses, at the 

 close of life, by frequent lying down and getting up> 

 and by grunting and struggles. The disease was 

 most prevalent in Topsfield and vicinity in July and 

 August. The disease is probably a murrain, such as 

 we read of in the bible and ancient writings. Epi- 

 zooty is a term bestowed upon malignant distempers 

 among animals. It signifies a plague or murrain a- 

 mong animals. In the common acceptation of the 

 term, murrain is limited to distempers among useful 

 and domesticated animals, whereas epizooty compre- 

 hends those pestilential ravages to which the whole 

 living creation is liable. In one of the plagues of 

 Egypt, spoken of by Moses, is recognized a most 

 destructive epizooty, extending to all domesticated 

 animals. Other accounts are given in ancient histo- 

 ry of malignant and contagious diseases among an- 

 imals. 



In modern history, more particular accounts are 

 given of pestilential and eruptive diseases, resemb- 

 ling small pox and plague in men. By some inocu- 

 lation was tried and supposed to modify the disease 

 and lessen its fatality. This, however, was thought 

 might spread the disease where it did not before ex- 

 ist, and was therefore prohibited by government. 

 " In 1661, after a hot dry summer, a kind of phrenzy 

 spread among animals, especially horses, cattle 

 and sheep ; but was not known to be contagious. 

 It was principally confined to northern climates ; one 

 or more worms were found in the substance of the 

 brain. Numbers of intestinal worms were found in 



