ON DISEASES OF ANIMALS. 57 



all the negroes who opened the dead bodies had 

 boils on their arms, attended by much fever ; and 

 those feeding on their flesh had like symptoms. Ex- 

 amples were given of several who actually died from 

 infection. Something similar was witnessed in 

 France, where persons skinning the animals died of 

 the contagion, the effects of which were immediate. 



Between the years 1780 and 1790, a pestilential 

 disease prevailed among the cattle in the northern 

 counties of Scotland, vulgarly denominated hasty, 

 from the rapidity of its progress. 



The Eastern parts of Asia were visited by a de- 

 structive epizooty among the horses, especially in 

 1 804 ; and after the severity abated, in 1 805 and 



1806. it was renewed with uncommon virulence in 



1807. In so far as we can learn, this disorder con- 

 sisted of a sudden swelling, attended by shivering 

 fits, an abscess formed most commonly in the head, 

 and the animal died in twelve hours at farthest. 

 But in many instances, its commencement and ter- 

 mination were infinitely more rapid, and death was 

 known to ensue in half an hour. The malady was 

 observed early at Ochotsk. Cattle, reindeer, and 

 horses all suffered ; and at last, a caravan, consisting 

 of eighty, preserved only ten. The Russian Gov- 

 ernment of those distant regions, in order to repress 

 the disease, ordered all the animals perishing of it, to 

 be burnt ; but before its nature was well understood, 

 the Jakutchiuns, to whom horse flesh is grateful, un- 

 willing to lose such a source of subsistence, fed on it. 

 Most of those who had done so, died within a day or 

 two ; and a few lingered a fortnight. Those who 



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