VOL. XXX.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 381 



daily ; and such meat condemned as appeared suspicious. The cow-keepers 

 now divided their cows into small parcels, by which they lost only that in which 

 the disease happened ; whereas before that method, when one cow took this 

 disease, if she had herded with 100, 200, or 300, the contagion was such that 

 scarcely one escaped. Those who had no sick cows avoided all communication 

 with such as had. They likewise found that the keeping their cows so long 

 when ill, had been the chief cause of their loss ; they therefore now brought 

 them to be buried on the first appearance of the disease, before the contagion 

 could possibly have got to any great height. 



These were the effects of the cow- keepers dear bought experience ; but it 

 was the indefatigable care and diligence of those 4 gentlemen, who gave a daily 

 attendance, both early and late, that secured Great Britain from that terrible 

 ravage, which was made by this distemper in several parts of Europe. The 

 severity of this disease in England did not last above 3 months ; though it was 

 not entirely suppressed till about Christmas : but in several other countries it 

 continued 2 or 3 years ; and I am credibly assured, that in Holland it still rages 

 with as much violence as ever ; and that they have lost in cows, oxen and bulls, 

 above 300,000. 



The Divine Providence has so disposed the matter of animal bodies, as to 

 render contagious diseases very seldom infectious to different species ; but ex- 

 perience' shows that contagions may be communicated to the same species, by 

 touching the woollen, linen, &c. to which the infectious effluvia of the diseased 

 had adhered, though the two bodies should be at a great distance; and I believe 

 that more hundreds died from the infection, which was carried by the inter- 

 course that the cow-keepers had with each other, than single ones by the ori- 

 ginal putrefaction. 



The number of bulls and cows lost by this disease, in the counties of Mid- 

 dlesex, Essex and Surry, were 5418; and of calves, 439; ^^^ the money 

 issued for them, at 40 or 10 shillings per cow, &c. was the royal bounty of his 

 Majesty, from his own civil list : and though neither the 4 gentlemen, nor I, 

 made any demand for a reward, or for expences, yet it amounted to 67741. Is. 

 id. But the entire loss to the cow-keepers, as delivered in upon oath, was 

 245001. though computed only at 61. per cow ; which at a medium, was not 

 more than their prime cost. His Majesty was further pleased, on the solicita- 

 tion of the 4 gentlemen, to grant a brief for the 245001. but the many false 

 reports that were then industriously propagated, to lessen the value of those 

 poor men's losses, so frustrated that charity, that the entire sum collected (after 

 paying the charges of collecting, was only 627 8 1. 2s. 6d. which on a dividend, 

 amounted to 5s. l-i-d. in the pound, computing their loss as above, at 61. per 



