596 PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. 



amount of evidence, which I cannot adduce at full length 

 here, but which may be classified under the following heads: 



Firstly, The constant spread of the disease from countries 

 in which it rages to others which, previously to the importation 

 of diseased animals, have been perfectly free. This may be 

 proved with regard to England, where it was carried in 1842 

 by affected animals from Holland. Twelve months after, it 

 spread from England to Scotland by some cattle sold at All- 

 Hallow Fair, and it was only twelve months after, that cattle 

 imported as far north as Inverness took the disease there. 

 Lately, a cow taken to Australia from England was observed 

 to be diseased on landing, and the evil results were limited to 

 her owner's stock, who gave the alarm, and ensured the effectual 

 check to further spread. Lastly, the recent importation of 

 pi euro-pneumonia into the United States from Holland seems 

 to have awakened members of the agricultural press here, and 

 convinced them of the stubborn fact that our cattle have been 

 decimated by a fearfully contagious and probably preventible 

 plague. In a letter from America we find on this subject: 

 " Its contagious character seems to be confirmed beyond a 

 doubt, though some of the V. S. practitioners deny it, which 

 is almost as reasonable as it would be to deny any other well- 

 authenticated historic fact. Every case of the disease is 

 traceable to one of two sources either to Mr Chenery's 

 stock in Belmont, into which the disease was introduced by 

 his importation of four Dutch cows from Holland, which ar- 

 rived here the 23d of last May, or else to one of the three 

 calves which he sold to a farmer in North Brookfield last June/' 



Secondly, Apart from the importation into countries, we 

 have the certain proof, to which I drew special attention 

 several years back, that cattle-dealers' farms, and public 

 markets, constitute the busy centres of infection. Most 

 anxious and careful inquiries have proved to me that in 



