PLEURO-PXEUMONIA. 605 



cows that have been slaughtered for pleuro-pneumonia, even 

 though the disease has not been far advanced, it will be 

 found that the butcher has carefully scraped the serous mem- 

 brane off the inner surface of the ribs, as it would be impos- 

 sible for him to give the pleura its healthy, smooth aspect, 

 from the firm manner in which the abundant false membranes 

 adhere to it. The diseased lungs sometimes attain inordinate 

 weights. We have known them as high as 60 pounds. 



Treatment. The great essential in attempting to apply 

 our knowledge of this disease to the mitigation of losses 

 amongst stockowners is to study the means of prevention. 

 On this point we have been very deficient in Great Britain, 

 not only as regards the epizootic lung disease, but other 

 forms of cattle murrain. 



These imported plagues in poorer countries than ours, lead 

 governments to establish cordons militaires, to slaughter 

 and bury diseased animals, and to compensate individuals 

 for their loss. The whole country is under careful inspec- 

 tion, and persons are bound to report the appearance of a 

 contagious disease, or submit to the infliction of a severe 

 penalty. Such measures would not find favour here ; but 

 are we to fly to the other extreme, to continue from one 

 year's end to the other without perceptible abatement in the 

 mortality amongst our cattle, and not only to manifest the 

 greatest carelessness regarding the presence of contagious 

 disorders, but to favour their spread by permitting frauds of 

 the vilest description ? 



A farmer goes to the market and buys a lot of lean cattle ; 

 shortly after purchase pleuro-pneumonia breaks out, and as 

 the condition of the animals prevents a good price being ob- 

 tained from the butcher, he sends the whole to the market 

 again, knowing them to be unsound, and either the lot is 

 transferred to another farm, or sold to a number of purchasers. 



