1 62 Literaturbericht. 



„As the home of the rinderpest is on the steppes of Russia, 

 so this American plague comes from the vast plains of Texas. 



Now, it appears that during last May and June some fifteen 

 thousand cattle were slowly driven from Texas to Illinois, fee- 

 ding on the prairies as they passed. 



From Illinois, the disease spread to the adjoining State of 

 Indiana where thousands of cattle are still said to be dying of 

 it, and to the city of Chicago. The next step in its progress 

 was, that some Illinois cattle were dispatched by railway to 

 Pittsburg, in Pennsylvania. Before reaching Pittsburg a large 

 proportion of them perished, and others died in the Pittsburg 

 drove yards. Thence some apparently healthy animals were 

 sent by rail to New-York, but the fatal symptoms appeared after 

 their arrival, and within ten or twelfe days after the appearance of 

 the cattle at Pittsburg, the disease had penetrated to the northern 

 part of New- York State. The history of the development of the 

 disease, therefore is complete. From Texas it is tracked over 

 the prairies to Illinois, and thence it is followed over railways 

 to the great towns of the West. With us, though the course of 

 the rinderpest is sufficiently established, there are generally some 

 doubtful links in the chain of- communication, but in this instance 

 every step is discernable." 



Der erste Bericht des Herrn Dr. Cresson Stiles über den 

 Befund an den geschlachteten schwerkranken Rindern lautet 

 folgendermaassen: Brooklyn, August I2th. 1868. 



E. Harris, M. D., Registrar etc. 

 Dear Sir! 



I have examined carefully the specimens of the plaque cattle 

 which 1 took on Sunday (August 9^''-)- I went at them at once, 

 before decomposition could change their character. 



The Blood. — Not a single red blood disk could be detected. 

 The red disks had parted with their coloring matter, and the 

 serum was of a dark mahogany color. This evidence of dis- 

 organisation of the blood is a most important fact, as indicating 

 the nature of the disorder. 



The Urine — Was of a glutinous character , excessively 

 albuminous ; the blood corpuscles , which were abundantly con- 

 tained in it, were shrivelled and creuated. The urine was of a 

 claret color, and contained a few casts of the tubuli uriniferi. 



