HISTORICAL 3 
A.D. 
eaten everything up, they themselves increased the 
stench ; the trees also, stripped of their leaves, died 
and rotted. As a consequence, there was a great 
mortality amongst men and animals, but especially 
in dogs in the autumn. England and Gaul, and, 
indeed, the whole of Europe, suffered in the same 
way and from the same causes. 
“1414. According to Saxo Grammaticus, a severe form 
of dysentery ravaged Germany, affecting horses, 
cattle, dogs, and cats, as well as man. 
“‘7603. Very inclement season in London, and pestilence 
among mankind which was supposed to have been 
introduced from the Low Countries. A famine pre- 
vailed, and extensive disease among all animals, but 
particularly cattle. Even dogs suffered greatly. 
“1690. Italy. ‘On March 13, I observed an epidemic 
among dogs at Anda of an anginous character. 
After a very misty night, domestic and sporting 
dogs, besides three others, all perished in the town, 
of which, out of curiosity, I took twenty-one for 
examination, and | found their necks swollen ex- 
ternally and their fauces internally, while the muscles 
of their throats were much inflamed. Wirth ascribes 
the losses among animals in Italy to anthrax.’ 
“1714. In March of this year, canine distemper raged in 
all the southern provinces of France as an epizoéty 
complicated with gangrenous angina. 
“1715. In Germany and France an epizoéty of gastro- 
bronchitis raged amongst dogs. . 
“7738. Alloa, who was a resident in South America until 
1746, is the first author who has told us of the 
existence of, and describes the distemper of, dogs of 
that country. 
“1761. In this year there began a great epizoéty amongst 
dogs, which appears to have been what is since 
vulgarly termed ‘distemper.’ Before this period it 
appears to have been very rare or almost unknown, 
and since its outbreak at that time, it has lingered 
among the canine species to this day. It seems to 
have been first noted in Spain. This year there 
was observed at Madrid a deadly epizoéty among 
