PREFACE. 



No apology seems called for in presenting to English -speaking 

 veterinary surgeons and students a treatise on the diseases of cattle. 

 To those entrusted with the onerous task of preventing or curing disease 

 in cattle, sheep, and swine the scantiness of permanent literature dealing 

 with the subject must always have proved a matter of some embarrass- 

 ment, while to teachers and students alike the want of a concise and 

 modern text-book has long been a difficulty of the first order. It is 

 hoped that the present volume may go some way towards remedying 

 this state of affairs. 



As on previous occasions, the writer has freely availed himself of 

 foreign sources of information. Two years ago he purchased the 

 literary rights in Professor Moussu's " Maladies du Betail," which 

 had even then attained an European reputation, and which forms the 

 backbone of the present volume. To obtain further information, the 

 more imjDortant German treatises have been laid under contribution, 

 while all accessible English, American, and Colonial literature of recent 

 date has been referred to. (The references practically extend up to 

 the moment of writing — the latest being June, 1905.) In this way 

 the work may in some degree claim to have assumed an international 

 character. The extent of the additions is indicated by an increase in 

 the number of illustrations of 140, and of the text of nearly 50 per cent. 

 Professor McQueen has j'erformed the greatly- valued service of 

 reading proof-sheets and advising the writer as the book passed 

 through the press. 



To Dr. Salmon, of the United States Department of Agriculture, 

 special thanks are due for his generous permission to quote from the 

 annual reports of that body. 



Other acknowledgments will be found in the te^^^. 



