470 VETEEINAEY HYGIENE 



attention seems to have been paid to it. At any rate the 

 disease still exists, and the country doubtless has never 

 been free ; half-hearted legislation extending over a 

 hundred years has not been of much service. 



From 1833 to 1842 existed an Act known as 3 and 4 

 William lY., Cap. 52, which prohibited the importation 

 into England and Ireland of cattle, sheep, and swine from 

 abroad. It was cancelled in 1842, and an import duty 

 took its place, which was imposed until 1846, when it was 

 removed. 



In 1847 sheep-pox was imported from Denmark. It 

 spread over the greater part of the country, affecting tens 

 of thousands of animals, and causing a mortality of 90 per 

 cent. It took three years to rid the country of this plague, 

 and public interest was aroused in the matter, with the 

 result that the Acts of 1848 and subsequently of 1853, 

 which we have previously alluded to, were made, but were 

 either not utilized or only in a spasmodic manner. It was 

 in the Act of 1853 that the first attempt to legislate against 

 glanders occurs. 



It has been said that the neglect to put in force existing 

 legislative measures was due to the ignorance of the 

 public on these questions, a public which regarded pleuro- 

 pneumonia as non-infectious, and foot and mouth disease 

 as a simple complaint bearing the same significance as 

 measles in the human subject.* 



In 1866 was introduced the Cattle Diseases Prevention 

 Act, the outcome of cattle plague, and the result of pressure 

 put upon the Government by deputation after deputation of 

 agriculturists, whose ignorance had become enlightened by 

 their bitter experience of the disease. So strong was the 

 pressure, that the Government passed this Bill through 

 the House with the utmost rapidity and in thirteen days 

 it became law. 



From this Act of 1866 all our modern legislative machinery 

 is derived. It could not be expected that perfectly compre- 



* Professor G-. T. Brown, Journal of the Royal Agricultural 

 Society, vol. iv., part ii., 1893. 



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