Occurrence. 235 



Turner in South Africa, Nicolle & Adil-Bey in Turkey, led to the 

 elaboration of several methods of immunization adapted for practical 

 requirements. 



Occurrence. Rinderpest causes enormous losses in the 

 infected herds of cattle, and may even result in the almost com- 

 plete extinction of animals in large territories. Sometimes it 

 may also cause considerable losses among flocks of sheep and 

 goats. At the present time it prevails in Europe only in the 

 southern part of the Balkan peninsula, but in Asia it is con- 

 tinually present, and recently it has become prevalent in Africa. 



Rinderpest was probably known in the early ages, and' not only 

 in its original home, Asia, but also in Europe. With the great migra- 

 tions of people it was introduced from the Black Sea over the entire 

 continent westward, where it has raged almost continuously since that 

 time until the '70 's of the last century. Extensive outbreaks usually 

 appeared associated with great wars, inasmuch as the cattle which were 

 driven after the troops disseminated the disease over distant territories. 

 Such invasions occurred in Germany during the period of Charles the 

 Great in connection with his wars ; in France and Italy at the same 

 time; in the thirteenth century after the intrusion of the Mongolians; 

 at the time of the thirty-years' war, etc. 



In the first two decades of the eighteenth century the disease existed 

 throughout Europe with such vehemence that for instance in the years 

 1711-1714, one and a half million of cattle fell victims to it (Paulet), 

 Later Holland lost almost its entire stock of cattle as a result of the 

 disease. Through the great Napoleonic wars the disease attained again 

 a great extension especially in Germany and in France (the first French 

 veterinary schools were established as a result of the great losses caused 

 by rinderpest at that time). 



Since the middle of last century it has generally been accepted that 

 the disease spreads only by infection through which knowledge the only 

 rational way of control and eradication of the disease has been estab- 

 lished. The complete eradication of the disease, which in some coun- 

 tries caused severe losses, appeared as a very urgent necessity, and 

 consequently the European governments adopted measures by which 

 they succeeded in pressing it back to the far East. The plague attained 

 considerable extension in middle Europe for the last time during the 

 Franco-Prussian war, but in the course of the following decade it was 

 completely suppressed, so that since 1881 it is confined to Russia and 

 Turkey and more recently has apparently disappeared even from Euro- 

 pean Ilussia. 



The losses in Germany during the eighteenth century are estimated at 30 

 million cattle. The disease was distributed most extensively in the beginning of 

 the last century during the Napoleonic wars, in the '30 's through the Polish Eevo- 

 lution, and later through the Franco-Prussian war. During the latter, 13,000 

 cattle and 4000 sheep died in Alsace-Lorraine, while in Germany 8151 cattle suc- 

 cumbed or were killed (the disease was also brought to Switzerland by the eastern 

 army which entered that country). In 1877 the disease was spread from Poland 

 to Posen and from Austria to Wiesbaden and caused a loss of 1591 cattle, and in 

 the following year 2349 cattle diei;l in Prussia from the disease. It appeared for 

 the last time in 1881 in the province Schlesien, and since its eradication from this 

 territory the German Empire has remained free from the plague (DieckerhofE). 



In France the disease raged to an alarming extent during the great Revolu- 

 tion and the Napoleonie wars, especially after the unsuccessful Russian expedition. 



