244 



Inoculation for Pleuro-Pneumonia in Cattle. 



Noah Hill, which makes better lime for building purposes, I think. I had 

 seen no experiment tried till last year, when I used lime from this grey- 

 chalk ; at present I cannot see any difference in the effect — there are flints in 

 each sort.' 



" If I can make any further inquiries for you, I shall have pleasure in 

 doing so. — I remain, my dear Sir, yours very truly, 



J.M. Paine, Esq" *' James W. Clement. 



XIX. — Second Report on the Prevention of Pleuro- Pneumonia in 

 Cattle 1)1) Inoculation. Bj Professor Simonds, Veterinary 

 Inspector to the Society. 



In the former Report which we had the honour of submitting to 

 the Council of the Royal Agricultural Society on the subject of 

 inoculation of cattle as a preventive of Pleuro-pneumonia, we 

 drew attention to the proceedings which had been adopted on 

 the Continent, and more particularly in Belgium, towards esta- 

 blishing this method of imparting security against that insidious 

 and fatal disease. From the great interest which this subject 

 has excited both on the Continent and in England, it becomes 

 necessary to repeat in this place that the plan of inoculation 

 originated with a Dr. Willems, of Hasselt, who was induced to 

 practise it after giving trial to various other measures ; all of 

 which had failed to arrest the progress of Pleuro-pneumonia. 

 Dr. Willems' experiments date from December, 1850, but they 

 were chiefly carried out during the years 1851 and 1852, and 

 were at first made on animals belonging to his father — a distiller 

 and large proprietor of fatting cattle." 



With the introduction of inoculation the attacks of the disease 

 rapidly diminished, and, it being considered that this beneficial 

 change depended entirely on the employment of inoculation, 

 Dr. Willems lost no time in calling the attention of the Belgian 

 Government to the subject. The immediate effect of this step 

 was, as stated in our former Report, the appointment of a 

 Government Commission, consisting of both scientific and 

 practical individuals, to investigate the merits of this new pre- 

 ventive system. This procedure on the part of the Belgian 

 Government led, as was to be expected, to similar Commissions 

 being instituted by other Governments, thereby giving a world- 

 wide fame to the subject of cattle inoculation. 



Perhaps, of late years, few things connected with the dis- 

 eases of cattle have excited so lively an interest or led to more 

 numerous experiments than this supposed preventive of Pleuro- 

 pneumonia. Under such circumstances it was not unreason- 

 able to hope that, ere this, the question of the propriety of 



