382 Professor Sirnondss Report to the Committee of 
attached to a syringe. The animals gave no immediate indica- 
tions of suffering, and, although they were carefully watched day 
by day afterwards, nothing was detected that would justify the 
belief that they suffered in any special manner from the intro- 
duction of the morbid matter into their organisms. An impor- 
tant field of inquiry was thus opened, and further experiments 
will be required for the purpose of ascertaining whether the lungs 
of cattle can be brought into a special morbid condition by this 
method of introducing the fluid product of pleuro-pneumonia. 
During the year the country has fortunately escaped any fresh 
importation of the cattle plague, but great vigilance has had to 
be constantly exercised in consequence of the spread of the 
disease in Eastern Europe. Among other countries Hungary 
has suffered severely, and the long continuance of the plague, 
both there and in other parts of the Austrian Empire, led to 
frequent rumours of the malady having again penetrated into 
Western Europe. It was even said that the plague had reap- 
peared in Holland in the early part of September, but the 
inquiries which were promptly instituted proved the rumour to 
be entirely without foundation. 
In the month of July, however, much anxiety was felt respect- 
ing the probable introduction of a new disease of cattle which 
had shown itself in North America, and which had been brought 
there by cattle from Texas. The accounts which reached this 
country, although deficient in precision respecting the pathology 
of the disease, were sufficiently alarming to lead the Government, 
in the month of September, to forbid the importation of American 
hay, excepting under bond that it should be used only as food 
for horses. Subsequent information confirmed the opinion 
which had been given that the disease was not allied in its 
pathology to the cattle plague of Russia, although it was almost 
as fatal, and easily communicated to healthy animals when 
coming in contact with Texan cattle. The United States 
Government ordered a special inquiry to be instituted, but up 
to the close of the year, notwithstanding the publication of the 
official report, the information received here was so incomplete 
that little more was known of the true nature of the malady. 
The restriction on the importation of hay was withdrawn in due 
time on its being shown that little or no risk was run by allowing 
its consumption by cattle as well as horses. 
In August our flocks were again threatened with another 
outbreak of small-pox in consequence of the great prevalence 
of the disease on the continent. It was ascertained that the 
malady was very rife both in Schleswig-Holstein and Holland — 
countries from which large importations of sheep were then 
taking place. Several cargoes of infected animals arrived at the 
