Foot-and-Mouth Disease. 
477 
enforced, I investigated an instance of foot-and-mouth disease 
at Thirsk of so virulent a kind that it was suspected to be cattle- 
plague. One animal died about the time of my arrival, and an 
examination of the herd, which was entirely composed of Irish 
stores, showed that the disease had attacked nearly the whole of 
them, and was rapidly running its course, notwithstanding the 
extreme coldness of the season, and the presence of a deep snow 
in the pastures where the animals were placed. 
Mr. Rayment, the Inspector of the Metropolitan Market, has 
just given me some extracts from his note-book in reference to 
the existence of foot-and-mouth disease in the Market in 1867, 
observing, at the same time, that he only noted instances of its 
unusual prevalence. 
On January 10th many animals were found to be affected. 
March 14th another entry occurs, in which the state of the disease 
is indicated by the terms " rather prevalent."' Again, on March 
18th and on April 8th, a similar entry occurs. On April 18th the 
record is, " Foot-and-mouth disease very prevalent." May 13th 
a similar entry. After which no more remarks occur until the 
latter part of the same year, when my attention was called by 
Mr. Rayment to the peculiar form which the disease had assumed 
among the cattle in the lairs. The lesions in the mouth were 
most severe, resembling those of cattle-plague. For some months 
previously no cases of the disease had been recorded as having^ 
occurred in the market lairs, and if Mr. Rayment had not observed 
the unusual character of the diseased parts no special notice would 
have been taken of it then. 
In the winter of 1867 the first cases of foot-and-mouth disease 
in the lairs of the Metropolitan Market were detected in English 
beasts ; from that period attacks became gradually more nume- 
rous, even while the cattle-plague regulations were in force, and 
a still more rapid extension of the malady was observed when 
they were revoked in June, 1868. During 1869, 1870, 1871, 
and part of 1872, the disease raged with remarkable force, 
and did not subside until the autumn of 1872. And now at the 
end of the summer of 1873 it has attained a position as low as 
it ever reached during any period of the operation of the cattle- 
plague restrictions. 
Even if it were admitted, however, for the purpose of argu- 
ment, that cattle-plague and foot-and-mouth disease were simul- 
taneously extirpated by the action of the restrictions which were 
in force, the fact remains that the result was gained by means 
which could only be justifiably used in the presence of such an 
emergency as an outbreak of cattle-plague. On the other hand, 
if it be maintained that the foot-and-mouth disease survived 
the plague, and it is a matter of certainty that it did, it follows 
