240 
The Outbreak of Cattle-Plague. 
the rough method of dressing, and the poor condition of the 
animals. It should be stated that the officers of the Privy 
Council have no power to condemn carcasses on the ground of 
the meat being unfit for human food, and for this reason the 
medical officer of the district has been asked to inspect them 
before removal, when it could be done without causing great 
-delay. Arrangements were also made to prevent, as far as pos- 
sible, the conveyance of the poison of cattle-plague out of in- 
fected places by the agency of persons and things which had 
been employed about diseased animals. The butchers employed 
have been disinfected before leaving the premises, and the 
inspectors have instructions to wear waterproof clothing when 
engaged about places where cattle-plague exists, and to thoroughly 
disinfect their clothes before quitting infected places. 
" As soon as an inspector, in the course of his inquiries, 
discovers cattle-plague, he is confined for the time to the infected 
place, and after his work there is completed, he is instructed 
to change his clothes completely before engaging in any other 
inquiry ; and, in addition, he is required to properly disinfect 
the clothes which he wore when working in the infected place. 
Further, each inspector is instructed not to enter premises with- 
out the consent of the person in charge. It must be obvious 
that many difficulties have had to be surmounted in the attempt 
to organise a new system of action on a very short notice ; but I 
do not hesitate to assert that the inspectors, under the direction 
of Mr. Courtney, Captain Tennant and Mr. Ricketts, have done 
all that could be done to carry their instructions into effect in 
reference to the slaughter and disposal of animals, the disinfection 
of premises, and the supervision of stock in the districts where 
the greatest danger of the spreading of disease existed. 
" The following cases of cattle-plague have been reported since 
the Order of April 12th came into operation: — On Tuesday, 
April 17th, a cow and two calves were found to be suffering from 
the disease in a shed at Willesden, near the premises in which 
the first outbreak in that district occurred ; the animals were 
slaughtered, and buried the same day. On Saturday, April 21st, 
the disease was detected among a herd of forty-nine cows and 
thirteen calves at Harlesden Green ; one cow had died before 
the Chief Inspector (Mr. Cope) arrived, and several others were 
found to be infected. All the animals were slaughtered by the 
following morning. 
" On Sunday, April 2nd, cattle-plague was detected in a dairy 
in Ledbury Mews ; all the cows in the shed, thirteen in number, 
showing signs of disease. In this case also the slaughter of the 
animals was carried out as quickly as possible. 
" On Monday, April 23rd, the disease was discovered in a 
