Report on the Health of Animals of the Farm. 511 
With a contagium so subtle as that which belongs to " foot- 
and-mouth disease," and on which its extension depends, it is 
to be feared that the country will never enjoy immunity from 
periodic outbreaks of the disease in a serious form. The painful 
experience of thirty-six years is a sufficient warrant for this 
opinion. Restrictions on the movement of animals ; isolation of 
the diseased ; free use of disinfectants ; and strict veterinary 
inspection of all fairs, markets, and cattle exhibitions, would no 
doubt be attended with beneficial results. We adhere, however, 
to the opinion so often expressed, that to free the country of 
" foot-and-mouth disease," regulations similar to those which 
I were enforced during the prevalence of cattle-plague are required ; 
but the adoption of these in the present state of public opinion 
must be considered altogether impracticable. 
Pleuro-pneumo?da.~ rhis malady has varied but little in the 
number of centres of its existence during the past six months. 
According to the latest returns it prevailed to a greater or less 
extent in forty-one counties of Great Britain, being, however, 
very irregularly distributed. Thus, for example, the South- 
western counties of England have been nearly free from the 
disease, as also the greater part of Wales ; and with the excep- 
tion of the South and South-eastern portions of Scotland, very 
few cases of pleuro-pneumonia have existed in that country. 
This circumstance may in part be explained by the fact that 
the counties in which the malady persists are importing rather 
than exporting ones of cattle. 
On the Continent pleuro-pneumonia has prevailed rather ex- 
tensively, more especially in the Netherlands. At the present 
time, however, the reports which reach Ub Trom Holland are more 
favourable, it having been found that the disease has declined 
under the system of inspection, isolation, and registration of sus- 
pected herds, and the slaughter of diseased animals. A know- 
ledge of the laws which govern the spread of the disease has led 
to the adoption of these preventive means, and there can be no 
doubt that wherever they are strictly enforced benefit will arise. 
From the experiments which have been instituted by our- 
selves, and which have been reported in extenso in former volumes 
of this ' Journal,' it may be safely concluded that the extension 
of pleuro-pneumonia from diseased to healthy cattle depends on 
cohabitation, and consequently that perfect isolation offers the 
most effectual barrier to its spread. We not only have no con- 
fidence in curative measures in dealing with pleuro-pneumonia ; 
but believe that in proportion as they are had recourse to they 
are likely to prove prejudicial to the interests of the agricultural 
community. Centres of contagion are thus kept active ; besides 
which, animals which rally from the attack remain foci of in- 
