Importation of Foreign Live StocJc. 
xxxi 
the terms of the motion of which 
notice had been given by Mr. Stratton, 
but they were of opinion that as the 
question raised was of such impor- 
tance it ought to be decided by the 
full Council rather than by a recom- 
mendation of the Committee. The 
subject of the prevalence of abortion 
in cattle had again been discussed, 
and it had been resolved torecommend 
that the Royal Veterinary College 
be asked to report to the Committee 
as to the feasibility and cost of 
making further experiments into the 
nature of this disease. Professor 
McFadyean had presented the Annual 
Report for 1892 of the Royal 
Veterinary College, which the Com- 
mittee recommended for publication 
in the next number of the Journal 
(see page 138). A letter had been 
read from the agent to the Duke of 
Northumberland as to an outbreak of 
“ louping-ill ” amongst sheep, and it 
had been resolved that the Society 
should afford any assistance in its 
power towards an investigation of 
the complaint. Correspondence 
relating to the outbreak amongst 
young cattle of a disease locally 
known as “ skanter ” upon a farm 
near Tavistock had been laid before 
the Committee, together with a report 
upon the subject from Professor 
McFadyean, who had made a personal 
investigation on the spot. Sir Jacob 
Wilson had drawn the attention of 
the Committee to a case in Northum- 
berland of the poisoning of some 
young beasts by their having been fed 
upon rotted yellow turnips, which had 
become putrid from the effects of the 
late frost. 
Mr. Cope (for Professor Brown) 
had presented the following re- 
port : — 
Pleuro - pneumonia. — The 
whole of the United Kingdom may 
now be looked upon as practically 
free from pleuro-pneumonia, there 
having been no case of the disease 
found among home-bred cattle for 
four months. The last outbreak 
in Great Britain was discovered 
in a London cowshed on October 1st, 
while the last in Ireland occurred 
during the last week of September. 
Foot - and - mouth Disease. — 
Since the last meeting of the 
Council an outbreak of this disease 
was discovered in a cowshed in 
North London on January 1st. 
Prompt measures were at once 
adopted to prevent the spread of 
the infection. The whole of the 
nine cows in the shed (six of which 
were infected) were slaughtered 
on the premises, the offal, hides, 
&c., destroyed, as well as the whole 
of the litter, fodder and other things 
. in the shed, and the premises then 
thoroughly cleansed and dis- 
infected. No further case of the 
disease has been found since, and 
the country is again free. 
Swine Fever. — In the first 
three weeks of the present year 
there were 122 fresh outbreaks of 
this disease in Great Britain and 
(574 swine attacked. In the corre- 
sponding periods of 1890, 1891, and 
1892, the swine fever outbreaks 
were 166, 166, and 89 respectively, 
and the pigs attacked were 1,087, 
1,237, and 682. 
Anthrax. — This disease has 
been more prevalent recently than 
is usually the case at this time of 
the year. The outbreaks in the 
first three weeks of this year have 
numbered 26, as compared with 
9 in 1890, 10 in 1891, and 16 in 
1892; and the number of animals 
attacked this year has been 48, 
whereas in the three preceding 
years the numbers were 11 in 1890, 
19 in 1891, and 21 last year. 
Importation of Foreign Live Stock. 
Mr. Stratton then moved the 
following resolution : — 
That in the interests of the pro- 
ducers and consumers of meat in 
the United Kingdom, it is essential, 
as a safeguard against the introduc- 
tion of foreign contagious diseases 
with animals, that all cattle, sheep, 
and swine imported into the United 
Kingdom from foreign countries, 
which are not for the time being 
“ prohibited countries,” be slaughtered 
at the port of debarkation, except in 
special cases, when they may be 
admitted under such conditions as 
the Board of Agriculture may from 
time to time consider necessary. 
He remarked that for the first time 
during the last half-century this 
