584 SELECT COMMITTEE ON CONTAGIOUS DISEASES BILL. 
72. Mr. Miles . — And the meat would be perfectly good? — 
Yes. 
73. In how many stages of the disease do you fancy that 
the meat would be fit for human food ? — I think it would be 
fit for human food in the second stage of pleuro-pneumonia. 
74. Lord Naas. — Did you ever know a beast suspected to 
be distempered bought in a fat-cattle market for the purpose 
of storing? — I have known many individuals that have pur- 
chased animals ; for example, Irish animals, which they have 
supposed at the time to be labouring under the mere effect 
of fatigue, from being sent from market to market. They 
have thus not hesitated to buy them, but the sequel has 
proved that they were affected with pleuro-pneumonia at the 
time they were purchased, 
75. They were bought for the purpose of storing? — Yes. 
76. Do you think that an inspector, who would only have 
the same power of discovering whether these animals were 
afflicted with pleuro-pneumonia, would be a better judge 
than the gentleman you have spoken of? — As a professional 
man he would. 
77. Do you think any man would buy a distempered 
beast, knowing it to be so, for the purpose of keeping it? — 
No ; certainly not. 
78. Do you think that pleuro-pneumonia can be cured? — 
As a general rule it cannot. 
79» Do you not think it would tend much to spread 
disease, if beasts which were decidedly afflicted by pleuro- 
pneumonia were kept at home by their owners, and endea- 
voured to be cured, instead of being sent to market at once 
to be slaughtered? — 1 think not. 
80. Mr. Miles. — Does not the English farmer, when he 
knows a beast is attacked with this disease, send him to the 
butcher? — That is the usual practice. 
81. Lord Naas. — Do you not think that any Act of 
Parliament that would throw any obstacles in the way of a 
farmer getting rid of a distempered beast, would have the 
effect of keeping a considerable number of animals alive 
which would otherwise be slaughtered? — I think, if an Act 
is carefully prepared, it would have no such effect. 
82. How could you prepare an Act that would not have 
that effect? Do you not think that this Act would have that 
effect as it is now? — I think not; I think this Act does not 
go far enough. 
83. Do you not think that the provisions of this Act 
would prevent diseased animals from being slaughtered 
as quickly as they are now ; would it not prevent them from 
