SELECT COMMITTEE ON CONTAGIOUS DISEASES BILL. 587 
disseminated throughout the length and breadth of the 
land. 
101. Mr. Caird.— How long do these symptoms exist with- 
out being detected? — They may exist for three or four days 
without being detected. 
102. Or longer? — In individual cases perhaps longer. 
103. Then, as the disease cannot be detected in the early 
stages, is it not impossible for any inspection, however 
stringent, to prevent such stock being sold as sound, and 
might not the disease be spread over the country in spite of 
legislative restriction ? — It might be so unquestionably, but 
those would only be, comparatively speaking, a few cases. 
104. Still those few cases would spread the disease? — 
Yes. 
105. And thus you see it is impossible to prevent the 
spread of the disease by legislative restriction? — I think it is 
impossible to prevent entirely the spread of disease by legis- 
lative restriction, but it may be prevented to a very great 
extent. 
106. Mr. Ball. — There are diseases in the human body 
that you cannot entirely eradicate, and yet it is good to have 
a professional man to attend and examine, and to endeavour 
to cure ; so, in like manner, the inspection here would be a 
prevention? — Yes; the inspection would test the nature of 
the affection under which the animal is labouring, and the 
inspector would be able to determine whether it was a case 
of an ordinary disease, or a contagious one. I may remark 
to the Committee, that in many parts of the Continent, in 
Hanover for example, veterinary surgeons practising in the 
country are bound to report to the Government every case 
of contagious disease they meet within the course of their 
practice. In Holstein, in Mecklenburgh, in Liibeck with its 
territory, and in Hamburgh with its territory, the measures 
as regards pleuro-pneumonia are far more stringent than any 
thing I have alluded to. They go as far as the slaughtering 
of all the animals that have the disease, and others that have 
been living with them. 
(To be continued .) 
