REFLECTIONS ON CATTLE PATHOLOGY. 
203 
siology is imperative. With regard to therapeutics, this will 
gradually establish itself, if only common attention be directed 
towards it. 
But, above all things, that incubus which has settled down upon 
the whole subject of cattle pathology must be cast off ; — I mean, 
the load of nostrums, false views, and the nameless host of rubbish, 
trash, which has been so long accumulating, springing from igno- 
rance and folly. Let this be done, and read that book which never 
errs, and which is so open and legible that he who runs may 
read, if he be but so inclined, the great Book of Nature, and much 
that now appears to be wrapped in mystery, to be attended by' dif- 
ficulty if not impossibility, will become unfolded, and prove to 
be simple, easy of remedy, when referred to its real causes. — 
Never shall I forget the unexpected recognition of principles by 
an esteemed friend, now no more, who, on my merely expressing 
my convictions of what might be done for the better treatment of 
the diseases of sheep, generously placed the whole of his flock of 
some hundreds entirely at my controul, undertaking to personally 
superintend the carrying out of my wishes. After watching for 
two years the working of principle versus empiricism, he ex- 
claimed, “ Oh, that I had known such plain, simple methods of 
treatment, how greatly to my profit! — for not only have I saved 
one-third, as you calculated might be done, but at least two-thirds 
of those which would otherwise have perished have been saved ! ?> 
This is a larger proportion than ought to be expected, but in his 
case perfectly true, because of the great pains which was taken to 
fully carry out the principles laid down ; and this being in a greater 
degree than will be usually found practicable, so a proportion 
rather less will be found to be the rule. 
To shew what value to the country would result from the dimi- 
nution by a portion of the present amount of deaths, let us, for the 
sake of argument, suppose that there are 50,000,000 of sheep, 
8,000,000 of cattle, and 12,000,000 of pigs ; and take the losses 
at three per cent. Of sheep there would be lost 1,500,000 ; of 
cattle 240,000 ; of pigs 360,000 : say that, upon an average, one- 
third might be saved, there would then be a gain to the country of 
500,000 sheep, 80,000 cattle, and 100,000 pigs. Estimate the 
cattle at £ 7 per head, sheep at £ 1 per head, and pigs at £ 1 ; 
we shall then have saved on cattle, sheep, and pigs, a total of 
£1,020,000. Assuming that I have over-estimated the items, 
only take one-half throughout, and we then have five hundred and 
ten thousand pounds saved to the community, and at an expense, 
compared with the result, of the greatest insignificance. All my 
accounts of numbers are far below what has been stated by others 
in published tables. 
[To be continued.] 
