136 ON THE EPIZOOTIC DISEASES OF CATTLE, &c. 
He examined the remaining part of the stock, and found sixty- 
one of them labouring under the symptoms of this malady. He 
ordered each of them a dose of purgative medicine, enjoining at 
the same time cleanliness and comfort; and in a few days after 
they were nearly all well. 
This disease appeared under all circumstances. Neither mild, 
foggy, rainy, windy, nor frosty weather, seemed to exert any influ- 
ence in either favouring or arresting its progress; nor did it make 
any distinction of soils or localities, but continued to pursue its 
course with a steady perseverance until it had inoculated the 
whole neighbourhood. 
It is true that a stock of cattle here and there, and now and 
then one or two among an infected stock, escaped its attack ; 
but, generally, the cattle on a farm were all seized by it at nearly 
the same time : then the pigs became diseased, and afterwards 
the sheep. 
He was not prepared to say whether it was or was not contagious ; 
but this much he would affirm, that cattle on farms far away from 
any possible contagion were attacked by it; and, on the other 
hand, it happened here and there that a stock of cattle in the 
midst of the infected ones would escape its seizure. 
He did not remember an instance in which it proved fatal when 
judiciously proper means were used ; but when neglected, or un- 
skilfully treated, it in a few cases, and but a few, terminated 
in death. He attended many cattle after they had been ill with 
this complaint for some weeks, and then he generally found the 
constitution strangely involved. There was extreme emaciation ; 
tumours appeared on various parts of the body, some of which 
became ulcerated, and the poor animals laboured under the 
highest degree of irritative fever. In this modification of the 
disease he found that narcotics, tonics, and alteratives, combined 
or interchanged, formed the most efficient remedies. 
At Low Bridge-house, near Kendal, is the residence of Richard 
Fothergill, Esq., who sent an interesting account of the ap- 
pearance of the epidemic. 
The disease was brought to his neighbourhood by the purchase 
of cattle at Kendal Fair on the 9th of November, 1840. He 
bought six two-year-old galloway heifers at that fair, and which 
were then apparently free from the complaint. 
On the 14th the first was taken ill. It had a sore mouth, 
and was lame. On the 20th four others were ill, and on the 21st 
the sixth. 
On the 23d, and at different times up to the 30th, six galloway 
and four short-horn cows were ill of the complaint. These ten 
were in a cow-house one-third of a mile from the others, but were 
attended to by the same man. 
