216 ON THE EPIZOOTIC DISEASES OF CATTLE, &c. 
animals afterwards left exposed to the cold. In consequence of 
few fatal cases occurring in this neighbourhood, the farmers treated 
the matter lightly, seldom doing or giving any thing to their lean 
stock except washing out their mouths with an astringent lotion, 
and then leaving them to chance or the care of a benevolent 
providence. 
When fat cattle or milch cows took the disorder, and the 
former especially, they generally lost a great deal of flesh, and the 
latter their milk. If an aperient, as already recommended, was 
given, the loss of either might, in a great measure, be prevented. 
Perhaps the fat cattle would not lose more than ten pounds, or a 
stone at the utmost \ while, if left to mere chance, the odds were, 
that they would lose nearly ten stone: this, however, is under- 
stood as regarding bad or extreme cases. The results from the 
negligence of the owner or manager were yet more serious. Even 
among such as appear quite left to fate, it may possibly happen 
that some will have the complaint very mildly. The administra- 
tion of proper medicine, in conjunction with proper care, recovers 
the animals in three or four days ; whereas the same beast, if left 
to mere chance and casual circumstances, will probably be a fort- 
night or three weeks before convalescence. 
I have seen the milk of a cow that had the epidemic curdle 
when boiled ; in others, not the slightest difference was apparently 
observable. I have heard of a few individuals who evinced symp- 
toms something similar to what animals in the epidemic shewed, 
from partaking of the milk ; and I know of others that partook 
of the same with impunity. The difference seems to me to con- 
sist in the predisposition of the constitution of the individuals to 
the disease, as well as the severity of the disorder of the animal 
from whom the milk is drawn. For my own part, I have gene- 
rally recommended that the milk of such cows as were infected 
should not be used until five or six days have elapsed after 
convalescence, when the healthy quality of the milk will have 
returned. I have known pigs shew symptoms of the disease ten 
hours after taking the infected milk. I have also known it 
given to dogs and cats that experienced not the slightest visible 
ill effect. To a foal of mine the milk of infected cows was given 
for about a week, and no bad result was afterwards in any degree 
exhibited. 
P.S. — I have just heard of several fatal cases in Westmoreland. 
One individual there has lost ten head of stock ; whence it would 
appear that the fatality there is much greater than here. 
I have known several gentlemen farmers lose from twelve 
to thirty of Irish, while this country-bred or Scots altogether 
escaped. 
