406 
ON EPIDEMIC DISEASES. 
rished in consequence of eating the flesh of an animal that had 
died" of murrain; but, on the other hand, Dr. Brocklesby relates 
a story of a countryman who had often solicited a butcher to give 
him a beef-steak. At length the butcher, tired with the fellow’s 
importunities, determined to satisfy his desire, and presented 
him with a large slice of meat from a beast that had died of mur- 
rain. The clown was thankful enough, and soon afterwards re- 
turned with fresh solicitations for such another steak. After three 
weeks had elapsed, the man was pointed out to Dr. Brocklesby, 
and was apparently in perfect health ; but he certainly did not 
know what kind of meat he had eaten. 
Inoculation for this disease was tried by some celebrated 
agriculturists, and particularly by Sir William St. Quentin, of 
Serampton, in Yorkshire. Eight calves were inoculated ; seven 
of which had the distemper and recovered, and were afterwards 
turned into a herd of infected cattle without being diseased a 
second time. 
He likewise inoculated an old ox. It caught the distemper 
from the inoculation, and recovered. This beast was afterwards 
turned into a herd of infected cattle, and continued in the pasture 
with them until they were all dead : he was then put with another 
herd of infected cattle, but still he escaped. 
Dr. Layard produces some singular testimonies to this effect. 
He speaks of one farmer who had eight cows that survived the 
distemper in 1746, and which, when the disease was again among 
his stock in 1749, 1755, and 1756, were in the midst of the sick 
cattle, lay with them in the barns, ate of the same fodder, and 
even of that which the distempered beasts had left and slavered 
upon, drank after them, and constantly received their breath and 
steam without being in the least affected. The farmers were 
so assured of this, that they were always ready to give an ad- 
vanced price for those who recovered. 
By Order of Council, boards of health were established in 
various parts of the kingdom. They had instructions to prevent 
the sale or removal of cattle from one district to another; to cut 
off all communication between the healthy and infected parts of 
the country ; to kill every beast that they deemed to be infected, 
and to see that every beast that died was immediately buried. 
They were likewise charged with the institution of certain means 
of cure, and more particularly of prevention. 
They were composed of some of the magistrates of the district, 
and of physicians who very handsomely proffered their gratuitous 
services ; and they laboured twelve years, and with so little avail, 
that at length, as it were by a simultaneous act, they dissolved 
their meeting. They could discover no preventive — no cure for 
