142 THE PREVAILING EPIDEMIC AMONG CATTLE, &c. 
thetic fever evinced by quickness of breathing, and an increased 
frequency of the pulse, often arising from great pain in one or more 
feet. The abstraction of four quarts of blood, repeating it if ne- 
cessary the next day, generally took this off: at the same time fo- 
menting the feet in tepid water twice a-day, and immersing them 
in bran poultices. But the poultices must not be had recourse to 
as a general rule, being objectionable on account of the ligatures 
employed to keep them on, and also from having a tendency to pro- 
mote the ulcerative process. The ulcerated parts of the feet should 
have the detached horn moderately pared off , but where slightly 
affected, they do best without paring at all. On the other hand, 
where they are badly affected, and the ulcerative process has gone 
on deeply under the sole, free paring must be resorted to ; the 
parts affected must be washed daily with a strong solution of blue 
vitriol, and, where free paring has been employed, they should be 
smeared over with warm tar, or else, if very bad, have pledgets of 
tow soaked in the melted tar and fastened easy on. The mouths 
should be dressed daily with a strong solution of common alum and 
water. This plan of treatment will be sufficient to restore the 
greater bulk of the infected animals with little or no deterioration 
of condition ; but in many instances they will come out of the course 
of medicine much improved in their general appearance. We had 
on one occasion thirty-three head of stock under our care, belong- 
ing to Mr. Lewis, the esteemed and respected steward of his Grace 
the Duke of Sutherland, twenty-seven of which he had just bought 
in for feeding. When they arrived home, four or five were found 
lame, and although they were turned by themselves into a straw- 
yard, yet the whole were infected in a little more than a fortnight. 
In three weeks from each cow’s attack, they were by the above 
treatment <£2 a-head better in their appearance and condition, I 
have no doubt they would become ripe for the butcher earlier than if 
they had not been attacked by the disease; simply from the impetus 
given to their constitutional powers, arising out of the thorough 
course of medicine the system had undergone. However, there are 
always more or less of complicated cases arising, which will require 
all the skill and tact of a regular veterinary surgeon to manage 
successfully ; therefore the agriculturist will do well, where practi- 
cable, not to neglect availing himself of the general surveillance of 
such a man, when his cattle are attacked. 
The pigs were affected similarly to the cattle, but ran through 
the disease more mildly, although in many instances their hooves 
came of; but by dressing as directed for the cattle, the feet soon 
hardened and did well. The mouths were washed daily with the 
solution of alum ; and internally, from one to two ounces of Glau- 
ber’s salts dissolved in water, according to the size of the pig, was 
