256 
ON THE EPIDEMIC AMONG CATTLE. 
fensive smell, the disorder will be prolonged among the sufferers, 
and the danger of spreading considerably augmented. That it is 
contagious there can be no doubt — my cattle all became infected 
in the order in which they stood. The infected animals ought to 
get a dry clean bed, be covered, and at least twice in the day cur- 
ried and brushed all over, and the legs well rubbed. Let no dirt 
nor wet remain under the feet, otherwise the ulcers will be tedious 
in healing. Every species of filth and dirt should to be removed 
from the cow-house twice in the day, the stalls cleaned and washed 
out, and sprinkled with chloride of lime. 
Attention to the food is an important part of the cure, besides 
restoring the animal to its former condition. The disease is pe- 
culiarly malignant in prostrating the strength and condition of 
the animal ; three days will do more injury to the constitution of 
the beast than as many weeks in other complaints. Drinks of 
oatmeal and water should frequently be offered ; and, when the 
appetite returns, the most nourishing mashes, but in small quan- 
tities, should be given, such as potatoes steamed or boiled, with 
oatmeal or bran ; or simply bran mashes, with alternate feeds of 
the sweetest hay. The food which I gave I found very nourish- 
ing and effective: it was mashes of boiled or steamed Swedish 
turnips, with bran mixed, drinks of oatmeal and water, and some 
very sweet Italian rye-grass hay. My cows are all well — getting 
into their former condition ; the milk has returned, and three of 
them have since calved safely, and are doing well. 
I know there is a difference of opinion even among scientific 
men as to the propriety of bleeding; but my mind is quite set- 
tled on that point from practical observations. Two of my cows 
were not bled, the first and last that took it; the last I left to 
convince myself and settle the point: in both cases the fever ran 
high for two or three days, though the bowels were opened and 
acted on by the usual purgative medicines. Their cases were 
tedious; the skin of the tongue, palate, and part of the mouth 
sloughed off ; also the udder and teats ; their feet were severely 
affected, and are yet tender and cracked. Those that were bled 
suffered very little from ulceration : some of them were well and 
feeding greedily in thirty-six hours after the attack. The bleed- 
ing subdues the fever, and prevents the natural termination — * 
suppuration; but bleeding must be done in proper time, at the 
very outset of the disease, while the fever is high : if a certain 
stage passes over, it may do harm. If no better medicine be at 
hand, I would recommend the mouth to be rubbed well three 
times a day with common salt (a handful at a time) : it will clean 
and purge the saliva from the mouth, and, if bleeding has been 
freely done, it will prevent the vesicles from rising. 
