96 REPOET ON THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 
created by the sudden and almost simultaneous appearance 
of a “ new affection” (although probably of the same nature 
as that of 1713 - 14 ) among the cattle in different parts of the 
country. The earliest accounts which we received of the out- 
break came from Norfolk, and there seems no reason to doubt 
that it was here that the disease was first observed. Cattle 
of all ages and under every variety of system of feeding and 
management became the subjects of the malady, which was 
recognised by the existence of vesicles upon the upper sur- 
face of the tongue, inside the lips, and the dental pad. 
Vesicles were also formed between the digits, and occasion- 
ally upon the teats and udders of the cows. The existence 
of these vesicles was associated with a discharge of viscid 
saliva from the mouth, loathing of food, imperfect mastica- 
tion, suspension of rumination, loss of milk, a tenderness in 
walking, and general symptoms of febrile action. 
The malady was not confined to cattle, but sheep, pigs, 
and domestic poultry of the gallinaceous tribe were likewise 
its subjects. By common consent it was designated the 
cattle epidemic, but has since been scientifically known as 
Eczema epizootica , or popularly as “ the mouth and foot dis- 
ease.” It has continued from that time to the present, not 
proving on the whole a destructive disease to life, but at 
irregular intervals assuming a severer form than ordinary, 
more particularly in 1845 and 1852 , and leading on these 
occasions to a great deterioration in the value of the animals 
affected. 
Shortly after the appearance of the eczema, namely, in 
1841 , pleuro pneumonia brpke out among the cattle, and it, 
too, has remained down to the present time. It is worthy of 
a passing remark that neither of these were imported dis- 
eases. It was not until several months after pleuro-pneu- 
monia had established itself in the country that an alteration 
took place in the tariff, by which live stock came in free of 
duty, and up to that time the high rate of duty prevented 
any importations of foreign cattle or sheep being made. This 
fact in itself is sufficient to prove that the malady was not 
imported by foreign cattle ; besides which, the parts of the 
country where it was first observed could not possibly have 
had any immediate or direct connection with the ports. 
Pleuro-pneumonia had no sooner gained a footing, than, fol- 
lowing the laws of all epizootics, it quickly spread over a 
great breadth of country, and continued to devastate our 
herds with almost unmitigated severity for the first few 
years. It has since taken on rather an enzootic form, and 
has prevailed mostly in such localities and places where 
