554 
J. FAUST. 
States, in many parts of the United States of America, in 
Australia, and even in our own Colonies, we must put our 
shoulder to the wheel, and spare no effort, be it never so rad¬ 
ical in its tendency, to rid these islands from a scourge which 
has for long been a hindrance to the prosperity of the stock- 
raising portion of the community, and a disgrace to our sani¬ 
tary system and to our sanitary knowledge. 
HISTORY OF CONTAGIOUS AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES, 
ANCIENT, MIDDLE AGE AND MODERN. 
By J. Faust, Y.S., Poughkeepsie, N. Y. 
(A Paper read before the United States Veterinary Medical Association.) 
ANCIENT. 
The most, ancient information about fatal epidemics of do¬ 
mestic animals is found in Exodus 9 ; 3-10. 
Among the punishments known as the “ Egyptian 
Plagues, ” there were two which concerned animals. In the 
sixth plague malignant sheep-pox appeared on man and beast 
and was equally fatal to both. Ovid informs us that an epi¬ 
demic arose on the Island of ^Egina, 1285 B. C. which at first 
attacked dogs, birds, oxen, and sheep, and then destroyed all 
the other animals and the inhabitants. 
The following were the chief symptoms of the disease in 
animals: An internal heat; a burning fever which could in 
no way be checked ; inflammation and redness of the skin ; 
a dry, split, and swollen tongue ; and hard breathing. Homer 
also informs us (Iliad 1 ; v. 43-52) of a similar epidemic which 
attacked dogs, horses, asses and also the human race. 
The writers of antiquity rarely mention these epidemical 
diseases of animals except when the progress of the disease 
extended to human beings, or when they existed over a large 
territory. Dionysus of Halicarnassus and Livy mention a 
series of such epidemics which occurred among the Romans. 
The most ancient of these arose about 753 B. C., another 
about 488 B. C., and another about 463 B. C. These attacked 
both man and beast. Other similar epidemics occurred 453, 
