108 
FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE. 
the country must be taken to represent only a certain propor¬ 
tion of those which actually exist. 
According to the last returns pleuro-pneumonia prevails in 
forty-two counties. During the week ending December 
oOth over eighty animals were attacked. 
FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE. 
A few weeks ago we were informed that foot-and-mouth 
disease had suddenly appeared among cattle in the neigh¬ 
bourhood of Hamburg, and the truth of the report was soon 
evidenced by the landing of considerable numbers of German 
animals affected with the disease in this country. In some 
instances only one or two animals of the cargo have been 
found affected, but in other cases a large proportion of them 
have been diseased. 
There is a steady decrease in the number of attacks in 
most of the infected districts in this country, but in the 
Metropolitan Market and lairs numerous cases of the disease 
have been detected among English cattle, and some among 
Dutch beasts, which have been turned out from the market 
to wait for the next market day; there is nothing unusual 
in this circumstance; indeed, before the outbreak of cattle 
plague led to public attention being attracted to contagious 
diseases of animals, the presence of a few hundred cattle 
affected with foot-and-mouth disease in the market on a 
Monday morning was too common place an event to excite 
notice. Under the provisions of the Act the diseased cattle 
are detained in the market area for slaughter, but those 
which have been in contact with them are not subject to any 
restrictions. Up to the present time we have not heard any 
complaints from breeders and feeders of home stock of the 
disease being propagated by these means. 
Foreign cattle importers protest strongly against the 
severe restrictions to which cattle and sheep from healthy 
countries are submitted in the event of foot-and-mouth 
disease being detected among the animals of a cargo, and 
contrast the summary course which is adopted in respect of 
them with the entire freedom which is accorded to English 
stock under similar circumstances. Several cargoes of ani¬ 
mals affected with foot-and-mouth disease have been landed 
at the New Foreign Market at Deptford, but all possible 
precautions are taken to prevent any extension of the disease 
by isolation of diseased animals, and disinfection of lairs and 
landing places. 
