32 
ANALYSIS OF CONTINENTAL JOURNALS. 
Owing to the serious nature of this outbreak, and from the 
experience gained in three similar attacks which happened in 
1854,1857, and 1859, in Palermo, every precaution was taken 
by the veterinary surgeon of the regiment, to prevent the 
malady from attacking the other horses, in which case the 
losses would doubtless have been very severe. In November 
the regiment w^as removed to the Continent, leaving a detach¬ 
ment in Palermo. 
The author was charged with the veterinary medical care 
of the detachment which was lodged in the Victoria barracks, 
about 1 kilometer from the Tower. Here 130 horses were 
placed in a double stable which, though principally exposed to 
the north, had all the hygienic requirements, viz. high ceilings, 
ample space, windows both to the north and south, proper 
pavement, &c. Everything seemed to indicate a perfect state 
of health among the horses, when, on the 28th of December, 
in the morning, one of the animals of the 6th squadron died 
after a few hours^ illness. The symptoms and the post-7)iortem 
examination showed unmistakable characters of the entero- 
typhus form of carbon. A report having been made, orders 
were given for the horses to be Cjuartered out in the neigh¬ 
bouring villages, so as to remove them from the focus of the 
contagion; at the same time hydrochloric acid was ordered 
to be put into the drinking water. But before they could be 
removed another horse of the same squadron became affected 
and died in a few hours. The order finally was not for all the 
horses to be removed, as had been recommended by the au¬ 
thor, but only for three troops of the 6th squadron to be taken 
away. On the 2nd of January a mare became affected and 
died ; the order was now to remove all the horses, and on the 
3rd they were all sent away, and the stable left for disin¬ 
fection. Experience from the various attacks of the same 
epizootic had shown the advantage of a change of air, and the 
removing of the animals from the morbid influence while 
means were adopted to combat the disease. 
In 1854 the results w ere manifest, for while about 50 horses 
had fallen a sacrifice, they had hardly been removed from the 
locality when the deaths ceased. The same w’as the case in 
1857, w’hen the disease prevailed amongst the horses and 
mules of the mounted battery; it was suddenly stopped by 
changing the locality. In the present outbreak the result 
w as precisely the same; the change had hardly been effected 
before the epizootic ceased amongst the horses of the lancers. 
The epizootic w^as, however, not limited to the horses of 
the cavalry. It spread to those of the town, amongst 
which it progressed, so that more than 30 cases occurred 
