PLEUROPNEUMONIA 
119 
The remaining cow must, as he thought, be the dragon that brought the trouble 
into the family; aud though she stood a perfect picture of innocence and health, 
was condemned. But, alas for science! her lungs proved to be as clean as her 
countenance, and we poor mortals were again afloat as to the evidence. To 
make the matter still worse, it was found on hearing all the testimony in regard 
to the brother’s animal, that something else than pleuro.pneumouio must have 
been the trouble with it. To relieve us from the terrible dilemma, the veterin¬ 
ary surgeon of Boxborough suggested that Mr. Meade lived on a road over 
which cattle were sometimes driven on their way to and from New Hampshire* 
and what more probable thau that some of them might have had the disease, 
and stopped long enough at Meade’s barnyard to have left it! The great mystery 
was solved, and we left! Let it be borne in mind that there was no evidence 
that the disease called pleuro-pneumonia had ever existed in any other herd 
than Meade’s, kept in the neighborhood of Boxborough; that Meade’s cows, 
beyond a question, had the contagious form of the disease; that he, or his 
neighbors, raised his whole herd, except the two animals before mentioned, and 
they were free from the disease ; and it will be seeu at once that it was necessary 
to adopt the theory of the old negro, the veterinary surgeon referred to, or some 
similar one, or the doctrine of the exclusive contagiousness of the disease must 
be abandoned. 
On the tenth of November, just as we were settling into the belief that we 
had effectually checked the spread of the disease, not having had a fresh case for 
three months, Dr. Thayer decided that the herd belonging to the city of Boston 
kept on Deer Island, was seriously affected with pleuro-pneumonia. The Board 
was called to confer with the Directors ot the House of Industry in relation to 
the matter. After a consultation in which it was suggested by some of the Di¬ 
rectors, and, as I thought, generally assented to by their Board, that Deer Island 
was just the place to try experiments as to the disease, it was agreedon our part 
with Mr. Paysou, with whom the city authorities had left the whole matter, so 
far as they were concerned, that on the Tuesday following (this was on Satur¬ 
day,) the Commissioners would go to Deer Island, have the herd appraised, Dr. 
Thayer would examine it carefully, aud the State should take that part of it in 
which he should find any evidence of the disease existing, and the city should 
hold the remainder. 
Mr. Payson was to keep the whole stock without food from Monday night 
till we should arrive on Tuesday, that the doctor might have the better opportu¬ 
nity to detect any trace of disease. From some cause, never satisfactorily ex¬ 
plained, I found on arrivjng on Deer Island on the day agreed upon, that the 
programme had been entirely chauged, and the Commissioners had agreed, with¬ 
out consulting me in relation to the matter, to take the whole herd, and have it 
slaughtered, unless Mr. Payson should see fit to select some of it to keep, it be¬ 
ing understood that should such part of the stock as he might select thereafter 
have the pleuro-pneumonia, the State should pay the city the amount at which 
they were appraised. Against this arrangement I felt it my duty to protest, be¬ 
cause I deemed it a matter of great importance to the Commonwealth that the 
question should be fairly tested, whether cattle affected with this disease are 
wortl} keeping. We had been requested by the Governor and Council to test, 
as best we could, this and other points. Up to this time we had labored under 
difficulties which here would be entirely overcome;—such as finding suitable 
