PLEURO PNEUMONIA. 
155 
The Commissioners have been called to several towns during the past year 
to examine diseased animals, yet not a case of contagious pleuro-pueumonia 
has been found. 
A concise history of the disease since its first appearance in Mr. Chenery’s 
herd in Belmont to the present time, is deemed of sufficient importance to war¬ 
rant its insertion iu this Report. 
In the latter part of May, 1859, four cattle arrived from Holland and were 
taken to the farm of Mr. Chenery. Two of them were sick, and in a few days 
died. Another soon after sickened and died. At the time of the death of the 
third, three calves were sold to go to North Brookfield, one of which was taken 
to the herd of a dealer for treatment, being sick. The dealer, trading iu cattle, 
as usual, soou disseminated the disease far and wide. 
In the following April an Act was passed “ to provide for the extirpation of 
the disease called pleuro-pneumonia among cattle,” which gave the Commis¬ 
sioners power to cause to be killed all cattle in herds where the disease was 
known or suspected to exist. The disease had, at the time of the passage of the 
Act, been extensively scattered, and in a short time the appropriation ($10,000,) 
was absorbed. A larger number of cattle having been exposed than was first 
estimated, an extra session of the Legislature was called to revise the law, and 
to provide the means of executing it. A new law was enacted, ami received 
the sanction of the executive on the 12th of June. 
No new outbreak of the disease occured during that year, nor in that local¬ 
ity, as far as is known, to the present time. The number .of cattle killed was 
nine hundred and thirty-two. 
For more than a year nothing was heard of pleuro-pneumonia. Iu fact, 
those most directly interested were confident that the disease was extirpated. 
Early in the following winter, however, it was reported that it existed in the 
towns of Milton, Dorchester and Quincy. 
A Board of Commissioners was appointed, who, upon investigation, found 
it to be too true. A pair of cattle was purchased at Brighton, which were taken 
to Quincy, and both died. No further history ofthem could be learned, as it was 
impossible to identify them ; but the spread of the disease could in every instance 
be traced to contact with the animals in the herd in which they were at the 
time of their death, as shown in report of that year. The number billed during 
the year was one hundred and fifty-four. 
For several mouths the Commissioners felt confident that the disease was 
eradicated. In February, 1863, tbe Commissioners were called to examine sick 
cattle in the north part of Waltham—also in Lexington. It proved to be pleuro¬ 
pneumonia, and its origin was directly traced to a dealer, and from the sale of 
cattle by him to eight different herds. The appropriation ($1,900) was soon 
exhausted, consequently the Commissioners resigned. 
The selectmen of several towns were called upon to execute the law, which* 
(some of them at least,,) reluctantly did, yet the disease still prevailed. Accord¬ 
ingly the present Board of Commissioners was appointed in April, 1846. 
It was found that several herds were affected, and that the origin of the 
disease was in Lexington or that immediate vicinity. Seventy-four cattle were 
killed dnring that year. 
In 1865 but three herds were found affected with the disease, from which 
four animals were killed. 
