CONTAGIOUS PLEURO-PN KUMONIA IN NEW YORK 
257 
United States, and in the fall of 1869, made an exhaustive re¬ 
port to the Commissioner of Agriculture at Washington, in re¬ 
gard to the history of this disease in European countries and of 
its existence in Long Island, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Mary¬ 
land, District of Columbia and Virginia, advising strong measures 
for its extirpation, and in the same report prophesying what the 
result would be unless the Government took active steps to stamp 
it out. 
Prof. Gamgee’s report was printed and placed in the hands of 
our legislators at Washington, still nothing was done by the Gov¬ 
ernment. 
The disease continued to make havoc in this country till, com¬ 
ing to the knowledge of the English authorities, through an arti¬ 
cle published in the New York Tribune for November 27th, 1878, 
from the pen of Prof. Law, and the subsequent discovery of dis¬ 
eased American cattle on board the Ontario, Prof. McEachran, 
of Montreal, was directed to investigate and report to Canada. 
You all, gentlemen, know the result of that report: American 
cattle were refused, not only by England but by other European 
countries. This is a matter of history. 
The United States had a rude awakening—we could see Europe 
supplied with cattle from Canada, thereby diverting from our own 
country millions of dollars, and New York City being the port 
from which most of the cattle are shipped, the authorities of this 
State at once took measures to relieve herself of this foul incubus. 
Wise counsels and clear heads at Albany came to the rescue 
at this crisis. Governor Iiobinson called to the front Gen. M. R. 
Patrick, a gentleman of great experience in bovine matters, whose 
executive ability in 1868, while acting as Commissioner of Cattle 
saved this State from being overspread by an epizootic of splenic 
fever. (See report to Legislature, March 12, 1869). 
At General Patrick’s wish, James Law. Veterinary Professor 
at Cornell University, was appointed to direct the professional 
part of the work in stamping out this plague. 
On the 13th day of February, 1879, the commission met in 
Brooklyn, organized an efficient staff and at once proceeded to 
the business at hand. Work was begun immediately in the 
