53 
introduced ; I say allow them to be introduced, for I am convinced that we have it in 
our power to prevent their introduction not by stopping importation, nor by any 
oppressive measures calculated to interfere with our commercial intercourse with 
infected countries, but, by a judicious yet thorough system of quarantine and disin¬ 
fection at our ports of entry—and with the aid of the government and the co-operation 
of the people I have no doubt but a judicious system which will serve to protect the 
property of the people without interfering with our foreign relations, or the liberty of 
the subject, can be organized and maintained at very little cost to the state or incon¬ 
venience to the public. Before proceeding to give you my ideas as to what should be 
done as preventative measures we will briefly look at the question of our liability to 
infection. On this subject I know there is some little diversity of opinion, some say 
that the sea voyage is sufficient to destroy the contagion, that so much care is exercised 
by importers in buying that there is so little danger of their risking suspected, much 
less diseased animals ; that our climate purity and rarity of our atmosphere all tend to 
protect our stocks from contamination by these Zymotic diseases. 
If we consider the periods of incubation (the time elapsing between the introduc¬ 
tion of the virus and the development of the disease,) we will see that the sea voyage 
nor any precautions, which a buyer in a strange country can take, will be sufficient to 
insure against the importations of these diseases. 
Pleuro-pneumonia has an incubation period of from three to six weeks, but in many 
cases this has been found to be less than the actual time—and as remarked by Mr. 
Fleming. “In this Country, (England) the Contagious Diseases (Animals) act, only 
admits a period of thirty days, and as after this time isolated animals are allowed to be 
removed and mixed with others, we need not be surprised to find numerous outbreaks 
among them, and among the cattle with which they have subsequently been mixed. 
The period of isolation is too short to be effective.” 
Foot-and-Mouth disease is said to have an incubation stage of from one to six 
days, usually three. Cattle plague about the same period. It would thus appear that 
the former, Pleuro-pneumonia, is that most likely to be imported, and if these dis¬ 
eases were propagated by voluntary inoculation alone, such would unquestionably be 
the case, but when we remember the extraordinary contagious nature of them all, 
that one diseased animal may spread contagion in all directions, through the medium 
of whatever it comes in contact with, thus railroad cars, steamboats, wharfs, landing 
stages—not only so, but bugs, hay, the clothing of attendants are media by which 
healthy animals may be infected. It is thus cpiite possible for animals to be purchas¬ 
ed in a healthy district, in perfect health, and so certified, but we well know the 
carelessness or indifference in carrying companies, in thoroughly disinfecting their 
cattle trucks, and how difficult it is to do so thoroughly in many cases, ^specially 
wharfs and steamboat sheds—and yet before the animal leaves the country it may have 
received the virus into its system, and perhaps the disease in a mild form breaks out 
when a few days at sea, and thus the whole shipment becomes affected. Again we 
know from experience, that importers are sometimes so unfortunate as to have disease 
appear after purchase and before being shipped, and if in case of Foot-and-Mouth 
they are left till they recover, they are sure to be hurried off, and ten to one they will 
contaminate everything in their line of trail, the bags carrying their feed, the hay, in fact 
everything connected with them are dangerous to other animals. Such cases 1 have 
known to occur, but thanks to the good sense of the owners in adopting the only safe 
method, complete isolation and the cessation of cattle shipments in a great measure 
