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\U.  i(-,z      o. 


65 


lo.  I.,  Ne^w  Series.        Price  One  Shilling.  January  1865. 


rnTTTT' 


HE 


VETERINARY  REVIEW 

AND 

STOCKOWNERS'  JOURNAL. 

PUBLISHED  HONTHLT. 

EDITEH  BY 

I'llOFKSSOR  JOHN   GAMGEE. 


EDINBURGH: 
WILLIAM    P.    NIMMO. 

LONDON:  Slilll^rN,  MA11SIIA.LL  AND  CO. 
"^   18C5. 


.CONTENTS. 


OBIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS  AND  CASES. 

PAGE 

Mr  W.  A.  Cartwriqht,  M.R.C.V.S.,  Whitchurch,  Salop.— Cases  of  "Parturi- 
tion Apoplexy,"  "  Puerperal  Fever,"  or  "  Loin  Fallen,"  ...  1 

Mr  O.  Armatage,  V.S.  to  the  Marchioness  of  Londonderry. — Worms  and 

Fibrinous  Concretions  in  the  Bloodvessels  of  Horses  and  Colts,  .  .  18 

Mr  G.  Armataqe,  V.S.  to  the  Marchioness  of  Londonderry. — Veterinary 

Records,       ........  .20 

Mr  Gamgee,  Sen.— On  the  Economy  of  the  Foot  of  the  Horse;  Injuries  and 
Diseased  States  incident  to  it ;  and  on  the  Art  of  Shoeing.  Being  In- 
troductory Lecture,  delivered  at  the  New  Veterinary  College,  Edinburgh,  22 

Mr  William  Hunting,  Student  in  the  New  Veterinary  College,  Edinburgh. — 

Fibrous  Degeneration  of  the  CEsophagean  Canal,  ...  27 

Mr  Arthur  Gamgee,  M.D.,  Assistant  to  the  Professor  of  Medical  Jurispru- 
dence in  the  University  of  Edinburgh,  Lecturer  on  Chemistry  in  the  New 
Veterinary  College. — On  the  Presence  of  a  Peculiar  Modification  of  Albu- 
men (Metalbumen  ?)  in  the  Urine  of  Horses,         .  .  .  .20 

LEADING  ABTICLE. 

Modifications  in  the  Preliminary  Tests  for  the  Admission  of  Candidates  to 

the  Imperial  Veterinary  Colleges  of  France,         ....  32 

PEBISCOPE. 

Some  of  the  Causes  that  Tend  to  render  Farming  Unprofitable,          .            .  34 

Kelso  Farmers'  Club,     ........  43 

Observations  on  the  Effects  which  are  produced  by  Feeding  Cattle  and  Sheep 

exclusively  on  Turnips,      .......  47 

Salving  and  Dipping  Sheep,       .......  48 

Wholesome  and  Unwholesome  Meet,     .  .  .  .54 


THE  VETEEINAET  RETIEW 

AND 


OBIOINAL    COKKUNICATIONS  AHB   CA8ES. 


Cdses  of  "  Parturition  Apoplexy,"  "  Puerperal  Fever,"  or  "  Loin 
FaUenr  By  W.  A.  Cartwright,  M.E.C.V.S.,  Whitchurch, 
Salop. 

Case  1. 

Eably  on  the  morning  of  the  16th  October  1840,  an  Ayrshire  cow, 
five  years  old,  the  property  of  Mr  Joyce  of  this  town,  calved.  It  was 
a  breech  presentation,  with  one  of  the  hind  legs  down,  but  which  was 
got  np  ;  and  the  calf  was  extracted  in  that  position. 

In  the  course  of  the  day  she  fed  well,  and  was  half  her  time  stand- 
ing up  ;  but  in  the  afternoon  she  began  to  totter,  and  about  6  o'clock 
she  fell  down. 

Soon  after,  I  was  sent  for,  and  found  her  down  in  a  very  helpless 
and  restless  state,  with  her  head  to  her  side,  and  breathing  short, 
and  gasping  for  breath.  With  a  little  assistance,  she  soon  after  got 
up,  but  soon  came  down  again.  Her  pulse  was  very  feeble,  but  not 
much  qtdcker  than  natural.  Horns  warm.  About  the  hips  the  parts 
seemed  flabby  and  puffed.  She  was  straining,  and  only  part  of  the 
placenta  had  come  away.  I  did  not  think  it  prudent  to  bleed  her, 
considering  thfe  state  of  the  pulse  and  the  symptoms. 

Treatment. — Gave  Mag.  Sulpk,  Bbss ;  OL  Ricini,  Oj  ;  OL  Croton, 
guttae  x;  Sps.  Tereb.,  §ij;  Pulv.  Zingib.,  3ij ;  Opii  3j,  in  some  gruel; 
blistered  the  spine,  and  fomented  the  parts  behind.  In  two  hours 
after,  she  rallied  a  little,  and  sat  up  pretty  cocket,  with  her  head  from 
her  side.     Her  diflScult  breathing  and  gasping  had  subsided. 

9  P.M. — Still  improving.  Gave  3vj  Sps.  ^Eth.  Nit.,  3vj  Sps.  Tereb., 
and  3ij  Ant.  P.  Tart.,  in  some  gruel.  Bepeat  blister.  She  continued 
pretty  easy  most  of  the  night ;  but  about  5  ^ext  morning  she  was  as 
bad  as  ever,  and  she  lingered  in  this  state  till  about  2  p.m.,  when  I 
ordered  her  to  be  knocked  on  the  head  I  forgot  to  state,  that  about 
6  A.M.  I  gave  her  §ij  Tinct.  Opii  and  gj  Sps.  ^Eth.  Nit.  in  some  gruel, 
as  she  was  struggling  a  good  deal. 

Post-mortem  Examination. — ^There  was  no  constipation  in  the 
ikird  stomach,  nor  was  there  any  inflammation,  or  anything  that  I 
thought  was  disease,  in  any  part  of  the  contents  of  the  abdomen.  The 
Vol.  I. — No.  I.— New  Sbbies.    January  1865.  A. 


2     CASES  OF  PAETURITION  APOPLEXY,  PUERPERAL  FEVER, 

spine  was  split  up  in  the  usual  rough  way,  but  I  could  not  detect  any 
effusion.  At  last  I  thought  that  I  had  made  a  grand  discovery  in 
finding  a  large  piece  of  coagulated  blood  on  the  cord,  about  the  first, 
second,  and  third  cervical  vertebrae  ;  but,  on  second  consideration,  I 
have  no  doubt  it  was  produced  by  the  blow  on  the  brain,  as  I  have 
seen  it  in  several  instances  since. 

•  Case  2. 

On  the  2d  May  1842,  an  aged  cow  of  Mr  Churton's,  of  this  town, 
calved.  She  was  very  fat,  and  had  an  immense  udder.  At  night  she 
was  left  well. 

Zd  May, — This  morning  about  6  o'clock,  the  man  found  her  down 
and  unable  to  get  up.  I  saw  her  soon  after.  Pulse  small  and  quick. 
Kespiration  natural ;  and  there  seems  little  the  matter  with  her,  except 
being  unable  to  get  up  on  her  hind  parts.'  She  can  rise  up  on  her 
fore  ones,  and  sits  up  as  well  as  usual,  and  keeps  her  head  well  up. 

Treatment — ^Took  six  quarts  of  blood  from  her,  which  came  away 
in  a  very  full  stream ;  gave  a  purging  drink,  stimulated  the  spine,  and 
had  her  removed  into  a  hovel 

10  A.M. — I  fancy  she  has  not  so  much  power  in  her  fore  extremities, 
and  I  think  her  head  totters  more  about;  but  she  does  not  lay* it  to 
her  side.  Gave  Ojss  of  01.  Eicini.  She  has  even  now  a  difficulty  in 
swallowing. 

4  P.M. — Is  worse,  and  appears  in  a  good  deal  of  pain,  as  she  is 
restless,  and  moves  her  legs  up  and  down,  as  if  it  were  in  her  bowels. 
She  tries  to  turn  over.  Has  decidedly  less  power  in  supporting  her 
head ;  for  when  she  lifts  it  up  it  rolls  about,  and  she  then  drops  it  on 
the  ground,  or  lays  it  to  her  side.  With  very  great  difficulty  she 
turned  over  and  lay  on  the  opposite  side,  and  I  think  I  can  hear  as  if 
some  bones  were  rubbing  on  each  other  about  the  loins  or  pelvis.  Is 
tderably  warm,  and  her  pulse  is  distinct.     Gave  3ij  Ant.  Potas.  Tart. 

10  P.M. — She  is  decidedly  sinking.  Pulse  very  indistinct ;  and  she 
is  colder.     Gave  5iv  Brandy  and  3ij  Camphor. 

4^A,  8  A.M. — ^About  the  same,  but  if  anything  a  little  more  lively 
in  appearance,  and  her  pulse,  I  think,  is  more  distinct.  Has  dunged  a 
small  quantity. 

10  A.M. — ^Better.  Is  warm.  More  lively ;  and  has  dunged  twice, 
which  is  tolerably  soft.  Gave  gj  Sps.  Tereb.,  3jss  Ant.  P.  Tart.,  and 
5xij  01.  Eicini.     Has  altered  her  position.     Udder  soft. 

12  M. — Worse.  Makes  a  noise  as  if  some  of  the  drink  had  entered 
the  trachea. 

5  P.M. — Eespiration  very  quick.  Is  warm  all  over ;  and  udder  soft. 
Has  scarpely  the  power  of  raising  her  head  now,  and  if  lifted  up  it 
unconsciously  falls  on  the  ground.  One  can  move  one's  finger  on  the 
eye  without  her  feeling  it.  I  could  not  introduce  the  catheter.  Dung 
soft.  Pulse  scarcely  to  be  felt  at  the  chest,  and  not  at  all  at  the  jaw. 
Gasps  for  breath  tliough  the  mouth.  Hind  legs  are  quite  stiff  and 
stretched  out 


OR  LOIN  FALLEN.  8 

5th. — This  morning  about  3  o'clock  she  was  killed,  as  she  appeared 
almost  dead. 

Post-mortem  Examination. — The  third  stomach  was  full,  but  the 
contents  were  not  hard,  but  becoming  a  little  so  from  heat  of  body. 
The  other  stomachs  were  not  above  half  filled,  and  their  contents 
were  soft.  Nearly  the  whole  of  the  intestines  were  inflamed.  The 
small  ones,  for  three  or  four  yards,  were  highly  so  on  the  mucous 
coat.  The  larger  ones  were  not  so  much  inflamed,  but  were  more 
speckled  and  streaked.  The  uterus,  on  its  inner  membrane,  was 
coated  with  some  lymph  and  serum,  and  was  contracted  and  hard ;  but 
I  don't  think  it  was  more  diseased  than  naturally,  or  after  calving. 
Lungs  a  little  congested.  Spinal  cord,  as  far  as  I  could  examine  it, 
was  sound,  and  I  could  not  detect  any  efiusion  ;  but  I  was  not  satis- 
fied with  the  examination,  as  it  was  only  split  up  by  the  butcher. 

Case  3. 

On  the  29th  July  1843,  about  11  A.M.,  an  eight-year-old  cow,  in 
fair  condition,  but  not  by  any  means  fat,  the  property  of  Mr  Joseph 
Evanson  of  this  town,  calved  in  the  field  and  required  but  little  assist- 
ance; and  soon  after  she  ate  a  bran-mash,  and  in  the  afternoon  some 


10  P.M. — She  was  seen,  and  would  not  then  eat  or  drink ;  and  in 
the  course  of  the  night  she  got  worse,  and  lay  down,  and  could  not 
get  up  again. 

SOth,  5  A.M. — I  first  saw  her,  and  she  had  then  every  symptom  of 
being  "loin  fallen" — throwing  her  head  about  and  to  her  side,  and 
could  not  rise. 

6  P.M.  Treatment — Gave  ibj  Soda  Sulph.;  P.  Zingib.,^] ;  Sps.  Mth. 
Nit.  et  Sps.  Gent.,  aa,  ^ij.  From  the  milk-vein  on  the  near  side  I  took 
five  quarts  of  blood,  and  rubbed  on  the  loins  and  spine  occasionally 
a  blistering  liniment.  The  medicine  caused  a  deal  of  flatus  to  be 
belched  up. 

8  A.M.: — Seems  in  pain  in  her  bowels.  Gave  3j  01.  Croton ;  3ij  Ant 
Potato.  Tart.;  OL  Eicini,  Oss  ;  Sulphur,  Jiij  ;  Pulv.  Lyttse,  gr.  xv. 

2  P.M. — She  is  easier,  but  she  still  throws  her  head  about  and  to 
her  sides  ;  but  I  think  she  is  better,  as  she  steadies  her  head  a  little 
firmer.  Is  very  warm  and  comfortable  all  over,  and  she  has  drawn 
her  legs  close  to  her  body,  and  moves  them  occasionally.  Sent  3j  OL 
Croton  and  3iss  of  Ant.  Potas.  Tart.,  to  be  given  at  twice.  Mustard 
applied  to  the  loins  and  spine.  From  the  last  date  she  gradually  got 
worse  and  worse,  and  died  sometime  in  the  night.  I  saw  her  about 
9  P.M.,  she  was  then  all  at  full  length  and  breathing  most  labori- 
ously, and  I  could  hear  liquids  working  up  and  down  the  trachea, 
and  I  ascertained  that  what  gruel  had  last  been  given  to  her  she  had 
a  difficulty  in  swallowing — indeed  she  really  did  not  swallow,  it 
merely  ran  down  anywhere. 

Post-m^ortem  Examination, — The  first  stomach  was  tolerably  filled 


*      CASES  OF  PAETUEITION  APOPLEXY,  PUERPBEAL  FEVER, 

with  moist  food,  and  I  could  see  some  of  the  sulphur  interspersed 
amongst  it.  The  second  stomach  was  empty.  The  third  stomach 
was  full,  but  no  part  of  it  was  hard  or  constipated ;  and  that  part 
towards  the  oesophagean  canal  was  very  pultaceous,  and  evidently 
showing  the  effects  of  the  medicine — ^indeed  the  medicine  appeared 
to  have  produced  disease  about  them,  as  there  was  extravasation  of 
lymph  and  serum  within  its  coats,  and  appeared  quite  dropsical. 
The  fourth  stomach  was  nearly  empty,  and  showed  some  vestiges  of 
the  probable  injurious  effects  of  the  medicine  in  a  similar  way  to 
what  the  niouth  of  the  third  stomach  did.  The  S7naU  intestines,  for 
about  half  way  along  them,  were  tolerably  sound,  with  the  exception 
of  some  slight  patches  of  inflammation  on  their  mucous  coat.  The 
remaining  part  of  the  small  intestines  was  very  much  diseased,  be- 
ing in  some  places  highly  inflamed  and  of  a  dark-red  colour;  in 
other  places  there  were  patches  of  inflammation.  The  intestines  con- 
tained liquid  of  a  dirty-red  colour.  Some  parts  of  this  intestine 
were  streaked  of  a  blackish  colour.  The  large  intestines  were  toler- 
ably healthy,  and  contained  but  little  fseces,  and  which  were  not 
hard.     The  lungs  were  a  little  congested. 

Head  and  Spine, — I  had  these  sent  home  for  examination.  There 
was  nothing  particular  about  the  brain,  except  that  the  ventricles  of 
the  cerebrum  had  too  great  a  quantity  of  serum  in  them ;  and  on 
separating  the  head  from  the  spine,  a  large  quantity  of  serum  ran  out 
from  the  latter.  I  then  exposed  the  whole  of  the  spinal  marrow,  and 
found  that  the  cervical  portion  of  it  and  opposite  the  first  four  or  five 
dorsal  vertebne  were  pretty  natural ;  but  from  this  place  throughout 
the  remainder  of  the  spinal  cord  there  was  a  very  large  quantity  of 
serum  within  the  theca  vertebralis,  and  especially  so  about  the  dorsal 
and  lumbar  vertebrae.  About  the  lumbar  vertebrae  the  cord  had  a  few 
dilated  bloodvessels  on  it,  and  more  so  than  on  the  other  parts.  On 
each  side  of  the  external  surface  of  the  theca  vertebralis  there  was  a 
vein,  as  large  as  a  goose-quill,  completely  distended  with  black  blood, 
and  one  would  have  supposed  would  have  caused  great  pressure  on 
the  cord. 

Case  4*. 

About  6  A.M.,  April  1 6,  1844,  I  was  called  in  to  an  aged  cow, 
belonging  to  Mrs  Jones  of  the  White  Lion  Inn  in  this  town,  that 
was  "  loin  fallen."  She  calved  yesterday,  and  was  left  at  night  as 
well  as  could  be  expected,  and  had  no  symptoms  then  of  the  disease. 
She  was  very  fat.  She  now  attempts  to  rise,  but  cannot ;  moves  her 
hind  legs  up  and  down,  and  looks  lively.  Treatment. — Took  7  quarts 
of  blood  from  her,  and  gave  Jxij  Soda  Sulph. ;  3j  01.  Croton ;  Pulv. 
Lyttse,  9j  ;  Pulv.  Zingib.,  3vj  ;  Sps.  Gent.,  gij  ;  and  rubbed  a  quantity 
of  mustard  all  along  the  spine,  and  covered  her  well  up. 

12  m. — Is  warmer,  but  no  better.  Gave  Soda  Sulph.  et  Sulphur 
Sub.,  aa,  5iv ;  OL  Croton,  3ss ;  Sps.  Gent.,  Jij  ;  Pulv.  Zingib.,  3iv ;  and 
rubbed  a  miiment  composed  of  Lin.  Lyttse  et  Sps.  Tereb.  on  her  loins. 


OE  LOIN  FALLEN.  5 

4  P.M. — Is  decidedly  worse.  Bowels  not  moved.  She  now  begins 
to  hang  her  head  to  her  sides,  and  cannot  move  her  hind  legs  so 
welL  About  this  time  she  drank  a  few  draughts  of  water.  Pulse 
not  very  quick.  Horns  not  quite  so  warm.  We  turned  her  over 
and  got  some  milk  from  her  udder  at  intervals. 

5  P.M. — Gave  her  Tinct.  Opii ;  Sps.  Mth.  Nit.,  aa,  ^ss.  Lies  at 
full  length. 

6  P.M. — Still  lying  at  full  length.  Turns  her  head  sometimes  to 
her  side.  Is  warm  all  over.  Does  not  look  any  worse.  Gave  her  a 
clyster,  with  ^  Sps.  Tereb.,  and  a  handful  of  salt  in  it ;  and  when 
giving  it,  she  strained  a  little,  and  also  stretched  her  hind  legs  out 
from  her  body,  thus  showing  that  all  muscular  power  was  not  gone. 

7  P.M. — Repeated  the  last  drink.  The  other  appeared  to  have 
produced  perspiration  very  freely. 

9  P.M. — Worse.  Cannot  lift  her  head  up.  Pulse  quicker  and 
small  Will  bear  the  eye  pressed.  Respiration  all  along  has  been 
too  quick.     Bowels  not  moved.     Has  a  diflSculty  in  swallowing. 

11  P.M. — About  the  same.  Lifted  her  head  up,  but  it  soon  fell  to 
her  side  again.  Blisters  taken  no  effect  Bowels  not  moved.  Gave 
^ij  Aloes  Cape;  5ss  Pip.  Cayenne;  5j  Pip.  Jamaica;  3ij  Ant. 
rotas.  Tart.,  all  having  been  boiled  in  some  linseed  gruel  Has  great 
diflSculty  in  swallowing.  Seeing  next  morning  that  there  were  little 
hopes  of  her  recovering,  she  was  slaughtered  for  meat,  being  very  fat ; 
and  I  am  sorry  to  say  I  did  not  see  her  opened,  but  I  was  told  that 
the  third  stomach  was  not  at  all  constipated. 

Case  5. 

About  8  o'clock  A.M.,  Feb.  13,  1845,  a  cow,  in  excellent  con- 
dition, of  the  Jersey  breed,  the  property  of  Thomas  Groom,  Esq., 
surgeon,  of  this  town,  calved  without  assistance,  and  afterwards  fed 
weU  and  cleansed. 

On  the  morning  of  the  14th  she  was  also  well  and  suckled  the 
calf,  and  gave  more  milk  after ;  but  about 

1  P.M.  she  was  again  seen,  and  found  to  be  down  and  ill ;  and 
with  some  little  difficulty  she  got  up,  but  was  soon  down  again. 

3  P.M. — I  saw  her  for  the  first  time.  She  was  down.  Pulse  at 
the  jaw  small,  but  at  the  shoulder  I  could  feel  it  more  distinctly,  and 
it  was  not  above  the  natural  rate  per  minute.  Was  not  swollen. 
On  attempting  to  move  her  from  an  unfavourable  position,  she  with 
great  difficulty  got  up  without  assistance ;  but  when  up  she  was  very 
weak,  and  soon  after  dropped  down  on  the  opposite  side. 

As  I  had  hitherto  been  foiled  in  curing  these  cases  by  the  anti- 
phlogistic treatment,  I  was  determined  to  try  the  opposite  one.  I 
accordingly  gave  Sps.  -^th.  Nit.,  §ij ;  Tinct.  Opii,  gij  ;  Sps.  Gent, 
^.  In  half  an  hour  after,  I  thought  it  prudent  to  give  her  Soda 
Sulph.,  fibj ;  01  Croton,  3j  ;  Zingib.,  §ij,  in  some  gruel  The  first 
medicine  caused  the  expulsion  of  a  good  deal  of  wind  from  the 


6     CASES  OF  PARTURITION  APOPLEXY,  PUERPERAL  FEVER, 

stomach.  Had  her  well  covered  up.  Seems  in  pain,  and  struggles 
with  her  legs. 

6  P.M. — About  the  same.  She  has  either  been  up,  or  has  struggled 
about  the  cowhouse.  Horns  and  ears  coldish.  Is  very  heavy  about 
the  head.  Gave  Sps.  -^th.  Nit.,  5ij  ;  Sps.  Gent.,  §j  ;  Tinct.  Opii, 
3vj ;  also  Sulphur,  ibss ;  Aloes  Bbds.,  5j  ;  Ant.  P.  Tart.,  3ij ;  Pip. 
Jam.,  Jj.  A  pretty  good  dose,  some  will  say^  but  I  thought  prudent 
to  give  it  whilst  she  could  swallow.  Rubbed  §v  of  strong  Mustard 
and  gv  Sps.  Terebinth,  on  the  spine,  and  clothed  her  weU  up.  She 
had  a  difficulty  in  swallowing  the  gruel  and  medicine,  even  at  the 
first  time  of  drenching.  Eespiration  tolerable,  but  at  times  it  is 
stertorotis.  We  at  this  time  drew  a  little  milk  from  her.  During 
part  of  the  night  she  was  very  restless ;  but  about  two  o'clock  in  the 
morning  she  became  quite  warm,  and  the  person  sitting  up  with  her 
said  she  chewed  her  cud  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  and  kept  her  head 
straight  out  before  her,  and  he  thought  she  was  getting  well  fast 
Strongly  stimulated  the  loins  in  the  night. 

16th,  8  A.M. — I  saw  her  again.  She  was  uncovered,  and  cold  all 
over.  Head  at  full  length  before  her,  and  unable  to  move  it.  She 
can  scarcely  swallow.  Has  dunged  in  the  night,  which  was  soft.  I 
now  drew  six  or  seven  quarts  of  urine  from  her,  and  gave  her  5ij  Sps. 
-^th.  Nit.  and  ^j  Tinct.  Opii.  I  fear  the  result.  She  is  much  more 
swollen.  Struggles.  Pulse  at  the  jaw  feeble,  but  at  the  chest  more 
distinct,  and  scarcely  quicker  than  natural. 

12  M. — Seeing  no  amendment,  or  the  probability  of  her  getting 
better,  she  was  killed  and  made  meat  of. 

Post-mortem  Examination, — The  first  stomach  was  not  by  any 
means  full  or  overloaded.  The  third  stomach  was  full,  and  there  was 
no  appearance  of  "  staking  "  in  any  part  of  it,  but  on  the  contrary,  it 
was  becoming  pultaceous,  and  no  doubt  she  would  have  soon  purged 
had  she  lived.  The  fourth  stomach  was  not  inflamed,  nor  showed  any 
disease.  The  folds  of  this  stomach  were  the  largest  I  ever  saw,  being 
4  or  5  inches  in  depth,  but  they  are  always  larger  in  aged  cows. 
The  intestines. — Those  proceeding  from  the  stomach,  for  half  way 
along,  contained  a  good  deal  of  chyle  or  mucous  secretion,  and  the 
other  portion  had  much  more  liquid  faeces  in  them.  The  large  ones 
contained  faeces  of  a  more  solid  nature,  but  there  was  no  constipa- 
tion, and  there  was  but  little  inflammation  in  any  part  of  the  whole 
tract  of  intestines.  The  brain  could  not  be  examined,  having 
been  injured  by  the  butcher,  and  the  spine  he  also  split  up,  but  it 
was  not  materially  injured.  There  was  no  extravasation  of  blood  or 
lymph  within  or  external  to  the  theca  vertebralis.  There  were 
streaks  of  filled  bloodvessels  on  the  surface  of  the  spinal  cord,  but 
more  so  across  the  loins,  but  whether  more  than  natural  I  cannot  say. 
The  interior  of  the  spinal  cord  was  softer  and  of  a  darker  colour 
than  the  cortical  portion,  which  was  quite  white. 

The  Uterus,  &c, — The  uterus  was  larger  and  harder  I  fancy  than 
usual,  after  such  a  period  from  calving,  and  about  its  neck  was  of  a 


OR  LOIN  FALLEN.  7 

very  dark  colour ;  and  on  closely  examining  it,  I  found  that  there  was 
a  good  deal  of  extravasated  blood  in  the  cellular  membrane,  and  a 
little  on  the  surface  of  the  vagina,  a  little  posterior  to  the  os  uteri  The 
body  of  the  uterus  was  decidedly  much  thicker  than  it  should  be, 
and  lay  contracted  in  considerable  wreaths  lengthways.  There  was 
also  some  extravasation  of  blood  within  the  pelvis  external  to  the 
uterus.  On  cutting  into  the  substance  I  found,  especially  around 
the  fundus,  a  large  quantity  of  serum  and  lymph,  but  there  was  no 
deposit  of  blood,  or  of  the  appearance  of  the  bloodvessels  being 
congested.. 

Case  6. 

On  Friday,  March  23,  1848,  a  cow,  ten  years  old,  cross  bred,  the 
property  of  Mrs  Currie,  calved. 

24^A. — This  morning  she  fed,  and,  seemed  pretty  well  About 
10  A.M.  she  was  weaker,  and  tottered  about  a  little.  At  12  M. 
she  was  turned  out  of  the  cowhouse  to  go  into  the  field  close  ad- 
joining, but  on  doing  so  she  staggered  and  fell.  At  2  p.m.  I  saw 
her,  and  she  had  then  every  symptom,  in  its  first  stage,  of  being 
"  loin  fallen'' — ^viz.,  inability  to  rise  on  her  hind  parts ;  a  tottering  of 
the  head ;  moaning ;  pulse  almost  imperceptible ;  and  there  appeared 
to  be  a  laxity  and  looseness  of  the  spine,  and  joints  about  the  loins 
and  pelvis.  As  I  hardly  ever  knew  a  case  to  get  well  about  here, 
no  matter  whose  hands  they  had  been  under,  I  advised  them  to  dis- 
pose of  her. 

At  7  P.M.  she  was  slaughtered,  and  being  night  I  could  not  trace 
disease  as  I  could  wish.  The  third  stomach  was  quite  full,  but  there 
was  not  the  least  appearance  of  "  stiiking  "  in  it,  and  apparently  there 
was  nothing  imusual  about  the  internal  parts.  On  the  external  parts, 
about  the  lumbar  vertebrae,  there  was  a  good  deal  of  extravasated 
blood,  but  most  probably  it  was  produced  by  her  falling  against 
something. 

27<A,  6  A.M. — I  saw  the  spine  sawn  through,  but  I  could  not  detect 
the  least  effusion  or  disease  on  the  cord,  and  the  bruise  on  the  loins 
was  quite  superficial 

Case  7. — Cure. 

A  cow,  eight  years  old,  the  property  of  A.  Worthington,  Esq.  of 
the  Mount,  in  this  town,  calved  on  January  25,  1853.  At  night  the 
placenta  was  expelled.  Is  in  good  condition,  and  has  a  very  large 
udder,  and  calved  without  assistance  early  in  the  morning  before  the . 
family  got  up.  On  the  morning  of  the  26th  she  was  thought  not  to  be 
so  well,  being  weak  and  tottering.  About  1 1  A.M.  I  saw  her.  Is  stand- 
ing up,  and  there  are  slight  muscular  tremours.  Pulse  about  its  natural 
stwidard,  but  feeble.  Udder  large,  and  she  gave  this  morning  about 
two  quarts  of  milk,  more  than  the  calf  required.  She  is  weak,  and 
totters  in  her  hind  parts.  As  she  stood  up  to  the  wall,  and  close  to 
the  door,  I  thought  it  better  to  remove  her  into  another  stall,  more  in 


8     CASES  OF  PAETUEITION  APOPLEXY,  PUERPERAL  FEVER, 

the  middle  of  the  cowhouse.  In  doing  so  she  manifested  great  diffi- 
culty in  walking,  and  had  a  narrow  escape  of  falling  head-fore- 
most into  the  **  boosy."  She  has,  in  short,  eveiy  symptom  of  ap- 
proaching "loin fallen."  5^  Soda  Sulph.,  Jxij  ;  01.  Croton,  guttse  xl; 
Aloes  Capen,  Jy;  Pulv.  Capsici,3ij;  Pulv.  Zingib.,§ss ;  one-half  to  be 
given  in  some  gruel  immediately,  and  the  remainder  in  an  hour's 
time.  Mustard-paste  was  rubbed  over  the  spine,  and  in  the  after- 
noon a  strong  liquid  blister  was  also  applied. 

3  P.M. — ^The  animal  is  down  and  moaning.  Pulse  about  natural. 
Has  not  dunged.     Paunch  and  abdomen  distended. 

8  P.M. — Lies  with  her  head  to  her  side ;  but  she  is  seusible,  and  can 
move  her  head  straight  out,  but  it  soon  falls  to  her  side  again.  Gave 
her  Soda  Sulph.,  §iv;  Aloes  Barb.,  5j;  OL  Croton,  guttse  xx;  Pulv. 
Capsici,  3ij  ;  Pulv.  Zingib.  et  Gentian,  aa,  5j.  This  medicine  was 
well  macerated  before  it  was  given  to  her,  and  she  gulped  it  down. 

27^A,  9  A.M. — She  is  still  down,  and  has  not  been  up  since  she  first 
went  down.  Is  sensible,  and  can  move  her  head  a  little  about,  but 
it  generally  lies  on  her  side.  Pulse  and  respiration  natural.  Skin 
warm.  Bowels  not  acted  on.  Gave  Pip.  Jam.,  §j,  (that  had  been 
macerating  all  night ;)  01.  Croton,  3ss ;  01.  Ricini,  Jvj.  I  poured 
some  hot  water  along  the  spine  from  a  tea-kettle,  and  she  was 
evidently  sensible  to  the  application,  as  it  gave  her  great  pain,  and 
made  her  turn  over  on  the  other  side.  Rubbed  some  brandy  on  her 
loins. 

5  P.M. — The  symptoms  are  more  favourable,  or  at  any  rate  they 
are  not  worse.  Has  not  yet  been  up.  On  passing  my  hand  up  the 
rectum  I  withdrew  a  quantity  of  hardened  f seces.  Although  I  do  not 
think  it  of  much  use,  generally  speaking,  to  back-rake  or  clyster 
cows,  yet  I  think  in  this  disease  it  is  proper  to  remove  any  faeces,  as 
they  may  press  on  the  nerves  supplying  the  hinder  extremities.  Sits 
with  her  head  out  before  her.  Does  not  moan.  Has  urinated.  On 
raising  her  up  a  little  she  strained  to  force  the  dung  out,  which  I 
consider  a  favourable  symptom.  Several  quarts  of  milk  have  been 
drawn  from  Jher  during  the  day. 

9  P.M. — On  going  to  give  her  more  medicine,  the  man  found  her  up. 
2Sth,  9  A.M. — On  my  visiting  her  I  found  her  up.    Udder  soft ; 

and  the  calf  had  sucked  her  freely,  by  which  the  udder  was  very 
much  reduced  in  size.  She  looks  more  lively,  and  now  carries  her 
head  straight  out  before  her.  Has  voided  dung  once,  which  is  softer, 
but  still  mixed  with  some  that  is  hard.  Give  some  01.  Ricini,  with 
some  Pip.  Jamaica  every  hour  or  two,  and  allow  nothing  but  gruel 
and  water.  Legs  to  be  well  rubbed,  as  she  seems  weak  and  shuffling 
behind.  Applied  some  more  brandy  and  mustard  to  her  loins. 
From  this  time  she  got  better,  and  was  soon  all  right  again. 

Case  8. 
On  the  13th  March  1858,  a  cow,  ten  or  eleven  years  old,  the  pro- 


OR  LOIN  FALLEN.  9 

perty  of  C.  Clay,  Esq.  of  this  town,  calved  with  great  ease,  and  soon 
after  cleansed.  She  continued  well  and  fed  well  on  the  14th,  and 
ate  her  feed  of  hay  in  the  night  of  the  same  day.  On  the  morning 
of  the  15th  the  servant  found  her  down  when  he  went  to  see  her. 
I  was  then  sent  for.  Symptoms, — Could  not  get  up,  and  seemed 
very  weak  in  her  hind  parts.  She  sat  up,  and  looked  pretty  well 
about  the  eyes.  Pulse  and  respiration  about  natural.  She  was  full 
of  food,  but  not  swollen  of  any  moment.  I  gave  her  Mag.  Sulph., 
ibj  ;  Sulph.  Sut,  Jiv;  01.  Croton,  guttse  xx ;  Pip.  Jam.,  ^ss ;  Sps.  iEth. 
Nit.,  5j ;  Aqua  Vitse,  §iv,  and  she  swallowed  it  well.  Blistered  spine, 
and  covered  her  well  up. 

12.  M. — Her  head  is  heavy,  and  is  partially  laid  to  her  side — 
indeed  she  has  now  every  symptom  of  being  "  loin  fallen." 

I  now  boiled  Jss  Pip.  Jam.,  Jss  Pulv.  Zingib.,  3j  Pip.  Capsici  in 
some  water,  to  get  the  strength  out  of  it,  and  gave  half  of  it,  and 
^iv  of  Brandy  and  ^  Sps.  JEth.  Nit.,  and  the  remaining  dose  two 
hours  after. 

6  P.M. — Worse.  Bowels  not  open.  Gave  ^j  of  melted  Aloes  and 
^  Sps.  M\h,  Nit,  and  more  pepper  stimulants  and  brandy. 

8  P.M. — About  the  same,  or  worse  if  anything,  yet  she  is  pretty 
warm.  Gave  ^  Aloes  and  more  stimulants,  and  clothed  her  up,  and 
left  her  for  the  night. 

IQthy  7  A.M. — ^About  the  same.  Nothing  has  come  through  her. 
Gave  more  opening  and  stimulating  medicine.  Baked  her,  and  drew 
seven  quarts  of  urine  from  her. 

12  M. — ^About  the  same.  The  owner  would  have  her  killed,  and 
he  sold  her  for  £2  to  a  butcher  for  meat,  sadly  against  my  will,  although 
her  recovery  was  very  uncertain. 

Post-mortem  Examination. — The  first  stomxtch  was  pretty  full  of 
moist  food.  The  second  stomach  was  half  full,  but  its  contents  were 
nearly  liquid.  The  third  simnach  was  quite  full,  and  one-half  of  its 
contents  was  hardish,  but  not  so  dry  as  I  have  seen  it,  but  still  it 
was  too  dry.  The  remaining  part  that  was  in  it,  about  its  mouth, 
was  pretty  soft.  The  fourth  stomach  was  nearly  full,  but  what  was 
in  it  was  nearly  liquid.  There  was  not  the  least  appearance  of  any 
inflammation  in  any  parts  of  the  stomachs.  The  s(ifnall  intestines 
were  nearly  empty,  and  there  was  no  appearance  of  them  being  in- 
flamed. The  large  intestines  were  moderately  filled,  and  they  were 
quite  sound.  The  lungs  and  heart  were  pretty  natural ;  the  former, 
perhaps,  were  a  little  redder  than  natural  in  one  or  two  places,  most 
likely  from  some  of  the  medicine  having  passed  down  the  windpipe. 
The  head  and  spine  could  not  be  examined. 

There  was  a  little  efi*usion  of  lymph  between  the  stomachs  and 
diaphragm.  Of  course  these  are  cases  that  require  more  minute 
examination  of  the  head  and  spine,  but  certainly  the  abdominal 
viscera  was  quite  sound,  and  I  cannot  say  I  ever  saw  one  more  so  in 
this  complaint. 


10     CASES  OF  PAETUBITION  APOPLEXY,  PUERPERAL  FEVER, 

Case  9. — Cure. 

About  3  o'clock  A.M.,  September  19,  1860,  a  large  half-bred  cow, 
six  years  old,  and  very  fat,  the  property  of  Miss  Dymocke  of  this 
town,  calved,  and  soon  after  she  parted  with  the  placenta,  and  fed 
and  appeared  well  all  day. 

20^A,  6  A.M. — She  was  discovered  down,  and  could  not  get  up,  and 
also  had,  as  the  man  in  care  of  her  said,  "  her  reid  down,"'  (uterus.) 
I  saw  her  at  7  a.m.  Symptoms, — She  was  tied  up  at  the  stake,  and 
lying  down  with  her  head  to  her  side.  She  could  not  get  up,  and 
had  every  symptom  of  being  loin  fallen.  Her  "  bulk"  or  vagina  pro- 
truded to  double  the  size  of  my  head,  and  in  the  middle  of  it  there 
was  a  portion  of  the.  uterus  as  large  a^  my  head.  I  returned  the  pro- 
truded parts,  and  put  four  sutures  through  the  vulva,  and  raised  the 
hinder  parts. 

.  I  commenced  giving  her,  about  every  hour,  3ij  of  the  Sesq.  CJarb. 
of  Ammonia  in  water,  and  continued  it  until  she  had  had  six  doses. 

About  4  P.M.  I  gave  01.  Croton  3ss. ;  Hydr.  Chlorid.,  3ij. 

7  P.M. — Gave  another  dose  of  the  Ammonia,  with  ^vi  of  Brandy. 
She  has  lain  most  of  the  day  in  a  perfectly  helpless  state,  and  most 
of  the  time  she  has  had  her  head  to  her  side.  Eesipiration  has  been 
quicker  than  natural,  but  not  particularly  stertorous,  and  she  has 
been  quite  warm  all  day.  Has  had  some  little  difficulty  in  swallow- 
ing, but  I  have  seen  many  swallow  worse.  Bowels  not  opened. 
There  has  been  but  little  bearing  down  from  the  uterus. 

9  P.M. — ^About  the  same.  Is  quite  warm,  and  perfectly  helpless 
Eyes  are  sinking.  No  particular  protrusion  of  the  vagina.  We  now 
turned  her  over,  and  I  left  three  more  doses  of  the  Ammonia  and 
gxij  of  Aqua  Vitae  to  be  given  in  the  night ;  but  as  she  was  swollen 
a  good  deal,  I  thought  it  prudent  before  I  left  to  "  tap  "  her. 

2l5^,  6  A.M. — I  have  been  informed  that  she  remained  about  the 
same  all  night.  Is  warm.  Bowels  not  opened,  and  the  tapping  has 
kept  the  swelling  down.  Breathes  too  quick.  Has  had  difficulty  in 
swallowing.     Turned  her  over,  and  to  be  left  alone. 

2  P.M. — Has  been  struggling  a  good  deal  Is  warm  and  sensible, 
and  has  had  another  half-pint  of  brandy.  We  lifted  her  head  up, 
and  she  drank  about  six  quarts  of  cold  water.  Has  voided  her  urine 
well  this  morning,  and  there  is  no  swelling  from  the  vulva.  The 
trochar  has  been  out  all  day,  but  as  she  was  a  little  too  full  I  tapped 
her  again.  Respiration  better  after  being  tapped.  Blistered  spine, 
gave  an  aperient,  and  left  alone. 

8  P.M. — Is  better,  and  the  symptoms  more  favourable. 

22d,  9  A.M. — Is  lying  all  at  full  length,  but  she  is  warm,  and  is 
evidently  more  sensible.  Urinates  and  dungs  a  little.  We  pulled 
her  up  on  her  side,  and  she  sat  up  very  fairly  and  drank  some 
water.  Is  decidedly  better.  Gave  her  some  more  opening  medicine, 
chloride  of  lime,  and  half -pint  of  brandy. 

1  P.M. — Progressing  favourably.     Gives  a  fair  quantity  of  milk. 


OR  LOIN  FALLEN.  *  11 

2  P.M. — Is  all  at  length,  and  seems  worse  now,  and  more  swollen 
I  again  tapped  her,  which  relieved  her  very  much. 

6  P.M. — She  got  up.     Gave  her  some  OL  Lini  et  OL  Castor. 

23d,  9  A.M. — Got  up  again.  Is  warm  and  more  lively.  Ate  some 
bran-mash,  and  drank  some  gruel  and  water.     Bowels  lax. 

5  P.M. — Found  her  down,  but  sitting  with  her  head  up,  and  looks 
better.  She  got  up,  and  gave  five  quarts  of  milk.  Does  not  care  to 
eat.  '  Nose  dry.  Respiration  pretty  natural  She  is,  in  short, 
decidedly  better,  and  going  on  well  Urinated  freely.  To  have  a 
little  more  oil,  and  I  took  the  canula  out. 

24iA,  9  A.M. — ^Has  been  up,  but  is  now  down,  and  sitting  quite 
cocket  Does  not  care  to  feed.  From  this  time  she  gradually  got 
all  right,  getting  up  every  day,  increasing  her  milk,  and  ultimately 
did  well,  and  made  a  good  piece  of  beef  when  dry. 

Case  10. 

A  cow,  about  six  years  old,  of  the  Jersey  breed,  very  fat,  the  pro- 
perty of  Thomas  Groom,  Esq.,  surgeon,  of  this  town,  calved  at  11 
o'clock  P.M.,  September  22,  1860,  and  cleansed  soon  after.  She 
calved  quite  easily,  fed  well,  and  was  left  all  right  at  night. 

23d. — The  first  thing  this  morning,  she  was  apparently  all  right 

11  A.M. — She  was,  most  imprudently,  taken  half  a  mile  through 
the  town  to  the  field,  and  was  left  there  until  five  P.M.  She  then 
was  brought  home,  and  it  was  stated  to  me  that  she  took  her  feed  at 
night,  and  was  left  the  last  thing  apparently  well. 

24^,  8  A.M. — She  was  now  seen  for  the  first  time,  and  found 
down,  and  in  an  apparent  dying  state. 

9  A.M. — I  first  saw  her.     Symptoms. — All  at  length  in  the  cow-  ^ 
house,  and  almost  lifeless.     Legs,  ears,  and  the  surface  of  the  body ' 
cold.      Cannot  support  her  head,   but   dashes  it  about.      Udder 
very  large  and  hard. .    Little  milk  can  be  drawn  from  her.     I  gave 
half-pint  of  brandy,  and  in    half  an  hour  after  I  gave  3ij  of  the 
Sesq.  Carb.  of  Ammonia,  and  to  be  repeated  every  hour. 

11. — ^Was  swollen.     Tapped  her. 

12  M. — ^About  the  same.  Gasps  as  if  for  life.  Does  not  stir. 
Gave  half-pint  of  brandy. 

8  P.M. — Died.  This  cow  never  rallied  in  the  least,  and  was  in  a 
sort  of  collapsed  state  all  the  time.  I  had  not  an  opportunity  of 
opening  her.  I  should  have  liked  to  have  done  so,  as  she  had 
had  no  purgative  medicine  to  produce  disease  in  the  bowels,  as  I  am 
suspicious  it  does  so  sometimes. 

Case  11. 

At  5  P.M.,  June  13, 1862,  a  half-bred  cow,  eight  years  old,  and  in 
excellent  condition,  the  property  of  Mr  Joinson  of  this  town,  showed 
symptoms  of  parturition.  Soon  after,  the  fore  feet  made  their 
appearance,  but  no  head.    Several  neighbours  were  called  in,  (the 


12    CASES  OF  PARTURITION  APOPLEXY,  PUERPERAL  FEVER, 

COW  was  at  a  farm  in  the  country,)  who  got  the  head  into  its  proper 
position ;  and  with  some  little  force  the  calf  was  extracted  alive,  and 
all  was  over  by  8  P.M. 

14ith, — This  morning  she  ate  a  mash  and  some  hay,  and  an  aperi- 
ent was  given  her ;  and  in  the  course  of  the  morning  she  was  walked 
into  the  field  for  a  short  time  ;  but  even  then  she  seemed  weak,  and 
tottered  about  a  little,  which  was  thought  to  proceed  only  from  the 
calviDg. 

6  P.M.— The  owner  called  on  me  now  for  some  more  opening 
medicine,  as  he  said  she  was  staked ;  and  I  sent  Ojss  of  01  Eicini  et 
OL  Lini.,  and  most  of  it  was  given  to  her.  In  the  evening  she  tot- 
tered about  more  than  ever,  and  at  12  o'clock  she  lay  down  and 
could  not  get  up. 

1 5th,  5.30  A.M. — I  was  called  in  to  attend  her,  and  went  three  miles 
to  where  she  was  at. 

Symptoms, — Those  of  "  loin  fallen ;"  and  she  seems  in  pain,  and 
struggles  now  and  then,  and  throws  her  head  about. 

Treatment. — Not  having  any  hopes,  from  my  past  experience,  in 
bleeding,  I  desisted  from  that,  and  gave  half-pint  of  Brandy  and 
half-pint  of  the  Liq.  Ammon.  Acet.  in  some  water,  and  we  had  great 
diflSculty  in  getting  it  down.  Rubbed  a  blistering  liniment  on  the 
spine,  and  covered  her  well  up. 

10  A.M. — Is  in  a  very  helpless  state,  and  scarcely  ever  stirs.  Lies 
at  full  length  on  the  ground,  and  has  not  power  to  shake  her  head. 
Ordered  half-pint  more  of  Liq.  Ammon.  Acet.  and  some  Brandy ; 
but  she  could  not  swallow  nor  gulp  it  down. 

6  P.M. — ^About  the  same ;  but  breathes  laboriously,  and  evidently 
has  got  some  of  the  medicine  in  her  windpipe,  &c.  I  attempted  to 
give  her  some  more  medicine,  but  was  obliged  to  desist,  as  she  could 
not  swallow  it.  Drew  a  large  quantity  of  urine  from  her ;  but  I 
have  very  little  hopes  of  her  recovery.  She  continued  to  get  gradu- 
ally worse,  and  at  10  P.M.  she  died. 

Post-mx)rtem  Examination,  10  A.M. — She  was  lying  on  her  right 
side.  The  first  stomach  was  three-parts  full  of  food,  which  was 
moist,  and  the  stomach  was  healthy ;  second  stomach  healthy ; 
third  stomach  full  of  well-masticated  food,  three  parts  of  which  was 
quite  soft,  and  the  remainder  was  getting  a  little  dry,  but  of  little 
consequence,  or  indifferent  to  health.  The  fourth  stomach  was  a 
good  deal  inflamed  on  its  inside.  The  whole  of  the  intestines  were 
removed  out  of  the  abdomen,  and  on  examining  them  I  found  that 
their  interior  was  a  good  deal  diseased,  being  inflamed  and  dis- 
coloured very  much  ;  but  as  I  was  in  a  hurry  I  could  not  examine 
them,  as  I  would  have  wished ;  but  I  often  suspect  that  they  are  dis- 
eased in  this  complaint. 

There  was  great  discolouration  and  inflammation  about  the 
spine,  on  the  right  side  of  the  thorax ;  but,  as  I  stated  before,  she 
lay  on  the  right  side  on  dying.  On  looking  at  the  heart,  I  found 
that  there  was  some  slight  ecchymosis  in  places  about  the  pericar- 


OB  LOIN  FALLEN.  13 

dium  and  heart.  The  whole  of  the  muscular  tissue  was  very  defi- 
dent  in  blood — ^indeed  it  was  almost  bloodless  from  some  cause. 
The  owner  said  that  a  large  quantity  of  blood  came  from  the  cow, 
and  also  from  the  cord  of  the  calf,  which  they  tied  up  on  the  calf 
being  expelled  from  the  womb.  The  uterus  was  well  contracted  and 
perfectly  sound,  and  the  cotyledons  were  three  parts  absorbed. 

I  am  sorry  I  had  not  time  to  examine  the  head  and  spine.  The 
lungs  were  very  much  enlarged  and  diseased,  with  effusion  of  lymph 
and  serum  in  them,  but  which  no  doubt  was  produced  by  the  medi- 
cine getting  into  them  whilst  being  drenched.  I  never  saw  any  lungs 
worse  diseased  from  such  a  cause,  and  which  shows  the  absolute 
necessity  of  having  a  stomach-pump  with  us.  She  only  lived  twenty- 
four  hours  from  the  time  I  saw  her,  during  which  time  she  was  in 
an  ahnost  collapsed  state. 

Case  12. 

At  12  M.,  May  16, 1862,  an  aged  half-bred  cow,  of  Mr  Edwards's, 
Black  Park,  calved  a  live  calf,  and  she  had  a  very  good  time  of  it 
and  soon  after  cleansed. 

Vjth — In  the  morning  she  gave  a  fair  quantity  of  milk,  and  was 
turned  out  into  the  field ;  but  in  the  course  of  the  morning  she  seemed 
to  be  tottering  on  her  hind  legs,  and  apparently  restless,  and  wandered 
about  the  field.  About  9  a.m.  she  came  home  with  difficulty,  and 
fell  down  in  the  yard.  She  afterwards  got  up,  and  was  taken  into 
the  cowhouse.  About  12  at  noon  I  first  saw  her,  and  she  was  then 
lying  down  in  the  cowhouse.  She  appeared  to  be  in  pain,  and  had 
the  usual  symptoms  of  the  disease.  A  butcher  had  bled  her,  but  he 
could  only  get  about  three  quarts  of  blood  from  her.  I  had  given  to  her, 
Ojss  OL  Eicini  et  01.  Lini. ;  gxij  Mag.  Sulph. ;  §iv  Sulphur ;  01.  Croton, 
guttaex;  Zingib.,  §ss,  and  half-pint  of  Brandy.  Covered  her  well  up 
with  bags,  and  made  her  comfortable.  She  had  afterwards,  at  intervals 
of  four  hours,  three  doses  of  Liq.  Ammon.  Acet,  with  giv  of  Brandy  in 
each  dose. 

18^,  6  A.M. — The  owner  thought  proper  to  have  her  killed,  and  sold 
her  for  meat. 

Examination,  9  A.M. — The  first  stomach  was  only  very  partially 
filled.  Second  not  examined.  The  third  stomach  was  not  at  all  con- 
stipated, and  the  medicine  was  acting  weD.  I  slit  open  some  six  or 
eight  yards  of  the  small  intestines,  and  they  only  contained  a  small 
quantity  of  liquid  yellowish  faeces.  On  their  interior  there  were,.here 
and  there,  some  specks  of  ecchymosis,  but  nothing  of  much  moment ; 
and  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  I  had  not  time  to  examine  them  in  the 
way  I  coidd  have  wished,  as  I  often  fancy,  from  the  pain  they  have,  that 
they  have  disease  in  the  bowels.  There  was  not  the  least  vestige  of 
disease  in  the  uterus.  It  was  beautifully  contracted,  and  its  inner  sur- 
face was  of  a  pale  natural  colour,  and  seemed  so  throughout  its  sub- 
stance. The  cotyledons  were  partially  absorbed,  and  most  of  them 
were  of  the  same  pale  colour. 


14     CASES  OF  PAETURITION  APOPLEXY,  PUERPERAL  FEVER, 

It  contained  only  about  a  quart  of  the  usual  discoloured  secretion. 

It  was,  in  short,  one  of  the  most  healthy  I  ever  saw,  and  there 
could  not  have  been  any  cause  here  to  produce  the  disease.  I  did  not 
see  any  effusion  of  importance  on  the  spine  or  cord,  but  of  course 
these  parts  were  not  examined  in  a  proper  way,  as  the  spine  was 
merely  sawn  through  by  the  butcher ;  but  certainly  there  was  no  ex- 
travasation, to  my  mind,  of  any  importance.  Perhaps  there,  would 
have  been  some  congestion,  had  she  not  been  bled. 

Case  13. 

On  Thursday,  April  14,  1864,  at  11.30, 1  was  called  in  to  attend 
a  cow  eight  y^rs  old,  the  property  of  Mr  Newbrook,  in  Whitchurch, 
that  was  down,  and  could  not  get  up.  I  was  informed  that  she  calved 
a  live  calf,  about  8  A.M.  of  the  13th,  without  any  diflSculty,  and  fed, 
and  seemed  well  all  day.  Towards  7  A.M.  the  calf  was  suckled,  and 
of  course  she  was  then  standing  up,  but  soon  after  she  went  down, 
and  could  not  be  got  up,  and  became  worse  very  fast.  An  ignorant 
farrier  was  in  attendance  on  her,  who  had  taken  two  quarts  of  blood 
from  her,  and  had  given  some  saltpetre  "  for  the  water." 

11.30  P.M. — I  first  saw  her.  She  was  then  all  at  full  length  in  the 
cowhouse,  with  every  symptom  of  being  "  loin  fallen."'  I  took  three 
quarts  more  blood  from  her,  and  gave  a  purging  drink,  and  blistered 
her  loins,  and  in  the  course  of  the  night  gave  two  doses  of  the  Liq. 
Ammon.  Acet.  and  Tinct.  Aconite,  and  made  her  comfortable. 

Ibth,  8  A.M. — ^As  I  did  not  see  the  least  prospect  of  her  recovery, 
I  advised  her  to  be  slaughtered,  as  the  owner  was  a  butcher. 

Post-mortem  Examination, — She  was  split  up  along  the  spine 
when  hung  up,  but  of  course  I  did  not  examine  her  in  the  way  I  could 
have  wished ;  but  the  bones  all  about  the  loins  appeared  to  be  satu- 
rated with  blood,  and  were  of  a  deep  red  colour,  and  very  diflferent  to 
the  other  parts  of  the  spine,  i^hird  stomach  not  "  staked."  Uterus 
perfectly  sound  and  contracted. 

There  was  not  the  least  vestige  of  disease  in  the  intestines.  Lungs 
and  heart  sound.  Indeed  I  could  not  detect  any  disease  in  any  part 
of  the  carcase  except  in  the  spine.  The  head  I  could  not  examine, 
as  it  was  smashed  in  being  cut  oS.  The  spinal  cord  was  injured  in 
being  cloven  up. 

Case  14. — Cure. 

About  half-past  7  o'clock  on  Friday  morning,  the  13th  May  1864, 
I  was  requested  to  go  and  see  a  cow  of  Mrs  Euscoe's,  of  this  town, 
that  was  thought  not  to  be  well,  and  that  her  bowels  were  not  suflS- 
ciently  opened.   . 

I  saw  her  immediately,  and  ascertained  that  she  had  calved  yester- 
day morning,  and  had  had  a  very  good  time  of  it,  cleansed,  and 
seemed  very  well  all  day,  and  she  had  given  a  fair  quantity  of  milk 
besides  what  the  calf  had  taken. 


OB  LOm  FALLEN.  15 

She  is  a  very  large  cow  of  the  shorthorn  breed,  and  in  good  milk- 
ing condition,  and  has  had  six  or  seven  calves.  She  is  idso  a  first- 
rate  milker,  and  has  always  a  large  pendent  udder. 

Symptoms, — Is  standing  up  and  looking  very  anxiously,  as  if  tired 
and  wanting  to  lie  down,  and  is  all  of  the  shuffle  with  her  hind  legs, 
and  evidently  has  been  doing  so  for  some  time,  as  there  is  a  great 
patch  in  the  cowhouse  floor  with  the  marks  of  her  feet  Respiration 
too  quick.  Ears  cold.  Pulse  too  quick,  but  weak.  There  appears 
to  be  great  weakness  in  her  loins,  and  her  hind  parts  wriggle  about. 
She  has  just  dunged  a  fair  quantity,  and  also  urinated  about  a  quart. 

The  symptoms  evidently  denote  "  puerperal  fever." 

Treatment — Gave  Liq.  Ammon.  Acet,  ^vj ;  01.  Eicini,  Jsx ;  Mag. 
Sulph.,  ^j  ;  Sulphur  Sub.,  Jij  ;  OL  Croton,  guttae  v ;  and  applied  Lin. 
Sinap.  et  Lin.  Lyttae,  c ;  Sps.  Tereb.,  §  j.  As  Symonds  recommends 
the  antiphlogistic  treatment  in  the  early  stage,  I  thought  I  would 
once  more  bleed,  (notwithstanding  my  failure  in  numerous  cases,) 
and  accordingly  I  took  about  four  quarts  of  blood  from  her  whilst 
standing,  and  on  doing  so  we  had  great  difficulty  in  keeping  her  up, 
as  she  appeared  a  little  faintish.  Soon  after  she  lay  down  very  com- 
fortably and  remained  so  for  upwards  of  two  hours  pretty  quiet,  and 
with  her  head  up  and  not  to  her  side. 

10  A.M. — She  got  up  very  fairly,  but  when  up  she  was  very  weak, 
and  tottering  in  her  hinder  parts.  When  up  her  respiration  became 
quickened.  Soon  after  she  lay  comfortably  down.  Gave  Tinct. 
Aconite,  guttse  xv;  Liq.  Ammon.  Acet,  ^vj,  in  some  water,  which  she 
swallowed  well.  She  also  drank  about  three  quarts  of  chilled  water 
prior  to  giving  the  medicine. 

11  A.M. — Still  down.  Pulse  60,  but  small.  Drinks  a  little  water 
occasionally. 

1  P.M. — ^About  the  same.  She  made  an  attempt  to  rise,  but  could 
not  do  so. 

5  P.M. — ^Worse.  Head  totters  about  much.  Gasping  as  if  for 
breath ;  and  as  it  was  an  excessively  hot  day,  I  gave  her  all  the  air  I 
could,  by  knocking  oflf  the  boards.  Pulse  68.  Ears  and  horns  colder. 
The  spine  rubbed  every  now  and  then  with  mustard.     Repeat  Haust 

7.30  P.M. — Seems  better  a  little.  Pulse  the  same.  Bowels  not 
opened.  Gave  Soda  Sulph.,  ibss ;  Liq.  Ammon.  Acet,  §vj  ;  01.  Croton, 
guttae  xij,  in  water,  which  she  had  some  difficulty  in  swallowing. 

10  P.M. — She  has  turned  over  on  her  other  side,  and  a  little  milk 
has  been  obtained.  Pulse  64,  stronger  and  more  distinct.  Does  not 
seem  in  very  much  pain,  or  struggle  as  they  generally  do,  and  she 
has  been  so  throughout  the  day.  Sits  up  in  a  listless  way,  and  has 
not  her  head  quite  so  much  to  her  side  as  she  had.  She  has  been 
well  clothed  recently,  and  her  body  is  warmer,  but  her  ears  are  not 
warm.     I  almost  fancy  she  is  quite  as  well  as  she  was. 

12  P.M. — She  is  in  the  same  place  as  where  we  left  her,  and  evi- 
dently she  has  not  stirred.  Ears  deathly  cold.  Head  turned  more 
to  her  side^  and  she  is  in  a  dull  listless  way.    Scarcely  any  pulse  to 


16     CASES  OF  PAETURITION  APOPLEXY,  PUERPERAL  FEVER, 

be  felt.  Drew  a  little  milk  from  her.  Gave  Ammon.  Carb.,  3ij  ; 
Tinct.  Aconite,  guttse  x,  in  water.  She  swallowed  it  fairly.  Stimu- 
lated spine;  clothed  her  well  up,  and  left  her. 

14ith  May,  2  A.M.— pAbout  the  same.  No  signs  of  amendment. 
Ears  still  very  cold.  Drew  from  her  two  quarts  of  milk.  Moans  a 
little.  Is  sensible.  Gave  Sps.  JEth.  Nit.,  3jss,  in  some  water,  which 
she  swallowed  pretty  well     Head  mostly  inclined  to  her  side. 

4  A.M. — ^Much  about  the  same.  Ears  no  warmer.  Has  not  altered 
her  position.     Moans  occasionally. 

5  A.M. — ^Bowels  not  opened.  Ears  still  cold.  Sits  up  pretty  cocket, 
and  does  not  seem  in  much  pain.  Grunts  occasionally.  I  do  not 
think  her  any  worse.  Gave  Ammon.  Carb.,  3ij  ;  Tinct.  Aconite,  guttae  x. 

7  A.M. — ^From  last  date  she  has  been  about  the  same.  Bowels  not 
open.  Is  warmer,  and  I  think  better.  Respiration  calmer.  Pulse 
stronger,  which  occasionally  intermits.  Continues  in  a  sitting  posture, 
and  seems  more  comfortable,  and  the  symptoms  are  more  favourable. 
She  drank  some  water.     Rubbed  her  spine. 

11.30  A.M. — I  found  her  sitting  up,  and  she  was  warm  and  com- 
fortable, and  apparently  going  on  welL  I  felt  inclined  to  introduce 
the  catheter  for  the  first  time,  as  in  these  cases  there  is  frequently 
retention  of  the  urine ;  but  I  found,  on  trying  to  do  so,  that  she  was 
too  near  the  wall,  when  the  man  in  charge  of  her  said,  "  I  daresay 
she  will  founder  forwards  if  we  hit  her ;"  and  on  4oing  so  she  not 
only  foundered,  but  she  actually  got  up  very  fairly.  I  then  tried  to 
introduce  the  catheter,  and  in  doing  so  it  induced  her  to  urinate,  I 
should  think,  three  quarts,  and  soon  after  she  dunged  a  little,  which 
was  rather  hard. 

1  P.M. — rStUl  up,  and  looks  very  fair,  and  does  not  shuffle  about 
much.  Gave  some  linseed  gruel  and  water  gruel  occasionally.  She 
has  also  dunged,  which  is  tolerably  soft.  Gave  Ammon.  Carb.,  3ij  ; 
Tinct.  Aconite,  guttae  x ;  OL  Croton,  guttse  xij.  I  gave  her  a  handful 
or  two  of  hay,  which  she  ate.  Have  got  several  lots  of  milk  from 
her,  and  her  udder  is  softer. 

12  M. — She  lay  down,  and  remained  so  for  two  hours. 

2  P.M. — She  got  up  again,  and  remained  up  for  twenty  minutes. 
4  P.M. — She  is  now  apparently  going  on  welL 

16tk — From  last  date  to  the  present  she  has  been  going  on  very 
well,  both  in  getting  up,  feeding,  &c. ;  and  her  bowels  have  been  well 
opened ;  and  this  morning  she  was  taken  out  of  the  cowhouse,  and 
walked  tolerably  well,  and  from  this  time  she  went  on  very  favour- 
ably and  got  all  right. 

Case  15. 

A  cow  of  Mr  Bates's,  baker,  of  this  town,  six  years  old,  three 
parts  bred,  in  nice  condition,  but  not  to  say  over  fat,  calved  at  9  p.m., 
June  19,  1864,  and  had  an  easy  time  of  it ;  cleansed  three  hours 
after,  and  afterwards  fed  well,  and  stood  up  until  3  in  the  afternoon. 

Symptoms. — At  5  p.m.  I  first  saw  her.    Is  down,  and  cannot  get 


OB  LOm  FALLEN.  17 

up.  On  hitting  her  on  the  left  flank  and  across  her  loins  she 
seemed  very  much  affected  by  it,  and  which  made  her  quite  nervous, 
and  threw  her  in  apparent  pain. 

She  made  an  attempt  to  get  up  when  I  hit  her,  but  she  failed  in 
doing  so.  She  sat  up  in  a  natural  way,  and  showed  no  signs  of  put- 
ting her  head  to  her  side.  Pulse  not  much  different  to  health. 
Udder  large  and  hard.  Was  warm  all  over.  There  seemed  a  nervous 
anxiety  about  her,  as  if  something  more  was  to  follow. 

Treatment — ^Although  I  did  not  notice  anything,  particularly  about 
the  pulse,  to  warrant  me  in  bleeding,  yet  I  thought  it  prudent  to  do 
80,  as  "  loin  fallen"  is  considered  an  inflammation  of  the  spinal  cord 
and  brain.     I  therefore  took  five  quarts  from  the  left  jugular  vein. 

The  blood,  I  thought,  was  of  a  much  darker  colour  than  natural, 
and  it  issued  from  her  very  fluently  at  first,  but  the  latter  half  came 
more  slowly.  I  then  gave  to  her  about  three  parts  of  the  following 
drink  in  some  gruel : — Mag.  Sulph.  ibj  gxij ;  OL  Croton,  3ss  ;  Sulphur, 
3vj ;  Pulv.  Sem.  Carui,  giss,  and  rubbed  on  her  spine  some  Lin.  LyttsB, 
a;  Sps.  Tereb.  et  01.  Croton,  3ij,  and  had  her  made  comfortable,  and 
her  udder  to  be  well  rubbed  and  drawn. 

8  P.M. — She  has  now  turned,  or  rather  shuffled  down  into  the 
"grooping."  The  symptoms  now  are  completely  those  of  "loin 
fallen."  Gave  Lig.  Ammon.  Acet.,  gviij.  All  milk  to  be  got  out  of 
the  udder. 

10  P.M. — About  the  same.  We  now  drew  her  round  into  a 
better  position.  She  is  more  helpless,  and  scarcely  struggled  on  put- 
ting her  round.  After  putting  her  round  we  lifted  her  up  on  her 
side,  and  bolstered  her  up,  but  she  seemed  to  have  scarcely  any  in- 
clination to  stir,  and  her  head  was  barely  supported.  In  the  course 
of  the  night  she  had  two  doses  of  medicine,  each  composed  of  Liq. 
Ammon.  Acet.,  gvj ;  Tinct.  Aconite,  guttae  vj.  The  last  dose  was  given 
towards  6  o'clock,  and  she  had  great  difficulty  in  swallowing  it. 

21$t,  6  A.M. — She  is  all  at  fidl  length  down  on  her  right  side,  and 
has  been  so  for  hours.  Is  quite  insensible,  as  one  can  move  one's 
finger  over  the  eye  without  producing  any  effect,  and  she  does  not 
stir  on  pricking  or  hitting  her.  Her  skin  is  smooth  and  moist,  as  if 
she  was  gently  sweating.  Pulse  at  the  breast  distinct  but  quick.  She 
has  swollen  a  little,  and  nothing  has  come  to  her.  I  told  the  owner  I 
had  scarcely  any  hopes  of  her  recovery,  and  that  he  had  better  make 
the  best  of  hdr  ;  and  he  took  my  advice  and  sold  her  for  £3.  There 
came  from  her  about  a  bucketful  of  blood. 

Post-mortem  Examination,  9  a.m. — I  went  down  to  the  slaughter- 
house and  saw  her  opened.  The  uterus  was  found  hard  and  well 
contracted,  and  altogether  sound.  The  cotyledons  were  much  dimin- 
ished in  size,  and  there  was  not  a  vestige  of  placenta  or  any  secretion 
in  it. 

The  whole  substance  and  the  interior  and  exterior  surfaces  of  the 
uterus  were  of  a  nice  pale  natural  colour,  and  not  a  tint  of  inflamma- 
tion on  them. 

Vol.  L— No.  L— New  Sbrdss.    Janvabt  1865.  B 


18  WORMS  AND  FIBRINOUS  CONCRETIONS  IN  THE 

The  inside  of  the  right  loin,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  kidney, 
was  a  little  redder  than  on  the  other  side,  and  there  was  some  little 
eflfusion  of  lymph  at  the  fundus  of  the  bladder  and  around  it.  The 
first  stomach  was  filled  with  well  masticated  food,  and  was  healthy. 
The  second  stomach  had  little  in  it,  and  was  sound.  The  third 
stomach  was  also  filled  with  well  masticated  food,  which  was  all  quite 
soft,  especially  so  about  the  opening  into  it,  and  I  must  say  I  never 
saw  any  stomach  look  more  healthy  in  its  textures  or  contents.  The 
fourth  stomach  was  slightly  discoloured  on  its  mucous  surface.  I 
laid  open  the  whole  tract  of  the  small  intestines ;  one  half  of  them — 
viz.,  that  half  extending  from  the  fourth  stomach — had  the  appearance 
as  if  they  were  very  much  diseased,  especially  so  on  their  mucous 
membrane,  which  was  of  a  dark  brownish  gray  colour,  and  streaky 
in  placeg.  Some  places  were  slightly  ecchymosed.  The  other  half 
were  discoloured  and  of  an  unhealthy  dark  colour,  but  not  so  much 
so  as  the  former  half  were.  The  whole  of  them  contained  liquid 
fseces  or  secretion,  and  as  if  the  medicine  had  been  operating  on 
them.  The  whole  of  the  small  ones,  exteriorly,  looked  dark-coloured 
and  blackish  before  they  were  opened.  The  large  intestines  were 
quite  healthy,  and.  contained  hardish  faeces  or  ingesta.  There  wasa- 
little  more  hardish  ingesta  in  the  small  intestines  a  short  distance 
prior  to  entering  into  the  large  ones. 


Worms  and  Fibrinous  Concretions  in  the  Bloodvessels  of  Horses 
and  Colts.  By  G.  Armatage,  V.S.  to  the  Marchioness  of  Lon- 
donderry. 

In  the  September  number  of  the  Review,  an  interesting  account  of 
some  cases  of  the  above  nature  are  given  by  Mr  J.  Seaman,  V.S., 
SaflTron,  Waldon. 

During  my  residence  in  Oxfordshire,  six  years  ago,  several  parallel 
cases  came  under  my  notice,  which,  in  their  specific  characters,  hitherto 
as  I  believe  undescribed,  and  unnoticed  by  veterinary  writers,  claimed 
a  place  among  a  file  of  rough  notes,  which  I  had  intended  for  future , 
arrangement  and  comparison  ;  but  unfortunately  were  lost,  or  other- 
wise appropriated  by  some  imknown  hand  to  purposes  not  intended 
at  the  time  of  their  collection. 

My  memory  therefore  serves  only  to  admit  of  my  recognising  in 
Mr  Seaman's  report  a  close  analogy  to  the  cases  which  came  under 
my  observation,  with  this  addition,  that  the  worms  were  found  in 
some  instances  also  in  the  cavities  of  the  abdomen,  under  the  peri- 
toneum, and  even  among  the  intestines  in  isolated  conditions ; — ano- 
rexia, marasmus,  diarrhoea,  &c.,  being  prominent  features  of  the  cases, 
all  of  which  were  in  animals  on  low-lying  lands  and  rank  cold  pas- 
tures, situate  on  the  Oxford  clay  in  the  com'se  of  the  river  Eay  towards 
the  Isis ;  a  district  frequently  imder  water  for  a  great  length  of  time. 

In  February  last  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  meet  with  another  case. 


BLOODVESSELS  OF  HOSSES  AND  COLT&  19 

an  acconnt  of  which  I  lost  no  time  in  making  more  secore  than  the 
last ;  it  is  as  follows : — 

Several  ponies,  barely  nine  hands  high,  were  received  at  our  hos- 
pitals on  the  evening  of  the  13th,  all  of  which,  in  appearance,  were 
healthy,  bnt  in  very  low  condition.  When  placed  into  a  proper  shed 
for  their  reception,  each  partook  of  the  hay  provided  with  relish, 
and  irfter  the  lapse  of  twelve  hours,  with  the  rest  and  food,  their 
general  appearance  was  much  improved.  None,  however,  would 
eat  com ;  at  this  we  did  not  feel  surprised,  as  that  is  a  practice  which 
most  animals  purchased  of  this  class  have  to  undergo  some  tuition  in, 
never  having  seen  or  tasted  it  in  their  native  wilds — the  Highlands 
of  Scotland,  and  Shetland.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  15th,  one — the 
poorest — ^was  observed  to  be  dull,  and  to  move  stiffly  when  led  out  to 
water ;  but  nothing  further  was  noticed,  or  even  this  communicated 
to  me;  as  the  whole  were  suffering  from  slight  colds,  it  was  considered 
of  no  moment  by  the  attendant.  However,  on  the  morning  of  the 
16th,  in  making  my  usual  rounds,  I  noticed  a  pony  absent  from  the 
number,  and  in  searching  found  him  lying  in  the  darkest  comer  of 
the  building — pulseless,  paralysed,  and  comatose.  He  died  in  twenty 
minutes. 

Post-mortem  EaximincUion,  immediate. — ^The  animal  was  about 
nine  years  old.  Abdominal  viscera  devoid  df  fat.  Muscles  flabby, 
and  lacking  natural  moisture.  Blood  black,  thin,  and  uncoagulable. 
Intestines  pale,  and  contained  much  fluid. 

Mesenteric  artery  surroimded  by  a  large  mass  of  partly  fibrous  and 
partly  ossified  matter,  the  coats  being  thickened  and  involved  in  the 
deposition ;  it  also  contained  thread-worms  somewhat  larger  than  the 
filarii  bronchi!  of  the  calf.  Several  others  were  also  found  in  the 
aorta.  In  length  they  were  about  three-fourths  of  an  inch,  small, 
tapering  at  the  extremities,  and  perfectly  white. 

Further  minute  search  revealed  no  more,  at  which  I  was  rather 
disappointed. 

The  stomach  was  healthy  extemally ;  intemally,  the  mucous  mem- 
brane exhibited  two  different  colours— a  light  and  dark  red,  the  latter 
being  in  irregular  patches,  exhibiting  a  mottled  appearance ;  which 
in  reality  proved  that  the  ordinary  membrane  was  partially  removed, 
and  when  touched,  or  slightly  rubbed  with  the  finger,  came  away  alto- 
gether. The  'whole  was  covered  with  a  very  thick  coat  of  glairy 
mucous, — exactly  like  the  white  of  egg, — ^which  coagulated  and  turned 
white  in  alcohol 

The  liver  was  enormously  enlarged,  hardened,  and  obliterated  in  most 
part  So  tense  and  unyielding,  as  if  forcibly  distended  from  the  in- 
side, the  outer  membrane  being  stretched  and  glistening. 

No  bile  or  fluid  of  any  kind  escaped  when  cut  into.  The  whole 
gland  weighed  eleven  pounds.  Lungs  healthy.  Heart  firm  and 
bloodless  in  its  texture,  with  black  patches  of  ecchymoses  on  its  ex- 
terior, especially  in  the  locality  of  the  coronary  vessels.  Left  ventricle 
'  contained  no  blood,  nor  the  stain  of  it ;  but  the  auricle  possessed  iT 


20  VBTBEINARY  EECOEDS. 

small  quantity  similar  to  that  found  in  the  right  auricle  and  ventricle, 
and  bloodvessels  generally — thin,  black,  and  uncoagulable. 

Brain  congested  and  serum  eflfased;  spinal  cord  not  perceptibly 
altered. 

About  four  ounces  of  deep  amber-coloured  semi-transparent  urine 
was  found  in  the  bladder,  of  Sp.  G.  1016.  The  various  tests  for 
albumen  were  negative.  Trommers'  test  gave  the  characteristic  red- 
dish brown  precipitate ;  and  the  fermentation  test  produced  copious 
globules  of  gas  after  being  set  aside  some  time,  occupying  about  half- 
an-inch  of  the  test  tube  |ths  diameter,  both  indicating  the  presence  of 
sugar. 


Veterinary  Records.     By  G.  Armatage,  V.S.  to  the  Marchioness  of 

Londonderry. 

CHRONIC  DISEASE  IN  A  PONY ;  AND  INJURY  TO  THE  RECTUM. 

The  subject  of  the  present  description  was  a  chestnut  pony  nine  years 
old,  ten  hands  high,  employed  in  one  of  the  coal  mines  of  Lady  Lon- 
donderry. On  the  30th  of  January  of  the  present  year  he  was 
brought  to  the  stable  at  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  after  having 
completed  his  work  for  the  day,  without  having  exhibited  any  un- 
usual symptoms,  and  partook  of  his  food  as  usual  on  his  arrival ;  the 
horsekeeper  also  noticing  nothing  different  to  his  ordinary  habits. 

Next  morning — Sunday — he  was  found  standing  in  an  oblique 
direction  across  his  stall,  and  stretched  as  far  as  his  tegs  would 
admit,  without  actually  touching  the  floor. 

He  had  urinated,  and  evacuated  the  rectum  also.  When  turned 
to  the  water-trough  he  drank  a  little.  His  morning  meal  was  not 
touched,  which  caused  the  horsekeeper  to  feel  surprised ;  but  still 
nothing  warranted  him  to  believe  that  any  serious  condition  was 
indicated.  Being  quite  a  favourite,  however,  many  inquiries  were 
put  by  "Tommy"  to  '* Peter"  in  pure  pit  phraseology;  but  as  his 
charge  was  silent,  the  old  man  determined  to  see  him  again  in  a  few 
hours. 

At  twelve  at  noon  the  respiration  was  slightly  accelerated.  Ho 
was  walked  out,  and  beyond  the  disposition  to  stand  unusually 
stretched  across  the  stall,  nothing  further  was  observed,  and  "  Peter" 
was  declared  to  be  "  shammin\  **  At  5  p.m.,  however,  he  was  found 
dead. 

A  post-mortem  examination  could  not  be  made  before  the  third 
day,  when  the  following  were  the  conditions : — 

Lungs  healthy.  On  opening  the  abdomen  large  quantities  of  adi- 
pose tissue  were  met  with.  The  stomach  greatly  distended  with  gas. 
Intestines,  especially  the  small  ones,  presented  patches  of  extravasated 
blood  on  the  peritoneal  surface  here  and  there.  A  few  lumps  of  masti- 
cated chaff  and  grains  of  oats  were  found  distantly  located  throughout 
the  cavity  of  the  abdomen, — an  occurrence  which  favoured  the  conclu- 


YETEBINABT  BECOBDa  21 

sion  that  rupture  must  be  present.  The  intestines  were  carefully 
traced  throughout  their  entire  length,  when  about  a  foot  or  fifteen 
inches  from  the  anus  the  rectum  was  thickened  in  all  its  coats,  secret- 
ing pus  on  the  inner  surface ;  and  in  a  longitudinal  direction  there 
existed  an  opening,  opposite  to  its  attachment  to  the  meso-rectum, 
about  an  inch  long,  with  well  defined  edges,  and  apparently  having 
been  done  by  some  sharp  instrument. 

The  peritoneal  surface  was  blanched  over  the  diseased  portion  of 
intestine,  extending  the  length  of  a  man's  hand.  Contents  of  stomach 
and  intestines  pultaceous  throughout 

The  liver  was  found  to  be  diseased,  one  half  at  least  of  each  lobe 
granular,  easily  torn,  and  structure  impervious,  performing  no  func- 
tions, being  of  a  deep  red  colour.  The  small  lobe  was  soft,  flaccid, 
externally  of  a  dirty  green  colour,  resembling  most  closely  in  appear- 
ance what  is  termed  black  cotton  wadding,  as  seen  under  the  modified 
influences  of  reflected  light. 

The  ducts  in  the  small  portion  which  was  healthy,  were  much 
filled  with  bUe.  Spleen  and  pancreas  healthy.  Kidneys  apparently 
healthy,  and  of  normal  size ;  but  when  cut  the  pelvis  contained  pus. 
The  left  ventricle  of  the  heart  contained  a  closely-fitting  clot  of 
lymph.  Hitherto  the  animal  had  always  exhibited  the  most  perfect 
signs  of  health ;  was  in  capital  condition  at  the  time,  and  looked  upon 
with  pride  by  the  driver,  who  was  so  fortunate  as  to  have  him 
** cavilled*'  i.e.,  ^'aUoUedy"  for  his  use,  and  envy,  when  the  end  of 
the  quarter  brought  with  it  the  usual  changes. 

As  the  drivers  of  these  animals  in  coal  mines  are  very  brutal  in 
many  instances,  it  is  supposed  that  some  rival,  who  grudged  the  boy 
his  fortune  in  having  this  pony  during  the  present  quarter,  had  pur- 
posely committed  the  injury,  by  forcibly  thrusting  up  the  anus  some 
sharp  instrument,  such  as  a  ^*  driUJ' — a  kind  of  chisel  made  of  round 
steel,  used  for  boring  the  coal  when  blasting  with  powder. 

The  most  atrocious  acts  are  sometimes  committed  by  these  cruel  in- 
dividuals, which  are  seldom  traced  to  the  proper  quarter,  as  **  nobody" 
ever  sees  them,  or  if  they  do,  resist  all  attempts  to  obtain  from  them 
evidence  to  the  effect  It  is  the  interest  of  all  to  keep  silent ;  and 
thus  many  poor  unoffending  creatures  have  their  eyes  literally 
knocked  out  with  whip-handles,  pick-shafts,  or  anything  which 
happens  to  be  within  their  grasp.  Sometimes  a  coal-pick  itself  is 
used  to  chastise  a  horse  or  pony,  the  point  of  which  is  forced 
several  inches  into  the  flesh.  I  have  known  horses  and  ponies  irri- 
tated to  run  away,  and  kick,  to  the  extreme  danger  of  all  who  may 
be  on  their  track — ^ligatures  tied  round  the  penis  when  drawing — 
and  the  tongue  also  firmly  tied  to  the  lower  jaw,  or  otherwise 
pulled  or  cut  out  The  cases  of  compound  and  comminuted  fractures 
of  the  extremities  are  common  from  the  practice  of  racing  to  the 
stable  along  a  waggon-way  beset  with  rails,  sleepers,  and  pulleys. 
The  latter,  being  half  sunk  in  the  ground  between  the  former,  or 
otherwise  lying  on  their  flat  sides,  according  to  the  position  of  the 


22  INTEODUCTOEY  LEOTUEB,  BY  ME  QAMGEB,  SEN. 

rope  which  runs  over  them,  present  a  most  effective  means  for  such 
an  accident,  particularly  when  they  are  in  motion,  or  the  encounter 
takes  place  in  the  dark,  which  is  not  unfrequently  the  case. 

Not  long  ago,  an  accident  having  occurred  during  a  race,  in  which 
the  metacarpal-bone  was  broken  in  the  middle,  and  hanging  only  by 
a  piece  of  skin  about  half-an-inch  broad,  the  inhuman  rider,  after 
stopping  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  such  an  interruption  to  his  pro- 
gress, actually  mounted  again,  and  compelled  the  poor  creature  to 
carry  him  to  the  stable,  where  he  left  him,  without  pointing  out  to  the 
horsekeeper  what  had  happened. 


Introductory  Lecture,  delivered  at  the  New  Veterinary  College, 
Edinburgh,  by  Mr  Gamgee,  Sen. :  On  the  Economy  of  the  Foot 
of  the  Horse  ;  Injuries  and  Diseased  States  incident  to  it ;  and 
on  the  Art  of  Shoeing, 

Gentlemen, — ^The  duty  I  have  to  discharge  attaching  to  the  sec- 
tions of  veterinary  science  and  art,  which  have  been  allotted  as 
my  part  to  expound  to  you,  consists  in  demonstrating  the  physical 
construction  and  functional  characters  of  the  foot  of  the  horse,  and  in 
establishing  rules  for  guidance  in  the  art  of  shoeing,  so  as  to  obviate 
the  many  evils  which  commonly  foUow  from  irrational  application  in 
practice  of  the  resources  at  our  command.  It  also  forms  a  very 
essential  part  of  my  course  to  exhibit  the  morbid  conditions  to  which 
the  feet  of  horses  are  subject,  describe  their  causes,  preventive  mea- 
sures, and  the  remedies  to  be  had  recourse  to  for  their  restoration. 

The  foregoing,  however,  affords  only  a  partial  view  of  the  objects 
contemplated  in  the  course  before  us,  since,  apart  from  the  conse- 
quences to  which  empirical  management  of  horses'  feet  give  rise, 
there  is  enough  to  arrest  the  attention  of  thoughtful  men, — ^well 
repaying  the  time  and  labour  necessary  for  an  analytical  and  syste- 
matic study  of  those  regions,  in  investigating  the  normal  state  on 
which  perfection  6i  action  in  horses  depends. 

Horses,  the  subjects  of  our  special  solicitude,  demand  of  us  know- 
ledge, not  as  is  commonly  believed,  merely  for  relieving  their  pain, 
though  that  is  one,  and  an  important  part,  as  I  shall  hereafter 
notice ;  but  it  is  neither  our  first  nor  greatest  object  to  be  achieved ; 
the  whole  subject  requires  to  be  approached  with  a  predetermination 
to  investigate  first  causes.  The  art  of  relieving  may  be,  and  com- 
monly is,  only  the  soothing  of  pangs  which  previous  bad  manage- 
ment has  brought  on ;  and  the  most  certain  way  to  learn  how  to 
avoid  the  occurrence  of  disease,  and  how  to  cure  it,  is  to  become 
profound  in  the  knowledge  of  what  is  health. 

We  must  learn  the  mechanism  of  the  horse,  theoretically  and 
practically,  before  the  derangements  commonly  present  can  be,  to 
any  usefiJ  purpose,  appreciated. 


IKTEODUCTOEY  LECTUEE,  BY  ME  GAMGEE,  SEK.  28 

Horses,  in  their  nprmal  state — viz.,  free  from  disease — represent  a 
current  value  in  the  kingdom,  varying  from  five  pounds  a-head  to 
several  hundreds  of  guineas.  What,  then,  constitutes  the  difference 
in  the  value  of  the  two  extreme  classes,  or  degrees  in  perfection,  for 
which  the  different  sums  are  obtainable^the  highest  prices  for  the 
best  being  the  most  easily  obtained,  and  competition  for  their  pur- 
chase is  usually  the  most  keen?  Who  should  be  the  pioneers  in 
establishing  knowledge,  varying  in  kind,  and  capable  of,  firstly, 
raising  the  standard  of  merit  amongst  the  several  classes,  and, 
secondly,  of  shewing  the  value,  individually  and  relatively,  of  all 
horses,  if  not  the  veterinarian?  There  is,  or  should  be,  a  centre 
whence  positive  knowledge  of  the  kind  contemplated  should  eman- 
ate, and  where  capability  for  critical  analysis  should  lead  to  exposi- 
tion and  exclusion  of  erroneous  doctrine,  where  merely  questions  of 
fact  are  at  issue.  In  some  such  way  must  all  human  institutions 
exert  their  influence  for  common  good.  If  universities,  colleges,  and 
schools  harbour  false  systems,  not  only  will  the  immediate  disciples 
partake  of  such  mental  culture  as  is  supplied,  but  the  teaching  will 
thence  radiate,  and  become  the  means  of  wide-spread  error  and  dis- 
appointment. On  the  other  hand,  all  that  is  laudable  as  tending  to 
the  common  good,  flows  from  these  fostering  centres,  and  this  is  now 
happily  becoming  more  and  more  the  case,  under  the  influence  of 
public  institution^  throughout  the  civilised  world.  To  such,  however, 
the  veterinary  art  in  this  country  has  furnished  regretable  excep- 
tion ;  the  errors  which  were  rife  in  our  boyhood,  and  cherished  within 
the  walls  of  a  veterinary  college,  where  they  took  firm  hold  on  the 
minds  of  those  most  ardent  in  the  pursuit  of  knowledge,  became 
with  time  widely  disseminated,  and  now  and  for  many  years  past 
have  been  popularised  and  adopted  by  horse  owners,  and  imitated  by 
their  dependants. 

Anatomy,  constituting  as  it  does  the  chief  pillar  on  which  all  true 
art  of  medicine  and  surgery  is  founded,  whether  applied  to  man  or 
to  the  lower  animals,  is  pre-eminently  the  indispensable  guide  in  all 
theory  and  practice  having  reference  to  the  feet  and  action  of  horses, 
their  physical  form  affording  the  criterion  of  the  degree  of  speed  and 
power  with  which  they  are  endowed.  As  the  relative  degrees  of 
perfection  in  development  of  form  and  action,  determine  the  worth 
of  horses^  it  follows  that  ample  understanding  of  these  matters 
demands  earnest  attention,  corresponding  to  the  interests  involved. 

In  advising  students  at  this  opportune  time  to  entertain  a 
broader  view  than  has  been  customary,  of  the  proportions  of  the 
horse,  the  proposition  before  us  resolves  itself  into  the  ultimate  ques- 
tions of  the  condition  of  the  foot,  of  soundness  and  unsoundness,  of 
great  worth  and  worthlessness ;  in  fact,  as  to  whether  a  most  exten- 
sive and  important  department  of  the  veterinary  art  is  to  be  usefully 
and  honourably  cultivated  and  practised  or  not.  Now,  while  first- 
session  students  are  devoting  much  time  to  the  acquisition  of  a 
knowledge  of   the    skeleton,   so    necessary  as   preparatory  to   all 


24  INTRODUCTOEY  LECTURE,  BY  ME  GAMGEE,  SEN. 

succeeding  steps  in  anatomical  learning,  and  while  the  senior 
workers  among  you  are  for  several  hours  daily  dissecting  in  turn 
the  diflferent  regions  of  the  horse,  it  may  be  of  some  encouragement 
to  be  assured  that  it  is  only  by  such  means  that  you  can  attain  to  a 
knowledge  of  the  foot,  in  a  way  to  be  of  avail  in  your  practice 
hereafter.  It  may  occur  to  some  that  in  this  course  we  are  treating 
of  the  foot,  and  therefore  should  confine  our  attention  to  the  distal 
regions  of  the  limbs  exclusively ;  but  without  going  over  the  general 
system  brought  under  notice  by  your  able  teachers,  from  whom  you 
are  receiving  ample  advantage,  I  beg  to  state  that  it  is  desirable  that 
the  general  course  of  instructional  investigation  should  take  preced- 
ence, and  also  be  carried  on  simultaneously  with  that  of  the  sectional 
division.  The  animal  economy  is  required  to  be  comprehensively 
studied,  system  after  system,  beginning  with  the  osteological  as  the 
framework.  From  such  methods  alone  can  we  proceed  to  treat  on 
phenomena  with  full  advantage ;  the  whole  enters  into  every  part  in 
considering  design  in  animal  mechanism.  I  purpose,  therefore,  in 
accordance  with  these  views,  to  submit  for  your  attention  the 
anatomical  arrangement  of  the  foot,  with  my  own  views  on  the  laws 
which  govern  action, — not  confining  the  notice  to  detached  parts,  but 
extending  observations  to  laws,  constituting  a  whole  system  of  action ; 
and  in  this  way  of  treating  the  subject,  reference  will  have  to  be  made 
to  parts  remote  from  the  foot,  and  thus  it  will  be  found  that  not  re- 
petition, but  observations  supplementary  to  your  general  anatomical 
course,  will  characterise  our  special  department  relating  to  the  foot. 

Shoeing,  as  far  as  it  is  practical  to  teach  so  diflScult  an  art  by 
rules,  will  form  the  second  division  of  my  course,  and  I  have  tried 
hard,  over  a  period  of  many  years,  to  acquire  a  mastery  over  this 
department,  so  as  to  be  able  to  infuse  some  right  notions  on  the 
matter ;  and,  so  far  as  success  in  carrying  out  the  work  goes,  I  have 
reason  to  feel  satisfied  ;  but  it  would  be  wrong  to  ignore  the  fact  that 
it  is  by  no  means  easy  to  popularise  a  system,  and  to  train  hands  as 
well  as  minds  to  work  it  out,  where  much  discipline  is  required  to 
ensure  proficiency  in  the  art.  Still,  I  have  continued  working  on, 
encouraged  by  the  reflection  that  all  advances  or  changes  of  method 
exact  long  and  patient  labour.  Again,  I  begin  to  see  that  my 
labours  are  appreciated,  and  that  the  system  we  are  adopting  is 
being  imitated,  and  that,  too,  in  some  of  the  great  centres  of  England. 
I  therefore  feel  assured,  that  once  begun,  there  will  be  no  stoppage 
until  a  general  change  for  the  better  in  the  art  of  horse-shoeing  has 
been  made  in  some  degree  eflfectuaL 

Since,  however,  I  have  seen  it  is  impossible  to  do  all  that  is  desired, 
I  have  determined  to  use  my  powers  to  do  all  I  can  in  a  good  cause ; 
and  that  which  I  see  is  practicable,  and  from  which  some  good  re- 
sults have  been  achieved,  is  to  point  out  the  erroneous  tendencies  of 
past  teaching.  Meanwhile,  some  of  our  students  have  become  instructed 
in  details  suflScient  to  enable  them  to  carry  on  the  work  with  excellent 
eSect.    Nor  have  readers  of  my  papers  and  workmen  who  have  seen  our 


INTEODUCTORY  LECTUEB,  BY  ME  GAMGEB,  SEN.  25 

plan,  failed  to  take  up  ideas.  But  that  which  I  cannot  do,  and  which 
neither  you  gentlemen,  can  do,  is  this — I  cannot  make  proficient  pupils 
by  the  mere  delivery  of  a  few  lectures.  Knowledge  comes  by  doing. 
Then  again  it  should  be  apparent  to  all  that  in  the  short  time  which 
is  devoted  to  the  routine  work  necessary  for  the  obtainment  of  a 
diploma  at  the  Eoyal  College  of  Veterinary  Surgeons,  none  can  be 
spared  for  practically  working  at  horse-shoeing.  Progress,  therefore, 
may  be  slow  for  a  while  in  the  realisation  of  a  proper  system  of  shoe- 
ing and  its  general  adoption. 

When  due  consideration  is  given  to  the  fact,  that  the  art  of  shoeing 
is  the  most  effective  and  general  of  all  known  agencies  for  the  con- 
servation of  horses,  and  also  the  first  among  remedial  appliances  for 
their  restoration  in  almost  all  cases  of  lameness,  its  importance  as  a 
branch  of  the  veterinary  art  can  hardly  be  over  estimated. 

The  abnormal  or  diseased  states  of  horses'  feet  will  form  the  sub- 
ject for  consideration  in  the  third  division  of  my  course.  And  since 
disease  implies  alteration  of  natural  structures,  and  correspondingly 
of  functions,  reference  to  these  latter,  as  standards,  will  frequently  be 
made. 

Besides  showing  some  of  the  reasons  why  an  intimate  knowledge 
of  the  foot  of  the  horse  should  be  acquired  by  veterinary  students, 
I  think  it  equally  incumbent  on  me  to  point  out  causes  which  have 
hindered  the  advance  of  systematic  cultivation  of  this  branch  of 
veterinary  science.  There  have  been  the  indulgence  in  too  much  talk 
and  too  little  application  to  the  work  amongst  men  in  authoritative 
positions,  who  have  assumed  to  teach  what  they  never  learnt,  by  using 
many  words,  the  tendency  of  which  was  to  explain  away  established 
truths,  and  the  confounding  the  good  works  of  able  men  in  past  ages, 
by  the  intermixture  of  the  new  notions. 

It  may  be  asserted  that  no  section  of  veterinary  art  calls  for  so 
large  a  combination  of  scientific  culture  and  manual  skill,  as  that 
which  takes  for  its  sphere  the  whole  locomotive  system  of  the  horse, 
in  all  possible  comprehensiveness — ^viz.,  development,  conservation, 
and  restoration. 

In  the  department  of  our  art  under  consideration  many  labourers 
are  required,  necessarily  difiering  in  the  extent  of  their  attainments, 
yet  all  would  be  gainers  by  a  commonly-prevailing,  well-grounded 
system  of  knowledge  to  work  upon.  When  the  teaching  on  a  science 
or  an  art  is  sound,  the  knowledge  prevalent  amongst  its  followers 
will  differ  little  in  kind — ^it  will  be  more  in  degree  by  which  distinc- 
tions will  be  drawn. 

In  all  relating  to  horses*  feet,  how  they  should  be  managed,  shod, 
and  surgically  treated,  how  different  is  the  case !  All  has  been  governed 
in  the  matter,  during  the  last  seventy  years  in  this  kingdom,  by  opin- 
ions and  crotchets,,  each  individual  adopting  his  own, — as  if  facts, 
phenomena,  and  systems  had  no  reality,  or  that  these  mysteries,  be- 
wildering as  they  have  been  made  to  appear,  are  beyond  the  pale  of 
sudi  tests  and  standards  as  measure  men  and  their  works  generally. 


26        INTRODUCTORY  LECTURE,  BY  MR  GAMGEE,  SEN. 

The  working  farriers  are,  as  a  class  of  men,  the  most  abused  and 

ill-appreciated  of  any  body  of  artisans  we  could  name,  relative  to  the 

kind  and  amount  of  trained  skill  required  of  them,  and  taking  also 

into  account  the  value  of  the  subjects  committed  to  their  care,  and 

.  the  extent  of  evil  resulting  from  injury  by  uninstructed  hands. 

Knowledge  of  a  true  and  undeviating  kind  should  be  established 
and  made  common ;  and  once  let  the  educated  veterinarian  possess 
this  material,  it  would  soon  extend  to  the  less  privileged,  in  the  same 
way  as  the  whole  array  of  workers  in  the  establishment  of  an  able 
engineer  acquire  ability  and  character  accordingly. 

"  They  manage  these  things  better  in  France,"  where  they  very 
early  attained  to  a  systematic  plan  of  horse-shoeing ;  for  when  they 
took  the  lead  in  founding  modern  veterinary  colleges,  they  aimed  to 
instruct  the  then  practising  farriers — improved  the  material  they 
found  well  advanced  for  the  purpose.  The  founder  of  those  colleges, 
Mons.  Bourgelat,  did  not" despise,  but  enlisted  those  men  in  the  cause 
of  veterinary  reform.  While  in  England  the  opposite,  was  done  ;  the 
farrier  was  pronounced  to  be  ignorant,  obstinate,  in  fact,  unlike  other 
men,  he  was  regarded  as  not  capable  of  all  degrees  of  improvement, 
as  naturally  the  whole  body  are. 

At  present,  the  veterinary  student  and  teacher  lack  encourage- 
ment in  that  part  of  the  college  curriculum  to  which  our  subject 
belongs,  in  so  far  as  scarcely  any  knowledge  of  the  matter  is  re- 
quired by  the  examining  boards ;  and  then  comes  the  question  as 
to  what  will  be  found  satisfactory  there ;  you  have  no  guarantee  that 
that  which  I  show  and  demonstrate  will  have  found  its  way  to  all 
the  tables,  or  have  been  regarded  with  suflScient  favour  there  to  re- 
ceive consideration. 

We  are  subject  to  no  such  common  or  bye-law  as  compels  men 
to  give  up  old  errors,  or  to  test  the  merits  of  new  doctrines ;  these 
have  to  find  their  level  by  time  and  force  of  circumstances.  In  the 
truly  liberal  arts,  there  is  always  prevalent  a  generous  catholic  spirit, 
by  which  the  common  good  and  advancement  of  knowledge  is  the 
chief  aim,  and  no  sooner  has  a  phenomenon  been  made  out,  or  some 
important  mistaken  view  cleared  up,  than  it  is  hailed  with  delight, 
and  made  known  at  the  proper  centres  in  all  countries.  These  re- 
marks admit  of  abundant  illustration  relative  to  the  science  of 
chemistry,  anatomy,  medicine,  and  surgery,  and  the  other  arts  and 
sciences, — exception  in  veterinary  matters  ahnost  alone  calls  for  notice 
or  new  action. 

In  conclusion,  I  beg  to  state,  that  while  I  think  it  advisable  that 
you  should  bring  your  energies  to  bear  on  every  part  in  the  curri- 
culum prescribed,  during  your  stay  at  your  college,  into  practice  ;  I 
think  it  would  be  well  to  follow  the  example  of  the  medical  profession, 
and  divide  the  labour. 

Our  brethren,  of  the  higher  sphere  in  the  healing  art,  carry  on 
their  university  studies,  to  a.  great  extent  alike,  as  medical  students, 
during  the  several  years  of  their  career,  and  towards  its  close  make 


FIBBOUS  DEGBNEEATION  OF  THE  (ESOPHAGEAN  CANAL.  27 

choice  of  one  or  other  of  th^  two  great  branches  of  medicine 
or  surgery  into  which  the  talented  men  dividS.  When  again 
sub-divisions  are  made,  by  different  practitioners  following  some 
special  branch,  to  the  almost  exclusion  of  other  departments,  every 
inclination  to  prosecute  inquiries,  and  to  concentrate  attention  on  a 
given  subject,  can  be  satisfied,  and  science  and  the  art  of  medicine 
gain  thereby.  While  in  our  case,  with  every  species  of  domesticated 
animal  for  our  patients,  it  is  taken  for  granted,  that  every  veterinary 
surgeon,  with  a  part  of  two  separate  years  devoted  to  the  learning, 
is  to  understand  the  natural  characteristics  and  ailiogs  of  the  whole 
range  of  animals  committed  to  his  skill. 

It  is  not  long  since  the  horse  alone  was  made  the  subject  of  atten- 
tion at  our,  then,  only  veterinary  college ;  at  length  it  was  shown  that 
cattle,  sheep,  and  other  stock,  clainaed,  in  the  name  of  public  and  pri- 
vate interest,  in  the  interest  of  the  public  health,  and  of  humanity,  a 
large  share  of  all  available  veterinary  knowledge,  and  those  views 
have  continued  to  become  more  and  more  recognised. 

While,  however,  these  new  fields  for  veterinary  science  and  art  are 
opening,  the  number  of  horses  in  use  continues  on  the  increase,  and 
their  value  is  likewise  multiplying,  and  yet  there  is  no  stir  made  to 
prepare  for  these  emergencies,  no  increase  in  the  time  devoted  to 
acquire  the  status  of  veterinary  surgeon;  and  no  new  special  branches 
are  cultivated,  or  followed  in  practice,  in  accordance  with  the  known 
requirement.  All  members  are,  by  virtue  of  their  diploma,  assumed 
to  be  expert,  alike  in  the  stable,  the  shoeing  forge,  the  byre,  the  fold, 
the  farm  steading,  and  the  kennel. 

I  venture  to  say,  that  there  is  not  one  young  veterinary  surgeon  in 
twenty  that  would  not  feel  ashamed  to  acknowledge  his  insufficient 
acquaintance  on  any  one  of  the  above  departments — ^while  it  would,  I 
firmly  maintain,  be  infinitely  more  creditable  and  laudable,  even  to  state 
that,  **  I  have  not  devoted  myself  to  this  or  that,  but  have  marked 
out  such  a. range  for  my  labour."  Out  of  such  procedure  good  would 
follow,  by  the  multiplicity  of  subjects  being  better  understood  and 
done — ^the  pra<5tical  part,  accordingly,  better  accomplished.  Under 
these  means,  mutual  friendships  would  grow  up,  as  one  member  would 
consult  and  recommend  his  neighbour. 


Fibrous  Degeneration  of  the  (Esophagean  Canal,    By  William 
Hunting,  Student  in  the  New  Veterinary  College,  Edinburgh. 

Sib, — As  I  believe  such  cases  as  the  following  are  by  no  means 
common,  perhaps  it  will  not  be  deemed  by  you  unworthy  of  a  place 
in  your  valuable  periodical : — 

On  Monday,  September  5,  I  was  requested  to  see  a  cow  in  the 
possession  of  Mr  Wood  of  Seaham  Harbour.  On  my  arrival  I  found 
the  animal  standing  in  the  stall,  and  presenting  nothing  unusual  to 
lead  one  to  think  her  amiss  ;  but  on  giving  her  a  handfiU  of  hay,  she 


28  FEBBOUS  DEGENERATION  OF  THE  (ESOPHAGEAN  CANAL. 

ate  it,  and  immediately  began  to  vomit  a  nasty  greenish  fluid.  This 
was  accompanied  in  about  live  minutes  by  enormous  distension  of  the 
rumen.  The  bowels  were  costive,  but  there  was  no  general  disturb- 
ance. 

The  history  of  the  case  is  as  follows  : — She  was  bought  in  April 
1864,  in  calf;  was  about  twelve  years  old,  and  not  in  very  good 
condition,  but  improved  very  much  after  her  last  calf.  She  was 
always  a  good  milker.  Previous  to  her  coming  into  Mr  Wdod's  pos- 
session she  had  belonged  to  Mrs  Wood's  brother  for  five  years,  and 
during  that  time  had  never  had  a  turnip  in  her  throat,  or  a  probang 
passed ;  neither  had  she  with  Mr  Wood  until  after  I  first  saw  her. 
She  was  first  noticed  wrong  on  the  3d,  two  days  before  I  saw  her, 
when  she  was  found  in  the  field  enormously  swollen. 

I  diagnosed  the  case  as  one  of  functional  derangement  of  the 
rumen,  and  gave  an  aperient  and  two  or  three  doses  of  Sps.  Ammon. 
Arom. 

On  Wednesday,  the  7th,  my  father  saw  her,  and  gave  Prussic  Acid, 
Chloroform,  and  Quinine  every  four  hours.  After  the  fourth  dose, 
the  vomiting  ceased  and  never  returned. 

He  diagnosed  the  case  as  organic  disease  of  the  oesophagus  at  its 
entrance  into  the  rumen.  She  was  ordered  to  be  fed  on  soft  food,  as 
bran-mashes,  linseed-tea,  aiid  steamed  hay.  With  these  substances 
she  was  never  swollen.  She  also  had  vegetable  tonics,  salt  in  her 
mashes,  and  an  occasional  aperient.  Under  this  treatment  she  ap- 
peared to  improve  a  good  deal  for  a  week  or  two,  but  was  as  bad  as 
ever  on  being  allowed  dry  hay  or  grass.  She  was  always  anxious  to 
eat  dry  hay  if  it  was  given  her,  but  invariably  with  the  same  result — 
viz.,  swelling  of  the  rumen.  From  the  day  I  first  saw  her  till  Novem- 
ber 19th — the  day  she  was  killed — she  never  ruminated.  The  last 
week  or  ten  days  of  her  illness  ^she  refused  the  mashes  and  the 
steamed  hay ;  of  course  she  wasted  a  good  deal 

P.M. — Being  at  college  when  she  was  killed,  I  was  not  at  the  post- 
mortem examination  ;  but  my  father  sent  me  the  oesophagus  and  a 
small  portion  of  the  rumen.  He  also  said  that  no  disease  was 
visible  in  any  other  organ.     The  parts  sent  me  were  as  follow  : — 

The  oesophagus,  quite  healthy,  and  presenting  no  dilatation.  The 
oBsophagean  canal  and  the  anterior  sac  of  the  rumen  were  very 
much  thickened. 

This  swelling  presented  a  tough,  tuberculated  appearance;  was 
destitute  of  mucous  membrane ;  and  when  cut  into,  revealed  numbers 
of  little  sacs,  containing  a  kind  of  inspissated  pus. 

The  whole  mass  was  of  a  hard,  cartilaginous  nature,  and  nearly 
obliterated  the  orifice  of  the  cesophagean  canaL  The  specimen 
being  somewhat  decomposed  on  its  arrival,  I  am  not  able  to  give 
anything  definite  as  to  the^  real  nature  of  the  disease.  If,  Sir,  you 
can  afford  time  to  add  any  remarks,  I  am  sure  they  will  have  the  full 
attention  of  your  obedient  servajUt, 

W.  Hunting. 


OK  THE  PRESENCE  OF  METALBUMEN  IN  THE  XJBINE  OF  HOBSES.  29 

Ebmarks. — ^The  morbid  production  at  the  lower  end  of  the  gullet 
appears  to  involve  the  whole  thickness  of  the  mucous  membrane  and 
muscular  coat  The  exposed  surface  is  very  irregular,  presenting 
numerous  rounded  elevations  of  various  sizes,  with  here  and  there 
an  ulcerated  depression,  in  the  depth  of  which  are  fragments  of  disin- 
tegrated tissue  and  pus.  The  mass  of  the  tumour  is  firm  and 
resistant,  and  appears  to  be  almost  exclusively  made  up  of  fibrous 
tissue.  The  small  cavities  scattered  through  the  substance  of  the 
mass  at  irregular  intervals,  are  filled  with  a  whitish  semi-solid  mate- 
rial, having  all  the  characters  of  altered  pus.  On  the  cut  surface 
there  is  no  appearance  of  cancer  juice,  and  microscopic  examination 
does  not  enable  us  to  detect  any  of  those  cells  usually  considered 
characteristic  of  cancer.  An  examination  of  the  gastric  lymphatic 
glands  would  have  been  of  interest,  but  as  the  morbid  deposit  did 
not  seem  to  extend  in  the  walls  of  the  viscus  beyond  where  it  was 
freely  exposed  on  the  surface,  and  as  there  was  no  sign  of  a  corre- 
sponding morbid  production  in  other  parts  of  the  body,  it  may  bo 
assumed  that  the  product  was  not  of  a  malignant  nature. 


On  the  Presence  of  a  Pecvliar  Modification  of  Albumen  {Metalbu- 
menf)  in  the  Urine  of  Horses.  By  Arthub  Gamgee,  M.D., 
Assistant  to  the  Professor  of  Medical  Jurisprudence  in  the  Uni- 

.'  versity  of  Edinburgh,  Lecturer  on  Chemistry  in  the  New  Veterinary 
College. 


^o^ 


So  little  has  been  written  concerning  the  composition  of  the  urine  of 
the  horse  in  health  and  disease,  that  I  venture  to  place  the  following 
observations  on  record,  as  not  altogether  uninteresting : — 

Some  weeks  ago,  I  received  from  my  brother  a  few  ounces  of  the 
urine  of  a  horse>  which  had  been  sent  for  analysis  by  Mr  Parker  of 
Birmingham.  The  urine  presented  a  remarkable  appearance,  for  its 
consistency  was  that  of  glue ;  and  when  poured  from  one  vessel  into 
another  it  nearly  passed  en  masse.  It  emitted  a  slightly  fragrant, 
not  unpleasant  odour ;  its  reaction  was  decidedly  acid. 

When  the  urine  was  treated  with  nitric  acid  or  acetic  acid,  the 
gluey  character  almost  entirely  disappeared ;  in  boiling  it  became  per- 
fectly fluid,  nor  was  there  any  appearance  of  precipitation. 

On  heating  the  urine  for  some  time,  coagulation  took  place,  when 
the  temperature  rose  to  173**  Fah.  The  precipitate  was  entirely 
soluble  in  nitric  and  acetic  acids. 

Tincture  of  gaUs  added  to  the  urine  produced  an  abimdant,  floc- 
culent  precipitate. 

Alcohol  produced  a  precipitate,  which  was  soluble  on  the  addition 
of  a  large  quantity  of  cold  water. 

Corrosive  sublimate  produced  an  abimdant  white  precipitate. 


so  ON  THE  PBESENCE  OF  METAL6UMEK  IK  THE  UBINE  OF  HOBSES. 

Solution  of  suhnitrate  of  mercury  heated  with  the  urine  produced 
a  precipitate  of  a  beautiful  red  colour,  (Millon's  test.) 

Acetate  of  lead  produced  an  abundant  white  precipitate* 

Ferrocyanide  of  potassium  added  to  the  urine  produced  no  preci- 
pitate. When  acetic  acid  was  also  added,  no  precipitate  occurred. 
On  heating  the  fluid  it  was  abundantly  precipitated. 

Sulphate  of  magnesia  did  not  produce  a  precipitate. 

Chlorine  water  caused  the  formation  of  a  white  precipitate. 

The  above  reactions  proved  very  conclusively  that  the  urine  con- 
tained a  peculiar  modification  of  a  protein  body,  differing  very  essen- 
tially in  its  chemical  reactions  from  ordinary  albumen.  Several 
physicians  have  placed  on  record  cases  where  the  albumen  in  urine 
presented  certain  abnormal  reactions.  It  has  been  noticed,  for  ex- 
ample, by  Prout  and  Bence  Jones,  that  in  certain  cases  albuminous 
urine  is  precipitated  by  heat,  but  not  by  cold  nitric  acid ;  and  some 
writers  have  stated  that  the  converse  has  also  been  noticed.  As  far 
as  I  am  aware,  no  case  has  been  recorded  where  a  substance  having 
exactly  the  reactions  which  belonged  to  the  one  I  have  described  was 
discovered  in  the  urine.  In  its  characters  it  agrees  essentially,  if  not 
completely,  with  a  substance  which  Scherer  once  discovered  in  the 
fluid  of  ascites,  and  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  Metalbumen.  The 
characteristics  of  this  substance  are  the  non-precipitation  of  its  solu- 
tion when  modified  by  acetic  acid,  by  ferrocyanide  of  potassium,  and 
the  solubility  of  the  precipitate  caused  by  alcohol  in  water.  The  sub- 
stance discovered  by  Scherer  possessed  the  other  properties  of  albu- 
men, with  some  slight  modifications.  Boiling  produced  a  precipitate, 
as  did  also  the  addition  of  tincture  of  galls,  corrosive  sublimate,  and 
chromic  acid.  The  fluid  in  which  Scherer  discovered  this  substance 
was  of  a  slimy  consistence. 

The  interest  attaching  to  the  facts  which  I  have  stated  above  is 
considerably  enhanced  by  the  fact  that,  in  the  short  time  that  has 
intervened  since  the  period  when  I  made  the  above  observations,  I 
have  had  the  opportunity  of  examining  the  urine  of  an  aged  mare 
which  had  for  a  short  time  been  suffering  from  slight  oedema  of 
the  legs.  The  urine  on  one  occasion  presented  the  same  slimy 
appearance  as  it  did  in  the  case  I  have  recorded  above.  It  was 
found  to  contain  an  albuminoid  substance,  possessing  essentially  the 
same  characters,  being  precipitable  by  heat,  alcohol,  &c.,  but  not  by 
nitric  or  acetic  acids. 

Apart  from  the  great  chemical  interest  which  the  facts  I  have 
stated  possess,  it  is  not  improbable  that  they  may  prove  of  more 
practical  importance  to  the  veterinarian.  The  tests  for  albu- 
men which  the  physician  is  usually  satisfied  with,  are  the  action  of 
heat  and  nitric  acid ;  combined,  these  two  tests  enable  him  to  detect 
albumen  with  certainty  in  the  immense  majority  of  instances,  al- 
though either  taken  alone  abound  in  fallacies.  The  application  of 
heat,  for  example,  to  urine  of  feeble  acidity,  or  of  alkaline  reaction, 
will  often  induce  a  precipitation  of  the  earthy  phosphates,  which  are 


OK  THE  PBESEKCE  OF  METALBUMEN  IN  THE  UBINE  OF  HOBSES.  31 

Teiy  readily  soluble  in  nitric  acid ;  whilst,  on  the  other  hand,  nitric 
acid  frequently  throws  down  an  abundant  precipitate  of  urates,  which 
are  readily  dissolved  when  the  fluid  is  heated.  In  examining  the 
urine  of  man,  we  may  lay  down  as  a  rule  that  if  the  fluid  is  not 
coagulable  by  heat  and  nitric  acid  combined,  no  albumen  is  present. 
If  metcUbumen  shall  be  proved  to  be  a  common  occurrence  in  the 
urine  of  horses  Isufiering  from  renal  afiections,  the  veterinary  surgeon 
will  have  to  be  careful  in  ascertaining  its  presence,  for  although 
differing  from  albumen  in  chemical  details,  its  pathological  and 
semeiological  value  must  be  the  same. 

That  the  albumen  which  occurs  in  the  urine  of  horses  in  a  state  of 
disease  differs  very  materially  from  normal  albumen,  is  rendered 
almost  certain  by  the  statements  of  Mr  Percival  on  this  subject. 
This  author  alludes  to  several  cases  of  albumenuria  in  the  horse, 
which  had  come  under  his  notice,  and  in  describing  the  characters  of 
the  urine,  says, — "  Should  it  prove  albumenous,  it  will  assume  a  deep 
or  dead  straw  colour,  and  be  found  of  the  consistence  of  a  thick 
solution  of  gum."  In  all  such  cases  it  is  obvious  the  substance 
occurring  in  the  urine  must  have  been  very  different  from  normal 
albumen,  such  as  occurs  in  the  urine  of  Bright's  disease ;  most 
probably  it  was  identical  with  the  protein  body  which  I  have  in  this 
short  memoir  described ;  and  it  is  likely  that  future  researches  may 
prove  metalhumen  to  be  the  form  in  which  protein  bodies  occur 
when  passing  into  the  urine  of  the  horse. 


^t  fttmnarg  "^thuia  anJr  3tath\amx&  ^mxml 


MODIFICATIONS  IN  THE  PRELIMINARY  TESTS  FOR  THE 
ADMISSION  OF  CANDIDATES  TO  THE  IMPERIAL  VE- 
TERINAEY  COLLEGES  OF  FRANCE. 

The  Journal  dea  VHirinaires  du  Midi  informs  us  of  certain  mo- 
difications in  the  programme  to  be  observed  in  future  by  the  students 
entering  the  French  veterinary  colleges. 

The  particular  changes  made,  consist  in  testing  more  extensively  the 
candidates'  knowledge  of  Geography  and  History;  while  the  trial, 
hitherto  enforced,  of  forging  a  horse-shoe,  is  abolished. 

It  is  the  last-named  test  on  which  we  would  ofiTer  a  few  ob- 
servations, because  it  has  reference  to  a  most  important  branch  of 
veterinary  art, — a  branch,  too,  in  which  the  French  excel,  having 
succeeded  in  founding  the  best  system  of  shoeing  yet  established  in 
any  country. 

We  fully  concur  in  the  wisdom  of  relinquishing  a  test,  the  enforce- 
ment of  which  tended  more  to  indispose  youths  than  to  encourage 
them,  to  take  up  the  art  of  shoeing  as  a  special  favourite  subject,  which 
many  of  them  would  more  eflfectually  do  voluntarily. 

It  is  some  twenty  or  more  years,  since  we  discussed  these  questions 
with  some  of  the  old  and  most  eminent  of  Continental  veterinary 
professors,  all  of  whom  concurred  in  assigning  the  first  place  in  im- 
portance to  the  art  of  shoeing, — the  only  question  to  determine  being, 
how  to  raise  it  to  the  highest  possible  standing  of  eflfectiveness. 

Monsieur  Bouley,  the  elder,  who  was  the  companion  of  the  first 
Baron  Larrey,  during  the  Northern  campaigns  of  the  first  Emperor 
Napoleon,  and  the  late  Professor  Carlo  Lessona,  formerly  director 
of  the  veterinary  school  at  Turin,  both  justly  renowned  men,  and  in 
the  zenith  of  their  labours  at  the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  have 
testified  to  us,  how  efl&ciently  the  art  of  shoeing  was  cultivated  at  the 
veterinary  schools  of  Alf  ort  and  Lyons,  and  both  of  them  alike  affirmed* 


TO  THE  IMPEBIAL  VETEEINARY  COLLEGES  OP  PRANCE.     33 

to  what  Kving  an(J  younger  professors  in  the  art,  on  the  Continent, 
are  agreed  on,  that  there  are  not  so  many  students  who,  on  entering 
the  schools  in  later  years,  are  equally  expert  at  horse-shoeing  com- 
pared with  those  of  early  times ;  and  the  reason  is  plainly  discernible, 
and  holds  good  in  all  countries. 

When  veterinary  schools  were  first  established,  the  most  able 
amongst  the  men  already  initiated  in  the  art  sought  to  be  admitted  into 
the  reformed  and  improving  institutions,  and  thither  as  candidates 
brought  their  already  acquired  manual  skill 

Now,  however,  the  veterinary  schools  are  all,  mainly,  supplied  with 
students  who,  having  obtained  their  ordinary  education,  go  there  to 
conmience  their  professional  course ;  therefore  while  it  was  wise  to 
test  the  men  of  former  days  as  to  their  relative  skill  in  the  art  of 
horse-shoeing,  it  would  be  unwise  to  continue  the  same  test,  taking 
into  account  the  different  conditions  of  the  candidates  of  the  different 
epochs. 

It  is  by  no  means  a  well  defined  proposition  as  to  what  limit 
or  kind  of  knowledge  ought  to  disqualify  a  candidate  for  admission 
into  a  veterinary  college, — so  much  depends  on  young  men,  and  such 
the  variety  in  veterinary  matters,  in  the  several  departments 

In  these  days,  when  average  school  education  is  almost  universal, 
it  seems  less  than  formerly  necessary  to  adopt  stringent  restrictions 
on  entry;  far  better,  in  our  opinion,  are  periodical  examinations 
daring  college  residence,  and  the  insisting  on  longer  courses,  with 
regular  attendance.  Time  forms  an  essential  element  in  the  acqui- 
sition and  consolidation  of  all  real  knowledge. 


YoL.  L— No.  L— New  Ssbixs.    Januabt  1865. 


34  SOME  OF  THB  CAUSES  THAT  BSNDEB 

FESISCOFE. 


SOME  OP  THE  CAUSES  THAT  TEND  TO  RENDER  FARMING 
UNPROFITABLE. 
By  Aldeman  Mbohi. 

The  December  meeting  of  the  Club  for  discussion  took  place  on  Monday  eyening, 
December  6,  in  the  large  room  of  the  Society  of  Arts,  which  was  kindly  lent  by  the 
Council  for  the  occasion.  The  chair  was  taken  by  Mr  T.  Congreve,  of  Peter  Hall, 
Coventry ;  and  about  one  hundred  members  and  others  were  present  The  subject 
appointed  for  discussion,  as  introduced  by  Alderman  Mechi,  was  "  Some  of  the  causes 
that  tend  to  render  farming  unprofitable."  After  a  few  remarks  from  the  Chainnan, 
Mr  Mechi  said — In  accordance  with  the  notice  on  our  paper  of  business,  I  purpose 
this  evening  to  point  out  and  investigate  some  of  the  causes  that  tend  to  render 
farming  unprofitable.  I  shall  classify  them  under  the  heads  of  uncontrollable  and 
controllable,  apportioning  the  latter  between  landlords  and  tenants,  according  to 
their  responsibilities.  In  the  tenants'  department  I  shall  consider  the  causes  as  affect- 
ing animal  and  vegetable  management ;  also  soil,  climate,  and  manures.  I  need 
hardly  say  that  it  will  be  impossible  to  deal  with  so  large  a  subject  comprehensivebr 
within  the  time  limited,  but  I  will  do  my  best  to  be  brief  and,  if  possible,  clear,  li 
the  farmers  of  Great  Britain  generally  knew  as  well  how  to  produce  a  profitable  re- 
sult as  most  of  the  gentlemen  I  now  see  before  me,  I  should  have  no  occasion  to  read 
this  paper ;  but,  as  I  have  said  before,  this  Club  represents  the  sunny  side  of  agri- 
culture, and  that  is  but  a  small  area  compared  with  tne  shady  recesses  of  mismanage- 
ment, misfortune,  and  loss.  "  Plenty  of  meat  and  manure"  must  be,  for  the  future, 
the  motto  of  successful  agriculture.  The  want  of  this  is  a  prominent  cause  of  un- 
success  in  farming.  Farmers  must  learn  to  sell  their  crops  to  their  animals,  rather 
than  to  the  miller  :  even  with  an  immediate  loss  of  15  per  cent.,  there  is  a  greater 
gain  in  so  doing.  If  sending  away  the  crops  from  the  farm  impoverishes  it, 
keeping  them  at  home  must  produce  an  opposite  result ;  and,,  therefore,  if  I 
want  to  know  how  a  man  is  getting  on,  I  ask  him  how  many  score  pounds  of  meat 
per  acre  he  makes  over  the  whole  area  of  his  farm.  200  lbs.  per  acre  is  a  useful 
quantity.  Apologising  for  this  digression,  I  will  now  proceed  to  consider  "  some  of 
the  causes  that  tend  to  render  farming  unprofitable."  Here  is  a  long  list  of  them  : 
Not  understanding  the  business  of  farming,  especially  the  proper  management  of 
live  stock ;  farming  with  insufficient  capital,  or  taking  too  much  land;  extravagance 
in  personal  expenditure;  not  attending  to  your  business;  hiring  your  land  without 
a  lease ;  not  stipulating  for  the  power  of  selling  or  transferring  that  lease ;  hiring 
your  land  too  dear ;  not  suiting  your  crops  to  the  soil  and  climate ;  buying  too  dear ; 
selling  too  cheap ;  robbing,  and  thus  starving,  your  grass  land ;  too  many  weeds,  and 
too  little  hoeing ;  too  shallow  cultivation ;  too  little  manure  ;  too  little  live  stock ; 
too  little  purchased  food ;  too  little  purchased  manures ;  too  little  good  grass  land ; 
the  absence  of  steam-power ;  fat  horses  and  lazy  ploughmen ;  the  use  of  old-fashioned 
and  improper  implements ;  too  many  trees  and  fences ;  too  small  fields ;  bad  roads 
and  ill-placed  homesteads;  insufficient  shelter  for  live  stock,  especially  on  heavy  land; 
want  of  drainage  on  twenty  millions  of  acres,  according  to  Mr  Bailey  Denton,  one  of 
our  best  authorities ;  being  bound  for  an  unsuccessful  friend ;  too  little  experimeat, 
and  too  much  prejudice ;  not  insuring  against  fire  and  hail-storms ;  family  calamities; 
personal  affliction ;  the  seasons ;  murrain  and  blight ;  wind  storm ;  incendiarism ; 
inundation ;  local  self-sufficiency,  and  want  of  general  information  and  agricultural 
literature;  difficulties  in  the  transfer  of  land;  want  of  agricultural  statistics;  a 
minimum  crop  causing  a  maximum  per-centage  of  expense;  too  much  seed  ;  absence 
of  piece-work ;  non-application  of  chalk  or  lime  to  poor,  ferruginous,  stiff  clays ;  not 
having  a  good  agricultural  library;  selling  your  produce  on  credit  to  unsafe  persons ; 
wire-worm ;  late  sowing ;  being  generally  behind  with  your  work ;  waste  of  manure ; 
having  a  dishonest  bailiff;  having  unskilled  or  incompetent  labourers  ;  neglecting 
the  use  of  salt  for  animals  and  on  the  land ;  satisfaction  with  farming  as  it  is ; 
adulterated  manures ;  adulterated  oil-cakes ;  the  want  of  selection  and  great  care  as 
to  sowing  the  very  best  seed ;  the  neglect  of  good  parentage  in  live  sto^ ;  breeding 
in-and-in  with  either  live  stock  or  poultry ;  b^ng  behindhand  in  tillage,  sowing;  and 


FABMING  UNPBOFITABLE.  35 

the  general  work  of  the  farm ;  the  state  of  oar  laws  aa  regarding  the  transfer  of  land ; 
the  want  of  associated  capital  for  the  pnrposes  of  agricultural  improvement ;  the  want 
of  a  desire  on  the  part  of  landowners  to  seek  the  aid  of  associated  capital ;  the  want 
of  improyed  arterial  drainage ;  the  want  of  water  suf^ly  for  summer  irrigation.  In 
this  list  are  many  unavoidable  causes,  such  a^  blight,  murrain,  and  adverse  seasons. 
We  have  an  illustration  of  the  latter  this  year,  when  tens  of  thousands  of  acres,  on 
which  nearly  £10  per  acre  have  been  expended  in  preparation  for  a  root  crop,  have 
partially  or  totally  failed,  owing  to  the  protracted  drought,  thus  depriving  the  farmer 
of  that  money  return  in  meat  on  which  he  reasonably  calculated,  throwing  him 
almost  entirely  upon  his  com  crop,  which  can  only  be  disposed  of  at  a  very  low  price. 
Then,  again,  a  cold,  wet  season  like  1861,  deprived  many  a  farmer  of  his  year's 
profit  and  in  many  cases  trenched  upon  his  capital.  The  furious  gale  that  swept 
through  parts  of  Sootlimd  early  in  September,  just  at  the  period  of  harvesting, 
thrashed  out  the  com  and  caused  an  immense  amount  of  damage.  Against  these 
the  farmer  cannot  insure,  although  he  can  against  hailnstorms.  The  recent 
Karsh-land  inundations  ruined  several  farmers.  To  all  these  must  often  be 
added  personal  and  family  afflictions  of  various  kinds.  Our  Boyal  Agricultural 
Benevolent  Institution  has  brought  to  light  already  too  many  of  the  causes  to 
which  I  have  alluded;  for,  on  perusing  the  160  appeals  for  our  support,  losses 
by  stock,  bad  seasons,  and  family  affliction  figure  prominently,  to  which  are  not 
unfrequently  added  loss  of  tenure  without  valuation  or  allowance  for  capital 
sunk  in  improvements.  Slowness  of  return  is  also  a  natural  cause  of  moderate 
profit  We  sow  our  wheat,  and  wait  eleven  to  eighteen  months  for  its  conver- 
sion into  money ;  while  a  dealer  in  stock  with  a  good  connexion  will  make  his 
return  and  realise  his  profit  daily  or  weekly,  accumulating  frequently  money  enough 
to  purchase  and  occupy  large  farms.  A  dealer  can  thus  readily  obtain  advances  from 
his  banker,  or  assistance  from  a  friend,  because  the  article  in  which  he  deals  is  tan- 
gible and  readily  transferable;  while  the  trammelled  farmer,  who  has  necessarily 
invested  capital  in  the  improvement  of  the  soil,  cannot  deposit  his  lease  as  security, 
for  he  has  not  (as  we  have  in  towns)  the  power  to  transfer  or  dispose  of  it ;  and  in 
case  of  premature  death  or  failure,  his  family  may  be  deprived  of  the  value  of  his 
investment  in  improvements.  This  is  an  anomalous  and  unbusiness-like  state  of 
things,  and  tends  to  diminish  the  value  of  land,  and  discourages  the  introduction  of 
wealthy  and  independent  tenants.  I  should  like  to  know  what  would  become  of 
business  in  towns,  if  we  could  not  dispose  of  our  leases  when  it  suited  us  to  do  so.  I 
have  written  a  long  paper  in  my  book  on  this  subject.  In  considering  the  short- 
comings of  landlords,  I  deal  vritb  the  question  nationally,  and  not  individually. 
Landlords  are  like  other  men — naturally  and  properly  anxious  to  preserve  their  own 
rights  and  privileges.  Many  of  them,  noble  by  birth  and  vast  in  estate,  have  taken  an 
advanced  view  of  the  proper  condition  of  British  agriculture.  They  have  emerged 
from,  and  cast  of,  old-fashioned  feudal  restrictions  and  restraints,  and  have  ceased 
to  look  upon  fiumers  either  aa  churls  or  vassals,  and  have  attracted,  encouraged,  and 
I  may  say  created,  on  their  estates  men  of  high  intelligence  and  considerable  capital. 
They  have  granted  leases,  valuations,  &c.,  in  a  business  manner.  The  tumble-down 
and  insufficient  sheds  and  hovels  of  antiquated  farming  have  been  swept  away,  and 
replaced  by  substantial  buildings  adapted  to  a  large  increase  of  stock,  machinery, 
&C. ;  and  such  a  class  of  tenants  have  been  properly  thought  worthy  of  residential 
improvement.  The  labourer  has  no  longer  been  looked  upon  as  an  incumbrance  to 
be  foisted  on  an  adjoining  pari^ ;  but  a  sufficiency  of  well-constracted  cottages,  with 
pure  water,  and  the  necessary  area  of  garden,  give  evidence  of  a  humanity  and  an 
intelligence  highly  conducive  to  diminished  poor-rates  and  increased  monility  and 
efficiency.  But  has  this  emergence  from  feudal  trammels  abstracted  aught  from  the 
di^ty,  the  influence,  the  respect,  or  the  esteem  felt  for  these  worthy  landlords  ? 
Certainly  not,  but  the  reverse.  Such  men  prefer  intelligent  respect  to  clownish  or 
ignorant  servility.  It  is  gratifying  to  find  noble  dukes  and  great  landlords  treating 
agriculture  as  a  business,  and  not  ashamed  to  avail  themselves  of  associated  capital 
to  improve  their  estates  and  increase  their  rentals.  I  know  some  of  them  who 
prefer  letting  the  shooting  to  their  tenants,  at  6d.  or  more  per  acre,  rather  than  to 
strangers.  Such  a  system  does  away  with  the  heartburnings  of  game-preserving, 
and  in  some  cases  attract  a  sui>erior  class  of  tenants.  But,  unfortunately,  the  picture 
I  h&ve  drawn  does  not  apply  generally,  and  there  is  abundant  need  of  a  more  liberal 
and  commercial  system  in  letting  land. 
Farminff  Profits,-^!  have  reason  to  beUeve  that  eacb  faxmer  \w\Lft  %X  m^  x^t&B2!^% 


36  SOME  OF  THE  CAUSES  THAT  BENDEB 

from  his  own  point  of  view,  according  to  the  circumstances  in  which  he  is  indiyidu- 
ally  placed.  For  instance,  those  who  hold  deep,  rich  fertile  soils,  having  attached  to 
them  an  extensive  area  of  fine  old  grass  land  or  meadow,  will  consider  my  estimate 
of  profit  too  low ;  while  the  struggling  occupier  of  cold,  hungry,  ferruginous,  un- 
drained  clays,  or  other  poor  soils,  who  is  losing  his  capital,  or  merely  obtaining  a 
scant  and  penurious  livelihood,  may  think  my  estimate  of  profit  much  too  high. 
High  farmers  who  are  doing  their  duty  to  themselves  and  to  their  country  are  apt  to 
fancy  that  I  am  censuring  them,  which,  of  course,  is  not  the  case.  In  forming  my 
opinion  of  British  agriculture  as  a  whole,  I  pass  in  review  the  entire  territory  of  the 
United  Kingdom,  and,  while  doing  so,  am  bound  to  accept  the  unpleasant  truth  that 
there  is  an  enormous  scope  and  necessity  for  agricultural  progress  and  amendment. 
That  amendment  ought  to  commence  with  the  owner  of  the  land,  whose  duty  and 
interest  it  is  to  foster  progress  and  afford  opportunities  for  a  better  state  of  things. 
Yery  vague  notions  prevail  among  outsiders  generally  on  the  question  of  farming 
profit ;  I  will  therefore  touch  tenderly  on  this  delicate  but  essential  subject.  Farm- 
ing is  known  to  be  proverbially  a  slow  way  of  making  money,  although  a  healthy, 
Eleasant,  and  independent  occupation — ^permanent  in  its  character,  and  not  affected 
y  fashionable  changes,  for  appetite  is  ever  recurring,  and  must  be  provided  for ; 
therefore,  so  long  as  there  is  a  population  to  be  fed,  so  long  must  the  land  be  culti- 
vated— farmed.  As  many  persons  not  conversant  with  agriculture  take  far  too  san- 
guine a  view  of  agricultural  profits,  I  will  endeavour  to  set  the  matter  as  clearly  as  I 
can  before  them.  When  I  had  the  honour  to  read  before  your  Club  a  paper  on 
**  The  Capital  of  Agriculture :  its  Application  and  Kemuneration,"  I  stated 
that,  taking  the  56,000,000  of  available  acres  of  good,  bad,  and  middling  land 
in  the  United  Kingdom, — including,  of  course,  its  grass  land,  which  occupies  one-half 
the  area  of  the  United  Kingdom, — I  estimated  the  capital  employed  at  £4  per  acre, 
landlords'  measure,  and  the  annual  profit  on  that  capital  at  10  per  cent,  besides  a 
house  and  offices  rent-free,  which  may  be  taken  as  an  additional  'l\  per  cent.,  so  that 
the  profit  may  be  roughly  calculated  at  8s.  per  acre,  and  house  rent-free.  This  would 
give  for  th6  United  Kingdom  a  tenant's  profit  of  about  £25,000,000  annually.  On 
well  cultivated  arable  farms  employing  £10  per  acre  capital,  £1  per  acre  profit  would 
be  certainly  a  good  average ;  and  I  know  many  very  good  farmers  who  consider  £500 
a  year  on  a  500-acre  farm  a  full  remuneration,  having  their  residence,  stabling,  &c., 
rent-free,  and  some  trifling  advantages  of  the  farmyard.  Unlike  townspeople,  they  get 
their  bread,  pork,  poultry,  milk,  and  eggs  first  hand,  unadulterated,  and  unburthened 
with  intermediate  expenses  and  profits ;  alsO  their  hay,  corn,  and  straw  for  their  rid- 
ing horses.  Vegetables  are  also  fresh  and  untaxed ;  servants'  wages  are  always  much 
lower  than  in  towns ;  so  that  altogether  their  10  per  cent,  is  equal  to  a  much  larger 
profit  in  towns,-  where  rent  and  other  matters  form  a  large  charge.  Where  much 
money  is  realised  in  agriculture,  it  often  begins  in  rigid  economy,  combined  with 
very  superior  ability  in  hiring,  buying,  selling,  and  dealing,  by  great  vigilance  in 
the  economy  and  superintendence  of  manual  and  horse  labour,  and  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  stock  management.  We  have  many  notable  instances  of  great  wealth 
and  position  attained  by  those  who  once  followed  their  own  plough,  sowed  their 
own  seed,  fed  their  own  stock,  and  so  got  "  the  fore  horse  by  the  head."  In 
fact,  sound,  practical  agriculture  is  composed,  like  our  good  old  city  of  Lon- 
don, of  self-made  men,  who  began  at  the  lowest  step  of  the  ladder,  and  reached 
competence  and  independence  by  their  own  good  qualities.  So  strong  is  the 
belief  in  the  truth  of  this  theory,  that  a  respect^  practical  friend  of  mine  in  Cam- 
bridgeshire said  to  me,  "  I  never  knew  a  young  man  succeed  as  a  farmer  who  began 
with  £10,000  capital"  And  on  asking  him  why,  *'  Well,"  he  said,  "  his  habits  are 
usually  too  expensive  for  a  beginner ;  he  trusts  too  much  to  others,  and  is  not  suffi- 
ciently impressed  with  the  necessity  for  personal  supervision,  vigilance,  frugality,  and 
general  economy  in  the  management  of  his  farm."  Gentlemen  farmers  who  employ  a 
manager,  who  himself  ranks  as  a  farmer,  naturally  find  a  difficulty  in  obtaining  a 
profit  beyond  their  rent.  Extensive  practical  farmers,  who  must  have  assistance, 
frequently  employ  working  bailiffs,  or  overlookers,  receiving  only  a  moderate  increase 
on  the  wages  of  a  labourer.  Farming  profits  depend  so  much  upon  odds  and  ends, — 
I  mean  on  the  successful  working  of  every  part, — that  each  should  be  well  done  to 
make  a  full  and  satisfactory  result. 

Mismanagement  of  Live  Stock. — If  a  farmer  is  wrong  in  the  management  of  his 
live  stock,  he  must  bid  adieu  to  all  hope  of  profit.  With  the  very  best  management 
he  is  liable  to  serious  losses^  from  causes  beyond  his  control.     This  morning  I 


FABMINO  UNPROFITABLE.  «S7 

received  an  application  on  behalf  of  a  most  respectable  and  esteemed  farmer,  for  my 
presentation  to  Christ's  Hospital,  for  his  son,  owing  to  his  having  lost  £2000  by  his 
Uve  stock.  I  attach  so  much  importance  to  this  subject,  that  I  consider  it 
should  hold  a  first  place  in  agricultural  study  and  instruction.  There  are  cer- 
tain gn^^at  general  preventive  principles  that  might  be  profitably  acted  upon, 
although  they  are  now  too  often  neglected;  and  in  very  difficult  cases, 
the  veterinary  should  give  his  scientific  and  professional  aid.  But  are 
our  ordinary  "  horse  doctors  **  creditable  to  British  agriculture  ?  '  In  too  many 
cases  there  is  much  room  for  improvement.  Our  Veterinary  College  has  indeed  been 
a  great  boon  to  agriculture,  which  owes  a  heavy  debt  of  gratitude  to  Professor  Simonda 
and  other  scientific  veterinarians.  I  have  written  so  much  in  my  book  upon  this 
subject,  and  there  is  so  little  time*  here  to  treat  upon  the  question,  that  I  will  dismiss 
it  by  saying  that  Alderman  Mechi's  once-poohpoohed  notion,  about  the  chaffing  and 
preparation  of  food,  are  now  becoming  fashionable  among  practical  agriculturists,  who, 
I  hope,  will  no  longer  compel  their  bullocks  to  drink,  in  the  shape  of  150  lbs.  of 
frozen  turnips,  13^  gallons  of  frozen  water,  with  only  15  lbs.  of  dry,  but  frozen  matter. 
Let  ns  afford  to  animals  the  very  same  opportunities  for  comfort  that  we,  as  human 
beings,  find  most  agreeable  and  profitable,  both  in  food  and  shelter.  I  have  generally 
been  very  successful  in  avoiding  losses  by  stock ;  but  this  year  I  lost  some  calves, 
merely  by  allowing  them  to  eat  their  fill  of  rich  sewaged  Italian  rye-grass.  Where 
they  received  only  a  moderate  quantity  of  the  same  food,  they  did  well.  Possibly,  if 
they  had  received  salt  on  the  field,  they  would  not  have  suffered.  Being  convinced, 
by  practical  ezperienee  as  well  as  by  theory,  that  no  farmer  distant  from  a  town  can 
succeed  weU  without  plenty  of  live  stock,  that  is,  without  producing  plenty  of  meat 
and  manure,  I  attach  the  utmost  importance  to  the  proper  knowledge  of  stock 
management,  either  by  yourself  or  your  stockman,  or  by  both.  I  look  upon  this  as  a 
vital  question  as  regards  profit.  As  a  proof  of  this,  look  at  the  causes  of  distress 
assigned  by  the  150  decayed  farmers  who  are  now  candidates  for  relief  from  our 
Agricultural  Benevolent  Institution.  In  almost  every  case  "  losses  by  stock  *'  are 
assigned  as  a  prominent  cause  of  failure.  Within  my  own  knowledge  and  neigh- 
bourhood I  might  quote  numerous  cases.    Mr lost  all  his  farm  horses  by  eating 

▼heat  from  the  barn  floor,  the  doors  having  been  imperfectly  closed.  Other  live  stock 
suffer  from  the  same  cause.  This  dry  season  no  end  of  sheep  have  died  from '' shacking,' 
or  eating  dry  barley  on  the  stubbles.  There  was  not  enough  green  succulent  food  to 
mix  with  it,  and  they  were  allowed  to  fill  their  stomachs  with  the  bare  barley,  which 
B welled  when  moistened  by  drinking.  Farmer  so-and-so  lost  several  cows  by  turning 
them  out  to  feed  when  the  hoarfrost  was  on  the  leaves — icing  their  insides,  in  fact. 
Want  of  water  has  caused  much  loss  by  fever,  &c.  Whole  fields  of  wet  and  frozen 
turnips  fail  to  increase  the  weight  of  sheep,  but  on  the  contrary,  cause  immense 
losses  by  death,  especially  among  ewes  and  lambs.  Some  very  fine  cut  straw,  with  a 
proportion  of  com  and  cake,  would  prevent  all  this.  So  would  shelter.  When  a 
bullock  has  consumed  150  lbs.  of  cold  turnips  in  a  day,  you  have  obliged  him  to  take 
into  his  stomach  13^  gallons  of  water,  with  only  15  lb.  of  dry  food. 

Farm  Horses, — In  the  feeding  of  horses,  and  cattle  too,  I  have  often  seen  very 
great  waste.  I  have  said  jocularly  that  ploughmen  are  more  fond  of  their  horses 
than  their  wives.  They  love  to  see  them  fat,  and  as  they  have  not  to  pay  for  their 
food,  they  will,  if  you  do  not  control  them,  give  it  in  superabundant  wastefulness. 
How  frequently  the  haystack  is  at  the  entire  mercy  of  the  horsemen  !  The  dainty, 
ov6r-fed  horses  pick  out  the  choicest  morsels,  and  tread  the  rest  into  manure.  In  my 
case,  the  hay  is^  all  cut  into  chaff,  mixed  with  some  straw  chaff,  the  oats  and  beans 
ground  into  meal,  and  the  meal  mixed  with  the  cut  chaff  in  the  manger,  the  chaff 
being  slightly  sprinkled  with  water,  to  cause  the  meal  to  adhere  to  it,  and 
to  prevent  the  horses  throwing  out  the  chaff  to  get  at  the  meal.  When  it  is  con- 
sidered  that  in  ordinary  farming  one-fourth,  or  at  all  events  one-fifth,  of  the  whole 
farm  (landlords'  measure)  is  required  to  feed  the  farm  horses,  in  the  ordinary  way  of 
taming  them  out,  the  question  of  diminishing  this  great  charge  is  a  most  important 
one.  If  the  loss  of  farm  horses  by  mismanagement  could  be  statistically  ascertained, 
it  would  form  a  sum  of  astounding  magnitude,  and  show  a  great  deduction  from  the 
farmer's  profits.  Take,  what  is  too  often  a  common  practice,  as  an  example  of  mis- 
management :  Horses,  in  a  state  of  perspiration  after  hard  work,  are  ridden  into  a  cold 
horsepond,  or  allowed  to  drink  heartily  of  cold  water  before  they  begin  to  feed ;  re- 
BQltfl — farcy,  gripes,  Inflammation,  &c  The  London  brewers'  horses  drink  when  they 
please ;  but  then  a  steam  tube  ipasBes  through  the  tank,  and  the  water  is  always 


38  SOME  OF  THE  CAUSES  THAT  BENDER 

warm.  We  know  what  is  tlie  probable  effect  upon  ourselves  of  drinking  cold  water 
when  our  bodies  are  overheated.  Fat  horses  are,  like  fat  men,  unable  to  do  a  hard  day's 
work.  Plenty  of  muscle  and  condition,  with  good  exercise  and  wind,  pay  better.  It 
is  observable  that  a  farmer's  nag  horse  is  rarely  turned  out,  and  yet  he  looks  glossy 
and  well-conditioned.  Why  this  difference  of  treatment  ?  Again,  a  farmer  seldom 
goes  to  market  on  four  wheels.  Why  does  he  use  waggons  ?  I  pronounce  them,  from 
unmistakable  evidence,  to  be  a  cause  of  loss  to  hiuL  If  he  will  have  the  waggon,  let 
it  be  on  two  wheels.  If  your  stockman  does  not  understand  his  business,  your  profit 
is  endangered.  If  a  man  is  deficient  in  quickness  of  observation  and  comparison,  he 
will  not  do  for  stock.  Yon  cannot  give  them  to  one  who  does  not  naturally  possess 
them. 

VentilaJtion. — Farmer  always  had  illness  among  his  horses  when  stalled. 

Kow  he  turns  them  out  into  the  yard,  they  are  healthy.  The  cause  is  obvious :  the 
stable  had  no  ventilation,  consequently  the  putrescent  atmosphere  produced  farcy 
and  other  diseases,  much  as  it  does  with  human  beings  huddled  together  in  small 
close  rooms.  A  few  9  or  12-inch  pipes  inserted  through  the  brickwork  near  the  ceil- 
ing, where  there  is  a  floor  over  it,  or  an  opening  in  the  ridge,  and  at  the  ends  of  the 
roof,  will  cause  ventilation  and  circulation.  The  best  test  of  a  well-ventilated  room 
or  stable,  is  to  get  in  half-a-dozen  cigar  smokers  for  an  hour.  If  the  ventilation  is 
good,  the  smell  will  soon  have  passed  away.  If  deficient  in  ventilation,  the  scent  will 
long  remain.  I  have  a  room  with  a  door  at  each  end ;  after  a  smoking  party  no 
trace  of  our  doings  is  perceptible  the  next  morning,  provided  both  doors  are  left 
open  at  night.  If  one  only  is  left  open,  there  is  not  proper  ventilation,  and  the 
room  is  impure.  Therefore,  have  several  opening  under  the  wallplate,  near  the  ceil- 
ing or  the  roof,  both  in  your  cattle-sheds  and  horse  stables,  and  a  couple  of  doors. 
In  my  cattle-sheds  I  have  many  openings  under  the  wallplate,  and  on  the  ridge,  as 
ventilators.  It  is  important  that  the  hanging  or  dividing  board  should  reach  some 
distance  below  the  side  openings  in  the  roof  ventilator.  In  very  cold  weather,  or 
during  strong  cold  winds,  some  of  the  openings  can  be  closed  by  straw-bands,  so  as  to 
regulate  the  temperature  according  te  season.  We  all  know  that  cold  air  contains  so 
much  more  oxygen  than  hot  air  in  a  given  space.  I  have  known  several  unwhole- 
some cottages  and  sleeping  rooms  made  healthy  by  the  insertion  near  the  ceiling  of 
fiome  siflaU  2-inch  draining  pipes.  We  all  know  how  offensive  even  spacious  bed- 
rooms smell  if  we  enter  them  after  enjoying  the  pure  morning  air. 

The  non-VfSe  of  Salt  for  Live  Stock.— -i  hear  of  so  many  cases  where,  by  the  use  of 
salt,  disease  and  non-success  in  stock  have  been  remedied,  that  I  consider  its  absence  as 
very  prejudicial.  I  have  always  had  rock-salt  in  the  mangers;  common  salt  will  do 
as  well.  Large  losses  in  sheep  often  occur  when  being  fed  on  rape  or  coleworts, 
especially  after  frost.  This  may  be  prevented  by  sowing  over  the  leaves,  in  early 
morning,  about  two  or  three  quarts  of  common  salt,  according  to  the  size  of  the  fold. 
I  learned  this  from  a  large  flockmaster  who  had  profited  by  this  practice.  Salt 
appears  to  prevent  swelling  or  flatulence. 

ffiVe-ioorm.— Nothing  is  more  easy  than  to  get  rid  of  these  pests,  either  by  salting 
the  land,  or  by  the  use  of  about  5  cwt.  of  rapecake  per  acre ;  a  little  of  both  is  good. 
I  commend  this  especially  to  our  light-land  friends.  Iliave  always  been  a  great  user 
of  salt^  even  on  heavy  land  when  drained,  and  especially  on  grass  lands.  From  2  to  6 
cwt.  per  acre,  according  to  lightness  of  soil,  is  a  sufficient  quantity.  I  have  found 
salt  and  quicklime  mixed  together  very  beneficial,  especially  for  potatoes.  I  always 
mix  guano  with  about  half  its  weight  of  salt.  This  answers  well  for  cereal  crops, 
especially  wheat. 

Fit  Labourers  well  Supervised.— ^ht  reverse  of  this  causes  much  loss.  The  labour 
on  an  arable  highly-manured  farm,  with  a  large  quantity  of  stock  and  steam  ma- 
chinery, is  probably,  including  bailiff  and  engineer,  45s.  per  acre.  Mismanagement 
or  neglect  in  this  matter  to  the  extent  of  20  per  cent,  would  cause  a  loss  of  9s.  per 
acre,  or  nearly  half  the  farmer's  profit.  I  prefer  piece-work  where  possible.  The 
want  of  honest  or  active  men  on  a  farm  is  a  sure  source  of  loss.  The  want  of  fore- 
thought, method,  and  order  adds  to  this  loss ;  so  does  the  dishonesty  of  either  bailiff 
or  labourers.  I  have  known  instances  of  collusion  between  bailiff  and  dealers  in  re- 
gard to  the  purchase  and  sale  of  live  stock.  Honesty  is  no  doubt  the  rule — roguery 
the  exception ;  but  the  watchful  eye  of  the  master  is  always  desirable. 

Farmers  do  not  trust  enough  to  Science. — Witness  the  disbelief  in  the  value  of  rape 
and  cotton-cake  for  feeding.  And  again,  they  do  not  often  enough  refer  to  their 
chemifltB  for  opinion  as  to  the  quality  of  the  cattle  food,  cake,  and  manures  that  they 


FABMIKO  UNPROFITABLE.  39 

purchase.  The  qaestion  of  a  few  shillings,  or  a  guinea  paid  to  Messrs  Way  or 
Voelcker  for  their  opinion,  is  trivial  as  compared  with  the  advantage  gained. 
Farmers  are  grossly  imposed  upon,  and  victimised  in  many  ways. 

Soil  and  Climate. — Probably  there  is  no  cause  more  prolific  of  failure  than 
attempts  to  violate  the  laws  of  nature.  We  should  always  be  governed  more  or  less 
by  the  nature  of  the  soil  and  climate.  Any  farmer  changing  his  occupation  and  his 
district  must  leave  behind  him  local  customs,  and  study  attentively  the  practice  of 
the  new  neighbourhood.  How  well  this  is  illustrated  by  the  statistical  returns  from 
Ireland,  where  its  moist  atmosphere  and  friable  soil  are  availed  of  to  produce  potatoes 
and  oats,  and  root  and  green  crops,  in  the  proportion  of  4  and  8  to  1  as  compared 
with  wheat,  which  only  figures  for  277,000  acres  out  of  nearly  six  millions  of  acres  of 
arable  land !  A  Scotch  or  Welsh  farmer  from  among  the  hills  must  give  up  all 
hopes  of  growing  turnips  in  the ^ stiff  days  and  cereal  climate  of  Essex,  where  he 
must  depend  upon  mangel  wurzel,  which  luxuriates  in  stiff  soil  near  the  sea  and  hot 
sunshine,  and  will  produce  nearly  twice  as  much  weight,  and  better  quality,  at  no 
greater  cost.  light-land  farmers  coming  to  the  stiff  clays  must  give  up  winter 
folding,  and  resign  themselves  to  covered  yards,  and  mangel  brought  home, 
also  to  beans  and  tares.  Nature  indicates  the  right  crops  by  her  natural 
productions;  where  the  wild  carrot  and  the  wild  oat  thrives,  we  know  what 
we  should  grow.  The  wild  mangel  on  the  sea  shore  tells  us  that  salt 
is  essentisd  in  the  growth  of  that  root.  The  quality  of  grasses  grown  on 
limestone  and  chalk  teaches  us  that  it  is  in  vain  to  hope  for  such  a  produc- 
tion upon  our  poor  stiff  uncalcareous  ferruginous  clays,  uiUess  we  chalk  or  lime 
them  artificially.  A  piece  of  ground  on  my  lawn  grows  wild  camomile  super- 
abundantly ;  and  I  have  heard  of  a  great  pear-grower  who  always  looked  out  for  soil 
that  naturally  produced  superior  pears.  We  may  change  the  nature  of  the  soil  and 
the  character  of  its  products  by  amalgamation.  It  is  well  known  about  here  that  on 
our  heath  soils  50  tons  an  acre  of  chalky  clay  from  the  valley  will  eradicate  the  former 
class  of  weeds,  and  do  more  good  than  manure. 

Damage  by  Gam£.^The  influence  of  game  upon  the  farmer's  profit  is  a  matter 
deserving  our  consideration.  I  presume  that  we  are  all  agreed  that  it  is  highly  de- 
sirable that  our  great  and  dignified  landowners  should  have  every  proper  inducement 
and  encouragement  as  residential  notabilities.  We  all  feel  proud  of  our  landed  aris- 
tocracy, and  know  their  residential  value.  I  am  myself  an  old  and  ardent  sportsman, 
and  therefore  can  appreciate  the  zest  such  an  amusement  affords  to  those  who  love  it. 
Pheasants  and  partridges  I  look  upon  as  real  farmers'  friends,  assuming,  of  course, 
that  sufficient  food  is  provided  for  them  by  the  landowner.  I  speak  practically  on 
this  matter,  for  300  fowls  have  at  all  seasons,  not  excepting  harvest  time,  the  free 
range  of  my  com  fields.  The  harm  they  do  is  trivial,  compared  with  the  benefit  they 
confer  as  destroyers  of  grub  and  insect.  The  question  of  ground  game  presents  a 
different  aspect :  hares  and  rabbits,  however  well  fed,  have  a  strong  affection  for  the 
first  shoot  that  comes  from  the  germinating  seed  of  wheat  in  October  or  November. 
A  hundred  rabbits  will  clear  off  acres  of  these  shoots  in  a  single  night :  the  consequence 
is,  a  deficient  and  blighted  crop  at  harvest  time.  Hares  take  a  wider  range,  and  do  less 
injury.  I  am  convinced  that  the  destruction  of  that  first  stem  is  most  injurious  to 
the  crop ;  in  fact,  it  cripples  irrecoverably  the  parent  stem  of  the  future  family. 
The  dainage  to  spring-sown  corn  is  very  much  less,  because  at  that  period  of  the 
year  there  is  a  great  variety  of  young  sweet  grasses.  Heavily-stocked  covers  should 
always  be  surrounded  by  grass  land ;  because  if  highly  farmed,  which  it  ought  to  be, 
the  loss  is  comparatively  small,  and  may  be  made  good  by  extra  manuring.  This 
cannot  be  done  with  wheat,  which  should  never  be  sown  adjoining  a  cover.  We  all 
know  that  game  farms  are  let  below  the  ordinary  rent  for  land.  One  thing  is  quite 
certain,  as  affecting  the  profit — that  the  land  immediately  surrounding  game  covers 
should  be  manured  much  more  heavily  than  any  other  part  of  the  farm,  especially  if 
grain  land.    So  much  extra  produce  limits  the  area  of  damage. 

The  Sewage  Quettion, — Probably  there  is  no  more  extensive  or  insidious  cause  of 
loss  to  agriculture  than  the  waste  and  non-utilisation  of  our  excreta.  In  the  paper 
I  read  to  you  on  this  subject  I  estimated  that  to'xfeed  London  alone,  the  produce 
raised  on  six  millions  of  acres  was  annually  required,  so  that  the  produce  of  the  whole 
area  of  the  kingdom  (sixty  millions  of  acres)  may  be  said  to  pass  through  the  London 
sewers  into  the  Thames  in  ten  years.  The  agricultural  mind  can  scarcely  realise 
•nch  a  gigantic  and  suicidal  throwing  away  of  valuable  properly.  Our  metropolitan 
sanitarians  must  give  up  all  hope  of  a  pure  stream  wlule  th\&  gQ«&  on  «Xi  G«xWTi% 


40  SOME  OF  THE  CAUSES  THAT  BENDEB 

Creek.  Already  every  inlet  in  the  neighbourhood  gives  unmistakable  evidence,  by  its 
black  and  foetid  banks  of  mud,  of  its  proximity  to  the  great  sewer.  Owing  to  the  recent 
Parliamentary  Committee  evidence  the  sewage  question  may  be  said  to  be  now  fairly 
solved,  and  reduced  to  the  simple  question  of  a  pump  to  raise  it,  and  a  pipe  to  convey 
it  to  the  farmer.  Those  who,  like  myself,  remember  the  time  when  there  was  no  gas  and 
a  very  indiflferent  water  supply,  and  now  see  that  in  almost  every  house  and  room  in 
the  metropolis  a  supply  of  light  is  obtained  by  turning  on  a  tap,  can  easily  foresee  the 
time  when  each  farmer  will  turn  on  the  tap  and  supply  himself  with  town  sewage 
through  his  meter  according  to  his  requirements.  Sewage,  like  gas,  will  pass  from 
the  impossible  to  the  actual  and  practical  result  Who  is  to  do  it  is  not  yet  deter- 
mined. Baron  Liebig  has  shown  that  all  that  is  wanted  to  make  the  sewage  perfect 
is  a  certain  quantity  of  superphosphate  of  lime  to  replace  the  bones  of  the  animals, 
fish,  poultry,  and  game,  the  flesh  of  which  we  consume,  but  the  bones  do  not  go  into 
the  sewers.  If  the  farmer^s  produce  were  returned  to  him  after  consumption,  we 
should  hear  fewer  complaints  of  costly  manures  and  want  of  profit.  Steam-power  has 
rendered  this  practicable,  for.it  was  clearly  proved  before  the  recent  House  of  Commons 
Committee  on  Sewage  that  1000  tons  of  sewage  might  be  pumped  to  an  elevation  of 
SOO  feet  at  a  cost  of  only  13s.  to  14s.  I  am  pleased  to  see  that  the  question  of  town 
sewage  is  now  occupying  the  columns  of  our  principal  newspapers.  Twenty-odd 
years  ago,  when  I  first  pressed  it  upon  public  attention,  I  was  snubbed  as  a  "  nasty 
fellow,"  and  it  required  all  my  moral  convictions  to  support  me :  but  I  am  rewarded 
now  by  the  prospect  of  a  great  public  good. 

More  Meat,  more  Manure. — The  great  want  in  farming  is  more  meat,  more  manure, 
and  more  artificial  manures.  I  have  been  making  up  my  books  to  the  31st  October, 
my  usual  period,  and  find  that  after  paying  for  £660  of  purchased  food,  (£300  of  which, 
as  grain,  was  bought  of  myself  at  market  prices,)  my  live  stock  have  left  me  £7  per 
licre  for  .root  and  green  crops.  It  would  have  been  £9  per  acre  but  for  the  loss 
of  £70  by  calves,  which  died  owing  to  being  allowed  to  help  themselves  to  some  rich 
luxuriant  Italian  rye-grass.  The  quantity  of  meat  actually  made  on  the  whole  farm, 
170.  acres  landlords'  measure,  was  200  lbs.  for  each  acre.  I  am  convinced  that  the 
system  of  shelter  and  preparation  of  food,  combined  with  a  few  acres  of  sewaged 
Italian  rye-grass,  is  the  key  to  true  economy  and  profit. 

Bad  Cotton- Cake  causes  much  loss  in  stock.  The  husk  of  cotton  seed  is  black,  and 
as  hard  and  indigestible  as  the  bark  of  a  tree.  Seed-crushers  have  found  out  that  by 
keeping  a  considerable  portion  of  this  bark  ground  up  with  the  kernal,  a  greater 
quantity  of  oil  can  be  expressed ;  whereas  when  the  seed  is  decorticated,  the  outside 
skin  or  husk  being  screened  from  it,  it  coagulates  or  consolidates  so  much,  that  they 
cannot  obtain  so  much  oil.  Therefore  avoid  buying  dark  or  black  hard  cotton  cake; 
good  green  rapecake  is  much  to  be  preferred  at  the  same  price.  Cotton  cake  when 
good  is  brittle,  friable,  and  of  a  bright  yellow  colour.  The  quality  of  this  hard  husk 
is  easily  ascertained  by  chewing  a  small  piece  of  the  cake. 

Little  Fields  and  Large  Fences.— I  met  at  Newmarket,  the  other  day,  a  good  prac- 
tical farmer,  who  said,  "  Mr  Mechi,  I  have  only  one  fence  on  my  farm,  of  700  acres, 
and  that  is  an  outside  one.  Owing  to  what  you  have  said  and  written,  my  landlord 
altered  his  mind,  and  gave  me  permission  to  get  rid  of  my  internal  and  unprofitable 
enclosures."  How  can  a  Devonshire  farmer,  with  his  3  and  4-acre  fields,  compete  with 
my  700-acre  friend  ?  and  look  at  the  landlord's  responsibilities  in  gates  and  posts  ! 

Artificial  Manures. — Starving  or  half -starving  the  land  is  one  of  the  most  certain  and 
serious  causes  of  unprofitable  farming.  Although  I  make  so  much  meat  and  manure, 
and  consume  so  much  purchased  food,  still  I  find  it  profitable  to  have  recourse  to  arti- 
ficial manures,  especially  the  best  Peruvian  guano  and  superphosphate  of  lime,  and  some 
salt.  I  have  tested  this  again  this  very  season,  and  find  that  although  my  mangel  land  was 
so  heavily-dressed  with  rich  shed  cake  and  corn  manure,  still  the  addition  of  3  to  4  cwt. 
of  guano  and  some  salt  gave  me  a  good  profit  over  and  above  the  payment  for  its  cost. 
The  same  remark  applies  to  wheat ;  by  omitting  to  guano  it  at  a  cost  of  30s.,  I  lost 
a  quarter  of  wheat  and  some  straw.  One  can  hardly  overrate  the  benefits  conferred 
upon  the  farmer  who  applies  to  exhausted  soils  an  ample  supply  of  artifical  manures. 
Bape  and  cotton-cake  are  excellent  fertilisers.  These  remarks  hold  good  for  grass 
lands,  which  are  too  often  sadly  neglected  and  robbed.  Many  a  farm  might  be 
converted  from  an  unprofitable  to  a  profitable  condition  by  the  use  of  artificial 
manures. 

The  want  of  Sound  Middle-Class  Education.— The  establishment  of  middle-class 
colleges  promises  to  effect  a  great  good.    A  sound  and  suitable  education  is  much 


FARMING  UNPROFITABLE.  41 

needed  among  farmers  in  certain  districts— agricultural  literature  and  examinations 
should  certainly  form  a  prominent  part  of  such  education — and  then  we  might  expect 
to  find  in  each  farmery  a  small  but  useful  library  of  agricultural  books,  containing 
the  valuable  experience  and  advice  of  good  and  clever  men  who  are  no  longer  with 
US.  How  rare  one  sees  such  a  library  now !  A  score  of  pounds  so  invested  would 
form  a  profitable  speculation.  The  Royal  Agricultural  College  and  the  Glass  Nevin 
Schools  of  Ireland  have  already  been  fruitful  of  result. 

In  conclusion,  there  is,  in  perspective,  a  grand  future  for  British  agriculture, 
not  merely  by  the  reclamation  of  waste  land,  for  of  that  there  is  but  little 
left,  but  rather  by  intensifying  our  farming — by  concentrating  capital  in  a 
limited  area.  Taking  out  of  view  individual  capability,  which  must  ever  vary, 
our  general  system  will  be  based  on  commercial  and  manufacturing  principles,  looking 
rather  to  result  than  to  cost.  Education,  intercourse,  and  intelligence,  goaded  by 
foreign  competition,  will  cause  our  agriculture  to  emerge  from  its  ancient  customs  and 
feudiJ  restraints.  Set  free  to  act,  the  national  character  will  exhibit  in  this — as  in 
manufactures,  commerce,  and  railways — a  vigorous,  I  would  say  a  gigantic,  action. 
But  all  this  can  scarcely  be  effected  without  a  remapping  of  the  country.  Our  crooked 
▼ays  and  cramped  and  wooded  enclosures  must  give  place  to  rectilinear  extension, 
but  not  bare  or  untimbered  enclosures.  The  feelings  of  enthusiastic  lovers  of  old 
landscape  will  no  doubt  be  somewhat  outraged,  but  the  pleasures  of  the  eye  must  sub- 
serve the  imperative  demands  of  the  British  stomach,  for  if  that  is  not  duly  and  cheaply 
filled,  suffering  will  produce  discontent,  and  then  will  follow  its  usual  numerous  con- 
comitant attendant  evils.  I  am  not  of  opinion  that  it  is  desirable  to  depend  upon 
foreigners  for  our  food  any  more  than  for  our  manufactures.  If  we  have  the  means 
to  produce  all  or  most  of  it  at  home,— and  I  know  that  we  have,  if  we  choose  to  apply 
them, — then  we  should  put  our  shoulders  to  the  wheel,  and  resolve  that  the  agricul- 
tural carriage  shall  move  faster,  and  that  we  will  set  to  work  in  earnest  to  remove  the 
obstructions  that  impede  its  progress.  Landowners  should  lead  the  way,  supported 
by  capitalists,  and  then  the  sturdy  British  yeoman  will  not  be  found  wanting  in  the 
good  work  of  cheap  and  abundant  production. 

Mr  W.  Walton  (Chowton  Park,  Alton)  said  he  wished  to  mention  some  of 
the  causes  which  tended  to  render  farming  unprofitable.  First,  Want  of  security  : 
This  was  the  most  important  thing  on  entering  upon  a  farm.  No  man  could  farm  to 
advantage  without  having  good  security  for  the  outlay  of  his  capital,  either  by  a  long 
lease  or  good  tenant-right,  or  both.  For  instance,  when  a  man  entered  upon  a  farm  in  a 
dirty,  impoverished  state,  which  was  an  every-day  occurrence — a  farm  which  was  wet, 
cold,  full  of  couch,  and  other  weeds,  and  had  never  been  half -ploughed,  or  cultivated, 
or  manured— what  had  he  got  to  do  ?  To  lay  out  most  of  his  capital  before  he  could 
get  any  return.  Was  there  a  man  who  would  submit  to  this  without  security  ?  2d, 
Wimt  of  commercial  principles :  To  prevent  any  dispute,  all  agreements  and  engage- 
ments should  be  in  writing.  (Hear,  hear.)  8d,  Want  of  good  and  sufficient  buildings 
for  stock  and  implements.  (Hear,  hear.)  This  would  come  home  to  a  great  many. 
Every  good  farmer  should  make  out  of  his  farmyard  one-third  or  half  of  his  rent. 
All  implements  should  be  pnt  under  cover  in  the  winter,  and  this  could  not  be  done 
without  proper  buildings  and  conveniences.  4th,  Want  of  equality  of  rates  and 
taxes :  Government  was  desirous  that  all  should  pay  their  fair  share  of  rates  and 
taxes.  This  would  not  be,  however,  the  case  until  the  farmers  and  others  who  paid 
taxes  had  a  voice  in  the  expenditure  of  the  same.  He  was  sorry  to  say  that  since  the 
new  law  of  rating  parishes  came  into  operation  the  committee  had  found  very  great 
inequality  in  the  mode  of  rating  land  and  buildings.  5th,  Want  of  a  reduction  of 
game  and  rabbits.  (Hear,  hear.)  All  farmers  should  have  the  full  benefit  of  the  pro- 
duce of  their  farms,  and  not  see  it  half-eaten  by  game  and  vermin.  6th,  Want  of 
double  hedgerows  grubbed,  and  timber  growing  upon  the  same  cut.  This  was  a  great 
hindrance  to  good  cultivation,  particukrly  where  steam  was  used,  and  an  encourage- 
ment to  all  kinds  of  vermin.  7th,  The  want  of  all  burdens  and  impediments  to  good 
husbandry  being  done  away  with,  particularly  the  malt  tax.  (Hear,  hear.)  No  impedi- 
ment should  be  left  in  the  way  of  good  cultivation,  especially  as  regards  the  produc- 
tion of  food  for  the  people.  Why  should  the  product  of  our  lands  be  so  heavily  taxed, 
and  that  of  foreign  countries  free  ?  This  would  rest  with  the  farmers  at  the  next 
election  for  M.P.'s.  (Laughter. )  8th,  Some  would  add  want  of  capital :  If  the  farmers 
had  security,  or  a  long  lease,  sufficient  capital  would  be  forthcoming;  but  what  could 
be  expected  under  tenancy-at-will,  a  landlord's  law  of  preference,  and  high  i:ents  ? 
9th,  Want  of  political  influence  on  the  part  of  farmers :  This  might  appear  to  some 


42    SOME  OF  THE  CAUSES  THAT  RENDER  FARMING  UNPROFITABLE. 

of  no  importance ;  indeed,  a  great  many  renting  farmers  had  told  him  it  was  not 
their  bread  and  cheese.  He  concluded,  however,  that  if  farmers  were  to  do  as  other 
men  did,  to  exercise  proper  control  over  the  choice  of  members  of  Parliament,  they 
would  soon  get  rid  of  the  malt-tax,  half  the  county  rates,  and  all  other  unfair  burdens 
they  now  had  to  contend  with.    (Hear  hear.) 

Mr  Edmunds  (Rugby)  said,  having  come  there  that  evening  hoping  to  hear  some- 
thing new,  he  must  confess  he  had  been  rather  disappointed.  If  he  might  describe 
the  worthy  Alderman,  he  would  say  that  he  was  a  sort  of  rough  pioneer  for  agricul- 
ture. (Hear,  hear.)  He  went  out  with  his  pickaxe,  and  broke  ground  in  all  directions. 
He  began  with  sewage,  and  he  had  ended  with  it,  and  the  result  was  not  yet  satisfac- 
tory. In  his  opinion,  the  Alderman  did  not  lay  sufficient  stress  in  his  papers  upon 
the  evils  which  pressed  most  heavily  upon  farmers.,  He  (Mr  Edmunds)  agreed 
with  the  last  speaker,  that  want  of  security  in  the  holding  was  the  greatest 
cause  of  want  of  success.  If  a  farmer  held  land  on  a  secure  tenure  for  a  certain 
number  of  years,  he  could  then  farm  at  a  profit.  There  were  some  tenant  farmers 
who  had  something  like  security  under  a  good  landlord ;  but,  speaking  gene- 
rally, he  must  say  it  was  the  want  of  proper  security  which  kept  farmers  back. 
(Hear,  hear.)  The  Alderman  had  described  almost  every  evil  under  the  sun  as  an 
evil  which  affected  farmers  ;  but,  in  reality,  most  of  the  evils  to  which  he  alluded, 
belonged  to  trade  and  professions  as  well  as  to  agriculture.  For  example,  if  a  man 
did  not  possess  sufficient  knowledge,  he  would  not  succeed  in  anything,  whether  in 
agriculture  or  in  commerce ;'  men  must  be  educated  or  prepared  for  their  callings. 
So  also  sickness  was,  of  course,  one  of  the  "  ills  that  flesh  was  heir  to  ;'*  it  did  not 
belong  to  farming  life  merely,  but  was  common  to  humanity.  A  lease  was  the  first 
thing  that  a  farmer  wanted,  as  a  farmer.  The  next  requisite  was,  perhaps,  that  the 
farmer  should  really  have  the  benefit  of  what  he  paid  rent  for.  When  a  man  took 
land,  he  ought,  in  a  certain  sense,  to  be  able  to  do  what  he  liked  with  it;  and  this 
could  not  be  the  case  if  his  landlord  stocked  it  for  him  with  game.  Having  lived 
among  farmers  all  his  life,  he  had  never  met  with  one  who  would  not  be  glad  to  see 
game  on  the  land  he  occupied,  provided  it  were  not  there  in  excess;  but  if  the  farmer 
were  expected  to  keep  game  at  the  cost  of  his  own  pocket  for  other  people's  pleasure, 
he  naturally  felt  dissatisfied.  It  might  be  said  that  there  were  two  parties  to  every 
contract,  and  that  it  was  the  farmer's  own  fault  if  he  entered  into  a  contract  which 
was  bad  for  himself  with  his  eyes  open.  It  should,  however,  be  borne  in  mind 
that  toere  were  many  families  which  had  been  for  centuries  on  the  same  estate.  They 
had,  perhaps,  lived  under  a  succession  of  good  landlords.  At  last  there  came  fl  needy 
man,  who  began  to  cultivate  game  excessively.  The  farmer  had  no  lease ;  and  what 
did  he  do  in  this  state  of  things  ?  Why,  he  had  a  strong  affection  for  the  home  of 
his  fathers ;  and  there  he  stuck  till  perhaps  he  had  hardly  anything  left.  (Hear,  hear.) 
Another  evil  was  the  present  system  of  administering  county  rates.  Farmers,  he 
believed,  paid  more  proportionately  under  that  head  than  the  inhabitants  of  towns; 
and  surely  those  who  paid  the  money  ought  to  have  a  voice  in  the  spending  of  it. 
(Hear,  hear.)  Further,  he  thought  that  farmers  had  the  same  right  as  every  other 
class  of  the  community  to  demand  that  all  protection  and  restrictions  which  affected 
them  should  be  done  away  with.  They  had  a  right  to  do  what  they  liked  with  the 
grain  they  produced.  If  it  were  objected  that  the  tax  to  which  he  alluded  was  useful 
revenue,  then  he  replied  that  so  also  was  the  tax  formerly  imposed  on  corn,  yet  its 
usefulness  in  that  respect  was  not  considered  by  those  who  wanted  to  have  it  abol- 
ished. If  they  wanted  the  malt-tax  taken  off,  they  must  not  be  quite  so  thin-^nned 
As  they  had  been;  it  required  a  pretty  thick  skin  to  agitate  so  as  to  get  a  tax  like  that 
repealed. 

Dr  YoELCKEB  said  they  must  all  have  listened  with  great  pleasure  to  Alderman 
Mechi's  paper.  Their  worthy  friend  had  said  so  many  good  things,  so  many  spicy 
things,  so  many  profitable  things,  that  one  felt  loth  to  enter  upon  the  disputable  por- 
tions of  his  remarks ;  but  still,  as  the  introducer  of  the  paper,  he  would  not  look  so 
much  for  mere  compliments  as  for  honest  conclusions,  and  even  at  the  risk  of  being 
considered  captious  he  would  allude  to  one  or  two  disputable  points.  When  ihe  worthy 
Alderman  commenced  speaking  on  the  subject  of  sewage  there  was  considerable  mer- 
riment He  remarked  very  justly  that  that  subject  was  one  of  great  importance.  No 
one  could  deny  that  an  immense  quantity  of  valuable  fertilising  matter  was  annually 
swept  away  and  lost.  The  question  was,  how  was  that  valuable  matter  to  be  utilised. 
(Hear,  hear).  He  (Dr  Yoelcker)  would  like  to  hear  something  tangible  as  to  the 
manner  in  which  that  was  to  be  done.    (Hear,  hear.)    They  had  been  told  that  the 


KELSO  FABMEBS'  CLUB.  43 

time  would  probably  come  when  the  farmer  would  merely  have  to  open  the  sewage 
tap,  just  as  the  tap  was  now  opened  to  let  the  gas  out.  But  there  was  this  important 
difference  between  gas  and  sewage,  that  if  they  opened  the  gas  tap  they  got  a  splendid 
light  at  a  cheaper  rate  than  oil,  wax,  or  candles  of  any  description  could  be  supplied; 
whereas,  if  the  sewage  tap  were  opened  it  was  very  questionable  what  profit  there 
would  be.  (Hear,  hear.)  They  might,  indeed,  get  a  very  large  profit ;  but  on  the 
otiier  hand,  there  might  be  nothing  to  pay  for  the  outlay  on  the  pipes.  (Hear,  hear.) 
Kow,  that  was  a  question  upon  which  there  was  still  required  a  great  deal  of  infor- 
mation ;  it  was  a  question  which  could  not  be  settled  in  a  general  way,  (hear,  hear ;) 
it  ?ra8  a  question  which  depended  especially  on  the  character  of  the  land.  Whatever 
might  be  said  about  the  wildness  of  the  scheme  of  sending  the  metropolitan  sewage 
down  to  ICaplin  Sands,  at  least  this  might  be  affirmed,  that  the  land  there  was  just 
the  kind  of  land  that  was  most  likely  to  be  benefited  by  sewage,  (hear,  hear ;)  for 
just  in  proportion  as  land  was  poor  and  hardly  capable  of  producing  anything  was 
sewage  likely  to  be  good,  and  just  in  proportion  as  land  was  naturally  fertile  was 
sewage  unlikely  to  prove  beneficial  He  would  be  a  very  hazardous  farmer  who, 
having  good  pasture  land,  poured  upon  it  a  large  quantity  of  sewage  manure,  thereby 
converting  it  into  that  sort  of  rye-grass  land  of  which  Alderman  Mechi  had  spoken. 
He  (Dr  Voelcker)  would  not  deny  the  utility  of  sewage  rye-grass  for  the  keeping  of 
Btodc  in  good  condition ;  but  he  maintained  that  pasture  grass  was  better,  and  he 
would  appeal  to  those  who  had  had  more  experience  in  tMs  matter  than  himself 
having  resided  only  for  a  few  years  in  the  country,  whether  sewage  did  or  did  not 
increase  the  nutritive  value  of  produce.  He  had  on  former  occasions  contended 
against  his  worthy  friend  (Alderman  Mechi)  on  this  point.  His  own  opinion  was 
that  the  more  rapidly  you  forced  produce  of  any  kind  the  less  nutritive  it  became, 
hoik  for  bulk  ;  the  slower  it  grew  the  more  nutritive  it  was.  On  pasture  lands  that 
was  especially  the  case.  By  applying  sewage  to  the  land  they  gradually  reduced  the 
herbage  to  one  or  two  predominant  grasses,  favouring  the  growth  of  the  coarser 
kmds  to  the  destruction  of  the  finer,  (hear,  hear;)  one  particular  grass— a  coarse  one 
r-often  prevailed.  They  all  knew  that  in  mixed  herbage  they  had  a  variety  of  grasses, 
and  that,  bulk  for  bulk,  those  mixed  grasses  were  more  nutritive  than  the  succulent 
produce  which  consisted  of  one  particular  kind  of  grass. 


KELSO  FABMERS'  CLUB. 

DCFOBTANT  DISCUSSION  OK  THE  LOUFIIfO  ILLS 

At  a  meeting  of  this  Club,  held  in  the  Cross  Keys  Hotel,  on  Friday  last — Mr 
Gilbert  Stuart,  Bunningbum,  in  the  chair — the  subject  introduced  for  discussion  was, 
"What  is  the  cause  of  the  disease  called  'louping  ill'  in  sheep,  and  the  best  pre- 
yentiveor  cnre?" 

It  has  not  been  usual  for  this  Club  tor  publish  any  part  of  their  discussions ;  but  on 
the  motion  of  Mr  Pubycs,  Bumfoot,  seconded  by  the  Chairman,  and  the  unanimous 
voice  of  the  company,  Mr  Usher  and  Mr  B.  Bobertson,  who  were  the  pryicipal 
speakers,  were  requested  to  deliver  their  remarks  to  be  reported,  to  which  they  con- 
sented, in  the  hope  that,  as  the  subject  is  one  of  great  interest  and  importance, 
other  Clubs  may  be  induced  to  discuss  it,  and  perhaps  lead  to  the  better  understand- 
ing of  this  hitherto  most  mysterious  and  fatal  disease. 

Mr  UsHiB,  Stodrig,  said— I  proposed  the  subject  for  this  day's  discussion  in  the  hope 
that  I  might  pick  up  some  information  rather  than  impart  it,  as  it  is  one  of  which 
I  am  comparatively  ignorant.  In  the  short  experience  I  have  had  of  the  disease 
called  "louping  ill"  in  sheep,  I  have,  however,  undergone  rather  a  severe  ordeal, 
which  naturally  induced  me  to  investigate  the  nature  and  causes  of  the  disease,  with  a 
view  to  its  prevention.  Tou  are,  I  dare  say,  all  aware  that  at  Whitsunday  1863,  my 
son  and  I  entered  to  a  farm  in  Bule  Water.  We  were  not  ignorant  of  the  said 
farm  being  liable  to  "  loupingill"  in  sheep,  but  certainly  had  no  idea  of  its  extent; 
bemdes,  the  disease  seems  to  have  been  more  virulent  during  the  last  two  years  than 
for  a  considerable  time  previous.  Our  predecessor  in  the  farm  had  an  unusual  heavy 
loss  before  Whitsunday,  when  we  entered  to  the  stock  rather  in  poor  condition  at  a 
valuation,  and  after  that  our  loss  was  also  considerable.  This  led  us  to  look  to  the  pre- 
vious management  of  the  stock  for  some  supposed  error  which  might  perhaps  have  led 
to  such  an  unfavourable  result   We  found  that  the  ewes  while  hunbing  had  been  con- 


44  KELSO  FABMEBS'  CLUB. 

fined  to  a  moor  field,  getting  a  few  tornips  on  grass  up  to  a  certain  day  in  May, 
when  a  part  of  them  were  turned  to  the  hill,  to  which  the  disease  was  chiefly 
confined,  and  on  which  at  this  season  there  was  a  great  flow  of  grass.  Knowing, 
then,  little  or  nothing  of  "louping  ill,"  we  attributed  the  loss  more  to  the 
rapid  transition  of  the  stock,  while  in  poor  condition,  from  middling  keep  to 
too  luxuriant  pasture,  and  thought  by  guarding  against  such  extremes  in 
another  year,  we  might  at  least  ameliorate  the  virulence  of  the  disease. 
Under  this  impression'  we  commenced  to  get  the  stock  well  up  in  condition  by 
using  turnips,  of  which  we  had  a  fair  crop,  very  liberally,  and  giving  oats,  in  addition, 
to  the  flock.  We  brought  them  through  the  winter  in  first-rate  order.  We  had,  in 
consequence,  an  extraordinary  crop  of  lambs,  the  ewes  during  the  lambing  season 
still  getting  a  few  turnips  on  grass,  and  all  went  on  to  a  wish  till  about  the  middle 
of  April.  We  then  began  to  remove  the  ewes  and  lambs  in  small  numbers,  accord- 
ing to  their  strength ;  those  with  double  lambs  to  young  and  improved  grass,  those 
with  single  lambs  to  the  hill.  I  may  here  mention  that  the  former,  beyond  a  few 
casualties  incidental  to  every  breeding  stock,  continued  to  do  well  during  the  whole 
season.  As  there  was  no  great  luxuriance  of  grass  on  the  hill,  the  stock  were,  in 
addition,  supplied  with  a  small  quantity  of  oats  daily.  They  appeared  to  do  well 
enough  for  about  ten  days  or  so,  when,  in  a  single  night,  several  ewes  and  lambs 
were  attacked  with  "  louping-ill,"  and  the  disease  went  on,  varying  in  intensity 
according  to  the  state  of  the  weather,  till  about  the  10th  June,  when  it  gradually 
abated.  It  was  not  in  all  cases  fatal — several  ewes  and  lambs  slightly  affected  got 
round,  after  losing  a  great  deal  of  condition ;  but  whenever  they  got  what  is  called 
"  grounded  " — viz.,  completely  prostrated,  we  had  scarcely  a  single  case  of  recove^. 
We  tried  purgatives  and  stimulants  of  various  kinds,  with  no  benefit  whatever.  We 
had  a  very  heavy  loss  of  both  ewes  and  lambs,  and  setting  aside  the  question  of 
"  profit  and  loss,"  ^together  it  was  a  most  pitiful  sight — in  fact,  the  hill  looked 
somewhat  like  a  district  infected  with  a  plague.  A  man  who  acted  as  assistant  to 
the  shepherd  in  lambing  time,  and  had  done  so  on  the  same  farm  in  previous  years, 
told  me  that  according  to  his  observation,  the  disease  began  to  shew  itself  just  about 
ten  days  after  the  stock  was  sent  to  the  hill.  Regarding  the  cause  of  the  disease, 
every  one  seemed  to  have  his  own  theory.  The  top  of  the  hill  is  good  land,  produc- 
ing fine  grass,  but  from  the  sheep  naturally  drawing  up  to  it,  is  somewhat  foul,  and 
by  some  thought  to  induce  the  disease.  The  circumstance  of  the  great  majority  of 
deaths  taking  place  on  this  part  of  the  ground  seemed  to  favour  this  opinion.  Others 
attributed  it  (1  fancy  with  more  truth)  to  a  tract  of  rough  white  grass  land  about  the 
middle  of  the  hill ;  while  others  again  blamed  a  piece  of  improved  moss  land  at  the 
bottom.  Somewhat  bewildered  by  the  collision  of  so  many  opposite  opinions,  we  gladly 
accepted  the  offer  of  a  medical  friend  in  Kelso,  who  kindly  volunteered  to  proceed 
with  me  to  the  scene  of  the  calamity,  and  investigate  the  case.  We  had  no  lack  of 
subjects  to  operate  upon.  He  carefully  dissected  the  brain  and  spine  of  several,  and 
found  them  in  a  comparatively  healthy  state ;  but  in  every  case  found  the  first 
stomach  gorged  with  a  large  mass  of  undigested  food ;  and  in  the  second,  nothing 
whatever  but  a  little  brown-coloured  liquid.  He  was  clearly  of  opinion  that  the  disease 
originated  in  the  stomach,  probably  from  eating  the  dry  white  grass  formerly  alluded 
to,  which  we  found  in  large  quantities,  undigested,  forming  something  like  a  mass  of 
plaster  hair,  and  so  preventing  the  sheep  fmm  ruminating  or  chewing  the  cud.  We 
know  that  in  the  human  subject,  the  stomach  is  the  seat  of  many  of  ''the  ills 
that  flesh  is  heir  to  " — so  in  the  sheep,  derangement  of  the  stomach,  if  not  checked 
in  its  first  stage,  may  ultimately  resolve  itself  into  paralysis,  prostration  of  the  whole 
system,  or,  in  other  words,  "  louping  ill."  I  may  here  mention  a  peculiar  feature 
attending  this  mysterious  disease — viz.,  its  being  almost  invariably  accompanied 
with  "ticks"  on  the  sheep.  When  the  ewes  and  lambs  were  turned  out  to  the  hill, 
no  such  thing  as  a  "  tick  was  to  be  found  on  them ;  but  after  a  very  short  sojourn 
there,  they  were  to  be  found  in  great  numbers,  and  often  distended  with  blood  to  a 
great  size.  This  has  led  many  to  believe  that  these  parasites  are  the  cause  of  the 
disease.  My  scientific  friend  and  I  differed  somewhat  in  opinion  regarding  them ; 
I  maintaining  that  the  ticks  must  be  located  in  the  grass  on  the  bill,  and  so  communi- 
cated to  the  sheep;  while  he  scouted  the  idea,  and  said  that,  if  in  the  grass  at  all, 
they  must  first  be  produced  on  the  sheep.  He  upheld  his  opinion  by  giving  me  the 
aid  of  a  very  powerful  microscope,  and  challenging  me  to  find  a  single  tick  in  the 
grass ;  while  i  retaliated  on  him,  and  defied  him  to  find  a  single  tick  on  the  ewes 
and  lambs  in  the  lower  fields;  and  let  it  be  borne  in  mind,  they  had  all  been  in  one 


KELSO  FABMEBS'  CLUB.  45 

floek  during  the  winter.  In  each  case  we  were  nnsuccessfal  in  finding  one.  I  still 
adhere  to  the  opinion  that  they  are  in  the  grass;  but  although  the  tick  seems  to  me 
to  be  an  invariable  concomitant  to  "  louping  ill/'  and  may  also  be  an  aggravation 
of  it,  I  am  quite  convinced  of  the  correctness  of  my  friend's  theory,  that  it  proceeds 
originally  from  indigestion.  The  two  following  cases  have  very  much  tended  to 
ooi^rm  this  opinion : — In  the  end  of  July  we  brought  home  six  scores  of  half- 
bred  gimmers,  purchased  in  Caithness,  and  put  them  into  a  field  we  had  taken 
for  the  season  in  the  neighbourhood.  The  said  field  was  understood  to  be  liable  to 
"louping  ill/*  but  it  was  kept  clean  for  them,  and  the  season  of  the  year  was 
thought  to  be  past  for  its  ravages.  Under  these  circumstances,  we  expected 
to  keep  the  gimmers  in  it  for  three  weeks  or  so  with  impunity.  In  about  ten 
days,  however,  several  were  found  affected,  but  only  one  "  grounded."  This  one 
died ;  but  the  others,  on  being  immediately  removed  to  a  young  grass  field,  in  a  few 
d&ys  recovered,  and  are  all  alive  and  healthy  to  this  day.  The  second  case  is  similar. 
About  the  month  of  September,  the  disease  again  showed  itself  among  the  ewes  on 
the  farm,  probably  in  consequence  of  the  protracted  drought.  A  few  died,  their 
Btomacks  being  in  the  very  same  state  as  those  early  in  the  season,  and  a  consider- 
able number  were  affected.  We  at  once  began  to  give  them  a  very  small  quantity  of 
turnips  daily,  when  the  disease  was  immediately  arrested,  and  we  have  not  since  had 
a  single  death.  I  may  here  mention  that  we  attributed  the  severity  of  the  disease 
in  spring  also  to  the  unusual  dryness  of  the  season.  I  come  now  to  the  all-import- 
ant question — What  is  the  probable  preventive  of  this  dreadful  malady?— and  if  we 
are  correct  in  our  hypothesis  about  the  cause  of  the  disease,  this  ought  not  to  be  very 
difficult  of  solution.  I  shidl  now  tell  you  what  we'  have  done,  and  propose  to  do. 
Before  the  commencement  of  our  lease,  the  said  hill  was  pastured  with  sheep  only. 
Being  left  very  rough,  the  coarser  grasses  naturally  predominated,  and^usurped  the 
▼hole  ground,  with  the  exception  of  the  hill  top,  which  was  eaten  bare.  Since  our  entry 
to  the  farm  we  have  grazed  a  good  many  cattle  on  the  hill ;  the  said  rough  grasses 
are  now  eaten  nearly  bare,  and  where  they  are  not,  we  intend,  as  early  in  the  spring 
as  practicable,  to  bum  any  part  remaining  which  may  still  be  too  rough.  We  find 
from  the  experience  of  last  year,  that  whether  eaten  with  cattle  or  burned,  it  affords 
'a  bite  for  sheep  sooner  than  it  did  formerly,  when  the  grass  had  to  force  its  way 
through  a  large  mass  of  fog  and  fibre.  Besides,  the  texture  of  the  grasses  was  much 
improved,  the  finer  sorts  coming  away,  particularly  white  clover,  which  is  indigenous 
to  the  soiL  Next  year,  and  the  year  following,  we  propose  throwing  out  again  to 
grass  without  a  crop  two  fields  of  about  twenty-five  acres  each,  and  likewise  improv- 
ing other  portions,  so  as  to  give  the  stock  a  variety  of  herbage.  As  this,  however,  is 
a  wotk  01  time,  I  shall  tell  you  what  we  intend  to  do  in  the  meantime,  and  then 
conclude,  having  trespassed  already  on  your  time  much  longer  than  I  anticipated. 
We  are  at  present  storing  on  the  hill  a  considerable  quantity  of  good  sound  green-top 
yellow  turnips.  With  these  we  propose  to  supplement  the  food  of  the  ewes  next 
spring,  when  turned  out,  through  the  month  of  April,  and  as  far  into  May  as  we  can 
preserve  them.  While  the  turnips  last,  we  mean  to  teach  the  ewes  to  eat  linseed- 
take,  newly  made  and  of  the  best  quality,  and  continue  to  give  them  from  a  half  to 
three  quarters  of  a  pound  daily  till  about  the  middle  of  June.  If  we  are  right  in  the 
origin  of  the  disease,  I  fancy  we  are  warranted  to  look  with  confidence  to  this  treat- 
ment producing  an  amelioration,  if  not  a  perfect  cure.  And  if  the  system  be  suc- 
cessful in  saving  life,  the  cost  will  be  very  trifling  indeed,  if  anything  at  all ;  for  it . 
will  improve  both  ewe  and  lamb,  increase  the  quantity  of  wool,  and,  if  persevered  in 
for  a  few  seasons,  improve  the  grass  both  in  quantity  and  quality  as  much  as  any  top- 
dressing  that  could  possibly  be  applied.  There  are  other  points  on  which  I  shall  not 
enter.  For  instance,  on  the  opposite  side  of  a  march-dyke,  land  forming  part  of  the 
same  hill,  and  formerly  liable  to  "  louping-ill,"  is  said  to  be  perfectly  cured  by  a  top- 
dressing  of  lime.  If  so,  I  think  I  am  consistent  in  supposing  that  the  result  arises 
from  the  circumstance  of  its  eating  barer,  and  so  producing  more  succulent  and  di- 
gestible grasses ;  and  I  purpose  to  arrive  at  the  same  happy  consummation  by  other 
and  cheaper  means.  Kot  having  tried' it  myself,  however,  I  leave  some  one  to  speak 
on  this  point  that  can  do  so  experimentally. 

Mr  B.  Robertson,  Ladyrig,  then  spoke  as  follows: — After  the  able  manner  in 
which  Mr  Usher  has  handled  this  subject,  I  should  have  considered  it  quite  unneces- 
sary to  rise  on  the  present  occasion,  were  it  not  that  his  remarks  refer  entirely  to 
half-bred  sheep ;  and  although  the  disease  is  the  same,  I  think  the  effect  different 
upon  Cheviot  sheep.    Of  all  the  diseases  that  infest  our  flocks,  there  axQ  11011^  \>W» 


46  KELSO  farmers'  club. 

commit  such  deyastationg  as  the  one  referred  to ;  and  much  as  we  owe  to  yeterinary 
science,  we  certainly  cannot  in  this  case  give  it  the  credit  of  ascertaining  either 
cause  or  remedy.  I  do  not  dispute  that  much  may  have  been  done  to  find  out  the 
root  of  the  evil,  but  I  say  it  is  a  glaring  fact  that  thousands  of  our  sheep  are  buried 
in  the  earth  every  year  unfit  for  the  use  of  man  or  beast ;  and  certainly  a  greater  in- 
terest ought  to  be  taken  to  find  out  the  cause  and  remedy,  as  there  is  no  disease  more 
fatal,  and,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  none  that  we  are  more  ignorant  of.  As  is  naturally 
the  case  with  a  disease  so  fatal,  many  causes  are  giren  for  it.  It  is  alleged  by  some, 
that  a  plant  natural  to  certain  districts  contains  the  root  of  the  malady ;  that  the 
sheep  eat  that  plant  in  the  spring,  take  the  disease,  and  die.  If  so,  it  is  evident  that 
that  plant  must  only  prove  fatal  when  eaten  in  the  spring,  as  I  have  had  sheep  upon 
a  hill  all  winter,  and  never  take  it  till  that  season ;  and,  again,  I  have  frequently 
had  sheep  entirely  off  the  hill  for  two  months,  and,  when  put  on  in  the  beginning  of 
April,  take  the  disease.  In  both  cases  the  sheep  take  the  disease  in  the  spring,  with 
this  difference,  that  those  that  have  been  on  the  hill  all  winter  are  more  apt  to  die 
than  those  that  have  had  a  change  for  two  months ;  and  the  reason  is  obvious.  If 
you  clear  your  hill  and  give  your  sheep  a  change  on  turnips  for  two  months,  they 
return  in  better  condition,  and  therefore  more  able  to  resist  the  disease  than  if  they 
had  not  had  that  change.  As  a  preventive  to  the  disease,  I  certainly  would  recom- 
mend the  ewes  to  be  taken  entirely  off  the  hill  for  two  months  and  put  on  turnips  on 
the  best  clay  land ;  and  doubtless  the  condition  of  your  sheep  will,  in  my  opinion,  be 
so  much  strengthened  as  to  resist  the  disease  to  that  extent  that  you  will  save  life. 
The  quality  of  your  lambs  will  be  deficient  unless  you  bring  the  ewes  on  to  better  meat, 
such  as  young  grass  or  fresh  fields,  as  the  milk  goes  off  them  for  some  time  after  they 
recover.  If  you  approach  a  ewe  or  lamb  affected  with  the  disease,  they  will  never 
move  till  you  almost  touch  them,  when  they  spring  up  quite  paralysed  and  fall,  re- 
peating it  as  often  as  you  approach  them — hence,  I  suppose,  the  name  **  louping  ill." 
In  such  cases  it  is  certain  to  prove  fatal  I  only  once  saw  a  ewe  **  grounded  "  and 
get  better.  Perfect  quietness  is  necessaiy.  Hill  herds  have  tried  many  cures,  but  I 
don't  think  they  ever  succeeded.  Medicine  seems  to  have  no  effect  in  loosening  their 
bowels.  In  the  year  1860  (a  very  memorable  one)  I  kept  all  the  stock  on  the  hiU 
throughout  the  winter,  and  gave  each  sheep  a  pound  of  oats  and  lentila  They  were 
in  much  thinner  condition  than  they  usually  are,  but  the  deaths  were  small  consider- 
ing the  year,  my  loss  being  ten  old  sheep.  Now,  many  may  say  your  sheep  got  no 
change  that  year,  and  your  deaths  were  trifling.  Yes ;  but  I  attribute  the  saving  of 
the  stock  entirely  to  giving  them  a  pound  of  oats  and  lentils  from  the  commence- 
ment of  bad  weather  till  they  were  all  lambed.  A  pound  of  oats  and  lentils  given 
to  each  sheep  the  first  thing  in  the  morning  induces  them,  after  resting,  to  scatter 
over  the  hill  and  pick  their  food,  thus  keeping  them  healthy,  although  in  poor  con- 
dition. A  very  remarkable  circumstance  in  regard  to  **  louping  ill"  is  the  fact  that, 
whenever  I  have  had  it  on  Lustrutherhill,  it  has  always  been  on  one  particular  ridge 
of  land,  and  that  the  barest  dating  and  earliest.  A  few  years  ago,  the  Hon.  W. 
Elliot  of  Wolflee  applied  for  leave  to  botanise  that  portion  of  the  hUl,  to  see  if  he 
could  discover  any  particular  plant,  but  I  have  never  heard  of  the  result  Another 
very  curious  thing  happened  two  years  ago.  I  have  a  field  of  seven  acres  under  cultiva- 
tion, which  has  been  drained  and  limed,  and  into  it  I  put  a  score  of  ewes  and  double 
lambs,  and  in  less  than  a  fortnight  I  lost  six  ewes  and  ten  lambs.  The  ewes  were 
never  on  the  hill,  but  getting  turnips  in  another  field  till  they  lambed,  and,  having 
double  lambs,  I  put  them  into  the  best  grass  I  had.  I  removed  .the  remainder  into 
another  field,  and  no  more  deaths  occurred.  If  the  field  referred  to  had  not  been 
drained  and  limed,  I  would  not  have  wondered  at  the  presence  of  the  disease,  but  at 
it  is  so,  it  displaces  all  hope  in  my  mind  that  lime  is  a  preventive.  I  have  often 
noticed  that,  if  you  bought  Cheviot  hogs  or  ewes  and  put  them  on  a  diseased  hill, 
you  will  lose  more  of  them  than  you  will  of  the  stock  that  is  reared  on  it.  It  does 
not  confine  itself  to  sheep  altogether,  as  both  cattle  and  horses  frequently  take  it 
I  have  seen  them  covered  with  ticks,  which  is  another  curious  omen  of  the  dis- 
ease ;  for  where  ticks  are,  there,  you  may  depend  upon  it,  is  "  louping  ill."  If  you 
examine  your  sheep  in  the  spring  and  find  ticks,  you  may  lay  your  account  for  the 
disease.  Whether  ticks  have  anything  to  do  with  the  disease  is  a  question  I  cannot 
answer^  Certain  it  is,  that  where  the  disease  is  there  is  the  tick.  There  are  many 
mysteries  in  the  disease,  and  I  sincerely  hope  that  those  men  who  stand  high  in 
veterinary  science  will  put  their  shoulders  to  the  wheel,  and,  with  that  encourage- 
ment which  I  can  guarantee  they  will  get  from  every  sufferer,  surmount  the  evil,  gir* 


OBSERVATIONS  ON  FEEDING  CATTLE  AND  SHEEP  ON  TURNIPS.     47 

ing  xm  both  cause  and  remedy.  They  will  then  place  ns  in  that  happy  poBition  that 
we  will  have  it  in  our  power  at  least  to  save  some ;  and  I  am  sure  we  will  give 
ereiy  encouragement  in  our  power  to  hare  both  the  land  and  sheep  thoroughly  ex- 
tmined. 

Several  other  members  afterwards  joined  in  the  discussion,  and  generally  approved 
of  the  views  expressed  by  the  preceding  speakers.  Mr  Usher  said  he  saw  nothing  in 
Hr  Robertson's  remarks  opposed  to  his  own  opinion  regarding  the  cause  of  the  dis- 
ease or  its  remedy.  The  meeting  generally  assented  to  the  feasibility  of  Mr  Usher's 
mwB,  and  looked  forward  with  much  interest  to  the  result  of  his  experiment. 


OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  EFFECTS  WHICH  ARE  PRODUCED  BY  FEED- 
ING CATTLE  AND  SHEEP  EXCLUSIVELY  ON  TURNIPS. 
By  A.  J,  Mttbrat, 
Pr<^e98or  of  Veterinary  Surgery  at  the  Royal  Agricultural  College,  Cirencester. 

Ah  examination  of  the  conditions  which  favour  the  production  of  disease  is  of 
the  greatest  importance  to  farmers.  The  following  remarks  refer  more  especially  to 
the  eflfect  produced  on  the  system  by  the  exclusive  use  of  food  composed  of  a  single 
ipecies  of  plants.  I  am  well  aware  that  among  the  more  advanced  agriculturists  the 
advantages  of  a  mixed  diet  are  recognised.  My  own  experience,  however,  is  that 
many  agriculturists  are  not  aware  that  food  must  supply  to  the  blood  a  sufficient  pro- 
portion of  organic  principles,  and  that  if  these  are  not  supplied  in  sufficient  propor- 
tion, disease  will  result.  It  is  true  that  the  farmer  may  gain  such  knowledge  by  ex- 
perience, but  it  must  be  acknowledged  that  such  a  method  of  acquiring  information 
is  rather  expensive.  It  is  desirable,  then,  that  the  experiments  of  a  few  persons 
ihould  be  of  service  to  the  public,  so  that  others  may  not  be  under  the  necessity  of 
icquiring  information  practically  but  painfully. 

The  turnip,  according  to  Dr  Voelcker,  contains  from  88  to  92  per  cent,  of  water. 
It  contains  a  very  small  proportion  of  the  nitrogenised  or  flesh-producing  matters — 
only  between  1  and  2  per  cent.  The  proportion  of  water  is  excessive,  while  the 
albuminous  compounds  are  very  deficient ;  and  these  two  peculiarities  explain  why 
the  exclusive  use  of  the  turnip,  as  an  article  of  food,  is  attended  with  such  bad 
results.  By  comparing  the  composition  of  the  turnip  with  that  of  the  grasses,  which 
may  be  r^arded  as  the  natural  food  of  the  sheep  and  ox,  its  deficiency  is  very 
marked.  The  proportion  in  which  nature  has  combined  the  various  nutritive  ele- 
ments in  the  natural  food  of  those  animals  must  be  adopted  when  they  are  kept 
under  artificial  conditions.  The  frequeney  of  disease  will  thus  be  reduced  to  a 
*»inimum. 

The  disadvantages  of  a  diet  consisting  exclusively  of  turnips  are — 1st,  That  the 
inta^uction  of  a  larger  quantity  of  water  into  the  system,  which  in  winter  is  fre- 
quently as  low  as  82°  F.,  and  must,  when  taken  into  the  stomach,  be  raised  to  a 
temperature  of  at  least  100°  F.,  must  greatly  increase  the  consumption  of  the  carbon 
and  hydrogen  compounds  supplied  to  the  blood  in  the  food.  The  carbon  and  hydro- 
gen consumed  in  this  way  are  furnished  by  the  oleaginous,  starchy,  mucilaginous, 
and  saccharine  principles  of  the  food  which  have  not  been  converted  into  tissue,  and 
also  by  the  disintegrated  tissues  themselves.  A  portion  of  the  food  which  under 
more  favourable  circumstances  would  have  increased  the  animal's  bulk  is  thus  ex- 
pended in  maintaining  animal  heat,  the  wear^  of  the  body  being  at  the  same  time 
accelerated. 

2d,  The  digestive  fluids  are  excessively  diluted,  so  that  digestion  is  imperfectly 
performed,  and  the  nutritive  elements  which  the  food  actually  contains  are  not 
thoroughly  dissolved  out,  and  they  consequeiitly  pass  through  the  intestines  with 
the  innutritious  matters.  This  frequently  induces  chronic  disorder  of  the  digestive 
system. 

8d,  The  turnip,  as  has  already  been  shown,  contains  but  a  small  proportion  of  the 
albuminous  or  flesh-forming  constituents.  The  loss  consequent  on  the  wear  and 
natural  decay  of  the  particles  of  the  tissues  is  repaired  by  the  incorporation  of  new 
nutritive  principles  into  their  substance.  This  process,  however,  can  only  be  per- 
fectly carried  on  when  the  elements  contained  in  the  food  are  identical  with,  and 
bour  a  certain  proportion  to,  those  contained  in  the  blood.    When  the  proportion  of 


48  SALVING  AND  DIPPING  SHEEP. 

any  one  of  the  nntritive  elements  is  deficient,  the  blood  does  not  obtain  a  sufficient 
supply  of  new  materials,  the  wear  of  the  body  exceeds  the  process  of  reparation,  and 
the  animal  consequently  sickens  and  dies. 

4th,  Turnips  are  also  injurious  from  the  influence  which  such  cold  watery  food 
exercises  in  depressing  the  action  of  the  nervous  system.  The  power  of  resisting 
depressing  influences  is  thus  impaired,  and  all  the  functions  of  the  body  are  feebly 
performed. 

The  nutritiye  yalue  of  the  turnip  is  frequently  reduced  to  a  minimtim  by  causes 
which  I  have  not  yet  mentioned.  The  detrimental  effects  of  frost  and  mildew  on  its 
feeding  qualities  are  well  known  to  the  farmer.  Turnips  which  have  run  to  seed, 
and  which  consequently  contain  a  large  amount  of  woody  fibre,  are  also  innutritions 
and  indigestible.  In  the  disorders  which  have  come  under  my  observation,  and  which 
I  have  been  able  to  trace  to  the  exclusive  or  the  excessive  use  of  a  turnip  diet,  I  have 
occasionally  noticed  that  the  turnips  were  affected  by  one  or  other  of  the  above  causes. 
Chronic  indigestion  and  blood  diseases  are  the  usual  results  of  such  a  diet,  though  we 
may  have  the  one  condition  complicated  by  the  presence  of  ^he  other.  The  blood 
disorder  consists  chiefly  in  a  diminution  of  the  plastic  or  tissue-forming  elements, 
and  we  may  then  have  a  disintegration  of  the  blood  globules  which  appear  in  the 
urine,  giving  it  the  red  colour  which  is  popularly  known  under  the  name  of  red 
water.  In  ewes  and  cows  the  effects  of  such  a  diet  are  usually  noticed  shortly  before 
calving  and  lambing,  and  occasionally  only  after  parturition,  when  the  copious  secre- 
tion of  milk  removes  a  large  portion  of  the  nutritive  elements  of  the  blood.  This 
diet  produces  more  injurious  and  fatal  effects  on  female  than  on  male  animals,  owing 
to  the  materials  removed  from  the  blood  by  the  rapidly  developing  foetus  during 
pregnancy,  and  by  the  secretion  of  milk  after  parturition. 

A  case  illustrating  my  previous  remarks  has  lately  been  brought  under  my  notice 
by  a  farmer.  His  ewes  were  taken  from  the  ram  during  the  first  week  in  November ; 
they  were  then  fed  exclusively  on  turnips  until  the  period  of  lambing.  They  ap- 
peared healthy,  and  even  fattened  well  on  this  diet  until  about  a  fortnight  before 
lambing,  when  some  of  them  began  to  look  dull,  and  they  also  gradually  became 
weak.  It  was  necessary  latterly  to  have  them  in  the  fold,  as  they  could  not  walk  to 
the  field,  which  was  only  600  yards  distant.  They  lay  down  in  the  yard  until  they 
lambed,  after  which  some  of  the  weakest  ewes  died  in  from  one  to  three  days.  Some 
recovered  after  careful  nursing  and  the  administration  of  stimulants.  The  ewes  most 
severely  affected  invariably  hs^d  twin  lambs,  and  though  the  lambs  when  dropped  were 
tolerably  strong,  in  a  few  days  afterwards  they  generally  sickened  and  died.  In  such 
cases  nutritious  food — such  as  hay,  oats,  and  oUcake — must  be  given,  combined  with 
the  administration  of  tonic  and  stimulant  medicines.  It  will  frequently,  however,  be 
found  that  the  weakness  induced  by  such  a  system  of  diet  is  so  great,  and  that  the 
digestive  functions  are  so  impaired,  that  the  animal  has  no  appetite  for  food.  These 
lines,  however,  have  been  written  not  so  much  for  the  purpose  of  recommending 
treatment  in  disease,  as  for  the  purpose  of  preventing  disease.  The  importance  of 
studying  the  causes  of  maladies  was  well  estimated  by  Professor  John  Gamgee,  when 
he  said  at  a  recent  lecture  at  Edinburgh  : — "  Veterinary  medicine  is  something  more 
than  the  art  of  heiJing  jick  animals ;  it  is  the  art  of  preserving  animala  from 
sickness." 


SALVING  AND  DIPPING  SHEEP. 

PENI0X7I0K  AOBIOULTUBAL  SOOIETT. 

A  UEETiNa  of  the  members  of  the  Penicuick  Agricultural  Society  was  held  on  Fri- 
day evening  in  Stewart's  Inn,  Penicuick — Mr  Penman,  Bonally,  in  the  chair.  The 
suWect  for  discussion  was  "  Salving  and  Dipping  Sheep." 

The  Chairman  called  on  Mr  Wilson,  Crosshouse,  to  open  the  discussion. 

Mr  Wilson  said — I  believe  it  will  be  allowed  by  almost  all  stockholders  that  some 
dressing  should  be  applied  to  sheep,  either  by  smearing,  pouring,  or  dipping,  at  least 
once  in  the  twelvemonths;  but  this  being  acknowledged,  a  great  diversity  of  opinion 
seems  to  prevail,  both  regarding  the  ends  to  be  served  by  the  operation^  and  ^so  in 
regard  to  the  materials  employed  as  dressings.  Every  one,  I  daresay,  believes  that  the 
destruction  of  keds  with  which  sheep  are  so  universally  infested,  and  also  the  de- 
struction of  the  scab  insect,  which  often  does  incalculable  mischief,  are  important 
ends  to  be  served  by  the  operation  of  dressing;  but  to  what  extent  applications  affect 


SALVING  AND  DIPPING  SHEEP.  49" 

the  health  of  the  sheep  or  the  growth  of  wool,  apart  from  the  destruotion  of  yermin, 
is  perhaps  not  so  clearly  decided.  In  openiDg  this  discussion,  I  may  state  that  I 
have  had  trials  of  a  good  many  substances  alike  in  smearing,  pouring,  and  dipping, 
comprehending  mixtures  of  simple  substances,  as  well  as  the  most  of  the  compositions 
offered  by  different  parties  to  the  public.  I  would,  however,  in  drawing  conclusions 
from  my  experience,  remark  that  a  dressing  suited  for  sheep  in  a  mild  and  sheltered 
district  may  be  unsuitable  for  those  that  have  to  bid  defiance  in  an  elevated  situation 
to  the  pitiless  storm.  In  high  and  mountainous  districts  the  comparisons  we  draw 
would  not  apply;  as,  however  much  pouring  or  dipping  may  be  satisfactory  here, 
smearing  of  one  kind  or  another  may  be  necessary  for  the  protection  of  the  flocks 
through  the  severity  of  winter  in  exposed  regions.  I  consider  it  is  very  doubtful 
whether  any  application  to  the  skin  of  the  sheep  will  encourage  the  growth  of  wool 
in  the  same  vray  as  crops  are  benefited  by  an  application  of  manure;  but  of  this 
we  may  be  quite  certain,  that  dressings  are  often  applied  of  a  nature  that,  by  washing 
out  the  natural  yolk  of  the  fleece  without  supplying  its  place,  the  growth  of  wool  may 
be  checked.  At  one  time  I  was  in  the  habit  of  applying  black  soap  liberally,  both  in 
pouring  and  dipping,, but  have  now  come  to  the  conclusion  that  it  is  of  too  washing  a 
nature  to  be  recommended.  In  examining  the  fleeces  of  sheep  eight  or  ten  days  after 
being  poured  or  dipped  with  tobacco  juice,  spiriij  of  tar,  and  black  soap,  which  is  a 
very  common,  and,  as  far  as  regards  the  destruction  of  the  vermin,  a  very  effectual 
application,  I  liave  found  of  course  the  colouring  of  the  tobacco  and  spirits  of  tar, 
which  is  not  easily  washed  out,  but  what  has  come  of  the  soap  ?  The  frothy  greasy- 
like  nature  of  the  dip  has  disappeared,  and  should  a  drenching  rain  have  intervened, 
I  have  found  the  scouring  very  effectual ;  the  yolk  being  washed  out,  and  its  place  not 
supplied  till  nature  creates  a"  new  supply — a  process  which  in  cold  weather  especially 
is  very  slow.  In  this  state  the  wool  feels  hard  and  dry,  and  judging  from  appearance 
itfi  growth  suffers;  If  the  growth  of  wool  can  at  all  be  promoted  by  artificial  dress- 
ings to  the  fleece,  there  can  be  no  doubt  but  this  will  in  the  greatest  degree  be  ac- 
complished, the  nearer  the  composition  employed  approaches  in  its  character  to  the 
natural  yolk  existing  in  the  wool.  Oily  or  fatty  matter  should,  in  my  opinion,  enter 
into  the  composition  used ;  but  in  reducing  these  to  a  workable  state  for  pouring  or 
dipping,  I  believe  they  are  often  saponified  to  such  an  extent  that  they  can  in  no  de- 
gree be  impervious  to  water,  and  are  therefoife  liable  to  be  washed  from  the  fleece, 
more  especially  if  heavy  rains  immediately  succeed  their  application.  This  fact  is  no 
doubt  in  favour  of  smearing,  as  a  salve,  although  saponified  to  some  extent  when  ap- 
plied to  the  skin,  under  a  good  covering  of  wool,  along  with  the  natural  yolk  which 
has  not  been  washed  out,  will  be  found  to  repel  external  moisture,  and  I  believe 
has  the  effect  of  lessening  the  conducting  power  of  heat,  thereby  preventing  the  heat 
of  the  animal's  body  from  escaping.  In  exposed  mountainous  districts,  I  am  quite 
of  opinion  that  smearing  of  some  sort  is  generally  beneficial,  and  some  of  the  white 
smears  now  in  the  market  are  superseding  in  some  districts  the  old  smear  of  tar  and 
butter.  One  great  drawback  to  smearing  is  the  tediousness  of  the  operation ;  it  is 
also  in  general  very  expensive ;  and  I  must  say  it  has  often  proved  with  me  inadequate 
in  destroying  vermin,  not  perhaps  so  much  in  every  case  from  a  deficiency  in  the  mate- 
rials employed,  as  in  the  difiiculty  of  getting  it  thoroughly  over  the  skin,  so  as  to  prevent 
the  keds  making  their  escape  to  some  undressed  portion  of  the  fleece.  I  have  found 
this  difficulty  greater  when  using  the  white  smears  now  in  the  market,  than  from  the 
application  of  those  formerly  in  use.  I  must  say,  as  far  as  my  experience  goes,  there 
is  still  great  room  for  improvement  in  some  of  the  compositions  offered  for  smearing 
purposes,  but  I  am  sanguine  that  if  practical  and  scientific  men  go  hand  in  hand  in 
making  experiments,  stockholders  willby-and-bye  be  less  liable  to  annoyance  and  disap- 
pointment from  failure  in  the  results  of  their  sheep  dressings.  The  health  of  the  sheep 
and  production  of  wool  have  to  farmers  become  more  than  ever  worth  the  attending 
to,  for  while  the  price  of  grain  has  been  reduced  to  a  point  that  will  never  pay  its 
cdtivation,  mutton  is  high,  and  wool  is  commanding  higher  prices  than  we  have 
ever  been  jiccustomed  to.  Great  encouragement  is  therefore  given  for  paying  atten- 
tion to  this  department.  I  stated  before  that  I  was  very  doubtful  if  we  could  pro- 
dace  a  growth  of  wool  by  any  application  to  the  skin ;  but  we  all  know  that  some 
dressing  must  be  applied  for  the  preservation  of  our  flocks,  without  which  a  diminu- 
tion of  wool  would  evidently  take  place,  consequent  upon  the  health  of  the 
sheep  suffering  from  annoyance,  and  from  the  constant  tear  and  wear  of  the  wool 
from  the  animal's  endeavours  to  rid  itself  of  its  tormentors.  Loss  of  wool  may 
also  be  occasioned  by  the  application  of  substances  hurtful  to  the  sheep,  or  from 
Vol.  I. — No.  L— New  Series.    Januab.y  1865.  \^ 


50  SALVING  AND  DIPPING  SHEEP. 

the  wool  being  too  thoroughly  scoured  from  the  washing  nature  of  the  substances 
employed  ;  and  I  believe  not  the  least  consideration  is  the  improving  or  deteriorating 
of  the  quality  of  the  wool.  From  the  prices  I  have  myself  obtained  at  the  public 
sales,  where,  from  the  competition,  wool  is  likely  to  meet  with  a  purchaser  at  its  real 
value,  I  have  seen  a  material  difference  in  the  return,  consequent  upon  the  materials 
that  have  been  used  in  dressing.  It  must,  therefore,  be  a  desideratum  to  produce 
our  wools  in  a  condition  best  calculated  for  being  fabricated  into  a  class  of  goods 
that  will  bring  out  their  greatest  value.  By  giving  our  experience,  and  stating  our 
views  on  the  subject,  I  consider  we,  as  members  of  this  Society,  will  be  most  bene- 
fited by  confining  our  remarks  to  our  own  practice ;  and  allow  me  here  to  state  that 
what  I  say  will  apply  more  to  a  regular  breeding  flock  than  to  skheep  merely  for  feed- 
ing purposes,  knowing  that  others  who  will  take  part  in  this  discussion  have  had 
better  opportunities  than  I  have  had  of  arriving  at  correct  conclusions  on  this  part 
of  the  subject.  I  mean  my  remarks  also  to  refer  to  what  suits  the  district  of  country 
within  our  range,  which  I  reckon  of  medium  altitude ;  for  although  our  hills  rise  to 
an  elevation  of  nearly  2000  feet,  they  cannot  be  said  to  be  very  much  exposed,  as  in 
general  we  have  good  natural  shelter.  Therefore,  considering  that  the  greatest  bene- 
fit to  be  derived  from  smearing  is  the  protection  of  the  sheep  in  severe  weather,  I, 
for  my  part,  cannot  think  that  at  our  elevation  there  are  sufficient  benefits  to  be 
derived  from  this  mode  of  application  to  urge  its  adoption.  I  am  now,  after  many 
experiments,  confining  myself  entirely  to  dipping,  and  have  for  the  last  few  years 
avoided  all  compositions  containing,  as  far  as  I  can  ascertain,  arsenical  or  mei;curial 
ingredients.  When  using  compositions  containing  these  substances,  I  am  confident 
I  had  good  reasons  for  believing  that  my  sheep  were  to  some  extent  injured.  I  know 
this,  that  they  evidently  got  broken  mouthed  sooner  than  sheep  that  had  been  dif- 
ferently treated.  I  may  state,  however,  that  I  would  not  expect  that  result  to  show 
itself  so  much  in  every  case  as  it  does  with  me,  as  my  hill  sheep  have  a  little  ten- 
dency to  that  at  any  rate,  but  if  it  affects  them  in  that  way  at  all,  as  I  have  good  evi- 
dence for  believing,  it  must,  no  doubt,  to  soxjie  extent  tell  upon  their  constitution. 
I  have  this  autumn  dressed  the  greater  part  of  my  sheep  with  '*  M^BougaFs  sheep 
dip,"  and  "  Girdwood's  Melossoon."  Having  used  M'Dougal's  dip  to  some  extent 
for  some  years  back,  I  have  reckoned  it  one  of  the  best  dips,  although  I  admit  it  did 
to  some  extent  discolour  the  wool.  I  used  the  Melossoon  as  a  second  dressing  to  a 
portion  of  my  sheep  last  winter,  and  with  entire  satisfaction  regarding  the  appear- 
ance of  the  wool,  which  opinion  was  corroborated  by  the  fact  that  the.  clip  of  these 
sheep  brought  the  very  highest  price  in  the  market.  In  regard  to  destroying  vermin, 
however,  the  dressing  was  not  quite  satisfactory.  In  other  trials  I  made  during  sum- 
mer the  results  were  very  much  the  same.  I  believe,  however,  since  that  time  some 
alteration  has  been  made  in  the  composition  of  the  Melossoon,  and  having  dressed 
nearly  the  half  of  my  flock  with  it  in  the  beginning  of  November,  I  can  without 
hesitation  say  that  the  result  is  very  satisfactory.  A  live  ked  is  now  scarcely  to  b© 
seen,  the  wool  is  very  while,  and  there  is  a  richness  and  mellowness  in  the  touch 
which  I  have  not  seen  equalled  from  dressing  with  any  other  composi^on.  I  am 
afraid  I  am  taking  up  too  much  of  your  time,  but  the  importance  of  the  subject  in- 
duces me  to  make  one  or  two  further  remarks  upon  the  permanence  in  the  results  of 
our  sheep  dressings.  I  believe  some  of  you  will  agree  with  me  in  thinking  that  we 
have  a  tendency  to  be  too  sanguine.  To  protect  our  flocks  during  the  whole  time 
they  are  growing  their  fleeces,  will  it  not  have  to  be  admitted  that  at  least  two  dress- 
ings ought  to  be  applied  to  rid  them  of  vermin  thoroughly  ?  I  know  I  have  never 
been  able  to  keep  the  keds  in  abeyance  otherwise.  I  have  found  this  to  be  the  case 
particularly  in  my  young  sheep,  and  even  my  regular  flock  of  ewes  have  been  bene- 
fited by  receiving  a  dressing  shortly  after  being  clipt,  and  again  during  the  winter. 
In  some  experiments  I  made  lately,  keds  exhibited  a  tenacity  of  life  very  remarkable. 
When  performing  my  dipping  I  strictly  adhered  to  the  instructions  given,  to  keep 
the  sheep  immersed  a  full  minute.  The  shepherds  engaged  in  the  operation  naturally 
thought  it  tedious,  and  seemed  to  think  that  the  vermin  would  be  drowned  were  they 
simply  to  be  immersed  in  cold  water  for  such  a  length  of  time,  but  the  fact  is,  they 
will  scarcely  drown  at  all.  I  collected  a  number,  and  put  them  in  cold  spring  water 
for  different  periods,  up  to  forty-five  minutes,  and  when  taken  out,  although  they 
seemed  dormant  for  a  time,  when  brought  into  contact  with  heat  they  began  to  piove 
about,  and  were  soon  as  lively  as  ever.  I  took  from  the  dipping-trough  a  bottle  of 
the  different  dips  as  I  used  them,  and  collecting  a  number  of  keds,  I  made  several 
trials,  to  ascertain  the  killing  power  of  the  dips,  and  also  to  teat  the  comparative 


SALVING  AND  DIPPING  SHEEP.  61 

certainty  of  the  destrnction  of  the  keds  when  subjected  to  immersion,  with  or  with- 
out being  enveloped  in  wool.  In  these  trials  I  found  the  killing  power  of ' ''  M'Dougal's 
dip"  and  "  Gird  wood's  Melossoon''  nearly  equal,  and  will  only  give  the  result  of 
experiments  with  the  Melossoon.  All  the  keds  immersed  up  to  two  minutes  in  the 
(lip  lived  when  allowed  to  dry  after  being  taken  out,  and  all  enveloped  in  wool  died, 
even  down  to  simple  immersion,  when  allowed  to  remain  in  the  wet  wool  afterwards, 
thus  proving  that  sheep  with  a  good  quantity  of  wool  may  not  require  to  be  kept  so 
long  in  the  bath  as  sheep  that  have  been  more  recently  shorn,  and  that  have  con- 
sequently little  covering  of  wool ;  and  it  shows  also  the  importance  of  being  care- 
ful to  have  the  whole  sheep  immersed,  so  that  no  portion  of  the  wool  may  be 
left  dry  on  which  keds  may  find  refuge.  I  do  not  think  that  the  operation  of 
dipping  should  ever  be  performed  in  less  than  half  a  minute  to  each  sheep, 
more  especially  if  fatty  or  oily  substances  are  used.  I  consider  that  indepen- 
dently of  killing  the  vermin,  the  wool  softens  and  absorbs  the  dip  the  more  the 
longer  it  is  immersed,  even  up  to  one  minute.  In  examining  sheep  that  have  been 
hurriedly  immersed  in  a  bath  and  pushed  through  at  the  rate  of  eight  or  ten  scores 
in  the  hour,  and  comparing  them  with  others  that  have  been  kept  in  th^  bath  for 
one  minute,  a  decided  difference  will  be  seen.  In  the  one  case  the  yolk  no  doubt  has 
been  washed  out,  but  the  wool  is  hard  and  fibry,  and  the  dip  is  not  absorbed ;  in  the 
other,  the  wool  is  soft  and  mellow,  and  exhibits  convincing  proofs  that  it  has  bene- 
fited by  the  operation.  Other  ends  are  also  to  be  served  by  doing  the  operation 
fdowly;  while  the  wool  softens,  the  eggs  of  the  keds  that  are  lying  loose  in  the  fleece 
escape  into  the  bath  in  great  numbers,  which  cannot  be  the  case  in  the  same  degree 
when  the  sheep  are  merely  plunged  in  and  out  again.  More  time  is  also  given  for 
draining,  which,  as  far  as  regards  the  saving  of  waste,  should  not  be  overlooked. 
The  draining,  fold  of  my  apparatus  holds  twenty  sheep  in  each  division ;  these 
divisions  are  emptied  alternately,  and  I  find  that  when  each  sheep  is  kept  one  minute 
in  the  bath,  the  draining  is  quite  efifectual ;  scarcely  a  drop  is  lost  after  they  leave 
the  fold,  and  I  do  think  there  is  less  loss  when  the  operation  is  performed  in  this 
way,  than  what  takes  place  even  when  pouring  is  practised ;  and  the  ingredients  of 
the  dressing  are  in  my  opinion  more  regularly  distributed  by  thorough  dipping  than 
by  any  other  mode  of  application.  In  drying,  the  watery  portion  of  the  dip  evapo- 
rates, while  if  not  too  much  saponified,  its  other  constituents  are  absorbed  and  retained 
by  the  fleece.  I  may  state  that  I  have  found  great  advantage  from  having  the 
liquid  pretty  hot,  whatever  was  the  nature  of  the  composition  used,  and  have  never 
seen  sheep  injured  by  too  much  heat,  although  I  have  generally  performed  the  opera- 
tion at  the  temperature  of  100  degs.  In  closing  these  remarks,  all  I  would  say  in 
reigard  to  sheep  that  are  to  be  kept  for  a  limited  time  is,  that  a  dressing  that  will 
thoroughly  kill  the  keds,  and  that  will  prevent  or  cure  scab,  and  at  the  same  time 
not  injure  the  health  of  the  sheep,  or  deteriorate  the  quality  of  the  wool,  may  be  all 
that  can  be  desired  for  this  description  of  stock;  while  our  regular  flocks  retained 
to  six  years  of  age  should  have  their  dressings  of  a  greasy  or  oily  nature,  with  the 
killing  principle  devoid  of  arsenical  or  mercurial  ingredients.  In  a  district 
of  moderate  elevation  the  ends  desired  will  be  better  served  by  dipping  than 
by  any  other  mode  of  application,  believing  that  the  wool  may  be  more  improved, 
and  its  growth  more  accelerated,  by  the  regular  distribution  of  grease  through  the 
fleece,  tl^  by  any  mere  application  to  its  roots.  As  far  as  my  experience  goes,  no 
simple  substance  will  answer  all  the  ends  required,  and  I  therefore  believe  that  some 
sort  of  composition  carefully  prepared  by  qualified  parties  who  are  provided  with  the 
necessary  arrangements  for  scientifically  combining  these  substances,  is  what  we 
should  support  and  encourage.  Our  present  duty,  in  my  opinion,  is  to  go  hand  in 
hand  with  and  encourage  those  parties  who  are  already  providing  us  with  the  best 
compositions.  We  have  more  than  one  of  our  wool  brokers  who  have  taken  up  the 
Babject  in  the  most  spirited  manner.  These  parties,  it  must  be  allowed,  stand  in  a 
position  the  most  favourable  for  obtaining  a  knowledge  of  what  is  really  required ; 
learning  from  daily  experience  what  quality  of  wool  suits  the  manufacturers;  they 
have  also  ready  means  of  knowing  the  requirements  of  the  farmer,  and  I  for  one 
think  that,  in  place  of  throwing  cold  water  on  their  exertions,  we  should,  by  every 
means  in  our  power,  assist  and  encourage  them  in  what  I  reckon  a  most  important 
and  responsible  undertaking. 

Mr  MuBBAT,  Eastside,  said — Were  it  not  that  smearing  is  such  a  tedious  operation, 
a  mixture  of  tarred  butter  and  palm  grease  would  be  found  to  be  one  of  the  best 
dressings  for  sheep  in  high  situations.    When  butter  is  very  high  in  price,  mixing 


62  SALVING  AND  DIPPING  SHEEP. 

with  oil  is  often  resorted  to ;  but  as  it  keeps  the  tar  from  closing  the  sheds  and  the 
wopl  wet  the  greater  part  of  winter,  the  sheep  in  this  case  are  comparatively  out  of 
condition  in  spring,  and  although  the  wool  weighs  heavier,  there  is  not  so  much  of 
it,  for  I  believe  that  by  keeping  the  sheep  warm  and  comfortable,  as  well  as  by 
giving  good  food,  a  greater  amount  of  wool  can  be  grown.  Mr  Wilson  is  quite  right 
in  regard  to  the  height  of  the  Pentland  Hills,  but  I  differ  from  him  in  thinking 
them  better  adapted  for  sheep  dipping  than  many  other  districts.  True,  they  are 
not  high,  but  then  the  whole  of  the  Lowlands  are  cut  off,  leaving  little  but  the  hill 
tops  compared  with  many  hill  ranges  both  north  and  south,  with  their  long  glens 
running  into  the  rivers'  edge,  and  stretching  along  their  banks  for  miles.  Hence  it 
is  that  sheep -from  our  district  stand  so  well  when  removed  to  higher  grounds. 
Dippers  should  let  them  know  what  ingredients  they  used,  and  what  quantities,  as 
sometimes  they  required  to  drown  the  keds  ere  they  could  eradicate  them. 

Mr  Brown,  Pentland  Mains,  said — The  subject  of  smearing,  or  dipping  of  sheep,  which 
was  proposed  at  last  meeting  for  discussion  to-night,  is  one  of  great  importance,  when 
we  take  into  consideration  the  large  increase  in  the  consumption  of  wool,  the  many  uses 
to  which  wool  is  nbw  applied,  and  the  enhanced  price  it  has  attained  the  last  few 
years.  We  find  from  statistics  that  at  the  beginning  of  the  present  century  the  im- 
portation of  foreign  wool  amounted  to  9,000,000  lb&,  and  although  this  has  increased 
in  1863  to  nearly  60,000,000  lbs.,  gives  us  some  idea  of  the  prosperity  of  Great  Britain 
and  British  manufactured  goods ;  but  in  a  great  measure  we  may  attribute  the  high 
price  of  wool  to  a  scarcity  of  cotton  caused  by  civil  war  in  the  United  States  of  Ame- 
rica. The  system  of  smearing  sheep  is  now  to  a  large  extent  done  away  with,  princi- 
pally on  account  of  its  tedious  process  ;  but  where  still  practised,  the  wool  being  first 
shed,  an  admixture  of  tar  and  butter,  or  tallow,  applied  with  the  fingers  along  the 
shed,  is  the  common  mode.  Smearing  is  found  to  have  largely  decreased  these  last 
three  years,  chiefly  caused  by  the  high  price  of  tar  and  butter,  also  the  introduction 
of  dips  designing  to  effect  the  same  purpose  and  at  a  much  smaller  cost.  There  are 
many  dips  now  offered  to  the  sheep  farmer,  all  vieing  with  one  another  in  embellished 
advertisements,  and  purporting  to  have  the  desired  effect.  In  giving  a  few  remarks 
relative  to  their  compositions,  it  is  to  me  obvious,  that  unless  the  sheep  intended  for 
the  application  are  free  from  scab  or  other  eruptions  of  the  skin,  which  may  be  caused 
by  contagion,  or  arising  from  overcrowding  in  railway  trucks,  or  on  deck  of  steam- 
boats, they  do  not  cure  or  eradicate  such  eruptions.  The  principal  dips  used  in  this 
district  are  Wilson's,  Bigg's,  Elliot's,  M'Dougall's,  and  Girdwood's  Melossoon.  The 
first  three  may  be  nearly  classed  alike,  the  poisonous  or  parasite-killing  ingredient 
being  arsenic  :  the  latter,  prepared  I  believe  by  Professor  Gamgee,  the  poisonous  in- 
gredient of  which  is  said  to  be  the  refuse  of  paraffin.  Many  hundreds  of  sheep  have 
been  killed  in  the  using  of  dips  such  as  Elliot's,  Bigg's,  &c.,  from  an  undue  caution 
in  administering  them,  especially  during  warm  weather ;  I  have  only  to  refer  you  for 
instance  to  the  lawsuit  of  Black  v.  Elliot,  in  1859,  upon  which  occasion  Mr  Black 
lost  850  sheep  out  of  869,  by  the  animals  imbibing  part  of  the  arsenic  or  other 
poisonous  matter  contained  in  Elliot's  sheep-dipping  composition.  Although  the 
evidence  in  this  case  was  conflictory,  it  was  proved  that,  unless  administered  at  the 
rate  of  half  an  ounce  or  six  drachms  of  arsenic  to  a  gallon  of  water,  and  applied 
during  cold  weather,  it  was  somewhat  precarious.  In  regard  to  Girdwood's  Melos- 
soon, although  it  has  not  been  proved  dangerous,  its  effect  on  parasites  and  eruptions 
of  the  skin  is  akin  with  the  others.  The  word  "melossoon,"  I  believe,  is  derived 
from  a  Greek  word  signifying  "lotion  to  save  a  sheep;"  and  in  interpreting  this  I 
would  say  the  word  is  very  well  applied,  because  in  many  cases  where  used,  the  result 
went  to  prove  that  although  a  puncheon  of  this  artificial  yolk  were  applied  to  one 
sheep,  the  animal  would  be  as  little  the  worse  as  on  immersion  in  cold  water,  and  the 
parasites  would  awake  as  if  from  a  stupor,  brisker  than  ever.  In  almost  every  instance 
where  this  dip  was  applied,  the  sheep  were  to  dip  over  again  with  a  different  solution, 
which  was  not  only  aggravating  to  the  owner,  but  hurtful  to  the  sheep.  I  will"  now, 
in  giving  my  experience  in  the  use  of  some  of  these  dips,  first  give  an  outline  of  the 
class  of  sheep  to  which  they  have  been  applied.  I  usually  purchased  from  two  to 
three  hundred  half-bred  wedders  from  Caithness  or  Ross-shire,  which  on  arrival  in 
August  or  beginning  of  September 'are  found,  from  overcrowding  on  deck  of  steam- 
boat or  railway  truck,  to  be  heated  in  the  blood,  and  showing  irritation  of  the  skin ; 
they  are  usually  bathed  about  ten  days  after  arrival.  I  ventured  two  years  ago 
firstly  to  try  Bigg's,  and  afterwards  M'Dougall's  dip,  according  to  the  directions  given, 
both  of  which  professed  to  be  a  sure  eradicator  of  scab  or  other  eruption  of  the  skin ; 


SALVING  AND  DIPPING  SHEEP.  53 

however^  in  less  than  ten  days  from  application,  I  found  I  might  as  well  have  applied 
80  mach  cold  water.  Girdwood's  Melossoon  has  never  been  tried  by  me,  and  from 
Batisfactory  evidence  has  little  chance  in  supplying  the  desideratum.  The  mixture  I 
have  used  for  some  years,  which  when  carefully  applied  has  been  found  to  be  thor- 
oaghly  e£fectual,  is  composed  of  3  lbs.  of  tobacco  paper,  3  lbs.  of  soft  soap,  1^  quart 
of  spirits  of  tar,  4  lb.  sulphur,  |  lb.  carbonate  of  soda,  adding  1^  gallon  of  hot  water 
to  the  score,  costing  nearly  34d.  each  sheep.  This  solution  will  give  the  desired 
effect  either  when  poured  on  or  used  as  a  dip.  Using  the  same  mixture  for  my  ewes, 
1  found  them  clip  well,  and  had  few  ticks  upon  them  at  shearing  time.  In  conclu- 
sion, I  would  remark  that  many  experiments  have  been  tried  by  English  as  well  as 
Scotch  farmers  in  crossing  different  breeds  of  sheep  for  procuring  more  wool,  which 
ultimately  resulted  in  favour  of  long-wooUed  sheep.  As  indicative  of  this,  we  read 
from  Mr  Lucock's  statistics,  showing  the  average  of  short- woolled  sheep  to  be  3  lbs. 
4  oz.,  and  that  of  long-woolled  7  lbs.  10  oz.,  being  fully  double  the  weight  in  favour  of 
long- woolled.  But  I  am  fully  convinced  that  the  great  secret  of  obtaining  most  wool 
is  not  in  the  application  of  this  or  that  dip,  which  no  doubt  is  essential  in  eradicating 
the  animal  of  parasites,  and  cleansing  the  skin  of  all  eruptions  ;  but  in  the  case  of  a 
pnre-bred  flock  or  a  judicious  cross  having  been  effected,  a  progressive  and  regularly 
maintained  condition  of  the  sheep  during  winter  and  spring  months  up  to  the  shear- 
ing time  is  the  true  basis  of  growing  and  obtaining  either  the  largest  quantity  or  best 
quality  of  wooL 

Mr  AiNSLiE,  Hillend,  was  of  opinion  that  the  flockmaster  who  seldom  changed  his 
sheep  could  do  with  a  dip  of  far  less  stringent  quality  than  the  man  who  was  prone 
to  change.  He  thought  Mr  Wilson  had  made  some  very  pertinent  remarks  as  to  the 
dips  which  were  most  valuable,  and  Mr  Murray  had  likewise  added  considerably  to 
their  information  on  the  subject.  In  regard  to  scab  and  foot-rot  he  was  aware  that 
recently  there  had  been  a  very  great  deal  of  these  diseases  in  boats,  railway  trucks, 
and  even  in  the  Edinburgh  market.  Indeed,  if  one  continued  buying  sheep  in  Edin- 
burgh, he  could  scarcely  keep  his  place  clean.  In  some  instances  this  year  he 
required  to  dip  his  sheep  twice,  and  he  had  used  a  dip  of  tobacco  paper  and  spirits  of 
tar.  It  was  a  very  strong  dip,  however,  and  several  turkeys  had  died  through  eating 
on  the  grass.  For  feeding  stock.  Bigg's  and  Girdwood's  he  considered  the  most 
effectual  dips.  Wilson's,  he  had  found,  loosened  the  teeth  of  the  animals,  and  he 
thought  there  was  a  good  deal  of  arsenic  in  it. 

A  Member  said,  that  until  these  arsenical  dips  were  used,  ewes  without  their  teeth 
were  hardly  known. 

Mr  MuBBAT  said  he  used  1  lb.  of  arsenic  to  53  pints  of  water,  and  he  found  there 
was  nothing  dangerous  about  it  but  in  the  name. 

Mr  QiRDWOOD,  Edinburgh,  asked  Mr  Brown  if  he  had  tried  the  dip  ?  to  which  he 
replied  he  had  not;  when  Mr  Gird  wood  expressed  himself  surprised  he  should  so 
strongly  condemn  it.  At  same  time,  he  must  admit  there  had  been  more  com- 
plaints of  it  than  he  liked,  but  it  was  a  new  thing — the  first  year  of  it,  and  he  had 
no  doubt  that  all  difficulties  could  be  got  over.  Mr  Girdwood  continued — A  great 
many  farmers  had  tried  his  dip,  and  it  had  almost  uniformly  given  the  greatest 
satisfaction.  In  this  matter,  he  felt  that  it  was  the  farmers'  interests  that  he  had 
to  serve,  it  was  not  for  his  own  benefit  So  far  as  regards  the  quality  of  the  dip, 
nothing  would  be  wanting  on  his  part  to  make  it  both  efficacious  and  useful,  as  he 
was  aware,  from  practical  experience,  that  a  great  deal  of  wool  was  spoiled  by  dips 
used  They  could  not  imagine  how  much  wool  came  into  his  stores  spoiled  in  this 
manner.  If  they  used  arsenic  in  their  dips,  they  would  not  only  hurt  the  skin,  but 
to  a  great  extent  injure  the  wool.  By  all  means  let  them  apply  a  dip  that  would  not 
hurt  the  animal  or  wool  Mr  Girdwood  then  read  a  letter  he  had  just  received  from 
an  extensive  stock-breeder  regarding  the  efficacy  of  the  dip  sent  out  by  him,  in  which 
the  farmer  said,  "  I  am  glad  to  say  your  dip  had  proved  quite  successful.  I  have 
carefully  examined  the  hoggs,  and  do  not  find  a  live  ked  on  them.  I  attribute  the 
failure  of  the  last  dipping  to  the  fact  of  the  hoggs  being  only  about  half  a  minute 
instead  of  a  whole  minute  in  the  bath."  Mr  Girdwood  proceeded  to  say  that  failure 
often  took  place  by  the  animal  not  being  kept  in  the  dip  a  whole  minute  ;  a  half- 
minute  would  not  do.  He  complimented  Mr  Wilson  on  the  details  he  had  given  of 
his  experience,  and  it  was  only  by  such  experience  that  they  could  gather  informa- 
tion as  to  what  was  best  to  be  done.  His  whole  aim  was  to  put  the  best  dip  in  the 
hands  of  the  farmer,  and  he  would  be  glad  to  take  any  suggestions  that  experience 
might  give.    The  article  he  sent  out  would  not  only  kill  keds,  but  would  cure  scab, 


54  WHOLESOME  AND  UNWHOLESOME  MEAT. 

although  he  did  not  expect  the  latter  would  be  effected  by  a  simple  dipping  in  it. 
An  oily  dressing  was  far  better  than  a  watery  one,  and  the  expense  would  not  after- 
wards be  grudged.  Mr  M'Lagan  of  Pumphersfcon  had  gained  2s.  6d.  a  head  on  wool 
by  using  such  a  smear.  Mr  Girdwood  concluded  by  earnestly  recommending  them 
to  abstain  from  all  arsenical  poisons,  and  stating  that  tobacco  juice  stained  the  wool. 
It  was  not  yet  a  year  since  they  had  begun  the  manufacture  of  their  dip,  and  it  was 
astonishing  to  know  how  many  had  used  it. 

Mr  Bbown  afterwards  explained  that  what  led  him  to  his  remarks  on  the  dip,  was 
when  present  at  a  dipping  he  took  some  keds  off  the  sheep  after  being  removed  from 
the  bath,  and  they  became  quite  lively. 

Mr  GiBDWOOD  objected  to  such  sweeping  remarks  from  such  an  experiment,  as  no 
farmer  was  going  to  gather  the  keds  off  his  sheep  after  dipping ;  and  remarked  that 
his  object  was  simply  to  make  the  dip  strong  enough,  and  not  to  add  more  of  the 
active  principle  than  was  actually  necessary ;  but  with  the  assistance  of  such  farmers 
as  Mr  Wilson,  we  would  arrive  at  a  perfect  dip. 

Mr  Brown  said,  no  doubt  Mr  Girdwood  had  endeavoured  to  shew  what  was  con- 
sidered to  be  the  ground-work  of  a  good  dip,  and  that  farmers  should  go  hand  and 
hand  with  him  in  obtaining  a  successful  issue.  This  may  be  well  for  those  farmers 
who  wish  to  support  Mr  Girdwood  in  forwarding  the  end  in  view,  and  ultimately 
paying  10  or  15  per  cent,  over  cost  price.  I  maintain  farmers  should  experiment 
for  themselves,  thereby  knowing  qontents  of  solution  applied,  which  could  either  be 
augmented  or  deteriorated  the  ensuing  season  if  necessary.  For  instance,  in  any  one 
season  the  stockholder  could  select  twenty  sheep ;  let  them  be  divided  into,  say  five 
lots ;  let  a  solution  of  arsenic  and  soft  soap  be  applied  to  No.  1,  spirit  of  tar  and  soft 
soap  to  No.  2,  castor  oil  to  No.  3,  and  Girdwood's  Melossoon,  or  any  other  dips,  to 
Nos.  4  and  5,  and  carefully  to  mark  the  results,  which  should  be  the  basis  for  guid- 
ance in  after  years.  The  experience  thus  derived  from  using  a  solution,  knowing  it 
will  give  the  desired  effect,  at  prime  cost  will  accrue  a  profit  to  the  farmer  instead  of 
Mr  Girdwood*,  part  of  which  may  be  expended,  if  considered  expedient,  on  artificial 
food  for  the  animal,  which  will  do  more  to  encourage  the  natural  and  most  essential 
yolk  than  the  external  application  of  artificial  yolk. 

The  Chairman  said  he  thought  dipping  was  the  best  mode  of  dressing.  Among 
the  various  dips  which  had  been  tried,  Girdwood's  was  proving  a  'very  satisfactory 
one,  and  likely  to  become  a  favourite.  It  should  at  least  get  a  fair  triaL  He  had 
found  that  shepherds  with  a  long  flock  before  them  frequently  did  not  give  the  sheep 
a  full  minute  in  the  dip.  Bigg's  was,  he  thought,  falliug  off,  and  although  M'Dou- 
gall's  was  good,  he  thought  it  injured  the  quality  of  the  wool.  He  had  no  doubt 
they  had  all  derived  great  benefit  from  the  papers  which  had  been  read,  and  the  dis- 
cussion which  had  followed.  The  writers  had  evidently  bestowed  a  great  deal  of 
labour  on  the  subject. 

Mr  AiNSLiE  proposed  a  vote  of  thanks  to  Mr  Girdwood  for  the  trouble  he  had 
taken  in  being  present. 

Mr  Girdwood  replied. 

A  vote  of  thanks  to  Mr  Penman  for  presiding  terminated  the  proceedings. 


WHOLESOME  AND  UNWHOLESOME  MEAT. 
{From  the  Lancet.) 

In  the  current  number  of  a  contemporary  journal  *  may  be  found  a  lengthy  but  inter- 
esting report  of  the  trials  of  some  important  "  diseased  meat  cases,"  afi  they  are 
called,  which  recently  took  place  in  our  northern  capital.  Amongst  the  witnesses 
for  the  prosecution  were  Professor  Gamgee  and  Dr  Lettlbjohn,  medical  officer  of 
health,  whilst  those  for  the  defence  included  Dr  Grainger  Stewart,  Pathologist  to 
the  Royal  Infirmary,  and  Dr  Alexander  Wood.  The  evidence  of  some  of  these 
gentlemen  opened  a  point  of  argument  of  such  an  important  character  that  we 
feel  called  upon  not  to  let  the  record  of  this  trial  escape  the  notice  of  our  readers. 
The  court  was  crowded  to  excess  during  the  trials,  which  lasted  three  days,  and  the 
determination  and  acuteness  of  the  cross-examining  powers  of  one  of  the  counsel  for 
the  defence  attracted  considerable  notice.  But  ihey  were  all  in  vain  :  the  charges 
were  found  to  be  proved,  the  carcases  were  confiscated,  and  a  penalty  only  not 
inflicted  because  the  cases  were  the  first  that  had  occurred  under  the  new  Act. 

*  Edinburgh  Veterinary  Eevitw,  December  18G4. 


WHOLESOME  AND  UNWHOLESOME  MEAT.  55 

William  Eobb,  flesher,  and  Peter  Gardineb,  dairyman,  were  charged  at  the  Burgh 
Court  on  the  5th  and  9th  of  November  with  having  in  their  slaughterhouses,  'on  the 
29th  and  31st  of  Octobei',  the  carcases,  or  parts  of  the  carcases,  of  cows,  unsound,  un- 
wholesome, and  unfit  for  human  food.  These  cows,  it  was  asserted  by  the  prosecu- 
tion, had  laboured  under  the  epidemic  form  of  pleuro- pneumonia  now  raging  amongst 
cattle ;  the  Inspector  of  Markets  (Mr  Wilson)  adding  that  he  thought  two  "  of  these 
animiUs  had  been  brought  to  the  slaughterhouse  to  save  them  the  trouble  of  dying." 
It  was  likewise  shown  that,  independent  of  the  disease  present  in  the  chest,  "the 
meat  was  dry  and  clammy"  or  "  soft  and  flabby ;"  that  **  numbers  of  bruises  existed 
on  the  surface  "  of  the  carcase ;  that  ^'  the  midriif  was  decomposing ;"  that  "  the  flesh 
had  a  dark  appearance,  and  was  inclining  to  wet,"  &c.  On  the  part  of  the  defence 
it  was  admitted  that  the  animals  had  been  slightly  affected  by,  or.  were  in  the  very 
early  stage  of  pleuro-pneumonia,  but  it  was  maintained  that  in  such  condition  and  at 
such  a  period  no  deleterious  influence  was  produced  upon  the  flesh,  and  that  it  was 
consequently  wholesome  and  fit  to  be  employed  as  food.  As  may  be  supposed,  there 
was  abundant  evidence,  lay  and  professional,  on  both  sides,  to  prove  just  opposite 
states  of  things.  Professor  Gamoee  asserted  that  the  meat  in  question  was  unfit  for 
human  food,  and,  said  he,  "  I  would  not  like  to  eat  it  myself ; "  whilst  Dr  Alexander 
Wood  maintained  that  there  was  nothing  wrong  in  the  condition  of  the  flesh,  and 
rejoined, ''  I  will  eat  a  beefnsteak  off  that  cow  if  1  can  get  it."  Professor  Gamoee 
asserted  that  there  was  evidence  for  strongly  inclining  to  the  belief  that  the  use  of 
the  flesh  of  animals  as  food  which  had  had  pleuro-pneumonia  gave  rise  to  colic, 
diarrhoea,  and  carbuncular  affections  in  man  ;  and  that  inflammation  of  the  skin  and 
eyes  was  produced  in  the  Edinburgh  slaughterhouses  from  contact  of  the  septic  fluids 
of  such  animals  with  those  structures  in  men.  On  the  other  hand,  Dr  Alexander 
Wood  expressed  the  opinion  that  all  such  ideas  were  old  women's  fables,  and  said 
that  "  he  would  not  be  there  as  a  witness  were  it  not  that  he  felt  it  would  be  the 
greatest  calamity  that  could  befall  the  poorer  classes  of  the  city  if  every  carcase 
affected  with  pleuro-pneumonia  were  to  be  condemned.  It  would  raise  the  price  of 
meat  so  much  that  it  would  be  unattainable  by  the  lower  classes,  and  then  the  diseases 
that  were  produced  by  the  absence  of  butcher's  meat  would  be  found  to  prevail.  It 
was  very  decidedly  his  opinion  that  it  was  much  more  likely  to  be  injurious  to  the 
health  of  the  poor  than  if  the  trade  were  to  be  allowed  to  go  on  in  their  own  way." 
Whilst  Dr  Littlejohn  considered  an  animal  afflicted  to  the  slightest  extent  with 
pleuro-pneumonia  as  unfit  for  human  food,  Dr  Grainger  Stewart  contended  that  in 
the  early  stage  of  the  malady  the  flesh  was  not  affected.  Mr  Eobb's  cow,  whose  car- 
case was  found  by  Professor  Gamoee  to  be  "  obviously  that  of  a  diseased  animal," 
**  soft  and  flabby,"  so  satisfied  Professor  Dick  that  he  was  led  to  exclaim,  **  I  am 
ready  to  eat  a  steak  off"  it  just  now."  "  I  fancy,"  said  Mr  Dtmock,  who  was  cross- 
examining,  "  you  would  not  give  your  friends  that  steak."  "  Yes,"  replied  Mr  Dick, 
**  and  many  of  them  would  lick  their  lips  after  it.  Many  of  those  who  make  a  work 
about  it  do  not  know  what  diseased  beef  really  is."  The  old  adage,  De  gustihiLS 
fton  est  disputandum,  will  no  doubt  help  us  to  explain  some  of  the  discrepancies  of 
the  professional  and  other  evidence.  What  one  will  tolerate  or  even  enjoy,  another 
will  instantly  repudiate.  For  ourselves,  we  must  confess,  however,  that  we  should  pre- 
fer Professor  Gamoee  and  Dr  Littlejohn  to  cater  for  our  mess,  rather  than  Professor 
Dick  and  Dr  Stewart.  There  is  a  strong  feeling  with  us  that  "  sticky  steaks,  inclin- 
ing to  wet,"  with  "  bluish  fat "  to  them  as  trimmings,  are  not  model  steaks,  nor  steaks 
of  which  as  jurors  we  could  make  "honourable  mention."  Moreover,  we  really  are 
simple  enough  to  avow  the  belief  that  these  are  just  the  steaks  which  might  be  sup- 
plied by  pleuro-pneumonic  cattle. 

But,  leaving  the  steak  question,  let  us  come  to  a  point  which  we  had  mainly  in 
view  in  referring  to  these  trials.  From  the  carcase  of  Robb's  cow,  which  "  seemed  to 
me,  as  far  as  1  could  judge,  perfectly  godd,"  says  Dr  Stewart, — but  which  c§.rcase, 
it  will  be  remembered,  to  the  Inspector  of  Markets,  to  Mr  GAMGEE,,and  to  Dr  Little- 
john at  once  appeared  unwholesome  and  unfit  for  food, — "  I  had  certain  portions  of 
the  flesh  cut  out,  and  took  them  with  me  to  the  Infirmary  to  look  at  them  more  nar- 
rowly. I  put  portions  of  them  under  the  microscope  to  see  if  there  was  any  morbid 
appearance,  and  there  was  none.  ....  I  dissected  a  piece  of  the  pleura  in  three 
parts  of  the  cow,  and  cut  sections  of  the  muscles,  and  examined  them  with  the 
microscope,  and  there  was  nothing  but  the  thickening  of  the  pleura,  probably  the 
result  of  inflammatory  action ;  and  the  muscular  tissue  was  quite  healthy.  1  saw  no- 
thing in  the  flesh  of  the  cow  to  indicate  any  unsoundness,  and  it  seemed  to  me  quite 


56  WHOLESOME  AND  UNWHOLESOME  MEAT. 

fit  for  human  food I  cannot  tell  at  what  stage  of  the  disease  the  flesh  becomes 

affected,  but  if  you  show  me  the  flesh,  I  will  tell  you  whether  it  is  normal  or  abnormal." 

Again,  as  respects  Gardiner's  cows  (concerning  which  Dr  Littlejohn,  the  officer 
of  health,  observed: "  For  the  last  ten  years  I  have  examined  almost  every  animal 
that  has  been  condemned  in  Edinburgh ;  a  single  glance  at  one  of  Mr  Gardiner's 
animals  would  have  shown  that  it  had  been  extensively  diseased,")  the  Pathologist  to 
the  Royal  Infirmary  remarked  that  "  he  had  examined  the  carcases  of  the  two  cows  in 
question,  that  he  had  used  the  microscope  in  his  examinations,  and  that  he  considered 
the  flesh  was  quite  sound,  wholesome,  and  marketable ;  "  and  "  by  the  term  whole- 
some, I  mean  tending  to  promote  health.'* 

Whatever  may  be  fir  Stewart's  qualifications  as  a  microscopist,  it  is  clear  to  us 
that  we  should  not  like  to  trust  him  to  buy  our  mutton.  In  this  respect  we  would 
prefei'rather  giving  him  the  **  cold  shoulder  "  than  taking  it  from  him.  Further, 
we  entirely  disagree  with  such  a  doctrine  as  would  teach  that  animal  flesh  which 
under  microscopical  examination  does  not  betray  evident  structural  change  cannot  be 
unwholesome ;  and  such  was  the  opinion  of  Professor  Gamgeb  and  Dr  Littlejohn. 
The  formei"  stated  in  his  cross-examination  that  "  the  microscope  could  not  be  of  the 
least  use  in  examining  the  muscles  in  cases  of  pleuro-pneumonia.  Occasionally  the 
flesh  that  looks  most  beautiful  is  bad,  for  the  appearances  are  often  very  deceptive  ; 
therefore  great  caution  is  required  in  the  inspection.  Defective  nutrition  makes  the 
muscle  pallid  and  thin.'*  The  latter  witness  observed  :  "  I  am  well  acquainted  with 
the  pathological  appearances  in  the  human  body,  and  without  such  experience 
as  I  have  had  during  the  last  ten  years,  I  would  be  perfectly  helpless  in  giving 
an  opinion  regarding  the  cattle  of  Mr  Gardiner.  I  did  not  consider  it  neces- 
sary to  subject  these  animals  to  microscopic  examination,  as  it  would  have  been  a 
mere  case  of  scientific  trifling."  With  these  same  cows  of  friend  Gardiner,  Dr  Wood 
was  equally  delighted.     *'  There  was  no  trace  of  any  disease  whatever  having  extended 

to  the  flesh The  only  methods  of  examining  tissues  known  to  scientific  men 

were  by  the  eye  and  by  the  microscope.  The  microscope  frequently  reveals  morbid 
conditions  of  tissues  which  the  eye  fails  to  observe.  No  scientific  man  would  call  it 
trifling  to  use  the  microscope  to  examine  whether  the  flesh  of  animals  was  diseased. 
He  had  heard  it  called  trifling  by  flippant  people  who  are  ignorant  of  the  use  of  the 
microscope ;  but  he  had  never  heard  a  scientific  man  say  so." 

Dr  Alexander  Wood  will  probably  admit,  however,  that  the  important  question  at 
issue  here  is,  whether  the  flesh  of  an  animal  used  as  food  may  not  be  positively  noxi- 
ous to  the  consumer,  whilst  microscopic  examination  of  its  muscular  tissue  shows  no 
departure  from  a  normal  structural  state  ;  and  not  whether  the  microscope  may  not 
often  reveal  structural  changes  imperceptible  to  the  naked  eye,  and  that  by  it,  and 
by  it  alone,  can  be  detected  certain  organic  lesions  which  cannot  b^  demonstrably 
exposed  by  any  other  method.  To  ridicule  the  general  use  of  the  microscope  in 
examining  supposed  morbid  tissues  is  one  thing ;  and  to  maintain  that  tissues  may 
be  endowed  with  certain  noxious  molecular  activities  which  the  microscope  cannot 
detect  is  another  thing.  We  should  be  amongst  the  last  to  do  the  former,  and 
amongst  the  first  to  do  the  latter.  The  microscope  can  do  much,  but  not  everything. 
It  cannot  show  us  any  stable  and  essential  structural  differences  between  the  pus- 
globules  of  gonorrhoea,  chancre,  small-pox,  and  ophthalmia ;  and  yet  with  what  dif- 
ferent activities  or  vital  forces  are  they  endowed.  Can  it  point  out  wherein  lies  the 
essential  difference,  structurally,  between  the  poison  of  the  cobra  di  capello  and  that 
of  curari  ?  In  fine,  does  not  the  more  advanced  science  of  the  day  lead  us  to  the 
belief  that,  speaking  generally;  every  disease  must  necessarily  have  been  one  of  func- 
tion before  it  can  have  become  one  of  structure  ? — that  the  influence  of  a  vast  num- 
ber of  poisons— i.e.,  azotised  substances  in  states  of  putrefactive  alteration — upon  the 
blood  must  be  regarded  as  rather  dynamical  than  material,  consisting  more  in  the 
propagation  of  force  than  in  the  introduction  or  substitution  of  components  ? 
Changes  of  structure  may  be  detected  by  the  microscope ;  forces,  except  in  the  struc- 
tural lesions  they  give  rise  to,  never.  True  it  is  that  such  is  the  correlation  of  force 
and  matter  that  alterations  of  the  one  would  appear  necessarily  to  involve  modifica- 
tions of  the  other.  But  may  not  a  particular  vital  force  be  stored  up  in  a  structure 
in  a  state  of  tension  as  it  were,  and  to  which  no  transparency  of  vision  can  ever 
penetrate  ?  Be  this  as  it  may,  we  refuse  to  accede  to  the  doctrine  that  flesh-meat 
cannot  be  unwholesome  because  the  microscope  fails  to  detect  any  abnormal  struc- 
tural state  of  the  muscular  tissue. 


BALLANTYME  AND  CO.,  PRINTERS,  EDINBURGH. 


THE  VETERINAEY  EEVIEW 

AND 


OBIGINAL    COHHUNIGATIONS  AND    CASES. 


Remarks  on  Pleuro-Pnevmonia  JEpizootica,  and  its  Relations  to  the 
State  of  the  Foreign  Cattle  Trade.  1864.  By  William  Robert- 
son, Member  of  the  Scottish  Board  of  Examiners  of  the  Royal 
College  of  Veterinary  Surgeons,  Kelso. 

What  is  intended  in  the  subjoined  remarks  is  not  something  new 
regarding  plenro-pneumonia,  either  in  its  nature,  development,  or 
post-mortem  lesions ;  with  these  we  are  all  already  conversant.  And 
I  rather  fear,  however  humiliating  may  be  the  confession,  that  this 
advancement  in  our  knowledge  of  its  nature  has  not  been  productive 
of  a  corresponding  advancemejit  in  the  success  of  our  curative  treat- 
ment. I  am  free  to  confess  that  a  larger  percentage  of  animals  re- 
cover than  in  the  earlier  days  of  its  appearance;  but  whether  this  is 
the  direct  result  of  a  more  rational  therapeutic  treatment  or  the  mere 
sequel  of  our  more  active  interference  being  kept  in  abeyance,  or  that 
the  disease  has  in  iteelf  become  altered  in  type,  I  will  not  stay  to  in- 
quira  Rather  would  I  allow  what  I  have  to  say  to  be  taken  as  so  much 
in  proof  of  the  truth  of  two  points  in  connexion  with  the  disease,  and 
these  probably  the  most  important  because  the  most  practical,  and  of 
which  the  longer  I  am  acquainted  with  it  the  more  I  am  convinced  of 
their  verity.  First,  that  pleuro-pneumonia  is  a  highly  contagious  epi- 
zootic. Second,  that  we  could,  by  many  means,  in  a  few  years  reduce  this 
affection  to  the  minimum  both  of  extent  and  virulence,  could  we  de- 
liver ourselves  from  periodic  fresh  importations  of  the  malady  from 
those  countries  where  it  seems  ever  to  be  in  ascendancy.  Of  the 
truth  of  these  assertions  we  in  the  border  counties  have  had  addi- 
tional proof,  if  this  were  needed,  in  the  prevalence  of  the  epizootic 
and  condition  of  the  foreign  cattle  trade  during  the  year  which  has 
now  closed.  These  coimties  are  more  properly  feeding  than  breeding 
districts — ^as  iregards  cattle — and  thus  we  are  ever  necessitated  to 
have  additions  to  our  existing  stock ;  much  more  frequently  than 
others  diflFerently  circumstanced.  It  is  during  the  autumn  that  these 
additions  are  mostly  made,  preparatory  to  the  animals  being  put  on 
winter  keep ;  and  it  is  at  this  season  also  that  we  have  our  regular 
YoL,  I.— No.  XL— New  Sbbibs.    Fibbuabt  1865.  R 


58  REMABKS  ON  PLEUEO-PNEUMONIA,  ETC. 

visits  of  lung  disease,  or,  if  already  existing,  the  area  of  its  existence 
is  much  widened.  There  are  two  dates  in  the  history  of  pleuro- 
pneumonia during  the  last  twelve  years  in  these  districts,  at  which  it 
was  much  more  prevalent  than  it  had  been  for  years  before,  and  when 
the  cause  of  this  increase  was  easily  and  clearly  traceable  to  the  presence 
of  an  extra  number  of  diseased  foreign  cattle.  Those  periods  were,  first, 
dui'ing  the  latter  part  of  1848  and  beginning  of  1849;  and,  second, 
during  the  autumn  and  winter  of  1864.  It  was  at  the  former  of  these 
dates  that  I  first  met  with  foreign  cattle  in  numbers.  They  were  at  that 
time,  as  also  last  season,  apparently  from  the  Low  Countries,  mostly 
queys,  and  of  the  same  colour  (white  and  black.)  They  would  certainly 
have  paid  the  feeder  well  if  they  had  kept  free  from  disease.  Previous 
to  their  appearance  the  district  was  very  free  from  the  epizootic.  Shortly 
following  their  location  we  had  a  most  violent  outbreak  of  the  disease, 
which,  beginning  with  the  foreign  stock,  spread  to  the  home-bred 
animals,  and  was  in  both  cases  very  fatal.  I  shall  only  detail  two 
individual  outbreaks  of  the  disease  at  this  period,  as  showing  the 
manner  of  its  propagation,  and  indicating  slightly  the  loss  sustained. 

In  September  1858,  Mr  A purchased  somewhere  about  a  score 

of  foreigners,  average  specimens  of  their  class.  There  had  been  no 
pleuro-pneumonia  about  his  farm  for  years,  nor  any  that  I  was 
aware  of  in  those  adjoining.  His  cattle  were  all  in  good  health  when 
the  Dutch  ones  were  taken  home.  For  three  weeks  all  went  well :  at 
this  stage  one  animal  was  taken  ill,  and  after  four  days  succumbed. 
Post-mortem  examination  revealed  hepatization  of  one  lung,  with 
extensive  adhesions  and  fiuid  in  the  thorax;  that  same  week  two 
more  were  seized  and  terminated  as  the  first.  This  state  of  matters 
continued  for  a  month,  during  which  time  there  were  eight  deaths  from 
this  lot  of  cattle.  At  this  period  the  remainder  were  disposed  of  .No 
treatment  had  been  adopted  in  any  case :  I  had  been  simply  asked  to 
give  an  opinion  as  to  the  nature  of  the  disease.  From  fourteen  days 
to  three  weeks  from  the  outbreak  of  the  malady  amongst  the  im- 
ported cattle,  the  first  case  of  pleuro-pneumonia  declared  itself 
amongst  the  milch  cows  in  the  place.  There  had  been  free  and 
uninterrupted  contact  with  the  former,  ever  since  their  arrival,  being 
with  them  daily  at  the  water  and  in  the  strawyard;  the  cow  byre  is  also 
in  close  proximity  to  the  curtain  where  the  foreign  stock  was  housed. 
February  1859,  the  disease  still  continued  amongst  the  stock  All 
the  cows  were  affected,  and  either  died  or  were  sold  for  fear  they 
should  die.  Pleuro-pneumonia  has  not,  during  this  period,  been  in 
any  of  the  immediately  adjoining  farms. 

Case  second.     Mr  B obtains  eight  foreign  cattle.     He  has 

never  had  lung  disease  amongst  his  stock,  which  are  at  present 
healthy.  After  being  on  the  farm  for  a  few  weeks,  pleuro-pneumonia 
shows  itself,  three  of  this  number  die,  and  the  malady  seems  arrested. 
Contrary  to  my  advice,  the  remaining  five  are  brought  to  the  home- 
stead and  placed  amongst  a  lot  of  store  cattle:  these  were  imperfectly 
separated  from  an  adjoining  lot  of  fat  cattle.    Fourteen  days  after 


EWirAKKS  ON  PLEUBO-PNIUMOKIA,  BTC.  59 

being  brought  here  the  first  case  of  pleura  shows  itself  amongst  the 
latter.  From  that  time  to  midsommer  1859,  cases  of  the  disease  were 
repeatedly  showing  themselres  in  both  store  and  fat  cattle. 

No  plenro-pnenmonia  ocearred  at  the  immediately  adjoining  farms. 
Veiy  much  similar  in  all  details  to  its  predecessor  has  been  the 
visit  of  the  epizootic  of  1864.  During  the  early  part  of  the  summer, 
and  for  some  time  previously,  there  had  been  Uttle  pleuro-pneumonia 
in  the  district.  Not  that  we  were  entirely  free  from  the  disease,  for 
where  so  many  hold  stock,  some  must  of  necessity  be  changing  and 
importing  firesh  animals,  the  liability  of  which  to  be  diseased  is  much 
greater  than  when  home-bred. 

About  midsummer,  the  first  of  a  large  influx  of  foreign  cattle, 
dmilar  to  those  mentioned  as  appearing  in  numbers  in  1848,  began  in 
oar  markets.    From  what  I  had  seen  on  former  occasions,  I  antici- 
pated a  fresh  outbreak  of  pleuro-pneumonia  amongst,  at  least,  the  new 
importations,  and  was  not  disappointed.     Of  the  very  numerous  lots 
disposed  of,  I  do  not  think  there  was  one  which  has  proved  free  from 
the  disease ;  although  one  dealer,  in  his  seeming  confidence  of  their 
soundness,    gave   many  a  guarantee  of  their  immunity  from  the 
disease  for  six  months.     Many  who  invested  in  these  animals  lost     * 
sefoely.    Most,  if  not  all,  were  first  affected  with  the  foot  and  mouth 
disease,  and  some  were  a  considerable  time  ere  pleuro-pneumonia 
showed  itself  amongst  them.     There  is  one  point  worthy  of  remark 
in  reference  to  this  last  outbreak,  which  is,  that  it  has  not  extended 
in  the  same  degree  as  its  predecessors  to  other  stock  than  those  with 
which  it  originated :   this  I  believe  may  be  accounted  for  by  knowing 
that  greater  care  had  been  taken  than  formerly  to  keep  the  foreign 
stock  separate  from  the  home-bred.     Still,  even  when  confined  to 
the  stock  purchased,  the  loss  has  been  considerable,  the  deaths  in 
many  cases  amounting  to  one-fourth,  at  which  point  the  remainder 
were  removed — ^to  where  and  with  what  result  I  am  not  able  to  state. 
This  stock  I  believe  were  this  season  mostly  landed  at  the  port  of 
London,  and  forwarded  to  our  Border  markets  by  rail ;  but  the  evil 
does  not  stop  with  contaminated  railway  carriages ;  the  damage  is  in- 
definitely extended  over  the  district  from  the  travelling  along  and 
resting  upon  our  country  roads,  to  accommodate  our  local  fairs  and 
weddy  markets.     The  fences  separating  our  fields  from  the  parish 
and  turnpike  roads  are  seldom  or  never  sufficient  to  prevent  animals 
Irisurely  passing  along  the  latter  having  direct  contact  with  such 
stock  as  may  be  pastured  in  the  fields  adjoining.     Now  I  am  not  of 
the  opinion  that  our  breeders  or  feeders  of  stock  are  indifferent  to  the 
eonsideration  of  this  scourge.   I  rather  suspect,  could  they  be  canvassed, 
there  would  be  few  dissenting  voices  to  the  assertion,  that  of  all 
affoetions  incident  to  cattle,  pleuro-pneumonia  is  the  one  they  have 
most  to  dread.   To  be  indifferent  to  its  consideration  is  to  be  indifferent 
to  their  own  interests.     More  meat  and  more  manure  is  certainly  the 
cry  which  is  heard  loudest  from  the  ablest  of  our  agriculturists — ^thoaa 
whose  eyes  are  open  to  the  requirements  of  the  day.    1\i^  ^to^w^^'Ql 


60  RKMARK3  ON  PLKUEO-PNEUMONIA,  ETC. 

of  grain  is,  and  has  been  for  some  time,  a  matter  of  secondary  im- 
portance. The  most  approved  methods  whereby  the  greatest  amount 
of  beef  and  mutton  may  be  produced  from  a  given  number  of  acres, 
have  by  far  the  best  chance  of  gaining  a  hearing  from  our  British 
farmers.  In  truth,  we  seem  but  to  be  in  the  infancy  of  our  know-, 
ledge  and  appliances  in  much  that  concerns  the  feedmg  of  animals. 
I  have  ever  thought  that  it  is  an  extremely  hard  condition  that  the 
man  who  is  so  smartly  treated,  if  attempting  to  dispose  of  his  ox, 
which  has  become  a  victim  of  pleuro-pneumonia,  should  receive  so 
little  assistance  from  that  same  law  which  pimishes,  in  the  protection 
of  his  stock  from  the  influence  of  disease.  More,  that  it  is  decidedly 
unfair  to  permit  the  dissemination  of  diseased  cattle  over  the  entire 
country,  and  then  punish  those  who,  from  no  fault  or  mismanage- 
ment of  their  own,  are  endeavouring  to  make  the  most  of  a  misfortune. 
I  do  not  put  this  forward  as  a  plea  for  the  trafiic  in  diseased  animal 
food,  but  merely  state  the  case  as  it  may  be  viewed  by  any  one  from 
an  imprejudiced  point  of  view.  Nor  can  I  understand,  on  the  other 
hand,  how  our  stockowners  have  been  so  apt  to  fancy  that  those  who 
have  approached  this  subject  with  a  view  to  a  calm  investigation  of  its 
causes  and  remedy  were  so  many  bitter  foes  leagued  against  their  in- 
terests. No  doubt,  in  the  consideration  of  this  question  there  are  many 
difficulties  ;  but  why  should  these  be  deemed  insurmountable  ?  An 
inspection  of  imported  cattle,  it  is  understood,  does  exist ;  but  it  is 
evidently  worthless  for  the  accomplishment  of  the  end  in  view.  Nor 
will  any  mere  inspection  ever  succeed  much  better.  The  most  that 
any  inspection,  without  some  quarantine,  can  accomplish  is  the 
detection  and  detention  of  the  actually  diseased  ;  but  in  how  many 
instances  are  animals  passed  as  sound  in  which  the  disease  is  latent, 
not  to  be  developed  in  obvious  symptoms  for  many  weeks,  and  under 
favourable  circumstances  ?  Doubtless,  many  will  say,  we  may  as  well 
prohibit  the  importation  of  foreign  cattle  as  establish  a  quarantine 
sufficient  to  guard  against  the  contamination  of  pleuro-pneumonia. 
I  doubt  it ;  but  if  it  should  be  so,  rather  let  us  have  no  importation 
of  live  stock  than  have  the  periodic  outbreaks  of  this  direful  scourge, 
as  we  have  already  experienced  them.  For  there  are  considerable 
doubts  if  we  do  not  lose  more  stock  from  this  one  disease  alone 
than  aU  the  animals  we  import.  And  while  remarking  on  this,  I 
have  much  thought  upon  the  value  of  statistics  bearing  on  the  point 
at  issue ;  for  I  am  sure,  if  their  collection  were  instituted  in  a  proper 
manner,  and  by  some  body  in  whom  the  stockowners  of  this  country 
have  confidence,  the  desired  information  would  be  most  readily  given. 
Much  has  been  said  on  this  subject  of  pleuro-pneumonia  in  all  its 
bearings,  I  am  aware ;  and  much  expressed,  more  strongly  than  wisely. 
Many  deny  its  contagious  nature  entirely ;  and  others  there  are  who 
as  completely  exonerate  those  animals  we  have  referred  to  from  any 
share  in  its  propagation.  K  my  memory  serves  me  correctly,  I  fancy 
that  one  gentleman,  a  large  live  stock-agent  and  extensive  importer  of 
foreign  cattle,  gave  it  as  his  experience,  when  examined  before  the 


VSTEBINABT  BEOOBDS.  61 

parliamentary  committee  lately,  that  he  never  had  seen  a  case  of 
plenro-pneumonia  amongst  foreign  cattle,  referring,  I  believe,  to  the 
very  Dutch  animals  we  have  noticed.  How  this  can  be  I  am  at  a  loss 
to  understand. 

I  cannot  see  how  any  amount  of  individual  and  associated  exertion 
will  ever  perceptibly  reduce  the  mortality  in  stock  so  long  as  the 
indiscriminate  importation  and  distribution  over  the  country  of 
cattle  afflicted  with  pleuro-pneumonia  is  allowed.  It  is  from  our 
legislature  that  we  must  look  for  any  assistance  worth  being  enter- 
tained; while  it  may  not  be  far  distant  when  even  this  question 
will  h^  forced  on  the  consideration  of  government,  however  unwillingly 
— ^forced  on  them,  because  in  it  is  involved  much  of  the  solution  of 
another;,  and  more  readily  understood  as  important — How  is  our 
increasing  population  to  find  a  suitable  and  pecuniarily  reasonable 
supply  of  animal  food  ? 


Veterinary  Records.    By  G.  Armatage,  V.S.  to  the  Marchioness 
of  Londonderry. 

TUBEECULOSIS,  ACCOMPANIED  WITH  EXTENSIVE  CHRONIC  DISEASE 

IN  A  COW. 

A  FINE  bred,  attenuated-looking,  short-horn  cow,  having  been  put  to 
feed,  and  moderate  progress  made  during  the  succeeding  two  months, 
on  Sunday,  13th  March,  of  the  present  year,  was  reported  unwelL 

Symptoms. — Pulse  105,  small,  weak,  and  compressible,  felt  only  to 
advantage  at  the  brachial  artery. 

Horns,  ears,  and  extremities  cold  as  clay ;  mouth  hot,  nose  dry. 
There  are  indications  of  acute  internal  pain, — e.g,,  head  protruded, 
mouth  open,  tongue  hanging  loose,  drivelling  of  a  ropy  saliva  from 
the  lower  jaw ;  protruded^  blood-shot  eyes,  and  general  wild  appear- 
ance. A  long  groan  is  uttered,  which  terminates  in  a  spasmodic  in- 
spiration, and  hard,  dry,  painful,  convulsive  cough. 

Considering  it  probable  that  a  piece  of  turnip  supplied  to  the 
animals  had  become  lodged  in  the  oesophagus,  within  the  thorax,  the 
probang  was  passed,  which  let  off  a  small  quantity  of  gas,  and 
afforded  temporary  relief,  symptoms,  however,  speedily  being  re- 
established. 

The  rumen  was  found  to  be  moderately  filled  with  food,  and  as  felt 
in  the  flank,  the  contents,  although  stiff,  were  compressible,  but  no 
distention  from  gas  had  taken  place,  nor  did  pressure  on  the  viscus 
induce  pain. 

The  third  stomach  could  not  be  felt  even  after  prolonged  and 
repeated  examination,  which  dispelled  the  idea  of  its  being  im- 
pacted 

A  farther  examination  at  this  juncture  was  prevented  b^  m^  \iw\w.^ 


62  YETEBINABY  BECOBDS. 

an  urgent  call     I  left  the  assistant  to  make  up  and  administer  the 
following : — 

5^  Magnes.  Snip.,  §•  x.  vj. 
Hydrarq.  Chlor.,  3.  ji. 
01.  Crotonis,  gutt.  xxx. 
Zingib  pulv.,  |.  ij. 
To  be  given  in  warm  ale,  and  succeeded  in  two  hours  by  a  dose  of 
ammon.  carb. 

After  the  second  dose,  which  followed  the  first  at  an  interval  of  four 
iours,  the  pulse  was  reduced  to  84,  being  fuller  and  stronger,  with  a 
slight  diminution  of  all  the  other  symptoms.  , 

On  auscultation,  the  lungs  appeared  pervious,  but  the  action  upcm 
the  contained  air  evidently  depended  upon  some  other  causes  tiian 
pressure  from  the  rumen  and  its  contents;  each  expiration  being 
completed  by  a  slow  and  careful  process,  accompanied  by  the  peculiar 
groan  of  suffering,  which  rendered  this  mode  of  examination  much 
more  diflBcult  to  prosecute  with  exactness,  and  rarely  possible  except 
during  an  inspiration. 

Percussion  favoured  the  idea  of  adhesion,  a  heavy  dull  sound  being 
emitted  on  the  right  side.  On  the  succeeding  morning,  the  14th,  the 
bowels,  which  had  exhibited  great  irregularity  in  their  functions,  now 
gave  indications  of  being  imder  the  influence  of  the  medicines  ad- 
ministered, copious  streams  of  a  dirty  straw-coloured  fluid  coming 
away  in  rapid  succession,  without  the  least  pain  or  tenesmus,  but  on 
the  contrary,  rather  passively  than  otherwise.  The  pulse  is  84,  fuller 
and  soft ;  less  power,  and  a  greater  equalisation  of  temperature,  and 
other  symptoms  as  before.  Throughout  the  day,  after  oft-repeated 
visits,  up  to  the  latest  hour  at  night,  no  improvement  of  importance 
has  taken  place  beyond  what  has  been  related. 

She  drinks  but  little,  hay  tea  being  allowed ;  and  in  the  way  of  food, 
hay  only  would  be  consumed,  and  in  quantities  which  I  considered 
prudent  to  withhold,  and  allow  only  small  portions  of  the  best. 

The  stimulant  medicine  ordered  to  be  continued  every  six  hours. 

J.5tk — No  change ;  symptoms  as  before — no  fermentation  from  the 
contents  of  the  rumen.  The  continued  fluid  evacuations,  which  escape 
from  the  small  intestines,  induced  me  to  form  the  opinion  that  the 
medicine  administered  was  passing  off  without  entering  the  first 
stomach. 

How  far  I  was  correct  in  this  supposition,  will  be  apparent  from 
one  or  two  facts  to  be  noticed. 

The  peculiar  groan,  and  convulsive  sob-like  accompaniments, 
aroused  an  ardent  curiosity  within  me,  and  I  earnestly  sought  for  a 
conclusive  explanation.  The  chest  was  again  searchingly  explored, 
the  soimds  emitted  from  which  were  considerably  interfered  with  by 
the  expiratory  groan,  and  inspiratory  gasp  as  before. 

Percussion  revealed  nothing  more  than  previously  over  the  thoracic 
regions  ;  but  when  carried  backwards  on  the  left  side  on  the  superior 
arch  of  the  ribs^  symptoms  of  pain  were  manifest,  which  increased  in 


VETEEINAEy  EECOBDS.  63 

proportion  to  the  amonnt  of  force  used,  and  producing  at  each  time 
the  hard,  dry,  convulsive, — in  fact  purely  diaphragmatic — cough,  and  its 
general  accompaniments,  the  painful  excitement,  which  took  consider- 
able time  to  subside. 

In  following  the  spine  forwards,  and  the  arches  of  the  ribs  on  the 
right  side,  the  effects  of  each  blow  would  be  strikingly  apparent  as  far 
as  the  shoulders,  particularly  when  the  closed  fist  was  used. 

During  a  lengthened  examination  of  my  patient,  and  rigorous  in- 
terrogation of  tiie  cow-mau,  I  learned,  as  I  thought,  new  facts.  As 
the  effects  of  percussion  were  mostly  witnessed  over  the  hepatic 
region^  I  considered  it  most  probable  the  liver  was  involved  in  chronic 
disease,  and  the  cough  a  result  of  nervous  disturbance, — a  conclusion 
which  appeared  to  account  for  the  greater  effects  of  pressure  from 
the  rumen,  which  has  not  undergone  any  change  in  its  general 
characters,  nor  of  that  state  or  appearance  to  justify  the  adoption  of 
surgical  means  for  the  removal  of  its  contents. 

The  animal  had  rapidly  lost  flesh;  and  as  the  hope  of  cure  was  far 
distant,  she  was  looked  upon  more  as  an  object  about  which  some 
useful  information  was  to  be  gleaned,  than  capable  of  affording  much 
satisfaction  from  a  line  of  treatment,  the  accuracy  of  which  would  be 
in  a  great  measure  questionable. 

I  meref ore  spent  several  hours  in  the  byre  during  the  day,  eagerly 
watching  the  symptoms,  my  attention  being  particularly  drawn  to 
the  action  of  the  bowels. 

I  noticed,  or  thought  I  did,  on  entering  the  byre,  that  linseed  and 
other  matters  pass  which  had  only  been  administered  the  previous 
evening.  Accordingly,  to  test  the  correctness  of  the  supposition, 
necessary  precautions  were  instituted,  which  resulted  in  collecting 
small  quantities  of  hay  which  had  scarcely  experienced  the  effects  of 
digestive  action,  together  with  linseed  and  unground  carraway  and 
aniseeds,  given  with  the  powders  of  ammonia,  by  the  assistant  only, 
as  before  observed,,  the  day  previous.  I' now  also  concluded  some 
impediment  existed  at  the  entrance  to  the  rumen ;  but  remembered 
the  ease  with  which  the  probang  passed  in  the  first  instance.  It  was 
however  again  used,  when  pain  was  plainly  observed  to  be  produced, 
both  on  entering  the  organ  as  well  as  during  its  withdrawal,  the  bulb 
being  plugged  with  froth,  mucous,  and  masticated  sour  food,  totally 
unlike  any  that  had  come  away  by  the  intestines. 

The  propriety  of  removing  the  contents  of  the  rumen  was  again 
discussed  in  my  mmd,  as  much  with  a  view  of  exploration,  and  con- 
firmation of  my  opinion,  as  anything  else,  but  overruled  by  reigning 
powers.  Instead,  a  severe  blister  was  applied  over  the  arches  of  the 
ribs,  and  a  dose  of  cathartic  medicine  given, — the  base  being  sodii 
chloridum,  followed  by  acid,  hydrochlor.  with  extr.  tarraxaci. 

16th. — ^The  blister  has  not  acted  so  well  as  its  composition, 
ol  lyttse,  c.  oL  crotonis,  suggested  it  should  have  done.  The 
bowels  have  acted  inordinately,  and  shortly  after  the  drench  being 
administered. 


64  VETEEINAKY  RECORDS. 

Thirst  is  excessive  ;  the  rumen  evidently  not  affected  in  the  least, 
and  seeds  given  in  the  drench  yesterday  evening,  coming  away  in 
the  copious  fluid  evacuations. 

The  pulse  rose  to  130  by  the  18th,  and  all  symptoms  increased 
in  severity.  Ammon.  carb.  was  again  resorted  to,  which  speedily 
gave  relief  and  brought  down  the  pulse  to  84,  indicating  great 
regularity,  but  having  a  peculiar  vibration  or  rhythm  succeeding 
each  beat. 

Greatest  relief  being  afforded  by  this  stimulant,  it  was  continued 
every  six  hours ;  each  day  now  showing  the  animal  was  gradually 
becoming  rapidly  nearer  her  end. 

On  the  24th,  further  treatment  was  discontinued,  as  the  mouth 
and  fauces  shewed  the  effects  of  the  ammonia,  and  considered  to 
augment  the  sufferings  of  the  animal 

Late  on  the  night  of  the  25th  or  morning  of  the  26th,  she  died, 
evidently  without  a  struggle. 

During  this  protracted  case  the  pulse  never  fell  below  84,  nor 
assumed  any  greater  tone  or  volume  than  at  first ;  and  the  respira- 
tion was  never  hurried,  although  symptoms  of  oppression  were  evi- 
dent. The  temperature  of  the  body  and  extremities,  if  stimulants 
were  not  persisted  in,  would  rapidly  fall,  and  become  intense. 

The  animal  would  lie  down  occasionally,  but  not  for  any  great 
length  of  time,  the  act  of  changing  her  position  being  attended 
with  great  pain,  the  convulsive  cough  and  groan  being  produced 
in  all  their  painful  severity,  which  lasted  some  time,  particularly  at 
the  close  of  the  case. 

The  bowels  continued  throughout  to  pass  a  thin  fluid,  in  which 
from  time  to  time  were  found  the  various  articles  given  but  shortly 
previous  to  that:  as  matters  thus  progressed,  and  various  conditions 
accurately  noted,  the  conviction  that  some  extensive  disease  was  going 
on  within  became  stronger, — the  precise  nature  of  which,  however, 
from  symptoms  ambiguous  in  their  character,  or  otherwise  modified 
by  co-existent  circumstances,  I  could  not  determine. 

On  the  26th,  an  examination  of  the  body  was  made. 

Externally  the  animal  has  wasted  much ;  the  parotid  and  con- 
tiguous glands,  which  have  increased  in  size  within  the  past  forty- 
eight  hours,  becoming  painful  to  the  touch,  are  now  very  plainly 
visible. 

Internally  much  adipose  tissue  is  present,  particularly  on  the 
rumen  and  intestines. 

The  former  viscus  was  not  over-distended,  and  contained  a  fair 
quantity  of  masticated  hay  and  ground  com.  The  latter  had  been 
supplied  up  to  her  iUness;  the  whole  of  which  was  rolled  together 
in  one  complete  mass,  firmly  adherent  by  means  of  the  secretions  of 
the  stomach. 

The  spleen  was  but  little  altered  in  structure ;  one-half,  however, 
was  attached  to  the  rumen  by  adventitious  membranes. 

The  liver  was  found  to  be  in  a  most  extreme  state  of  disorganisa- 


VETEBINABT  BECOBDS.  65 

tion^  scarcely  a  particle  of  its  natural  structure  being  recognisable : 
in  parts,  of  a  grayish-red  colour,  condensed,  or  otherwise  congested, 
and  its  tissue  in  a  state  bordering  on  gangrene. 

It  was  considerably  altered  in  shape,  and  firmly  adherent  to  the 
diaphragm  by  a  mass  of  tubercular  deposit  in  the  form  of  a  multi- 
tude of  knotty  enlargements.  The  gall  bladder  was  dilated,  and  con- 
tained about  a  pint  of  dark  green  fluid. 

When  the  liver  was  removed,  it  weighed  331bs. 

The  lungs  were  attached  to  the  right  side  of  the  chest,  bottom, 
whole  course  of  the  spine,  and  diaphragm  by  a  similar  adventitious 
product  to  that  found  between  the  liver  and  diaphragm,  which  also 
lay  in  very  large  quantities  around  the  trachea,  within  the  thorax, 
bronchia,  oesophagus,  down  to  the  stomach  and  base  of  the  heart. 
The  substance  of  the  lungs  was  pervious,  but  emphysematous,  darker 
in  colour  than  natural,  and  mottled.  Between  the  lobes  lay  a  large 
pillar  of  tubercular  matter,  extending  their  whole  length. 

The  heart  was  larger  than  natural,  ventricles  dilated,  and  atrophied 
in  their  walls ;  each  cavity  and  the  arteries  for  some  distance  being 
filled  with  a  clot  of  coagulated  blood. 

The  thoracic  viscera,  with  the  diaphragm,  from  which  they  could 
not  be  fully  dissected,  weighed  75  pounds. 

Tracing  the  course  of  disease  along  the  spine  from  the  liver  pos- 
teriorly, it  was  found  to  involve  the  eras  of  the  diaphragm,  and 
connected  with  a  large  ovoid  tumour,  weighing  51bs.,  embedded  in 
fat,  anteriorly  to  the  right  kidney,  and  contiguous  to  the  liver  and 
^sophagean  canal. 

This  body  was  enclosed  in  a  covering  of  peritoneum  ;  blood  vessels 
were  seen  to  enter,  and  when  cut,  it  was  found  to  be  composed  of 
cells  filled  with  blood,  undergoing  changes,  some  containing  a  yellow 
matter  not  unlike  pus,  others  a  stiff,  deep  yellow,  pasty  substance  of  a 
cheesy  consistence. 

The  right  kidney  was  double  its  natural  size,  emphysematous, 
disorganised,  and  contained  froth  only;  in  fact  it  resembled  cellular 
tissue  more  than  any  other  thing,  and  weighed  3lbs.  and  half  an  ounce. 
Left  kidney  of  great  size,  but  apparently  healthy,  weighed  51bs.  and 
half  an  oimce.  Tumours,  varying  in  size  from  a  horsebean  to  that 
of  a  cricket  ball,  occupied  the  course  of  the  oesophagus  to  the  rumen, 
containing  a  deep  ochre-coloured  matter,  of  a  cheesy  consistence,  with 
calcareous  admixtures. 

The  cuticular  coat  of  the  rumen  peeled  off  easily.  The  contents 
of  the  second,  third,  and  fourth  stomachs  were  mostly  fluid,  and 
contained  linseed  and  aromatic  seeds  given  during  her  illness.  The 
maxillary,  sublingual,  and  parotid  glands  contained  the  same  cheesy- 
looking  matter,  which  was  found  in  other  parts  described,  in  large 
quantities,  the  principal  structure  being  absent  in  greater  part. 

Memarks, — I  have  purposely  given  in  minute  detail  the  particu- 
lars of  this  highly  interesting  case:  and  little  remains  for  me  to  add 
by  way  of  comment. 


66  VETERINARY  RECORDS. 

The  general  appearance  of  the  animal  from  the  first  convinced  me 
that  her  constitution  was  not  of  the  most  perfect ;  and  my  opinions 
were  freely  expressed  as  to  her  being  decidedly  of  a  scrofulous  nature. 

Formerly  she  was  owned  by  a  person  who  carried  on  a  dairy  of 
nineteen  or  twenty  cows  in  the  city  of  Durham,  and  about  two  years 
ago  was  purchased  at  a  sale  of  the  whole,  when  the  establishment 
was  broken  up,  by  a  small  farmer  in  our  neighbourhood,  and  the 
animal  was  still  used  for  milking  purposes. 

She  is  said  to  have  been  in  very  fair  condition  when  purchased, 
and  continued  so  for  two  years,  up  to  the  time  of  her  removal  to  our 
feeding  byre.  Here  she  was  supplied  with  the  best  of  food  ad  libitum, 
and  appeared  to  make  very  great  progress ;  but  her  high  state  of 
breeding,  delicate  form  and  organization,  had  doubtless  suffered  not 
a  little  from  the  extreme  differences  of  treatment  to  which  she  had 
been  subjected,  first  in  the  city  dairy,  and  afterwards  in  the  poor 
farmer's  byre, — states  as  widely  different  from  each  other  as  it  is  pos- 
sible to  imagine,  added  to  which  the  high  stimulating  diet  and 
heated  atmosphere  of  a  feeding  place  in  which  twenty-four  others 
were  tied  up,  and  proper  principles  of  ventilation  not  thoroughly 
carried  out. 

The  contents  of  the  rumen  after  death  clearly  showed  that  no 
additions  had  been  made  to  them  since  the  commencement  of  her 
illness ;  as,  notwithstanding  that  extreme  doses  of  purgative  medicine 
had  been  given,  and  large  quantities  of  fluid  had  passed  through  the 
gullet,  with  admixtures  which  could  not  be  mistaken,  not  a  particle 
could  be  found  in  that  organ ;  nor  had  the  contents  been  in  the  least 
degree  moistened  by  any  fluids  given.  The  only  conclusion  which  I 
can  give  for  this  unnatural  condition  is,  that  the  tumour, — which 
measured  about  seven  inches  in  its  long,  and  four  and  a-half  in  the 
short  axis,  imbedded  in  a  large  mass  of  fat  anterior  to  the  right  kidney 
— had  interfered  with  the  passage  of  food  or  medicines  to  the  rumen 
by  direct  pressure ;  for,  in  turning  over  the  viscus  before  removal, 
that  portion  of  the  stomach  where  the  oesophagus  enters,  came  into 
direct  apposition  with  the  mass  of  fat  in  which  the  tumour  and 
emphysematous  kidney  were  found. 

Probably,  also,  the  diseased  condition  of  the  outer  part  of  the  oeso- 
phagus, extending  to  the  canal  and  pillars,  would  also  minister  to  a 
great  extent  to  the  occurrence  by  an  effect  upon  the  muscular  fibres, 
as  well  as  the  condition  of  the  organ  itself  under  the  influence  of  the 
contents. 


VENTRAL  HERNIA  IN  A  FOAL.    By  the  Same. 

I  WAS  called  on  the  8th  of  September  1856,  about  6  A.M.,  to  see  a 
foal  about  four  months  old,  which  had  been  injured  in  its  endeavours 
to  jump  a  wall,  across  which  it  was  firmly  arrested,  and  found  in  that 
position. 


YETESIKABY  BEOOBDS.  67 

The  yoimg  creature  stands  with  an  anxious  expression  of  counte- 
nance. There  is  occasional  internal  pain,  with  a  desire  to  stand 
stretching  and  putting  the  hind  legs  widely  apart ;  respiration  acce- 
lerated slightly,  penis  considerably  elongated,  and  hanging  near  the 
ground ;  t£e  glands  being  partially  protruded  from  a  side  opening,  but 
evidently  not  under  such  pressure  as  to  cause  inconvenience.  In  a 
short  time  urination  was  effected  without  difficulty. 

The  tumified  parts  hang  within  a  few  inches  of  the  ground,  but 
are  not  hot  or  tender ;  when  pressure  is  applied  no  diminution  takes 
place,  and  resembles  a  bladder  moderately  distended  with  air. 

The  animal  was  cast  by  means  of  two  halters  placed  on  his  back, 
and  during  a  stru^le  the  tumour  disappeared  entirely ;  but  all  en- 
deavours to  find  the  opening  through  which  the  intestines  had  pro- 
truded were  fruitless.  I  endeavoured  to  pass  my  hand  up  the  rectum, 
but  failed  from  the  size — my  patient  being  about  ten  hands  high, — 
to  obtain  any  actual  information  as  to  the  situation  of  the  rupture. 
He  was  allowed  to  rise,  when  it  returned  in  a  short  time,  but  not  so 
large  as  before.  A  dose  of  cathartic  medicine  was  given,  and  after 
failing  to  adjust  a  temporary  pad  to  prevent  the  reappearance  of  the 
hernia,  left  to  procure  one  specially,  if  possible,  adapted  to  the  purpose. 

Next  day  I  had  him  again  cast,  with  the  same  result  as  before, 
— bowels  have  acted  well,  and  the  animal  looks  himself. 

Still  being  unable  to  detect  the  real  seat  of  rupture,  the  pad  which 
had  been  constructed  could  not  be  made  of  service.  When  my 
patient  was  cast  the  tumour  disappeared  ;  but  when  allowed  to  rise 
with  the  apparatus  adjusted,  I  was  again  disheartened  to  see  the 
tumour  slowly  develop  itself,  but  not  quite  so  largely  as  before. 

The  creature  being  very  passive  from  frequent  previous  handling, 
he  would  allow  the  owner  and  his  son  to  place  him  on  his  side,  or  lift 
him  up,  without  struggling,  which  materially  facilitated  the  examina- 
tions and  endeavours  to  adjust  the  pad,  with  a  view  of  producing 
pressure  to  the  opening. 

At  this  time  I  had  the  assistance  of  a  professional  friend  and 
college  companion,  who,  like  myself,  was  compelled  to  arrive  only  at 
a  conjecture  as  to  the  probable  situation  of  the  orifice.  The  hind 
legs  were  raised  by  litter,  tumour  reduced  and  pressure  once  more 
applied  ;  and  all  appeared  to  go  tolerably  well  until  the  20th,  when, 
after  exhibiting  signs  of  abdominal  pain — ^for  some  hours,  for  which 
homely  and  other  remedies  at  hand  were  applied  without  afibrding 
relief — I  was  again  called  in  sufficient  time  to  witness  the  act  of 
vomition,  which  shortly  preceded  death.  An  examination  of  the 
body  took  place  next  day  at  noon. 

After  the  skin  was  removed,  the  sheath  of  the  penis  was  slit  open 
and  penis  turned  backwards.  That  portion  nearest  the  abdomen, 
which  had  been  forced  downwards  with  the  intestines,  to  which  it 
had  formed  the  sac,  was  found  to  be  very  loosely  attached  to  the 
JEMchia  above,  and  an  interposition  of  effosed  lymph  and  changes 
bordering  on  gangrene,  having  proceeded  to  some  extent. 


68  VETEEINAEY  EECOEDS. 

About  midway  from  the  extremity  of  the  sheath  anteriorly,  to  the 
pelvis  posteriorly,  was  a  longitudinal  slit  in  the  linea  alba,  which  was 
partly  closed  by  the  products  of  inflammation. 

On  opening  this  orifice  with  the  scalpel,  the  same  signs  of  disease 
extended  along  obliquely  towards  the  left  flank,  for  the  space  of 
several  inches,  terminating  in  a  second  opening  in  the  oblique  muscles 
of  the  abdomen  and  faschia  transversalis. 

A  knuckle  of  intestine  occupied  this  orifice,  to  which  it  had  be- 
come imited  in  the  process  of  inflammation,  from  which  the  act  of 
vomition  had  undoubtedly  arisen. 

In  looking  at  the  size  of  each  orifice,  it  surprised  me  much  that 
so  large  a  tumour  could  have  been  developed,  particularly  when  the 
intestines  had  to  make  such  an  indirect  course.  This  also  will  ac- 
count for  the  fact  that  it  was  irreducible  when  the  animal  was  stand- 
ing, and  go  far  to  explain  why  the  openings  could  not  be  detected. 
The  penis  and  sheath  also,  with  the  connecting  cellular  tissue  which 
is  met  with  in  this  part,  and  the  rupture  being  indirect,  or  only 
through  one  portion  of  the  parieties,  while  the  other  was  left  to  act 
as  a  covering,  were  also  obstacles  to  a  complete  diagnosis. 

However  complete  an  opinion  might  have  been  formed,  when 
acted  upon,  there  were  grave  impediments  in  the  way  of  operating 
successfully. 

If  the  first  or  outer  woimd  beneath  the  penis  had  been  detected 
and  closed,  still  the  internal  wound,  through  muscles  torn  extensively 
and  irregularly,  yet  not  affording  a  larger  orifice  than  would  admit 
a  couple  of  fingers,  would  offer  such  obstacles,  that  if  even  the  after 
descent  of  the  intestines  were  provided  against,  peritonitis,  and  union 
of  the  various  parts  by  the  resulting  inflammation,  would  probably 
have  resulted.  In  fact,  the  internal  wound  was  attended  with  exten- 
sive laceration  of  muscular  fibre  and  destruction  of  vitality  in  the 
parts,  sloughing  having  commenced. 

The  pulses,  as  would  be  expected,  during  the  life  of  the  patient, 
continued  at  a  great  height ;  but  otherwise,  little  could  be  observed 
that  was  wrong,  until  the  day  before  death,  when  the  appetite  was 
completely  gone ;  symptoms,  however,  throughout,  not  being  of  that 
urgent  character  that  the  nature  of  the  injury  would  have  led  one  to 
believe. 


VENTRAL  HERNIA  IN  A  DOG  :  OPERATION  AND  CURB.  By  the  Same. 

Shortly  after  the  foregoing  case  had  come  under  my  notice,  a 
young  dog,  of  the  mastiff  breed,  was  brought  to  me,  vnth  a  large, 
soft,  elastic,  reducible  tumour  in  the  right  hypochondriacal  region, 
extending  under  the  skin  of  the  thigh  almost  to  the  hock  joint. 

The  animal  was  about  nine  or  ten  months  old,  and  attained  a  toler- 
able size,  VTith  large  limbs,  and  bid  fair  to  become  of  great  power, — 
in  fact,  akeady  a  good  weight  for  the  young  man  who  carried  him. 


YETEBINABY  RECORDS.  69 

I  was  told  he  had  been  ran  over  by  a  cab  in  the  morning ;  since  when 
he  had  been  continually  lying  in  a  comer,  or  any  place  out  of  reach,  coiled 
up  very  closely.     His  appetite  was  absent,  and  he  was  very  feverish. 

I  had  the  jaws  firmly  secured  by  a  coil  of  tape,  and  the  animal 
held  lying  on  a  table :  the  head  and  fore  limbs  by  one  assistant,  the 
hind  1^  by  another.  The  sac  formed  by  the  skin  only  was  then 
opened  by  a  scalpel,  and  the  incision  afterwards  carried,  with  greater 
freedom,  a  sufficient  length  to  enable  the  muscles  beneath  to  be 
secured, — ^the  rupture  in  which  proved  to  be  about  four  and  a  half 
inches  long,  in  the  direction  from  the  stifle  joint  to  the  symphgsis 
pubes,  thus  allowing  a  great  quantity  of  the  intestines  to  escape,, 
which  were  held  by  the  skin,  as  it  was  separated  from  the  muscles  of 
the  thigh,  formii^  a  tumour  larger  than  the  closed  fist. 

As  the  animal  was  placed  on  his  back,  the  intestines  fell  back 
within  the  abdomen;  and  when  the  sac  was  opened  they  were  fully 
exposed  to  view. 

The  edges  of  the  muscles  were  drawn  together  by  strong  thread 
sutures,  deeply  inserted,  the  end  of  which  was  left  hanging  from  the 
external  wound. 

The  skin  was  united  by  pins  and  the  twisted  suture. 

Purgative  medicine  was  administered,  and  an  outward  application 
provided,  and  the  animal  was  carried  away.  Proper  instructions 
were  also  furnished  for  the  domestic  treatment  of  my  patient,  with  a 
request  that  he  should  be  shown  to  me  again  in  a  day  or  two,  if 
alive ;  for  I  must  say  I  had  many  doubts  as  to  the  successful  issue  of 
this  case.  Previous  to  his  departure,  I  had  been  informed  this 
animal  belonged  to  a  butcher,  but  when,  I  could  not  remember ;  and 
after  several  days  elapsed  without  again  seeing  him,  reproached  my- 
self for  extreme  carelessness,  feeling  chagrined  and  disappointed. 
Weeks  passed,  and  I  then  felt  convinced  that  he  was  "  no  more."  At 
length  months,  in  the  lapse  of  time,  assured  me  such  must  be  the 
case ;  and  he  was  almost  forgotten  when,  one  day,  more  than  a  year 
following,  turning  from  a  shop  window  into  which  I  had  been  look- 
ing, I  heard  a  growl  of  dissatisfaction  which  proceeded  from  a 
large  and  ponderous  dog,  not  unlike  what  I  had  pictured  my  young 
patient  to  become.  I  felt  a  desire  to  have  him  examined  then  and 
there ;  but  his  face  presented  a  forbidding  look.  My  next  determi- 
nation was  to  watch  him  to  his  home ;  for  it  could  not  be  far  dis- 
tant,—the  locality  seemed  to  be  his  territory. 

Ultimately  the  owner,  who  did  not  know  me,  observing  my  move- 
ments from  his  shop  door,  inquired,  "2>o  you  know  that  there  dog?" 
I  replied,  I  thought  we  had  been  previously  acquainted,  and  detsuled 
my  belief  that  he  had  been  tmder  my  care  for  rupture,  which  turned 
out  to  be  the  case. 

We  adjourned  to  the  shop  ;  and  after  being  turned  up,  I  could  not 
find  any  other  signs  of  the  previous  injury  ^n  a  thickening  in  the 
situation  of  the  external  wound.  The  owner  said  he  never  took  any 
notice  of  the  dog  after  he  was  brought  home ;  fox,  ou  Ykedxuv^  >^ 


70  VETERINAEY  EECOEDS. 

account  from  the  young  man  of  the  operation,  left  it  to  his  care, 
feeling  conyinced  that  he  could  not  recover. 

Being  a  great  safeguard  to  the  premises,  he  was  now  valued,  and 
came  under  my  notice  for  a  skin  affection  on  two  occasions  after- 
wards. 

EXOMPHALUS,  OE  UMBILICAL  HERNIA.    By  the  Same. 

A  BAY  filly,  two  years  old,  by  "  Orlando,"  out  of  "  Clementina,"  the 
property  of  the  (fifth)  Earl  of  Jersey,  Middleton  Park,  was  the  sub- 
ject of  the  above  affection ;  and  my  advice  regarding  the  possibility 
of  its  removal  was  sought  on  August  7,  1858. 

The  tumour,  which  was  of  the  size  of  a  cricket  ball,  possessed  all 
the  characters  of  umbilical  hernia,  which,  after  reduction,  exposed 
an  orifice  in  the  subjacent  tissues  capable  of  allowing  the  passage  of 
the  middle  finger,  and  during  the  preceding  two  months,  had  evi- 
dently increased  in  size. 

In  a  conversation  with  his  Lordship,  it  was  ultimately  decided 
that,  previous  to  any  operation  being  instituted,  which  would  neces- 
sitate the  use  of  the  hobbles, — a  proceeding,  I  was  informed,  there 
was  great  reason  to  defer,  if  possible, — pressure  should  be  tried.  As 
the  animal  was  intended  for  sale  shortly,  reduction  by  this  means 
was  to  be  preferred. 

With  this  view,  a  pad  of  stout  leather,  heart-shaped,  with  a  contact 
surface  of  chamois  leather,  was  placed  on  the  tumour,  and  secured  in 
its  position  by  flank  strops  to  a  kind  of  crupper, — all  being  brought 
to,  and  deriving  their  security  from,  a  stout  circingle  in  front. 

This  was  worn  for  three  months,  when  it  was  left  off;  and  no  re- 
appearance of  the  tumour  having  taken  place,  the  animal  was  sold, 
and  I  lost  all  traces  of  her. 

Although  pressure  in  this  instance  was  productive  of  results  quite 
satisfactory,  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  reductions  and  permanent 
closure  of  the  orifice  which  occasions  these  hernial  tumours  in  young 
animals  is  much  more  effectively,  and  in  less  time,  insured  by  the 
application  of  clams,  enclosing  a  fold  of  skin, — ^pressure  being  ex- 
erted thereon  by  screws,  so  as  to  remove  a  portion,  by  destroying  the 
vitality  in  the  parts,  and  setting  up  adhesive  inflammation  beneatL 

During  the  years  of  1858,  '59,  and  '60,  I  operated  in  this  manner 
on  some  scores  of  colts  and  fillies,  most  of  which  were  traced  to  be 
the  progeny  of  a  stallion  similarly  affected,  used  by  a  great  many  of 
the  agriculturists  of  the  locality ;  and  I  do  not  know  of  a  single  case 
in  which  the  plan  was  not  successful 

The  clams  I  use  are  made  of  iron,  ab^ut  six  or  seven  inches  long, 
having  a  hole  at  each  end,  through  which  a  screw  works,  to  draw  up 
the  opposite  half.  The  flat  sides,  which  come  together,  are  counter- 
parts of  each  other, — i.e.,  one  is  provided  with  a  groove  throughout  its 
entire  length,  into  whidi  a  piece  of  wire,  riveted  into  the  opposite 
half,  accurately  fits. 


VBTBEINAEY  BBCOEDS.  71 

These  being  applied,  the  screws  tnrned  to  draw  them  together,  the 
parts  soon  ei£ibit  signs  of  separation,  and  generally  drop  off  in  four 
<»  five  days,  leaving  little  to  be  seen,  particularly  when  care  is  exer- 
cised to  place  them  on  in  the  direction  of  the  linea  alba. 

An  old  cow-leech,  who  had  a  grudge  against  me  for  being  success- 
ful in  these  cases,  wagered  with  a  farmer  that  he  could  operate  more 
skilfully,  and,  of  course,  more  successfully,  by  another  method  pecu- 
liarly his  own.  Accordingly,  a  colt  which  had  been  shown  to  me  for 
die  purpose  of  being  operated  upon  was  turned  over  to  him,  and  cast 
by  the  rope.  Two  stout  needles  were  inserted  in  a  crucial  manner 
through  the  tumour  held  in  his  left  hand,  and  strong  waxed  cord 
firmly  twisted  and  drawn  round  the  skin  above  the  needles,  close  to 
the  abdomen.  The  colt  was  released,  and  declared  to  be  neatly  done 
by  Mr  Bloodstick,  for  which  he  received  the  substantial  fee  of  ten 
shillings.  In  the  evening  I  was  called  to  see  the  colt,  which  was 
now  affected  with  gripes  (?)  I  could  not  convince  the  owner  that  the 
needles  were  at  fault,  but  persisted  in  removing  them.  The  animal 
died,  notwithstanding,  before  morning,  and  the  post-mortem  appear- 
ance fully  confirmed  my  accusations.  The  old  man  afterwards 
gathered  courage  to  inquire  if  I  would  allow  him  to  look  at  "  them 
ere  things,"  as  he  now  considered  them  to  be  superior  in  safety  to  his 
needles.  I,  however,  warned  him  not  to  be  so  sanguine  as  to  the 
truth  of  tbat  statement,  as  the  intestines  might  be  enclosed  within 
their  grasp  as  well  as  taken  up  by  needles.  A  pair  of  these  clams 
were  forwarded  to  him  shortly  afterwards,  but  I  never  heard  of  his 
having  had  an  opportunity  of  using  them. 


SUPEENUMBEAEY  POEE-LEG  IN  A  FOAL  ;    OPERATION  FOR  REMOVAL. 

By  the  Same. 

The  subject  of  the  present  description  was  a  fine  colt  of  the  cart 
breed,  about  four  months  old,  which  had  been  foaled  with  b,  fifth  foot 
and  phalanges,  for  the  removal  of  which  my  advice  was  sought  in  the 
month  of  June  1861. 

Description. — The  adventitious  member  was  situate  upon  the  inner 
side  of  the  near  fore-leg,  and  possessed  a  well-formed  hoof,  ossa  coronae, 
08  suffraginis,  and  rudimentary  metacarpal  bone,  which  branched 
from  the  larger  and  natural  bone  about  two  and  a  half  or  three  inches 
above  the  fetlock  joint ;  it  was  altogether  less  than  the  natural  limb, 
and  reached  within  two  inches  of  the  ground  as  the  animal  stood. 
Although  the  whole  were  perfectly  mobile,  principally  by  virtue  of  the 
joints  of  the  major  and  minor  pasterns,  and  secondarily,  at  its  point 
of  origin  it  was  not  imder  the  control  of  muscular  power, — states 
favourable  for  total  removal,  which  was  decided  to  be  effected  at  the 
first  opportunity.  Succeeding  this  arrangement,  however,  I  was  un- 
usually and  persistingly  engaged  in  a  totally  opposite  direction  with 
others,  more  urgent  cases,  which  delayed  the  operation  about*  lovvt 


72  VETEEINABY  EECOED& 

weeks,  when,  meeting  the  owner,  I  learned  that  the  extra  foot,  &c., 
was  becoming  troublesome,  which  hastened  my  visit  for  taking  it  oflf. 
By  this  time  a  change  had  come  over  the  parts.  As  the  yomig  crea- 
tm-e  gambolled  around  the  dam,  irritation  was  set  up  by  the  tall  rye- 
grass of  the  pasture,  and  contact  with  the  opposite  limbs ;  the  hoof 
was  now  absent,  and  the  coverings  of  the  ossa  coronse  and  part  of  the 
OS  suffraginis  were  partially  sloughed  off,  and  the  whole  appeared  to 
be  exquisitely  sensitive. 

I  had  them  removed  to  the  stables,  where  the  colt  was  secured,  and 
led  out  upon  the  straw.  He  was  then  cast  upon  the  near  side  by  a 
couple  of  halters,  and  the  three  unaffected  limbs  firmly  secured  and 
held  by  an  assistant.  I  next  secured  the  affected  limb  by  a  stout 
halter,  which  was  drawn  round  an  iron  bar  driven  into  the  litter 
several  inches,  both  given  to  the  charge  of  a  second  person,  whilst  a 
third  son  of  Agricula  took  possession  of  the  head. 

A  strong  ligature  was  passed  round  the  leg  below  the  knee.  An 
incision  was  then  commenced  through  the  skin  at  the  inner  and  lower 
point  of  attachment,  and  carried  upwards,  terminating  at  the  upper 
centre,  forming  one-half  of  an  elliptic ;  a  similar  action  being  effected 
upon  the  opposite  side,  which  completed,  blood-vessels  of  importance 
were  visible,  and  as  many  secured  before  division  as  possible.  Further 
dissection  to  the  point  of  origin  of  the  small  and  rudimentary  with 
larger  and  metacarpal  bone,  with  the  securing  and  elision  of  vessels, 
was  continued,  when  a  strong  scalpel  was  selected  for  passing  through 
the  semi-osseous  metacarpal  at  its  origin,  parallel  with  the  larger  one, 
in  which  I  succeeded  perfectly. 

The  common  integument  was  now  brought  together,  and  secured 
by  the  twisted  suture,  and  presented  a  most  satisfactory  appearance; 
when  the  animal  was  released,  a  laxative  administered,  turned  into  a 
loose  building  with  the  dam,  where  they  were  supplied  with  green 
food,  and  the  parts  regularly  dressed  with  tinct.  arnic.  mont.  dilut. 

In  a  few  days  the  sutures  came  away,  the  parts  healed  rapidly  and 
successfully,  and  in  twelve  months  afterwards  scarcely  any  signs 
remained  to  indicate  that  an  abnormal  condition  had  ever  existed. 

Remarks. — In  the  January  number  of  the  Veterinarian  for  1859, 
there  is  an  account  of  a  similar  case  by  Professor  Vamell,  of  the 
Eoyal  Veterinary  College,  London,  for  which  an  operation  was  per- 
formed, with  these  differences,  however — the  adventitious  member 
in  his  case  was  upon  the  off  fore-foot,  and  it  was  divided  at  the 
pastern  joint.  Now  I  may  be  considered  worthy  of  the  verdict  due 
to  a  tyro,  or  guilty  of  a  breach  of  all  scientific  rules  in  the  practice  of 
surgery  by  my  procedure ;  but  as  a  proof  of  rectitude  is  only  generally 
seen  after  the  termination  of  affairs,  I  think  I  may  arrogate  to  myself 
the  policy  in  having  divided  the  osseous  attachment ;  otherwise  I 
must  have  had  considerable  enlargement  by  the  remaining  portion ; 
but  in  this  instance  no  wound  could  progress  with  greater  satisfaction, 
and  the  successful  result  after  twelve  months  more  demonstrative. 


ON  THE  MANAGEMENT  OF  HOUSES.  73 


Fatty  Deposit  in  a  Fimr-Year-Old  Ox.    By  Alexandeb  Gillespie, 
M.RC.V.S.,  Wooler,  Northumberland. 

The  subject  of  this  communication — a  four-year-old  ox — was  bred 
by  the  Messrs  Rutherford  of  Wooler,  and  was  slaughtered  by  them 
at  the  age  of  four  years.  He  was  a  very  plain  animal,  having  high 
hocks,  high  rump,  a  want  of  flesh  behind  the  shoulder,  flat  ribs,  and 
light  quarters.  After  death  a  fatty  deposit  was  found  in  the  right 
hypogastric  region  enveloping  the  right  kidney ;  this  fatty  mass  was 
of  a  conical  form,  and  extended  from  the  brim  of  the  pelvis  over  the 
three  last  false  ribs.  Its  entire  length  was  3  feet  1  inch,  and  it 
pressed  upon  the  diaphragm  at  every  respiration.  The  circumference 
at  its  thickest  part  was  5  feet  3  inches,  and  its  weight  was  131  lbs. 
When  cut  into  it  was  of  a  beautiful  rich  cream  colour,  and  perfectly 
solid.  The  left  kidney  was  much  less  than  the  right,  the  former  weigh- 
ing only  three-quarters  of  a  lb.,  while  the  latter  weighed  3^  lbs.,  and 
was  perfectly  healthy,  though  situated  in  the  centre  of  the  deposit. 
The  kidneys  of  an  ox  of  that  age  and  size  generally  weigh  from  2  to  2^ 
lbs.  each.  The  nett  weight  of  the  animal  was  74  stones,  but  the  four 
stomachs  were  much  less  than  those  of  an  ox  slaughtered  the  week 
before,  which  only  weighed  66  stones.  I  estimated  them  to  be  aboutone- 
third  less,  particularly  the  manyplies,  which  was  very  much  flattened. 
I  attributed  the  flattening  to  the  pressure  of  the  deposit,  as  it  was 
situated  on  the  same  side.  The  other  organs  of  the  body  were 
healthy,  with  the  exception  of  the  liver,  the  external  surface  of  which, 
however,  appeared  healthy ;  but  when  it  was  cut  into  and  the  biliary 
ducts  exposed,  they  were  found  to  be  surrounded  by  a  calcareous 
deposit  one-eighth  of  an  inch  in  thickness. 


ON  THE  MANAGEMENT  OF  HORSES. 

Under  the  above  title,  we  purpose  producing  a  series  of  papers,  to 
be  given  in  successive  monthly  issues  of  the  Review,  in  the  course  of 
this  year. 

The  entire  subject  embraced  by  the  phrase,  "management  of  horses," 
as  well  as  being  most  important  in  its  bearings,  is  indefinite  in  its 
range.  Horse-breeding,  constituting,  as  it  does,  an  important  section 
of  the  question  we  contemplate  discussing,  having  received  much 
attention  of  late,  (at  least,  by  words,)  we  shall  not  make  it  bear  the 
burden  of  all  the  errors  to  be  noticed,  nor  yet  omit  the  many  very 
important  relations  in  which  a  good  system  of  breeding  stands 
to  all  good  management  of  horses.  The  many  questions  regarding 
the  custody  of  horses,  their  perfect  development,  preservation,  and 
restoration,  in  which  the  science  of  hygiene  may  be  made  to  play  a 
most  important  part^  are  those  to  which  we  purpose  Bd\idVivxi^  xcv^^X^ 
Voji.  L—Jfa  IL-^Nbw  Smbubb.    FmBXSkXt  1866.  '5? 


74  ON  THE  MANAGEMENT  OF  H0B8EB. 

attention.  The  over-mucli  discussion  about  blood  and  breeding  of 
horses,  of  late  so  freely  indulged  in,  seems  to  exhibit  no  true 
progress,  the  tendency  being  little,  if  in  any  way,  to  advance  the 
general  understanding  of  the  matter ;  nor  can  we  discover  the  funda- 
mental rules  or  rallying  points  that  have  been  established  through 
the  exchange  of  opinions  and  recent  controversies  on  horse-breeding. 

To  go  into  the  subject  of  the  management  of  horses  broadly  and 
rationally  is  the  task  we  have  spontaneously  set  ourselves  to  perform ; 
and  while  respecting,  not  to  be  biassed  by,  the  many  prejudices  which 
are  always  present  where  discussions  on  horses  go  on,  despite  the 
incalculable  amount  of  sound  and  scientific  knowledge  subsisting, 
though  widely  dispersed. 

Theoretically,  knowledge  on  the  management  of  horses  must  repose 
on  the  same  grounds  as  that  relating  to  other  domesticated  animals, 
the  sources  of  life  and  health  being  uniform.  Practically,  however, 
the  details  to  be  observed  differ  widely  in  kind  and  number,  and  yet 
the  successful  sheep-breeder  and  improver  of  cattle,  is  frequently 
found  to  be  the  most  rational  and  successful  horse-breeder  and  manager; 
the  plain  reason  being  that  the  same  innate  love  for  the  subject  predo- 
minates, experience — the  result  of  inquiry  and  observation — ^being  the 
means  by  which  the  intelligence  is  made  to  compass  the  wider  field. 

In  the  whole  range  of  management  of  horses,  the  amount  of  know- 
ledge required,  having  due  regard  to  animate  verstis  inanimate  stock, 
stands  second  only  to  that  required  by  man  of  his  fellow-men ;  hence 
the  compatibility  of  the  position  affirmed,  that  the  knowledge  of 
horses  extant  is  surprisingly  great  for  extent  and  kind,  while  more  is 
urgently  required. 

The  knowledge  established  by  the  experience  of  individual  men 
on  matters  relating  to  horse  management  is  to  a  great  extent  localised 
and  limited  in  the  sphere  of  its  influence  ;  and  reflective  observation 
will  show  the  truth, — ^whether  we  observe  men  professionally  bred  to 
the  art  of  ministering  to  the  requirements  of  horses,  breeders,  dealers, 
or  the  large  proprietors  and  consumers  of  horse-flesh, — ^in  no  one  in- 
dividual amongst  these  is  there  to  be  found  more  than  a  part  of  the 
required  knowledge  about  horses,  and  that  blended  with  more  or  less 
cumbersome  error. 

Another  aspect,  peculiar  to  our  subject,  may  be  referred  to,  viz. — 
that  knowledge  on  the  management  of  horses  is  only  slowly  and  not 
consecutively  progressive ;  experience  gained  in  one  generation  is 
lost,  or  lies  dormant,  in  the  next.  Self-wrought-out  experience 
amongst  men  has  been  too  boastingly  pitted  against  rational  know- 
ledge and  written  precepts,  hence  one  cause  of  its  uncertainty  and 
other  faults.  It  has  long  been  proverbial  that  horsemen  are  intolerant 
of  new  methods  when  reasoning  has  to  be  had  recourse  to  for  their 
acquisition ;  if,  however,  it  be  so,  the  attribute  can  only  apply  par- 
tially, because  it  must  be  obvious  to  our  readers  that  amongst  men  in 
the  higher  ranks  of  all  nations,  from  reigning  princes  downwards,  the 
ahlest  and  best  are  admirers  of  the  horse — taking  interest  in  hie  state> 


ON  THB  BfAKAGEMENT  OF  H0BSE3.  75 

much  in  proportion  to  the  well-beiDg  of  their  respectiye  countries. 
And  it  always  appears  to  ns  that  the  same  feature  is  traceable  gener- 
ally, so  much  so  that  in  consultations  we  find  the  liberal-minded  are 
always  earnest  inquirers  into  matters  tending  to  elucidate  cases  and 
causes ;  whilst  the  **  rule-of-thumb  horsemen  "  only  prefer  to  remain 
ignorant,  which  implies  in  the  instances  improvidence  and  cruelty, 
at  least  cruelty  in  a  negative  form. 

From  the  prefatory  remarks  made,  it  may  be  inferred  that  we  are 
no  pretenders  to,  nor  believers  in,  infallibility  in  horse  management, 
neither  do  we  deem  it  necessary  to  prove  that  bad  management  pre- 
dominates everywhere  over  good,  in  order  to  form  a  jNretext  for  going 
into  the  matter.  Assuming  it  to  be  a  fact  that  much  irrational  prac- 
tice, involving  loss  and  cruelty  (and  all  animal  suffering  becomes 
cruelty,  where,  under  the  control  of  men,  the  means  of  avoidance 
are  not  sought  out)  prevails,  there  seems  good  reason  why  any 
one  with  honest  intention,  and  something  to  suggest,  should  urge 
the  adoption  of  such  systems  in  the  management  of  horses  as  would 
effect  good  results  if  generally  applied. 

That  some  horse  proprietors  have  enjoyed  a  satisfactory  success, 
from  the  course  of  management  they  pursued,  in  no  way  weakens  our 
proposition,  that  there  is  much  need  for  improvement  Without  hav- 
ing recourse  to  that  vague  phrase,  good  luck,  there  are  local  influ- 
ences, degrees  of  care,  and  applied  common  sense,  which  make  the 
absence  of  system  far  from  uniform  in  effects;  especially  so  in 
the  case  contemplated,  where  the  health  and  life  of  animals  are  at  issue 
natural  influences  play  great  parts. 

In  whatever  way  one  takes  up  for  theme  the  cause  of  the  horse 
and  the  interest  of  the  owner,  instead  of  being  greeted  as  a  worker 
for  good,  antagonism  has  to  be  encountered,  more  especially  where 
radical  changes  are  counselled,  without  compromise  or  masking  the 
truth,  which,  to  be  effective,  must  be  set  forth  without  reserve. 

The  horse,  rather  than  any  description  of  horses,  is  the  motto 
under  which  our  subject  may  be  best  treated  and  most  fuUy  em- 
bodied ;  from  such  common  standing- point  divergence  can  be  taken 
and  details  brought  in. 

The  horse,  the  most  delicate  of  all  the  higher  species  of  quad- 
rupeds, in  the  choice  of  food  and  for  cleanly  habits,  co-exists  with 
man,  as  his  servant  and  companion,  over  the  greater  part  of  the 
known  world ;  always  faithful  under  duty,  alike  in  the  arts  of  peace, 
the  pleasures  of  the  chase,  and  the  tumults  of  war. 

Though  in  his  unredeemed  state,  and  in  those  countries  where 
found  nearest  approaching  to  that  state,  the  horse  species  is  found  of 
very  different  character  in  different  countries  ;  the  animal,  however, 
is  brought  more  imif ormly  up  to  the  required  standard  of  perfection 
in  those  countries  where  the  advance  of  civilisation  and  the  state  of 
agriculture  have  made  greatest  progress.  How  good  horse  manage- 
ment and  good  farming  constitute  mutually  dependent  branches  of 
applied  skiU  it  will  be  the  aim  of  the  writer  to  Bilio^  \u^<^  ^^\Slx^ 
to  be  followed  by  succeeding  papers. 


^\t  f  {tearg  lltbttto  anb  Biothkwtx&  |onrnaL 


ON  THE  PEOBABLE  INTRODUCTION  OF  A  NEW  DISEASE 

IN  MAN. 

The  sewage  question  has  been  agitating  the  public  mind,  and  a  word 
of  caution  has  been  called  forth  from  Dr  Spencer  Cobbold,  whose 
researches  on  parasites  entitle  him  to  speak  with  authority  on  the 
subject  of  a  pamphlet  he  has  recently  issued*  "In  Egypt,  and 
apparently  throughout  North-Eastern  Africa  generally,  and  likewise 
at  the  Cape,  at  Natal,  and  in  the  Mauritius,  there  exists  a  more  or 
less  constant  and  formidable  endemic  disease,  the  nature  of  which 
was  first  described  by  Drs  Griesinger  and  Bilharz.  The  disorder,  or 
*  helminthiasis'  in  question,  is  caused  by  a  small  parasite  or  entozoon, 
which  infests  the  bloodvessels,  delighting  more  especially  to  take  up 
its  abode  in  the  veins  connected  with  the  liver  and  other  abdominal 
viscera,  and  in  these  situations  it  gives  rise  to  very  painful  symptoms, 
followed  in  the  more  advanced  cases  by  excessive  prostration  and 
death.  Minute  details  respecting  the  peculiar  features  of  the  disease 
itself  it  is  here  quite  unnecessary  for  me  to  adduce,  as  those  who 
desire  further  information  on  this  score  have  already  been  informed 
where  to  look  for  it;  but,"  says  Dr  Cobbold,  "I  cannot  proceed 
without  a  passing  comment  on  the  extraordinary  prevalence  of  the 
disease  in  Egypt,  which  may  readily  be  realised  by  the  fact,  that  out 
of  363  post-mortem  examinations  conducted  by  Dr  Griesinger,  these 
parasites  were  found  in  no  less  than  117  instances.  It  would  there- 
fore seem  that  nearly  one-third  of  the  entire  population  suffer  from 
this  parasitic  malady.'' 

The  Egyptian  parasite  referred  to  is  one  of  the  forms  of  fluke — 
Distoma  haematobium — of  Bilharz ;  and  whilst  in  its  mature  con- 

*  A  National  Sanitary  Question.  New  Entozootic  Malady :  Observations  on  the 
probable  introduction  of  this  formidable  disease,  and  on  the  almost  inevitable  increase 
of  Parasitic  Diseases  in  general,  as  a  consequence  of  the  proposed  extensive  Utilisa. 
tion  of  Sewage.    By  T.  Spencer  Cobbold,  M.D.,  P.R.S.,  F.L.S.,  Ac. 


ON  THE  PROBABLE  INTEODUCTION  OF  A  NEW  DISEASE  IN  MAN.    7T 

dition  it  sucks  the  blood  of  men  and  monkeys,  in  its  larval  or  imma- 
ture state  it  is  present  in  the  bodies  of  moUasks,  which  would  find 
ample  scope  for  life  in  the  waters  interspersed  on  lands  on  which 
any  large  quantity  of  sewage  might  be  discharged.  The  parasite  has 
been  imported  into  this  country,  but  under  circumstances  which  have 
interfered  with  its  extensive  propagation ;  and  Dr  Cobbold  justly 
remarks,  that  every  colonist  returning  from  the  Cape  is  liable  to 
bring  the  parasitic  treasure  with  him  as  a  "  guest,"  dwelling  in  his 
blood  and  feeding  on  his  body.  The  usual  course  of  the  eggs  of 
these  parasites  now  is,  however,  into  a  cesspool,  a  common  sewer, 
and  the  sea ;  whereas,  if  any  one  of  the  gigantic  schemes  now  in 
vogue  are  adopted,  these  eggs  will  be  scattered  far  and  wide  over 
thousands  of  acres  of  ground,  and  the  larvae  will  penetrate  the  bodies 
of  land  and  water  snails,  and  ultimately  perfect  their  growth  in  the 
bodies  of  the  British  people.  It  is  not  consoling  to  learn  from  Dr 
Cobbold  that  *'  in  a  natural-history  point  of  view,  it  would  not  be  an 
altogether  singular  result  if,  twenty  years  hence,  this  parasitic  malady 
should  be  as  prevalent  in  this  country  as  it  is  now  known  to  be  in 
particular  sections  of  the  African  continent'' 

We  do  not  wish  to  create  unnecessary  alarm,  but  a  word  of  caution 
in  time  may  save  us  from  great  disasters  and  from  serious  pestilence. 
If  the  sewage  schemes  are  to  flourish,  why  not  adopt  some  means 
whereby  to  destroy  the  germs  of  parasites  ?    This  is  no  impossibility. 

Dr  Cobbold  draws  attention  to  the  untold  number  of  tapeworm 
eggs  which  would  be  distributed  and  preserved  by  the  quantity  of 
sewage  to  be  utilised.  He  shows  how  human  beings  are  tormented 
and  killed  by  these  eggs  gaining  access  to  our  bodies,  and  very 
appositely  asserts  that  scores  are  the  instances  which  he  could  adduce^ 
showing  not  only  that  parasitic  affections  are  but  little  imderstood, 
but  demonstrating  also  that  they  are  constantly  overlooked.  If  one 
person  afflicted  with  tapeworm  may  infect  a  whole  neighbourhood, 
proving  dangerous  to  the  life  of  his  friends  and  neighbours,  may  we 
not,  asks  Dr  Cobbold,  but  too  reasonably  conjecture  that  the  whole- 
sale distribution  of  tapeworm  eggs  (by  the  utilisation  of  sewage  on  a 
stupendous  scale)  will  inevitably  tend  to  spread  abroad  a  class  of  dis- 
eases, some  of  which  are  severely  formidable  ?  The  question  is  as 
grave  and  important  as  any  which  those  who  attend  to  the  sanitary 
condition  of  the  coimtry  have  occasion  to  study.  To  introduce  new 
diseases  is  to  sap  the  resources  of  our  favoured  land.  Their  prevalence 
will  cost  far  more  than  can  possibly  be  gained  by  recklessly  T«dfi«ix&a% 


78  SUNDAY  CATTLE  TRAFFIC  IN  LONDON. 

that  which  some  people,  and  only  some,  bow  consider  waste ;  and  we 
have  great  pleasure  in  doing  all  in  our  power  to  re-echo  Dr  Cobbold's 
wise  and  timely  warning. 


SUNDAY  CATTLE  TEAFFIC  IN  LONDON. 

The  trafBc  in  foreign  stock  has  involved  us  in  many  difficulties.  It 
has  cost  this  country  many  milliops  sterling ;  and  though  we  are 
now  compelled  to  buy  as  much  as  we  can  from  abroad,  inasmuch  as 
our  home  production  has  been  largely  curtailed  by  foreign  diseases, 
those  engaged  in  the  trade  need  not  be  permitted  tmrestricted  power 
to  annoy  and  injure,  when  with  a  little  care  the  evils  of  the  traffic 
may  be  mitigated. 

We  have  taken  pains  to  obtain  some  ixiformation  as  to  the  practice 
complained  of  by  Inspector  HoUoway,  and  which  led  twenty-one 
drovers  to  be  summoned  before  Mr  Partridge  at  the  Thames  Police 
Court  on  the  6th  of  January.  Owing  to  the  Islington  cattle  market 
being  held  on  Monday,  large  quantities  of  foreign  stock  enter  the 
port  of  London  on  Sunday.  This  is  of  course  not  worse  than  the 
gathering  together  of  British  stock  from  all  quarters  on  the  same  day> 
but  the  want  of  proper  accommodation  at  some  of  the  wharves  leads  to 
far  more  noise  and  inconvenience  in  some  parts  of  London  than  there 
is  any  proper  occasion  for.  When  vessels  arrive  laden  with  cattle 
there  is  an  instant  overcrowding,  and  the  animals  are  thrust  into  any 
shed  or  yard,  often  jammed  together  in  the  most  unmerciful  manner. 
The  veterinary  surgeon  then  examines  the  stock,  and  is  worried  by 
the  drovers  and  dealers  to  certify  that  the  animals  require  to  be  re- 
moved for  the  sake  of  their  health,  Such  certificates  we  have  seen 
granted  afber  the  animals  had  been  comfortably  watered,  and  could 
have  remained  where  they  landed  without  detriment ;  but  what  was 
perhaps  once  granted  as  a  favour  to  clear  out  stock,  is  now  impera- 
tively demanded  by  the  dealers  and  others.  The  veterinary  surgeon 
is  made  to  sign  a  certificate  which  in  many  cases  he  must  feel  need 
not  be  granted,  and  vexed  indeed  are  th«  drovers  if  there  be  any 
delay  in  the  surgeon's  arrival  We  feel  that  the  duties  of  professional 
inspectors  of  live  stock  at  the  port  of  London  are  very  onerous,  and 
often  ill  appreciated.  They  are  made  to  do  work  which  in  reality 
had  better  be  left  undone,  and  they  are  prevented  by  circumstances 
too  numerous  to  mention  from  carrying  out  all  the  provisions  neces- 


GHAMBSK  OV  AaRICULTUBS  AND  SCOTTISB  FASMSBS'  CLUB.      79 

sary  to  preserve  our  lire  stock  from  foreign  disease.  Mr  Partridge 
suggested  the  proper  way  out  of  the  difficulties  connected  with  the  Sun- 
day traffic,  for  which  the  twenty-one  drovers  were  fined.  The  cattle 
should  be  landed  all  at  one  spot,  where  proper  accommodation  would 
be  provided  for  them.  We  should  go  further.  For  the  protection  of 
the  lieges  and  of  British  cattle  we  strongly  recommend  the  erection 
of  a  special  market  and  special  slaughter-houses  near  to  the  place  of 
landing,  and  the  disposal  and  slaughter  there  of  all  animals  entering 
the  port  of  London.  If  this  will  not  do,  some  means  could  be  devised 
to  convey  the  cattle  by  rail  to  Islington,  and  thus  avoid  the  dangers 
and  unnecessary  noises  and  fears  incidental  to  driving  cattle  through 
the  narrow  and  crowded  metropolitan  thoroughfares. 


CHAMBER  OP  AGEICULTURE  AND  SCOTTISH 
FARMERS'  CLUB. 

It  has  been  often  remarked  that,  with  tiie  wide  dissemination  of 
knowledge  which  has  resulted  from  the  facilities  afforded  to  all  to 
write  and  publish  their  views  at  little  if  any  expense,  there  has  been 
an  increasing  tendency  to  silence.  There  has  been  more  reading  and 
writing,  and  less  talking.  The  acquisition  of  knowledge  from  personal 
intercourse  has,  perhaps,  not  been  encouraged  as  much  as  it  might 
have  been.  Any  institution,  therefore,  which  ten  ds  to  f ostera  free 
interchange  of  opinions  amongst  men  who  can  teach  each  other 
much  in  the  course  of  casual  conversation  or  systematic  discussion, 
must  be  regarded  as  the  best  of  antidotes  for  that  dreaded  poison — 
taciturnity.  If  those  who  have  written  best  have  often  been  bad  prac- 
titioners, it  is  to  be  inferred  that  they  have  been  good  men  spoiled 
f(Mr  want  of  proper  opportunities  to  learn  from  all  sources ;  and  the 
workers  are  certainly  often  those  who  are  disposed  to  be  silent,  ex- 
cept when  spurred  into  discussion,  and  rendered  communicative  by 
cross-examinations.  To  secure  the  thorough  sifting  of  all  scientific 
and  practical  questions,  it  is  essential  to  elicit  the  views  of  persons 
of  all  kinds,— of  every  shade  of  opinion.  Very  able  men  are  often 
modest  and  positively  shy,  and  a  vast  amount  of  knowledge  is  to  be 
gleaned  from  those  who  do  not  aspire  to  the  honours  of  authorship. 

In  agriculture  free  and  imfettered  discussion  is  much  needed,  and 
this  especially  in  the  best-farmed  regicms   of  the  world — the  far- 


so       CHAMBEB  OF  AGBICULTUBE  XSD  SCOTTISH  FABMEBS'  CLUB. 

famed  Lothians.  There  have  been  many  societies  scattered  through- 
out the  kingdom  which  have  developed  a  taste  for  free  interchange 
of  thought ;  but,  strange  to  say,  in  Edinburgh,  where  mental  culture 
is  highly  appreciated,  the  ablest  fanners  of  Europe  have  been  con- 
demned to  silence  in  a  very  effectual  manner.  With  every  possible 
respect  for  brief,  respectful,  and  ducal  sentences  as  to  the  wishes  and 
wisdom  of  successive  directorates,  there  has  been  a  cold,  formal,  and 
meaningless  intercommunication  between  landlord  and  tenant,  be- 
tween the  farmers  of  east  and  west,  north  and  south,  which  has 
almost  banished  from  the  capital  of  Scotland  the  idea  of  hearty  and 
wholesome  talking  and  reciprocal  teaching.  The  agricultural  mind 
must  be  developed.  The  great  questions  of  the  day  are  rudely, 
roughly,  and  ignorantly  dealt  with.  There  has  been  no  rational 
consideration  for  the  opinions  of  those  whose  investigations  have  led 
to  the  appreciation  of  dangers  ahead — indeed  of  great  evils  exist- 
ing. Interests  appear  to  clash  when  contending  parties  do  not 
uinderstand  each  other,  and  it  is  this  imderstanding  which  is  so 
much  desired,  to  homologate  the  discordant  elements  working  now  in 
apparent  opposition  to  each  other,  but  which  in  reality  aim  at  the 
same  great  point — the  good  of  the  farmer  and  of  the  country  at 
large. 

We  have,  therefore,  great  cause  to  congratulate  the  well-meaning 
men  who  have  established  the  Scottish  Farmers'  Club.  It  has  started 
under  the  most  favourable  auspices.  It  has  already  assimilated  ma- 
terials at  opposite  poles,  and  promises  to  elaborate  them  into  a 
xmiform,  homogeneous  compound,  flowing  smoothly  in  a  broad  cur- 
rent, fertilising  as  it  expands,  and  bestowing  great  bounties  on  all 
around.  If  we  have  one  reason  for  bright  hopes  more  than  any 
other,  it  is  in  the  first  appointment  made  since  the  institution  of  the 
Club.  Mr  David  Curror,  the  secretary  elect,  is  a  landowner,  a  farmer, 
a  sterling,  well-meaning,  and  prudent  man.  A  combination  of  such 
qualities  renders  such  a  person  well  fitted  to  reconcile  differences  and 
encourage  friendships  in  an  association  established  for  the  common 
good.  Autocratic  rule  or  guidance  would  not  have  been  relished 
in  a  farmers'  club.  Leading  by  the  nose  may  be  good  for  bulls,  but 
it  is  certainly  enervating  and  stupid  for  agriculturists.  They  need 
no  dragging  or  pushing,  but  the  genial  influence  of  free  and  social 
intercourse.  The  great  want  is  genuine  catholicity,  and  a  proper 
respect  for  the  opinions  of  others.  The  rough-shod  system  of  the 
past  has  led  to  concussion,  and  we  trust  we  shall  now  have  more  of 
the  healing  of  wounds  and  bridging  over  of  dangerous  gaps  than  it 
has  been  our  privilege  to  witness  for  a  long  time  past. 


THE  TBUTH  WILL  COMB  OUT  SOMETIMES.  81 


THE  TRUTH  WILL  COME  OUT  SOMETIMES. 

A  FoRFAESHiEB  farmer  has  made  an  instructive  comparison  between 
his  books  for  1864  and  those  of  his  father  for  1834  The  results  of 
this  comparison  he  has  handed  to  an  agricultural  editor,  and  we 
have  the  following  interesting,  though  not  very  common,  con- 
fession : — 

"  When  you  pay  lOd.  or  lid.  for  a  pound  of  steak,  and  read  in  the  newspapers  that 
prime  Scots  are  worth  73s.  to  75s.  per  cwt.  in  the  Glasgow  market,  you  very  naturally 
conclude  that  the  profits  of  the  rearer  and  feeder  must  be  exorbitant ;  but  I  am  firmly 
convinced  that  more  money  was  made  by  cattle-feeding  when  beef  was  6s.  6d.  and  7b. 
per  stone  than  there  is  now  at  10s.  or  lis.  If  you  rear  your  own  stock,  you  pay  two 
prices  for  your  calves ;  and  for  one  that  died  twenty  years  ago  you  now  lose  two  or 
three.  Not  only  is  this  the  case  with  the  calves,  but  at  every  subsequent  period  of 
their  lives  cattle  are  much  more  subject  to  disease.  In  my  father's  time  the  diseases 
were  few,  the  loss  from  death  trifling,  and  the  nearest  blacksmith  our  only  doctor. 
Kow,  what  with  pleuro-pneumonia,  the  grass  disease,  and  the  foot-and-mouth  disease, 
&€.,  the  veteriiuiry-surgeon  is  almost  in  constant  attendance,  and  his  bills  form  no 
inconsiderable  item  in  our  expenses.  It  is  a  very  fortunate  year,  indeed,  in  which  no 
deaths  occur  on  a  farm  of  any  size ;  and  too  often  the  stock  is  decimated  by  epi- 
demics. I  once  lost  aU  my  cows  except  one — the  worst  in  the  lot ;  and  £300  would  not 
cover  my  loss  by  deaths  since  I  began  farming,  to  say  nothing  of  deterioration  in 
those  which  survived.  In  this  way  a  large  percentage  of  the  price  of  our  fat  stock  is 
swallowed  up.  On  the  other  hand,  if,  instead  of  rearing,  you  purchase  your  stock 
either  as  one  or  two-year-olds,  you  now  pay  a  price  relatively  fully  as  high  as  that  of 
beef,  and  are  still  subject  to  loss  from  disease.  Having  less  grass  than  formerly,  I 
now  buy  in  a  few  bullocks  for  feeding;  and  this  autumn  I  paid  £16, 10s.  a-head  for 
them.  High  as  this  price  is,  it  would  have  been  still  higher  had  it  not  been  for  the 
large  numbers  of  English  and  Irish  cattle  that  have  for  some  seasons  appeared  in  our 
local  markets.  The  purchase  of  these  is  attended  with  great  risk,  and  several  parties 
in  our  neighbourhood  have  got  their  stock  tainted  by  them.  The  railway  trucks  get 
the  blame  of  this,  and  probably  not  without  reason.  The  expenses  attending  feeding 
are  now  much  greater  than  formerly ;  and  you  cannot  get  the  high  prices  before  men- 
tioned unless  you  use  something  more  than  turnips  and  straw.  Only  a  few  of  our  best 
cattle  bring  anything  like  the  top  prices  quoted  in  the  newspapers ;  and  in  the  same 
report  you  will  often  find  a  difference  of  2s.  per  stone  between  the  two  extremes. 
This  on  an  ox  of  40  or  50  stones  amounts  to  £4  or  £5,  and  the  animal  may  have  con- 
sumed nearly  as  much  food  as  a  high-priced  one.  If  forced  from  want  of  keep  or 
any  other  cause  to  send  our  stock  to  market  before  they  wiU  sell  for  prime  fat,  they 
leave  little  or  nothing  for  keep.  Last  season  I  received  £265  for  cattle,  but  this  in- 
cludes the  price  of  a  cow  which  I  had  to  replace.  This  is  the  largest  sum  I  have  ever 
drawn  for  them,  for  my  turnip  crop  was  good,  and  I  used  the  damaged  grain  freely. 
But,  after  all,  it  leaves  a  balance  of  £60  against  me  on  the  expenses  already  enumer- 
ated, besides  what  was  required  for  my  personal  and  household  expenses.  You  will 
not  say  that  I  am  extravagant  in  either,  but  I  know  that  I  am  going  back  in  the 
world  considerably  more  than  £100  a  year.*' 

It  is  unfortunately  only  too  true,  that  cattle  disease  is  effectually 
keeping  in  check  the  production  of  the  stock  we  so  much  require, 
Mr  Eobertson's  paper,  published  in  this  number  of  the  Veterinary 
Review,  affords  another  indication  of  the  great  losses  incurred  by 
fanners  since  the  reckless  introduction  of  foreign  diseases. 


82        BOYAL  COLLEGE  OF  YETEBINARY  SUBQEOK& 

THE  SCOTCH  BOARD  OF  EXAMINERS  OF  THE  ROYAL 
COLLEGE  OF  VETERINARY  SURGEONS. 

It  is  with  infinite  satisfaction  that  we  announce  the  unanimous  elec- 
tion of  Professor  Syme  to  the  vacant  seat  in  our  Scottish  Board.  The 
most  illustrious  British  surgeons  have  readily  lent  a  helping  hand  in 
the  examination  of  veterinary  students  since  the  earliest  days  of  vete- 
rinary education  in  this  country.  The  Bells,  the  Coopers,  the  Brodies, 
and  many  more  have  manifested  a  great  interest  in  the  progress  of  our 
profession.  The  veterinary  diplomas  of  the  whole  of  the  present 
century  have  aflSxed  to  them  the  brightest  names  in  the  history  of 
medicine,  and  none  will  tend  more  to  extend  the  influence  of  our 
northern  examining  board  than  that  of  the  greatest  of  European  sur- 
geons. There  is  ample  room  for  congratulation  as  to  the  progress 
made  during  the  past  few  years.  Prior  to  1858,  the  Royal  College 
enrolled  few  members  in  Edinburgh.  There  is  now  a  prospect  of  the 
numbers  in  the  north  equalling  those  of  London,  notwithstanding  ike 
opposition  on  the  part  of  one  of  the  schools ;  and  we  doubt  not  that 
students  will  soon  learn  how  useless  it  is  to  trust  to  any  qualification 
but  the  one  that  is  alone  genuine,  and  granted  under  proper  authority* 


ROYAL  COLLEGE  OF  VETERINARY  SURGEONS. 

QUAETEELY  MEETING  OF  COUNCIL,  HELD  JANTJAEY  17,  1865. 

Present — The  President,  Professors  Spooner  and  Gamgee,  Messrs 
Broad,  Cartledge,  Dickens,  Ernes,  Greaves,  Harpley,  Harrison, 
Helmore,  Lawson,  Mavor,  Moon,  Robinson,  Seeker,  Silvester, 
Wilkinson,  and  the  Secretary. 
The  President  in  the  Chair. 

The  minutes  of  the  preceding  meeting  were  read  and  confirmed. 
Among  the  correspondence,  which  occupied  the  attention  of  the 
Council  for  some  considerable  time,  was  a  letter  received  from  Mrs 
Gabriel,  in  which  she  begged  to  thank  the  Coimcil  for  their  kindness 
in  making  the  usual  allowance  to  her  late  husband. 

It  was  moved  by  Professor  Spoonee,  and  seconded  by  Mr 
Ernes — 

"That,  owing  to  the  death  of  the  late  Secretary,  the  balance  of  the 
allowance  made  to  him  be  now  paid  in  full  to  the  widow." — 
Carried. 

A  copy  of  the  letter  of  condolence  to  the  widow  of  the  late  Mr 
Ellis  was  read,  together  with  her  son's  reply,  thanking  the  Council 
for  tbeir  sympathy  in  her  great  bereavement 


BOYAL  COLLEGE  OF  YETESINABT  SXTBOSONS.  83 

The  Secretary  next  read  copies  of  letters  which  he  had  addressed 
to  the  editors  of  the  Hereford,  Times,  BelVs  Life,  and  Sporting 
Gazette,  iDforming  them  "that  a  Mr  W.  L.  Williams,  of  Hereford, 
and  a  Mr  J.  C.  Pickering,  of  Gainsborough,  who  had  styled  them- 
selves '  Veterinary  Surgeons,'  were  not  members  of  the  Royal  College 
of  Veterinary  Surgeons." 

The  Secretary  laid  upon  the  table  a  portrait  of  Professor  Spooneb, 
in  a  handsome  gilt  frame,  which  had  been  presented  to  the  Council 
by  Messrs  Harding  &  Co.,  artists  and  publishers,  16  Southampton 
Street,  Strand,  London. 

It  was  moved  by  Mr  Silvestee,  and  seconded  by  Mr  Secbjib — 

"  That  a  letter  of  thanks  be  sent  to  Messrs  Harding  &  Co.  for  their 
kindness." — Carried. 

Two  paintings  from  Central  Africa  were  also  laid  upon  the  table, 
for  presentation  to  the  Museum,  at  the  express  desire  of  the  late  Mr 
R  N.  Gabriel 

It  was  moved  by  Mr  Lawson,  and  seconded  by  Mr  Caetledge — 

*'  That  a  vote  of  thanks  be  given  to  Mrs  Gabriel  for  the  same." — 
Carried. 

The  Registrar  reported  the  following  deaths,  viz.,  Mr  E.  N.  Gabriel, 
kte  Secretary  of  the  Royal  College  of  Veterinary  Surgeons,  whose 
diploma  was  dated  July  3, 1822 ;  Mr  (Jeorge  Smith,  Coxhoe,  Dur- 
ham, diploma  dated  1862 ;  Mr  Harry  Burt,  Lewes,  Sussex,  diploma 
dated  1856 ;  Mr  Alexander  Dunlop,  Glasgow,  diploma  dated  1837 ; 
Mr  Thomas  Dickson,  Durrisdeer,  Dumfriesshire,  diploma  dated  1840 ; 
Mr  Peter  Campbell,  Waltrie,  Fife,  diploma  dated  1843 ;  Mr  Hope 
Hutchinson,  Scone,  Perth,  diploma  dated  1827 ;  Mr  John  Hawthorne, 
Kettering,  Northamptonshire,  diploma  dated  1817 ;  and  Mr  Charles 
James  Pyatt,  of  Nottingham,  diploma  dated  April  30,  1863. 

Mr  Pyatt,  whose  death  took  place  from  an  accident  in  the  hunting 
field.  Professor  Spooneb  referred  to,  as  being  a  talented  and  pro- 
mising young  man,  and  the  son  of  a  distinguished  member  of  the 
profession,  to  whom  he  proposed  that  a  letter  of  condolence,  expres- 
sive of  the  deep  sympathy  of  the  Council  in  his  great  bereavement, 
should  be  sent.  This  was  seconded  by  Mr  Cabtledge,  and  carried 
unanimously. 

The  Eegistrar  also  reported  that  160  copies  of  the  Register,  with 
the  Addendum  and  Bevised  list,  had  been  issued  gratuitously. 

He  next  reported  that  three  candidates,  late  pupils  of  the  Royal 
Veterinary  College,  had  been  admitted  members  of  the  body  corpo- 
rate. Their  names  were  also  read,  together  with  those  of  the  Exa- 
miners and  ex-oflScio  members  who  were  present. 

A  letter  was  read  from  Professor  Morton,  suggesting  the  propriety 
of  placing  before  the  students,  at  the  examinations  on  Veterinary 
Materia  Medica,  samples  of  the  drugs  used  at  the  Eoyal  Veterinary 
College,  to  test  their  practical  knowledge. 

It  was  ordered,  that  the  Secretary  should  write  to  Professor  Mor- 
ton, and  inform  him  that  tiie  Council  desired  to  leavQ  t\i^  ic^XXi^t 
entirely  In  bis  bands. 


84  EOYAL  COLLEGE  OF  VETEBINABY  SUBGKONS. 

The  election  of  a  member  for  the  Scotch  division  of  the  Court  of 
Examiners  in  the  place  of  Professor  Miller,  deceased,  was  next  pro- 
ceeded with. 

It  was  moved  by  Mr  Harpley,  and  seconded  by  Mr  RoBiNSON — 

"  That  Professor  Syme,  of  Edinburgh,  be  elected  to  fill  the  vacancy 
caused  by  the  death  of  Professor  Miller/' 

On  the  ballot  being  taken,  Professor  Syme  was  declared  to  be 
unanimously  elected. 

The  further  considering  the  question  of  remuneration  to  Dr 
Struthers  was  also  proceeded  with,  and  the  Secretary  stated  the 
duties  which  that  gentleman  had  to  perform  to  the  Scotch  division 
of  the  Court  of  Examiners. 

It  was  then  moved  by  Mr  Cartledgb,  and  seconded  by  Mr 
Lawson — 

"  That  Dr  Struthers  be  elected  Secretary  to  the  Scotch  division  of 
the  Board  of  Examiners." 

It  was  next  moved  by  Mr  Silvesteb,  and  seconded  by  Mr  Cart- 
ledge — 

"That  Dr  Struthers  be  requested  to  receive  the  sum  of  £10,  10s., 
in  addition  to  his  examination  fees." — Carried. 

The  House  Committee,  in  their  Beport,  recommended  that  a  floor- 
cloth for  the  entrance  hall,  a  cocoa-nut  mat  for  the  stairs,  a  new 
coal-scuttle  for  the  Council-room,  and  some  teacups,  be  purchased, 
and  also  that  the  doors  of  the  Library,  Museum,  and  Students'  room 
be  re-covered  with  baize ;  that  the  tables  and  chairs  be  repaired,  and 
that  the  defective  brick-work  in  front  of  the  house  be  made  good, 
and  also  that  the  walls  of  the  back  yard  be  repaired  and  coloured. 

It  was  moved  by  Mr  Helmore,  and  seconded  by  Professor 
Gamgee — 

"  That  the  Beport  be  received  and  adopted." — Carried. 

The  Finance  Committee  reported  that  they  had  examined  the 
vouchers  and  receipts  of  payments  during  the  preceding  quarter,  and 
found  them  correct.  The  quarterly  balance  sheet  of  the  Treasurer's 
account  was  read.  The  liabilities  for  the  quarter  ending  1st  January, 
amounted  to  £119, 14s.  6d.,  including  Messrs  Garrard's  bill  for  law 
expenses,  which  the  Committee  recommended  should  be  discharged. 

It  was  moved  by  Mr  Ernes,  and  seconded  by  Mr  Broad — 

"  That  the  Beport  be  received  and  adopted." — Carried. 
'  Cheques  were  ordered  to  be  drawn  for  the  current  expenses. 

A  letter  from  Mr  Braby  was  then  read,  in  which  he  expressed  a 
wish  to  withdraw  his  motion  for  the  present,  in  consequence  of 
severe  indisposition. 

It  was  moved  by  Mr  Ernes,  and  seconded  by  Mr  Wilkinson — 

"  That  Mr  Braby's  motion  be  postponed  until  the  next  quarterly 
meeting." — Carried. 

By  order  of  the  Council, 

William  Henry  Coates,  Secretary. 


THE  LAKCASmSE  YSTEBINABY  MEDICAL  ASSOCIATION.  85 


THE  LANCASHIEE  VETERINAKY  MEDICAL 
ASSOCIATION. 

The  Lancashire  Veterinary  Medical  Association  held  their  ninth 
meeting,  and  first  annual  dinner,  at  the  Brunswick  Hotel,  Piccadilly, 
Manchester,  on  the  evening  of  the  11th  ultimo,  the  president  in  the 
chair.  Peter  Taylor,  Esq.,  president,  Mr  John  Lawson,  Mr  Thomas 
Greaves,  Mr  Cuthbert  Simpson,  Mr  Bodger  Hampson,  Mr  James 
Haslam,  Mr  Wm.  Haycock,  Mr  George  Sermons,  Mr  Thomas  Taylor, 
Mr  Alexander  Gibson ;  Mr  J.  S.  Wilson,  for  the  Federal  army ;  Mr 
D.  Maclean,  army;  Mr  Challoner,  Mr  Alexander  Lawson,  Mr  J. 
Howel,  Mr  G.  Brown,  Mr  J.  C.  Taylor,  Mr  Heap,  Preston ;  Mr 
Folding,  Bury;  Mr  W.  Whittle,  Worsley;  Mr  John  Greaves,  Al- 
tringham ;  Mr  J.  P.  Brookes,  Pilkington  ;  Mr  Buckley,  Blackburn ; 
Mr  Williams,  Secretary  to  the  Yorkshire  Association;  Mr  Lord, 
Halifax;  Mr  Carter,  Bradford ;  Mr  litt,  Shrewsbury ;  Mr  Cartwright, 
Whitchurch ;  Mr  Lucas,  President  of  the  Liverpool  Association ;  Mr 
Morgan,  Secretary  of  the  Liverpool  Association ;  Mr  Gilbert  Heys ; 
Mr  Simpson,  jun.,  Liverpool;  Mr  Friend,  Liverpool;  Mr  Briscoe, 
Liverpool ;  Mr  Bryden,  Liverpool ;  Mr  Wood,  Ormskirk ;  Mr  Robert 
M.  llann,  surgeon ;  Mr  Boyle ;  Mr  Bleakley ;  Mr  Harvey  and  others, 
were  present 

THE  INAUGURAL  ADDRESS  READ  BEFORE  THE  LANCASHIRE 
YBTERINARY  medical  association  on  ELECTION  AS  PRESI- 
DENT,  BY  PETER  TAYLOR,  V.S. 
Gbntlemen, — By  your  kindness  I  appear  before  yon  as  President  of  the  Lanca- 
shire Veterinary  Medical  Association;  and  as  it  is  a  time-honoored  custom  to 
present  an  inaugural  address  upon  election  to  any  important  office,  I  do  so  on  the 
present  occasion,  in  the  hope  that  my  humble  aid  may  be  a  means  of  raising  the 
standard  of  yeterinary  science,  and  show  how  necessary  it  is  that  veterinary  medical 
associations  should  be  so  formed  and  conducted  as  to  raise  and  elevate  our  minds  in 
the  pursuit  of  knowledge ;  and  this  can  only  be  done  when  each  member  is  deter- 
mined ta  fulfil  his  allotted  duty ;  for  I  do  maintain,  however  high  in  the  walk  of 
science  a  man  may  be,  more  nobly,  more  faithfully  is  he  fulfilling  his  mission  to  his 
Maker,  and  to  his  fellow-man,  when  he  lends  his  presence  and  his  abilities  to  endea- 
vour to  raise,  to  exalt,  and  elevate  the  thoughts  and  ideas  of  his  fellow-man.  At 
oar  last  anniversary  our  esteemed  ex-president  was  kind  enough  to  read  an  interest- 
ing paper,  giving  an  historical  account  of  the  veterinary  surgeons  who  had  practised 
the  veterinary  art  in  the  city  of  Manchester.  I  will  not  repeat  the  kind,  lucid,  and 
good  remarks  he  made  of  gentlemen  who  had,  and  are  now,  adding  fame  and 
honour  to  the  science  of  veterinary  medicine.  I  propose,  by  your  kind  indulgence, 
to  review  veterinary  science  up  to  the  present  time.  The  definition  of  *'  science,"  by 
Sir  John  P.  W.  Herschel,  is  the  following : — "  Science  is  the  knowledge  of  many, 
orderly  and  methodically  digested  and  arranged,  so  as  to  become  attainable  by  one." 
Gentlemen,  we  are  the  living  representatives  of  the  veterinary  science  of  the  present 
day,  and  our  knowledge  has  been  gathered  from  those  that  have  departed  from  this 
stage  of  life,  matured  and  improved  by  our  own  observation,  reasoning,  and  practical 
minds ;  therefore  it  behoves  us  to  be  on  our  guard  and  faithfully  to  perform  our 
duty,  as  there  is  scarcely  any  well-informed  person  who,  if  he  has  but  the  will,  has 
not  the  power  to  add  something  essential  to  the  genersd  stock  of  knowledge,  if  he 
will  only  observe  regularly  and  carefully  some  particular  class  of  facts,  which  may 
most  excite  hia  attention,  or  which  his  position  may  best  enable  him  to  study  with 
effect    High,  noble,  and  great  the  members  of  the  Law,  Divinity,  and  Medical 


86  INAUGURAL  ADDRESS. 

Science  professionally  are,  and  great  are  the  honours  and  emoluments  conferred  on 
some  of  the  most  eminent    Not  so  with  ours.    Oar  profession,  from  its  earliest  his- 
tory, is,  and  ever  will  be,  much  indebted  to  its  sister  profession — viz.,  Human^  Medi- 
cine.    Hippocrates,  the  father  of  medicine,  who  lived  460  years  before  the  birth  of 
Christ,  was  the  most  celebrated  physician  of  early  times.    He  wrote  a  treatise  on  the 
curative  treatment  of  horses,  and  practised  indiscriminately  on  the   horse  and  its 
rider.    300  years  after  the  birth  of  Christ  we  have  a  veterinary  Hippocrates  of  the 
name  of  Yegetius,  who  took  upon  himself  to  collect  and  record  the  knowledge  of  the 
previous  veterinary  authors.    After  this  a  long  period  of  darkness  succeeded  these 
barbarous  ages,  and  after  a  great  lapse  of  time  iron  shoes,  before  but  partially  tried, 
became  generally  used,  and  the  treatment  of  diseases  of  the  horse  was  the  province 
of  the  horse-shoer,  and  medical  assistance  to  other  animals  was  trusted  to  tne  shep- 
herds and  their  attendants.     The  sixteenth  century  opened  unto  us  a  new  field  of 
learning  and  encouragement  of  the  arts,  and  amongst  the  first  patrons  was  Francis 
I.,  who  ordered  the  Constantino  collection  to  be  translated  from  the  original  Greek 
into  Latin,  and  afterwards  into  Italian,  German,  and  French.    From  this  time  it 
became  diffused  throughout  Europe.   About  this  time  Yegetius'  works  were  translated 
into  the  popular  European  languages,  and  our  art  continued  to  progress  up  to  the  seven- 
teenth century.  At  this  period  we  have  a  treatise  on  horse-shoeing  by  an  Italian,  Caesar 
Fiarchi ;  and  advanced  in  this  century  we  have  handed  down  to  us  an  elaborate  work 
of  great  merit  on  veterinary  medicine,  by  Solleysel,  which  was  a  great  means  of  ad- 
vancing the  knowledge  of  the  veterinary  art.    In  the  year  1761,  France,  with  the 
acuteness  and  alacrity  which  distinguishes  her  even  in  our  day,  set  the  noble  and 
good  example  at  this  period  in  establishing  under  royal  patronage  a  public  veterinary 
college  at  Lyons,  having  the  celebrated  Bourgelat  for  its  professor.    His  medical  and 
anatomical  works  were  numerous  and  well  known.    Five  years  afterwards,  which 
brings  the  time  to  1766,  a  second  college  was  opened  at  Alfort,  near  Paris,  showing 
with  what  energy  and  industry  the  French  nation  advances  a  science,  which  was 
necessary  and  profitable  for  their  country.    Soon  after  this  other  colleges  were  opened 
at  Yienna,  Berlin,  Copenhagen,  Dresden,  Leipsic,  Prague,  Munich,  London,  Hanover, 
Naples,  Russia,  &c.,  &c.    As  a  contemporary  with  Bourgelat,  the  first  professor  of 
the  veterinary  college  at  Lyons,  lived  the  elder  La  Fosse,  a  name  that  will  ever  be 
appreciated  and  respected  for  the  great  improvements  and  discoveries  he  made  in 
veterinary  medicine,  which  he  communicated  in  the  form  of  memoirs  to  the  Royal 
Academy  of  Sciences  at  Paris.     About  this  time  works  were  published  by  the  follow- 
ing eminent   French  veterinarians: — Chabert,  Flandrin,  Huzard,  and   others;   a 
veterinary  dictionary  by  Buchos ;  a  treatise  on  peri-pneumonia  in  cattle  and  mango 
in  horses,  by  Chabert;  and  a  work  on  glanders  by  Chabert  and  Huzard.    France  has 
given  us  enlightened  and  scientific  men  since  this  period;  we  have  Hurtsel,  d'Arboval, 
Dupuy,  and  not  the  least  is  Girard,  to  whom  the  French  colleges  were  indebted  too 
lor  their  text-book  on  the  anatomy  of  the  horse ;  and  even  at  the  present  time  we 
have  the  enlightened,  scientific,  and  patriotic  Professor  Bouley  at  the  Alfort  College, 
who  has  published  veterinary  scientific  works,  and  who  receives  English  veterinary 
surgeons  and  students  with  that  high,  noble,  and  gentlemanly  grace  which  deserves 
our  warmest  thanks  and  admiration.    In  the  year  1788,  Mr  Charles  Yial  de  St  BeU, 
whose  name  will  ever  live  in  the  memory  of  succeeding  veterinary  surgeons,  bv  being 
the  first  professor  of  the  veterinary  college  in  England.    He  was  professionally  edu- 
cated at  Lyons  Yeterinary  College,  afterwards  became  junior  assistant  at  ^fort ; 
came  over  to  England,  and  published  proposals  for  forming  a  veterinary  college  in 
London ;  was  disappointed,  and  returned  to  France.    In  the  year  1790  he  again 
visited  England,  and  made  a  second  attempt,  and  was  supported  by  a  Hampshire 
Agricultural  Society,  who  were  fully  convinced  of  the  advisability  of  such  an  insti- 
tution, after  a  time ;  and  in  February  1791,  the  first  organised  meeting  took  place, 
at  a  coffee-house  in  Bond  Street,  London,  and  formed  themselves  into  a  society,  and 
history  will^record  that  a  high  and  influential  nobleman  condescended  to  undertake 
the  office  of  president — viz.,  his  Grace  the  Duke  of  Northumberland.    Yice-presidents 
and  directors  were  selected,  and  a  house  in  St  Pancras  was  taken.    Pupils  were  ad- 
mitted, and  St  Bell  was  skilfully  assisted,  as  a  translator  and  anatomical  demon- 
strator, by  the  able  services  of  Mr  Delaberre  Blaine.    St  Bell's  works  were  an  **  Essay 
on  the  Geometrical  Proportions  of  Eclipse,"  "  Lectures  on  Farriering,  Shoeing,  and 
Diseases  of  the  Feet." 

In  August  1793,  St  Bell's  death^took  place,  and  there  appears  to  have  been  some 
differences  of  opinion  who  was  the  most  suitable  person  to  succeed  him.    We  have 


INAUOUBAL  ADDRESS.  87 

the  iiAineB  of  Mr  Clarke,  of  Edinburgh ;  Mr  Morecroft,  and  a  Mr  Coleman,  a  young 
nugeon.  It  appears  that  Mr  Coleman  and  Mr  Morecroft  undertook  the  profeasorship 
oorgointly,  but  yerjr  soon  afterwards  Mr  Morecroft  seceded,  and  Mr  Coleman  became 
the  sole  professor,  and  under  whose  able  and  scientific  care  the  London  Veterinary 
Goll^^  will  ever  be  indebted  too.  In  his  most  successful  reign  we  have  a  theatre 
opencMl  for  the  delivery  of  lectures,  a  dissecting-room  erected^  a  museum  formed,  and 
an  infirmary  added  to  the  college,  for  the  reception  of  patients.  The  pupils  were 
examined  by  medical  professors  and  practitioners,  and  received  a  diploma,  if  found 
qualified  by  having  the  necessary  abilities.  Professor  Coleman  was  most  generously 
and  ably  assisted  in  his  good  work  by  two  of  the  greatest  ornaments  in  the  medical 
profession,  viz.,  the  illustrious  John  Hunter  and  the  high  and  able  Sir  Astley  Cooper. 
GkK>rge  the  Third  granted  the  rank  of  commissioned  officers  to  such  veterinary  sur- 
geons as  might  be  appointed  to  regiments.  Under  these  high  and  most  noble  en- 
oouragements,  the  college  soon  acquired  additional  teachers.  Mr  Sewell  was  appointed 
assistant-professor,  and  subsequently  Mr  Vines  and  Mr  Morton  became  active  and 
useful  assistants.  About  this  time  the  teaching  and  practice  of  the  college  became 
considerably  extended,  by  attaching  to  the  teaching  of  the  horse,  the  anatomy,  physi- 
olo^,  and  pathology  of  the  ox,  the  sheep,  dog,  and  other  animals. 

We  have  now  come  down  to  the  eighteenth  century,  which  period  was  destined  to 
witness  a  great  advancement  in  veterinary  science  and  art.  We  have  works  of  nume- 
rous authors.  Professor  Coleman  published  works  on  **  The  Formation  and  Uses  of 
the  Natural  Frog  of  the  Horse  -/*  on  "  The  Structure^  Economy,  and  Diseases  of  the 
Foot;"  and  "Observations  on  Wounds  of  Circumscribed  Cavities."  Mr  Morecroft 
published  a  work  on  "  The  Various  Methods  of  Shoeing  Horses,"  with  incidental 
observations.  Mr  John  Lawrence  published  a  collection  of  extracts  from  St  Bell, 
Osmer,  Clarke,  and  Lord  Pembroke,  1801.  Mr  White,  a  veterinary  surgeon  of  Exeter, 
prodooed  a  '*  Vade-mecum  of  Farriery."  At  this  time  a  work  of  great  merit  and 
practical  knowledge,  on  "  The  Paces  and  Proportions  of  the  Horse,"  appeared,  written 
by  a  very  able  and  enlightened  veterinary  surgeon  of  Birmingham,  Mr  Richard 
JUwrence.  We  have  a  work  on  "  The  Diseases  and  Treatment  of  Cattle/'  by  Mr 
Downing.  In  1803  a  "  Veterinary  Treatise,"  by  Mr  Feron,  V.S.,  13th  Dragoons; 
and  Mr  Eyding's  "  Veterinary  Pathology."  In  1805  we  have  a  "Veterinary  Dio- 
tlonary,"  by  Thomas  Boardman,  V.S.,  3d  Dragoons ;  a  "  Treatise  on  Cattle,"  by  John 
Lawrence ;  and  a  work  by  Francis  Clater.  In  1809  we  have  Mr  Bracy  Clarke's,  of 
liOndon,  elaborate  and  enlightened  works,  viz.,  **  Dissertation  on  the  Foot  of  the 
Horse,  with  Experiments  on  Shoeing;"  a  "History  of  the  Bots  of  Horses,"  which 
has  established  a  reputation  for  its  author,  and  which  will  hand  down  to  posterity  a 
name  which  will  ever  be  spoken  of  as  one  of  the  great  luminaries  in  veterinary  science. 
In  the  year  1818  we  have  a  Mr  William  Dick,  who  was  destined  to  play  an  important 
part  in  the  history  of  veterinary  science.  He  received  his  anatomical  knowledge  and  his 
professional  education  at  the  London  Veterinary  College,  under  the  professorship  of 
Edward  Coleman.  William  Dick  received  his  diploma  in  1817,  and  returned  to  Scot- 
land»  and  with  his  sagacious  mind  saw  the  necessity  of  opening  another  college,  which  he 
did  in  Clyde  Street,  Edinburgh,  in  the  year  1818,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Highland 
and  Agricultural  Society  of  Scotland,  and  became  Professor  of  Veterinary  Science  of 
Scotland ;  and  there  is  no  man  who  has  elevated  the  character  of  a  profession  by 
dint  of  professional  ability,  in  so  short  a  time,  and  to  so  high  a  position,  as  he  hia 
done  for  veterinary  science  in  Scotland,  and  has  continued  to  perform  the  duties  of 

Srofessor  to  the  college  up  to  the  present  time,  fulfilling  the  important  and  daily 
uties  for  the  large  space  of  forty-seven  years.  Where  is  the  man  who  has  done 
more  to  advance  veterinary  science,  or  to  elevate  the  position  of  the  veterinary 
surgeon  ?  Who  knows  him,  knows  a  man — a  true  type  of  Scotland's  sons !  He  has 
a  large,  profound,  and  practical  knowledge  on  all  veterinary  subjects;  of  unremitting 
perseverance  and  industry,  and  a  determination  not  to  be  behind  in  the  noble  race, 
peculiar  to  the  men  and  their  country.  Gentlemen,  he  has  not  that  brilliant  elo- 
quence of  an  accomplished  speaker,  nor  is  he  a  fluent  lecturer ;  but  he  has  a  tact,  a 
property  above  all  properties,  of  leading  and  directing  a  youthful  mind  up  and 
through  the  steep,  and  rugged,  and  slippery  paths  of  advancement  to  the  summit  of 
veterinary  collegiate  education,  and  shows  him,  by  forcible  truths,  the  sands  and 
shoals  he  must  avoid,  which  results  in  producing  a  qualified  man,  that  goes  forth 
and  proclaims  his  alma  mater  and  pater  noster  of  veterinary  medicine  in  the  city  of 
Edinburgh — ^living  monuments,  that  honour  the  name  of  Professor  Dick.  His  works 
are  two  infli^"^!"  on  veterinary  science,  and  written  much  more  in  other  periodicals, 
and  was  co-editor  to  the  Veterinarian  for  a  long  time. 


88  INAUGURAL  ADDRESS. 

In  1823  we  have  another  important  explorer  in  veterinary  science  of  the  name  of 
Mr  William  Percivall,  a  veterinary  surgeon  of  the  Royal  Regiment  of  Artillery, 
afterwards  to  the  Ist  Life  Guards.  I  cannot  find  language  to  do  ample  justice  to 
one  of  the  most  brilliant  veterinary  ornaments  that  ever  shone.  It  sent  forth  its 
brilliant  and  illuminating  light  to  enlighten  the  ignorant,  to  refresh  and  improve 
the  educated,  and  has  shown,  by  eloquent  and  flowing  language  to  those  that  repre- 
sent, study,  and  pursue  the  science  of  veterinary  medicine,  that  it  is  a  high,  noble, 
and  benevolent  calling.  This  year  he  published  his  veterinary  lectures  on  "  The 
Anatomy,  Physiology,  and  Pathology  of  the  Horse."  In  1832  he  published  the  first, 
and  I  think  I  can  safely  say,  without  fear  of  contradiction,  the  only  work  in  English, 
even  at  the  present  day,  on  "  The  Anatomy  of  the  Horse,"— a  great  and  meritorious 
work  at  that  time,  illustrating  what  a  determined  and  energetic  labourer  he  was  in 
the  field  of  veterinary  science.  He  afterwards  published  his  beautiful  and  scientific 
work  called  "  Hippopathology,"  and  was  for  a  number  of  years  co-editor  of  the 
Veterinarian.  Here,  gentlemen,  is  a  noble  man  that  deserves  our  admiration  and 
praise  for  his  great  talents,  much  more  for  the  handsome  and  intellectual  manner 
he  has  recorded  them  for  the  benefit  of  succeeding  ages  whose  lot  it  will  be  to  follow 
after.  All  this  time  our  Royal  Veterinary  College,  under  the  able  and  scientific  care 
of  Professor  Coleman,  sent  forth  every  year  a  large  number  of  educated,  gentlemanly, 
and  accomplished  veterinary  practitioners  throughout  England,  Ireland,  and  Scot- 
land. I  will  give  you  the  great  Sir  Astley  Cooper's  opinion  of  Professor  Coleman, 
given  at  a  dinner  presided  over  by  him  on  January  23, 1833.  In  proposing  Professor 
Coleman's  health,  he  said — He  had  been  acquainted  with  him  forty-five  years,  and  their 
friendship  had  never  been  broken  or  weakened.  During  that  period  he  had  pub- 
lished a  "  Treatise  on  Asphyxia,"  which  did  him  infinite  credit.  He  had  been  selected 
as  successor  to  St  Bell,  for  his  anatomical  knowledge  and  his  physiological  inquiries, 
and  the  accuracy  of  his  deductions  from  the  various  experiments  he  had  instituted. 
He  had  carried  the  same  spirit  of  inquiry  to  the  study  of  the  horse,  and  veterinary 
pupils  and  veterinary  science  had  been  incalculably  indebted  to  him.  The  profession 
might  be  said  to  be  indebted  to  him,  and  to  him  alone,  for  the  rank  it  held  in  public 
estimation ;  for  it  was  the  commission  which  he  procured  for  regimental  veterinary 
Burgeons  which  proved  their  passport,  and  for  many  a  long  year  the  only  one  they 
could  have,  to  the  highest  society  in  the  country.  It  is  the  support  of  such  men,  and 
the  advantages  which  their  friendship  secures,  that  raises  the  dignity  and  position  of 
a  college.  Professor  Coleman  worked,  lectured,  and  laboured  for  the  cause  of  veteri- 
nary science  for  the  long  space  of  forty-six  years.  He  died  in  July  1839,  after  a 
long,  active,  and  most  useful  life,  at  the  advanced  age  of  71. 

We  have  a  Mr  William  Sewell,  who  was  apprenticed  to  Professor  Coleman  in  the 
year  1796,  received  his  professional  education,  and  afterwards  became  his  assistant; 
subsequently  was  appointed  sub-professor,  and  lastly  was  appointed  professor,  on  the 
death  of  Professor  Coleman.  Professor  Sewell  devoted  fifty-seven  years  of  his  life- 
time to  the  duties  devolving  upon  him  in  these  several  capacities,  and  was  professor 
for  fourteen  years.  He  was  (1  am  indebted  to  the  Veterinarian)  not  gifted  with 
those  high  talents  of  a  Coleman,  but  had  an  average  share  of  talent,  in  conjunction 
with  all  the  requisites  of  a  plain,  efficient  man  of  business,  who  has  left  an  example, 
after  more  than  fifty  years'  devotion  to  the  veterinary  profession,  of  a  perfect  pattern 
to  the  rising  generation ; — an  illustration  of  the  success  of  industry,  temperance,  and 
frugality,  when  combined  with  integrity  and  honesty  of  purpose.  Professor  Sewell 
made  the  grand  discovery  of  Neurotomy  in  the  year  1818,  and  published  and  pre- 
sented the  paper  to  the  Royal  College  of  Veterinary  Surgeons.  In  1835  he  intro- 
duced a  novel  operation,  by  (Uviding  the  periosteum  for  the  relief  of  pain  in  exostosis, 
and  became  a  great  advocate  for  setons.  He  also,  I  believe,  assumed  to  be  the  dis- 
coverer of  the  administration  of  sulphate  of  copper  for  the  cure  of  glanders.  Such, 
gentlemen,  is  a  sketch  of  one  who  did  his  best,  with  his  head  and  his  heart,  to  ad- 
vance our  science,  to  which  be  was  singly  and  ardently  devoted.  Another  instance 
of  a  long,  honourable,  and  useful  life,  when  death  removed  him  at  the  advanced  age 
of  72  years.     He  died  on  the  8th  of  June  1853. 

In  1853,  we  have  Professor  Spooner  elected  as  his  successor, — a  person  whose 
mental  acquirements  are  in  every  respect  well  qualified  to  fulfil  that  high,  honour- 
able, and  noble  position.     He  is  a  fluent  and  eloquent  lecturer,  a  profound  anatomist, 


INAUGURAL  ADDEESS.  89 

protect,  and  advance  the  interest  of  our  alma  mater  with  a  maternal  care  even  at  the 
present  time.  He  is  skilfully,  ably,  and  scientifically  assisted  by  Professor  Simonds, 
Professor  Vamell,  Professor  Tuson,  and  Mr  Pritchard. 

Gentlemen,  I  should  regret  losing  the  present  opportunity  of  paying  a  just  tribute 
to  the  high  and  sterling  merit  of  such  great  and  enlightened  men  as  the  late  Mr 
Belaberre  Blaine,  William  Youatt,  James  and  Thomas  Turner,  William  Robinson, 
Mr  Goodwin,  John  Barlow,  Professor  Stewart,  Mr  Karkeck,  John  and  William  Field, 
Mavor  and  Brothers,  Thomas  Morton,  William  Haycock,  Professor  Brown,  Professor 
Gamgee,  and  Finlay  Dunn ;  who  have,  by  their  transcendent  talents  and  published 
veterinary  works,  and  many  more  who  have  unostentatiously,  but  in  a  quiet  and  prac- 
tical manner,  assisted  to  raise  the  position  of  the  veterinary  science. 

We  have  now  arrived  at  our  own  time,  and  we  have  recently  two  new  colleges 
opened  in  Scotland.  Professor  (kmgee  has  opened  another  in  Edinburgh.  I  wish 
he  had  planted  his  vineyard  in  our  sister  isle  (Ireland)  in  place  of  Edinburgh ;  it 
would,  I  am  sure,  have  done  more  good,  and  advanced  the  interest  of  our  science,  and 
conferred  greater  benefit  on  mankind  at  large,  and  have  yielded  more  abundant  and 
wholesome  fruit,  rather  than  have  the  appearance  of  sapping  the  vital  supplies  of  an 
established  college  which  had  existed  for  more  than  forty  years.  A  fourth  college  is 
opened  at  Glasgow,  with  Professor  M'CuU  at  its  head. 

Gentlemen,  let  us  now  take  a  survey  of  our  science,  and  ask  ourselves  the  follow- 
ing questions  : — Firstly,  Have  we  made  great  progress  ?  Secondly,  Are  we  higher  in 
our  social  life  ?  Thirdly,  Is  our  calling  so  appreciated  by  our  Legislature  as  it  merits  ? 
Fourthly,  Do  our  colleges  treat  us  with  that  high  regard  as  our  position  deserves  ? 
Fifthly,  have  our  colleges  made  that  onward  progress  they  should  have  done  ? 

First,  Have  we  made  great  progress  ?  Our  ancestors  bled,  rebled,  purged,  blistered, 
seton^,  &c.,  &c.  Their  impression  was,  there  was  an  enemy  within ;  they  must 
reduee  the  city  by  taking  away  its  vital  supplies,  and  placing  on  a  greater  enemy 
without ;  they  bled,  purged,  and  blistered,  in  all  diseases.  Not  so  in  our  age.  We 
rarely  bleed,  never  purge  (with  aloes)  in  inflammatory  diseases.  We  husband  our 
vital  energies  to  carry  on  the  warfare  to  a  successful  result,  and  admit  pure  and 
wholesome  air,  and  by  careful  observation  we  inquire  whether  the  city  demands  ex- 
traneous aid,  and  find  out  the  nature  of  supplies  required.  Look,  again,  to  an  open 
joint  They  plastered  and  bandaged  up  the  inflamed  and  injured  joint.  We  relieve 
the  active  inflammation ;  afterwards  we  stop  the  discharge  of  synovia,  by  acting 
chemically  upon  the  escaping  fluid.  We  certainly  do  "  counter-irritate,"  but  not  to 
that  extent  which  they  did.  In  fact,  diseases  are  now  treated  more  scientifically  and 
much  more  successfully  than  formerly.  We  do  not  throw  in  bucketfuls  of  medicine, 
but  we  regulate  our  dose  and  repeat  it,  so  as  to  have  the  desired  cflcct  in  assisting 
nature's  eflforts.    I  think  we  have  good  reason  to  say  we  have  made  great  progress. 

Secondly,  Are  we  higher  in  our  social  life  ?  Formerly  the  farrier  and  veterinary 
surgeon  was  the  companion  of  the  coachman,  groom,  carter,  and  dair}'man.  !N^ot  so 
now.  We  treat  them  with  becoming  gentlemanly  respect ;  we  do  our  duty,  and  ex- 
pect them  to  do  the  same.  We  are  admitted  upon  social  terms  with  our  clients,  and 
are  by  the  majority  greatly  respected.  Allow  me  to  say  that  the  elevation  of  our 
ocial  position  is  in  our  keeping ;  we  must  protect  ourselves  by  never  shirking  to  fulfils 
our  duties  honestly  and  fearlessly,  and  always  pride  ourselves  to  be  the  gentleman. 
Associations  like  these  are  high  steps  in  right  directions.  I  say  our  social  position 
is  higher  and  more  respectable. 

Thirdly,  Is  our  calling  so  appreciated  by  our  legislators  as  it  merits  ?  On  looking 
over  our  history,  we  do  not  find  in  it  a  lord,  a  baronet,  or  even  a  knight ;  but  if  any 
ingenious  man  should  form  a  weapon  which  will  be  a  means  of  destroying  more  men, 
at  a  given  time,  and  at  a  greater  distance  than  any  in  present  use,  he  is  honoured  by 
knighthood.  Our  profession  has  many  members,  who  have  formed  many  scientific 
weapons,  but  they  are  used  for  preserving  and  protecting  animal  life.  Our  legislators 
cast  us  away,  as  a  ship  upon  the  open  sea,  without  a  rudder ;  we  have  no  charter,  and 
we  are  not  even  allowed^the  same  privileges  as  our  sister  profession,— viz.,  the  exemp- 
tion upon  juries,  and  protection  to  our  science.  I  say  they  do  not  sufficiently  ap- 
preciate our  calling,  or  do  justice  to  our  profession. 

Fourthly,  Do  our  colleges  treat  us  with  that  high  regard  as  our  position  deserves  ? 
High  and  noble  as  they  are,  I  think  not.  If  any  youth,  even  if  he  be  a  joiner,  a 
mechanic,  or  a  labourer,  and  had  never  seen  a  horse,  "  pays  his  fees,"  he  would  be 
admitted  as  a  pupil  to  all  the  privileges  of  the  college.  This  should  not  be  so.  First, 
he  should  pass  an  educational  examination,  which  I  am  pleased  to  say  that  Professor 
Vol.  L—  No.  II.— Nkw  Skmks.    Febbuabt  1866.  Qt 


90  INAUGUEAL  ADDRESa 

Spooner  has  recently  made  it  a  sine  qua  non  at  th«  London  CoU^e.  Secondly,  he 
should  be  apprenticed  under  a  practical  veterinary  surgeon  for  three  or  five  years; 
on  presentation  of  these  certificates,  be  admitted  to  the  college  duties.  By  these 
means  we  should  have  a  higher  and  a  more  enlightened  veterinary  surgeon. 

Fifthly,  Have  our  colleges  made  that  onward  progress  they  should  have  done  ? 
Thanks  be  to  them,  they  have  sent  forth  a  large  number  of  intelligent  men  to  practise 
the  veterinary  art;  but  withal  we  have  not  a  text-book  on  the  anatomy  of  the  horse, 
the  ox,  the  sheep,  or  the  dog.  We  have  still  to  fall  back  upon  Percivall's  "  Anatomy 
of  the  Horse  "  (which  some  of  them  discard)  for  the  education  of  our  youth.  We  are 
obliged  to  read  and  consult  the  medical  works  of  physiology,  and  to  consult  our 
medical  authors  for  much  more  information,  which  we  ought  to  gather  from  our  own 
professional  resources.  Gentlemen,  our  profession  consists  of  two  parts — first,  its 
principles,  upon  which  it  is  based,  the  knowledge  of  which  is  called  science ;  second- 
ly, of  the  art,  means  by  which  the  knowledge  is  applied  and  carried  into  efiect ;  and 
a  judicious  practitioner  requires  a  combination  of  both,  in  conjunction  with  a  clear 
head,  a  quick  eye,  a  steady  hand,  and  a  good  ear ;  but,  gentlemen,  to  grasp  the  all- 
hidden  wonders  of  the  universe  is  beyond  the  power  of  our  finite  mind.  I  am  sure 
you  all  know  that  a  knowledge  of  our  profession  is  only  acquired  by  continued  la- 
bour and  application.  Work  is  the  beginning,  the  middle,  and  the  end  of  our  pro- 
fession ;  therefore,  gentlemen,  let  us  work  onwards,  with  firmness  and  resolution,  to 
raise  the  standard  of  our  profession  still  higher,  and  make  the  Lancashire  Veterinary 
Medical  Association  the  arena  where  we  can  all  come  and  draw  from  the  fountains 
of  the  practical,  the  intelligent,  and  well-stored  minds,  and  invite  our  professional 
labourers  to  come  into  our  field  of  science,  to  meet  us  as  brethren,  to  lay  open  the 
results  of  their  labours,  to  set  forth  their  deductions  at  which  they  have  arrived  at, 
to  ask  for  their  examination,  and  to  maintain,  in  the  combat  of  debate,  the  truth  of 
their  position  and  the  accuracy  of  their  observation ;  for,  gentlemen,  we  have  yet 
boundless  fields  still  before  us  for  intellectual  exercise  and  honourable  distinction. 

After  dinner,  various  toasts  were  proposed  and  responded  to.  In 
responding  to  the  toast  of  "Provincial  Veterinary  Medical  Asso- 
ciations/' Mr  Greaves  made  the  following  observations : — 

Mr  President  and  Gentlemen, — In  rising  to  respond  to  the  toast  which  you  have 
been  pleased  to  designate  the  toast  of  the  evening,  I  beg  to  say  I  am  fully  aware  there 
are  numbers  of  gentlemen  present  who  could  respond  to  it  much  better  than  I  am 
able  to  do  ;  but  there  are  none  to  whom  I  will  yield  in  a  desire  to  advance  the  trne 
interests  of  my  profession,  or  to  promote  the  welfare  of  these  associations.  In  the  few 
remarks  which  1  have  to  make  I  shall  take  a  retrospect  and  an  anticipation  of  Veteri- 
nary Medical  Associations.  During  the  year  that  it  has  been  my  high  honour  to 
preside  over  your  association,  we  have  increased  in  members  from  eleven  to  thirty- 
three  or  thirty-four ;  our  funds,  which  were  below  zero,  are  now  £30  to  £40 ;  we  have 
held  four  quarterly  meetings  and  ten  or  twelve  special  meetings ;  at  our  quarterly 
meetings  we  have  been  well  supported  by  our  professional  brethren ;  we  have  been 
honoured  by  the  President  of  the  College,  the  President  of  the  Yorkshire  Association, 
and  many  other  eminent  practitioners.  The  success  which  has  been  attained  is  at- 
tributable in  no  small  degree  to  the  untiring  exertion  of  our  late  secretary  and  trea- 
surer, who  have  rendered  all  my  duties  a  positive  delight.  I  have  thought  that  I  was 
doing  my  profession  a  service  by  encouraging  these  associations.  With  that  object 
in  view,  1  have  attended  the  Yorkshire,  North  of  England,  and  the  Liverpool  Asso- 
ciations, also  the  banquet  at  Birmingham,  and  the  annual  meeting  of  our  profession 
in  London,  and  spoke  at  each  of  these  places,  commending  as  ably  as  I  could  the 
cause  of  these  associations,  and  the  remarks  have  been  deemed  worthy  to  be  record^ 
in  the  pages  of  the  Veterinarian.  It  is  very  becoming  and  proper  that  we  should 
occasionally  quit  the  arena  of  toil,  and  rejoice  with  those  who  rejoice.  Let  us  weave 
a  web  of  kindness,  and  warm  each  other  by  a  mutual  transfusion  of  kind  feeling. 
The  vexations,  disappointments,  and  irritations  common  to  our  professional  duties, 
which  is  the  witnessing  of  one  continual  succession  of  suffering  and  death,  demand 
occasional  relaxation  to  enable  us  to  discharge  the  obligation  of  life  aright.  On  the 
last  occasion  the  mover  of  the  vote  of  thanks  was  pleased  to  say — "  I  had  watched 
over  these  associations  with  a  paternal  care."  I  covet  no  higher  honour.  I  felt  my 
bosom  swell  with  gratitude  and  pride  as  I  listened  to  that  statement.  I  feel  proud 
of  the  honour  done  me  in  permitting  me  to  respond  to  this  toast.    Let  us  aim  high, 


THE  LANOASHIBE  YETEBIKABY  MEDICiX  ASfiOCIATIOK.  91 

and  make  onrselTes  respected  bj  the  steidy  force  of  true  principles.  You  will  see  in 
what  estimation  I  hold  the  snccess  of  this  association  when  you  see  the  banner  I  hare 
taken  the  liberty  to  unfnrl  and  dedicate  to  this  association,  and  which  I  beg  now  to 
offer  for  the  acceptance  of  its  members;  also  the  reading-d^;  and  last,  though  not 
least,  the  portrait  of  Professor  Spooner,  than  whom  no  man  is  more  worthy  to  occupy 
a  conspicuous  place  upon  our  walls, — no  professor  has  more  assiduously  endeayourea 
to  uphold  the  dignity  and  honour  of  the  profession.  Amongst  his  students  he  has 
been  almost  idolised ;  presentations  of  plate  have  almost  showered  upon  him ;  and 
the  various  improvements  in  the  rules  and  regulations  of  the  College,  especially  that 
appertaining  to  the  preliminary  examination,  which  he  has  now  adopted,  having  re- 
jected two  candidates  for  admission  at  the  commencement  of  this  session.  During 
the  year  that  is  passed  we  have  had  to  contend  with  one  of  the  most  formidable  and 
important  strikes  of  the  shoeing  smiths  that  ever  occurred  in  the  annals  of  England. 
Thanks  to  this  association,  we  maintained  a  steadfast  and  honourable  conduct  towards 
each  other,  and  the  result  was  a  signal  and  complete  triumph.  We  are  now  our  own 
masters  in  our  own  shops,  which  was  not  the  case  before,  and  have  now  better  men 
working  for  us ;  they  are  more  obliging  and  more  attentive  to  their  duties ;  the  men 
are  not  unsettled  or  dominated  over  by  a  restless  and  mischievous  club.  During  that 
period  of  excitement  the  misguided  turn-outs  assaulted  and  tried  to  intimidate  some 
of  the  men  who  were  working.  I,  being  your  president,  was  waited  upon  and  re- 
quested to  assume  the  unenviable  character  of  public  prosecutor.  I  saw  the  justice 
and  the  necessity  of  such  a  course.  This  was  attended  with  considerable  personal 
inconvenience,  having  to  attend  the  court  eight  or  ten  times,  two,  three,  and  even 
four  and  a-half  hours  at  a  time,  exposing  myself  to  the  odium,  ill-feeling,  and  danger 
from  the  misguided  men.  On  these  several  occasions  there  was  one  gentleman  who, 
without  a  particle  of  vindictive  feeling  in  his  nature,  but  who,  being  prompted  purely 
by  a  high  sense  of  honour,  evinced  sufficient  moral  courage  as  to  dare  to  do  his  duty,  and 
to  share  with  me  the  responsibilities  and  the  dangers.  I  feel  it  to  be  only  my  duty  to 
make  known  that  you,  sir,  kindly  extended  to  me  your  countenance  and  support  in  that 
tiying  hour.  Three  of  those  men  were  imprisoned ;  and  they  have  each  of  them  since 
called  upon  me,  not  with  feelings  of  spite  and  malice,  but  to  express  their  sorrow  and 
their  contrition.  Amongst  the  remarkable  actions  of  this  association  this  one  will 
shine  most  prominently.  I  shall  therefore,  with  your  permission,  proclaim  this 
"Triumph  the  First**  for  our  association.  Our  first  paper  was  introduced  by  Mr 
HaycodL,  on  Pleuro-pneumonia.  This  dire  disease  was  handled  in  a  most  able 
manner,  and  occupied  two  evenings'  discussion.  The  next  was  a  paper  by  Mr  Lawson, 
on  Tetanus  in  the  Horse,  indicating  an  amount  of  success  (nine  out  of  eleven  cases) 
whidi  has  never  been  attained  before  in  the  annals  of  veterinary  science — at  least,  no 
such  success  has  ever  been  recorded.  It  is  our  bounden  duty  to  meditate  upon  this 
Uct  It  is,  perhaps,  the  greatest  step  in  advance  ever  taken  in  the  treatment  of  this 
disease,  idien  we  see  that  gentleman  come  forward  and  take  great  pains  to  instruct 
us  in  the  system  he  adopts,  and  by  which  our  success  may  be  equal  to  his ;  and  since 
which  announcement  practitioners  have  acknowledged  to  me  complete  success  by  its 
adoption.  To  cure  one  case  of  tetanus,  even,  is  no  child's  play.  This  we  all  know ; 
often,  alas !  to  our  sorrow  and  humiliation;  but  to  be  initiated  into  a  system  resulting 
in  such  success  as  this  is  conferring  a  benefit  upon  his  profession  that  deserves  our 
lasting  gratitude.  Let  us  not  be  chary  in  this  matter;  let  us  speak  right  out,  and 
accord  to  him  the  honour  that  is  his  due,  and  hand  over  freely  to  him  the  laurel 
branch,  and  see  that  the  wreath  is  put  upon  the  right  brow.  Therefore,  with  your 
permission,  I  will  proclaim  this  "Triumph  the  Second.*'  I  allude  to  Mr  John  Lawi-on, 
jun.  Our  next  paper  was  introduced  by  Mr  Howil,  on  Puerperal  Fever  in  Cattle. 
It  was  compiled  in  a  most  practical  and  masterly  manner,  and  what  I  characterise 
the  best  written  paper  upon  that  subject  in  our  literature.  But  the  impetus  which 
has  been  given  and  the  emulation  which  has  been  excited  have  not  been  confined 
to  this  association.  There  is  in  the  town  of  Manchester  a  young  man  whose 
innate  sense  of  diffidence  and  modesty  deprives  us  of  his  appearance  amongst 
us  in  public,  bat  who  is  working  out  one  of  the  most  difficult  problems  we  are 
ever  called  upon  to  solve,  viz.,  the  cure  of  canker.  He  is  maturing  and  developing 
a  successful  mode  of  treatment  which  assumes  the  character  of  apparent  cer- 
tainty. During  my  thirty  years'"  practice  I  have  treated  scores  of  cases  of  canker, 
and  I  beliere  no  man  has  more  diligently  or  persistently  employed  the  b^t 
known  remedies,  but  very  rarely  indeed  witu  success.  To  cure  one  bad  case  of 
canker,  even,  is  no  child's  play.    This  we  all  know ;  often,  alas  !  to  our  mortification. 


92  THB  LANCASHIEE  VETERINAEY  MEDICAL  ASSOCUTION. 

Many  eminent  men  admit  their  inability  to  cure  canker.  But  here  is  a  young  man 
whom  I  have  seen  to  cure  four  cases  hand  running, — four  bad  cases — cases  which  I 
freely  admit  I  should  not  have  been  able  to  cure  at  all ;  nor  do  I  know  any  other 
practitioner  who  could  have  cured  them.  I  do  not  think  I  am  reflecting  any  disre- 
spect upon  the  members  of  the  profession  in  saying  this  much ;  but  what  I  am  desirous 
of  doing  is  to  give  honour  to  whom  honour  is  due.  This  is  another  mighty  step  in 
the  onward  progress  in  our  profession,  which,  I  believe,  has  never  been  gained  before. 
Let  us  hand  over  to  him  the  laurel  branch,  and  place  the  wreath  upon  the  right  brow. 
And,  with  your  permission,  I  will  proclaim  this  ** Triumph  the  Third"  for  our  asso- 
ciation. I  beg  to  congratulate  this  association  upon  these  substantial  results.  It  is 
only  right  and  proper  that  we  should  be  up  and  doing.  It  is  no  idle  word  that  we 
live  in  an  age  of  rapid  progress,  that  science  is  making  rapid  and  gigantic  strides. 
It  is  almost  certain  that,  before  another  summer's  sun  warms  this  our  happy  isle,  the 
Manchester  daily  papers  will  contain  the  events  that  occurred  the  evening  before  in 
Washington ;  and  before  Christmas,  they  will  contain  the  events  that  occurred  the 
evening  before  in  Calcutta ;  and  in  twelve  months  later,  we  shall  have  the  events 
occurring  in  Pekin  of  the  preceding  evening  recorded  in  our  Manchester  morning 
papers.  We  stand  upon  a  loftier  eminence  than  our  forefathers  did ;  and  I  cherish 
the  hope  that  these  associations  will  stimulate  fresh  vitality,  so  that  the  rate  of  pro- 
gress we  have  made  may  be  maintained ;  and  if  it  is  maintained  at  the  same  ratio 
for  the  next  five  years,  and  each  of  the  other  associations  in  England  and  Scotland 
will  contribute  an  equal  amount  of  beneficial  result,  the  gross  advancement  which 
will  have  been  made  may  be  likened  to  the  engineering  and  mechanical  sciences  (they 
having  made  equal  progress)  commencing  and  completing  the  construction  of  a  Bri- 
tannia tube,  with  its  two  million  rivets,  in  one  week,  and  fixing  it  in  one  day.  But, 
sir,  much  as  has  been  done,  there  remains  yet  much  to  be  done.  The  deplorable 
dissensions  in  the  profession,  and  which  have  unfortunately  existed  now  so  long,  though 
it  is  not  for  me  to  say  who  is  the  party  to  blame,  there  are  parties  in  London  and  in 
Edinburgh  whose  characters  are  esteemed  by  me  too  highly  for  me  to  even  whisper  a 
breath  of  disrespect ;  still,  I  feel  bound  to  say,  the  spirit  of  disunion  and  antagonism 
existing  between  the  Highland  and  Agricultural  Societies  with  the  Edinburgh  College 
on  the  one  hand,  and  the  Koyal  College  of  Veterinary  Surgeons  on  the  other,  has  all 
along  operated  like  a  millstone  around  the  neck  of  the  profession,  effectually  pre- 
venting all  successful  efforts  in  obtaining  a  new  charter  or  other  advantageous  enact- 
ment ;  and  until  a  cordial  unanimity  between  these  institutions  have  been  achieved, 
the  complete  success  of  provincial  veterinary  medical  associations  will  not  have  been 
attained.  Again,  there  still  confronts  us  a  long  list  of  diseases  which  nearly  always 
baffles  our  best  treatment ;  but  that  they  are  curable  diseases  is  proved  by  one  every 
now  and  then  being  cured.  I  look  forward  to  the  cordial  alliances  and  the  veterinary 
congresses  of  these  associations  contributing  mightily  to  this  consummation  so  de- 
voutly to  be  desired.  Therefore,  until  some  method  has  been  adopted  whereby  the 
cure  of  all  curable  diseases  in  our  patients  has  been  achieved,  the  complete  success 
of  Provincial  Veterinary  Medical  Associations  will  not  have  been  attained.  Again, 
there  exists  one  vexatious  question  which  often  appears  to  blacken  the  fair  fame  of 
our  profession,  bringing  down  upon  its  members  ridicule,  humiliation,  and  disgrace. 
I  allude  to  the  incongruous  and  unfortunate  difference  of  opinion  upon  the  soundness 
of  horses,  in  our  courts  of  justice.  Do  you  tell  me  it  is  the  result  of  different  con- 
struction and  organisation  of  the  minds  of  different  men  ?  Such  an  answer  appears 
very  sorry,  very  inconclusive,  and  unsatisfactory  to  me;  for  I  am  bound  to  say  it  often 
appears  to  me  that  we  allow  the  spirit  of  partisanship  to  have  more  power  over  our 
opinions  than  our  conscientious  convictions,  occasionally  causing  our  best  men  to 
stultify  themselves  and  to  stultify  one  another.  I  believe,  if  we  will  base  our  opinions 
upon  broad  principles  and  sound  judgment,  an  approximation  to  unanimity  may  be 
arrived  at ;  and  until  that  is  achieved,  the  complete  success  of  Provincial  Veterinary 
Medical  Associations  will  not  have  been  attained.  With  these  observations,  I  beg  to 
thank  you  for  the  honour  you  have  done  me  by  coupling  my  name  and  identifying 
me  with  these  most  useful  associations^  and  the  good  spirit  you  have  shown  towards 
them. 

The  meeting  was  in  every  way  satisfactory,  and  one  which  will  be 
long  remembered  by  the  profession  in  the  North  of  England. 


THS  mStESL  DSSaBaOTG  OF  SHEEP.  93 

FEKEBOOFK 


THE  WI5TEB  DBESSIXG  OF  SHEEP. 

Thi  foDowiB^  P*IKr  warn  imd  bgr  SheriiT Bobertaoii,  Emj,  Tobermorj^at  the  Decem- 
ber mctHag  of  tlte  M«I1  Agnaltenl  Aifwiation  : — 

In  ecmMBliiis  to  vnie  a  paper  oa  tiie  Biljeet  of  the  **  Winter  DreflBuig  of  Sbeepr  I  b^ 
no  idea  of  the  dificaltr  of  tiit  tad^  I  had  undertaken.  The  snbject  is,  howerer,  one  of 
Badiimportuee  to  tlie  flkockholden  of  the  ooontzr  in  general,  and  to  those  of  this  dis- 
trict in  particalary  that  I  do  not  gmdge  the  labour  if  it  tnmsoat  of  anr  ralne  to  men 
whoae  aTocatioiia  I  ao  eordiallT  irmpathiBe  with,  and  whose  character  for  soond  com- 
mon^eBse  intelligeaee  I  no  mnch  admire.  Owing  to  the  extraordinary  price  wool 
eommands  at  prcacnt,  it  is  of  tma  oMtsequenoe  to  the  &rmer  to  coltiTate  its  growth 
and  improre  its  qoalitT.  A  man  who  makes  two  blades  of  grass  grow  where  onlj 
one  used  to  grow  is  pronovneed  a  public  benefactor;  and  in  these  times  a  man  who 
makes  two  fibces  of  vool  grow  where  onlj  one  nsed  to  grow,  most  be  r^arded  as 
eqnallj  entitied  to  ovr  gim^SBde ;  and  the  qoestion  under  discoasion  has  reference  to 
this  eananminatioB.  Mr  own  ezpenenee  is  too  limited  to  enable  me  to  lav  down  an  j 
opinkm  with  eonfidesee ;  and  were  it  ten  times  as  great,  there  might  be  some  liak. 
in  doii^  BO,  oonsidermg  the  rerr  gnat  direnitT  of  opinion  that  eii£is  on  the  subject. 
As  the  onlj  wmj  of  making  this  paper  of  anr  ralne,  I  give  in  it  the  result  of  eommu- 
BicstioBs  I  hare  had  from  some  of  the  most  respectable  and  extensiTe  wool-brokers, 
eoaasmexs,  ajnd  othera  in  Scotland,  whom  I  hare  the  pleasnre  of  numbering  among 
B^  sequainiaiioea.  I  have  reeeired  from  all  what  appean  to  me  rezr  valuable  infor- 
""'♦tfn,  and  it  e&haiiioes  it  in  mr  ftsimition  that  it  wu  given  with  a  readv  politeness 
that  lam  gzatefui  for,  aad  an  absiitv  that  I  rejoiee  to  think  is  brought  to  bear  on  our 
iateresla  in  n  wmr  we  can  aeareeiv  £ul  to  benefit  bv  when  our  wool  goes  to  market 
fist  I  am  somewhat  perplexed  bj  the  different  ideas  entertained  in  the  trade  as  to 
the  proper  treaxment  of  wool  win  growing.  Whoi  I  see  moi  extensivelj  engaged 
in  wool  tzansaetknuL,  and  thnmgk  whose  hands  vast  quantities  of  wool  pass,  it  not 
daflv,  I  maj  aafei j  aar  weeklv,  having  different  opinions  on  the  question.  What  oon- 
ttitBtea  the*  most  profitaik  drnsing  for  wool  f  I  must  come  to  the  eonduaon  that  no 
fltaadard  of  treatinest  has  vet  been  diasovered,  and  that  in  all  probability  the  dressing 
mnsi  rajj  in  order  to  Knt  the  grsat  Tariety  in  f3imal<e,  and  other  circumsUnees  pecu- 
liar to  d^Ecreat  parts  oi  the  eoBatzj.  Indeed,  the  gentlemen  who  have  favoured  me 
with  their  views  aaj  tha :  and  when  we  consider  that  the  weight  of  the  fleece  greatl j 
depends  cm  the  eoBdixaon  <d  the  animal,  and  as  the  oondition  of  the  animal  depends 
not  more,  if  ao  mneh,  on  the  winter  dressing  it  receives,  as  on  keep  and  shelter, 
we  see  the  great  difienhj  of  casaUishing  a  standard. 

One  thing,  however,  mav  be  taken  as  estaiUished,  viz..  that  sheep  kept  in  high  eon- 
dition  cam  illijuraT  with  all  dreaang  better  than  sheep  ill  kept  and  in  low  condition, 
and  the  reaaoa  is  oiiviona.  The  growth  of  wool  on  a  well-eonditioned  sheep  is  m  :<re 
heahhv  aad  rapid,  aad  there  exndea  from  the  skin  of  the  animal  an  oilv  substance 
known  aa  "^  joik,"  which  if  liiti  the  action  of  the  rain,  and  yields  a  natural  pr^ptection 
that  we  wonki  do  wcO  to  Imitator  The  skin  of  low-o^nditioned  sheep  is  dry,  and  the 
wool  is  also  dry.  Tolk  m  matiMsAe  in  small  quantities,  and  artifdal  protection  be- 
comes aseesaary.  It  is  reaaoaahie  to  soppoee,  that  whatever  artificial  application 
beazB  the  aacd  VeseoBX^iaace  to  the  natoial  protection  of  yolk  mn^  be  the  best  for  the 
encase  aa  we^  as  tyr  the  wool,  aad  it  a  impossible  to  arrive  at  this  resemblance  with- 
out the  nae  of  fassy  aabstaacea.  The  dips  in  nae  have  none,  aad  are  intended  prinei- 
paliy  to  proftaet  the  ^in,  aot  aa  mnch  from  the  weather  as  from  ticks,  the  attack  of 
tiie'fy,  aad  the  like,  aad  most  of  the  gentlemen  I  wrote  to  are  agreed  that  the  fibre  is 
nther  dstenocased  than  imptwed  by  theae.  One  gentleman,  whose  opinion  I  con- 
sider eatst^ed  u^  ^^aOL  weight,  becanar  he  is  a  large  consumer,  aays  on  this  point : — 
"  Any  dip,  higiJy  ctorzed  with  aneaical  or  alkaline  prc^wrties^  most  have  the  effect 
of  hsdcaiae  t^  asa^  aad  injving  the  texture  of  the  fleeee,  although  this  depends 
on  the  tii^ir  1 1 1*  s^  hea2th  of  the  •■i™*i  when  dipped."  Another  says  that  ^  dress- 
ing <d^  tMct  docs  act  a&ict  the  eoloor  of  the  fleeee  if  applied  year  after  year,  tends 

to  BiiBt  the  crvwth  aad  weakeas  the  staple.* 
Wiascr  dreasar  ia  this  incieMeat  wet  district  most  then,  I  think,  consist  of  fatty 

m  oilv  m^Mfiaaieea'ai  oae  of  its  rompoiicnt  parts.    So  far  these  is  no  great  difTerenioe 


94  THE  WINTER  DRESSING  OF  SHEEP, 

of  opinion — indeed  I  may  Bay  none — ^among  the  gentlemen  I  have  consulted.  Here, 
however,  irreconcilable  differences  arise.  I  applied  to  five,  and  three  of  them  are  in 
favour  of  tar  in  connexion  with  one  or  other  of  the  ingredients  I  have  mentioned, 
and  two  decidedly  against  it.     I  will  recapitulate  their  views,  and 

1st,  As  to  those  in  favour  of  tar.  In  the  first  place,  they  consider  that  a  good 
mixture  of  tar  and  butter,  or  other  material  having  the  same  properties  as  butter, 
affords  the  best  protection  to  the  animal  in  a  climate  like  ours.  In  the  second  place, 
one  of  the  three  says,  that  *'  As  the  value  of  Blackfaced  and  Cheviot  wools  almost 
entirely  depends  on  the  length  and  strength  of  the  staple,  I  recommend  tar  and 
butter  or  good  grease  as  the  most  beneficial  dressing.  Fineness  of  quality  is  not  so 
requisite  as  length  and  strength."  Another  of  them  says  that  when  the  sheep  have 
"  to  contend  with  a  very  wet  climate,  no  dressing  has  proved  so  beneficial  to  the  pre- 
servation of  the  animal,  or  so  advantageous  for  the  growth  and  the  sound  condition 
of  the  fleece,  as  a  proper  mixture  of  tar  and  butter,  or  a  grease  instead  of  batter  pos- 
sessing the  same  qualities  for  smearing  that  butter  has.  But,"  he  goes  on  to  say, 
**  great  care  should  be  taken  in  selecting  smearing  materials. "  He  recommends  the 
best  American  tar.  Archangel  and  Stockholm  tar  generally,  he  says,  "  contain  much 
more  of  a  caustic  or  burning  material  than  American,  and  are  much  more  apt  to 
leave  the  fleece  of  a  dark,  dull,  brown  colour  after  smearing.'*  This  gentleman  re- 
commends light  smearing  in  Cheviots,  the  fibre  being  finer,  and  the  wool  thicker  on 
the  animal,  affording  a  better  natural  protection  than  the  coarse  fibre  of  the  Black- 
faces, and  more  liable  to  injury  in  the  washing.  The  third  says, — "  Where  much  ex- 
posed, and  many  moss  rubbings  which  would  affect  the  colour  of  the  wool,  I  should 
consider  smearing  the  best 'dressing.  Where  the  farm  is  sheltered  and  near  the  sea, 
and  the  land  hard  and  clear  of  moss,  you  may  keep  the  fleece  white  by  using  some 
of  the  non-colouring  preparations.  On  the  whole,  however,  for  your  part  of  the 
country  I  would  be  decidedly  in  favour  of  smearing,  if  properly  managed,  and  the 
best  materials  used. 

2d,  The  gentlemen  who  condemn  the  use  of  tar  entirely  state  their  reasons,  and  I 
consider  them  of  great  weight.  One  of  them  recommends  some  preparation  partak- 
ing of  the  nature  of  the  yolk,  and  calculated  to  protect  the  animal  and  stimulate  the 
growth  of  the  wool,  and  thinks  the  discovery  of  such  preparation  not  beyond  the 
reach  of  science.  He  does  not,  however,  state  any  specific  objection  to  tar.  The 
other  does.  He  says — **  The  use  of  tar  has  been  much  discussed,  and  it  is  even  yet  a 
turning  point  of  opinion.  But  it  is  patent  to  the  most  ordinary  perception  that  any 
substance  put  upon  wool  which  has  just  to  be  taken  off  again  at  great  trouble  either 
to  the  man  who  puts  it  on  or  to  him  who  takes  it  off,  that  its  use  can  only  be  war- 
ranted by  some  other  advantage  than  that  of  benefit  to  the  wool.''  This  gentleman 
is  of  opinion  that  if  tar  were  indispensable  to  the  proper  preservation  of  a  sheep 
stock  from  the  effects  of  a  wet  climate,  it  would  be  used  by  the  Highland  shepherds 
in  Australia,  where  periodical  heavy  rain  falls,  who  are  well  acquainted  with  its 
merits. 

The  specific  objection  to  the  use  of  tar  here  made,  is  touched  upon  by  the  consumer 
already  quoted.  He  says — "  The  only  objections  to  smearing  with  a  mixture  of  tar 
and  butter  or  a  proper  substitute  for  butter,  are  first,  the  expense ;  and  second,  the 
discolouring  or  straining  the  wool.  As  to  the  first,  it  is  scarcely  a  fair  objection,  for 
although  admitted  to  be  an  expensive  process,  yet  if  by  its  use  wool-growing  can  be 
carried  on  profitably  in  districts  and  climates  where  without  this  treatment  it  could 
not  be  grown  to  profit,  then  smearing  with  tar  and  butter  at  once  classes  itself  as  one 
of  those  unavoidable  evils  which  must  be  submitted  to,  or  it  resolves  itself  into  a 
simple  question  of  profit  or  loss."  In  another  part  of  his  very  instructive  communi- 
cation, he  says,  in  reference  specially  to  Cheviot  wool — '*  Heavily  smeared  wool  neces- 
sitates the  using  of  a  powerful  alkali  in  scouring  to  remove  the  tar ;  and  all  wool 
being  soluble  in  a  hot  solution  of  alkali, — and  the  finer  the  wool  the  more  easily  it  is 
dissolved, — it  follows  that  when  a  strong  solution  of  alkali  has  to  be  used  to  remove 
the  tar  from  wool,  the  fibre  is  often  partially  dissolved,  and  its  toughness  and  elas- 
ticity destroyed,  causing  much  loss  in  weight  as  well  as  a  great  depreciation  in  the 
quality  and  the  consequent  value  of  the  manufactured  article."  This  is  not  intended 
as  a  condemnation  of  the  use  of  tar,  but  of  the  abuse  of  it  by  b^ing  laid  on  in  too 
large  quantities,  and  in  combination  with  inferior  materials.  For  he  says  further, — 
'<  The  beneficial  effect  of  proper  smearing  with  tar  and  butter,  or  a  grease  possessing 
the  same  qualities  as  butter,  is  very  plainly  shown  in  the  fact  that  laid  wools  (that  is 
wools  smeared  with  tar  and  butter)  spin  to  finer  numbers  than  white  wools  of  the 
iome  class;  thus  proving  that  wools,  when  properly  smeared,  attain  greater  length  of 


THE  WINT£B  DBESSINQ  OF  SHEEP.  95 

fibre,  and  are  otherwise  more  perfectly  deyeloped  than  the  same  claai  of  wools  grown 
even  on  low  and  rich  lands,  but  not  smeared."  He  goes  on  to  say,  (and  I  think  this 
particularly  merits  the  attention  of  the  wool-grower,)  in  reference  to  non-colouring 
dressing, — "  Butter,  oils,  and  other  fatty  matters,  when  properly  applied,  confer  on  the 
fieece  a  certain  power  of  throwing  off  the  water,  and  sustaining  the  animal  heat;  but  an- 
other difficulty  there  arises ;  for  although  the  substances  above  enumerated,  or  prepar- 
ations of  which  these  substances  form  the  basis,  to  a  certain  extent  protect  the  animal, 
and  thus  tend  to  promote  the  growth  of  the  fleece ;  yet  they  (we  may  say  without  excep- 
tion) give  the  wool  a  yellow  or  brown  tinge,  and  lower  its  value.  It  is  not  a  fair  test  of 
the  non-colouring  qualities  of  a  salve  to  wash  a  fleece  soon  after  it  is  separated  from  the 
animal,  and  because  it  washes  white  conclude  that  the  salve  is  non-colouring ;  the  fleece 
should  lie  for  at  least  twelve  months  in  the  state  it  was  dipped,  and  if  it  then  washes 
white  we  would  be  satisfied  with  it  in  this  respect.'*  It  will  thus  appear  that  the  pre- 
ponderance of  the  trade,  so  far  as  I  have  ascertained  its  views,  is  with  butter  and  tar, 
and  taking  the  question  in  its  relation  to  the  trade,  I  was  not  prepared  for  this  result. 
I  will  now  glance  at  it  from  the  farmer's  point  of  view ;  and  1st,  As  to  whether  it  is 
more  profitable  as  regards  the  wool  alone,  to  use  such  dressing  as  will  preserve  it  white, 
or  non-colouring  dressing,  or  to  smear  with  good  tar  and  butter.  The  difference  in 
i^ue  between  unwashed  white  and  laid  wools  is  in  blackfaced  from  20  to  25  per  cent, 
in  favour  of  the  former.  It  is  more  in  Cheviot,  say  from  25  to  30  per  cent.,  accord- 
ing to  the  returns  I  have  received.  The  increase  in  weight  on  laid-over  white  wools 
is  variously  stated  from  45  to  78  per  cent.  By  basing  bis  calculations  on  the  price 
actually  got  for  his  wool,  a  farmer,  by  means  of  these  figures,  can,  without  much  dif- 
ficulty, arrive  pretty  near  the  advantage  or  disadvantage  of  the  one  system  over  the 
other.  But  a  fair  average  should  be  taken — say  274  P^^  ^^^'  ^^  favour  of  the  white 
wool  in  the  matter  of  value,  and  say  57^  per  cent,  against  it  in  the  matter  of  weight. 
It  is  quite  possible  greatly  to  increase  or  diminish  this  difference  by  high  keep  and 
shelter,  but  t^ing  the  average  of  the  farmers  in  this  district,  the  differences  above 
mentioned  will,  I  think,  very  nearly  represent  the  estimates  furnished  to  me.  Tar 
and  batter  are  admittedly  the  most  expensive  dressing  hitherto  applied,  and  in  order 
to  make  correct  calculations,  allowance  must  be  made  for  the  difference  against  smear- 
ing in  the  matter  of  expense.  A  sheep  to  be  really  well  smeared  cannot  cost  less 
than  9d.  one  year  with  another :  a  dip  will  not  cost  above  4d.,  but  there  are  prepara^ 
tions  used,  such  as  tobacco  juice,  and  certain  oils,  &c.,  that  cost  at  least  half  what 
smearing  does,  in  some  instances  as  much.  I  will  give  an  instance  of  the  kind  of 
calculation  I  mean.  Take  a  stone  of  laid  and  one  of  white  Highland  wools.  The 
value  of  the  laid  is  say  18s.,  and  it  consists  of  four  fleeces,  which  cost  3s.  in  the  smearing. 
This  reduces  its  value  to  me  to  15s.,  or  3s.  9d.  per  fleece.  The  value  of  the  white,  both 
being  of  the  same  class,  is  24s.;  and  it  consists  of  six  fleeces,  which  cost  2s.  in  the  dipp- 
ing. This  reduces  its  value  to  me  to  22s.,  or  3s.  8d.  per  fleece  ;  leaving  Id.  per  fleece 
in  favour  of  the  tar  and  butter.  Take  Cheviot  wool :  laid,  it  is  worth  36s. ;  white,  48s. 
Deduct  3s.  for  smearing,  and  2s.  for  dipping,  and  you  have  respectively  838.  and  46s., 
or  8s.  3d.  per  fleece  for  laid,  and  7s.  8d.  for  white,  showing  7d.  per  fleece  in  favour  of 
tar  and  butter.  I  do  not  mean  these  calculations  to  be  taken  as  representing  the  real 
actual  state  of  matters,  or  the  real  value  of  either  system :  but  at  the  same  time  I 
think  they  are  sufficiently  suggestive,  and  show  that  great  judgment  and  caution 
should  be  observed  by  farmers  in  making  up  their  mind  on  the  winter  dressing  they 
give  their  sheep.  In  the  next  place,  as  to  the  benefit  to  the  carcase  derived  from 
winter  dressing,  it  is  universally  admitted  to  be  indispensable  in  any  part  of  Scotland ; 
and  it  being  used  for  the  purpose  of  protecting  the  animal  from  the  inclemency  of 
the  climate,  it  is  natural  to  suppose  that  the  necessity  does  not  arise  in  an  equal  de- 
gree in  dry  and  sheltered  places  as  in  humid  and  exposed  ones.  By  studying  the  re- 
ports of  the  Meteorologi(^  Society,  which,  taken  in.  connexion  with  other  reports, 
such  as  the  Begistrar-G^neraVs,  will  be  found  extremely  instructive  and  interesting, 
we  find  that  the  amount  of  rain  which  falls  in  different  parts  of  Scotland  varies  ex- 
ceedingly. The  average  over  the  whole  of  Scotland  is  under  45  inches,  while  here  in 
Mull,  and  in  many  other  parts  of  the  west  coast  and  Hebrides,  the  average  is  upwards 
of  80  inches.  To  bring  the  general  average  to  what  I  have  stated,  the  rainfall  in 
many  parts  of  the  country  must  necessarily  be  very  small,  and  it  does  not  stand  to 
reason  to  suppose  that  outlying  stock  like  sheep  should  not  require  a  greater  amount 
of  artificial  protection  in  the  one  case  than  in  the  other,  especially  as  rain  on  the  west 
coast  and  Hebrides  is  usually  accompanied  by  high  wind,  which  makes  it  exceedingly 
penetrating  and  difficult  to-  guard  against.  As  regards  the  carcase  alone,  then,  what 
we  especially  require  is  a  dressing  that  will  resist  the  peneUttbmf^  nuk  1\iaX  li^  Vdl 


96  THE  WINTBR  DBESSING  OF  SHEEP. 

such  large  qaantities  in  this  district,  and  the  great  desideratum  is  a  dressing  that  will 
accomplish  this  without  deteriorating  the  staple  of  the  wool.  I  have  put  myself  in 
communication  with  farmers  in  different  parts  of  the  Highlands,  and  while  some  of 
them — with  that  intelligence  which  has  of  recent  years  shone  so  conspicuously  among 
agriculturists  and  stockholders  as  a  class,  desirous  to  avail  themselves  of  the  scientific 
discoveries  of  the  day — advocate  different  smears,  of  which  tar  forms  no  part,  the 
great  majority  are  out-and-out  advocates  for  good  tar  and  butter.  Most  of  these  are 
able  and  willing  to  give  cogent  reasons  for  their  preference ;  and  I  have  only  met 
with  one  or  two  who  prefer  tar  and  butter,  if  not  solely  for  their  own  odoriferous  sake, 
for  the  mere  reason  that  they  and  their  fathers  and  their  fathers*  fathers  had  used 
them,  and  nothing  else.  One  gentleman  mentioned  a  striking  instance  of  the  pro- 
tecting power,  and  consequent  benefit  to  the  animal,  of  tar  and  butter.  A  shepherd 
was  smearing  a  sheep,  and  as  he  finished  the  one  side,  he,  in  turning  the  animal, 
observed  it  was  not  one  of  his  own  flock,  and  at  once  threw  it  off  the  form  without 
completing  the  operation.  The  sheep  thus  half  smeared  remained  all  winter  on  the 
farm ;  and  the  shepherd  remarked  that,  invariably  on  a  cold,  windy,  and  wet  day, 
it  fed  with  the  smeared  side  to  the  weather.  This,  however,  proves  nothing  as  to  the 
advantage  of  one  dressing  over  another,  but  a  great  deal  as  to  the  benefit  of  winter 
dressing  generally,  and  the  power  it  confers  on  the  animal  to  seek  its  food  in  bad  wea- 
ther, without  exposing  its  body  to  wet  and  cold  in  the  sensitive  condition  that  nature 
leaves  it  in.  One  of  the  gentlemen  I  have  consulted  says  that  the  use  of  tar  is  extend- 
ing in  some  parts  of  the  north  of  England  where  the  rainfall  is  heavy  and  the  weather 
boisterous,  and  that  it  is  maintaining  its  place  in  most  parts  of  the  country.  Another 
says  that  the  reverse  is  the  case,  and  especially  that  in  Caithness  it  is  going  fast  out. 
There  are  two  reasons  why  the  use  of  tar  may  diminish  in  Caithness,  at  least  for  a  time, 
— viz.,  in  the  first  place,  it  is  dry,  both  as  regards  soil  and  climate ;  in  the  next  place, 
the  price  of  white  Cheviot  wool  has  been  exceptionally  high  for  the  last  two  or  more 
years,  which  has  induced  many  holders  of  Cheviot  stock,  both  there  and  elsewhere,  to 
use  non-colouring  winter  dressing.  Whether  or  not  a  permanent  change  has  set  in 
remains  to  be  seen.  Considering  the  expense  of  smearing  with  tar  and  butter,  and 
the  difficulty  that  has  existed  since  the  Crimean  war  broke  out  of  procuring  them 
of  good  quality, — a  difficulty  greatly  increased  by  the  war  now  going  on  in  North 
America,  and  considering  further  the  vast  number  of  dips  and  dressings  pressed  upon 
the  sheep  farmers,  it  is  wonderful  the  extent  to  which  tar  and  butter  hold  their  ground. 
With  so  little  practical  experience  I  cannot  assume  to  advise  stockholders  in  this 
matter,  further  than  to  use  a  smear  of  good  materials,  whatever  it  may  be,  although 
it  may,  in  the  first  place,  cost  a  little  more  money,  in  preference  to  cheap  materi^s, 
which,  as  a  general  rule,  must  be  inferior  in  an  least  an  equal  degree  to  their  cheap- 
ness, and  may  do  more  harm  to  a  stock  in  one  season  than  the  saving  upon  them 
would  make  up  in  twenty.  Dips  are  very  well  to  kill  ticks  and  other  insects  and 
animalculse  that  infest  sheep,  but  for  the  purpose  of  protection  from  the  inclemency 
of  the  climate  of  this  district  they  are  worth  very  little.  In  conclusion,  I  may  men- 
tion that  for  my  own  stock  I  use  the  best  tar  and  butter  I  can  get,  sometimes  mixed 
with  grease,  which  is  said  to  possess  the  same  good  qualities  as  butter.  I  get  a  pound 
of  butter  for  every  sheep  I  smear ;  twenty-six  pounds  are  put  to  the  eight  pints  of 
tar,  and  this  carefully  applied  to  twenty-six  animals.  The  result  is  satisfactory — my 
stock  is  clean,  I  get  a  ready  sale  and  a  good  price  for  my  wool,  and  I  have  never  lost 
an  animal  from  the  effects  of  smearing.  I  have  tried  dips  for  preventing  the  fly  strik- 
ing my  sheep,  and  was  satisfied  with  the  results.  I  have  tried  them  for  winter  dress- 
ing, at  intervals,  on  part  of  my  stock,  with  a  very  unsatisfactory  result;  I  will,  there- 
fore, rest  content  with  past  experiments,  and  try  no  more  of  them.  If,  however,  as 
I  hope  may  ere  long  be  the  case,  a  material  is  discovered  with  the  beneficial  qualities 
of  tar  and  butter  that  will  stimulate  the  growth  and  improve  the  fibre  by  increasing 
its  length  and  strength,  without  its  prejudicial  effects  of  staining  the  fleece,  I  shall 
esteem  the  discoverer  as  conferring  no  small  benefit  on  the  stockholders,  not  only  of 
this  district,  but  of  all  parts  of  Scotland,  and  wherever  the  inclemency  of  the  weather 
makes  winter  dressing  indispensable. 

After  the  paper  was  read,  the  following  remarks  were  made  by  Mr  Thornbum, 
Calgary,  who  said  he  had  listened  with  pleasure  to  the  able  and  comprehensive  paper 
now  read  by  Sheriff  Robertson,  on  a  subject  of  the  very  greatest  importance  to  the 
flockmaster : — The  high  price  of  both  mutton  and  wool,  with  the  annually  increasing 
rents  of  pastoral  farms,  are  facts  which  press  upon  the  stock  farmer  the  necessity 
of  giving  the  very  greatest  attention  to  the  subject  of  winter  dressing  for  sheep — 
and  all  the  more  especially  when  we  take  into  consideration  the  very  high  per-centage 


THE  WmTES  DRESSING  OF  SHEEP.  97 

of  deaths  which  occur  among  hill  sheep  in.  the  district  of  Mull  during  winter  and 
spring.    The  paper  now  read  appears  to  me  particularly  valuable,  as  embodying  the 
opinions  of  some  of  the  most  respectable  consumers  and  brokers  of  wool,  and  I  think 
it  a  very  fortunate  circumstance  for  the  wool  growers  that  the  demands  and  consump- 
tion of  the  trade  seem  in  exact  ratio  with  their  views  as  regards  smearing  and  keep- 
ing white — the  holder  of  a  laid  fleece  having  as  ready  a  market  as  the  holder  of  a 
white  one.    In  the  few  remarks  and  figures  which  I  have  to  submit  to  the  meeting  on 
the  present  subject,  I  shall  refer  to  the  profit  or  loss  on  wool  arising  from  winter 
dressing,  rather  than  its  effects  on  the  health  of  the  sheep— believing  as  I  do,  that 
all  fatty,  greasy,  or  oily  su))8tances  generally  used  for  such  purposes,  when   not 
charged  with  arsenical  or  alkaline  ingredients,  do  not  injure  the   health  of  the 
sheep.    In  approaching  this  subject,  gentlemen,  I  can  assure  you  I  rather  expect 
to  get  than  give   information,  and  therefore  beg  that  the  large  and  experienced 
flockmasters  that  surround  me  will  put  me  right  if  the  figures  I  proceed  to  submit 
do  not  tally  with  their  views.    I  frankly  confess,  I  have  always  been  rather  of 
the  old  school,  that  is,  more  inclined  to  abide  by  a  good  old  system  of  which  I 
thought  I  knew  something,  than  draw  the  bow  at  a  venture  of  which  I  had  no 
experience,  although  the  prize  might  seem  a  little  tempting.     I  have,  therefore, 
always  smeared  with  butter  and  tar,  using,  occasionally,  the  finest  American  grease 
instead  of  butter.     I  give  lib.  butter  and  about  l^lb.  tar  to  each  sheep,  and  in 
looking  into  the  wool  quotations  in  Liverpool  and  elsewhere  for  Cheviot  wool,  (which 
is  the  kind  I  shall  select,)  I  find  laid  washed  quoted  from  36s.  to  40s.,  and  white 
washed  ditto,  5ia.  to  60s.  per  241bs.     Taking  then  36s.  and  54s.  as  the  relative  value 
of  good  laid  and  white  Cheviot  wool,  washed,  per  241bs.,  let  us  see  how  the  profit  and 
loss  will  stand,  always  supposing  we  have  a  good  hill  stock  of  ewes  of  all  ages,  not 
exceeding  five  or  six  years,  but  not  including  wedder  sheep  : — In  laid  washed  Cheviot 
wool  my  experience  is,  that  five  fleeces  go  to  a  stone  of  241bs.  in  average  over  a  whole 
stock,  and  at  36s.  the  value  per  fleece  will  be  7s.  2.3d.,  less  the  following  deduction 
for  smearing, — viz.,  lib.  butter,  6d. ;  IJlb.  tar,  2d.,  calculating  the  Archangel  barrel 
at  30s.,  and  to  contain  on  average  50  pints ;  also  Id.  per  head  for  putting  on,  making 
in  all  7a  2id.,  less  9d.— 68.  5id.  the  clear  value  per  fleece.     Now,  let  us  turn  to  white 
wool  quoted  at  54s.  per  241bs.,  and  we  shall  first  suppose  it  is  dipped  or  poured  with 
some  comparatively  light,  cheap  stuff,  such  as  tobacco  juice,  which  can  be  done  for 
Ijd.  a  head ;  and,  as  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  ascertain,  eight  fleeces  on  an  average 
over  a  stock  of  hill  sheep  will  go  to  a  stone,  which,  at  54s.,  gives  6s.  9d.  as  the 
value  per  fleece,  less  l^d.   per  dip,  leaving  6s.  7 id.  for  clear  value;  but  here  I 
believe — though  I  give  it  as  my  belief  only — ^that  something  like  a  penny  per  lb. 
further  deduction  should   be    made   on  this  quality,  partly  owing   to  slight  dis- 
colouration of  the  wool  by  the  tobacco  juice,  but  more  owing  to  its  not  being  a 
greasy  substance,  and  so  leaving  the  wool  too  dry  for  manufacturing  purposes ;  and 
if  thiis  opinion  holds  true,  as  I  believe  it  will,  it  would  leave  3d.  per  fleece  to  be 
deducted  from  the  value  of  the  wool,  or  what  would  be  better,  a  mixture  of  grease  to 
that  amount  in  the  dip  used ;  in  either  case  the  clear  fleece  value  would  be  6s.  4  jd. 
In  the  second  place,  let  us  suppose  the  white  wool  is  dressed  with  butter  alone,  and 
in  this  case  it  would  perhaps  be  right  to  allow  Id.  per  lb.  more  for  the  wool  than  the 
price  quoted,  say  56s.  per  stone,  as  pure  butter  is  well  known  to  be  the  finest  dressing 
that  can  be  applied.     In  this  case,  butter  being  a  fine  adhesive  grease,  seven  fleeces 
on  average  will  make  the  stone,  which  at  568.  gives  the  high  fleece  value  of  8s.,  sub- 
ject to  the  following  deductions,— viz.,  If  lb.  finest  butter,  say  at  7d. — 124d.,  and 
IJd.  for  putting  on,  making  134d.  for  dressing  per  sheep  :  but  as  pure  butter  does 
not  kill  ticks  or  cure  scab,  a  previous  dip  with  tobacco  juice  or  some  such  substance 
would  be  necessary.     This  would  cost  IJd.  per  sheep,  which,  added  to  13|d.  for  the 
butter  dressing,  leaves  Is.  3d.  to  be  deducted  from  Ss. — 68.  9d.  the  clear  value  of  wool 
per  fleece.    In  the  third  place,  suppose  the  white  wool  is  dressed  either  with  Mr  Gird- 
wood's  or  M'DougaH's  white  smear,  I  have  used  both  this  season  on  a  small  scale  as 
trials,  and  think  favourably  of  them ;  and  further,  have  the  authority  of  a  gentleman 
who  has  tried  them  for  expecting  the  following  results — viz.,  that  seven  fleeces  will 
on  average  be  the  stone,  and  that  the  value  may  be  quoted  Id.  per  lb.  below  pure 
white  wool,  say  52s.  per  241bs.,  giving  7s.  5d.  as  gross  value  per  fleece,  less  IJlb. 
stuff  at  6d. — 10  Jd.,  and  IJd.  per  head  for  putting  on ;  in  all  llfd.,  leaving  68.  5Jd. 
as  clear  value  per  fleece.    I  might  go  on,  gentlemen,  to  talk  of  castor,  olive,  and  other 
oils  as  winter  dressings,  but  as  I  am  of  opinion  that  the  results  would  not  be  mate- 
rially different  from  those  already  shown,  I  shall  sum  up  by  plafiius  ^^^  ^^^^ 
ahtady  advanced  beside  each  other  as  follows,  viz. : — 


8. 

d. 

6 

5 

4, 

6 

6 

9 

6 

5i 

98  DISEASED  CATTLE  IN  LEEDS. 

Clear  yalue  of  an  average  hill  fleece  of  Cheviot  wool,  dressed  with  butter 
and  tar — 368.  per  241bs.,       ....... 

Do.  do.  dipped  or  poured  with  tobacco  juice  at  543., 

Do.  do.  dressed  with  pure  butter  and  a  previous  dip — 568.  per  stone, 

Do.  do.  dressed  with  Mr  Girdwood's  or  M'Dougall's  white  smear — 528., 

I  submit  the  above  figures  very  humbly  as  the  result  of  my  experience,  and  as  refer 
ring  to  the  district  of  Mull.  Heavier  or  lighter  fleeces  may  be  produced  on  the  ave' 
rage  of  hill  stocks  in  other  districts,  in  proportion  to  the  quality  of  the  pasture,  the 
condition  of  the  sheep  very  materially  influencing  the  weight  of  the  wool.  I  have  nc 
wish,  gentlemen,  to  favour  one  kind  of  dressing  for  sheep  in  prefei*ence  to  another. 
and  therefore  tender  my  views  to  you  simply  for  what  you  may  think  them  worth, 
assuring  you  at  the  same  time  that,  taking  as  I  do  a  very  great  interest  in  this  im- 
portant subject — a  subject  upon  which  there  is,  at  the  present  day,  a  great  and  per 
plexing  difference  of  opinion  among  both  the  growers  and  consumers  of  wool  of  the 
highest  standing  and  greatest  experience,  I  have- left  no  stone  unturned  with  a  view 
to  arrive  at  true  average  results.  Of  my  success  or  failure  I  leave  you,  gentlemen, 
individually  to  judge.  It  is  right,  however,  that  I  should  add  that  my  experiments 
with  those  dressings  which  leave  the  wool  white  have  been  on  a  much  smaller  scale, 
and  are  priven  with  much  more  deference  to  the  larger  experience  of  others  than  what 
I  have  said  regarding  smearing  with  butter  and  tar. 


DISEASED  CATTLE  IN  LEEDS. 

(From  the  Leeds  Mercury  of  2Zd  January.) 

Meat  formed  so  important  a  part  of  the  sustenance  of  all  classes  of  the  community, 
that  any  observations  as  to  the  causes  which  may  affect  the  condition  of  animals  from 
which  this  portion  of  our  food  is  derived,  cannot  fail  to  possess  great  interest.  We 
have  been  favoured  with  some  facts  and  statistics  bearing  upon  this  subject,  which 
we  lay  before  our  readers,  prefacing  them  with  a  return  of  the  number  of  diseased 
cattle  and  carcases  which  have  been  brought  into  the  various  slaughter  houses  of  the 
borough,  and  examined  previous  to  their  being  exposed  for  sale,  during  the  year  end- 
ing December  Slst,  1864,  together  with  the  result  of  that  examination : — 

Condemned 
Examined.  Passed.  and 

Destroyed. 

Beasts 787  ...  574  ...  213 

Calves 99  ...  —  ..  99 

Sheep 367  ...  199  ...  168 

Pigs 161  ...  92  ...  69 

1,414  865  549 

The  principal  disease  which  has  affected  homed  cattle  during  the  past  year,  U 
pleuro-pneumonia  or  lung  complaint  No  less  than  347  have  been  sent  to  slaughtei 
which  were  found  to  be  affected  with  that  complaint,  which  is  a  considerable  decrease 
as  compared  with  the  year  ending  1863,  when  the  number  was  477.  Many  of  the 
cattle  which  have  been  attacked  with  this  complaint  were  milch  cows  in  good  con 
dition,  and  cowkeepers  in  and  about  Leeds  have  suffered  severe  losses  among  theii 

cattle  from  this  complaint.    One  of  them  Mr ,  of  Bualingthorpe,  lost  21  fine 

cows  out  of  25.  They  were  very  valuable  animals,  worth  upon  the  average  £20  each 
He  lost  the  whole  of  them  by  pleuro-pneumonia  in  seven  weeks.     In  another  case,  i 

widow,  Mrs  B ,  of  Armley,  lost  in  four  weeks,  last  spring,  no  fewer  than  six  cowi 

out  of  seven  she  kept.  In  other  cases  the  money  loss  has  been  very  great.  This  dis 
ease,  we  have  reason  to  believe,  may  be  prevented  in  most,  if  not  in  all  cases,  by  th( 
application  of  measures  of  a  purely  simple  sanitary  character.  Any  one  who  hai 
visited  farmsteads  where  disease  has  been  the  most  prevalent  will  generally  have  f ounc 
the  cattle  in  low,  confined  sheds,  the  animals  breathing  a  hot  vitiated  atmosphere 
and  every  aperture  through  which  pure  air  could  enter  carefully  stopped  up.  In  look 
ing  over  the  monthly  returns  of  cattle  affected  by  lung  complaint,  we  ascertain  thai 
during  the  six  winter  months  (from  November  to  the  end  of  April)  in  which  catth 


TBIOHINOUS  DISEASE  IN  AMEBICA.  99 

are  kept  in  sheds,  there  is  only  a  decrease  of  four  as  compared  with  the  correspond- 
ing fdx  months.  We  fear  that  fanners  and  cowkeepers  are  mnch  to  blame  in  this 
matter,  that  plenro-pneumbnia  is  narsed  in  the  mistals  during  the  winter  months, 
and  that  when  spring  comes  the  cattle  are  turned  out  into  the  fields  to  infect  other 
stock.  The  prevention  of  the  spread  of  disease  among  cattle  has  engaged  the  atten- 
tion of  the  Government,  and  bills  having  this  object  in  view  were  brought  into  the 
House  of  Commons  last  session.  The  committee  which  sat  upon  the  bUls,  however, 
found  it  exceedingly  difficult  to  legislate  in  the  matter,  principally  owing  to  the  very 
conflicting  opinions  entertained  upon  the  subject.  All  must  recognise  how  desirable 
it  is  that  the  public  should  be  supplied  with  healthy  butchers'  meat,  and  healthy  milk 
for  the  younger  members  of  their  families,  but  it  is  impossible  that  this  can  be  sup- 
plied unless  owners  of  stock  more  thoroughly  understand  the  great  importance  of 
strict  sanitary  improvements  in  the  buildings  in  which  they  house  their  cattle.  It 
may  not  be  out  of  place  to  mention  a  fact  which  will  illustrate  this.  In  December 
last,  several  cattle  brought  to  slaughter,  affected  with  pleuro-pneumonia»  were  sub- 
jected to  examination,  and  on  inquiry  it  was  found  that  they  came  from  Mr ,  of 

Adel.  His  farm  was  visited,  and  there  were  seen  a  number  of  fine  milch  cows  con- 
fined in  low  ill-ventilated  places ;  six  had  been  sent  away  to  slaughter  in  that  week, 
and  one  that  morning.  The  owner  was  recommended  immediately  to  cause  the  cow- 
houses to  be  well  whitewashed  with  quick-lime,  to  open  all  the  closed  apertures  and 
let  in  fresh  air,  to  disinfect  his  stock  by  using  chloride  of  lime,  and  to  keep  a  tem- 
perature of  not  higher  than  55,  and,  by  the  adoption  of  these  remedies  and  others  of 
a  similar  character,  the  disease  was  at  once  arrested,  and,  to  this  time,  no  further 
loss  in  his  stock  has  occurred.  Similar  means  have  been  adopted  in  other  cases  with 
the  same  success. 

The  following  is  the  number  of  diseased  cattle  which*'have  been  sent  to  slaughter  on 
accoant  of  their  being  affected  with  pleuro-pneumonia,  and  which  were  examined  in 
the  years  ending  December  31st,  1863,  and  December,  1864  : — 
Month.  1863        1864    Month.  1863        1864 

January 33     ...    23        July 56     ...    51 

February 24    ...     28        August 60     ...     32 

March 26     ...    22        September 53    ...     27 

April 21     ...     28        October 28     ...     18 

May 53     ...     23        November 28     ...     23 

June 64    ...     37        December 31     ...     35 

Total 477  347 


TRICHINOUS  DISEASE  IN  AMERICA. 

Tbiohinous  disease  has  lately  been  observed  in  the  western  part  of  New  York.  Dr 
L  Krombein  giyes  the  following  account  of  some  cases  seen  by  him  in  Cheektowaga : — 
"  T.  F.,  a  blacksmith,  aged  thirty,  and  his  wife,  aged  twenty,  were  taken  ill  simul- 
taneously, the  29th  of  April,  with  stiffness  of  the  limbs  and  the  whole  body,  bloating 
of  the  face,  with  a  slight  oedema  of  the  eyelids.  Soon  there  followed  distinct  pains 
in  all  the  limbs  and  body,  so  that  they  could  not  bear  even  the  slightest  touch.  By 
and  by  the  pains  diminished  ;  there  set  in  very  laboured  respiration  and  great  pro- 
stration, combined  with  very  profuse  sweats.  In  the  commencement  of  the  illness 
they  had  both  had  slight  diarrhoea  for  a  few  days,  and  during  the  whole  course  of  the 
sickness  they  suffered  greatly  from  sleeplessness  and  unquenchable  thirst.  The 
woman,  who  was  in  the  third  month  of  pregnancy,  had  aborted  on  the  12th,  and  from 
that  time  there  was  oedematous  swelling  of  both  lower  extremities.  Fever  in  both 
patients  was  very  high,  (pulse  138  in  the  man,  1 46  in  the  woman ;)  but  the  skin  was 
not  hot,  but  rather  cool.''  The  man  died  on  the  16th,  the  woman  on  the  17th  of 
May.  The  microscopical  examination  of  the  muscles  of  the  thorax,  abdomen,  and 
thigh  disclosed  many  trichinae,  both  in  the  encysted  and  free  state.  The  same  dis- 
ease was  observed  in  another  family  of  seven  persons,  living  at  a  distance  of  two  miles 
from  the  above  patients.  At  the  time  of  the  report  the  father  and  mother  were  dead, 
and  the  remaining  members  of  the  family  in  great  danger.  In  a  specimen  of  muscle 
from  one  of  these  cases  a  number  of  free  trichinse  were  found.  Some  of  the  sausage 
they  had  eaten  was  also  found  to  contain  a  number  of  the  parasites  in  an  encysted 
state. 


100  THE  SHEEP  FLUKE — ^DISTOMA  HEPATICUM— IN  MAN. 


ON  THE  PROPORTION  OP  BLOOD  GENERALLY,  AND  OF  ITS  SEVERAL 
CONSTITUENTS,  IN  VERY  YOUNG  DOGS,  AS  COMPARED  WITH 
ADULT  ANIMALS. 

Dr  Panum  finds,  on  comparing  the  blood  of  a  newly-born  dog  with  that  of  the  mother, 
that  the  former  contains  a  much  larger  proportion  of  solids  than  the  latter ;  and 
that  this  difference  is  essentially  attributable  to  the  very  large  proportion  of  red  cor- 
puscles contained  in  the  blood  of  the  young  animal,  as  is  shown  by  chemical  analysis, 
by  the  specific  gravity  of  the  defibrinated  blood,  and  by  the  evidence  obtained  from 
Welcker's  "  colour  test/*  His  results  are  consequently  in  full  accordance  with  those 
of  Denis  and  Poggiale.  Panum  found  in  1000  parts  of  the  defibrinated  blood  of  the 
mother  138*3  solid  residue,  in  the  blood  of  these  recently-born  animals  192*6,  222*3, 
and  228  parts  of  solid  residue.  The  specific  gravity  of  the  blood  of  the  mother  was 
1039*6  ;  of  the  young,  1053*6  and  1060*4.  On  examining  the  blood  of  somewhat  older 
animals,  (seven  weeks,)  Panum  found  that  the  quantity  of  solids,  and  especially  of  red 
blood  corouscles,  had  undergone  a  diminution,  whilst  the  proportion  of  water  and  of 
fibrin  had  increased ;  but  that  at  a  still  later  period,  when  growth  was  completed,  the 
proportion  of  solids  had  again  risen,  without,  however,  their  having  attained  the  high 
percentage  characteristic  of  the  recently-born  animal.  Other  points,  which  he  be- 
lieves to  be  incidentally  established  by  his  investigations,  are,  that  the  composition  of 
the  foetal  blood  as  regards  the  proportion  of  red  corpuscles  is  essentially  independent 
of  the  composition  of  the  maternal  blood,  appearing  to  be  a  function  of  foetal  cell- 
formation.  Further,  it  seems  that  the  proportion  of  water  contained  in  the  blood  at 
different  ages  by  no  means  exhibits  a  corresponding  ratio  to  that  present  in  the  dif- 
ferent tissues,  which,  as  Von  Bezold  has  shown,  constantly  diminishes  with  the  ad- 
vance of  life.  Again,  he  believes  he  has  proved  that  the  quantity  of  blood  in  the 
newly-born  animal  is  somewhat  smaller  than  in  older  creatures,  but  the  difference  is 
small,  and  sometimes  scarcely  observable.  Lastly,  from  some  experiments  on  the 
effects  of  inanition  in  dogs,  he  finds  that,  ccBteris  paribus^  well-fed,  fat  animals  con- 
tain a  smaller  proportion  of  blood,  in  proportion  to  their  weight,  than  sparingly-fed, 
lean  young  animals. 


THE  SHEEP  FLUKE— DISTOMA  HEPATICUM— IN  MAN. 

Pbofessob  Biebmeb  of  Berne  reports  the  following  case,  which  is  of  interest,  from  the 
rarity  of  the  occurrence  of  the  distoma  hepaticum  in  the  human  subject :— A  soldier, 
aged  forty-three,  had  jaundice  in  1862,  in  Sumatra.  The  disease  continued  until  his 
return  to  Europe.  He  came  under  treatment  on  January  5, 1863.  His  skin  was  of 
a  deep  yellow  colour;  there  was  no  hypertrophy  of  the  liver,  no  fever,  hypertrophy 
of  the  spleen,  bronchial  catarrh.  Mechanical  jaundice  from  some  unknown  cause 
was  diagnosed.  Some  days  after,  he  was  attacked  with  sharp  pains  in  the  region 
of  the  liver,  and  violent  cough,  with  sanguinolent  sputa  and  vomiting.  There  were 
signs  of  infiltration  of  the  right  lung,  and  the  jaundice  was  increased.  On  the 
31st  of  January  an  extremely  painful  diffused  swelling  of  the  parotid  appeared  on 
the  left  side,  accompanied  by  intense  fever.  On  the  11th  of  February  there  was  san- 
guineous suffusion  in  the  axillary  region,  which  soon  invaded  the  right  side  of  the 
thorax,  and  was  accompanied  by  violent  pain.  He  died  on  February  18  th.  The 
post-mortem  disclosed  a  liver  of  normal  size ;  the  gall  bladder  distended,  but  not 
projecting  beyond  the  free  border  of  the  liver.  A  sound  introduced  by  the  duodenum 
into  the  ductus  choledoctus  met- a  slight  obstacle,  the  cause  of  which  was  the  presence 
of  a  distoma  hepaticum,  2*4  centimetres  long,  and  11  in  width.  The  parasite  filled 
without  distending  the  duct.  The  cystic  duct  was  free,  but  the  hepatic  was  com- 
pletely obliterated  and  changed  into  a  solid  cord  for  the  extent  of  about  a  demi- 
centimetre.  The  two  hepatic  canals  were  distended  into  a  number  of  ampullae  beyond 
the  obliterated  point.  No  other  flukes  were  found  in  the  liver  or  in  the  intestine. 
The  author  thinks  that  the  hepatic  lesions  were  originally  due  to  the  presence  of  the 
parasite.  In  the  sheep  the  distoma  produces  inflammation  of  the  biliary  passages, 
with  subsequent  obliteration  and  distension.  In  the  above  case,  a  microscopic  eza- 
xnination  showed  that  the  obliteration  owed  its  origin  to  adhesive  inflammation. 


FATTENING  LAMBS  FOR  THE  LONDON  MAEKET.  101 


VACCINATION  FROM  THE  COW. 

The  Paris  correspondent  of  the  Medical  Times  and  Gazette  writes,  that  Dr  Lanois, 
a  young  physician  of  enthusiastic  temperament,  having  listened  to  the  recital  at 
the  Lyons  Congress  of  the  Neapolitan  mode  of  vaccination,  repaired  to  Naples  to 
thoroughly  study  the  subject  under  M.  Negri,  the  successor  of  Galbiati,  who  has  now 
the  management  of  the  enterprise  in  that  city.  Highly  satisfied  with  what  he  ob- 
served, he  brought  back  with  him  to  France  a  heifer  vaccinated  with  all  the  pre- 
caution which  M.  Negri  deemed  necessary.  The  cow,  firmly  tied,  is  thrown  down 
on  its  left  side,  and  its  body  so  flexed  as  to  render  the  abdominal  region  supple.  A 
portion  of  the  surface  of  the  right  inguinal  and  hypogastric  region,  from  one  to  two 
square  decimetres  in  size,  is  carefully  shaved,  and  then,  by  means  of  a  strong  lancet 
with  cutting  edges  and  a  rounded  point,  slight  scarifications,  from  six  to  ten  milli- 
metres in  length  and  ten  to  fifteen  millimetres  from  each  other,  are  traced  in  a 
parallel  line.  Other  lines  of  scarifications  are  also  made,  so  that  there  may  be  about 
sixty  or  seventy  ranged  over  the  entire  surface.  They  are  not  made  deep,  and  within 
the  Ups  of  each  is  deposited  the  vaccine  virus  collected  on  the  flat  side  of  a  knife 
from  the  pustule  already  produced  on  another  cow.  The  inguinal  region  is  deemed 
the  most  fitting  place  for  the  vaccination,  as  the  epidermis  is  very  thin  there,  and 
the  skin  is  mobile,  while  the  part  is  protected  from  dirt,  friction,  and  atmospheric 
influence.  From  the  heifer  brought  over  by  M.  Lanois,  children  and  another  heifer 
were  vaccinated  at  Lyons,  the  pustules  whence  the  virus  was  taken  being  at  their 
fourth  day  only  since  inoculation.  Indeed,  M.  Negri  vaccinates  from  pustules  only 
Beventy-two  hours  old ;  and  he  does  not  open  the  pustule  in  the  ordinary  way  from 
the  exterior,  but  entirely  removes  it,  and  even  a  portion  of  the  dermis  situated  below 
it.  It  is  of  great  importance  that  this  portion  of  the  dermis  should  be  well  scraped 
away  from  the  excised  pustule,  so  as  to  expose  the  virus  in  its  purest  condition.  To 
do  this  effectually  requires  practice;  but  the  efficacy  of  the  vaccination  much  de- 
pends upon  it.  All  the  vaccinations  made  at  Lyons  wore  as  successful  as  those 
observed  at  Naples.  In  a  paper  which  M.  Lanois  has  laid  before  the  Academy,  he 
states  that  the  results  of  the  observations  which  he  made  at  Naples  exhibit  the  follow- 
ing advantages  of  the  practice : — The  possibility  of  a  constant  transmission  of  virus 
from  cow  to  cow,  at  all  seasons  of  the  year,  in  sufficient  quantities  to  meet  the 
demands  of  large  establishments ;  the  regeneration  and  not  the  impoverishment  of 
the  virus  by  this  transmission ;  the  easy  practice  of  the  vaccinations ;  the  innocuous- 
ness  of  the  course  of  the  eruption ;  and  the  certainty  of  the  prophylaxis. 

Dr  Philippeaux,  from  whose  paper  in  No.  51  of  the  Oajiette  Hebdomadaire  we 
have  derived  some  of  the  above  facts,  in  reply  to  the  question  why  this  practice,  if 
so  good,  has  not  become  generalised  during  half  a  century,  points  out  that  vested 
interests  have  stood  in  its  way.  Thus,  while  Ferdinand  had  his  own  children  vacci- 
nated from  the  cow,  he  compelled  his  subjects  to  have  theirs  vaccinated  in  the  ordinary 
mode  at  the  national  establishments ;  and  even  members  of  the  Vaccine  Committee, 
who  opposed  the  introduction  of  the  vaccination  from  the  cow,  resorted  to  it  for 
their  own  relatives.  Then,  again,  it  is  a  more  expensive  process  than  the  ordinary 
one,  for  many  heifers  have  to  be  kept  on  hand,  so  that  one  may  be  vaccinated  every 
eight  or  ten  days.  In  order  to  acquire  the  necessary  facility  and  a  complete  know- 
ledge of  this  mode  of  vaccinating,  it  is  necessary  that  the  practitioner  should,  like 
M.  Negri,  make  it  a  special  occupation. 


FATTENING  LAMBS  FOR  THE  LONDON  MARKET. 

Mr  Evershed,  in  his  Prize  Essay  on  Agriculture  says  : — "  On  a  stock-farm  of  300 
acres  about  200  Hampshire  ewes  are  bought  in  July  or  August.  They  are  kept  on 
stubbles  and  layers  as  long  as  the  feed  lasts,  and  are  then  removed  to  the  turnips. 
White  turnips  are  considered  best  for  milk  at  the  first  stage ;  but  later,  when  the 
lambs  begin  to  eat,  swedes  are  preferred,  as  being  sounder  and  better  food  both  for 
them  and  the  ewes.  Hay-chaff  is  always  given  before  lambing.  Lambing  com- 
mences in  the  middle  of  December,  and  should  be  over  by  the  middle  of  Januaiy. 
The  lambs  fall  in  a  fold,  and,  if  strong,  are  removed  with  their  mothers  to  the 
turnip-fields  in  a  few  days.  As  soon  as  the  lambs  begin  to  eat  they  are  supplied  with 
cut  swedes,  oil-cake,  beans,  and  cut-clover  chaff,  ad  libitum.    Oats,  maize,  and  white  or 


102  THE  BENNIKOTON  FLOCK. 

partridge  pease  are  partially  used.  The  ewes  are  also  supplied  with  an  unlimited 
quantity  of  similar  food,  oil-cake  being  preferred.  The  object  is  to  sell  them  as  soon 
after  the  swedes  are  finished  as  possible,  since  clover  and  summer  forage  are  too 
valuable  for  hay  to  be  spared  for  them.  As  soon  as  the  lamb  is  of  an  age  to  eat  freely 
the  ewe  begins  to  thrive  fast,  and  with  such  liberal  treatment  is  fat  by  the  middle  of 
May.  The  best  plan  for  late  feeding  is  to  remove  the  swedes  or  mangold  to  the 
Btubbles  and  clovers. 

'*  The  horned  Dorsets,  which  are  sometimes  kept,  drop  their  lambs  a  month  earlier 
than  others.  A  few  of  them  are  sometimes  mixed  with  a  Down  flock,  under  the 
impression  that  they  incite  them  to  earlier  breeding.  They  are  more  prolific  than 
other  breeds,  and  their  lambs  are  larger,  but  only  make  the  same  price  per  head  as 
the  Downs:  5  stones  of  81b.  is  a  fair  average  weight  for  the  latter,  and  nearly  7 
■tones  for  the  Dorsets. 

"  Of  late  years  34s.  to  35s.  per  head  has  been  the  average  price  of  well-managed 
flocks,  the  first  sales  of  the  best  lambs  reaching  40s.  The  lambs  were  formerly  all 
Bent  to  market  in  one-horse  carts,  and  are  still  frequently  so  conveyed.  The  sales 
commence  at  twelve  weeks  old.  The  Oxford  Down  ram  has  been  tried  lately,  and 
also  the  Shropshire,  but  Southdown  rams  are  preferred ;  close-coated  lambs  fatting 
faster,  and  selling  more  freely.  The  essentials  in  a  good  ram  for  this  branch  of 
breeding  are,  a  deep  and  heavy  carcase,  good  quarters,  and  short  wool." 


SHEEP  MANAGEMENT  IN  HERTFORDSHIRE. 

Mb  Evershbd  reports  that,  "though  neither  the  breeding  nor  the  fattening  of 
sheep  is  carried  out  to  a  large  extent,  most  of  the  better  farms  have  a  flock  of  ewes, 
generally  Hants  Downs.  The  Cotswold  tup  is  most  in  favour;  Leicesters  and 
Lincolns  are  also  used.  The  ewes  are  folded  on  turnips,  with  some  dry  food,  such 
as  malt-combs,  with  straw-chaff)  or  trefoil  'stover' — i.e.,  the  straw  after  thrashing  the 
seed." 

"  The  lambs  are  dropped  between  the  middle  of  January  and  the  middle  of  Feb- 
ruary. After  lambing,  the  best  managers  give  the  ewes  a  little  oil-cake  or  a  few 
oats ;  neither  beans  nor  cotton-cake  are  liked  for  suckling-ewes.  Most  farmers  now 
grow  some  mangold,  to  be  given  to  the  ewes  with  dry  food  on  the  young  clovers. 
Lambs  are  weaned  early  in  July,  and  are  well  kept  on  the  mixed  clovers  and  on 
Bainfoin,  wintered  on  roots,  and  sold  fat  after  being  shorn.  They  get  cake  or  corn 
early  in  autumn,  or  sometimes  from  weaning-time.  The  half-bred  lamb  will,  with 
such  treatment,  weigh  10  to  11  stones  at  fifteen  months  old,  and  will  sell  for  60s., 
paying  Is.  a  week  from  birth.  Such  early  feeding  with  com  should,  however,  never 
be  commenced  unless  it  can  be  steadily  maintained,  with  a  due  admixture  of  green 
and  dry  food.    The  value  of  the  purchased  food  is  sacrificed  by  any  check. 

"  The  ewes  are  usually  fattened ;  and  this  is  generally  desirable,  because  an  old 
Hampshire  crone,  which  cost  from  40s.  to  44s.,  is  worth  when  poor  after  shearing 
only  258.  to  28s.  If  fattened  after  weaning-time,  they  are  put  on  the  freshest  after- 
crop of  clover  and  sainfoin,  with  a  pint  of  beans  daily,  or  lib.  of  cake,  and  finished 
off  on  rape  or  early  turnips.  Of  late  years,  the  high  price  of  old  ewes  and  the 
danger  of  bringing  the  foot-complaint  into  the  farm  has  led  to  the  purchase  of 
younger  sheep,  which  are  kept  several  years. 

"  The  half-bred  ewe  lambs  are  sometimes  drafted  into  the  ewe  flock,  and  are  either 
coupled  with  a  long-woolled  ram,  or  a  west-county  Down.  The  excellent  constitution 
and  general  good  character  of  the  half-bred  ewe  is  an  inducement  to  adopt  this 
practice,  which  however  requires  caution.  A  lamb,  mongrel  to  the  third  genera- 
tion, must  have  been  bred  under  the  auspices  of  a  very  skilful  breeder  if  he  be  not  a 
worse  animal  than  one  of  the  first  cross.  Such  stock  often  make  bold-looking,  well- 
sized  lambs ;  but  in  the  spring  they  prove  more  scanty  in  their  proportions,  longer  in 
the  legs,  and  lighter  both  in  wool  and  carcase  than  better  bred  tegs." 


THE  BENNINGTON  FLOCK. 

Thb  Rbv.  J.  Clutterbdck,  in  "Agricultural  Notes  on  Hertfordshire,"  writes:— 
"After  a  word  of  commendation  of  the  Hoo  flock  of  400  Sussex  Downs,  improved  of 
late  by  rams  from  Babraham,  and  a  word  of  warning  as  to  the  ultimate  results  of 


BACTEEIDIA  AND  MALIGNANT  PUSTULE.  103 

croBfl-breeding  between  the  long  and  short  woolled  races,  however  promising  at  first, 
I  pass  on  to  speak  of  that  which  for  not  less  than  two  centuries  has  been  called  "  the 
far-famed  Bennington  flock."  Bennington  is  a  village  near  the  centre  of  the  county, 
between  Stevenage  and  Standon.  The  flock,  which  is  still  owned  by  the  descendants 
of  those  who  first  formed  it,  is  said  to  have  sprung  originally  from  the  old  Wiltshire 
homed  breed,  which  appears  to  have  formed  the  staple  of  the  sheep  stock  in  the 
midland  counties  of  England  up  to  the  beginning  of  the  present  century.  Within 
the  memory  of  many  persons,  the  horn,  one  of  its  distinguishing  features,  though 
reduced  in  size,  was  still  retained,  and  in  all  respects  the  sheep  were  nearer  their 
original  type  than  at  present.  Attempts  at  improvements  were  at  one  time  made  by 
the  introduction  of  Leicester,  Gloucester,  or  Cotswold  rams,  though  the  produce  of 
one,  if  not  both  these  crosses,  was  weeded  from  the  flock.  Of  late  years  the  chief 
if  not  the  only  new  blood,  has  been  Lincoln ;  some  of  the  flock  still  retain  traces  of 
the  Roman  nose,  and  other  traits  which  render  this  flock  remarkable,  both  as  a 
record  of  the  past,  and  a  most  interesting  instance  of  the  successful  breeding  of  long- 
woolled  sheep.  It  is  said,  and  the  assertion  is  borne  out  by  the  appearance,  great 
size,  and  noble  character  of  the  flock,  that  the  weight  to  which  the  ewes  attain  when 
fatted  is  20  stones,  that  a  teg  has  been  known  to  shear  21  fib.  of  wool ;  and  that  the 
average  weight  of  two  fleeces  is  281b.,  or  one  tod.  The  flock  now  unfortunately 
nnmbers  only  200.  The  value  placed  on  them  for  breeding  purposes  may  be  learned 
by  the  significant  fact,  that  all  the  ram  lambs  are  saved,  and  command  a  ready  sale 
at  good  prices. 

^  It  may  be  a  question  whether  this  breed  and  quality  of  sheep  is  that  best  fitted  to 
a  neighbourhood  and  soil  such  as  that  on  which  it  has  been  so  long  and  so  success- 
fully maintained ;  the  mere  fact  of  its  existence,  however,  supplies  an  argument  in 
its  favour.  They  are  said  to  do  better  and  to  be  more  hardy  than  the  Lincolns,  by 
vhidi,  from  time  to  time,  the  stock  has  been  replenished,  and  compared  this  year 
favomnbly  with  some  Lincolns  newly  imported,  which  stood  beside  them  in  the 
fold." 


BACTERIDIA  AND  MALIGNANT  PUSTULE. 
{To  the  Editor  of  the  ''Lancet") 

Sm, — The  facts  related  in  the  following  extract  from  a  masterly  article  on  Spon- 
taneous Generation,  by  M.  Jamin,  in  the  Revue  des  Dettx  Mondes,  are  in  all  ways  so 
interesting,  that  I  make  no  apology  for  asking  you  to  publish  them.  I  ought  to  add, 
that  the  italics  which  occur  in  one  or  two  places  are  mine  : — 

**  Dr  Davaine  has  devoted  himself  for  some  years  to  the  careful  study  of  a  terrible 
malady  of  the  'charbon*  genus  —  the  splenic  apoplexy,  (sang  de  rate  —  anglice, 
*  blood,*)  which  develops  itself  spontaneously  in  sheep,  and  is  inevitably  fatal  to 
them.  The  blood  of  the  diseased  animals,  examined  under  the  microscope,  has  been 
found  crowded  with  minute  organisms  allied  to  the  bacteria^  and  which  have  been 
named  hacteridia.  This  blood,  injected  into  the  tissue  of  another  animal,  carries 
these  creatures  with  it,  and  death  is  certain.  The  malady  is  equally  transmitted 
when  a  rabbit  is  made  to  swallow  either  the  blood  or  part  of  an  animal  affected  with 
splenic  apoplexy.  The  infected  blood  may  be  dried  and  kept  for  an  indefinite  time 
vnthout  losing  the  germs  of  the  infusoria  which  it  contains  ;  and  whenever  it  comes 
to  be  injected  or  to  be  given  as  food,  the  disease  is  propagated.  These  facts  being 
ascertained,  as  the  symptoms  of  splenic  apoplexy  offer  some  affinity  to  those  of  an- 
other malignant  malady  known  by  the  name  of  'charbon,'  (or  'malignant  pustule,*) 
inquiries  were  instituted  as  to  whether  there  might  not  be  a  still  closer  bond  between 
the  two  affections.  '  Charbon*  begins  by  a  'malignant  pustule'  of  blackish  colour, 
surrounded  by  a  ring  of  vesicles,  which  must  be  speedily  destroyed  by  caustic,  if  a 
general  infection  is  to  be  avoided.  On  the  14th  of  April  of  the  present  year,  (1864,) 
Dr  Raimbert  was  called  to  a  carter  who  had  contracted  a  true  malignant  pustule  on 
a  &rm  wtiere  the  sheep  were  suffering  from  splenic  apoplexy.  He  removed  the  pus- 
tule, dried  it  at  once,  and  handed  it  over  to  Dr  Davaine,  who  examined  it  under  the 
mieroBCope.  It  was  a  perfect  feii,  composed  entirely  of  hacteridia.  Rabbits  fed 
with  it  contracted  splenic  apoplexy  in  consequence,  and  died  with  their  blood  crowded 
with  ha^cteridia,  and  communicated  *  charbon  *  to  other  animals.  Here,  then,  is  a 
disease  transmitted  from  sheep  to  man,  and  appearing  in  him  under  the  form  of  a 
pustule,  which  in  its  turn  has  the  power  of  communicating  to  all  animals  the  parti- 


104  BACTEEIDIA  AND  MALIGNANT  PUSTULE. 

cular  virus  which  it  contains.  And  what  is  this  virus  ?  A  brood  of  infusoria  of  a 
special  and  venomous  species.  The  smallest  qiuintity  suffices  to  hilly  because  it  suffices 
to  sow  and  multiply  the  species.  The  malady  is  transmitted  by  inoculation,  because 
the  animalcules  pass  from  the  infected  to  the  inoculated  subject ;  it  is  transmitted 
by  the  air,  because  the  germs  dry  up  and  are  wafted  away,  and  become  a^n  sown ; 
possibly  also,  as  many  hold,  by  the  bites  of  flies,  which  thus  become  the  vehicle  for 
the  transmission  of  the  ha^cUridia.  Such  is  the  explanation,  not  less  simple  than 
certain,  of  the  effects  of  a  particular  virus.  The  future  will  decide  how  far  it  is 
possible  to  extend  to  all  analogous  cases  so  fertile  a  theory,  but  already  it  is  easy  to 
understand  the  hopes  of  physiologists  and  to  predict  their  success :  perhaps  we  are 
on  the  eve  of  knowing,  avoiding,  and  curing  contagious  scourges/'  * 

The  facts  here  detailed  are  not  altogether  new.  Virchow,  and  some  earlier  ob- 
servers whose  names  escape  me  for  the  moment,  had  already  pointed  out  the  occur- 
rence, in  countless  numbers,  of  a  kind  of  '*  vibrio ''  in  the  blood  of  living  animals 
affected  with  charbon. 

I  have  not  been  able  to  refer  to  Dr  Davaine's  own  account  of  these  researches ;  but 
before  the  case  which  he  wishes  to  make  out  for  the  minute  organisms  he  describes 
can  be  considered  as  finally  established,  other  data  will  be  required  beyond  those 
adduced  by  his  reviewer.  Not  only  must  the  constant  presence  of  this  particular 
species  of  hacteridia  in  the  diseases  in  question  be  ascertained,  but  its  absence  in 
other  putrefactive  disorders.  In  all  such  cases  there  is  a  special  danger,  which  those 
who  have  most  studied  the  subject  will  best  appreciate,  of  falling  into  the  old  error 
of  taking  for  essential  what  may  possibly  be  only  an  epi-phenomenon.  The  perfec- 
way  in  which  the  facts  seem  to  explain  all  the  condition^  although  a  strong  argur 
ment  in  favour  of  the  interpretation  set  upon  them,  may,  on  the  other  hand,  easily 
beguile  us  into  a  too  ready  acquiescence  in  it. 

At  the  same  time,  the  whole  tendency  of  recent  research,  and  of  Pasteur's  dis- 
coveries in  particular,  is  to  the  effect  that  the  tribe  of  minute  organisms  to  which 
the  hacteridia  belong,  in  reality  take  the  initiative  in,  and  are  the  primary  cause  of, 
the  zymotic  changes  with  which  they  are  found  associated. 

The  uncontrollable  itching  which  marks  the  first  stage  of  malignant  pustule,  and 
is  so  characteristic  of  it,  is,  when  considered  as  a  phenomenon  which  betrays  the  pre- 
sence of  so  many  parasites  in  other  parts,  not  undeserving  of  attention  in  connexion 
with  Dr  Davaine's  view. 

Should  his  discovery  be  confirmed  by  more  extended  researches,  it  is  one  of  which 
it  will  be  difficult  to  overrate  the  value. 

As  regards  malignant  pustule,  its  importance  will  be  supreme.  Diagnosis,  patho- 
logy, origin,  mode  of  propagation,  and  indications  of  cure,  will  be  all  summed  up  in 
the  conditions  which  attach  to  the  growth  and  multiplication  of  a  single  parasite 
organism. 

In  relation  to  diagnosis,  the  fact  is  one  which  might  eventually  become  of  the 
greatest  possible  use.  For  if  it  be  true  that  the  first  brood  of  hacteridia  is  developed 
in  the  part  which  is  to  be  the  seat  of  the  future  pustule,  the  practitioner,  armed  with 
microscope  and  with  the  little  "  harpoon"  with  which  the  Germans  did  for  trichina, 
might  ascertain  the  characteristic  presence  of  these  minuter  parasites  by  means  of  an 
operation  not  more  formidable  than  the  puncture  of  a  grooved  needle. 

But,  as  M.  Jamin  rightly  suggests,  the  interest  of  this  discovery,  should  it  be  con- 
firmed, culminates  in  its  relation  to  the  subject  of  contagion  generally. 

In  a  memorandum  on  the  Investigation  of  Epidemic  and  Epizootic  Disorders,  which 
I  drew  up  at  the  request  of  the  British  Medical  Association  in  March  1863,  there 
occurs  the  following  passage : — 

"  In  order  to  render  the  inquiry  on  which  the  Association  is  about  to  enter  really 
comprehensive,  it  would  be  necessary  to  associate  with  the  study  of  epidemics  that  of 
the  diseases  caused  in  man  and  animals  by  living  parasites,  external  and  internal. 

"  A  fuller  knowledge  of  the  phenomena  attaching  to  the  dissemination  of  the  pro- 
lific and  minute  germs  of  these  parasites,  could  not  fail  to  be  of  great  use  in  helping 
to  the  true  interpretation  of  the  phenomena,  which  attach  to  the  strictly  analogous 
dissemination  of  the  equally  prolific  and  equally  minute  germs  of  contagious  poisons. 

**  In  particular,  it  would  be  of  the  highest  value  in  showing,  by  data  that  could  not 
be  gainsaid,  what  is  the  real  worth  of  the  negative  evidence  now  so  implicitly  relied  on, 

*  Rtvue  det  Dewe  Jiondes,  Nov.  16, 1864,  pp.  442,  443. 


VETEBINARY  OPEKATIONS — SBTONS.  105 

as  an  indication  of  spontaneous  origin,  and  as  opposed  to  the  law  of  propagation  bj 
continuous  succession. 

"  Additional  reasons  for  putting  the  parasites  and  the  contagions  together  in  such 
an  inquiry  are — 1.  That  at  manj  points  the  two  blend  insensibly  one  into  the  other ; 
2.  That,  with  the  advance  of  knowledge,  diseases  are  constantly  being  transferred 
from  the  group  of  common  contagions  to  the  group  of  parasites ;  and,  8.  That  there 
already  exists  amongst  the  most  advanced  thinkers  on  these  topics,  a  shrewd  sus- 
picion that-  the  two  groups  will  eventuaUy  coalesce,  and  be  found  to  be  in  their 
essence  identical." 

Dr  DaTsine's  interesting  discovery  seems  not  unlikely  to  offer  a  striking  illus- 
tration of  more  than  one  of  the  several  positions  here  taken. 

I  am,  Sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

William  Budd,  M.D. 

The  Manob  Housb,  Cluton,  Jan.  5, 1865. 


VETERINARY  OPERATIONS— SETONS. 

br  the  management  of  the  domesticated  animals  in  disease,  and  even  in  health,  setons 
ue  largely  em^doyed.  They  consist  of  pieces  of  tape  or  cord,  which  are  carried  for 
some  distonce  under  the  skin,  and  allowed  to  remain  to  keep  open  a  passage  for  the 
draining  away  of  some  morbid  product,  or  to  establish  some  curative  or  prophylactic 
process  by  the  local  irritation  which  they  produce. 

The  word  seton  is  from  the  Latin  seia,  a  coarse  hair  or  bristle — these  having  been 
tbe  agents  originally  employed  for  this  purpose.  At  the  present  time,  the  material 
in  common  use  is  coarse  tape  of  a  varying  breadth,  to  suit  the  requirements  of  the 
eise  or  the  whim  of  the  operator.  It  is  introduced  by  means  of  an  instrument  called 
a  leton  needle,  formed  of  a  flat  piece  of  steel,  of  about  four  lines  in  breadth,  and  from 
six  iachsfi  to  a  foot  or  more  in  length.  The  one  end  has  a  square  aperture  or  eye, 
vhile  the  other  is  flattened  out  and  sharpened  at  the  edges,  which  join  each  other  at 
thepeint  at  fun  acute  angle.  The  point  is  sometimes  left  sharp,  to  allow  of  its  being 
po^ed  through  the  skin,  though  it  is  often  made  blunt,  and  it  is  passed  through  the 
ikin  by  an  opening  made  with  a  lancet.  They  are  often  used  with  a  handle,  into 
which  the  blunt  end  is  screwed ;  and  in  this  way  they  are  more  easily  managed,  and 
their  course  more  certainly  directed.' 

In  introducing  a  seton,  the  skin  is  first  incised  transversely  with  a  lancet,  and  the 
seton  needle  is  directed  between  the  skin  and  the  muscles,  its  course  being  favoured 
l^  pulling  out  the  skin  with  the  left  hand  in  front  of  the  point  of  the  instrument. 
It  is  usually  carried  in  a  direction  from  above  downward,  to  permit  a  free  discharge 
of  the  matter;  and  when  carried  far  enough,  a  new  incision  is  made  with  the  ]ancet 
to  allow  of  its  exit.  This  is  preferable  to  simply  penetrating  the  skin  by  the  sharp- 
pointed  needle,  as  the  wounds  thus  made  are  often  so  small  that  the  pus  cannot  escape 
freely,  and  becoming  imprisoned,  is  a  source  of  irritation.  The  seton  having  been 
introduced,  it  is  necessary  to  fix  it  by  some  means,  and  a  common  one  is  to  tie  the 
two  ends  together.  Thus  fixed,  it  is  liable  to  be  caught  by  projecting  objects  and 
torn  out^  leaving  an  unsightly  wound.  A  much  better  plan  is  to  fold  the  tape  into 
a  series  of  short  loops,  and  tie  the  end  firmly  round  their  middle.  A  couple  of  inches 
of  tape  should  be  left  between  each  orifice  and  the  knot,  to  allow  for  any  subsequent 
swelling  of  the  part 

The  natural  consequence  of  a  seton  introduced  into  a  healthy  structure  is  to  pro- 
duce a  considerable  amount  of  inflammation,  followed  by  a  more  or  less  profuse  dis- 
charge of  pus.  This  discharge  of  matter  wiU  usually  take  place  on  the  third  day, 
and  is  more  than  half  a  day  earlier  in  summer  than  in  winter.  They  are  sometimes 
used  to  produce  a  derivative  effect  in  the  case  of  deep-seated  or  internal  inflamma- 
tions, though  for  this  purpose  they  are  chiefly  applicable  when  the  disease  is  chronic, 
otherwise  a  blister  is  to  be  preferred,  on  account  of  the  greater  rapidity  of  its  action. 
In  spavin,  and  various  other  forms  of  lameness,  they  are  at  times  employed  with 
great  benefit  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  malady.  Their  effect  is  sometimes  in- 
creased by  smearing  the  seton  with  some  irritant — such  as  a  preparation  of  black 
lu^lebore,  turpentine,  euphorbium,  &c.  A  peculiar  system  occasionally  employed  suo- 
eeasfully  in  spavin  is  the  introduction  of  a  thread,  medicated  in  this  way,  deeply  into 
the  soft  parts  over  the  seat  of  the  bony  tumour.  This  is  chiefly  recommended  by  the 
fact  that,  if  well  managed,  it  leaves  no  blemish  on  the  hock. 

Vol.  L — No.  II.— New  Series.    Pebbuaby  1865.  'fi. 


106  WHOIiKSOME  AND  UNWHOLESOME  AIE. 

For  internal  inflammationB,  it  is  probable  that  Batons  possess  no  advantage  un- 
attainable by  blisters,  although  we  frequently  see  them  placed  in  the  dewlap  of  cattle, 
and  in  the  breast  and  sides  of  the  chest  in  horses  in  certain  thoracic  complaints. 

Passed  through  fistulous  wounds,  they  are  often  highly  useful  in  maintaining  a 
dependent  orifice  and  exercising  a  stimulant  action  on  the  unhealthy  and  indurated 
walls  of  the  cavity  or  canal.  This  last  purpose  may  be  still  better  fulfilled  if  the 
seton  is  impregnated  with  some  stimulant  or  caustic  agent. 

Setons  are  sometimes  passed  through  indolent  tumours  to  effect  their  destruction. 
This  they  generally  do  by  exciting  inflammation,  and  leading  to  the  disintegration 
of  the  tumour,  which  is  partly  absorbed,  and  in  part  degenerates  into  pus,  and  is  dis- 
charged externally.  For  this  purpose,  again,  the  agent  will  often  be  better  medi- 
cated, more  particularly  as  caustics  act  much  more  powerfully  on  morbid  products 
than  on  healthy  structures,  and  can  accordingly  be  employed  with  comparative  safety 
80  far  as  the  latter  are  concerned. 

Another  common  use  of  setons  is  as  a  prophylactic  in  certain  complaints,  and  in 
particular  in  blackquarter  and  its  allied  disorders.  In  young  cattle,  they  are  usually 
placed  in  the  dewlap,  and  allowed  to  remain  for  months  at  a  time,  or  so  long  as  the 
subjects  are  in  a  condition  supposed  to  predispose  to  the  disorder.  For  this  purpose 
they  are  often  beneficial  at  first,  as  the  animals  most  predisposed  to  these  affections 
are  such  as  are  thriving  rapidly,  and  forming  large  quantities  of  highly  nutritive 
blood ;  and  the  setons,  by  establishing  a  drain  on  the  system,  act  in  the  manner  of 
a  safety-valve  in  preventing  the  onset  of  the  disorder.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind, 
however,  that  a  vigorous  constitution  soon  accommodates  itself  to  such  a  drain;  and, 
accordingly,  more  blood  is  elaborated,  and  the  predisposition  may  become  as  strong 
as  before.  The  sudden  removal  of  the  seton  in  such  a  case  would  be  attended  with 
considerable  danger.  It  is  accordingly  preferable  to  employ  proper  hygienic  mea- 
sures as  regards  drainage,  and  a  libenil  allowance  of  food,  so  as  to  keep  the  animals 
constantly  improving  without  becoming  dangerously  plethoric. 

In  no  case  should  the  same  seton  be  left  more  than  a  week  in,  as  it  gets  impreg- 
nated with  putrid  matters,  resulting  from  the  decomposing  pus,  and  may  thus  become 
irritating,  or  even  dangerous.  If  it  is  necessary  to  keep  up  the  effect  for  a  longer 
time,  a  new  tape  attached  to  the  end  of  the  old  may  be  drawn  into  the  wound,  and 
fixed  as  before. 


ON  THE  DIFFERENCES  BETWEEN  WHOLESOME  AND  UNWHOLESOME 

AIR 

By  J.  A.  Wanklyn, 

Professor  of  Chemistry  <tt  the  London  Ifistituiion, 

Davt  showed,  a  long  time  ago,  that  the  proportion  of  carbonic  acid  in  respired  air 
may  be  very  much  augmented  without  any  physiological  result.  According  to  his 
experiments,  as  much  as  20  per  cent,  of  the  atmosphere  may  consist  of  carbonic  acid 
without  injuxy  to  the  animals  breathing  it.  If  anything  like  this  amount  of  carbonic 
acid  produces  so  little  effect  upon  us,  what  shall  we  say  of  the  0'5  per  cent.,  which  is 
almost  the  highest  per-centage  of  carbonic  acid  ever  found  in  an  ill-ventUated  and 
crowded  room  in  this  country  ?  And  what  shall  we  say  of  the  assertion  that  the  dif- 
ference in  salubrity  between  the  air  in  the  neighbourhood  of  a  "  midden"  and  the  air 
'*  over  North  Scotland  (towns  excepted")  is  due  to  the  circumstance  that  there  is 
00774  per  cent,  of  carbonic  acid  in  the  former,  whilst  the  latter  contains  only  00336  ? 
In  a  recent  number  of  the  Chemical  News  (Dec.  31st,  1864)  I  find  an  account  of  a 
paper  of  Dr  Angus  Smith  "  On  the  Composition  of  the  Atmosphere ;"  and  it  appears 
from  this  account  that  he  attributes  the  wholesomeness  or  unwholesomeness  of  dif« 
ferent  atmospheres  to  minute  differences  in  the  per-centage  of  carbonic  acid.  Al- 
though we  meet  with  statements  of  this  sort  in  the  manuals  (in  Odling's  Manual,  for 
example,  p.  217) — "  a  confined  atmosphere  is  rendered  unwholesome,  not  by  a  con- 
sumption of  its  oxygen,  but  by  an  increase  in  the  proportion  of  its  carbonic  anhy- 
dride, effected  by  the  processes  of  respiration  and  combustion,'' — I  cannot  understand 
how  Dr  Angus  Smith,  who  has  moreover  made  a  special  study  of  the  various  statea 
of  the  atmosphere,  could  fall  into  so  desperate  an  error.  And  although  the  plain 
sense  of  the  paper  is,  that  minute  quantities  of  carbonic  acid  are  the  cause,  or  part  of 


LESION  OF  THE  EXTEBIOB  MUSCLES  OF  THE  FOBEARBf.         107 

the  cause,  of  the  physiological  differences  between  different  atmospheres,  snrelj  he 
could  not  mean  more  than  that  these  minute  quantities  of  carbonic  acid  are  concomi- 
tant with  the  physiological  effects.  And  surely  the  utmost  that  Dr  Angus  Smith 
will  think  of  maintaining  ¥rill  be  in  substance  this :  the  deficiency  of  oxygen  in  the 
atmosphere  of  towns  and  of  crowded  rooms  is  so  small  that  it  can  produce  no  physio- 
logical result ;  the  excess  of  carbonic  acid  is  also  too  small  to  act  physiologically ;  yet 
tMs  deficiency  of  oxygen  and  this  excess  of  carbonic  acid,  being  almost  inyariably 
found  in  company  with  the  deleterious  thing  which  spoils  the  atmospheres  of  towns 
and  of  crowded  rooms,  may  be  taken  as  an  index  to  the  amount  of  deterioration 
which  a  given  atmosphere  has  undergone.  Even  this  proposition,  under  this  limita- 
tion, I  call  in  question,  maintaining  that  the  oxygen  and  carbonic  add  criteria  are 
Teiy  untrustworthy  indices  to  the  state  of  salubrity  of  the  atmosphere. 

I  will  content  myself  with  pointing  out  two  striking  absurdities  which  flow  from 
the  adoption  of  these  indices : — 

1st,  That  the  air  on  the  Alps  is  far  more  pestilent  than  the  air  in  the  immediate 
neighbourhood  of  a  Manchester  **  midden,"  or  the  air  of  a  close  room. 

2dy  That  air  taken  from  a  court-yard  is  one  day  as  wholesome  as  air  from  the  open 
heath,  and  the  next  as  pestilent  as  that  from  a  back  street  in  a  town. 

In  truth,  there  are  many  causes  which  determine  the  precise  quantities  of  oxygen 
and  carbonic  add  in  the  atmosphere,  and  the  per-centages  of  these  two  gases  foand 
in  the  air  of  a  given  locality  are  a  veiy  poor  guide  to  the  quantity  of  carbonaceous 
XDatter  undergoing  slow  combustion. 

Before  any  real  knowledge  of  the  pestilent  matters  which  cause  the  deterioration 
of  the  air  in  towns  and  close  rooms  can  be  arriyed  at,  chemists  must  investigate  the 
sabject  in  a  very  different  manner  from  that  which  they  are  too  prone  to  adopt.  Just 
u  the  difference  between  one  mineral  water  and  another  depends  not  upon  any  dif- 
ference in  the  proportions  of  oxygen  and  hydrogen  composing  the  water,  but  upon 
the  presence  of  very  minute  traces  of  salts  of  different  kinds,  so  the  difference  be- 
tween the  atmosphere  in  one  locality  and  another  is  due  to  minute  quantities  of 
Teiy  active  gases,  vapours,  or  dust,  and  not  to  the  relative  proportions  of  nitrogen, 
oxygen,  and  carbonic  acid.  It  is  not  at  all  improbable  that  the  presence  of  minute 
traces  of  carbonic  oxide  (a  very  active  poison)  may  have  a  great  deal  to  do  with  the 
deterioration  of  the  atmosphere  in  ill-ventilated  rooms.  But  whether  it  be  traces  of 
carbonic  oxide  or  of  prussic  acid,  or  of  something  else  which  are  at  the  root  of  the 
inunense  physiological  difference  between  the  atmospheres  of  various  localities,  certain 
it  is  that  the  air  of  a  crowded  room  is  not  bad  by  reason  of  its  carbonic  acid  or  of 
any  deficiency  in  its  oxygen. 


LESION  OF  THE  EXTERIOR  MUSCLES  OF  THE  FOREARM,  PARTICU- 
LARLY THE  MEDIAN  HEAD  OF  THE  TRICEPS  EXTENSOR  BRACHII, 
WITH  SYMPTOMS  RESEMBLING  THOSE  OF  FRACTURE  OP  THE 
HUMERUS. 

By  M.  Urbain  Leblano. 

{From  La  Clinique  V^Urinaire,  January  1865.) 

M.  BouiiBT,  junior,  was  the  first  to  notice,  in  1833,  a  frequent  lesion  of  the  flexor 
metatusi,  usually  attended  with  symptoms  which,  on  superficial  examination,  resemble 
those  of  fracture  of  the  tibia. 

The  cases  seen  by  M.  Bouley  all  recovered,  so  that  he  had  no  opportunity  of  ob- 
serving the  character  of  the  lesion  on  the  dead  subject,  but  as  the  section  of  the 
tendon  gives  rise  to  the  same  symptoms,  the  lesion  is  probably  either  a  laceration  or 
at  least  undue  distension  of  the  muscle.  The  cause,  in  every  case,  is  violent  traction 
of  the  muscle  in  connexion  with  excessive  exertion  on  the  part  of  the  animal. 

Rigot  has  well  described  lesions  met  with  by  him  in  certain  muscles  of  horses  lame 
in  the  hind  limbs,  {Eecueil,  1827.)  These  were  lacerations,  superficial  or  deep 
according  as  the  muscles  were  thin  and  not  enclosed  in  a  sheath,  or  their  thick 
and  covered  by  a  strong  fibrous  envelope;  sanguineous  clots  in  different  degrees  of 
organisation,  dther  infiltrated  or  encysted ;  discolourations,  indurations,  and  change 
of  form.  These,  however,  were  not  met  with  in  the  flexor  metatarsi  He  has 
not  met  with  cases  presenting  the  symptoms  noticed  by  M.  Bouley. 


108  LESION  OP  THE  EXTEEIOR  MUSCLES  OF  THE  POEEAEM. 

M.  Leblanc  has  often  noticed  the  lesions  mentioned  by  Rigot  They  always 
diminish  or  annihilate  the  contractile  power  of  the  muscles,  frequently  terminating 
in  atrophy  of  the  muscle. 

These  lesions  are  often  unaccompanied  by  symptoms  of  active  inflammation,  such 
as  swelling,  abnormal  heat,  and  pain  on  pressure.  It  is  well  to  note  this,  as  the 
absence  of  such  symptoms  does  not  necessanly  prove  that  there  has  not  been  muscular 
distension  or  even  laceration. 

M.  Leblanc  believes  that  all  the  published  cases  of  muscular  lesion  simulating  frac- 
tures have  been  those  of  the  flexor  metatarsi,  hence  he  is  led  to  notice  a  case  of 
lameness  in  the  fore  extremity  bearing  similar  characters.  On  6th  January  1860  a 
very  active  five-year-old  entire  horse,  drawing  a  heavy  carriage  from  the  Bouen 
railway  station,  on  the  ice-clad  streets,  sustained  the  injury  in  attempting  to  start  the 
load.  After  making  a  violent  effort,  it  stopped,  turned  slightly  to  the  left  side,  and 
refused  to  proceed.  The  left  fore  limb  appeared  useless,  and  the  poor  animLal  was 
walked  home  on  three  legs. 

When  standing  quietiy,  the  fore  limb  described  a  curve  from  the  elbow  to  the  hoof. 
The  anterior  aspect  of  the  hoof  was  rested  on  the  ground,  the  digital,  fetlock,  knee, 
and  elbow-joints  being  flexed.  The  humerus  was  almost  vertical,  and  the  elbow  low 
and  abducted  from  the  body. 

On  examination,  neither  fracture  nor  luxation  could  be  made  out.  The  forearm 
was  easily  flexed  on  the  arm,  no  resistance  being  offered  by  the  animal,  and  the 
muscular  mass  of  the  triceps  was  flaccid  and  elongated.  Strong  compression  between 
the  fingers  and  hands  did  not  draw  forth  symptoms  of  pain,  and  there  was  no  swell- 
ing or  undue  heat. 

When  walked  out,  in  attempting  to  flex  the  forearm,  it  was  elevated  suddenly,  not 
in  a  dire<;tion  parallel  to  the  body,  but  describing  a  series  of  very  irregular  zig-zags. 
It  seemed  as  if  the  member  was  paralysed.  When  advanced,  the  limb  was  kept 
straight  for  an  instant,  and  then  curved  so  as  to  bring  the  toe  in  contact  with  the 
ground.  The  animal  advanced  his  body  by  a  kind  of  leap,  coming  down  again  upon 
the  right  fore  foot,  and  each  time  the  left  leg  was  more  curved,  and  the  foot,  the  fet- 
lock, or  even  the  knee,  are  brought  into  contact  with  the  ground.  At  first  sight  one 
would  have  concluded  that  the  leg  was  broken,  but  such  a  conclusion  was  easily  recti- 
fied by  a  close  examination. 

An  examination  of  the  olecranon  showed  that  it  was  sound.  The  distortion  of  the 
triceps  was  particularly  marked  in  the  lower  and  deeper  part  of  the  muscle.  As  the 
symptoms  were  much  analogous  to  those  observed  by  M.  Bouley,  it  was  decided  to 
subject  it  to  treatment. 

The  analogies  and  differences  between  the  two  lesions  are  these : — With  lacerated 
flexor  metatarsi,  the  horse  can  maintain  the  standing  posture  perfectly,  as  the 
muscles  engaged  in  extending  the  limb  are  intact ;  there  is,  however,  the  greatest 
difficulty  of  flexing  the  leg  and  advancing  the  foot.  With  lesion  of  the  triceps 
extensor  brachii,  on  the  other  hand,  the  limb  cannot  be  kept  extended  so  as  to  let 
the  weight  rest  upon  it,  whilst  it  is  very  easily  carried  forward. 

Nothing  was  done  for  the  animal  on  the  day  of  the  accident.  The  following  day 
there  was  still  no  pain  on  pressure,  nor  swelling.  The  animal  lay  down  and  rose 
easily.    Strong  tincture  of  canthaiides  was  applied  on  the  shoulder  and  arm. 

On  the  8th  the  skin  and  subcutaneous  areolar  tissue  were  tumified  ;  otherwise,  the 
symptoms  had  not  changed.  On  the  9th  the  horse  was  carefully  led  to  M.  Leblanc's 
infirmary,  and  walked  better  than  on  the  day  of  the  accident.  He  had  here  an  ample 
loose  box  and  liberal  diet.  It  gradually  improved  until  the  4th  February,  when,  at 
the  request  of  the  owner,  he  was  killed.  The  depression  behind  the  arm  was  daily 
filling  up,  the  animal  rested  on  the  limb,  and  did  not  jerk  it  forward  in  the  same  way 
in  walking. 

The  caput  medium  of  the  triceps  was  discoloured  and  indurated.  Towards  the 
middle  of  the  muscle  it  was  thinner  than  that  on  the  right  side ;  it  was  flaccid,  and 
the  fibres  separated  easily  from  each  other.  The  induration  was  at  its  insertion. 
There  was  no  apparent  solution  of  continuity,  nor  any  trace  of  hemorrhage  or  serous 
infiltration.  The  soapulo-ulnaris  and  caput-magnum  of  the  triceps  were  similarly 
affected,  though  to  a  mudi  slighter  extent.  The  small  head  of  the  triceps  was  even 
less  affected,  though  still  distinctly  implicated. 


CATTLE  TRAFFIC  ON  SXJNDAT — THAMES  POLICE  COUBT.        109 


CATTLE  TRAFFIC  ON  SUNDAY— THAMES  POLICE  COURT. 

TiSTBBDAY,  twenty-one  licensed  droven  appeared  before  Mr  Partridge,  to  aniwer 
gonunonflea  taken  oat  bj  Inspector  Holloway,  of  the  H  diyision,  for  driving  foreign 
oatUe  along  the  streets  of  the  district  on  Sunday,  the  4th  of  December  last,  and  two 
following  Sundays,  in  violation  of  the  statute.  « 

The  first  ten  defendants  having  answered  to  their  names,  Samuel  Rimell,  J.ohn 
Barnard,  and  Philip  Bradley,  constables  of  the  H  division,  were  called.  They  proved 
that  the  prisoners  were  driving  large  numbers  of  cattle  along  the  streets  of  the  dis- 
trict from  the  Dublin  wharf.  Lower  East  Smithfield,  to  the  lairs  at  Hackney-wick, 
on  the  three  Sundi^s  mentioned,  between  ten  and  five  o'clock. 

The  defendants,  on  being  asked  if  they  knew  they  were  doing  wrong  in  driving 
cattle  through  the  streets  during  the  prohibited  hours,  said  they  were  obliged  to  do 
so,  and  that  the  cattle  must  either  remain  on  board  the  ships  which  brought  them 
over,  or  be  driven  through  the  streets  to  the  lairs,  for  there  was  no  room  for  them 
on  the  Dublin-wharf.  One  of  the  defendants,  mtk  one  hundred  oxen,  said,  Here  is 
my  certificate  from  the  veterinary  surgeon,  and  that  is  enough. 

In  answer  to  questions  by  Mr  Partridge,  the  witnesses  said  the  cattle  seemed  to  be 
healthy,  and  were  driven  over  the  streets  at  a  very  rapid  pace.  There  was  no  room 
for  cattle  to  remain  at  the  Dublin  wharf.  They  must  either  be  driven  away  directly 
after  they  were  landed,  or  be  sufibcated. 

Mr  Partridge  said  that  Mr  Price,  the  superintendent  of  the  Dublin  wharf,  and  Mr 
Kidd,  of  the  St  Katharine's  Steam-packet  Wharf,  who  represented  the  General  Steam 
Navigation  Company,  were  both  in  attendance.  He  asked  them  if  they  had  any 
observations  to  make. 

Mr  Price  said  there  was  great  difficulty  in  carrying  out  law  as  it  stood.  The  pro- 
prietors and  managers  of  the  wharf  did  their  utmost,  on  all  occasions,  to  prevent 
iinoyance  and  inconvenience  to  their  neighbours  and  the  public.  Although  the  cer- 
tificate of  the  veterinary  surgeon,  that  it  was  necessary  to  remove  the  cattle,  was  in 
the  possession  of  every  drover,  he  knew  that  would  not  justify  a  violation  of  the  law. 
He  could  assure  the  magistrate  the  necessities  of  a  large  and  important  trade  in 
foreign  cattle  required  that  they  should  be  landed  on  Sundays.  Everything  possible 
i^oidd  be  done  to  avoid  complaint,  and  he  hoped  the  magistrate,  in  the  exercise  of 
a  wise  discretion,  would  visit  lightly  the  offences  of  a  number  of  honest  and  industri- 
ous men  who  could  not  afford  to  pay  heavy  prices.  The  drovers  are  appointed  by 
the  master-drovers.  We  have  no  control  over  them.  They  are  the  deputies  of  the 
consignees. 

Mr  Kidd  said  that  all  the  cases  were  from  the  Dublin  Wharf,  and  that  none  were 
from  the  St  Katluuine's  Wharf,  which  he  represented.  The  necessities  of  the  cattle 
trade  rendered  it.almost  imperative  that  foreign  stock  should  be  landed  on  Sundays. 
As  Sir  Richard  Mayne,  the  Chief  Commissioner  of  Police,  had  expressed  his  willing- 
ness to  receive  a  depntation  on  the  subject  of  the  regulations  for  cattle-driving  gene- 
rally, he  and  Mr  Price  would  avail  themselves  of  Sir  Richard  Mayne's  kindness  and 
courtesy,  and  wait  upon  him  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  some  alterations,  giving 
better  accommodation  to  the  trade  and  avoiding  any  infraction  of  the  law. 

Mr  Partridge  thought  the  General  Steam  Navigation  Company,  with  their  resources, 
could  have  avoided  the  driving  of  cattle  during  the  prohibited  hours  on  Sundays. 

Mr  Kidd. — No,  Sir,  we  can't  always  avoid  it. 

Mr  Partridge  said  the  duty  of  the  magistrates  was  simply  a  ministerial  one.  The 
law  prohibited  the  driving  of  cattle  over  the  streets  of  the  metropolis  between  ten 
and  five  o'clock  on  Sundays  at  all,  and  under  any  circumstances,  and  only  before  and 
after  those  hours  with  a  veterinary  surgeon's  certificate  that  it  was  necessary  for  the 
health  of  the  cattle  that  they  should  be  driven  from  the  wharves  to  the  lairs.  He 
had  nothing  to  do  with  the  policy  or  the  impolicy  of  the  law.  If  it  was  a  bad  law, 
those  whom  it  affected  must  take  the  usual  constitutional  means  to  effect  an  altera- 
tion or  repeal  As  long  as  the  law  existed  he  and  his  colleague  must  see  it  fairly 
carried  out  He  had  adjourned  the  sumnnnses  that  he  might  see  the  wharves  for 
the  landing  of  foreign  cattle.  Through  the  civility  and  attention  of  Mr  Price  and 
Mr  Kidd,  he  and  Mr  Paget,  his  colleague,  had  visited  the  wharves  of  the  General 
Steam  Navigation  Company  at  Blackwall  and  St  Katharine's,  the  Dublin  Wharf,  and 
the  Britiflli  and  Foreign  Wharf.  At  Blackwall  the  General  Steam  Navigation  Com- 
pany had  provided  laxge  accommodation  for  the  landing  and  storing  of  cattle^  ^itk 


110        CATTLE  TRAFFIC  ON  SUNDAY — THAMES  POLICE  COUBT, 

slaughter-hoases;  and  a  plentiful  supply  of  water.  He  thought  there  was  room 
enough  there  for  all  the  cattle  imported  into  the  port  of  London,  and  they  could  be 
driyen  to  their  lairs  from  Blackwall  without  passing  through  any  of  the  crowded 
streets.  He  considered  it  a  nuisance  for  cattle  to  he  driven  through  the  crowded 
streets  of  the  metropolis  on  any  day.  At  St  Katharine's  Wharf,  also  belonging  to 
the  General  Steam  Kayigation  Company,  there  was  a  great  deal  of  accommodation 
for  cattle.  At  the  DubUn  and  British  and  Foreign  Wharves,  extra  building  and 
sheds  were  being  erected  for  the  accommodation  of  cattle.  At  present  they  were  not 
ready.  When  completed  they  would  be  capable  of  accommodating  a  large  quantity 
of  cattle.  With  thdse  questions,  however,  he  had  nothing  to  do.  If  by  any  arrange- 
ment all  foreign  cattie  could  be  landed  at  Blackwall,  and  not  be  brought  up  the  Pool 
to  be  landed  at  wharves  in  the  vicinity  of  narrow,  crowded,  and  inconvenient  streets 
and  lanes,  without  detriment  to  the  interests  of  other  whai^ngers,  it  would  be  a  very 
great  advantage.  Blackwall  was  nearer  to  the  lairs  than  Lower  East  Smithfield  and 
St  Katharine's.  He  had  been  in  consultation  with  Mr  Paget,  and  they  had  resolved 
that,  in  future,  not  only  the  cattle-drovers  should  be  summoned,  but  all  those  who 
employed  them  should  be  proceeded  against,  and  the  law  strictly  carried  out  Hence- 
forth the  full  penalty  of  408.  would  be  inflicted  for  any  offence.  At  present  the 
whole  of  the  defendants  would  not  be  fined,  but  ordered  to  pay  2s.  each  for  costs. 

A  number  of  other  drovers  were  then  called,  and  addressed  in  a  similar  strain. 
They  were  ordered  to  pay  28.  each,  and  told  that  employers,  as  well  as  men,  must  be 
summoned  in  future,  and  the  fine  would  be  40s.  for  each  offence. 

Mr  Wilmot,  of  No.  19  Lower  East  Smithfield,  complained  that  cattle  landed  at  the 
wharves  there  had  been  frequently  standing  for  three  hours  on  Sundays,  and  other 
days,  in  front  of  his  house.  The  annoyance  was  very  great ;  no  one  could  pass  in 
and  out  while  the  cattle  were  there.  Foot  passengers  were  put  to  inconvenience,  and 
the  street  was  blocked  up  while  the  cattle  were  there. 

Mr  Partridge  said  he  must  refer  the  applicant  to  the  police  of  the  district. 

Mr  Wilmot  said  he  had  done  that  before.  The  police  seemed  powerless.  They 
could  hot  or  would  not  act  to  put  down  a  great  and  increasing  nuisance.  He  made 
complaints  at  that  court  several  weeks  ago,  and  sought  redress  elsewhere,  without 
avail. 

Mr  Partridge  was  sorry  to  hear  it.  He  was  surprised  to  hear  that  cattle  were  kept 
before  a  man's  house  in  a  narrow  street  for  three  hours.  He  could  afford  no  remedy. 
He  was  there  only  to  hear  cases  brought  before  him  in  a  regular  manner.  He  had 
nothing  to  do  with  the  regulations  or  the  government  of  the  police  force. — The 
Times  of  Saitwdayf  January  7, 1865. 


At  a  meeting  of  the  Court  of  Examiners,  held  on  Tuesday,  December  20,  at  10 
Red  liion  Square,  the  following  gentlemen  having  undergone  the  necessaiy  exami- 
nations for  the  diploma,  were  admitted  members  of  the  body  corporate : — Mr  Richard 
Wyer,  Folkingham;  Mr  Alex.  Floyer,  Floore,  Northamptonshire;  Mr  Willhun  GUtra, 
Hampstead,  Middlesex. 


BALLA17TTNS  AND  CO.,  FRIXTKRfl,  EDIKBUROH. 


THE  VETERINAKY  REVIEW 

t  AND 


ORIGINAL    COMMUNICATIONS   AND    CASES. 


ON  THE  MANAGEMENT  OF  HORSES. 

{Continued  from  page  75.) 

In  conformity  with  our  programme,  we  proceed  with  the  discussion 
on  the  management  of  horses  generally,  not  restncting  our  remarks 
to  such  customs  or  requirements  as  apply  to  any  one  class  ox  breed  of 
horses. 

Horses  can  only  pay  for  breeding,  either  to  keep,  or  for  speculation, 
when  they  are  so  managed  that  a  large  proportion  of  them  reach  a  high 
state  of  perfection,  and  when  only  few  fall  below  average  merit,  and 
consume  forage  without  rendering  equivalent  service,  whatever  be  the 
purpose  for  which  they  are  intended. 

Miose  owners  who  keep  horses  for  extraordinary  purposes — the  turf 
or  the  field — ^will  necessarily  fail  to  have  more  than  a  due  proportion  of 
select  stock  that  will  reach  the  required  standard — that  being  a  relative 
and  not  an  absolute  one ;  therefore  it  forms  part  of  good  management 
to  adapt,  betimes,  every  horse  to  his  proper  work ;  the  animal  that  is 
pronounced  worthless  by  one  man  for  a  given  object,  proves  a  good 
horse  with  another  for  a  di£ferent  purpose. 

In  so  far  as  the  choice  of  parent  stock  influences  the  issue,  though 
that  stands  first  in  the  order  of  importance,  it  forms,  after  all,  but  one 
stage  in  the  business  of  breeding ;  and  unless  every  step  in  the  pro- 
cedure is  well  understood  and  efficiently  prosecuted,  inferior  horses 
only  will  be  found  among  the  produce  on  trial.  Without  good 
culture,  the  best  bred  horses  will  fail  to  propagate  their  like,  any  more 
than  choice  specimens  of  pedigree  wheat  can  be  expected  to  give 
profitable  returns  if  sown  on  an  unredeenfed  bog,  or  land  in  every 
way  unsuited. 

All  experience  confirms  that  which  sound  reasoning  will  affirm, 
viz., — that  horse  management  is  not  what  many  insinuate,  a  matter  of 
chance  or  of  luck ;  but,  like  everything  else  on  which  human  intelligence 
and  industry  are  employed,  the  return  is  relative  to  the  appliances. 

Some  data  applying  to  the  laws  of  life  and  health  are  essential  to 
the  production  and  preservation  of  all  species  of  animals,  Tield  \w  \v\^\v. 
VojL  J. — No.  III—New  Sebieb.    March  1865.  A 


112  ON  THE  MANAGEMENT  OF  HORSES. 

estimation  for  their  use ;  and  especially  do  these  remarks  apply  to  the 
case  of  horses,  seeing  the  purposes  for  which  they  are  required,  and 
the  trials,  of  endurance  and  other  qualities,  to  which  they  are  exposed. 

In  treating  of  the  indispensable  requirements  for  horses  in  all  stages 
of  existence,  we  may  class  these  in  the  first  place  under  three  heads, 
viz., — Air,  Aliment,  and  Exercise ;  each  of  these  in  turn  to  be  analysed 
and  reduced  to  intelligible  proportions. 

Pure  air,  in  free  circulation,  is  the  first  requirement  of  the  horse, 
from  the  instant  of  birth  to  his  death  ;  too  much  importance  cannot, 
therefore,  be  attached  to  the  question  of  ventilation. 

Ventilation  of  stables,  as  of  human  dwellings,  has  occupied  much 
attention,  and  the  subject  has  become  better  understood  during  the 
present  century  than  at  its  commencement.  To  the  devotees  of  veteri- 
nary science  is  due  much  of  the  initiative  influence  in  making  the 
general  move  in  the  question  of  pure  air  to  breathe.  Professor  Cole- 
man, availing  himself  of  the  power  his  position  gave  him,  made  the 
subject  of  ventilation  the  most  important  of  all  his  public  services ; 
and  it  is  our  belief,  as  it  was  stated  authoritatively  forty  years  ago, 
that  much  evidence  was  brought  together  in  a  short  time,  by  observ- 
ing horses,  which  could  not  have  been  acquired  with  equal  facility 
in  hospitals,  or  in  any  way  where  men  were  found  congregated  in 
large  numbers. 

Understood  as  the  subject  of  ventilation  now  is,  we  might  have 
refrained  from  going  at  length  into  it ;  but  we  draw  the  distinction 
between  the  question  being  clearly  known  by  some,  and  of  its  being 
ill-appreciated  and  little  acted  on  by  the  many. 

As  regards  the  proper  measures  to  be  taken,  much  difierence  of 
opinion  prevails  amongst  even  reflecting  men.  Then  there  are  many 
who  think  little,  and  who  yet  are  called  practical  managers,  though  by 
investigation  it  will  be  found,  that  thoroughly  good  horse-management 
prevails  more  exceptionally  than  as  the  rule. 

When  speaking  of  ventilation  in  reference  to  stables,  two  things 
are  commonly  implied  and  confounded  under  the  single  word — 
temperature  and  impurity  of  atmosphere.  "Hot  and  foul  stables"  is  a 
commonly-heard  phrase,  yet,  though  the  two  phenomena  may  exist 
together — viz.,  excess  of  warmth  and  impurity  of  air — it  is  not  neces- 
sary, and  only  occasionally  that  it  is  so.  Horses  may  be  breathing 
impure  air  the  temperature  of  which  is  down  at  freezing  point,  or  be 
in  a  pure  atmosphere  in  which  the  thermometer  would  exhibit  a 
temperature  as  high  as  that  of  the  animal  body ;  in  other  words,  a 
noxious  stable  may  be  twice  or  even  thrice  as  cool  as  one  that  is  pure ; 
in  allowing  for  so  great  a  difierence,  however,  seasons  and  climate 
must  be  taken  into  account.  It  is  for  the  purpose  of  illustration 
chiefly  that  we  adduce  the  example. 

That  there  has  been,  and  still  exists,  good  reason  for  confounding 
hot  and  foul  stables,  when  crying  out  against  badly- ventilated  stables, 
we  admit.  Stables,  constructed  by  the  ablest  of  architects,  are  often 
found  excessively  hot,  and  the  air  within  highly  impure ;  in  which 


ON  THE  MANAGEMENT  OF  HORSES.  113 

case,  one  cause  alone  produces  the  twofold  effect, — viz.,  the  closing 
up  of  windows  and  other  apertures  where  ingress  and  egress  of  air 
might  freely  ga  on.  The  number  of  animals  in  a  given  space  will 
also  affect  the  question. 

That,  however,  which  we  wish  to  make  clear  is,  that  horses,  or  any 
animals,  may  and  often  do  suffer  from  the  twofold  depressing  evils, 
of  cold  and  damp  localities,  amidst  exhalations  which  are  the  con- 
stituent elements  of  pestilential  air. 

It  is,  of  course,  not  for  the  physiological  chemist  or  the  scientific 
architect  that  the  foregoing  is  written  ;  there  are,  however,  many 
beyond  that  fractional  few,  to  whom,  it  is  believed,  it  may  not  be  un- 
acceptable to  have  their  attention  drawn  to  a  matter  so  important. 

It  is  less  our  aim  to  go  systematically  into  details  on  ventilation 
than  to  make  suggestions  bearing  on  principles  to  guide  in  the 
matter.  Nor  would  prescribed  rules  as  to  the  space  of  building 
necessary  for  each  horse,  and  the  measurement  and  distribution  of 
apertures,  be  of  much  avail  in  this  place.  It  is  not  the  building  of 
stables,  but  the  knowledge  how  to  use  those  at  our  command,  which 
we  are  trying  to  point  out.  Therefore,  when  we  say  that  open  surface 
drainage,  free  use  of  the  besom  for  clearing  away  early  accumulations 
of  dung,  and  that  the  apertures  be  ample,  so  that  no  offensive  odour 
or  dampness  on  the  walls  or  windows  is  to  be  found,  we  have  indi- 
cated some  of  the  most  urgent  requirements.  Opening  and  shutting 
of  windows  is  not  the  way  to  ventilate  stables — not  that  we  object  to 
air  passing  in  and  out  of  the  windows — but  it  is  because  men  in 
charge  of  horses  (not  through  obstinacy  or  disobedience,  but  for  want 
of  knowledge)  commonly  open  the  window  in  the  morning,  by  which, 
with  the  current  passing  through  the  door,  and  horses  moving  out 
and  in,  and  the  stable  kept  clean,  the  air  is  suflSciently  pure ;  but 
when  evening  comes  men  feel  chilly,  and  many  of  them  have  vague 
and  mysterious  ideas  about  night  air,  and  therefore  let  as  little  of  it 
enter  the  stable  as  possible ;  accordingly  the  windows  are  closed,  and 
the  poor  horses  are  shut  up  to  breathe  an  atmosphere  over  and  over 
again  for  eight  hours  and  more,  during  which  time  we  have  an 
exhausted  condition  of  the  air  for  respirable  purposes,  every  atom 
of  it  having  been  brought  many  times  in  contact  with  the  lung- 
cells  and  the  pores  of  the  skins  of  the  animals.  Therefore  wo  always 
want  open  spaces  for  the  free  circulation  of  air  in  stables ;  and  when- 
ever glass  windows  stand  in  our  way,  and  the  means  of  opening  are 
wanting,  we  clear  the  passage  by  breaking  a  sufficient  number  of 
panes  for  the  requirement. 

The  sound  precept  reminding  us  that  all  extremes  should  be 
avoided,  has  its  application  in  the ^  case  under  consideration;  as 
regards  horses,  this  subject  of  ventilation  has  been  treated  in  a  great 
measure  as  if  any  amount  of  exposure  to  the  open  air  may  be  borne 
by  the  horse  with  impunity ;  by  which  doctrine,  and  its  application 
in  practice,  evils  in  a  twofold  direction  have  resulted ; — in  the  first 
place,  much  harm  to  horses  by  exposure;  and,  secoiidVj^Vj  ^TAfe*^ 


114  ON  THE  MANAGEMENT  OF  HOESES. 

vouring  to  enforce  the  adoption  of  irrationally-entertained  notions, 
men  refuse  to  follow  the  instructions,  and  therefore  the  required 
reform  is  obstructed,  because  it  was  not  presented  in  a  right,  prac- 
ticable, and  well-defined  manner. 

We  have  one  word,  peculiarly  English,  which,  when  treating  on 
this  subject,  is  sufficient  to  leaven  a  large  volume, — that  is,  "  Com- 
fort." Horses,  like  men,  require  to  be  made  comfortable ;  and  when 
we  see  a  horse  confined  to  a  limited  space,  with  little  room  to  move, 
and  no  choice  of  cover  and  protection  from  cold,  we  regard  his  case 
somewhat  like  that  of  a  man  who  is  made  to  sit  in  the  village  stocks. 

Language  is  seldom  more  perverted  and  abused  than  when  men 
inconsiderately  speak  of  nature  or  of  following  her ;  under  such  cover, 
the  most  preposterous  things  are  said  and  cruel  actions  prompted. 

We  in  England,  or  those  in  other  parts  of  civilised  Europe,  can 
hardly  conceive  the  true  state  of  a  horse  in  his  natural  and  free  liberty. 
It  is  easy  to  understand  the  state  of  smaller  animals,  whose  wants  are 
readily  supplied,  both  of  food  and  shelter ;  but  the  horse  differs  as 
much  from  these  in  design  and  wants,  as  does  the  elephant  from  the 
giraffe.  The  horse  likes  warmth  and  dry  ground ;  and  that  which 
instinctively  the  animal  selects  and  rejects,  is  found  in  practice,  as 
might  safely  have  been  taken  for  granted  in  theory,  to  be  most  con- 
genial to  his  system,  or  noxious,  as  the  case  may  be. 

Men  devoted  to  field-sports,  besides  being  the  chief  cultivators  of 
the  breeds  of  horses,  are  also,  to  no  inconsiderable  extent,  the  owners 
of  all  descriptions  of  them ;  and  it  is  often  surprising  to  observe  how 
profoundly  some  gentlemen  study  the  natural  history  of  the  game 
they  hunt ;  whether  in  pursuit  of  a  fox  or  a  fish,  the  whereabouts  of 
the  game  is  reckoned  on  according  to  the  state  of  the  weather.  As 
the  huntsman  rides  to  cover  on  a  windy  and  rainy  morning,  he  tells 
his  gentlemen  that  he  shall  draw  in  a  different  line  of  country  to  that 
which  had  been  the  day  before  fixed  on,  because  the  woods  then  con- 
templated are  not  sufficiently  dry  and  warm  to  shelter  a  fox  in  such 
"gather,  therefore  he  tries  the  sheltered  hillside  or  plantation.  Mean- 
wnile  it  seldom  occurs  to  those  sportsmen,  so  thoroughly  cognisant  of 
the  facts  in  the  case  of  the  fox,  that  the  laws  of  nature,  and  the 
sentinels  which  instinct  establishes,  are  all-powerful  aijd  peremptory 
in  the  horse ;  and  that,  by  violating  these,  great  injury  is  done  to 
that  animaL  While  the  fur-clad  fox  and  the  hare  can  make  choice 
of  a  retreating  place  soft  and  dry,  if  we  look  how  the  horse  fares, 
we  shall  find  him  very  differently  circumstanced ;  confined  to  the 
bleak  field  or  paddock,  may  be  a  shed,  or  even  the  spacious  box  of  a 
few  yards  in  diameter,  with  its  cold  brick  or  stone  wall,  and  the 
naked  tiled  roof ;  to  compare  the  horse  under  any  of  these  conditions 
with  other  animals,  small  and  great,  and  nature  s  freedom,  is  a  nega- 
tion of  nature's  privileges,  and  such  custom  is  in  violatipn  of  nature's 
laws.  Horse  managers  may  go  with  profit  to  the  Zoological  Society's 
unrivalled  establishment  in  the  Kegent's  Park,  where,  rationally  and 
scientifically,  each  species  of  animal  is  kept  as  its  natural  habits  re- 


INFLUENZA.  115 

quire.  WhUe  young  horses  are  exposed  to  the  rain  and  the  wind, 
with  their  feet  perpetually  in  a  quagmire,  they  are  in  a  condition 
which  in  nature's  free  state  they  would  be  exempt  from,  as  much  as 
the  sleek  fox ;  and  if  we  look  at  the  adult  horses  in  use,  while  many 
are  pampered  and  clad  under  two  or  more  suits,  let  them  be  stripped, 
and  we  find  them  clipped,  singed,  or  shaven  as  naked  as  an  unfledged 
rook,  and  almost  as  ill  adapted  to  be  exposed  to  the  ordinary  weather 
encountered  in  everyday  work. 

{To  be  continued.) 


Influenza :  Being  the  Substance  of  a  Paper  read  before  the  North 
of  England  Veterinary  Medical  Association  by  the  Hon.  Sec, 
Mr  6.  Abmatage,  V.S.  to  the  Right  Hon.  the  Earl  Vane. 

**  A  Protean  disease !"  Such  is  the  term  employed  to  denote 
the  character  of  that  affection  usually — and  for  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  years  past — known  by  the  title  of  "  Influenza,"  an  Italian 
word  signifying  "  influence,** 

In  whatever  light  the  tendencies  of  our  Veterinary  Medical  Asso- 
ciation may  be  viewed,  no  higher  standard  of  efficiency  and  usefulness 
can  be  claimed  for  it  than  under  its  present  constitution, — the  bring- 
ing together  of  the  members  of  one  profession,  men  almost  of  every 
shade  of  opinion, — all  uniting  with  one  common  impulse,  energy,  and 
design,  to  fathom  the  impenetrable  depths  and  mysteries  of  such  dis- 
eases as  that  I  propose  to  illustrate  for  present  consideration ;  and 
no  occupation  can  be  more  ennobling  to  any  community  that  shall 
undertake  such  pursuits,  in  which  mankind  in  general  shall  reap  a 
corresponding  share  of  the  resulting  advantages  and  reward. 

A  long  pull,  a  strong  pull,  and  a  pull  altogether,  and  we  reach  the 
haven  of  our  desire.       ^ 

It  is  not  my  intention  to  occupy  your  time  with  any  critical  dis- 
quisition on  the  history  and  ravages  of  influenza,  as  it  has  occurred 
during  the  past  one  hundred  years  ;  suffice  it,  then,  to  state,  that  the 
disease  occurred  with  more  or  less  malignancy  as  early  as  1733,  and 
has  continued  at  intervals  of  longer  or  shorter  duration  up  to  the 
present  time. 

For  a  complete  description  of  these  outbreaks  from  the  time  above 
named  to  the  year  1840,  I  must  refer  you  to  the  fifth  and  ninth 
volumes  of  the  Veterinarian,  and  the  treatise  on  influenza  by  Mr 
W.  C.  Spooner,  M.RC.V.S.,  Southampton. 

for  the  past  thirty  years  we  may  trace  its  destructive  effects  upon 
our  horses  ;  cattle  and  sheep  even  in  some  instances  not  escaping, — 
at  one  time  assuming  the  mild  form  of  a  catarrhal  affection,  termi- 
nating in  others  in  typhoid  pneumonic,  pneumo-enteric,  or  malignant 
pustidar  and  gangrenous  disease ;  hence  the  denomination  "  Protean 


116  INFLUENZA. 

By  many  writers  it  appears  under  the  ambiguous  title  of  **  epi- 
demic catarrh  ;"  and  from  its  virulence  at  times,  and  under  particular 
circumstances,  as  "  malignant  epidemic."  With  the  exception  of  the 
characters  as  signified  by  such  terms,  English  authors  have  hitherto 
been  comparatively  silent  with  regard  to  this  disease,  or  otherwise 
have  not  given  to  it  that  important  place  which  its  nature  and  ten- 
dencies call  for. 

Percival,  who  left  the  afiection  altogether  unnoticed  in  his  lectures, 
treats  of  it  in  one  part  of  his  work  on  Hippo-pathology  as  **  bron- 
chitis, or  influenza ;"  and  under  the  head  of  Fever.^,  in  vol.  i.,  gives  it 
a  place  under  the  recognised  title;  but  from  the  short  account  there 
given,  extending  over  six  and  a  half  pages,  while  thirteen  and  a  half 
are  devoted  to  the  consideration  of  "  strangles,"  immediately  follow- 
ing— a  disease  by  no  means  considered  a  fatal  one — we  may  reason- 
ably imagine  that  the  specific  characters  attributed  to  it  in  these  days 
had  not  then  become  permanently  recognised. 

Youatt  calls  it  "catarrhal  fever,*'  "distemper  among  horses  and 
cattle;"  and  with  White,  the  writer  on  cattle  pathology,  confounds 
"  epidemic  catarrh"  in  the  bovine  species  with  "  murrain/'  or  "  vesi- 
cular epizootic/' 

Blaine  speaks  of  the  "  epidemic  catarrh"  of  horses  and  cattle,  but 
appears  to  have  noticed  one  form  only  of  the  complaint. 

Our  continental  brethren,  who  have  had  a  full  share  of  its  ravages, 
appear  not  to  have  been  so  well  satisfied  vrith  the  term  as  ourselves, 
and  have  described  several  forms. 

There  are  several  points  with  regard  to  this  afiection  which  I  wish 
to  adduce  for  consideration,  reserving  others  of  a  minor  character  for 
being  dealt  with  in  the  discussion  which  is  to  follow  :— 

1.  What  is  the  nature  of  influenza? 

2.  What  are  the  causes,  proximate  and.remote  ? 

3.  What  is  the  treatment  necessarily  indicated  by  these  consi- 

derations ? 

First,  then,  the  nature  of  influenza. 

Professor  Bering  enumerates  three  distinct  forms — the  Catarrho- 
rheumatic.  Gastric  or  Bilious  Eheumatic,  and  the  Gastro-erysipelatous. 

In  our  own  coiintry,  however,  we  have  not  been  able  to  draw  the 
line  of  demarcation  so  closely,  symptoms  which  constitute  the  whole 
being  more  or  less  mixed  upon  each  attack  ;  though  difierences  have 
been  noted  of  various  outbreaks  which  characterise  the  afiection  as 
partaking  of  special  predominating  tendencies. 

During  the  autumn  and  winter  of  1854,  and  spring  of  the  follow- 
ing year,  a  great  number  of  cases  came  under  my  observation  and 
treatment,  exhibiting  all  the  characters  of  a  gastro-rheumatic  nature, 
extreme  cases  only  partaking  of  the  pneumonic  complications ;  for  an 
account  of  which  I  refer  you  to  an  article  furnished  by  me  to  the 
Veterinarian  in  July  1855.  In  the  January  number  of  that  jour- 
nal for  1856,  an  account  of  the  same  afiection  is  given  by  Mr.  B. 
Carthdge;  and  further  observations  on  infiuenza  noted  by  myself  in 


INPLXmNZA.  117 

the  March  and  April  numbers  for  that  year,  which  specify  the  par- 
ticular symptoms  demonstrative  of  the  disease.  Subsequently  to  the 
publication  of  these  memoirs,  viz.,  in  the  following  winter,  and  spring 
of  1857,  the  same  disease  exhibited  ophthalmic  and  erysipelatous 
complications,  which  proved  in  most  cases  of  a  very  troublesome 
character. 

Percival,  at  page  147,  vol  i.  of  the  work  already  referred  to,  con- 
siders this  malady  "specific"  in  its  nature, — "that  is,"  says  he,  "a 
disease  of  a  peculiar  land,"  as  deduced  from  the  facts  that — 

First,  Because  it  breaks  out  at  particular  seasons,  raging  more  in 
some  localities  than  in'^others. 

Second,  Because  it  is  less  under  the  power  of  remedies  than  com- 
mon fever. 

Third,  Because  of  its  variety  of  combinations,  which  remove  it 
wholly  from  simple  diseases. 

The  term  "  specific,"  as  applied  to  influenza,  appears  to  me  to  con- 
sist principally  in  the  strange  tendency  or  precfisposition  towards  a 
rapid  and  early  appearance  of  debility,  accompanied  by  a  strangely 
peculiar  sensitiveness  to  certain  medicaments,  while  to  others  the 
system  is  altogether  incapable  of  response  ;  and  even  with  regard  to 
these,  certain  stages  of  the  aSection  have  been  known  to  efiect  a 
complete  reversion  of  the  phenomena  usually  attendant  upon  their 
administration. 

That  excessive  prostration  of  aM  vital  powers  which  so  rapidly  follows 
upon  the  track  of  the  proximate  symptoms,  evidently  arises  from  the 
arrest  placed  at  such  an  early  period  upon  the  organs  of  assimilation. 
Nutrition  is  thus  wanting,  and  materials  of  a  highly  elaborate  char- 
acter which  should  be  formed,  specially  adapted  to  the  maintenance 
of  those  functions  essential  to  life,  those  of  the  nervous  system,  are  but 
scantily  developed,  and  at  best  but  as  most  inferior  productions  as 
far  as  purity  is  concerned.  This  in  turn  failing  to  supply  the  re- 
quisite demands  of  organs  dependent  upon  the  sensations  for  all  that 
constitutes,  action,  that  great  distributor  gives  as  it  receives — en- 
feebled life — ^receiving  less  and  giving  less,  its  own  share  contributing 
in  no  small  degrjse  to  its  special  and  perfect  destruction. 

Vascular  engorgement,  and  its  inevitable  result, — serous  effusion 
through  the  dilated,  stretched,  and  thin  coats  of  weakened  and  inac- 
tive blood-vessels,  lacking  their  proper  stimulus,  occurs  at  a  quickly 
succeeding  epoch;  and  in  proportion  as  it  takes  place  in  parts  of  im- 
portance must  we  expect  the  natural  functions  to  be  additionally 
disturbed,  suspended,  or  even  totally  arrested. 

I  look  upon  ** influenza'  as  a  disease  induced  in  the  "appropria- 
tive  and  eliminative  systems," — disease  of  those  wonderfully  elaborate 
structures  which  are  occupied  in  the  production  and  appropriation 
of  nervous  energy,  animal  heat,  &c.,  and  perpetuation  of  those  forces 
so  essential  to  the  whole  which  we  denominate  "  vital ;"  and  also 
those  which  are  delegated  to  the  equally  necessary  and  important 
office  of  secernation. 


118  INFLUENZA. 

Can  we  wonder,  then,  that  nervous  power  should  decline?  that 
animal  heat  should  be  no  longer  formed,  when  materials  for  their 
propagation  and  support  are  not  furnished  ? 

Can  we  feel  surprised  that  blood  should  become  impure  when  organs 
for  its  purification, — by  separating  from  it  the  misound  and  delete- 
rious elements, — are  denied  the  power  of  action,  nervous  and  struc- 
tural ? 

And  can  we  feel  bewildered  when  serious  complications  take  place 
as  an  inevitable  result  of  the  perversion  of  all*  those  wondrous  func- 
tions ? 

Disease  of  these  minute  structures  I  consider  to  be  caused  by  a 
morbid  ferment  introduced  within  the  circulatory  system,  by  which 
vital  force  is  more  or  less  withdrawn ;  and  hence  we  have  impeded 
circulation  throughout  the  whole  capillary  system,  vascular  engorge- 
ment, suspension  of  the  formation  of  all  essential  vital  principles, 
sudden  prostration,  passive  effusion  without  the  power  of  becoming 
organised,  internal  combustion  is  not  proceeded  with,  and  excretion 
of  all  eflfete  and  hurtful  products  contemporaneously  arrested, — the 
whole  combining  in  producing  within  the  system  causes  which  are 
specially  exerted  towards  its  own  destruction. 

Post-mortem  appearances  fully  justify  the  conclusions  arrived  at, 
and  treatment  successfully  pursued  in  accordance  with  inferential 
deductions  perfectly  ratify  their  soundness. 

I  will  not  trespass  on  your  time  by  an  enumeration  of  the  various 
symptoms, — an  unnecessary  proceeding  in  this  instance, — ^and  there- 
fore pass  to  the  second  portion  of  our  subject. 

Second,  What  are  the  causes  of  influenza  ? 

These  may  be  enumerated  thus  : — 

First,  Proximate — a  low,  weak,  and  vitiated  state  of  fluids  and 
solids  ;  inertia  of  the  vital  powers  ;  and  total  absence  of  all  conditions 
which  destroy  parts,  or  the  system,  by  violent  and  powerful  actions, 
induced  by  continued  exposure  to  some  or  all  of  the  following  : — 

Second,  Remote  causes.  These  may  be  further  subdivided  into— 
a.  Predisposing ;  and  b.  Exciting. 

a.  Predisposing. — Hereditary  taint ;  ill-conditioned,  badly-drained, 
and  ill-ventilated  habitations ;  insuflScient  food,  or  of  questionable 
quality  ;  with  other  causes  which  tend  to  reduce  the  tone  of  the  sys- 
tem, as  the  indiscriminate  use  of  cooling  or  purgative  medicines ; 
hard  work  long  continued ;  and  in  conjunction  with  the  above,  the 
process  of  depilation  ;  imperfect  mastication  on  account  of  defective 
molars ;  and  subjection  to  diseases  previously  of  various  kinds,  as 
strangles,  colds,  pneumonia,  bronchitis,  &c. 

6.  The  exciting  causes  are  doubtless  some  of  the  above  in  excess, — 
exposure  to  extreme  states  of  temperature  suddenly;  subjection  to  an 
atmosphere  charged  with  morbific  matter  thrown  off  from  animals 
severely  affected ;  the  influence  of  easterly  cold  winds,  other  atmo- 
spheric conditions,  and  peculiarities  of  a  profound  and  delicate  nature 
too  subtle  for  recognition  by  ordinary  sense. 


INFLUENZA.  119 

Influenza  I  believe  to  be  decidedly  contagious,  particularly  in 
advanced  pneumonic  stages ;  and  I  am  inclined  also  to  the  belief  that 
the  disease  has  in  no  measure  differed  at  the  present  period,  in  its 
material  characters  of  a  malignant  typhoid  and  variable  type,  from 
those  outbreaks  of  which  we  read  as  having  occurred  thirty  or  forty 
years  ago,  excepting,  probably,  that  it  has  not  been  so  prevalent,  a 
result  of  the  adoption  of  better  understood  principles  of  feeding, 
housing,  and  ventilation,  &c. 

Third,  What  line  of  treatment  is  necessarily  indicated  by  these 
considerations  ? 

To  this  I  would  reply,  briefly — That  which  soothes,  supports,  and 
raises  the  prostrate  vital  powers  ;  not  violent  and  powerfully  exciting 
agents :  these  must  be  strictly  avoided.  Pure  air,  even  temperature, 
warm  clothing,  quiet,  and  seclusion,  with  an  earnest  attendant  trained 
to  implicit  obedience,  and  well-directed  domestic  treatment,  and  half 
the  means  of  cure  are  already  in  the  hands  of  the  veterinary  surgeon. 

By  soothing,  supporting,  and  stimulating  treatment,  I  would  imply 
the  effects  derivable  from  the  employment  of  such  agents  as  the 
Acetate  of  Ammonia,  the  Aromatic  Spirits  of  Ammonia,  ai^d  the  Sesqui- 
carbonate  in  the  solid  fonn.  These  being  used  in  conjunction  with 
Belladonna  or  Hyoscyamus  extract,  prove  very  useful  in  reducing  the 
frequency  of  the  irritable  and  weak  pulse  of  this  disease,  while  cor- 
respondingly the  nervous  energy  is  restored  and  strengthened.  Am- 
monia^  in  its  various  forms,  has  proved  a  priceless  agent  in  my  hands  ; 
and  when  combined  in  the  solid  form,  with  the  Pulv.  Scillse,  and  Ext. 
Bellad.,  given  two  or  three  times  a  day,  the  most  irritable  cough, 
defiant  though  it  be,  has  rapidly  given  way  ;  besides  the  relief  experi- 
enced by  the  conjested  lungs  and  membranes  of  the  respiratory  track. 

Precursory  diarrhoea  is  best  treated  with  01.  Lini,  and  li.  Opii, 
with  Ammonia  in  one  of  the  forms.  Gastric  irritation  will  also  be 
benefited  by  relieving  the  bowels,  for  which  I  have  preferred  the 
oleaginous  dose  with  Ammonia  and  the  extract,  viewing  this  form  of 
complication  more  as  the  result  of  reflex  nervous  action  than  absolute 
impaction.  Mr  Gamgee  recommends  Cape  Aloes  ;  these  I  have  not 
used ;  but  of  Barbadoes  Aloes  and  Opium,  except  in  the  first  stages  of 
diarrhoea,  have  always  produced  with  me  greater  harm  than  good — 
the  former  by  their  peculiar  nauseant  and  depressant  effect,  and  the 
latter  by  its  influence  on  the  brain,  if  repeated, — an  effect  not  desirable 
in  this  affection. 

Ophthalmic-Rheumatic  and  Rachialgic  complications,  I  have  treated 
successfully  with  Potassii  lodidum,  and  Potassae  Nitras  with  alternat- 
ing doses  of  the  Ammonias  Acetas,  when  the  symptoms  appeared  to 
call  for  its  use. 

Blisters,  rowels,  and  setons  I  have  condemned  as  barbarous  and 
unscientific  in  this  disease,  never  having  witnessed  real  good  from 
their  use. 

Anasarca  will  require  in  some  instances  scarification,  and  the  use 
of  mild  diuretics,  externally  as  well  as  internally.     The  former  I 


]  20  INFLUENZA. 

have  found  of  extreme  benefit — when  applied  in  the  way  about  to  be 
described — to  horses  in  which  the  appearance  of  a  permanently  en- 
larged limb  would  prove  of  great  detriment  to  appearances. 

The  leaves  of  the  Folium  digitalis  are  used  as  a  strong  infusion, 
with  the  carbonate  of  soda,  made  by  pouring  boiling  water  on  both 
in  a  pail — three  or  four  ounces  of  the  former  to  half  a  pound  of  the 
latter — and  when  cool  applied  by  means  of  a  bandage,  kept  constantly 
wet,  by  being  poured  from  the  top  in  small  but  oft-repeated  quantities. 

The  condition  of  the  circulating  fluid  is  also  a  question  which  con- 
cerns us  much.  Having  lost  its  floating  medium,  by  effusion  more 
6r  less  into  various  parts  of  the  body,  we  must  endeavour  to  compen- 
sate for  it  by  the  administration  of  such  medicines  as  will  act  with 
special  direction  in  this  particular.  I  have  used  the  Potasses  Bicar- 
bonas,  Sodae  Hyposulphis,  Ammoniae  Carbonas,  &c.,  with  peculiar 
advantage,  and  which  would  be  further  manifest  a  hundredfold  when 
the  returning  appetite  allowed  the  consumption  of  Swedish  turnips, 
carrots,  cabbage,  clover,  and  such  edibles,  with  hay-tea  as  drink ; 
these  articles  containing  the  very  elements  of  which  the  sanguiferous 
system  were  utterly  destitute,  and  particularly  needed  by  the  whole  ^ 
frame,  to  insure  the  life  of  the  animal.  ^ 

Another  question  in  connexion  with  the  vital  fluid,  the  blood, 
which  demands  important  consideration  at  our  hands,  is  the  propriety 
of  bleeding  in  influenza.  My  own  belief  is,  that  the  proceeding 
is  unwarrantable  and  uncalled  for ;  the  quickly  succeeding  weakness 
of  extreme  characters  being  alone  a  sufficient  reason  for  its  avoidance. 
To  preserve  the  quality  of  this  fluid  is  to  preserve  life  in  this  disease ; 
and  to  remove  it  from  the  system,  we  do  not  include  the  rekl  cause. 

Absolute  purgation  is  equally  reprehensible.    , 

Transfusion,  in  extreme  cases,  and  the  employment  of  some  of  the 
Phosphates  anTi  Sulphites,  are  courses  open  to  our  consideration. 

Such  is  an  imperfect  outline  of  my  ideas  in  reference  to  this  most 
destructive  disease  ;  much  more  might  have  been  said ;  -indeed,  the 
subject  is  inexhaustible,  and  concerns  us  much ;  but  I  have  endea- 
voured rather  to  provoke  thought  and  discussion,  than  to  be  minute 
in  descriptive  detail,  a  course  more  in  keeping  with  the  objects  for 
which  we  are  met. 

Minor  details  of  the  nature,  causes,  and  treatment  of  influenza,  are 
purposely  omitted  from  these  propositions — debate  must  fill  up  the 
space. 


THOUGHTS  IN  THE  SICK  BOX.  121 


Thoughts  in  the  Sick  Box — " Influenza**    By  Thomas  Greaves, 
M.R.C.V.S.,  Manchester. 

Thebe  is  perhaps  no  disease  which  presents  to  the  close  observer 
more  deeply  interesting  phenomena  than  those  developed  in  a 
patient  as  influenza  propeeds  through  its  various  stages.  The  dili- 
gent inquirer  cannot  be  a  witness,  and  permit  them  to  pass  without 
contemplating  them,  and  endeavouring  to  glean  from  them  some  use- 
ful knowledge  which  can  be  turned  to  advantage  in  succeeding  cases. 
This  disease  has  been  very  prevalent  lately  in  many  of  the  large  towns 
and  cities  of  England,  and  in  some  places  has  been  attended  with 
great  fatality  ;  and  I  look  upon  it  as  a  duty  of  every  professional  man 
to  contribute  whatever  knowledge  he  can  for  one  another's  good ;  and 
it  is  to  me  a  source  of  great  consolation  to  know  that  the  veterinary 
surgeon  of  the  present  day  is  so  much  more  competent  to  combat  it, 
and  consequently  to  save  many  lives  which  would  have  been  sacrificed 
in  the  days  of  our  forefathers.  Still,  we  are  yet  far  from  comprehend- 
ing fully  the  true  nature  of  this  malady ;  but,  I  presume,  all  men 
ere  this  are  satisfied  of  the  vital  importance  of  fresh  cool  air,  diff*us-_ 
able  stimulants,  vegetable  and  mineral  tonics.  I  also  presume  that 
no  man  now-a-days  bleeds  or  purges  in  this  disease  ;  but  I  am  bold 
to  believe  that  there  are  still  many  scientific  physiological  questions 
concerned  in  this  disease  which  have  not  received  that  full  investiga- 
tion which,  I  think,  their  importance  demands.  And  since  science 
does  not  shun  light,  or  affect  mystery,  nor  does  it  trade  in  ignorance  or 
cupidity,  I  am  anxious  to  stimulate  thought,  and  to  arouse  inquiry, 
upon  some  of  these  points,  which  I  conceive  should  be  better  under- 
stood by  us  than  they  are  at  present.  I  will  endeavour  to  show  what 
I  mean  by  putting  three  questions. 

Firstly,  What  is  the  first  and  real  cause  of  the  disease,  and  the 
exact  mod'us  operandi  of  attack  ? 

Secondly,  What  is  the  clear  and  correct  explanation  of  the  debility? 

Thirdly,  What  is  the  small  pulse  dependent  upon  ? 

To  say,  "  Influenza  is,  like  many  other  epidemics,  referable  to  some 
putrescence  or  deleterious  state  of  the  atmosphere ;  that  it  is  imbibed 
into  the  system  during  the  process  of  respiration ;  that  it  produces  a 
certain  mystical  effect  upon  the  nervous  system,  thereby  prostrating 
the  vital  powers,"  is,  to  my  mind,  a  very  ambiguous  answer — a  very 
inconclusive  hypothesis.  The  information  I  want  is  more  definite — 
more  self-evident.  We  see  the  exhaustion  ;  but  in  what  manner  has 
that  effect  been  produced  ?  Let  us  not  evade,  but  try  to  unravel 
these  questions.  We  see,  in  a  few  hours  after  the  attack,  the  rest- 
lessness in  the  legs  and  feet,  the  general  lassitude,  the  eyelids  so 
swollen  that  the  eye  is  completely  closed  up,  and  constant  weeping ; 
in  some  bad  cases  a  discharge  of  positive  pus  from  the  eyes,  and 
blindness  for  many  days.  In  some  cases  there  are  malignant  pustules 
and  extensive  desquamating,  sloughing  about  the  jaws  or  legs,  ot  ^.w 


122  THOUGHTS  IN  THE  SICK  BOX. 

inveterate  discharge  from  the  nostrils,  simulating  glanders;  pulse, for 
the  first  or  second  twenty-four  or  forty-eight  hours,  88  or  ]  00  per 
minute ;  but  small,  almost  too  little,  too  feeble  to  be  distinctly  taken, 
even  with  the  utmost  care,  and  with  the  greatest  nicety  of  touch,  an 
almost  bloodless  pulse. 

Generally  speaking,  influenza  is  an  ephemeral  disturbance,  and 
where  proper  treatment  is  resorted  to,  As  only  occasionally  fatal  I 
have  had  a  goodly  number  under  my  care  during  the  last  two  months, 
and  my  treatment  has  been  attended,  upon  the  whole,  with  satisfactory 
results.  In  one  stable  of  sixty-five  horses,  perhaps  the  largest  and 
best  cart-horses  in  the  city  of  Manchester,  thirty-five  of  them  have 
been  attacked  ;  the  pulse  of  twelve  of  them  reached  88  each,  and  five 
touched  100  beats  in  the  minute.  Of  these,  every  case  was  success- 
ful. In  two  other  stables,  one  thirty-eight  and  the  other  forty-two 
horses,  almost  every  horse  was  attacked.  In  these  stables  I  was  not 
quite  so  successful  I  experienced  considerable  difficulty  in  conse- 
quence of  the  ventilation  in  these  two  stables  not  having  been  pro- 
perly carried  out.  Out  of  these  two  stables  I  had  from  time  to  time 
two  at  once,  seventeen  or  eighteen  of  the  worst  cases  brought  into 
my  own  loose  boxes,  and  their  heads  tied  to  the  open  door,  paying 
constant  attention  to  keeping  the  ears  and  skin  of  a  natural  tempera- 
ture. In  each  of  these  cAses  they  seemed  to  be  at  a  standstill,  eating 
nothing,  pulse  88  or  96,  and  I  could  make  no  progress  with  them  in 
their  own  stables ;  but  no  sooner  had  they  got  into  my  boxes  than 
they  began  to  improve.  They  seemed  to  take  a  turn,  and  in  two  or 
three  days  their  pulse  came  down  to  40  or  44.  Their  appetite  re- 
turned, and  they  went  to  their  own  stables  convalescent.  This  result 
was  the  same  in  every  instance,  and  under  precisely  the  same 
medicinal  treatment,  viz. — medicines  to  disperse  the  tendency  to  con- 
gestion, and  give  increased  vigour,  such  as  Spts.  Nit.  Ether.,  Tinct. 
Piment.  in  draught,  or  Ammon.  Carb.,  and  ginger  in  ball.  In  some 
cases  of  universally  thick  coat,  I  clipped  with  magical  eflfect.  But 
more  than  this,  and  I  invite  particular  and  serious  attention  to  this 
fact,  viz  — that  in  every  case  the  pulse  was  found  to  have  got  up 
eight,  twelve,  or  eighteen  beats  per  minute  on  the  day  after  they 
returned  to  their  own  stable ;  but  having  got  over  the  crisis,  they 
continued  to  eat  and  improve.  I  look  upon  these  instances  as  proof 
positive  of  the  good  effects  of  fresh  air.  I  had  in  these  stables  coke 
fires,  constantly  burning  day  and  night,  and  immovable  grates.  I  have 
seen  only  one  case  of  secon^  attack  ;  it  was  in  an  old  horse,  and  he 
died.  I  have  seen  no  clear  instance  of  an  affected  animal  propagat- 
ing it  to  a  healthy  one.  I  made  a  post-mortem  examination  of  the 
above  horse,  and  other  old  horses  that  died  of  influenza.  In  these 
cases  I  have  found  eff'usion  into  the  chest  or  pericardium,  and  this, 
to  all  appearance,  without  having  been  preceded  by  any  inflammatory 
action.  In  no  case  have  I  employed  mustard  or  blister  to  the  sides 
or  breast ;  but  I  have  attended  post-mortem  examinations  of 
horses  which  have  died  under  the  treatment  of  other  practitioner?, 


THOUGHTS  IN  THE  SICK  BOX.  123 

where  mustard  and  blister  to  the  sides^  throat,  and  breast  had  been 
employed,  but  all  in  vain.  And  in  such  cases  I  felt  constrained  to 
form  an  opinion,  that  if  pure  fresh  cool  air  had  been  supplied  from 
the  first,  and  the  counter  irritation  had  beeji  wholly  omitted,  they 
would  have  lived  to  face  the  storm  again.  I  have  also  examined 
horses  where  neither  immaturity  nor  senility  favoured  the  complaint, 
and  where  all  the  vital  organs  were  free  from  disease ;  but  in  every 
instance  I  have  found  the  heart  affected,  and  I  beg  to  call  particular 
attention  to  this  fact,  viz., — that  one  ventricle  of  the  heart  contained 
black  coagulum  by  itself,  and  the  other  ventricle  contained  lymph  by 
itself.  In  other  cases,  the  two  component  parts  of  the  blood  had 
separated,  but  were  coagulated,  and  had  collected  in  one  or  both 
ventricles.  Now,  I  am  of  opinion  that  this  state  may  exist  to  a  cer- 
tain extent  for  many  days  prior  to  death,  and  further,  I  am  of  opinion 
that  it  is  possible  for  it  to  be  wholly  removed ;  but  whilst  this 
clot  exists  in  the  heart,  be  it  ever  so  small  a  body,  it  will  produce  in 
exact  ratio  an  inability  in  the  heart  to  perform  its  natural  functions. 
It  interferes  more  or  less  with  the  action  of  the  tricuspid  and  bicuspid 
valves,, impeding  the  blood  in  its  transit.  Hence  the  debility  and 
exhaustion  of  the  vital  powers.  There  must  be  a  diminished,  if  not 
suspended,  vis  a  tergo,  hence  the  small  pulse.  I  feel  convinced  that 
every  horse  that  dies  of  pure  influenza,  dies  from  sinking  and 
syncope.  And  I  can  readily  conceive  the  nervous  debility  of  the 
heart  being  such  that  it  cannot  acquit  itself,  but  is  struggling  and 
struggling  on,  beating  upon  the  same  charge  of  blood  over  and  over 
again  ;  the  heart  being  too  feeble  eflfectually  to  empty  itself  in  its 
action,  until  at  length  it  becomes  tired  out,  and  nature  sinks  from 
sheer  exhaustion,  and  in  this  manner  the  flickering  wane  of  life  flows 
on  tremulously,  just  as  it  is  about  to  be  ingulfed  into  the  vortex  of 
death.  There  may  be  some  who  will  dispute  my  conclusions.  I 
want  some  one  to  do  so,  and  enable  me  fully  to  comprehend  the 
nature  of  this 

"  Clot  of  blood  in  the  heart" 
It  may  be  said  it  is  a  natural  sequence ;  but  in  this  they  would  be  in 
error.  I  have  examined  numbers  of  hearts,  and  it  is  nearly  always 
found  in  cases  of  sudden  deaths.  This  day  I  have  spent  two  hours  in 
the  knackers'  yard,  and  have  examined  eight  hearts  of  horses  that 
have  died,  I  was  told,  of  "influenza."  The  appearance  of  this 
coagulum  diflFered  in  different  hearts,  but  in  all  it  was  there.  I  am 
aware  when  blood  coagulates  slowly  and  settles  of  itself,  whether  it 
be  in  a  vessel  or  a  natural  cavity,  its  constituents  separate  in  accord- 
ance with  the  laws  of  gravitation  and  a  loss  of  cohesive  affinity,  and 
in  such  cases  the  lymph  is  ^uppermost,  and  has  the  appearance  and 
consistency  of  jelly,  and  is  of  a  straw  colour.  But  the  appearance  of 
the  blood  in  these  ventricles  showed  it  had  been  agitated  in  the  cavity 
for  some  considerable  time,  and  that  the  valves  and  cords  of  the 
valves  had  acted  like  an  egg  whisk ;  the  fibrine  of  the  blood  had  become 
attached  in  considerable  quantities  to  the  cords  and  valves,  asaum- 


124j 


VETEEINARY  RECORDS. 


ing  the  character  and  appearance  of  fibrous  matter.  No  doubt, 
admitting  of  an  escape  back  of  some  considerable  quantity  of  blood 
each  stroke.  Of  this  I  am  certain,  that  the  blood  can  separate  in  the 
bi)dy  during  life.  I  had  an  instance  of  this  last  summer — a  case  of 
pneumonia,  aggravated  by  some  hemoptisis.  After  death,  one  lobe  of 
the  lungs  was  found  to  be  tumefied,  and  was  twice  the  size  and 
three  times  the  weight  of  its  fellow.  Eight  or  ten  ropes  of 
coagulated  blood  had  percolated  into  the  air-passages  or  air-tubes, 
eight  or  ten  inches  long  each  ;  some  W  them  were  pure  straw-colour 
lymph,  and  the  others  pure  black  particles ;  they  had  acted  like  so 
many  sticks  or  foreign  bodies  thrust  into  the  lungs.  Hence  the 
tumefaction,  the  other  lobe  being  free  from  disease. 

Whether  this  condition  of  the  heart,  which  I  have  now  called 
attention  to,  is  .a  cause  of  that  state  called  "  influenza,"  or  is  simply 
a  result  of  functional  derangement,  or  some  peculiar  condition  of  the 
blood,  I  should  be  anxious  to  see  cleared  up.  Since,  if  it  is  a  cause, 
how  satisfactory  it  would  be  to  know  assuredly  that  nature  can 
remove  such  obstructions  in  so  vital  an  organ. 


Veterinary  Records. — By  G.  Armataoe,  V.S.  to  the  Right  Hon.  the 

Earl  Vane. 


IMPROVED  PORTABLE  BALLING  IRON. 

I  FORWARD  sketches  of  an  improved  Portable  Balling  Iron,  which  I 
designed  about  ten  years  ago.  Carried  in  a  leathern  bag,  attached 
to  the  side  of  the  saddle  behind  the  flap,  it  has  proved  extremely 
useful  in  many  cases  of  emergency,  when  the  mouth  of  a  colt,  &c., 
has  required  examination,  and  a  balling  iron  would  not  have  been 
accessible.  Its  general  character  may  recommend  itself  to  those  who 
do  not  believe  in  loading  their  pockets  toofuU  with  too  many  things. 
The  properties  claimed  for  the  instrument  are  portability  and  appli- 
cability. The  weight  is  only  a  few  ounces,  forged  out  of  the  best  Low 
Moor  iron,  easily  adjusted  in  a  couple  of  seconds,  perfectly  secure 
when  between  the  jaws,  extremely  simple  in  its  construction,  and 
not  likely  to  become  disarranged  when  the  parts  are  fitted  with 
accuracy. 


Fi^.l. 


Fig.  2. 


VBTERINAEY  RECORDS.  1 25 

Fig.  1  represents  the  iron  adjusted  for  use. 

Fig.  2  the  satne  when  closed  for  the  saddle-bag  or  pocket. 

A  brief  description  will  not  be  altogether  unnecessary. 

The  ring  which  admits  the  hand  is  composed  of  halves,  the  upper 
one  being  continuous  with  the  elbow,  turned  up  on  the  left,  and  a 
stud  on  the  right. 

The  lower  having  two  buttons,  one  at  each  end,  and  a  nick  or 
channel  groove,  into  which  fits  a  keeper  or  staple,  riveted  upon  the 
upper  half,  allowing  the  lower  to  be  turned  round ;  the  long  arm  on 
the  left  being  turned  down,  secures  the  button  on  that  side,  and  a 
box  shackle,  with  movement  shown  by  the  dotted  lines,  on  the 
opposite,  holds  that  of  the  right ;  the  whole  being  held  firmly  in  the 
left  hand  with  the  tongue  when  infuse,  is  perfectly  secure  against 
closure  from  pressure  by  the  jaws. 

I  may  state  that  I  have  had  one  in  constant  use  since  first  de- 
signed and  made.  My  friend,  Mr  W.  B.  Taylor,  M.E.C.V.S.,  Anston, 
near  Eotherham,  who  also  has  had  one  a  similar  length  of  time, 
speaks  of  it  with  the  highest  satisfaction,  both  being  at  the  present 
time  as  perfect  as  when  executed. 


PREPARATION  OF  PINS  FOR  CLOSURE  OF  WOUNDS. 
(By  the  same.) 

To  those  veterinary  surgeons  who  are  in  the  daily  use  of  pins  for  the 
closing  of  wounds,  I  need  not  point  out  the  extreme  diflSculty  which 
often  attends  the  passage  of  these  useful  agents  through  the  skin  in 
various  partSfc^of  the  body,  such  as  the  hips,  knees,  &c.,  &c.  ;  many 
attempts  to  efiect  which  are  frustrated  by  the  bending,  which  suc- 
ceeds to  the  required  pressure ;  the  fingers  become  sore  when  any 
number  are  required,  and  the  patience  of  the  animal  well-nigh 
exhausted. 

To  obviate  the  resulting  inconveniences  various  remedies  have 
been  adopted,  amongst  which  may  be  mentioned  Sharkers  Pliers  for 
holding  the  pins  or  wire  while  they  are  being  passed  through  the 
lips  of  the  wound ;  and,  as  far  as  appearances  go,  we  are  justified  in 
saying  the  instrument  certainly  appears  to  have  been  executed  by  a 
first-rate  artisan,  and  possesses  all  the  characters  of  a  very  neat  pro- 
duction. 

Another  device,  which  has  the  recommendation  of  Mr  Haycock, 
in  his  treatise  on  the  "  Principles  and  Practice  of  Veterinary  Medi- 
cine and  Surgery" — a  drawing  of  which  is  supplied  at  page  107  of 
part  1st — consists  of  a  kind  of  bodkin,  supplied  with  a  groove  for 
the  pin,  and  mounted  in  a  handle  raised  from  the  line  of  the  blade 
by  a  crank  or  double  elbow.  Having  a  fine  point,  it  is  intended  to 
be  forced  through  the  skin,  the  pin  being  passed  down  the  groove 
before  it  is  withdrawn. 

The  old  pin-director  diflFers  from  the  above  in  being  devoid  of  the 


126  VETERINARY  RECORDS. 

double  elbow, — that  is,  perfectly  straight,  and  is  a  very  awkward 
instrument. 

Besides  these,  there  are  other  articles  of  necessity  required,  such 
as  cutting  pliers,  which  are  either  exhibited  in  a  form  merely  for  the 
purpose  of  snipping  oflF  the  points  of  pins,  cutting  through  suture 
wire,  or  otherwise  are  attached  to  a  pair  of  large  fleams ;  and  have 
little  else  to  recommend  them  but  the  fact  of  their  making  one 
among  a  pregnant  case  of  instruments,  and  uselessly  adding  to  its 
weight. 

Tlie  pin-directors,  in  my  estimation,  savour  too  much  of  the 
shoemaker's  awl,  which  I  have  permanently  discarded  from  my  case. 
The  pin-cutter  I  obtain  from  the  curved  scissors — ^which  always  form 
an  accompaniment  to  all  well  provided  pocket-cases — a  notch  being 
filed  across  the  edge  of  each  of  the  blades,  high  up  in  the  throat, 
holds  the  pin,  and  cuts  through  it  with  the  greatest  ease.  The  pins 
I  prepare  as  follows  : — 

A  piece  of  inch-square  steel,  the  upper  end  of  which  is  filed  or  faced 
up  perfectly  flat,  and  the  lower  drawn  to  a  point  for  fixing  in  a  piece  of 
hard  wood,  (Fig.  3,)  has  a  notch  filed  from  the 
edge  towards  the  centre,  with  a  small  triangular 
file,  corresponding  to  the  thickness  of  a  pin ;  -this 
is  afterwards  hardened,  and  placed  in  a  suitable 
position,  as  in  a  vice  or  piece  of  wood.  A  pin 
is  placed  in  the  groove,  and  struck  with  a  small 
hammer,  then  turned  one-third  round  and  struck 
again,  which  has  the  effect  of  giving  a  triangular 
or  three-square  point  to  it.  Every  one  knows 
the  greater  ease  with  which  a  needle  with  such 
*^*  *  a  point,  or  a  flat  one,  entefs  the  skin, — a  pro- 

perty which  each  pin  acquires  under  the  proceeding  described,  and 
completely  obviates  the  use  of  pliers  or  directors  of  any  kind. 

To  prepare  all  kinds  of  pins  in  the  manner  described  it  will  be 
necessary  to  have  at  least  three  groovies  cut  into  the  stake,  varying 
from  a  carpet  pin  to  that  in  use  among  dressmakers,  &c., — a  supply 
of  which,  vrith  some  soft  twine,  and  the  elbow  scissors  in  the  case, 
the  practitioner  is  ready  at  all  times  to  face  the  most  extensive 
wound  which  admits  of  the  application  of  sutures. 


%\t  f  eterinarg  |lelrieb  anb  Biathbmxs  lotirnaL 


PLEURO-PNEUMONIA  IN  CATTLE. 

The  ever-recurring  outbreaks  of  this  disease,  deuied  by  those  who 
fear  the  adoption  of  any  proper  measures  for  the  arrest  of  contagious 
disorders,  deserve  to  be  specially  noticed  at  this  period.  Earely  have 
the  manifestations  of  this  disease  in  town  dairies  and  on  farms  been  more 
numerous  and  severe  in  certain  districts  than  they  have  been  of  late. 
Our  own  investigations  prove  that  few  of  the  lots  of  foreign  cattle 
purchased  during  the  past  year  have  escaped  decimation ;  and  since  Mr 
Robertson's  statement  appeared  in  our  last  we  have  received  informa- 
tion of  wholesale  destruction  on  several  farms  where  foreign  cattle  have 
been  wintered.  One  farmer  said  that  he  might  lose  half  before  clearing 
off  the  remnant  in  hand,  whioh  is  at  present  in  good  condition  ;  and 
that  owing  to  the  small  price  at  which  the  animals  had  been  bought, 
and  the  sums  realised  from  butchers  for  the  diseased  ones,  he  would 
not  lose  much,  if  anything,  by  the  transaction.  Another  farmer, 
similarly  circumstanced,  was  recently  threatened  with  prosecution  for 
permitting  his  infected  stock  to  rest  by  the  roadside,  and  remain 
where  the  cattle  of  his  neighbours  might  catch  the  disease.  And  the 
third  has  lost  heavily,  but,  as  usual,  keeps  the  secret.  In  the  last 
instance,  an  additional  reason  for  secrecy  is  to  be  found  in  the  fact 
that  the  loser  has  been  strenuously  opposed  to  any  measure  of  reform 
in  relation  to  the  diseased  cattle  traffic.  We  know  of  one  instance 
where  a  large  holding  was  recently  stocked  with  a  numerous  herd  of 
cattle,  by  ten  distinct  purchases,  and  every  lot  bought  proved  to  be 
diseased. 

The  most  superficial  observer  cannot  fail  to  be  struck  with  the 
effectual  manner  in  which  farmers  shun  publicity  concerning  the 
prevaljnt  outbreaks.  This  they  accomplish  by  getting  rid  of  their 
diseased  cattle,  by  means  which  they  only  se^k  to  justify  on  the 
ground  that  remedy  is  hopeless,  and  the  butcher  is  e\^t  i^^^^  \»q 
Toi.  l—No,  III.— New  Series.    IIarcu  18C5.  IS. 


128  cLiPPma  sheep  in  winter. 

buy.  It  is  also  much  to  be  deplored  that  secrecy  is  purchased  at  a 
dear  price  to  the  farmer,  as  no  rational  means  of  prevention  have  been 
adopted.  We  are  prepared  to  demonstrate  that  on  farms,  and  espe- 
cially amongst  feeding  stock,  prevention  is  usually  easy  and  certain  ; 
and  it  is  much  to  be  desired  that  the  agricultural  societies,  and,  if 
necessary,  Parliament,  should  adopt  means  for  demonstrating  to  the 
country  at  large  that  even  so  insidious  and  fatal  a  plague  as  pleuro- 
pneumonia can  be  controlled  in  its  progress  by  the  adoption  of 
means  which  are  both  inexpensive  and  pre-eminently  successful 

The  opposition  we  have  met  in  advocating  the  interests  of  stock- 
owners,  and  of  the  public  at  large,  can  in  no  way  deter  us  from 
prosecuting  the  subject  to  a  successful  issue.  Those  who  cannot,  or 
will  not,  yet  see  the  good  which  must  flow  from  the  adoption  of  all 
measures  calculated  to  limit  the  spread  of  contagious  diseases,  must 
sooner  or  later  become  converts  to  views  which  are  acknowledged  as 
sound,  wherever  cattle  plagues  have  been  properly  studied.  It  is  a 
lasting  disgrace  to  our  profession  that  some  of  its  most  influential 
members  have  sided  with  the  least  enlightened  of  the  cattle-rearers 
of  this  country ;  and  never  can  it  be  forgotten  that  nearly  a  quarter 
of  a  century  has  elapsed  since  the  introduction  of  the  lung  disease, 
without  the  institution  of  proper  inquiries  and  experiments  for  the 
extermination  of  a  murrain  which  should  be,  as  it  once  was,  entirely 
foreign  to  the  British  Isles. 


CLIPPING  SHEEP  IN  WINTER. 

On  Saturday,  the  18th  of  February,  a  sheep  salesman  appeared  at  the 
Clerkenwell  Police  Court,  to  answer  to  a  charge  of  having  cruelly  ill- 
treated  sheep  by  exposing  them  in  cold  frosty  weather  when  newly 
shorn.  In  drawing  attention  to  the  report,  which  we  publish  in  the 
following  pages,  it  is  important  to  state  that  for  several  years  past 
serious  complaints  have  reached  us  of  the  very  objectionable  prac- 
tice of  exposing  newly-clipped  sheep  to  the  severe  frosts  of  a  winter 
season.  The  love  of  money  induces  men  to  inflict  great  cruelty  on 
the  lower  animals  in  a  variety  of  ways;  but  we  cannot  adduce 
instances  of  greater  barbarity  than  those,  of  which  a  fair  instance  was 
exposed  at  Clerkenwell,  before  Mr  D'Eyncourt.  It  is  needless  to 
comment  on  the  practice  of  shearing  in  the  dead  of  winter,  with  the 
thermometer  far  below  freezing  point,  and  the  animals  shorn  pre- 


PBIZE  ESSAYS  OK  THE  DISEASES  OF  ANIMALS.  129 

vented  even  the  chance  of  moving  to  and  fro,  to  keep  np  a  certain 
amount  of  animal  heat.  There  should  be  no  compromise  in  these 
cases  henceforward ;  and  if  the  farmers  or  dealers  find  it  very  profit- 
able to  send  forth  sheep  to  market  without  wool  on  their  backs, 
warm  coverings  should  be  provided  for  them,  to  be  applied  so  soon 
as  the  fleeces  are  shorn.  As,  however,  people  cannot  be  trusted  to 
deal  with  animals  thus  humanely,  there  is  no  doubt  that  great  atten- 
tion should  be  paid  to  the  subject  by  the  Royal  Society  for  the  Pre- 
vention of  Cruelty  to  Animals. 


PRIZE  ESSAYS  ON  THE  DISEASES  QF  ANIMALS. 

We  have  on  former  occasions  drawn  attention  to  the  fact  that  veteri- 
nary surgeons  overlook  the  inducements  oflTered  them  by  agricultural 
societies  to  write  on  subjects  specially  suited  to  them.  Farmers, 
medical  men,  shepherds,  and  others,  carry  off  prizes  which  should  at  all 
events  be  competed  for — ^and  doubtless  they  would  with  success — ^by 
members  of  our  profession.  We  are  happy  to  learn  that  Mr  George 
Armatage,  veterinary  surgeon,  Pensher,  has  been  awarded  a  prize 
by  the  Highland  and  Agricultural  Society,  for  an  essay  on  the  foot 
and  mouth  disease.  The  same  Society  now  offers  further  premiums 
for  Reports;  and  in  the  list  published,  we  notice  that  a  gold  medal,  or 
ten  sovereigns,  will  be  given  for  the  best  Essay  on  the  Diseases  of 
Farm  Horses.  The  subject  is  too  vast  and  comprehensive  for  an 
essay  of  moderate  length,  and  the  prize  is  small ;  but  as  the  Reports 
need  not  be  of  an  exhaustive  character,  many  might  write  much,  and 
well,  even  on  diseases  of  farm  horses  in  general,  with  profit  to  them- 
selves and  others,  for  the  simple  honour  of  getting  a  gold  medal 
We  deem  it  our  duty  to  urge  our  readers  to  devote  some  attention  to 
competitions  which  too  often  pass  over  unheard  of  for  want  of  being 
referred  to  in  veterinary  periodicals. 


130      NORTH  OF  ENGLAND  VETERINARY  MEDICAL  ASSOCIATION. 

NORTH  OF  ENGLAND  VETERINARY  MEDICAL 
ASSOCIATION. 

The  Annual  General  Meeting  of  this  Association  was  held  on  Friday, 
January  20,  at  the  Crown  and  Thistle  Hotel,  Newcastle- on-Tyne,  a 
considerable  number  of  members  being  present  on  the  occasion. 

Mr  C.  Hunting,  President,  in  the  chair. 

The  Secretary's  report  showed  a  satisfactory  state  of  the  Society, 
financial  and  otherwise,  and  was.  unanimously  adopted,  on  the  pro- 
position of  Mr  W.  S.  Moore,  seconded  by  Mr  J.  Fairbaim. 

Mr  Womack,  Ponteland,  Newcastle,  and  Mr  R.  Hall,  Stockton- 
on-Tees,  were  admitted  members  of  the  Society. 

The  following  gentlemen  were  chosen  to  fill  the  respective  offices 
during  the  present  year  : — 

President — Mr  C.  Hunting — re-elected. 
Vice-Presidents — Mr  John  Fairbaim,  Aiiwick;  and  Mr  G.  Farrow, 

Durham. 
Council — Mr  H.  Hunter,  Newcastle — re-elected ;  Mr  Thos.  Thomson, 
Sunderland  ;  Mr   Luke  Scott,  Hetton-le-Hole — ^re-elected  ;  Mr 
W.  S.  Moore,  Gateshead ;  Mr  D.  Macgregor,  Seaton  Delaval ; 
Mr  John  Hutchinson,  South  Shields — re-elected. 

Treasurer — Mr  D.  Dudgeon,  Sunderland — re-elected. 
Hon.  Secretary — Mr  G.  Armatage,  Pensher — re-elected. 

On  the  motion  of  the  Secretary,  seconded  by  the  President,  and 
carried  unanimously,  it  was  resolved  in  future  to  hold  the  quarterly 
meetings  alternately  in  Newcastle  and  Durham,  or  other  towns  in 
the  counties  of  Durham  or  Northumberland,  as  may  be  decided  by 
a  majority  of  members  present  at  the  previous  meeting.  In  accord- 
ance, therefore,  with  this  arrangement,  the  next  meeting  will  be  held 
at  Durham,  during  the  month  of  April. 

On  the  conclusion  of  the  business  proceedings,  the  Hon.  Secretary 
read  a  paper  on  "  Influenza,"  which  gave  rise  to  an  extended  and 
profitable  discussion,  remarkable  for  the  spirit  of  inquiry  and  desire 
to  impart  the  fullest  information  on  a  subject  of  such  importance,  in 
which  most  present  took  part. 

A  well-maintained  discussion  ensued,  in  which  the  majority  of 
members  took  part. 

The  use  of  rowels  and  setons  were  advocated  by  Mr  Thompson,  who 
stated  his  reasons  for  their  preference  at  some  length,  to  which,  how- 
ever, the  views  of  those  present  did  not  subscribe. 

The  principle  of  blood-letting  did  not  meet  with  favour  ;  a  highly 
nourishing,  sustaining,  and  stimulating  plan  of  treatment  being  prin- 
cipally advocated.  The  remarks  of  Messrs  Farrow,  Stephenson, 
Dudgeon,  Fairbairn,  and  others,  were  worthy  of  high  consideration, 
as  being  reliable  on  account  of  practical  bearing. 

The  essayist  briefly  replied  to  the  various  conflicting  arguments, 
and  afterwards  the  President  disposed  of  the  proceedings  by  his  usual 


NORTH  OF  ENGLAND  VETEEINAEY  MEDICAL  ASSOCIATION.      131 

appropriate  manner  of  summing  up  the  various  inferences  to  be  drawn 
from  discussions  of  this  character  ;  which  was  succeeded  by  a  vote  of 
thanks  being  warmly  accorded  to  each  of  these  gentlemen  for  their 
offices  on  the  occasion. 

The  next  quarterly  meeting  will  be  held  at  Durham,  during  the 
month  of  April. 

Mr  Dudgeon  and  Mr  Farrow  drew  the  attention  of  the  meeting  to 
interesting  cases  which  had  recently  fallen  under  their  observation ; 
that  by  the  former  gentleman  being  illustrated  by  the  first  rib  of  a 
horse  fractured  obliquely  across  the  middle,  from  a  fall  after  a  false 
step,  with  a  load,  on  the  highway.  The  latter  produced  about  two 
pounds  of  the  spray  of  rifle  bullets,  which  had  been  taken  into  the 
stomach  of  a  cow,  which,  with  others,  had  died  from  their  eflfects, 
having  been  picked  up  by  the  animals  when  grazing  on  ground  used 
for  rifle  practice. 

The  members  and  their  friends*  afterwards  dined  together,  the 
duties  of  the  Chair  being  efficiently  performed  by  the  President,  (Mr 
Hunting,)  and  those  of  the  Vice  devolving  upon  the  Secretary. 

The  President  proposed  "  The  Queen,  the  Prince  of  Wales,  and 
rest  of  the  Eoyal  Family;"  "Army  and  Navy,  and  Eifle  Volun- 
teers,''— responded  to  by  Mr  Hutchinson, — and  "  The  North  of  Eng- 
land Veterinary  Medical  Association."  Mr  Stephenson  proposed 
"The  Eoyal  College  of  Veterinary  Surgeons;"  followed  by  '*The 
Visitors;"  "Kindred  Institutions,  Metropolitan  and  Provincial;" 
"The  President;"  '* Veterinary  Schools;"  "The  Vice-Presidents;" 
"Council;"  "Authors  of  the  Various  Papers;"  "Treaikrer ;" 
"Honorary  Secretary;"  "The  Ladies;"  and  the  meeting — highly 
satisfactory  to  all  parties,  who  had  entered  into  the  proceedings  with 
good  spirit — ^terminated  by  the  President  proposing  the  last  toaat — 
*'  To  Our  Next  Merry  Meeting." 


132  STATISTICS  OF  LIVE  STOCK. 

PEEISCOFE. 


STATISTICS  OP  LIVE  STOCK.    By  R  Hbbbert. 
[A  Paper  read  at  the  Bath  Meeting  of  the  British  Association.] 

In  the  consideration  of  the  production  of  live  stock  for  consumption  in  the  United 
Kingdom,  many  features  of  special  interest  present  themselYe&  Of  late  years  much 
has  been  written  in  reference  to  agricultural  improvement,  and  in  some  quarters  it 
has  been  affirmed  that  we  are  in  a  position  to  raise  every  head  of  stock  necessary  for 
consumption  without  the  aid  of  the  foreign  grazier.  It  might  be  considered  an  im- 
portant matter  to  render  ourselves  independent  of  the  producers  in  Holland,  Den- 
mark, Germany,  and  Spain ;  but  the  question  here  arises — How  are  we  to  accomplish 
so  desirable  an  end  ?  The  rapid  increase  in  the  population  of  Great  Britain  during 
the  last  ten  years,  and  the  consequent  increase  in  the  consuming  powers,  added  to 
the  extraordinary  progress  of  trade  and  commerce,  and  the  improved  monetary  posi- 
tion of  the  great  mass  of  the  consumers  of  meat,  prove  beyond  a  doubt  that  the 
period  has  now  arrived  when  strenuous  efforts  are  absolutely  necessary  to  meet  a 
demand  that  must  continue  to  have  a  most  important  bearing  upon  price.  At  the 
present  time  both  beef  and  mutton  are  selling  at  fully  l^d.  per  lb.  above  the  rates 
current  twenty  years  ago.  Prices  are  still  tending  upwards,  and  the  prospect  is  that 
prices  will  rule  high  for  a  considerable  period,  notwithstanding  that  we  may  continue 
to  import  liberally  from  abroad.  Had  it  not  been  for  a  free  importation  from  the 
Continent,  nearly  all  kinds  of  meat  would  ere  this  have  been  selling  at  enormous 
prices.  Consumption  must  of  necessity  have  declined,  and  a  certain  amount  of  dis- 
content must  have  been  apparent  amongst  the  labouring  classes.  But  let  us  see 
what  has  been  our  actual  dependence  upon  the  foreigner.  In  1853,  we  imported 
125,253  beasts,  and  230,037  sheep  and  lambs.  In  1^63,  the  supplies  received  were : 
— 150,898  beasts,  and  430,788  sheep  and  lambs.  The  increase  in  the  ten  years  is 
only  about  26,000  of  the  former,  and  200,000  of  the  latter.  These  supplies,  however, 
though  for  the  most  part  in  very  middling  condition,  have  materially  assisted  the 
consumption,  and  prevented  prices  from  advancing  to  dangerously  high  figures.  We 
could  all  desire  to  see  home  productions  keeping  pace  with  the  demand.  But  if  we 
closely  examine  the  returns  of  the  great  Metropolitan  market^  which  has  to  furnish 
a  supply  for  nearly  3,000,000  people,  we  shall  find  a  state  of  things  which  would 
appear  to  shake  confidence  as  regards  our  powers  of  production.  In  1853  and  1863 
the  total  supplies  of  stock  disposed  of  in  the  above  market  were : — 

1853.  1863. 

Beasts           ....        252,624  288,177 

Sheep  and  lambs           .        .      1,325,474  *  1,389,142 

Calves           ....          20,395  23,291 

Pigs 34,677  53,986 

From  the  above  figures  we  must  deduct  the  numbers  of  foreign  stock  offered,  in 
order  to  see  how  far  production  has  increased  in  the  United  Kingdom.  Those 
numbers  were : — 

1853.  1863. 

Beasts  ....  52,344  72,907 

Sheep  and  lambs  .  220,499  285,296 

Calves 22,619  26,630 

Pigs 8,508  17,562 

It  follows,  therefore,  that  the  increase  in  home-fed  beasts  in  the  ten  years  was 
trifling  in  the  extreme,  and  that  there  was  a  falling  off  in  the  supplies  of  English 
sheep  in  1863  compared  with  1853.  Hence,  it  will  be  perceived  the  question  assumes 
more  than  ordinary  importance,  because  the  progressive  nature  of  our  home  and 
foreign  trade,  and  the  increased  power  of  purchase  and  consumption,  must  at  no 
distant  date  tell  seriously  against  the  consumers.  Let  us  now  see  how  prices  have 
ranged  in  the  ten  years.    In  1853  and  1863  they  were  as  under : — 

1853.  1863. 

Beef,  from  ...        28.  6d.  to  5s.  Od.  3b.  4d.  to  58.  2d. 

Mutton       ....        2s.  6d.  to  5s.  4d.  3s.  6d.  to  6s.  2d. 


STATISTICS  OF  LIVE  STOCK.  133 

In  the  period  here  alluded  to,  then,  inferior  beef  has  advanced  lOd.,  and  all  kinds 
of  mutton  Is.  to  Is.  2d.  per  8  lb. ;  although,  as  I  have  shown,  the  arrivaJs  from  abroad 
hare  continued  to  increase.  If  we  refer  to  1842,  and  to  the  ten  years  prior  to  that 
period,  we  shall  find  even  a  greater  difference  in  value.  The  best  Scots  were  seldom 
worth  more  than  4b.  to  48.  2d.,  and  the  best  Downs  4s.  6d.  to  4s.  8d.  per  8  lbs. 
There  is  therefore,  a  much  larger  profit  to  the  grazier  without  a  corresponding  in- 
crease in  the  supplies.  We  will  now  consider  from  what  quarters  London  has  derived 
its  supply  of  stock.     In  1853  and  1863  the  arrivals  were : — 

1853.  1863. 

Lincoln  and  Leicester         .        .  56,650  66,280 

Norfolk  and  Cambridge      .  .        60,490  70,790 

Other  parts 31,700  27,580 

Scotland 18,446  12,823 

Ireland 10,200  12,844 

This  statement  shows  that  we  received  about  20,000  more  beasts  from  Lincoln, 
Leicester,  and  Norfolk  in  1863  than  in  1853;  and  that  the  arrivals  from  other  parts  of 
England,  as  well  as  from  Scotland,  have  fallen  ofil  Ireland  exhibits  a  slight  increase, 
but  the  quality  of  the  arrivals  from  that  country  shows  no  improvement.  In  refer- 
ence to  the  deficiency  in  the  weight  of  beasts  from  Scotland,  a  few  observations  are 
necessary,  because  we  must  not  take  the  London  market  as  a  test  of  the  productive 
powers  of  that  country.  Every  year  stock  has  increased  in  number,  but  the  addi- 
tional supplies  have  found  their  way  to  London  and  various  parts  of  the  country  in 
the  shape  of  dead  meat.  In  the  two  years  ending  with  1853,  about  20,000  carcasses 
of  beef  and  200,000  carcasses  of  mutton,  received  from  Scotland,  were  annually  dis- 
posed of  in  Newgate  and  in  Leadenhall.  In  the  two  years  ending  with  1863,  the  average 
number  of  the  former  received  by  railway  and  steamboats  was  27,000 ;  of  the  latter, 
300,000.  It  follows,  therefore,  that  the  production  of  food  in  Lincolnshire,  Leicester- 
shire, Northamptonshire,  Norfolk,  Sufiblk,  Essex,  and  Scotland,  has  steadily  increased 
during  the  last  ten  years.  And  were  it  not  that  the  dead  markets  were  from  time 
to  time  heavily  supplied  with  meat  from  Scotland,  Yorkshire,  &c.,  prices  would  have 
been  unusually  high,  since  it  is  evident  that  the  quantities  of  stock  exhibited  in  the 
cattle-market  are  wholly  inadequate  to  meet  consumption.  Again,  we  may  remark 
that  at  varions  periods  of  the  year  large  numbers  of  prime  beasts  and  sheep  are  pur- 
chased in  London  for  transmission  to  the  various  outports  and  watering-places.  It 
would  be  difficult  to  ascertain  the  quantity  of  meat  annually  consumed  in  the  Metro- 
poUs,  but  we  may  consider  it  about  as  follows : — 250,000  beasts,  1,500,000  sheep  and 
lambs,  20,000  calves,  and  400,000  pigs.  The  enormous  supply  required  year  by  year 
proves  that  great  efibrts  will  be  necessary  on  the  part  of  our  graziers  to  meet  the  still 
increasing  volume  of  trade.  If,  however,  we  consider  the  progress  made  in  the  rear- 
ing and  feeding  of  stock  in  some  parts  of  England,  we  shall  find  reason  to  apprehend 
that,  to  some  extent,  we  are  in  a  non-progressive  state.  We  have  shown  that  the 
great  grazing  districts— viz.,  Lincolnshire,  Leicestershire,  Northamptonshire,  Norfolk, 
and  Sufiblk — continue  to  maintain  their  superiority.  But  what,  it  may  be  asked,  is 
the  barrier  to  p^gress  in  other  quarters?  Some  remarkably  fine  Herefords  and 
Devons  are  disposed  of  in  London ;  but  the  number  is  too  small  to  have  much  in- 
fluence upon  prices.  Lincolnshire  and  Norfolk  especially  continue  to  furnish  their 
full  quota  of  prime  stock,  and  Scotland  supplies  us  with  animals  of  a  first-rate  cha- 
racter. But  what  are  all  other  districts  about  ?  The  consumers  now  ofier  a  price 
which,  it  must  be  admitted,  is  highly  remunerative ;  the  wants  of  the  country  are 
increasing  every  year ;  and  those  who  have  succeeded  in  getting  possession  of  prime 
stock  for  breeding  purposes  are  making  large  fortunes.  Some  twenty  or  twenty-five 
years  ago,  Pembrokeshire  furnished  us  with  from  6000  to  7000  head  of  beasts  every 
season.  Now,  the  number  available  for  the  Metropolis  does  not  exceed  600  or  700. 
Again,  the  Metropolis  could  rely  upon  some  8000  or  10,000  Romney  Marsh  sheep — 
one  of  the  finest  breeds  in  England.  Now,  very  few  find  their  way  to  London, 
although  high  prices  are  ofi^ered  for  them.  Those  two  sources  of  supply  have,  there- 
fore, been  partly  dried  up,  and  we  are  compelled  to  look  to  the  favoured  districts  and 
to  Scotland  for  the  adequate  amount  of  food.  I  have  no  desire  to  draw  invidious 
comparisons,  but  it  is  well  known  that  Lincolnshire,  Norfolk,  and  most  of  what  are 
termed  the  "  crack "  grazing  counties  in  England,  are  farmed  by  rich  men.     Some 

of  them  have  leases.  Their  lands  are,  with  very  few  exceptions,  well  drained,  and 
they  have  succeeded  in  raising  a  highly  valuable  breed  of  stock.  The  grazing  com- 
munity in  Norfolk,  Lincolnshire,  and  Scotland  are  now  raising  stock  of  a  first-class 


134!  STATISTICS  OF  LIVE  STOCK. 

character,  and  of  late  years  they  have  adopted  a  system  of  breeding  which  has  added 
materially  to  the  supply  of  food.  The  famous  shorthorned  breeds  have  been  largely 
introduced  into  Scotland,  and  been  used  for  crossing  purposes  among  the  best  Scotch 
breeds.  The  result  of  this  mixture  has  been  early  maturity — that  is  to  say,  Scotch, 
or  rather  crosses,  are  now  forwarded  to  London  from  Scotland  weighing  from  80  to 
100  stones  of  81bs.  each  under  two  years  old.  Formerly,  so  much  weight  and  quality 
could  not  have  been  produced  under  from  three  and  a  half  to  four  years.  The  result 
is  that  very  few  really  pure  Scotch  are  now  to  be  met  with  either  in  Scotland  or  Nor- 
folk except  for  breeding  purposes.  This,  perhaps,  is  one  of  the  secrets  why  stock 
has  not  further  advanced  in  price.  But  is  there  no  possibility  of  carrying  out  the 
system  further  ?  1  am  aware  that  many  graziers  in  England  are  opposed  to  the  cross- 
ing system,  and  they  prefer  the  pure  breeds  to  any  other  on  principle.  There  are, 
however,  obvious  difficulties  in  the  way,  which  time  alone  will  move.  Clearly,  the 
soil  of  England,  as  a  whole,  is  not  half  drained ;  and  in  too  many  counties  it  is  badly 
farmed.  Not  a  few  of  the  farmers  are  labouring  under  the  great  disadvantage  of 
the  want  of  capital ;  and  the  majority  of  them  are  without  leases.  Inferior  drainage, 
poor  pastures,  and  a  slothful  attention  to  the  requirements  and  capacities  of  the  land, 
would  never  meet  the  wants  of  lean  stock  from  Scotland.  And  were  the  stock  placed 
upon  other  than  strong  pastures,  the  losses  would  be  serious.  Again,  the  small 
grazier,  with  limited  means,  cannot  give  the  enormous  prices  demanded  for  the 
shorthorned  bulls.  The  consequence  is,  that  there  is  virtually  a  monopoly  in  the 
production  of  food ;  and  nothing  short  of  an  enormous  outlay  of  capital  in  other 
counties,  for  drainage  and  other  purposes,  together  with  a  more  general  system  of 
letting  land  upon  moderately  long  leases,  will  ever  destroy  it.  At  present  the  pro- 
spect is,  even  with  increased  importation  of  stock  from  abroad,  that  all  kinds  of  meat 
will  be  very  high  in  price  for  a  long  period.  We  must  bear  in  mind  that  France, 
like  ourselves,  is  suffering  from  a  scarcity  of  stock,  compared  with  the  consuming 
powers  of  the  country.  Last  year  the  imports  into  France,  chiefly  from  Holland, 
Germany,  Belgium,  and  Spain,  amounted  to  nearly  600,000  head;  and  yet  prices 
ruled  high.  From  that  country,  therefore,  we  can  expect  no  aid,  because  she  is  now 
competing  with  us  for  a  supply  of  food.  Here  let  me  remark  that  the  Norfolk  and 
Scotch  graziers  possess  great  advantages  in  the  production  of  stock.  They  have 
wisely  turned  their  attention  to  the  cultivation  of  beetroot  and  turnips  upon  extensive 
breadths  of  land.  They  have  succeeded  in  raising  enormous  "bropa  upon  a  moderate 
description  of  land,  and  secured  ample  supplies  of  cattle-food  for  winter  consumption. 
It  has  become  unfortunately  necessary  that  the  breeders  in  other  counties  should,  if 
possible,  follow  their  example.  To  show  more  fully  the  great  changes  which  have 
t^ken  place  of  late  years  in  the  various  breeds  of  beasts  exhibited  in  London,  and 
which  may  be  taken  as  a  fair  index  of  the  whole  country,  I  may  observe  that  in  1853 
the  percentage  of  the  shorthorns  was  about  30;  of  Herefords,  13 ;  of  Devons,  11 ;  of 
English  crosses,  124;  ^^  polled,  or  Scotch  cattle,  10;  and  of  Scotch  crosses,  150. 
Welsh  beasts  figured  for  10  per  X5ent.  of  the  total  supplies.  Last  year  the  percentage 
of  the  shorthorns  increased  to  35 ;  Hereford  declined  to  9^ ;  Devons  to  5 ;  English 
and  Scotch  crosses  advanced  to  23;  but  Welsh  beasts  figured  for  only  175.  It  will 
therefore  be  perceived  that  the  shorthorns  and  the  various  crosses  are  furnishing  the 
Metropolis,  so  far  as  live  stock  is  concerned,  with  a  moiety  of  the  supply.  In  the 
production  of  sheep,  equally  important  changes  have  taken  place  of  late  years— 
indeed,  so  extensive  have  they  become,  from  the  adoption  of  the  system  of  crossing, 
that  some  breeds  once  in  great  favour  with  the  butchers  are  becoming  almost  extinct. 
In  1853,  the  percentage  of  the  pure  Lincolns  exhibited  in  the  Metropolitan  market 
was  28;  of  Leicesters,  26;  of  Southdowns  and  Hampshire  Downs,  10  ;  of  crosses,  15; 
of  Kents,  5.  In  1863,  Lincolns  declined  to  22^,  Leicesters  to  22,  and  Rente  to  3. 
Southdowns  and  Hampshire  Downs  figured  for  15^;  crosses,  21.  It  is.  satisfactory 
to  find  that  the  new  system,  though  it  has  failed  to  meet  consumption,  lias  been  con- 
structed on  a  good  basis — that  is  to  say,  the  best  and  most  enduring  breeds  of  both 
beasts  and  sheep  have  been  allotted  by  the  breeders  for  crossing  purposes.  But  the 
system  of  crossing  may,  without  the  exercise  of  great  judgment  on  the  part  of  those 
most  interested,  be  earned  too  far.  So  long  as  care  is  taken  that  there  is  an  ample 
Bupply  of  pure  blood  to  breed  from,  so  long  will  the  system  continue.  Without  pure 
blood,  however,  we  shall  raise  only  a  mongrel  and  profitless  description  of  stock,  of 
very  little  value  either  to  the  feeders,  butchers,  or  consumers.  In  conclusion,  I  may 
observe  that  there  is  no  actual  want  of  supply  of  stock  in  England.  It  would  be  im- 
possible, in  the'  absence  of  statistical  details,  to  give  an  accurate  statement  of  the 
numbers  in  each  district,  but  my  impression  is,  that  the  number  of  beasts  is  about 


PllESEXT  CONDITION  OF  THE  TLTwF.  135 

4,700,000;  of  sheep,  32,000,000  head.  These  numbers,  however,  are  about  the  same 
as  we  had  some  twenty  years  ago;  hence,  it  follows  that  even  the  new  system  of 
crossing  has,  from  the  enormous  consumption  going  on  of  late  years,  failed  to  insure 
for  us  what  may  be  termed  an  abundant  supply  of  food.  Meat,  therefore,  assuming 
that  the  country  continues  in  a  flourishing  state,  must  of  necessity  continue  high  in 
price  for  some  time. 


PRESENT  CONDITION  OF  THE  TURF. 
(To  tiie  Editor  of  the  Sporting  Gazette.) 

Sib, — It  will  be  admitted  by  every  Turfite  who  was  conversant  with  racing  affairs 
thirty  years  ago,  that  they  have  been  gradually  declining  from  what  in  those 
days  was  an  agreeable  and  profitable  pastime,  to  a  lamentable  condition  of  degrada- 
tion and  demoralisation.  In  former  times,  a  meeting  at  Newmarket  was  always 
anticipated  with  a  degree  of  pleasure,  as  an  occupation  attended  and  patronised  by 
such  noblemen  as  the  Dukes  of  Portland,  Grafton,  and  Rutland,  Earls  Egremont, 
Grosvenor,  Clarendon,  and  a  host  of  others  of  that  stamp,  who  kept  studs  to  furnish 
the  best  horses  for  their  owlf  gratification  and  for  legitimate  purposes  in  racing;  and 
if  we  excepted  the  two  breeding  establishments  of  Mr  Nowel,  of  Underley,  and  Mr 
Richard  Wilson,  of  Didliugton,  there  was  scarcely  another  to  be  met  with  breeding 
thorough-bred  stock  for  the  purpose  of  sale  only.  Now  we  have  at  least  twenty  diffe- 
rent studs,  many  of  magnitude,  and  one  of  them  belonging  to  the  Crown,  in  which 
thorough-bred  yearlings  are  produced  with  no  other  view  than  of  realising  a  profit  by 
their  annual  ssde  at  auctions^ 

Formerly  we  were  accustomed  to  feel  satisfied  if  we  had  the  opportunity  afforded 
us  of  seeing  half  a  dozen  races  of  interest  in  one  day ;  now  we  are  of  tener  obliged, 
even  at  Newmarket,  to  look  on  whilst  some  fifteen  events,  more  or  less,  are  being 
contested,  and  many  of  them  paltry  affairs,  "  the  winner  to  be  sold  for  20  or  50 
sovereigns."  It  is  true  that  the  number  of  animals  bred  for  racing  is  now  far  greater 
than  it  was ;  that  we  have  about  2500  mares  and  300  stallions,  all  of  pure  blood ;  and 
although  amongst  such  numbers  there  will  always  be  found  some  of  great  superiority, 
and  enough  to  sustain  a  certain  reputation,  yet  it  is  evident  that  quantity  rather  than 
quality  is  the  prevailing  order  of  the  day.  The  cost  of  training  and  entering  horses 
for  stakes  deterred  breeders  from  engaging  an  unpromising  yearling,  and  they  wisely 
selected  their  best  only,  and  sold  their  refuse ;  but  handicaps  and  half-mile  races, 
for  which  there  are  always  an  overwhelming  number  of  worthless  rips,  are  now  in 
fashion,  and  have  been  created  purposely  for  the  unfortunate  owners  to  get  a  chance 
of  running  them  to  serve  a  betting  purpose. 

The  facility  which  vans  and  railroads  have  furnished  for  conveyance  everywhere 
has  been  a  means  of  destroying  a  great  many  of  our  best  horses  of  all  ages,  but  par- 
ticularly two-year-olds.  We  have  but  to  refer  to  the  book  *'  Calendars"  for  proof  of 
the  injurious  number  of  engagements  our  young  horses  have  to  perform  in — many 
three-year-olds  with  over  twenty  races  to  encounter  in  the  year ;  and  for  an  example 
of  two-3'ear-old  treatment,  we  find  that  "Catalogue,"  a  two-year-old  filly,  last  year  ran 
no  fewer  than  twenty-one  races,  and  was  successful  in  winning  thirteen  of  them.  It 
too  often  happen^  at  a  race  course  we  are  kept  waiting  more  than  an  hour,  because 
the  starter  is  vainly  endeavouring  to  get  some  thirty  runners  off,  to  scamper  half  a 
mile ;  and  except  to  the  betting  man,  during  this  tiresome  delay,  who  is  thereby 
favoured  by  more  time  to  pursue  his  calling,  there  is  neither  profit  nor  amusement. 

The  Jockey  Club  has  shown  its  power  at  Newmarket  by  excluding  from  the  Heath 
a  reporter,  because  his  obsei-vations  were  considered  obnoxious ;  but  it  admits  to  the 
betting  ring,  for  the  weekly  stipend  of  10s.  6d.,  the  very  lowest  refuse  of  society — 
men  who  are  a  nuisance  in  every  popuUus  town — ruffians  whose  language  is  filthy, 
and  whose  demeanour  is  such  as  might  be  expected  from  low  pugilists  and  their 
associates.  Many  of  these  notorieties,  fearing  they  should  not  be  recognised,  have 
taken  to  wear  a  placard  in  their  hats,  and  in  large  letters  we  have  Mr  Sharper  of 
Penzance,  Mr  Nobbier  of  Berwick,  Mr  Landshark  of  somewhere  else,  cum  mvXtis  cUiis 
of  the  same  obliging  character.  A  fellow  formerly,  with  a  bill  stuck  round  his  hat, 
was  only  to  be  met  with  blowing  a  horn  to  sell  papers,  or  a  list  of  all  the  running 
horses,  with  the  weights,  names,  and  colours  of  the  riders.  The  entire  disregard  of 
decency  and  respect  in  the  authorised  rinsr  has  engendered  the  formation  of  another, 
in  close  contiguity  to  it,  where  every  potboy  and  stable  lad  who  has  a  few  shillings 


136  A  NEW  CROP  FOR  CATTLE. 

or  a  few  pence  can  find  the  opportunity  of  depriving  himself  of  the  means  which 
should  have  been  employed  to  coyer  his  half-naked  limbs.  This  scene  has  only  to  be 
witnessed  to  create  the  contempt  and  disgust  it  richly  deserves. 

It  was  not  thus  in  the  days  of  Crockford,  Gully,  Cloves,  Stuart,  Justice,  Brunton, 
and  many  others  equally  respected,  but  long  since  gathered  to  their  forefathers. 
Then,  it  may  reasonably  be  asked,  what  has  led  to  this  sad  change  ?— -for  no  doubt  it 
would  now  be  a  very  difficult  task  to  alter  the  present  circumstances,  and  yet  if  they 
are  to  be  fostered  as  they  have  been  hitherto,  instead  of  being  checked  by  the  presid- 
ing authorities,  it  must  be  obvious  that  the  result  will  be  to  deter  every  man  of 
respectability  from  patronising  such  depravity  by  his  presence. 

In  France,  the  Qovernment  spends  large  sums  of  money  in  the  purchase  of  our 
mares  and  stallions,  and  Frenchmen  have  not  yet  commenced  to  abuse  their  young 
animals.  In  our  own  country,  it  is  the  individual,  aided  by  a  genial  soil  and  climate, 
who  has  hitherto  excelled  all  nations  in  the  different  breeds  of  horses,  but  particu- 
larly the  thorough-bred  one ;  but,  with  the  energy  of  our  Continental  neighbours 
and  our  own  apathy,  the  day  may  too  soon  arrive  when  we  shall  no  longer  possess  a 
prestige  of  superiority,  and  which  was  so  justly  an  Englishman's  pride. 

During  the  reigns  of  George  IV.  and  William  IV.,  their  Majesties,  at  the  soli- 
citation of  influential  persons,  were  induced  to  give  sev^al  plates  to  be  run  for  in 
various  localities,  to  produce  sport ;  and  thus  we  find  our  gracious  Queen  is  now 
paying  from  the  Privy  Purse  annually  the  sum  of  one  hundred  guineas  at  each  of  the 
following  places: — Chester,  Hampton,  Goodwood,  Bedford,  Shrewsbury,  Leicester, 
Liverpool,  Northampton,  Egham,  and  the  Curragh.  If  these  sums  were  required 
formerly,  when  without  them  there  were  not  adequate  means  for  the  supply  of  racing 
purposes,  it  would  certainly  now  be  a  boon  to  the  condition  of  our  over-worked 
horses  to  withdraw  an  amount  of  money  which  is  causing  injury  rather  than  benefit, 
and  which  might  be  more  profitably,  if  wisely,  invested  in  the  purcliase  of  first-class 
thorough-bred  stock  for  the  royal  paddocks.  As  to  the  Queen's  plates,  about  which 
we  so  often  have  a  foolish  controversy,  it  would  be  more  consistent  to  withhold  them, 
and  give  up  the  heavy  tax  upon  every  race  horse,  which  produces  a  greater  sum  to 
the  revenue  than  they  do. 

The  racing  season  begins  on  the  21st  instant,  at  Lincoln,  where  we  have  no  fewer 
than  forty-four  two-year-olds  entered  in  a  stake  of  5  sovereigns  each,  40  added  ;  and 
several  of  these  young  creatures  belong  to  members  of  the  Jockey  Club,  who  put 
8  stone  10  lbs.  on  the  back  of  an  animal  whose  bones,  still  in  a  cartilaginous  condi- 
tion, are  called  upon  to  support  them  in  a  gallop  of  half  a  mile,  urged  to  such  a  trial 
by  whip  and  spur !  The  Royal  Humane  Society  ought  to  interfere  in  such  cases  of 
cruelty,  and  the  promoters  of  them  deserve  to  be  fined  for  their  inhumanity. 

The  Jockey  Club  is  the  presiding  body  to  which  we  are  accustomed  to  look  for 
rules  and  regulations  to  govern  all  circumstances  connected  with  the  turf,  and  as  a 
body,  individual  opinions  and  interests  should  never  be  permitted  to  interfere  with 
those  duties  which  could  be  made  avoidable,  to  prevent  racing  from  becoming  an 
injury,  as  it  really  is,  instead  of  a  benefit  to  both  man  and  horse. 

It  is  sincerely  to  be  hoped  for  that  the  members  of  the  Jockey  Club  may  find  a 
higher  and  more  profitable  employment  than  in  making  handicaps  for  hacks,  and 
that  they  may  deem  it  necessary  to  take  into  their  consideration  the  steps  to  prevent 
the  very  vitals  of  the  turf  coming  to  an  untimely  end. — Your  obedient  servant, 

Hampton  Coubt,  Feb.  9, 1865.  W.  J.  Goodwin. 


A  NEW  CROP  FOR  CATTLE. 


The  AgricvXtural  Gazette  announces  a  new  green  crop,  yielding  forty  tons  per  acre 
of  a  food  especially  adapted  for  milch  cows,  as,  being  void  of  all  aromatic  flavour,  it 
communicates  none  to  milk.  The  cattle  melon,  a  sort  of  gourd,  grown  like  mangold- 
wurzel,  but  at  wider  intervals,  appears  in  Mr  Blundell's  hands  to  have  furnished  a 
solid  and  substantial  food,  good  for  fattening  bullocks,  as  well  as  for  cows,  and  sheep, 
and  pigs.  Dr  Voelcker's  report  of  its  composition  is  favourable  \  and  there  is  every 
reason  to  recommend  our  readers  to  give  it  a  trial.  The  following  is  Mr  Blundell's 
account  of  it : — 

*•  This  variety  of  the  gourd  tribe  seems  to  have  been  hitherto  overlooked,  and  not 
considered  as  adapted  for  cattle-feeding.     My  attention,  however,  was  called  to  it  a 


A  NEW  CROP  FOR  CATTLE.  137 

few  years  ago  by  a  friend  of  mine  in  America,  in  the  State  of  Indiana,  who  grows 
them  extenaively  for  feeding  his  cattle,  and  believes  that  a  much  larger  and  heavier 
produce  of  them  per  acre  can  be  obtained  for  cattle-feeding  than  of  any  known  vege- 
table production  used  for  thai  purpose.  I  believe  that  ideas  have  prevailed  in  this 
country  that  our  climate  in  the  open  air  was  unfavourable  to  their  production,  and, 
indeed,  hitherto  they  have  been  usually  grown  for  fancy  purposes  by  the  aid  of  artificial 
heat  and  large  quantities  of  manuiae,  in  which  case  most  of  the  varieties  I  have 
noticed,  when  thus  treated,  are  very  hollow  and  worthless  for  feeding  animals.  Not 
so,  however,  with  the  varieties  as  selected  and  grown  by  myself  for  some  years  past ; 
for  when  cultivated  in  the  open  air  with  a  moderate  amount  of  manure — in  fact,  the 
same  quantity  as  required  for  other  vegetable  produce  in  field  culture — they  are  very 
solid  and  weighty,  and  possess  considerable  feeding  value,  (equal  to  the  common 
white  turnip,)  and  are  especially  adapted  for  the  feeding  of  milch  cows  at  the  time 
of  year  when  grass  is  usually  short  and  scarce,  and  before  turnips,  &c.,  are  ripe  and 
fit  for  feeding  in  the  months  of  August,  September,  and  October.  During  the  past 
season  I  had  fed  the  milch  cows  with  them ;  and  from  the  circumstance  of  the  fruit 
being  so  very  agreeable,  and  so  completely  void  of  any  peculiar  flavour,  like  turnips 
and  most  other  vegetable  produce,  it  does  not  affect  the  flavour  of  the  butter  injuri- 
oudy ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  I  have  never  made  butter,  or  tasted  any  made  from  cows 
fed  on  vegetables  or  roots,  equal  in  quality  to  that  made  when  the  animals  have  been 
fed  on  the  cattle  melon.  The  cultivation  may  be  carried  out  upon  land  usually 
appropriated  to  root  culture,  and  particularly  in  the  southern  and  eastern  counties ; 
they  will  flourish  and  produce  very  large  crops  per  acre  under  ordinary  culture,  such 
as  may  be  required  for  mangold-wurzel,  swedes,  carrots,  &c.,  which  the  following 
experiment  will  prove : — 

"  On  my  own  farm  at  Bursledon,  near  Southampton,  a  field  prepared  for  mangold 
as  usual,  the  land  being  sandy  loam  on  a  brick  earth,  was  ridged  2  feet  apart, 
manured  with  twenty  tons  of  box  dung  and  one  cwt.  Peruvian  guano  per  acre, 
mangold  seed  dibbled  on  the  ridge,  May  15.  A  ridge  4  feet  wide,  extending  the 
whole  length  of  the  field,  was  dibbled.  May  15,  with  cattle-melon  seed,  and  the  same 
quantity  of  manure  applied  as  for  the  like  space  of  mangold.  The  crop  of  melons 
was  removed  on  the  28th  September  at  the  rate  of  40  tons  per  acre,  there  being  37 
fruit  per  pole,  weighing  560  lbs.,  and  the  yellow  globe  mangold  crop  removed  on  the 
3d  November  at  the  rate  of  22  tons  per  acre. 

"  The  expenses  attending  the  cultivation  of  each  crop  were  exactly  the  same.  The 
melon  plants,  being  four  feet  apart,  give  ample  space  either  for  the  plough  or  culti- 
vator, and  the  growth  of  the  plant  is  so  slow  in  the  early  stage  that  the  cultivation 
may  be  continued  for  five  weeks  after  dibbling  the  seed.  When  the  plants  begin  to 
8pi«ad,  the  growth  is  so  rapid  that  all  the  land  is  covered  with  foliage  in  about 
seventeen  or  eighteen  days ;  and  at  the  end  of  five  weeks  after  the  blossom  the  fruit 
will  weig^  30  lbs.  and  upwards. 

"Having  for  two  seasons  fed  my  fattening  bullocks  upon  the  melon,  and  the 
animals  having  fattened  beyond  my  expectation,  yet  I  wished  to  know  the  feeding 
value  by  analysis,  and  for  that  purpose  forwarded  to  Dr  Yoelcker  part  of  a  fruit 
which  weighed  16  lbs. 

Composition  of  Cattle  Melon. 

First  Oenercd  Composition. 

Water.  .....  92030 

Organic  matters,         ....  7*350 

Hinerals  matters  (ash)  '620 


Second  Detailed  Composition. 

Water, 

*Soluble  albuminous  compounds, 
flnsoluble  albuminous  compounds, 

Sugar  and  mncilage, 

Woody  fibre  (crude,) 

Soluble  mineral  matters, 

Insoluble  mineral  matters, 


100000 

92-030 
•619 
•156 
4-661 
1-114 
•540 
-080 

100000 


138  tattersall's. 

•  Containing  nitrogen,  .  .  •  '099 

f  Containing  nitrogen,  .  *  .  '026 

Total  nitrogen,  .  .  .  -124 

Equal  to  albuminous  compounds,  (flesh- )  yy^ 

forming  matters,)  .  .         J         ' 

"  My  conclusions  are  as  follow  : — The  cattle  melon  is  now  known  to  possess  valu- 
able feeding  properties,  and  is  readily  eaten  by  cattle,  sheep,  and  pigs.  It  is  easy 
of  cultivation,  exhausts  the  land  less  than  any  root-crop,  being  less  time  in  the 
ground,  and  deriving  so  much  nutriment  from  the  atmosphere  through  the  large  and 
luxuriant  foliage,  it  is  more  certain  to  plant  than  root-crops,  having  fewer  enemies, 
and  may  be  cultivated  upon  all  soils  suitable  for  root-crops." 


TATTERSALL'S. 


*•*  Established  1766," — ^we  learn  from  the  simple  inscription  on  the  keystone  of  the 
new  premises  at  Knightsbridge.  Just  ninety-nine  years  ago,  come  Michaelmas  1865, 
the  great-grandfather  of  the  present  partners  of  the  firm  obtained  from  the  grandfather 
of  the  present  Marquis  of  Westminster  the  lease  of  the  ground  in  Grosvenor  Place, 
and  established  the  "  concern,"  whose  name  is  "  familiar  as  household  words"  through- 
out every  portion  of  the  civilised  globe — famous  alike  for  its  honourable  mercantile 
position,  and  as  the  seat  of  government  of  all  matters  connected  with  the  enormous 
speculations  that  wield  the  destiny  of  the  turf.  What  a  theme  for  the  moralist  and 
historian  does  that  simple  word — Tattersall's — open  up  1  How  fortunes  have  been 
won  and  lost  in  "  the  Room,"  and  how  emperors,  princes,  and  the  most  exalted  of  the 
aristocracy  of  all  nations,  have  rubbed  elbows  with  dealers,  "legs,"  "copers,"  and  the 
lower  order  of  the  "  ossitocracy  "  in  general  in  "  the  yard ; "  but  however  tempting  the 
theme  to  go  back  a  century  to  sketch  the  history  of  Tattersall's  itself,  or  to  record  the 
gradual  increase  in  the  business  of  the  eminent  firm  who  at  last  found  themselves  so 
cramped  for  room  and  otherwise  inconvenienced  as  to  sigh  for  "  fresh  fields  and  pas- 
tures new,"  we  must  defer  the  task  to  a  future  occasion,  as  the  present  article  has 
mainly  reference  to  the  new  establishment  recently  erected  by  Messrs  Tattersall  at 
Knightsbridge,  rendered  necessary  by  increased  demands  for  accommodation  on  the 
part  of  the  public,  and  by  the  expiration  of  the  lease  of  the  present  premises  at 
Michaelmas  next.  A  great  many  of  the  Marquis  of  Westminster's  leases  in  the  im- 
mediate neighbourhood  fall  in  at  the  same  time,  and  before  the  year  is  out  all  traces 
of  the  "  ride  "  or  "  lawn," — the  favourite  spring  and  summer  retreat,  with  its  shady 
tree  in  the  centre,  and  characteristic  "  milker,"  (who,  curiously  enough,  invariably 
hangs  about  certain  members  in  the  "  milky  way,")  and  the  exclusive  rendezvous  of 
the  subscribers  on  the  Sundays  before  the  Derby  and  St  Leger,  when  the  Subscription 
Room  remains  closed ;  where,  too.  Masters  of  Hounds  used  to  look  over  the  various 
packs  when  up  for  sale — will  have  disappeared,  together  with  most  of  the  houses  in 
Grosvenor  Place  between  St  George's  Hospital  and  Chapel  Street.  Grosvenor  Crescent 
will  sweep  into  Grosvenor  Place,  where  it  is  intended  to  erect  some  of  the  finest 
mansions  in  London ;  and  some  idea  of  their  palatial  grandeur  may  be  formed  when 
we  state  that  there  will  be  only  five  houses  between  the  Hospital  and  Halkin  Street, 
each  of  the  estimated  value  of  £25,000.  Nor  are  these  the  only  improvements  about 
to  be  carried  out  by  the  Marquis  of  Westminster,  who  intends,  we  hear,  to  erect 
splendid  squares  and  boulevards  on  the  recently-cleared  vacant  space  this  side  of  the 
Grosvenor  Hotel,  upon  which,  and  in  the  neighbourhood,  no  fewer  than  thirty-six 
public-houses  have  been  pulled  down  within  the  last  six  months,  so  averse  is  the  noble 
marquis  to  having  a  single  "  public"  on  his  property! 

However  anxious  to  study  the  accommodation  of  their  numerous  patrons,  both  in 
the  business  and  betting  lines,  Messrs  Tattersall  found  it  no  easy  matter  to  obtain  the  re- 
quisite amount  of  land  in  a  suitable  locality  within  a  convenient  distance  of  the  West 
End ;  but  fortune  favoured  them  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of  Knightsbridge 
Green,  this  side  of  the  barracks,  at  the  corner  of  Brompton  Road,  within  a  stone's 
throw  to  the  top  of  Sloane  Street ;  and  some  idea  of  the  increasing  value  of  freeholds 
in  that  locality  can  be  formed  from  the  fact  oi  Mr  Richard  Tattersall,  who  bought 
the  ground  six  years  ago,  having  refused  between  three  or  four  times  the  amount  of 
his  purchase  money  within  a  short  period  of  the  completion  of  the  bargain,  and  be- 


tattersall's.  139 

fore  he  bad  even  commenced  to  bnild !  In  the  neiglibourhood,  it  ia  true,  are  some 
of  the  yilest  dens  in  the  metropolis,  but  their  days  are  happily  numbered,  and  before 
long  the  present  unsightly  row  of  small  shops  which  form  the  junction  of  the  Brompton 
and  Knightsbridge  roads  will  be  removed.  This  will  **  throw  open  "  Messrs  Tattersall's 
new  establishment,  and  besides  improving  the  approaches  thereto,  show  off  the  archi- 
tectural merits  of  the  building  to  greater  advantage  than  at  present  The  proprietors 
are  likewise  in  treaty  with  the  Dean  and  Chapter  of  Westminster,  to  whom  it  belongs, 
for  the  small  railed-in  oval-Bhap6d  bit  of  grass  land — Knightsbridge  Green  proper — 
with  which  all  Brompton  travellers  are  familiar,  more  for  the  sake  of  improving  their 
frontage  than  any  other  purpose,  as  it  is  of  no  absolute  use ;  nor,  if  it  could  be  trans- 
ferred en  mcLsae  to  the  rear  of  the  new  Subscription  Room,  would  it  replace  the 
agreeable  **  lawn  we  leave  behind  us"  at  Hyde  Park  Corner.  This  **  rural  spot,"  by 
the  by,  played  an  important  part  during  the  great  Plague  of  London,  at  which  time 
Knightsbridge  was  "  so  far  in  the  country  "  that  an  immense  pit,  which  formerly  ex- 
isted there,  served  as  a  charnel-house,  and  was  literally  filled  up  with  corpsea  In  ex- 
cavating for  the  foundation  of  the  new  buildings  a  great  many  skeletons  were  dis- 
covered, and  one  of  the  partners  of  the  firm  was  thereby  enabled  to  fulfil  a  promise 
he  made  to  his  wife,  that  she  should  have  all  the  "  treasure ' '  discovered !  Here,  too,  stood 
the  Old  Manor  House,  which  was  erected  three  hundred  years  ago,  and  was  the  resi- 
dence of  Sir  John  Lade,  (a  celebrated  character  in  the  time  of  George  IV.,  who  drove 
four-in-hand  round  Lackington's  shop  in  St  Paul's  Churchyard,)  some  mementoes  of 
which  have  been  preserved  in  the  new  private  offices  of  the  firm,  (built  upon  its  site,) 
in  the  shape  of  an  oak  staircase,  conducting  from  the  ground  floor  to  the  Committee 
Booms  above,  (in  one  of  which  Marshall's  well-known  picture  of  Eclipse  will  be  hung,) 
and  a  marble  mantlepiece  of  great  beauty,  which  adorned  the  drawing-room  of  the 
old  building,  and  is  now  put  up  in  Messrs  Tattersall's  private  sanctum. 

The  offices,  store-room,  and  dwelling-house  of  Carter,  the  manager,  are  on  the  right- 
hand  side  as  you  enter  the  lofty  gateway,  (in  the  central  arch  of  which  is  an  immense 
tank  for  supplying  water  to  the  premises,  with  appropriate  apparatus  for  submitting 
welshers,  and  other  **  black  sheep  "  who  may  intrude  their  "  unholy  presence,"  to  the 
water  cure,)  and  separated  by  a  lofty  screen  from  the  public  entrance,  whereby  all 
communication  is  cut  off.  On  the  left  is  the  Subscription  Room,  with  separate  en- 
trance "  for  subscribers  only  "  from  the  outside,  and  a  private  communication  with 
the  Committee  Room  *'  over  the  way."  This  passage  is  somewhat  narrow,  perhaps, 
and  will  not  allow  of  members  loitering  about,  as  it  was  desirable  to  throw  all  the 
available  space  into  the  room  itself,  which,  when  finished,  will  be  one  of  the  hand- 
somest in  the  kingdom — ^much  larger  than  the  Newmarket  one,  and,  though  not 
quite  so  long,  as  lofty  and  far  more  elegant  than  Doncaster.  In  addition  to  the 
windows  at  each  end,  it  is  lighted  and  ventilated  by  two  lofty  domes,  between  which, 
in  the  centre  of  the  ceiling,  is  a  sunlight  for  illumination  in  winter.  We  hardly 
know  which  will  strike  strangers  most — ^the  noble  proportions  of  the  room  generally, 
the  richness  and  brilliancy  of  the  decorations,  or  the  Byzantine  floor,  which  has  been 
laid  down  by  Messrs  Simpson  &  Sons,  of  456  West  Strand,  and  contains  no  fewer  than 
200,000  pieces  of  Maw  &  Co.'s  coloured  variegated  tiles.  These  are  also  used  to  orna- 
ment the  sides  and  backs  of  the  fireplaces,  and  present  a  beautiful  contrast  to  the 
Italian  marble  and  Derbyshire  Spa  mantlepieces,  over  which  are  lofty  mirrors  extend- 
ing to  the  roof.  The  walls  are  decorated  in  panels  of  green  and  gold,  and  round  the 
whole  extent  of  the  room  is  a  raised  dais,  on  which  handsome  morocco  seats  will  be 
placed,  so  that,  when  completed,  no  club-house  will  be  able  to  boast  of  a  more  magni- 
ficent or  luxurious  apartment.  There  are  two  entrances,  one  at  the  side,  and  the  other 
at  the  west  end,  and  at  the  door  of  the  latter,  which  leads  into  a  paved  yard,  repose 
the  two  stone  lions  which  kept  guard  for  so  many  years  on  the  top  of  the  gateway  at  the 
entrance  to  the  "ride"  and  present  Subscription  Room  in  Grosvenor  Place.  That 
the  "  lawn  "  will  be  missed  in  the  summer  it  would  be  absurd  to  deny,  and  many  will 
no  doubt  sigh  for  "  the  old  place  "  before  they  become  accustomed  to  the  new  one ; 
but  "  what  can't  be  cured  must  be  endured,"  and  as  members  will  be  able  to  enjoy 
their  weed  in  the  air — happily  "no  smoking  is  allowed  in  the  Subscription  Room" — 
they  must  put  up  with  one  loss  for  the  enormous  gain  that  the  comfort  and  conveni- 
ence of  the  new  chambei*  will  secure  them.  Nor  has  it  been  studied  inside  only,  as 
an  inspection  of  the  private  offices  in  the  yard,  where  the  telegraphic  office  is  erected 
80  as  to  be  free  from  public  intrusion,  will  show. 

Turning  now  to  the  business  portion  of  the  new  establishment,  the  prevailing 
characteristics — elegance  of  design,  vast  space,  and  general  excellence  of  arrange- 
ment— cannot  fail  to  strike  the  habitiUa  of  the  old  mart  with  equal  sur^ti&Q  a.vvi 


140  tattersall's. 

admiration,  as  we  feel  convinced  will  be  felt  by  the  members  of  the  Subscription 
Koom  when  they  assemble  therein  on  the  Monday  after  Northampton,  April  the 
10th,  for  *' settling"  on  the  first  "  legitimate"  race  meeting  of  the  season.  The  first 
public  sale  will  take  place  on  that  day,  and  not  only  has  every  stall  been  engaged  for 
some  time  past,  but  we  learn  from  Messrs  Tattersall  that  they  are  "very  fuS"  for 
the  months  of  May  and  June.  They  have  been  compelled  to  disappoint  more  than 
one  breeder  of  blood  stock ;  in  fact,  notwithstanding  the  increased  extent  of  the  accom- 
modation. For  the  sales  of  blood  stock  in  particular,  the  new  premises  afford  vast 
advantages  over  the  ''old  shop,"  both  as  regards  the  ''auction  mart"  itself  and  the 
excellence  of  the  "  boxes."  The  latter  are  built  at  the  rear  of  the  main  building, 
away  from  the  noise  and  excitement  of  the  sale-yard,  and  are  twenty  in  number,  ten 
of  which  are  constructed  with  wide  doors,  so  that  a  brood  mare  and  foal  may  pass 
through  side  by  side  without  injury.  Timid  young  ones,  we  all  know,  will  rush  after 
their  dams  on  seeing  the  latter  led  out  of  a  box,  and  not  unfrequently  come  into 
collision  with  the  door-posts;  hence  the  admirable  precaution  of  extra  width,  in 
addition  to  which  the  posts  and  all  the  wood-work  about  the  place  are  rounded,  and 
the  handles  sunk  to  g^uard  against  injury.  There  is  only  one  double  box  in  the 
remaining  ten,  and  the  fittings  up,  ventilation,  lighting,  draining,  and  general 
management  are  perfection.  Vast  as  the  new  premises  are,  Messrs  Tattersall  have 
been  unable  to  build  kennels  for  hounds,  consequently  (for  the  present)  those  sales 
will  take  place  elsewhere,  and  Mr  James  Mason  has  liberally  placed  his  farm  at 
Hendon  at  the  disposal  of  the  firm  for  the  sale  of  the  West  Noiiolk  pack,  the  only 
one  at  present  "  on  the  books,"  at  the  close  of  the  season. 

The  sale  yard,  which  is  superior  to  anything  in  the  United  Eangdom,  covers  an  im- 
mense area ;  and  a  "  ride  "  extends  all  round  for  "  running  down,"  and  showing  off  a 
horse's  action.  The  building  is  very  lofty,  and  lighted  by  a  handsome  glass  roof,  which, 
from  the  intricate  nature  of  the  supporting  iron-work,  alone  necessitated  the  writing 
of  a  "  big  cheque."  The  ground  floor  is  devoted  to  stabling,  and  above  is  a  commodious 
gallery  (with  hydraulic  lift  attached)  for  carriages  and  harness,  which  is  open  to  the 
yard,  and  will  be  found  a  delightful  retreat  on  crowded  sale  days,  both  for  spectators 
and  purchasers,  as  the  pulpit,  in  the  right-hand  corner,  commands  the  whole  exten- 
sive area,  thus  removing  one  very  general  source  of  complaint  ampngst  noblemen 
and  gentlemen  who  have  to  put  up  with  all  sorts  of  inconvenience  from  the  crowded 
state  of  the  yard  in  the  present  locality.  The  stalls  are  ninety-five  in  number,  **  one 
as  good  as  another,"  and  equal  to  anything  we  have  ever  seen  in  England  or  on  the 
Continent,  racing  stables  included.  All  the  latest  and  best  improvements  have  been 
introduced,  and  special  attention  has  been  paid  to  drainage  and  ventilation,  whilst 
the  comforts  of  the  animals  themselves  has  been  studied  in  the  minutest  particular. 
There  is  only  one  double  stable  of  thirteen  stalls  in  the  whole  place,  and  there  is 
sufficient  space  in  the  centre,  as  well  as  in  all  the  other  stables,  for  the  most  timid 
visitor,  male  or  female,  to  inspect  the  occupants  without  fear  of  being  kicked.  Each 
stall  is  nearly  six  feet  wide,  and  of  sufficient  depth  to  prevent  horses  hanging  back 
to  kick  round  at  each  other.  The  partitions  are  of  elm,  the  floor  asphalte,  and  the 
fittings  of  iron,  with  polished  slate  backs  above  the  manger;  there  is  a  constant 
supply  of  water  to  each  stable.  The  latter  has  been  obtained  by  sinking  a  depth  of 
sixty  feet  into  the  sand,  in  the  centre  of  the  sale-yard,  where  the  cupola,  surmounted 
by  a  bust  of  George  lY.,  which  occupied  a  similar  position  over  the  pump  in  Gros- 
venor  Place,  is  in  course  of  erection.  We  recently  announced  the  discovery  made  in 
connexion  with  this  well-known  object,  which  nobody,  not  even  the  oldest  kabituS  of 
Tattersall's,  will  recognise,  deduded  of  its  numerous  coatings  of  paint  (half  an  inch 
thick  in  places !)  in  its  clean  natural  stone.  Even  King  George  in  his  cooked  hat 
was  becoming  "  presentable  "  at  the  period  of  our  recent  visit,  and  a  few  carbuncles 
(which  had  to  be  subjected  to  most  stringent  "  pickle  "  beforehand)  alone  awaited 
the  operation  of  the  chisel  before  receiving  the  sculptor's  "  finishing  touch." 

The  erection  of  these  magnificent  premises  cost  an  enormous  sum,  which  in  no 
way  concerns  either  ourselves  or  the  public,  however ;  but  we  cannot  conclvde  the 
foregoing  imperfect  and  by  no  means  high-coloured  description  of  the  "  new  Tatter- 
sall's," without  congratulating  Mr  Freeman,  of  Lincoln's-lnn  Fields,  the  architect, 
upon  the  general  excellence  of  the  whole  design;  Messrs  HbUand,  the  builders,  upon 
the  superiority  and  solidity  of  the  workmanship ;  and  the  spirited  proprietors  them- 
selves upon  the  possession  of  such  an  establishment— the  gratifying  result  of  a  long- 
tried,  honourable  career  in  the  public  service. 

We  append  a  copy  of  the  revised  Rules,  which  come  into  force  on  the  opening  of 
the  new  Subscription  Room  : 


tattersall's.  Ill 

1.  Any  person  desirouB  of  becoming  a  member  of  this  room  will  be  required  to 
send  in  to  the  committee  an  application  in  writing,  accompanied  by  a  recommenda- 
tion (to  be  also  in  writing)  signed  by  any  two  or  more  members  of  the  room,  to  be 
posted  in  the  room  for  one  clear  week.  At  the  expiration  of  that  time  he  will  be 
balloted  for  by  the  committee,  five  of  whom  will  form  a  quorum.  One  black  ball  in 
five  will  exclude.  Members  of  the  Jockey  Club  and  of  the  Arlington,  White's, 
Brooke's,  Boodle's,  Arthur's,  and  the  Travellers'  Clubs  can  be  admitted  without 
ballot 

2.  Every  member,  upon  admittance  to  the  room,  must  enter  his  name  and  address 
in  a  book  provided  for  that  purpose,  in  which  these,  together  with  any  other  rules 
and  regulations  from  time  to  time  adopted  to  be  observed  by  the  members,  will  also 
be  entered ;  and  such  signature  in  the  book  so  containing  the  said  rule  and  regula- 
tions will  make  it  binding  on  the  party  signing  to  abide  by  all  such  rules  and  regula- 
tions, as  well  as  by  all  consequences  resulting  from  breach  or  non-performances 
thereof ;  and  such  signature  shall  moreover  be  taken  and  deemed  to  absolve  every 
person  concerned  in  carrying  out  and  enforcing  such  rules  and  regulations  against 
such  subscriber  from  all  personal  responsibility  or  legal  liabilities  on  that  account. 

3.  No  person  who  shall  have  made  default  in  payment  of  stakes,  forfeits,  or  bets, 
or  who  shall  have  been  party  at  any  time,  anywhere,  to  any  fraud  or  malpractice  con- 
nected with  horse-racing,  shall  be  admitted  a  member  of  this  room.  And  if  any 
member  should  be  hereafter  discovered  to  have  been,  or  should  at  any  time  become  a 
defaulter,  or  be  guilty  of  any  fraud  or  malpractice  as  aforesaid,  and,  upon  complaint 
to  the  committee,  shall  be  adjudged  by  them  to  be  so,  his  membership  shall  there- 
upon at  once  cease  and  determine,  and  he  shall  thenceforward  be  excluded  from  the 
room. 

4.  Any  member  of  this  room  having  a  disputed  bet  with  another  member  shall  be 
bound,  if  required  by  him,  to  refer  such  dispute  to  two  referees  (being  members  of 
the  committee,)  one  to  be  chosen  by  each  party ;  such  referees  to  appoint  an  umpire 
(being  also  a  member  of  the  committee)  before  they  proceed  to  hear  the  case ;  in  the 
even  of  the  referees  not  agreeing  in  the  choice  of  an  umpire,  such  umpire  to  be  ap- 
pointed by  the  committee,  and  the  decision  of  such  referees  or  umpire  to  be  final. 
Any  member  refusing  to  refer  any  bet  so  disputed,  or  to  comply  with  the  decision 
consequent  upon  such  reference,  within  one  calendar  month  next  ensuing  after  notice 
of  such  decision  from  the  referees  or  umpire,  either  personally  or  by  letter,  to  be  ad- 
dressed by  post  to  the  residence  of  such  member  as  entered  in  the  subscription  book, 
shall,  npon  complaint  to  the  committee,  be  deemed  to  be,  and  be  treated  by  them  as 
a  de^ulter  under  the  provisions  of  the  third  rule. 

5.  Any  member  smoking  in  the  room,  or  creating  a  noise,  uproar,  or  disturbance, 
will  thereby  forfeit  his  right  of  membership,  and  render  himself  liable  to  immediate 
expulsion. 

6.  The  annual  subscription  to  the  room  will  be  two  guineas,  commencing  on  the  Ist 
of  January. 

7.  The  room  will  be  opened  on  everj-  Monday  and  Thursday  throughout  the  year,  at 
one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  ;  and  on  every  day  (excepting  Sunday)  in  the  weeks  im- 
mediately preceding  the  Epsom  and  Ascot  meetings,  and  on  any  other  days  that  the 
committee  may  consider  advisable. 

8.  The  following  members  will  constitute  the  committee,  of  whom  any  five  may 
form  a  quorum,  and  in  the  event  of  an  equal  number  of  the  committee  being  present, 
and  of  an  equal  division  taking  place  upon  any  question,  the  chairman  pro  tempore 
shall  be  entitled  to  a  casting  vote,  in  addition  to  his  vote  as  a  member  of  the  committee. 
In  case  of  any  member  retiring  from  the  committee,  his  successor  will  be  nominated 
by  the  committee,  so  that  the  original  number  of  members  constituting  the  committee 
may  always  be  kept  up. 

CoMMiTTBB. — His  Gracc  the  Duke  of  Beaufort,  the  Earl  of  Chesterfield,  the  Earl  of 
Coventry,  the  Earl  of  Westmoreland,  Viscount  Exmouth,  Hon.  Colonel  Henry 
Forester,  Hon.  Admiral  Rous,  Mr  H.  Lowther,  Colonel  Astley,  Mr  0.  Higgins,  Mr 
G.  Payne,  and  Mr  P.  F.  Wallace. 


14-2  THE  GROWTH,  MATURITY,  AND  AGE  OF  ANIMALS. 


ON  THE  GROWTH,  MATURITY,  AND  AGE  OP  ANIMALS,  AND  ON 
THE  DEPOSIT  OP  PAT  AS  INPLUENCED  BY  THE  NATURE  AND 
QUANTITY  OP  THE  FOOD.  By  Edwards  Crisp,  M.D.,  late  Physician  to 
the  Metropolitan  Dispensary,  P.Z.S.,  &c. 

In  this  essay  my  intention  is  to  take  a  wide  and  comprehensive  view  of  this  matter, 
and  to  endeavour,  hy  looking  at  the  varioas  classes  of  animals  in  a  state  of  natnre 
and  in  confinement,  to  throw  some  %ht  on  this  most  important  question,  viz.,  ike 
best  and  most  economical  means  of  fattening  the  domestic  quadrupeds  and  birds  that 
are  used  for  the  food  of  man.  There  are  some  who  may  object  to  the  introduction 
of  any  animals  except  the  oz,  the  sheep,  and  the  pig ;  but  this  would  be  taking,  I 
think,  a  very  limited  view  of  the  question. 

Many  of  the  important  discoveries  in  physiology  and  several  in  pathology  have 
been  derived  from  the  lower  animals,  and  there  is  no  reason  why  in  this  particular 
inquiry,  by  taking  a  more  comprehensive  view  of  the  matter  than  has  hitherto  been 
attempted,  we  may  not  profit  largely  by  the  investigation ;  for,  as  regards  the  deposit 
of  fat,  the  physiological  law  is  equally  applicable  to  man,  ox,  bird,  reptile,  or  fish  ; 
and  I  may  here  express  my  belief  that  a  vast  number  of  animals  that  are  now  con- 
sidered unfit  for  human  food  may,  by  a  proper  system  of  feeding,  minister  advan- 
tageously to  the  support  of  man. 

I  divide  my  communication  into  five  parts : — 

1.  The  growth,  maturity,  and  age  of  animals,  and  the  quantity  of  their  food. 

2.  On  the  composition  of  fat,  its  mode  of  formation,  and  uses  in  the  animal 
economy. 

3.  The  deposit  of  fat  in  man  and  in  the  various  classes  of  animals. 

4.  The  best  and  most  economical  methods  of  fattening  the  ox,  sheep,  pig,  and 
other  domestic  animals,  with  a  short  account  of  those  organs  chiefly  con- 
cerned in  the  elimination  of  fat. 

5.  The  supposed  injurious  effects  produced  by  the  obesity  of  the  ox,  sheep,  and 
pig- 

1.  The  Growth,  Maturity,  and  Age  of .  Animals,  and  on  the  Quantity  of  their  Food. 

Among  the  domestic  quadrupeds  that  chiefly  concern  the  agriculturist  there  may 
be  some  difierence  of  opinion  as  to  the  time  of  maturity,  whilst  as  regards  the  average 
age  of  our  domestic  animals  we  have  but  little  trustworthy  evidence,  and  our  know- 
ledge respecting  the  natural  term  of  existence  of  wild  animals  is  still  more  obscure. 
The  horse  attains  to  maturity  at  the  age  of  6  or  7  years ;  the  ass  at  5  ;  the  ox  at  4 ; 
the  sheep  at  4 ;  the  pig  at  8 ;  the  fallow  and  red  deer  at  6  to  8  :  the  goat  at  4  years. 
Among  our  domestic  birds,  the  turkey  is  mature  at  two  years ;  the  cock,  hen,  guinea- 
fowl,  duck,  and  goose,  at  from  twelve  to  eighteen  months. 

As  regards  the  average  duration  of  life  of  some  of  our  British  animals,  from  in- 
quiries and  investigations  I  have  made,  the  following  estimate  will  probably  not  be 
very  incorrect : — Horse,  25  to  35  years ;  ass,  30  to  40 ;  ox,  15  to  20 ;  goat,  16  ;  sheep, 
16  ;  pig,  12  to  16;  dog,  14.  Among  birds,  the  gallinaceous  (poultry)  are  probably 
the  shortest  lived,  and  the  rapacious  and  web-footed  the  longest  The  great  age 
attained  by  the  eagle,  owl,  parrot,  goose,  raven,  and  other  birds,  is  well  known. 
Many  reptiles,  as  the  tortoise  and  turtle,  are  very  long-lived ;  and  there  appears  to 
be  scarcely  any  known  limit  to  the  duration  of  life  among  fishes.  Little  is  known 
of  the  natural  duration  of  life  among  wild  animals  used  for  food  in  this  and  in  other 
countries.  The  elephant  is  said  to  cut  his  last  tooth  at  the  age  of  80,  and  probably 
lives  to  a  greater  age  than  any  of  the  mammalia.  The  ruminants,  oxen,  bisons,  buf- 
faloes, sheep,  deer,  and  antelopes,  are  probably,  judging  from  the  teeth  and  from  many 
that  I  have  examined  in  confinement,  comparatively  short-lived,  the  term  of  exist- 
ence varying  from  12  to  18  years.  The  wild  hogs,  peccaries,  and  tapirs,  extensively 
used  for  food  by  the  natives  of  some  countries,  probably  do  not  reach  an  advanced 
age;  14  or  15  years  being,  I  believe,  about  the  average;  and  the  same  remark  will 
apply  to  the  Australian  kangaroos,  animals  that  in  some  districts  are  much  used  for 
human  food.  As  with  the  human  species,  cases  are  found  of  extreme  longevity 
among  the  lower  animals.  Youatt  mentions  an  instance  of  a  horse  that  lived  to  the 
age  of  62,  and  I  knew  an  example  of  a  Suffolk  cart-mare  that  bred  a  foal  when  she 
had  reached  the  age  of  39.     But  these  are  exceptions  to  the  general  rule. 

To  return  again  to  the  growth  of  animals,  I  scarcely  know  anything  so  wonderful 


THE  GBOWTH,  MATXJRITy,  AND  AGE  OP  ANIMALS.  143 

as  the  rapid  increase  of  a  young  bird.  I  have  weighed  many  of  the  young  of  our 
British  birds  with  their  parents,  and  in  six  or  seven  weeks  from  the  time  of  hatching 
I  have  found  them  as  heavy  as  the  old  birds ;  but  the  well-known  instance  of  the  in- 
crease of  the  young  salmon  from  a  few  ounces  to  5  lb.  or  6  lb.  in  three  or  four  months 
daring  its  marine  sojourn  is  still  more  remarkable,  especially  when  the  constant  mo- 
tion of  the  fish  is  taken  into  account.  The  bird,  like  the  prize  ox  or  pig,  is  not  only 
abundantly  supplied  with  food,  but  it  is  constantly  at  rest,  so  that  the  waste  of  tissue 
is  comparatively  slight.  It  is  only  among  the  birds  that  are  bom  naked,  and  that 
are  unable  to  sUft  for  themselves,  that  this  rapid  growth  occurs. 

As  regards  the  quantity  of  food  taken  by  various  animals  in  connexion  with  the 
deposit  of  fat,  of  course  much  will  depend  upon  the  amount  of  water  it  contains ;  thus 
the  elephant  will  eat  a  hundredweight  of  dry  substance  daily,  but  it  is  said  that  he 
will  consume  more  than  500  lbs.  of  green  food.  The  hippopotamus  eats  about  from 
60  to  80  lbs.  of  dry  food  daily.  The  rhinoceros,  60  lbs. ;  the  giraffe  about  the  same 
quantity.  Many  of  the  flesh-feeding  animals  are  enormous  eaters,  considering  the 
nature  of  their  food.  The  wolverine  or  glutton  of  North  America  ( Ursua  luscus,) 
weighing  about  30  lbs.,  will  consume  6  lbs.  of  flesh  at  a  meal ;  the  lion  about  9 
lbs.  The  Tasmanian  wolf,  weighing  about  40  lbs.,  eats  4  lbs.  of  flesh  daily,  and  many 
of  the  smaller  camivora  eat  very  freely.  The  kangaroos  are  always  large  eaters,  and 
have  complicated  stomachs.  Among  birds  the  quantity  of  fish  consumed  by  the  fish- 
feeders — pelicans,  gannets,  and  cormorants — is  enormous.  Some  of  the  reptiles  at 
certain  seasons  eat  ravenously ;  the  bull-frog  {Bana  pipiens)  will  swallow  five  or  six 
common-sized  frogs  in  succession,  and  the  laSnge  weight  of  food  taken  by  the  ophidians 
is  well  known,  but  most  of  the  reptiles  are  in  this  respect  inconstant :  I  have  known 
a  boa  constrictor  go  ten  months  without  food  and  without  any  apparent  diminution 
in  weight  The  fishes  are  constant  and  enormous  feeders,  and  as  we  descend  in  the 
scale  some  of  the  smaller  animals  eat  proportionately  more  than  the  larger. 

The  daily  quantity  of  food  taken  by  some  of  our  domestic  animals  is  about  as  follows  : 
—Horse,  16  to  f  8  lbs.  of  hay  and  com ;  ox,  2  cwt.  of  turnips ;  sheep,  25  lbs.  of  turnips  ; 
pig,  20  lbs.  of  carrots,  potatoes,  and  bran.  The  quantity  of  mixed  or  dry  food  will 
be  considerably  less,  and  mnch  of  course  depends  upon  the  age,  size,  breed,  and  consti- 
tution of  the  animaL 

2.  On  the  Composition  of  Fat,  its  Mode  of  Formation,  and  Uses  in  the  Animal 

Economy, 
All  the  fats  are  ternary  compounds  of  carbon,  hydrogen,  and  oxygen ;  none  of 
them  are-  nitrogenous.    The  proportion  of  these  elements  varies  slightly  in  different 
kinds  of  &t.    Chevreurs  analysis  of  hogs'-lard  will  give  the  reader  a  tolerably  correct 
notion  of  the  composition  of  all : — 

Carbon 79098 

Hydrogen. 11*146 

Oxygen 9756 

Thus  the  stearin,  the  hard  constituefit  of  fat,  differs  little  from  the  elain,  the  oily 
part,  in  chemical  composition ;  the  former  containing  a  little  less  carbon  and  oxygen 
and  a  little  more  hydrogen.  Yarious  names  have  been  given  to  different  kinds  of  fat, 
as  hircin  to  goats'  fat,  and  phocenine  to  the  fat  of  the  dolphin,  &c. 

As  will  be  shewn  hereafter,  vegetable  matter  contains  often  a  large  proportion  of 
fatty  material. 

Of  its  mode  of  formation  and  deposit  I  need  say  but  little,  as  it  is  not  my  inten- 
tion in  this  paper  to  enter  into  abstrose  physiological  questions.  Whether  the  fatty 
matter  from  the  intestines  is  taken  up  by  the  veins  or  the  villi,  or  whether,  as  sup- 
posed by  Liebeg  and  others,  it  arises  n-om  a  process  of  imperfect  oxidation,  are  sub- 
jects of  no  practical  importance. 

The  question  as  to  the  proportion  of  fat  in  the  ox,  sheep,  and  pig,  is  one  of  great 
interest  to  the  farmer.  It  is  difficult  to  arrive  at  very  accurate  conclusions  as  to  the 
proportion  in  the  various  breeds,  but  the  experiments  instituted  by  Messrs  Lawes  and 
Gilbert,  and  published  in  the  **  Philosophical  Transactions,*'  1859,  were  conducted  on 
so  lu*ge  a  scale  that  I  believe  the  inferences  will  apply  to  the  above-named  animals 
generaUj.  I  make  a  very  brief  analysis  of  the  conclusions  drawn  from  the  chemical 
examination  of  a  large  number  of  animals.  In  the  carcass  of  a  half-fat  ox  the  fat  was 
22-6  per  cent;  store  sheep,  23*8  ;  store  pig,  28'1 ;  fat  calf,  16-6  ;  ox,  moderately  fat, 
84*8 ;  fat  lamb,  36*8 ;  sheep,  fat,  454 ;  very  fat  sheep,  551 ;  hog,  moderately  fat, 
49-6.  In  the  above  estimates  the  offal  is  not  included.  The  peiceiiXagft  oi  Y\^w«^-\a.\» 
Vol.  L-No.  III.^New  Ssbieb,    Mabch  1865.  \a 


14:4:  THE  GROWTH,  MATURITY,  AND  AGE  OF  ANIMAL. 

was  in  the  sheep  3*60;  ox,  5*44 ;  fat  pig,  4' 32.  The  omentnm  or  caul  in  a  half -fat  ox 
was  to  the  carcass  4*63  per  cent;  ox,  moderately  fat,  7.93;  store  sheep,  5*14 ;  very 
fat  sheep,  19.5.  In  the  offal  the  fat  amounted  to  about  a  quarter,  so  three-quarters 
of  the  total  weight  of  fat  belonged  to  the  carcass.  The  animals  were  kept  without 
food  for  twenty-four  hours,  and  the  percentage  of  fat  to  .the  live  weight  was  as  fol- 
lows : — Very  fat  sheep,  45| ;  sheep,  moderately  fat,  35^ ;  ox,  moderately  fat,  30 ;  fat 
lamb,  28 J ;  pig,  moderately  fat,  42 ;  store  sheep,  18|.  In  a  bacon-hog  nearly  one- 
half  of  the  live  weight  was  composed  of  pure  fat.  As  regards  the  proportion  of  fat 
to  nitrogenous  compounds  it  exceeded  these  in  fat  animals  in  the  proportion  of  from 
8  to  5  per  cent.  In  lean  animals  the  proportion  of  water  in  the  carcass  was  from  54 
to  62  per  cent ;  in  fatter  animals  from  40  to  50  per  cent.  Of  bone  to  the  carcass  in 
a  fat  ox,  11*8  per  cent ;  fat  sheep,  8*9  ;  fat  pig,  4*6.  It  must  be  remembered  that  in 
the  carcass  of  a  pig  the  head  is  included,  but  not  so  with  the  ox  and  sheep.  For 
minute  details  I  refer  the  reader  to  this  instructive  paper. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  enter  fully  into  this  question,  as  the  views  of  Liebig  and 
other  celebrated  chemists  are  so  generally  known  that  their  repetition  will  be  super- 
fluous. All  animal  bodies  in  a  state  of  health  contain  a  certain  amount  of  fatty  mat- 
ter. In  a  calf,  at  birth,  that  I  recently  dissected,  I  found  a  large  quantity  of  fat,  and 
so  with  other  young  quadrupeds.  The  examples  I  have  already  given  of  the  autumnal 
store  of  fat  in  the  bodies  of  the  hedgehog,  dormouse,  marmot,  and  other  hybernating 
animals,  for  respiratory  and  heat-forming  processes,  are  well-known  instances  of  the 
use  of  this  material  in  the  animal  economy ;  but  the  most  striking  example  that  I  can 
quote  is  that  of  the  fat  pig  mentioned  by  Martell  in  the  9th  vol.  of  the  **  Transactions 
of  the  Linnsean  Society."  This  animal  was  buried  under  a  slip  of  earth  for  sixty  days 
without  food,  and  when  taken  out  alive  it  had  lost  120  lbs.  in  weight  The  fat  in  this 
instance,  as  in  the  instance  of  a  hybernating  animal,  furnished  the  diminished  supplies 
required  imder  such  circumstances  to  support  vitality. 

3.  The  Deposit  of  Fat  in  the  various  Classes  of  Animals. 

Under  this  head  I  am  obliged  to  include  the  human  species,  a  division  that  might 
profitably  occupy  a  larger  space  than  can  be  given  to  it  in  the  present  paper.  It  is 
scarcely  necessary  to  explain,  that  however  man  may  pride  himself  upon  his  intellec- 
tual superiority  over  the  brute,  in  most  matters  relating  to  physiology  and  pathology 
he  is  nearly  on  a  par  with  the  lower  animals ;  digestion,  assimilation,  and  all  the  ex- 
cretory functions,  are  governed  by  the  same  laws  in  all  classes  of  animated  beings, 
although,  as  we  descend  in  the  scale,  we  have  less  complexity  in  the  machinery ;  the 
lowest  animal  organisms  being  so  nearly  related  to  the  vegetable  kingdom,  that  it  is 
somewhat  difficult  to  distinguish  between  them. 

Probably  there  is  no  country  in  the  world,  except  China,  where  ma6  has  so  great  a 
disposition  to  fatten  as  in  England ;  this  tendency  arising  probably  from  three  causes, 
viz.,  climate,  the  nature  of  the  food,  and  the  desire  to  accumulate  money,  so  as  to 
enable  individuals  to  retire  from  business  or  to  diminish  their  lalxyurs,  and  thus  to 
lead  comparatively  inactive  lives.  On  consulting  several  old  people,  whose  recollec- 
tion extends  back  to  sixty  years,  I  am  led  to  believe  that  obesity  is  not  so  common  as 
it  was  fifty  years  ago,  especially  among  farmers  and  agriculturists.  This  may  readily 
be  accounted  for  by  the  greater  abstinence  and  sobriety  now  existing.  Among  Euro- 
peans— indeed  the  remark  will  apply  to  the  human  race  generally  in  nearly  all  parts 
of  the  world — those  who  lead  sedentery  and  indolent  lives,  who  eat  much  and  do 
little,  are  often,  after  a  certain  age,  inclined  to  obesity.  On  the  contrary,  the  hard 
workers  in  the  human  hive,  as  the  agricultural  labourers,  whose  muscles  are  well  ex- 
ercised, are  seldom  corpulent.  In  the  United  States  of  America  a  fat  person  is  rarely 
seen,  although  many  lead  luxurious  and  inactive  lives.  TroUope,  in  his  late  work  on 
the  United  States,  says  that  '*  an  Englishman  who  has  a  tendency  to  obesity  loses  it 
after  being  a  short  time  in  that  part  of  America.  It  is  difficult  to  account  for  this ; 
but  climate,  excessive  smoking,  and  chewing  tobacco,  are  probably  important  causes. 
In  the  Canadas  I  am  informed  that  the  tendency  to  accumulate  fat  is  greater  than  in 
the  States." 

Among  Asiatics  examples  of  obesity  are  not  so  frequent  as  in  Europe ;  and  when  they 
are  met  with,  the  same  causes  that  I  have  already  alluded  to  are  in  operation.  In  Africa, 
among  savages  generally,  as  I  am  informed  by  several  travellers,  a  fat  man  (unless 
among  the  chiefs  and  kings)  is  but  rarely  seen  ;  but  the  women  are  not  unfreqnently 
fattened,  like  our  prize  pigs,  to  enhance  their  value,  and,  according  to  African  taste, 
to  jncreiae  their  beauty ;  and,  degrading  as  it  is  to  the  human  species,  a  useful  lesson 


THB  GROWTH,  MATUBITY,  AND  AGE  OP  ANIMALS.  145 

may  be  learned  by  the  agricaltnrist  from  the  method  of  fattening  these  sable  beauties, 
who  appear  greatiy  to  exceed  onr  prize  cattle  in  obesity.  Captain  Speke,  in  his  re- 
cent work  on  the  "  Discovery  of  the  Source  of  the  Nile,"  gives  some  amusing  examples 
of  this  kind.  I  quote  two  of  them  (p.  534) : — "  King  Kamrasis^  sisters  (Unyoro)  are 
not  allowed  to  wed,  and  they  die  virgins  in  his  palace.  Their  only  occupation  in  life 
consists  of  drinking  milk,  of  which  each  one  consumes  the  produce  of  from  ten  to 
twenty  cows,  aad  hence  they  become  so  inordinately  fat  that  they  cannot  walk.  If 
they  wish  to  see  a  relative  or  go  outside  the  hut,  it  requires  eight  men  to  lift  them  on 
a  litter."  Again,  he  describes  (p.  231)  the  sister-in-law  of  the  king  of  Earague : — 
"  She  was  another  of  those  wonders  of  obesity,  unable  to  stand,  except  on  all  fours ; 
her  body  was  as  round  as  a  ball.*'  Speke  saw  her  sucking  a  milkpot,  the  father 
standing  over  her  with  a  rod  to  compel  her  to  drink ;  and  on  measuring  this  woman 
the  following  were  the  proportions  of  the  various  parts  :  round  the  arm,  23  inches ; 
chest,  4  feet  4  inches ;  height^  5  feet  8  inches. 

Here  the  same  plan  of  forcing  is  adopted  as  in  feeding  prize  cattle,  turkeys,  geese, 
ortolans,  and  other  animals,  and  with  a  somewhat  similar  result. 

I  coold  quote  many  examples  in  this  country  of  excessive  obesity  occurring  (as  in 
the  case  of  Daniel  Lambert)  without  a  large  amount  of  fattening  material  having 
been  taken,  but  these  are  exceptions  to  the  general  rule.  Hereditary  disposition,  as 
with  the  lower  animals,  has  often  much  to  do  with  great  obesity  in  the  human  sub- 
ject; and  this  tendency  to  deposit  fat  is  difficult  to  overcome.  The  pamphlet  lately 
issued  by  Mr  Banting  induces  me  to  say  a  few  wordson  this  subject,  as  the  digression 
may  be  serviceable  to  some  of  my  readers  who  may  be  desirous  of  rushing  into  ex- 
tremes. Mr  Banting's  history  ma^  be  told  in  a  few  words ;  he  was  so  fat  that  he 
could  not  stoop  to  tie  his  shoe-string.  By  abstaining  as  much  as  possible  from  bread, 
butter,  milk,  sugar,  potatoes,  and  beer,  and  taking  chiefly  animal  food,  he  reduced 
himself  35  lb.  in  thirty-eight  weeks ;  and  is  now,  as  he  states  in  the  letter  that  has  been 
so  extensively  circulated  and  read,  in  good  health.  I  allude  to  this  pamphlet  only  for 
the  purpose  of  cautioning  those  of  my  middle-aged  readers  who  are  inclined  to  ex- 
treme obesity,  not  to  attempt  the  reduction  of  their  bulk  by  this  means  without  con- 
sulting their  medical  attendants.  An  animal  diet  would  be  highly  objectionable  to 
some  constitutions,  especially  to  those  prone  to  constipation ;  whereas  the  same  effect 
may  be  more  gradually  produced  by  reducing  the  quantity  of  the  food,  and  taking, 
when  practicable,  a  larger  amount  of  exercise. 

Let  all  men  who  have  readied  the  age  of  sixiy  beware  of  sudden  changes  in  diet 
and  drink, 

LowEB  Animals. 

Before  I  commence  this  part  of  my  subject,  viz.,  the  deposit  of  fat  in  the  lower 
animals,  I  may  premise  that  for  many  years  I  have  exaxnined  a  large  number  of 
foreign  animals  that  have  died  at  the  Regent's  Park  Zoological  Gardens  and  else- 
where, and  that  I  have  taken  notes  as  to  the  quantity  of  fat  in  all  Many  of  these 
animals,  it  may  be  remarked,  are  in  a  somewhat  similar  condition  to  our  stall-fed 
quadrupeds ;  tney  have  but  little  exercise,  eat  largely  and  regularly,  not  depending 
upon  the  somewhat  precarious  supply  of  food  they  often  obtain  in  a  state  of  nature. 

Among  the  apes  and  monkeys,  more  than  200  of  which  I  have  examined,  I  have 
rarely  found  any  amount  of  fat ;  but  both  the  Old  and  New  World  monkeys,  in  a 
state  of  nature  during  the  fruit  season,  are  often  very  fat.  I  have  recently  had  an 
opportunity  of  seeing  the  thoracic  and  abdominiJ  viscera  of  one  of  the  largest  gorillas 
(7\  OoriUa)  ever  brought  to  this  country,  and  the  intestines,  as  is  often  the  case  in 
the  hnman  subject,  were  abundantly  covered  with  fat. 

The  bats  in  a  wild  state,  previously  to  their  winter  sleep,  have  a  large  amount  of  fat 
in  their  bodies,  and  some  of  the  fruit-eating  bats  {Pteropi)  are  abundantly  supplied 
with  this  material 

Some  of  the  flesh-feeding  animals  in  confinement  ^re  excessively  fat.  I  have  seen, 
I  think,  a  larger  proportional  quantity  of  fat  in  a  leopard  than  in  the  sheep.  In  two 
Tasmanian  wolves  {Thylacini)  that  I  examined  some  years  since,  the  fat  was  not  only 
deposited  in  the  abdomen  and  under  the  skin,  but  the  interstices  of  the  muscles  were 
filled  with  &t  in  a  liquid,  oily  state.  These  animals  eat  enormously,  and  are  exclv  - 
sively  flesh-feeders.  Lap-dogs  I  have  seen  in  the  same  condition,  but  these  were  not 
fed  on  fledi  only.  Several  months  ago  an  old  Tibetean  mastiff  was  killed  at  the 
Zoological  Gardens,  and  the  man  who  flayed  it  obtained  36  lb.  of  fat,  and  by  boiling 
he  reckons  that  he  might  have  collected  double  the  quantity,  so  that  the  proportion, 
of  fat  in  this  dog  probably  exceeded  more  than  half  ila  weigVil. 


146  TBE  GROWTH,  MATURITY,  AND  AGE  OF  ANIMALS. 

All  the  bears  are  much  inclined  to  obesity.  In  the  grisly  bear,  sun  bear,  black 
bear,  brown  bear,  and  Polar  bear,  I  have  seen  immense  quantities  of  fat  in  the  abdo- 
men and  under  the  skin.  ^In  the  Polar  bear,  a  fish-feeder,  I  have  found  the  oily  fat 
to  pervade  all  the  tissues. 

The  beavers,  otters,  badgers,  and  hedgehogs,  are  often  excessively  fat,  especially  in 
the  autumn ;  indeed,  as  shown  by  Liebig,  the  hedgehog,  dormouse,  and  other  hyber- 
nating  animals,  require  this  carbonised  material  for  their  winter  store  of  fuel.  The 
armadillos,  which  in  South  America  are  considered  excellent  food,  are  sometimes,  in 
confinement,  one  mass  of  fat  and  oily  matter.  The  kangaroos,  too,  when  in  health, 
are  much  prone  to  fatten.  Among  the  ruminants,  the  deer  and  antelopes  are  not 
often  very  fat  in  confinement,  although  I  have  met  with  some  curious  exceptions. 

In  four  girafies  that  I  have  dissected,  I  found  but  very  little  fat  in  their  bodies.  A 
leucoryx  {A.  Leucoryx)  that  died  a  few  months  since  at  the  Zoological  Gardens, 
from  inversion  of  the  womb  during  calving,  had  37  lbs.  of  fat  in  the  abdomen,  and 
probably  as  large  a  quantity  might  have  been  collected  from  other  parts  of  the  body; 
but  the  most  remarkable  example  of  the  local  accumulation  of  fat  I  have  met  with 
occurred  in  an  eland  (Oreas  canna,)  a  large  antelope  that  was  killed  at  the  Zoologi- 
cal Gardens  in  1860.  The  animal,  from  old  age  and  disease,  was  emaciated  and 
unsightly,  and  was  therefore  destroyed.  The  only  fat  in  the  body  that  I  could  dis- 
cover was  a  large  solid  mass  around  the  heart,  which  weighed  8  lbs.  13  oz. ;  the  heart 
was  encased  in  this  dense  mass  of  fat,  so  that  no  part  of  it  was  visible. 

This  local  accumulation  of  fat  reminds  me  of  the  curious  deposits  in  the  tails  of 
the  Cape  sheep,  some  of  which  are  said  to  reach  the  great  weight  of  20  lbs.  The 
local  deposits  of  fat  in  the  zebu  and  other  wild  oxen  may  also  be  mentioned.* 

Whilst  speaking  of  the  eland,  I  take  this  opportunity  of  calling  the  attention  of 
agriculturists  to  this  animal,  as  one  that  is  likely  hereafter  to  be  acclimatised  and 
used  for  agricultural  purposes.  It  is  nearly  as  large  as  a  horse,  very  strong,  an 
excellent  walker,  and  very  hardy.  The  Zoological  Society  has  bred  twenty-three 
since  1852,  and  only  one  has  died  from  disease.  The  herd  at  Lord  Hill's,  Hawk- 
stone,  have  been  out  in  the  park  during  the  winter,  having  only  a  temporary  shed 
for  shelter.  The  horns  in  early  life  might  easily  be  got  rid  of,  and  castration  would, 
I  believe,  render  the  animal  perfectly  manageable.  The  flesh  is  excellent,  as  I  can 
testify  by  experience;  and  after  a  few  generations  this  antelope  would  probably 
fatten  as  readily  as  the  ox. 

There  is  another  animal  among  the  Pachyderms,  the  African  wart-hog,  {Phaco- 
chcerua  JEthiopicus^)  that  will,  I  believe,  hereafter  be  introduced  into  this  country 
for  the  purpose  of  endeavouring  to  effect  a  cross  with  our  English  hog.  I  have 
dissected  nearly  all  the  wild  hogs,  but  I  have  never  seen  in  these,  or  in  any  other 
animal,  the  ribs  so  thickly  covered  as  in  this  swine.  Mr  Bartlett,  the  superintendent 
at  the  Zoological  Gardens,  tells  me  that  Sir  George  Grey,  who  has  eaten  the  flesh  in 
Africa,  pronounces  it  excellent.  In  none  of  the  wild  hogs,  peccaries  or  tapirs,  that 
I  have  dissected,  have  I  found  a  large  amount  of  fat. 

It  has  been  stated  by  some  comparative  anatomists  that  no  fat  is  found  in  the 
body  of  the  elephant  when  in  confinement;  but  the  last  I  dissected,  which  died,  I 
believe,  from  fright  during  a  thunderstorm,  was  very  fat.  According  to  Gordon 
Gumming,  "  the  fat  of  the  elephant  (in  a  wild  state)  is  a  great'  luxury  to  the 
Cafires ;  it  lies  in  extensive  layers  and  sheets  in  his  inside,  and  the  quantity  that  is 
obtained  from  a  full-grown  bull  in  high  condition  is  very  great.  The  Cafires  enter 
the  immense  cavity  of  the  animal's  inside,  cut  the  fat  away  with  .their  assagais,  and 
hand  it  to  their  companions." 

There  is  a  curious  difference  between  the  hare  and  the  rabbit  as  regards  the 
accumulation  of  fat ;  it  is  seldom  met  with  in  the  body  of  the  former  in  any  quan- 
tity, but  rabbits  in  a  wild  state,  and  especially  in  confinement,  have  an  abundant 
supply.  The  Christmas  rabbits  in  London,  as  regards  obesity,  will  vie  with  the 
prize  ox  and  sheep.  The  opposite  habits  of  the  hare  and  rabbit  in  a  wild  state  will 
readily  account  for  the  difference,  the  comparative  deprivation  of  exercise  and  the 
frequent  absence  of  light  being  important  adjuncts  in  the  fattening  process.  There 
is  one  fact  connected  with  these  animals  which  I  think  may  properly  be  mentioned 
here — viz.,  the  cross-breed  between  the  hare  and  the  rabbit,  termed  "  leporine.'*  M. 
Boy,  of  Angouleme,  (France,)  by  keeping  very  young  hares  and  rabbits  togethcf)*,  has 

*  I  scarcely  need  add,  that  among  our  different  varieties  of  oxen  we  have  local  deposits  of  fitt; 
thuB  in  tfae  old  Suffolk  breed  the  internal  fat  is  very  great,  and  not  dispersed  about  the  muscles, 
as  it  should  be  in  a  well-bred  animal,  making  what  la  called  "  marbled  beef." 


THE  GROWTH,  MATURITY,  AND  AGE  OF  ANIMALS.  147 

obtained  a  cross  which  is  more  profitable  than  the  rabbit,  on  account  of  its  rapid 
growth  and  larger  size.  One  of  these  leporines,  which  I  examined,  was  bred  at  the 
gardens  of  the  Zoological  Society;  and  although  only  34  months  of  age,  it  weighed 
3  lbs.  11  oz.  M.  Roy  sends  large  quantities  of  these  leporines  to  the  neighbouring 
market  yearly,  and  finds  them  profitable.  I  have  entered  more  fully  into  this 
matter  in  the  **  Proceedings  of  the  Zoological  Society/'  March  1861.  The  circum- 
stance is  one  that  may  interest  some  of  my  readers  ;  but  I  mention  it  especially  in 
connexion  with  the  subject  I  am  writing  upon — viz.,  the  deposit  of  fat,  as  it  is  toler- 
ably certain  that  these  hybrids  (as  some  will  call  them)  may  be  fattened  to  a  large 
size.  In  concluding  this  necessarily  short  account  of  the  deposit  of  fat  in  the 
yarious  orders  of  quadrupeds,  I  may  mention  a  curious  fact  respecting  the  Cetacea; 
in  this  tribe  of  animals  the  Manate,  Dugong,  and  Stellarine  are  chiefly  vegetable 
feeders,  whereas  dolphins,  porpoises,  cachelots,  and  others,  live  on  animal  food ;  but 
the  proportion  of  fat  and  oil  is  greatly  exceeded  in  the  latter.  It  must,  however,  be 
remembered  that  the  food  of  the  animal-feeders  contains  a  large  amount  of  oily 
materiaL 

Birds, — Among  the  feathered  creation  we  have  some  extraordinary  instances  of 
wild  birds,  although  it  has  been  stated  by  some  writers  on  fatty  degeneration  in 
man  that  very  little  fat  is  generally  found  in  wild  animals.  As  is  well  known,  many 
of  the  web-footed  birds  (Palmipedes)  in  a  state  of  nature  f»'e  very  fat,  the  fat  being 
deposited  under  the  skin  as  well  as  in  the  abdominal  cavity;  a  beautiful  provision 
to  enable  these  birds  to  resist  extreme  cold,  by  the  abundant  supply  of  carbon,  and 
by  the  action  of  the  fat  as  a  non-conductor  of  heat.  An  Australian  goose,  (Cereopsis) 
weighing  about  10  lbs.,  that  lately  died  at  the  Zoological  Gardens,  had  34  lbs.  of  fat 
on  its  body;  and,  if  all  had 'been  collected  by  boiling,  probably  the  quantity  would 
have  amounted  to  5  or  6  lbs.,  although  this  bird  wsua  not  intentionally  fattened. 

The  body  of  the  storm-petrel.  Mother  Carey's  chicken,'(T.  Wilsonu,)ia  often  so  impreg- 
nated with  Jbtand  oil,  that  some  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  Hebrides  make  candles  of 
them  by  drawing  a  rush  through  the  body.  All  the  petrels,  as  is  well  known,  when 
taken,  throw  up  a  large  quantity  of  pure  oil  from  the  stomach.  These  birds  are  ex- 
clusively fii^-feeders,  and  it  Is  more  than  probable  that  the  oil  is  at  once  converted 
into  fatty  matter.  One  of  the  most  wonderful  instances  of  rapid  growth  and  abun- 
dant deposit  of  fatty  material  occurs  in  the  young  of  the  American  passenger-pigeon. 
These  birds  are  said  to  have  seven  or  eight  broods  in  the  year.  In  twenty-three  days 
from  the  deposit  of  the  egg  the  young  bird  can  fly,  being  fully  fledged  on  the  eighth 
day.  So  numerous  are  these  birds  that  waggons  and  carts  are  sent  to  the  place  of 
nidification,  and  many  tons  of  fat  are  collected  from  the  young  pigeons,  which  are 
stated  to  resemble  lumps  of  butter.  In  many  of  our  wild  British  birds  I  have  found 
a  large  amount  of  fat,  especially  in  the  flesh-feeders ;  in  the  common  barn-owl  in 
winter  I  have  seen  as  much  fat  as  in  any  wild  vegetable-feeder.  In  foreign  birds,  in 
confinement,  I  have  not  met  with  so  large  a  quantity  of  fat  as  in  the  quadrupeds ; 
but  many  of  these  have  been  afiected  with  tubercular  disease  a  long  time  before 
death.  In  the  ostrich  family — ostrich,  rhea,  moruk,  cassuary,  emu,  and  the  great 
bustard,  in  confinement — I  have  found  a  large  amount  of  fatty  material  under  the 
skin  and  in  other  parts.  In  one  specimen  of  the  African  ostrich  the  fat  collected 
weighed  as  much  as  30  lbs.,  and  was  two  inches  in  thickness  under  the  skin  of  the 
back. 

BeptUes, — Turtles,  as  is  well  known,  are  largely  furnished  with  fatty  matter,  and 
the  same  remark  will  apply  to  tortoises,  especially  at  certain  seasons.  I  have  dis- 
sected many  alligators  and  crocodiles  in  confinement,  but  in  none  of  them  have  I 
found  any  large  amount  of  fat ;  although  probably  in  a  state  of  nature  this  material 
is  often  abim(£bnt.  In  many  of  the  lizards,  as  in  the  iguanas,  fat  is  stored  up  in  great 
abundance,  as  I  have  seen  in  several  that  have  recently  arrived  in  this  country.  In 
tlie  lurge  pythons  and  boa-constrictors  I  have  found  several  pounds  of  fat  deposited 
in  button-like  flakes  in  the  abdomen ;  in  some  that  had  not  fed  for  many  months  the 
fat  has  been  abundant :  but  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  absence  of  animal-heat 
and  the  comparative  inactivity  of  the  respiratory  functions  will  readily  account  for 
the  non-absorption  of  this  element  for  the  process  of  combustion. 

Many  fishes,  as  is  well  known,  are  highly  impregnated  with  oil,  although  the  pre- 
sence of  solid  fat  is  less  frequent  in  this  class.  From  a  part  only  of  the  flesh  of  a 
tunny  {Thifnnus  vulgaris)  that  I  dissected  some  years  since,  I  obtained  five  quarts  of 
oil.  When  tiie  quantity  of  oily  matter  in  fish  is  considered,  the  great  obesity  of  many 
birds  that  prey  upon  them  is  readily  accounted  for. 

In  many  of  the  invertebrate  animals  large  quantities  of  fatty  matter  are  ^tot^dxij^v 


148  THE  GBOWTH,  MATURITY,  AND  AGE  OF  ANIMALS. 

Some  insects  both  in  the  larval  and  perfect  states  are  abundantly  supplied  with  it. 
The  larva  of  the  goat-moth,  {G.  ligniperda,)  so  injurious  to  the  wood  of  the  elm,  is 
largely  supplied  with  fatty  matter,  and  the  common  cockchafer,  (M.  vtUgaru,)  so 
destructive  in  some  districts  (both  in  its  larval  and  pupal  states)  to  vegetation  is  abun- 
dantly furnished  with  fat  and  oil.  In  M.  de  Tschudi's  treatise  **  On  the  Destructive 
Insects  and  on  the  immense  Utility  of  Birds,"  it  is  stated  that  "  16  measures  of  cock- 
chafers yield  six  of  oil,  and  that  a  fair  sort  of  cart-grease  may  be  made  from  them.*' 
It  must  be  remembered  that  sometimes  these  insects  are  collected  by  cart-loads. 

A  few  words  will  suffice  to  show  the  practical  bearing  of  the  foregoing  researches 
upon  the  question  we  are  investigating.  Most  animals,  whether  man  or  brute,  if  well 
fed  and  deprived  of  their  natural  amount  of  exercise,  have  a  tendency  to  produce  fat, 
the  wear  and  tear  of  tissue  being  reduced,  and  the  quantity  of  carbon  required  for 
the  respiratory  and  heat-forming  functions  being  considerably  in  excess.  The  asser-  < 
tion  of  Liebig,  however,  that  wild  animals  are  not  inclined  to  fatten,  is  not  correct. 
I  could  give  many  examples  of  animals  in  foreign  countries.  Lieutenant  Buigess, 
whose  interesting  papers  on  some  of  the  Indian  birds  are  published  in  the  ''  Proceed- 
ings of  the  Zoological  Society,"  tells  me  that  he  has  not  unfrequently  shot  very  fat 
birds  in  India ;  and  I  could  greatly  multiply  the  instances  I  have  already  given  in 
our  own  country,  both  as  regards  birds  and  quadrupeds,  excluding,  of  course,  the 
hybemating  animals  in  the  autumn. 

On  the  Form,  Length,  and  Weight  of  the  Viscera  of  some  of  our  Domestic  Quadru- 
peds and  Birds  ;  and  on  the  Best  and  most  Economical  Methods  of  Fattening 
these  Animals, 

Let  me  briefly  consider  the  form  and  length  of  the  digestive  apparatus,  and  the  secre- 
tions poured  into  it  in  some  of  our  domestic  animals  in  connexion  with  the  deposit  of  fat, 
and  I  will  take  the  ox  as  the  best  illustration.  First,  we  have  a  stomach  of  enormous 
capacity :  that  of  a  bull  that  I  examined  held  20  gallons  of  water,  and  I  have  known 
more  than  6  bushels  of  turnips  taken  out  of  the  stomach  of  a  working  ox  that  was 
*'  blown."  The  intestinal  canal  of  the  ox  measures  from  120  to  140  feet ;  the  salivary 
glands  about  the  mouth  furnish  several  pounds  of  saliva  daily ;  the  liver  probably 
from  20  to  30  lbs.  of  bile;  and  the  pancreas,  (lower  sweetbread,)  about  10  or  12  lbs.  of 
pancreatic  juice.  Besides  these  fluids,  which  are  poured  into  the  digestive  tube,  the 
stomach  and  intestinal  glands  and  mucous  surface  supply  a  laige  amount  of  secretion, 
the  quantities  of  which  have  been  variously  estimated  by  different  physiologists. 
The  viscera  of  the  ox  I  find  weigh  in  ounces  about  as  follows : — Lungs,  without  wind- 
pipe, 128;  heart,  80;  liver,  240;  pancreas,  15;  spleen,  (melt,)  30.  The  kidneys  do 
not  go  with  the  oflTal.  In  the  sheep,  as  I  have  stated  in  my  "  Essay  on  Lamb  Disease," 
vol.  xi.  p.  88,  the  alimentary  tube  varies  from  109  to  117  feet.  The  viscera  in  ounces 
are  about  the  undernamed :— Lungs,  22 ;  heart,  9 ;  Hver,  40  ;  pancreas,  2^ ;  spleen,  3. 
In  ruminants,  in  addition  to  the  large  stomach,  the  projecting  villi  and  folds  of  the 
lining  membrane  increase  the  absorbing  surface  to  an  enormous  extent.  In  the  pig 
the  stomach  is  less  complicated,  but  not  resembling,  as  is  often  stated,  that  of  man. 
The  length  of  the  digestive  tube  is  from  70  to  90  feet;  the  viscera,  in  ounces,  about 
the  following: — Lungs,  24;  heart,  84;  liver,  56;  pancreas,  6;  spleen,  5.  These 
numbers  are  the  averages  of  many  that  I  have  weighed ;  as  regards  the  length  of  the 
alimentary  canal  much  will  depend  upon  the  age  of  the  animal,  and  I  may  remark 
that  in  all  fat  animals  the  viscera  are  relatively  small.  The  length  of  the  intestinal 
canal  of  the  horse  varies,  I  find,  from  80  to  108  feet  In  our  domestic  and  game 
birds,  the  length  of  the  digestive  tube,  including  the  appendages,  is  given  in  inches : 
—Cock,  94  to  110;  hen,  84  to  90;  turkey,  105  to  120;  guinea  fowl,  76 ;  pheasant, 
74  to  90;  gray  partridge,  46;  capercailzie,  206;  red  grouse,  76;  wood  pigeon,  115; 
goose,  120  to  140 ;  tame  duck,  111 ;  wUd  duck,  86.  The  above  are  entirely  from  my 
own  measurements. 

The  same  secretions  as  those  named  in  quadrupeds  are  poured  into  the  digestive 
tube  of  birds :  viz.,  salivary,  biliary»  &iid  pancreatic ;  but  the  salivary  secretion  is 
much  less,  being  compensated  for  by  the  large  amount  of  glandular  secretion  anterior 
to  the  gizzard.  I  may  remark  that  the  fattening  propensities  of  an  animal  do  not 
depend  altogether  on  the  length  of  the  alimentary  canal ;  thus,  in  an  old  giraflTe  that 
I  examined,  the  intestinal  tract  attained  the  great  length  of  254  feet.  In  the  Tas- 
manian  wolf,  however,  before  mentioned,  the  digestive  tube  measured  only  6  feet  6 
inches,  not  much  exceeding  double  the  length  of  the  body.  The  girafie  was  devoid  of 
fat,  but  the  wolf,  an  animal-feeder,  was  abundantly  supplied  with  it.* 

♦  ^  Proceedings  of  Zoological  Society,"  1865-1864. 


THS  GROWTH  MATUBTTT,  AND  AGE  OF  ANDCALfiL  149 

Before  I  agetik  of  the  b«gi  and  most  economical  methods  of  fattening  the  ox, 
sheep,  and  pig,  let  me  bring  to  the  notice  of  the  reader  a  few  facts  connected  with 
the  rapid  deposit  of  fat  in  some  of  the  smaller  animals,  that  may  serve  as  sign-posts 
on  the  way.  Some  of  the  best  ezamides  in  this  respect  may  be  adduced  among 
Inrds  and  animals  that  have  a  higher  temperatore  and  a  more  rapid  circulation  than 
quadrupeds. 

The  turkey  has,  by  artifidal,  unnatural  feeding,  reached  the  enormous  weight  of 
36  lbs.,  and  three  geese  wore  exhibited  at  the  Birmingham  Show,  1854,  that  averaged 
more  than  26  lbs.  each.  The  Aylesbury  du^  too,  has  reached  the  weight  of  12  lbs. 
The  most  ^proved  method  of  kittening  the  first-named  bird  in  Norfolk,  as  I  am  in- 
formed, is  by  thick  barley-meal,  adding  bean-meal  occasionally,  keeping  at  the  same 
time  a  good  supply  of  brickHdnst  in  the  coop,  of  which  the  birds  will  eat  a  great  deal : 
they  are  also  kept  in  a  dark  place,  and  let  out  for  an  hour  each  day.  The  system 
varies  somewhat  with  different  people :  thus  some  add  suet  to  the  barley-meaL  I  be- 
lieve the  absence  of  light,  as  one  of  the  means  of  fattening  the  ox  and  the  pig,  is  not 
sufiiciently  .appreciated  by  the  agriculturists  of  the  country ;  and,  without  adopting 
the  cruel  practices  thai  have  been  resorted  to  by  some,  and  at  the  mention  of  which 
every  Englishman  will  be  di^usted,  buildings  might  be  constructed  so  as  to  admit 
only  a  very  moderate  amount  of  light,  and  at  the  same  time  be  properly  ventilated. 
In  a  recent  article  on  Obesity  by  Dr  Foissac,  L'  Union  Midicale  de  Paris,  March, 
1864,  it  is  stated  that  "  the  farmers  of  Bresse  put  out  the  eves  of  their  poultry  to 
fatten  them,"  and  other  authorities  assert  that  the  feet  of  geese  have  been  nailed  to 
the  bottom  of  the  coop,  that  they  might, be  more  readily  fattened.  It  is  likewise  said 
that  the  wild  hog  of  India  will  only  fatten  in  confinement  when  its  eyelids  are  sown 
up,  its  restless  dispoution  being  corrected  by  this  meana  But  one  of  the  most  re- 
markable instances  of  the  effect  of  inordinate  and  artificial  feeding  is  exhibited  in 
the  ortolan,  {Emberiza  hortuUma,)  a  small  bird  not  unlike  our  yellow-hammer.  The 
habit  of  the  bird  is  to  feed  at  sunrise.  According  to  Playfair,  the  ortolans  are  placed 
in  a  warm  chamber  perfectly  dark,  with  only  one  aperture  in  the  wall ;  their  food  is 
scattered  over  the  floor,  and  at  a  certain  hour  of  the  morning  the  keeper  of  the  birds 
places  a  lantern  in  the  orifice  of  the  wall.  This  induces  the  birds  to  believe  that  the 
sun  is  about  to  rise,  and  they  greedily  consume  the  food.  The  lantern,  after  three  or 
'  four  hours,  is  again  used,  and  repeated  four  or  five  times  daily,  so  that  the  birds,  in- 
stead of  getting  one  ftfll  meal  daily,  are  supplied  with  five  or  six,  and  in  a  few  days 
become  iSlo  little  balls  of  fat 

In  the  next  part  of  my  subject  I  shall  not  presume  to  dictate  to  the  practical 
farmer,  whose  knowledge  of  the  best  methods  of  fattening  our  domestic  animals  is 
much  superior  to  my  own,  although  the  old  adage  of  "  Doctors  differ"  is  quite  as  ap- 
plicable, I  think,  to  the  cultivators  of  the  soil.  My  object  wiU  rather  be  to  place 
certain  conmion-sense  matters  (as  I  believe)  in  a  small  compass  before  the  reader,  so 
as  to  refresh  his  memory  with  principles,  rather  than  with  practical  information. 

In  fattening  an  animal — ox,  sheep,  or  pig — the  important  requisites  are  rest  and 
quiet,  a  moderate  temperature,  a  clean  bed,  subdued  light,  proper  ventilation,  a  good 
supply  of  water,  the  destruction  of  parasites,  epizoa,  (by  brush,  currycomb,  or  other 
means,)  and  the  selection  of  food  that  contains  the  nitrogenous  and  non-nitrogenous 
elements  in  due  and  proper  proportions,  so  as  to  obtain  an  adequate  supply  of  the 
flesh-forming  and  fat-forming  materials ;  the  food  should  be  given  at  regular  inter- 
vals, and  in  such  quantities  that  none  may  be  left. 

Among  the  watery  foods  are  turnips,  mangold-wurtzel,  carrots,  potatoes,  cabbage, 
tares,  Incem,  and  the  natural  and  artificial  grasites :  whilst  in  the  dry  foods  a  more 
extensive  bill  of  fare  presents  itself  such  as  linseed — ^boiled,  crushed,  or  in  cake ; 
cotton,  rape,  and  poppy  cake ;  bran,  wheat,  barley,  oat,  pea,  and  bean  meals ;  Indian 
com,  malt-combs,  locust-beans,  lentUs,  lupines ;  hay,  clover,  and  straw-chaff.  Treacle 
and  sugar,  to  the  amount  of  from  half  a  pound  to  a  pound,  daily,  may  also  be  profit- 
ably add^  in  some  instances,  and  I  believe  the  addition  of  some  carminative  seeds 
or  oil,  such  as  cummin,  aniseed,  and  caraway,  would  often  have  a  good  effect.  Vege- 
table bitters,  too^as  gentian,  quassia,  wormwood,  and  hop — I  think  might  frequency 
be  employed  advantageously.  I  am  not  aware  that  their  use  has  ever  before  been  re- 
commend^, but  they  would  probably  give  a  "  fillip"  to  the  stomach,  and  excite  it  to 
take  a  larger  amount  of  food.  Salt,  yeast,  and  other  additions,  have  been  recom- 
mended by  some  feeders. 

In  looking  at  the  composition  of  the  different  kinds  of  food  that  I  have  enume- 
rated above,  it  is  necessary  to  bear  in  mind  that  the  roots,  vegetables,  and  fresh 
grasses  contoin  from  85  to  98  per  cent,  of  water ;  that  these,  with  the  exception  of 


150  THE  GROWTH,  MATUBITY,  AND  AGE  OF  ANIMALS. 

the  dry,  natural,  and  artificial  grasses,  which  contain  about  1 J  to  2  per  cent  of  fatty 
matter,  have  but  very  little  fat  in  them ;  that  the  meals  and  cakes  contain  from  7  to 
14  per  cent,  of  water;  and  that  the  percentage  of  fat  contained  in  the  undermentioned 
articles  of  food  is  about  as  follows,  the  proportion  of  course  varying  somewhat  in 
different  samples  : — Flour,  1*2 ;  Indian  meal,  77 ;  peas,  2 ;  beans,  2  ;  rice,  0*7 ;  bar- 
ley, 0*3;  potatoes,  0*2;  cotton-seed,  23*50;  rape-ca^e,  11 ;  linseed-cake,  12. 

The  percentage  of  sugar  contained  in  the  following  articles  of  food  is  about  as  un- 
der:— Wheat,  5'5;  rye,  374;  beans,  2;  peas,  2;  potato,  3*2;  sweet  potato,  {Convolv. 
BaJtataSy)  10'20;  Jerusalem  artichoke,  14  or  15;  beetroot,  10;  sugar-cane,  20. 

Of  the  albuminous  and  flesh-forming  materials  beans  contain  31  per  cent. ;  peas, 
22;  lentils,  33;  oats,  11;  barley-meal,  14;  hay,  8;  turnips,  1;  carrots,  2;  red-beet, 
1 J ;  potatoes,  2.    The  above  are  taken  from  different  authorities. 

In  selecting  the  above  foods,  as  has  been  fully  explained  by  various  writers,  much 
must  depend  upon  the  locality,  the  nature  of  the  crops,  the  age  of  the  animal,  the 
state  of  the  market,  and  other  circumstances,  that  the  feeder  only  can  determine. 
The  quantity  of  live  weight  produced  by  a  given  amount  of  food  has  been  estimated 
by  several  investigators.  Thus  it  is  said  that  150  lbs.  of  turnips  will  produce  a  pound 
of  flesh;  according  to  Mr  Lawes,  ("  Journal  of  Royal  Agricultural  Society,"  1862,  p. 
215,)  100  lbs.  live  weight  of  fattening  ox  should  produce  1  lb.  increase  per  week,  the 
animal  taking  12  or  13  lb.  of  dry  substance  to  produce  it.  In  a  fattening  sheep,  100 
lbs.  live  weight  should  yield  1  j  lbs.  of  increase  per  week,  the  animal  consuming  15 
or  16  lbs.  of  dry  food.  In  a  fattening  pig,  100  lbs.  live  weight  should  yield  5  or 
6  lbs.  of  increase  per  week,  26  to  28  lbs.  of  dry  food  being  taken  to  produce  it.  So 
that  for  1  lb.  increase  of  oxen,  12  or  13  lbs.  of  dry  food  are  required ;  for  a  sheep,  9 
lbs. ;  and  a  pig,  4  or  5  lbs. 

For  other  information  respecting  the  rate  of  increase,  I  refer  the  reader  to  the 
various  papers  of  Dr  Gilbert  and  Mr  Lawes,  to  the  communications  of  Messrs  Chil- 
ders,  Coleman,  McDoual,  and  Templeton,  in  the  "  Journal  of  the  Royal  Agricultural 
Society,"  and  to  articles  on  the  same  subject  in  other  journals. 

I  will  say  a  few  words  on  the  feeding  of  the  pig.  This  animal  in  a  wild  state  eats 
a  large  amount  of  animal  food ;  few  things  in  the  shape  of  snakes,  lizards,  frogs,  and 
smaller  animals,  come  amiss  to  him.  In  some  districts  in  America  he  has  cleared 
the  country  of  rattle-snakes.  A  few  years  since  it  was  discovered  that  a  man  in  Paris 
was  feeding  a  large  number  of  pigs  on  horseflesh,  and  some  of  the  Government  offi- 
cials interfered,  believing  that  the  meat  was  not  fit  for  human  food.  I  have  reason, 
however,  to  believe  that  the  introduction  of  a  small  quantity  of  animal  food  will  be 
beneficial  during  the  fattening  process.  Tb  show  how  much  the  quality  of  the  flesh 
is  influenced  by  the  nature  of  the  food,  a  gentleman  of  my  acquaintance  had  some 
pigs  near  to  a  salt-water  river,  where  there  was  a  great  mortality  among  the  eels 
(conger  and  common.)  The  swine  fox  some  time  ate  largely  of  these  and  fattened 
well,  but  the  flesh  was  so  fishy,  that,  when  the  pigs  were  sent  to  London,  the  sales- 
man was  obliged  to  return  the  money.  One  of  the  most  curious  examples  that  I 
have  met  with  of  pig-fattening  is  recorded  in  the  Leeds  Intelligencer ^  August,  1850  : 
— *^  Mr  Outhwaite  fed  a  pig  on  rum  and  new  milk,  and  in  ten  days  it  increased  from 
87  stone  10  lbs.  to  42  stone  12  lbs.,  drinking  three  tumblers  of  rum  daily,  and  being 
constantly  intoxicated."  This  animal  when  fed  on  milk  and  ale  did  not  increase  so 
rapidly. 

On  the  Supposed  Injurious  Effects  Produced  by  the  Excessive  Obesity  of  &ie 
Ox,  Sheep,  and  Pig, 
A  great  outcry  has  bee^  raised  of  late  against  the  supposed  cruelty  and  injurious 
effects  occasioned  by  the  excessive  deposit  of  fat  in  some  of  our  prize  animals.  I 
confess  that  I  am  unable  to  see  the  force  of  the  objections  that  are  generally  urged 
against  the  system.  Mr  Gant  in  1858,  in  a  pamphlet  extensively  circulated  among 
the  press,  "  On  the  Overfeeding  of  Prize  Cattle,"  dedicated  to  the  Agriculturists  of 
Great  Britain,  &c.,  says,  in  1857  he  saw  at  Smithfield  Cattle  Show  oxen,  sheep,  and 
pigs,  of  an  enormous  size  as  compared  to  their  age ;  and  he  adds,  **  when  he  con- 
trasted the  enormous  bulk  of  each  animal  with  the  short  period  in  which  so  much 
fat  or  flesh  had  been  produced,  he  naturally  indulged  in  a  physiological  reflection  on 
high  pressure  against  time,  which  certain  vital  internal  organs— as  the  stomach, 
liver,  heart,  and  lungs — must  have  undergone  at  a  very  early  age,  and  on  microsco- 
pical examination  he  found  in  the  heart  and  in  other  parts  muscular  fibre  replaced 
by  fat,**  &c.  I  can  scarcely  conceive  a  greater  amount  of  enjoyment  among  the  lower 
aoimals  than  these  brutes  experience,  in  the  good  feeding  they  take  to  bring  them 


^     SHEARIKG  MABKET  SHEEP  IN  WINTER.  151 

into  ibis  condition ;  and  their  constant  state  of  rest  prevents,  as  I  believe,  anything 
approaching  to  crnelty.  The  breeding  of  an  animal  is  tcst(Ml,  to  a  great  extent,  by 
the  quantity  of  fat  that  can  be  pnt  on  its  carcass  in  a  short  time;  and  he  who  can 
bring  an  ox  at  the  age  of  eighteen  months  to  the  same  weight  as  formerly  was  attained 
in  four  years,  I  think,  in  the  present  increasing  state  of  our  population,  is  doing  a 
good  service  to  the  public.  I  scarcely  need  say  that  an  ill-bred  animal  will  eat  as 
much  or  more  food,  and  the  rate  of  increase  will  be  much  less.  Fat,  moreover,  is  a 
valuable  article  of  diet ;  for,  a  poor  woman  with  a  large  family  can  make  a  pound  of 
fat  go  further  than  the  same  weight  of  lean :  and,  on  the  score  of  health,  I  believe 
no  objection  can  fairly  be  urged  against  the  meat  of  these  obese  animals.  It  is  not 
pretended  that  this  large  accumulation  of  fat  is  directly  remunerative  to  the  feeder, 
but  indirectly  it  is  beneficial  to  him  and  to  the  public  also,  by  showing  the  breed, 
value,  and  quality,  of  the  animal. 

Professor  Brown,  in  the  last  number  of  the  "  Journal,"  takes  objection  to  the  for- 
cing system,  especially  as  regards  the  artificial  induction  of  disease.  I  fail,  however, 
to  discover  the  practical  nature  of  this  objection.  I  have  made  inquiries  among  ex- 
tensive breeders  and  feeders  of  cattle,  and  1  cannot  learn  that  fat,  stall-fed  animals 
are  more  liable  to  disease  than  lean  ones.  On  asking  a  large  grazier  lately  which 
were  the  most  healthy — the  fat  or  lean  animals — his  reply  was  **  the  fat  beasts." 
Again,  in  the  report  by  Professor  Gamgee,  "  On  fee  Health  of  Stock,  1863,"  not  one 
of  the  250  communicants  speaks  of  disease  specially  in  fat  catthe.  I  can  find  no  dis- 
ease which  they  are  particularly  prone  to,  with  the  exception  of  splenic  apoplexy,  an 
affection,  as  I  stated  in  a  former  paper  on  that  subject,  that  more  especially  attacks 
animals  that  are  fat  or  suddenly  repleted.  From  the  more  isolated  position  of  beasts 
in  sheds,  I  believe  that  they  are  leas  liable  to  pleuro-pneumonia  or  foot  and  mouth 
disease  than  lean  animals,  that  are  more  exposed  to  contagion  and  to  depressing 
causes.  There  is  one  curious  affection  that  I  have  found  in  fat  animals,  sheep  espe- 
cially that  are  fed  largely  on  beetroot  and  oilcake.  They  are  subject  to  a  crystalline 
deposit  in  the  bladder,  that  blocks  up  the  urethra  (the  urinary  passage),  and  thus 
occasions  death.  I  have  known  many  very  valuable  rams  die  from  this  cause.  I 
have  also  met  with  cases  of  jaundice  from  gall-stones  in  sheep  and  oxen,  from  the 
large  amount  of  saccharine  matter  contained  in  their  food.  It  is  a  curious  fact,  that 
London  cows  that  are  fed  much  on  grains  are  not  unfrequently  affected  with  these 
concretions  in  the  gall-bladder,  whilst  grass-fed  oxen  never  have  them.  A  useful 
hint  to  those  who  are  troubled  with  these  calculi. 

My  essay  has  so  much  exceeded  its  intended  limits,  that  I  have  been  obliged  to 
omit  the  record  of  my  experiments,  and  of  other  matters  that  must  be  for  the  present 
deferred. 

42  Beaufobt  Street,  Chelsea,  1864. 


SHEARING  MARKET  SHEEP  IN  WINTER. 
{From  the  Times  of  February  20, 1865.) 

Clerkenwell. — On  Saturday,  Mr  William  Pratt,  a  sheep  salesman  at  Oxford  and 
the  Metropolitan  Cattle  Market,  appeared  to  an  information  laid  against  him  by  Mr 
Love  in  behalf  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Royal  Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to 
Animals,  which  charged  him  with  "  having  cruelly  ill-treated  certain  sheep  at  the 
New  Cattle  Market,  by  exposing  the  same  for  sale  when  shorn  of  their  fleeces,  there- 
by contravening  the  Statute  12th  and  13th  of  Victoria,  cap.  92." 

Mr  Ricketts,  solicitor,  of  Frederick  Street,  Gray's-Inn  Road,  prosecuted ;  Mr 
Stammers  was  for  the  defendant. 

Mr  Ricketts  said  that  the  Society  was  aware  that,  in  taking  these  proceedings  it 
was  placing  itself  in  antagonism  to  a  very  large  body  of  graziers  and  others,  whose 
interests  it  immediately  affected.  One  thing  was  certain,  that  if  the  law  were  ever 
put  in  force  against  the  salesman  the  practice  must  sooner  or  later  cease. 

Mr  D'Eyncourt  said  it  appeared  to  him  that  the  case  must  fail  at  the  outset,  as  the 
wrong  person  was  before  him.  The  grazier  or  farmer  who  sent  the  sheep  up  should 
be  proceeded  against,  not  the  salesman. 

Mr  Ricketts  said  that  before  the  grazier  could  be  brought  forward,  it  would  be 
necessary  to  find  out  who  he  was,  and  where  he  was  to  be  found,  and  there  was  more 


152  SHEABIXQ  SUBEET  SHEEP  IN  WINTER. 

difficulty  in  that  than  the  magistrate  might  imagine.  It  was  very  difficult  to  get 
hold  of  the  owners ;  for  if  the  salesmen,  the  drovers,  or  any  one  else  in  connexion 
with  the  market,  were  asked  to  whom  the  animals  exposed  for  sale  belonged,  their 
invariable  answer  was,  that  they  did  not  know. 

Mr  Love  said  the  most  strenuous  endeavours  had  been  made  in  this  case  to  find 
out  the  consigners,  but  without  success. 

Inspector  James  Rutherford,  an  officer  in  the  employ  of  the  Royal  Society  for  the 
Prevention  of  Cruelty  to  Animals,  described  the  state  in  which  he  saw  the  sheep  on 
the  20th  of  January,  which  were  standing  without  cloths,  shivering,  shaking  from 
head  to  feet,  and  their  backs  set  up  in  the  form  of  an  arch.  He  told  the  defendant 
he  ought  to  have  cloths  on  the  sheep  on  such  a  cold  and  wet  day,  and  a  short  time 
afterwards  some  cloths  were  put  on. 

Inspector  Joseph  Dobie,  an  officer  in  the  employ  of  the  Society,  and  Police-con- 
stable Floyd,  449  A^  corroborated  the  inspector. 

Mr  George  Tegg,  veterinary  surgeon  and  inspector  to  the  Metropolitan  Cattle 
Market,  saw  the  sheep  trembling  and  suffering  from  the  weather.  They  suffered  pain 
from  having  been  clipped  and  then  placed  in  an  open  market  The  effect  of  the 
cold  would  be  death  to  a  great  many.  Sheep  thus  exposed  died  of  inflammation  of 
the  bowels.    The  slaughter-men  call  them  ''  chilled  sheep.*' 

Professor  Charles  Spooner,  chief  of  the  Veterinary  College,  had  heard  the  evidence 
of  the  witnesses.  He  considered  the  expansion  of  the  nerves  of'  the  skin  of  the 
animal  consequent  upon  the  removal  of  the  wool,  which  was  the  natural  covering, 
would  have  the  effect  of  producing  very  serious  suffering.  An  aching  pain  was  pro- 
duced from  exposure  to  the  cold.  If  you  took  the  natural  covering  from  an  animal, 
you  exposed  all  the  nerves  of  the  skin,  and  the  blood  was  prevented  from  proper  cir- 
culation. He  had  not  the  least  hesitation  in  saying  that  the  mutton  was  influenced, 
and  that  it  was  affected  in  the  taste.  It  was  less  palatable.  The  putting  cloths  on 
sheep  would  mitigate  the  evil,  not  altogether  prevent  it. 

Mr  Arthur  Cherry,  veterinary  surgeon  to  the  Metropolitan  Police,  gave  similar 
evidence. 

Mr  Stammer^,  for  the  defence,  said  the  practice  now  complained  of  was  not  a 
matter  of  a  few  days  or  months,  but  had  been  the  practice  of  the  farmers  of  this 
country  from  time  immemorial.  If  the  Legislature  had  intended  that  sheep  should 
not  be  shorn  and  sent  to  market  in  that  state,  it  would  have  stated  so ;  but  the  2d 
section  of  the  12th  and  13th  of  Victoria,  cap.  92— the  Cruelty  to  Animals  Prevention 
Act — did  not  say  anything  of  the  kind ;  and  he  should  call  witnesses  to  prove  that 
the  sheep  did  not  belong  to  the  defendant,  but  were  consigned  to  him. 

William  Pratt  said, — I  am  the  son  of  the  defendant,  and  I  assist  my  father  in  his 
business.  The  sheep  in  question  were  not  my  father's  sheep,  but  they  were  consigned 
to  hioL 

Cross-examined  by  Mr  Ricketts. — My  father  had  30  clipped  sheep  in  the  !i!!etropo- 
Htan  Cattle  Market  on  the  26th  of  January  last.  I  do  not  know  who  consigned 
them.  [The  witness  refused  to  answer  the  question  who  consigned  the  sheep  several 
times,  and  said  he  was  not  prepared  to  do  so.] 

Mr  Ricketts  said  he  was  determined  to  have  an  answer  to  the  question,  and  if  an 
answer  was  not  given  he  should  ask  the  magistrate  to  commit  the  witness  for  con- 
tempt of  court. 

Mr  D'Eyncourt  ruled  that  the  witness  must  answer  the  question. 

Ihe  witness  then  said  the  sheep  belonged  to  Mr  Thomas  Acres,  of  Black  Bourton, 
near  Oxford,  and  that  lie  saw  the  sheep  in  Oxford  market  the  day  before  they  were 
brought  to  the  London  market.    They  were  brought  to  London  in  covered  vans. 

Mr  Henry  James  HoneybuU,  a  butcher  in  Queen's  Crescent,  Haverstock  Hill,  pur- 
chased 10  of  the  sheep,  and  they  were  in  very  good  condition.  They  were  not 
chilled  at  all    They  were  killed  the  same  day,  between  4  and  5, 

Mr  D*Eyncourt  said,  that  even  if  the  case  had  been  proved  against  Mr  Pratt^  he 
would  not  have  inflicted  a  fine,  owing  to  the  long  practice.  The  evidence  was  so 
strong,  however,  that  if  another  case  of  the  kind  were  brought  before  him  he  should 
feel  inclined  to  convict  His  own  impression  was  that  the  salesman  was  bound  to 
soil  the  sheep,  and  that  if  he  was  careless  in  the  business  he,  to  a  certain  extent, 
participated  in  the  cruelty,  although  the  consigner  was  most  to  blame. 

Mr  Ricketts. — Do  I  understand  you  to  say  the  salesmen  are  not  liable  ? 

Mr  D'Eyncourt. — Sufficient  for  the  day  is  the  evil  thereof.    Every  case  must  rest 
on  its  own  merits, 
^sis  were  applied  for  and  refused. 


"  foot-eot"  in  sheep.  153 


"FOOT-ROT"  IN  SHEEP;  WITH  OBSERVATIONS  UPON  THE  ALLIED 
DISEASES  IN  OTHER  ANIMALS. 

By  Q.  T.  Brown,  M.R.C.V.S.,  late  Veterinary  Professor  in  the  Royal  Agricultural 
College,  Cirencester. 

Upon  the  cavse  and  nature  of  "  foot-rot,"  as  of  many  other  diseases  affecting  agricul- 
tural stock,  much  conflicting  evidence  exists.  By  some  it  is  considered  to  he  malig- 
nant^ developing  during  its  progress  a  peculiar  poison  or  virus,  which  is  capable  of 
producing  the  same  disease,  by  inoculation  in  a  healthy  foot  Other  observers  deny 
the  contagious  property,  and  refer  the  spread  of  the  disease  to  the  general  prevalence 
of  the  cause  in  the  locality  where  it  may  exist  By  some  it  is  considered  to  be  iden- 
tical with  "  canker"  in  the  foot  of  the  horse,  and  "  foul"  in  the  foot  of  the  ox ;  while 
others  claim  for  it  certain  specific  characters  which  render  it  distinct  from  either  of 
these  diseases. 

Among  the  defenders  of  the  malignant  nature  of  the  disease  is  M.  Vidal,  who  nar- 
rates the  following  circumstances : —  ' 

On  the  4th  of  September  1824,  he  had  never  had  "  foot-rot"  in  his  flock,  consist- 
ing of  46  ewes  and  2  rams.  He  lent  one  of  his  rams  for  the  purpose  of  breeding. 
The  animal  was  put  among  a  flock  the  greater  part  of  which  were  affected  by  the  dis- 
ease. On  the  17th  day  of  October  the  ram  was  returned  very  lame.  M.  Vidal  know- 
ii^  nothing  of  the  ''  foot-rot,"  and  paying  no  attention  to  the  lameness,  placed  him 
among  his  sound  flock.  On  the  11th  of  December,  sixteen  of  them  had  evidently 
contracted  the  disease.  In  April  1825,  after  renewing  his  flock,  he  cautioned  his 
shepherd  not  to  allow  the  sheep  to  pasture  with  those  of  other  persons.  The  man 
neglected  the  caution,  and  the  sheep  mingled  with  another  flock  among  which  "  foot- 
rot"  was  general.  On  the  11th  of  May  there  were  six  sheep  affected  with  the 
malady." 

M.  Pictet  says  a  flock  of  sheep,  labouring  under  ''  foot-rot,"  was  driven  into  the 
neighbourhood  of  a  Spanish  flock.  The  straw  upon  which  they  had  lain  was  not 
taken  away,  and  the  Spanish  flock,  having  afterwards  been  sent  into  the  pent-house, 
the  "  foot-rot"  began  to  show  itself  among  them  in  about  fifteen  days. 

Gasparin  goes  so  far  as  to  assert  that  '*  foot-rot "  extends,  not  only  to  the  healthy 
sheep  of  the  flock,  but  also  to  pigs,  dogs,  and  poultry. 

Authorities,  numerous  and  respectable  enough,  advance  instances  of  its  communi- 
cation from  a  ram  to  the  ewes.  Even  the  passage  of  infected  sheep  over  a  farm  is 
alleged  to  have  established  the  disease.  The  crowning  argument,  however,  is  re- 
served by  those  who  maintain  that  the  sod,  on  which  a  diseased  foot  has  trodden,  will 
eonvey  the  affection  to  a  healthy  organ. 

Inoculation  has  been  practised  experimentally,  for  the  purpose  of  deciding  the 
question  of  contagion,  a  portion  of  the  matter  from  a  foot  suffering  from  "  foot-rot" 
being  introduced  by  incision,  or  kept  in  contact  with  a  part  of  the  foot  from  whence 
the  horn  had  been  previously  removed.  In  some  cases  a  similar  disease  has  fol- 
lowed. 

In  one  recorded  experiment  20  sheep,  out  of  32  inoculated,  took  the  disease.  One 
sheep  seemed  to  possess  a  remarkable  immunity ;  and  the  operator,  with  a  persever- 
ance that  might  have  been  exerted  more  advantageously  in  some  other  direction, 
repeated  the  inoculation  seven  times  before  the  result  was  obtained. 

The  opponents  of  the  contagion  theory  have  by  far  the  most  difficult  task,  because, 
setting  aside  the  difficulty  of  combating  a  strong  prejudice,  it  is  not  easy  to  prove 
that  a  disease  which  rapidly  extends  through  a  flock  is  not  so  transmitted  by  virtue  of 
its  contagious  character. 

Instances  are  advanced  to  show  that  animals  suffering  from  "  foot-rot "  may  be 
associated  with  healthy  sheep  without  any  extension  of  the  malady.  Inoculation  has 
also  been  tried,  and  failed,  in  a  number  of  cases ;  and  smearing  the  matter  over  the 
hoof  or  sound  skin,  has  not  been  found  to  produce  any  disease. 

Most  of  the  information  conveyed  to  us  comes  from  men  who  were  not  acquainted 
with  the  characteristic  elements  of  the  disease,  and  who  seem  to  have  recorded  effects 
irrespective  of  their  possible  causes,  giving,  in  place  of  logical  inductions,  the  mere 
impressions  which  the  facts  made  on  their  own  minds  at  the  time  of  their  occurrence. 
The  only  direct  evidence  bearing  upon  the  question  refers  to  inoculation,  and  the  con- 
veyance of  the  disease  by  an  infected  animal  to  a  perfectly  healthy  locality.  On  both 
these  points  the  results  recorded  by  different  observers  are  opposed.    The  facts  ad- 


154  "  FOOT-ROT  "  IN  SHEEP. 

vanced  on  one  side  prove  that  the  disease  will  spread  from  a  diseased  sheep  to  healthy 
animals  in  a  previously  healthy  situation;  and  further,  that  direct  contact  of  a  healthy 
foot  with  the  matter  of  a  diseased  one,  will  induce  the  disease.  The  facts  oiv  the 
other  side  prove  that  a  diseased  sheep  may,  with  impunity,  be  allowed  to  mingle  with 
healthy  ones  on  a  dry  soil;  and  that  contact  with  the  matter  of  "foot-rot"  is  not 
injurious  unless  the  healthy  foot  has  been  previously  denuded  of  a  portion  of  its 
horny  covering. 

So  far,  therefore,  as  the  evidence  is  concerned,  the  question  of  contagion  has  yet 
to  be  decided;  but  before  any  consideration  can  be  given  to  a  point  of  such  import- 
ance, it  must  first  be  determined  what  is  the  nature  of  the  disease  in  respect  of  which 
the  question  arises. 

NATURE  OP  "POOT-BOT." 

Concerning  the  essential  characters  which  distinguish  ''foot-rot"  from  other  affec- 
tions of  the  foot  of  the  sheep,  very  little  appears  to  have  been  ascertained.  Should 
farmers  consider  this  admission  a  reflection  upon  veterinary  science,  they  are  requested 
to  pardon  the  suggestion  that  veterinary  science  has  had  very  little  to  do  with  the 
matter.  The  great  authority  always  has  been  the  shepherd,  whose  assertion  of  the 
presence  of  ''foot-rot"  or  other  disease  in  the  floek  is  not  likely  to  be  questioned. 
Nor  is  veterinary  science  appealed  to  unless  the  consequences  of  the  malady  are 
especially  serious.  In  many  instances  a  diseased  state  of  foot  is  constant  on  parti- 
cular lands ;  remedies  are  systematically  applied  with  an  average  amount  of  success, 
and  the^  is  no  doubt  at  all  felt  about  the  character  of  the  disease,  or  its  origin,  nor 
of  the  infallibility  of  the  secret  nostrums  used  for  its  cure.  Whatever  the  disease  is, 
it  arises  from  some  peculiarity  in  the  land  on  which  the  animal  is  placed ;  and  it  is 
calmly  reckoned  among  the  annoyances  associated  with  farming.  The  shepherd  is 
deputed  to  rectify  the  mischief  as  well  as  he  can,  and  so  the  matter  goes  on  year  by 
year.  In  other  cases  a  healthy  locality  suffers.  A  few  instances  of  disease  in  the 
feet  are  noticed ;  probably  the  affection  spreads ;  a  new  ram  or  some  recently  pur- 
chased sheep  are  first  affected,  and  the  verdict  is,  a  touch  of  the  "  foot-rot,"  brought, 
of  course,  by  the  strangers  lately  introduced.  No  inquiry  is  instituted  respecting  the 
nature  of  the  new  disease ;  no  one  doubts  the  revelations  of  the  oracle  who  speaks, 
and  "foot-rot"  it  is  decided  to  be.  Possibly  justly  so;  but,  rightly  or  no,  th6  con- 
clusion is  reached  upon  the  shallowest  of  shallow  premises. 

To  determine  accurately  the  essentials  of  the  disease,  the  inquirer  will  naturally 
select  a  locality  where  the  affection  is  constantly  present ;  and  where,  consequently,  no 
sudden  outbreak  will  interfere  with  his  investigation.  He  will  observe  some  animals 
to  be  lame,  probably  excessively  so ;  even,  it  may  be,  incapable  of  standing,  and  com- 
pelled to  graze  with  their  knees  on  the  ground.  Between  the  extreme  and  the  inci- 
pient cases  he  will  distinguish  various  stages,  defined  to  some  extent,  by  the  animal's 
movements.  Some  sheep  will  move  with  tolerable  freedom,  probably  showing  lame- 
ness in  one  leg  only ;  others  may  manifest  a  slight  defect  in  their  action  occasion- 
ally ;  and  many  will  not  indicate  any  disease  until  they  are  caught  and  examined.^ 

According  to  the  extent  of  the  affection  and  the  nature  of  the  soil,  the  appearances 
will  differ.  In  the  most  advanced  cases  the  entire  hoof  may  be  detached ;  sometimes 
only  a  small  portion  is  loosened,  or,  it  may  be,  that  certain  hollows  and  fissures  com- 
prise all  the  changes  that  have  occurred.  The  growth  of  the  horn  to  an  extraordi- 
nary degree,  or  its  being  worn  down  almost  to  the  quick,  cannot  be  considered  essen- 
tial elements  in  the  disease.  "  Foot-rot"  may  exist  in  association  with  either  state, 
and  it  may.be  absent  in  both.  Either  condition  in  excess  will  assist  the  development 
of  the  disease. 

The  excessively  elongated  and  overgrown  hoof  causes  an  unusual  strain  upon  the 
internal  structures,  besides  being  liable  to  fracture,  which  may  expose  the  open 
canals  of  the  horn,  or  even  furnish  a  direct  channel  through  which  dirt  may  pass  to 
the  sensitive  parts.  Excessive  wear,  on  the  contrary,  lessens  tha  protective  covering, 
and  renders  the  horn  more  easily  acted  upon  by  moisture  and  grit. 

The  general  preference  for  the  fore  extremities  is  not  peculiar  to  this  malady ;  and 
probably  the  extra  weight  thrown  upon  these  parts  may  explain  the  prevalence  of  dis- 
eases in  the  fore  feet  of  animals  generally;  "  foot-rot,"  however,  is  not  confined  to  the 
front  feet^  occasionally  one  hind  one  is  attacked,  and  very  rarely  both  suffer. 

So  long  as  the  investigation  is  confined  to  the  diseased  animals,  and  includes  only 
such  a  general  observation,  nothing  of  importance  is  gained.  We  ascertain,  what 
has  been  long  well  known,  that  sheep  affected  with  "foot-rot"  are  more  or  less  lame ; 
that  some  portion  of  the  horn  is  loose ;  and  that  a  soft  fungoid  exudation  is  quickly 
thrown  out  instead  of  the  healthy  horn  structure.    It  will  be  further  apparent  that  a 


"  FOOT-KOT "  IN  SHEEP.  155 

large  nnmber  of  animals  are  affected  at  the  same  time ;  and  that  on  particular  lands 
it  is  especially  rife,  although  modified  in  some  degree  according  to  the  season. 
,  Excluding  all  speculations,  these  few  facts  comprehend  all  that  can  be  gathered 
from  a  general  examination  conducted  with  a  view  to  ascertain  the  extent  of  disease, 
and  to  determine  the  necessary  means  for  its  cure  or  prevention.  Science,  however, 
imposes  a  more  arduous  task.  At  the  commencement  it  requires  several  problema- 
tical positions  to  be  satisfactorily  resolved : — 

1.  The  precise  nature  of  those  structural  alterations  that  have  occurred  in  some  of 
the  tissues  composing  the  foot 

2.  The  exact  elements  which  distinguish  '*  foot-rot "  from  other  affections  of  the 
foot  arising  from  disease  or  injury. 

3.  The  character  of  the  virus  or  specific  poison,  the  contact  of  which  with  healthy 
structures  induces  the  same  disease. 

Structural  alterations  can  only  be  appreciated  by  comparison  with  healthy  tissues. 
Accordingly,  it  becomes  indispensable  to  examine  the  elementary  constituents  of  those 
parts  of  the  foot  especially  implicated  before  attempting  a  consideration  of  the  ele- 
ments of  the  disease. 

Elementary  Structure  of  (he  Tissues  of  Hie  Foot  particularly  affected  in  "  Foot-Rot" 

The  external  appearance  of  the  foot  of  the  sheep  requires  no  description,  nor  is  it 
necessary  to  indicate  the  differences  in  the  arrangement  of  the  foot  structures  in  other 
hoofed  animals.  For  our  present  purpose  it  is  of  no  consequence  that  the  foot  of  the 
sheep  is  cloven,  and  that  of  the  horse  single.  These  points,  which  interest  the  com- 
parative anatomist^  will  not  help  to  elucidate  the  questions  with  which  we  are  at  pre- 
sent concerned. 

One  anatomical  peculiarity  of  the  sheep's  foot,  or,  more  correctly,  of  the  parts  con- 
nected with  it,  is  the  existence  of  a  peculiar  inflection  of  the  skin  between  the  digits, 
a  short  distance  above  the  hoofs.  This  canal,  called  the  "  biflex,"  or  "  interdigital 
canal,"  is  formed  by  the  continuation  of  the  tissues  of  the  skin,  including  the  hairs, 
and  secretes  a  viscid  fluid.  Its  functions  are  not  apparent;  but  its  opening  being 
frequently  blocked  up  by  particles  of  dirt,  a  distension  of  the  canal  occurs  by  its  own 
secretion,  and  much  irritation  and  swelling  follow.  This  condition  may  be  super- 
added to ''foot-rot,"  and  considerably  aggravate  the  disease;  or  it  may  occur  altogether 
independently.  It  certainly  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  origin  of  the  disease,  and  will 
not,  for  this  reason,  be  alluded  to  in  the  course  of  the  subsequent  discussion  upon  the 
essential  elements. 

The  homy  covering  of  the  foot  first  presents  itself  to  our  observation.  Externally 
we  find  it  rough  and  hard;  internally  softer  and  more  complicated  in  its  arrange- 
ment^ being  beautifully  adapted  to  the  surface  of  the  internal  foot.  We  realise  at 
once  the  idea  that  the  hoof  is  a  protective  covering,  capable  of  resisting  the  effects 
of  concussion  and  attrition^  which  would  be  seriously  detrimental  to  the  more  delicate 
tissues  benetiih. 

This  idea  of  a  protective  covering  naturally  becomes  more  extended  as  we. compre- 
hend the  fkct^  that  all  free  surfaces  of  membranes  possess  it.  Every  portion  of  the 
skin,  as  well  as  of  the  internal  membranes,  is  covered  by  a  layer,  or  several  layers,  of 
delicate  ceJUs,  united  by  their  sides  and  edges,  without  the  intervention  of  any  con- 
nective tissue.  These  cells  are  secreted  from  the  structures  beneath,  and  perform 
veiy  important  offices — ^that  of  protecting  the  sensitive  tissues  being  probably  the 
most  important 

Bapidly  produced,  insensitive,  and  non-vascular,  these  "  epithelial  cells"  are  emi- 
nently adapted  to  preserve  the  more  vital  structures  from  the  influences  of  constantly 
acting  physical  and  chemical  forces.  An  idea  of  their  nature  is  readily  obtained.  A 
sniall  portion  of  the  outer  skin  of  the  hand,  or  any  part  of  the  body,  examined  by 
the  microscope,  #ill  suffice  to  render  them  familiar. 

After  removing  the  several  layers  of  cells  which  form  the  outer  skin  or  cuticle,  we 
come  to  the  sensitive  or  true  skin,  or  cutis,  which  is  everywhere  covered  by  minute  * 
elevations  or  papillae,  round  which  the  cells  of  the  cuticle  are  secreted.  Keeping 
these  facts  in  remembrance,  we  proceed  to  concentrate  our  ideas  upon  the  foot.  And 
first,  with  the  recollection  of  the  cells  which  form  the  protective  covering  of  the  "fekin 
and  membranes,  we  examine  the  structure  of  the  hoof,  a  small  portion  of  which 
should  be  scraped  off  and  softened  in  potass,  for  microscopic  examination.  The 
first  glance  convinces  us  that  we  have,  composing  the  hoof-horn,  the  identical  cells 
that  we  foond  covering  the  skin,  agreeing  in  every  respect  so  closely  that  there  is  no 
possihility  of  distinguishing  the  one  from  the  other. 


156  "  foot-rot"  in  sheep. 

Pursuing  the  inyestigation,  we  proceed  to  make  thin  sections  of  the  hoof  in  longi- 
tudinal and  transverse  directions,  in  order  to  see  how  these  elementary  cells  are  arranged 
in  the  compact  homy  structure. 

A  drop  of  potass  placed  on  the  specimen  will  produce  a  very  peculiar  and  instructive 
effect  The  concentric  rings  surrounding  the  openings  will  gradually  resolve  them- 
selves into  layers  of  epithelial  cells.  From  this  examination  we  arrive  at  the 
certain  conclusion  that  the  hoof  corresponds  in  elementary  structure  and  arrange- 
ment with  the  insensitive  covering  of  the  true  skin — that,  in  fact,  horn  is  identical 
with  the  cuticle  or  outer  skin.  Next,  keeping  in  view  the  idea  of  a  secreting,  sensi- 
tive, and  papillated  surface,  such  as  we  find  in  the  true  skin,  we  may  proceed  to  investi- 
gate the  tissues  beneath  the  horny  covering.  Reflected  over  the  whole  of  the  internal 
foot  is  a  highly  vascular  membrane,  everywhere  presenting  numerous  papillae.  On  the 
coronary  surface,  and  over  the  sole,  the  papillae  are  large  and  numerous.  On  that 
part  of  -the  membrane  which  is  folded  or  lamellated,  they  are  fewer  in  number, 
although  distinct  enough  even  under  a  low  magnifying  power. 

Hound  the  large  papillae  of  the  coronet  and  the  sole,  layers  of  epithelial  cells  are 
secreted  to  form  the  wall  and  sole  of  the  hoof.  The  cells  being  developed  round 
the  papillae  accounts  for  the  cavities  or  canals  which  form  the  tubes,  as  they  are  termed. 
At  their  origin  these  canals  are  visible  to  the  unaided  eye,  but  in  the  densest  part 
of  the  horn  they  are  only  perceived  when  highly  magnified. 

The  minute  papillae  in  the  lamellae  undoubtedly  secrete  horn,  but  not  to  the  same 
extent  as  the  papillated  surfaces  of  the  coronet  and  sole.  It  is  evident,  from  the 
arrangement  of  the  two  structures,  that  the  delicate  homy  lamellae  lining  the  interior 
of  the  hoof,  corresponding  to  the  lamellated  membrane,  arise  from  those  vascular 
folds  to  which  they  are  closely  attached. 

To  our  previous  conclusion  of  the  identity  of  the  hoof  with  the  cuticle  or  other 
skin  we  may  now  consistently  add  the  fact  of  the  evident  connexion  between  the  sen- 
^  sitive  skin,  with  its  papillated  secreting  surface,  and  the  sensitive,  secreting  mem- 
'  brane  of  the  internal  foot,  with  its  papillated  surface ;  completing  the  proof  of  the 
identity  of  the  trae  skin  and  its  epithelial  covering  with  the  vascular  membrane  of 
the  internal  foot  and  its  modified  epithelium  or  horny  covering.  Under  the  mem- 
branous tissues  of  the  foot  there  exists  a  quantity  of  fibrous  structure  attached  to  the 
bones  forming  the  basis  of  the  organ.  Posteriorly  the  fibres  enclose  large  fat  vesicles, 
and  form  together  a  firm  but  very  elastic*cushion,  modifying  the  effects  of  concussion 
to  which  the  foot  is,  from  its  position,  constantly  exposed  during  the  movements  of 
the  animal. 

Being  now  acquainted  with  the  healthy  stracture  of  the  tissues  which  are  particu- 
larly affected  in  *'  foot-rot,"  we  may  next  consider  those  changes  which  are  effected  in 
the  healthy  textures  by  the  progress  of  the  disease. 

The  Precise  Nature  of  the  Structural  Alterations  that  occur  in  some  of  the  Tissues 
composing  the  Foot  during  the  Progress  of  "  Foot-Hot" 

For  the  purpose  of  determining  the  elements  of  stractunil  disease,  the  same  mmute 
investigation  will  be  required  that  was  found  necessary  to  ascertain  the  arrangement 
of  tiie  healthy  tissues.  The  hoof  being  obviously  altered  in  some  important  particu- 
lars, will  first  require  consideration.  Small  portions  taken  from  various  parts  where 
the  effects  of  disease  are  apparent,  will  present  under  the  microsoope  very  important 
evidence. 

.  According  to  the  condition  of  the  diseased  texture,  our  method  of  examination 
will  be  mocUfied.  Selecting  the  worst  forms  of  the  disease  to  begin  with,  we  shall 
take  a  little  of  the  soft,  spongy,  discoloured  horn  that  is  most  easily  scraped  from  the 
foot.  A  few  particles  of  this  broken-up  stracture  should  be  placed  on  the  glass  slide 
with  a  little  water,  and  examined  under  a  moderately  high  power. 

The  appearance  presented  is  precisely  what  the  pathologist  would  not  anticipate. 
Instead  of  the  diseased  products  which  he  might  reasonably  expect,  he  finds  nothing 
but  the  epithelial  cells,  characteristic  of  the  healthy  horn  or  skin,  mixed  with  par- 
ticles of  (urt. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  cells  are  less  regular  in  form,  and  occasionally  have 
slightly  ragged  outlines,  but  they  are  unmistakably  epithelial  cells. 

Between  the  hoof  of  the  healthy  foot  and  the  detached  and  broken-up  stracture 
from  the  diseased  foot,  the  distinction  lies  in  the  physical  condition  of  the  elements. 
In  the  healthy  hoof  the  cells  are  regularly  developed  in  layers,  and  form  a  compact 
structure.    In  the  diseased  foot  the  hoof  has  been  macerated  in  the  fluids  exuded 


"  rOOT-BOT"  IN  SHSEP.  157 

from  the  membnine,  aa  well  as  bj  the  moisture  that  may  exist  in  the  soil,  nntil  the 
cells  are  separated  from  their  close  connexion  with  each  other ;  and,  being  mixed 
with  the  dirt,  and  exuded  fluid,  form  the  mass  which  we  inrariably  find  in  those  parts 
of  the  hoof  which  haye  been  most  exposed  to  the  combined  action  of  these  destmctive 
influences. 

In  different  parts  of  the  same  foot,  and  among  different  animals,  we  shall  distin- 
guish many  grades  of  the  disease,  as  it  affects  the  horn  of  the  foot.  Some  parts  are 
only  slightly  broken  or  withered.  In  a  white  hoof  a  dark  spot  may  be  detected,  in- 
dicating a  hollow  place.  A  very  close  examination  may  probably  result  in  the  dis- 
coyery  of  a  minute  fissure  from  an  eighth  of  an  inch  to  an  inch  long,  crossing  the 
hoof  transyersely. 

The  importance  of  these  seemingly  trifling  alterations  of  structure  will  be  eyident 
as  we  trace  them  to  their  terminations.  Either  or  all  of  the  changes  may  have  taken 
place  in  the  feet  of  animals  that  show  no  eyidence  of  unsoundness  in  their  moye- 
ments ;  it  is,  therefore,  only  by  examining  the  apparently  healthy  feet,  that  we  shall 
discoyer  the  earliest  indication  of  disease. 

The  shriyelled  condition  of  the  hoof  is  yeiy  peculiar ;  it  commonly  occurs  at  the 
toe,  but  any  part  of  the  outside  edge  of  the  hoof  may  show  it  The  appearance  is 
suggestiye  of  decay  or  death  of  the  part,  from  the  absence  of  the  necessary  nourish- 
ment, and  the  microscopic  examination  sanctions  the  idea.  A  section  of  the  shrivelled 
part  showed  the  canals  of  the  hoof  to  be  obstructed  by  an  accumulation  of  minute 
particles  of  dirt,  extending  for  some  distance  up  the  horny  structure,  and  effectually 
arresting  the  course  of  the  nutrient  fluids. 

The  next  condition  indicated  by  the  dark  spot  can  only  be  readily  seen  when 
the  hoof  is  light  in  colour;  but  the  hollow,  of  which  it  is  the  evidence,  may  be 
suspected  when  the  lower  edge  of  the  horn  is  broken  at  all  or  detached  from  the  sole. 
A  probe  will  at  once  detect  the  cavity  when  it  is  not  sufficiently  evident.  In  some 
cases  the  cavity  will  be  found  on  section  to  extend  only  a  short  distance  up  the  wall 
of  the  hoof ;  in  others  it  will  have  reached  nearly  to  the  internal  structure,  and  some- 
times the  penetration  is  complete,  and  the  secreting  membrane  gives  evidence  of 
irritation  by  redness  and  the  commencement  of  exudation.  A  section  through  the 
hollow  part  will  render  its  origin  very  evident  From  some  small  fissure  or  crack  at 
the  lower  part  of  the  hoof,  the  dirt  has  gradually  passed  upwards  in  considerable 
quantities,  mechanically  excavating  the  horn,  and  ultimately  reaching  the  vascular 
structures.  The  pressure  from  below  will  suffice  to  force  up  the  foreign  particles  in 
.  abundance,  and  the  more  the  hoof  is  softened  by  moisture  the  more  rapidly  th.e 
structure  will  give  way.  Disease  of  the  sensitive  membrane  of  the  internal  foot  will 
necessarily  result  from  the  irritation  produced  by  the  contact  of  the  particles  of  sand 
or  grit  with  its  surface. 

Insignificant  as  the  next  condition  is,  amounting  to  no  more  than  a  mere  scratch 
upon  tiie  side  of  the  hoof,  it  is,  nevertheless,  the  most  serious  of  all  the  primary 
changes  in  the  horn.  In  every  instance  we  have  found  the  minute  black  line  to  be 
the  entrance  to  a  passage  leading  obliquely  into  the  internal  foot 

It  would  seem  that  minute  particles  have  at  first  been  lodged  in  some  little  ridge 
upon  the  outside  of  the  hoof,  and  gradually  insinuated  themselves  into  the  structure, 
passing  between  the  layer  of  cells,  and  being  assisted  in  their  course  by  the  slight 
outward  bending  of  the  horn  of  the  foot  during  progression,  the  tendency  of  the 
animal's  weight  idways  being  to  bend  the  edge  of  the  wall  under,  and  thus  cause 
a  small  fissure  on  the  outside  of  the  hoof  to  slightly  expand,  and  allow  the  particles 
of  grit  to  pass  by  degrees  to  the  interior.  This  peculiar  curving  under  the  edge  of 
the  horn  at  the  same  time  is  injurious  in  another  direction,  permitting  the  accumu- 
lation of  dirt  underneath  it,  and  assisting  to  force  gritty  particles  up  through  the 
canals  of  the  horn  of  the  sole. 

From  the  commencement  of  the  changes  in  the  structure  of  the  hoof  on  to  that 
most  advanced  condition  where  the  integrity  of  the  horn  is  entirely  lost,  it  appears 
from  the  most  careful  and  minute  examinations,  that  the  alterations  are  purely 
physicaL  In  the  early  stages  we  find  the  horn  shrivelled  from  the  mechanical  inter- 
ference with  the  supply  of  nutriment,  consequent  on  the  blocking  up  of  the  canals 
or  we  discover  fissures  or  cavities  varying  in  extent,  but  always  the  result  of  discon- 
nexion of  the  layers  of  epithelial  cells,  of  which  the  hoof  is  composed,  and  the  intro- 
duction of  particles  of  gritty  material. 

In  the  advanced  forms  of  the  disease,  the  hoof  is  altered  in  appearance ;  its  com- 
pact diaracter  is  exchanged  for  a  spongy  or  even  rotten  mass :  but  nevertheless  the 
microscope  proves  that  the  changes  are  still  only  mechanical;  the  ''rotten"  mass 


158  "FOOT-ROT**  IN  SHEEP. 

consists  of  epithelial  cells  very  little  changed  in  form,  but  separated  from  their  con- 
nexion with  each  other,  as  though  from  the  effects  of  long  maceration,  and  com- 
mingled with  the  dirt  of  the  soil  and  the  exudative  matter  from  the  irritated  secret- 
ing membrane,  but  presenting  no  new  pathological  elements,  nor  even  the  ordinary 
products  of  disease. 

The  condition  of  the  secreting  membrane  next  requires  consideration.  Rarely  is 
this  tissue  the  seat  of  ulceration  in  "  foot-root."  Cases  have  occurred  in  which  all 
the  foot  structures  have  been  destroyed,  even  the  bone  being  extensively  decayed ; 
but  in  the  few  instances  alluded  to,  there  has  been  good  reason  to  believe  that  the  so- 
called  "  foot-rot"  arose  from  puncture  penetrating  the  bone,  and  causing  caries  of 
this  structure  first.  Generally  the  first  effect  of  the  contact  of  foreign  particles  with 
the  membrane  of  the  internal  foot  is  to  increase  the  secretion  of  epithelial  cells  from 
the  surface,  and  thus  to  furnish  in  some  degree  a  protection  to  the  subjacent  tissues. 

Covering,  the  whole  of  the  surface  from  whence  the  horn  is  detached,  will  be  noticed 
a  layer  of  the  fungoid  or  spongy  material ;  this  under  the  microscope  is  found  to  con- 
sist of  loosely  aggregated  epithelial  cells,  very  abundant,  and  closely  adherent  to  the 
membrane  beneath  them.  The  structure  of  the  membrane  is  usually  unchanged,  and 
if  we  except  the  circumstances  of  its  excited  sensibility  and  increased  vascularity,  it 
can  scarcely  be  said  to  be  the  seat  of  any  disease  at  all.  Its  function  of  secretion,  so 
far  from  being  impaired,  is  particularly  active ;  but  the  abundant  and  rapid  develop- 
ment of  the  epithelial  cells,  with  the  exudation  of  serous  fluid  from  the  distended 
vessels,  prevents  the  condensation  of  those  elements  into  firm  and  healthy  horn,  and 
perpetuates  the  formation  of  the  well-known  fungoid  growths,  so  characteristic  of 
"foot-rot;"  these  fungoid  growths, be  it  remarked,  being  nothing  more  than  horn 
wanting  in  density  and  firmness. 

The  precise  structural  alterations  which  result  from  "  foot-rot,"  so  far  as  we  can 
determine  them,  amount  to  the  following : — 

1.  Mechanical  derangement  of  the  structure  of  the  hoof  and  the  introduction  of 
gritty  particles  into  the  canals,  or  into  accidental  fissures. 

2.  Softening  and  disintegration  of  the  horny  structure  by  the  moisture  of  the  soil 
and  the  exuded  fluids  from  the  internal  membrane. 

3.  Irritation  of  the  internal  membrane,  causing  excessive  secretion  of  epithelial 
cells  with  serous  exudation,  associated  with  increased  vascularity  and  sensibility. 

If  we  were  only  in  possession  of  evidence  referring  to  the  advanced  stages  of  "  foot- 
rot,"  it  would  be  difficult  to  decide  from  the  condition  of  the  parts  whether  the  inter- 
nal membrane  or  the  homy  covering  was  the  primary  seat  of  the  derangement ;  but 
with  the  facts  which  we  have  obtained  from  an  examination  of  the  incipient  as  well 
as  the  advanced  stages,  there  is  sufficient  reason  to  believe  that  in  most  instances  the 
integrity  of  the  hoof  must  be  impaired  before  the  internal  membrane  can  be  injured. 
Many  of  the  changes  previously  described  affect  the  hoof  to  a  considerable  extent, 
while  the  secreting  membrane  remains  perfectly  intact. 

Such  alterations  of  structure  as  we  have  found  to  exist  in  the  various  stages  of 
"  foot-rot,"  are  sufficiently  marked  to  be  easily  recognised ;  we  shall  therefore  find  no 
difficulty  in  solving  the  next  problematical  position  which  requires  solution. 

TTie  Exact  Elements  which  Distinguish  "Foot-Bof*  from  other  Affectiom  of  tfte  Foot  of 
the  Sheep,  or  other  Anim>als,  arising  from  Injury  or  other  Causes,  not  claiming 
to  be  "Specific"  in  tlieir  Nature. 

As  far  as  appearances  go,  it  must  be  at  once  admitted  that  the  changes  indicative 
of  "foot-rot"  are  commonly  seen  in  the  feet  of  other  animals.  In  fact,  whenever 
solution  of  continuity  in  the  homy  covering  occurs,  the  entrance  of  particles  of  dirt 
is  a  necessary  consequence;  and  in  succession  the  occurrence  of  those  structural 
changes  that  have  been  described. 

In  ihmsh  of  the  horse's  frog ;  in  canker  of  the  foot  of  the  same  animal ;  in  cases 
of  neglected  puncture;  in  instances  of  corns  which  have  been  neglected;  in  the  foot 
and  mouth  disease  of  cattle  and  sheep,  when  the  feet  have  not  been  attended  to,  simi- 
lar appearances  are  present,  including  softening  of  the  horn  in  the  exuded  fluids,  the 
admixture  of  particles  of  dirt,  and  the  growth  upon  the  membrane  .of  the  spongy 
material  consisting  of  the  structural  elements  of  hom  loosely  arranged,  but  presenting 
all  the  characters  o|  the  normal  constituent  of  the  structure. 

If  there  are  distinctive  elements  in  any  of  these  diseases,  the  present  means  of 
examination  are  not  sufficient  to  enable  us  to  detect  them.    Whether  we  take  "  foot- 


"  FOOT-BOT  "  IN  SHEEP.  159 

rot,"  or  esnker,  or  thnuh,  or  foul  in  the  foot  of  the  ox,  or  com  in  an  adfanced  stage, 
or  the  diseased  products  arising  from  injury,  the  microscope  fails  to  indicate  anything 
characteristic  of  either  disease  after  the  changes  have  so  far  advanced  as  to  present  a 
general  resemblance ;  that  is  to  say,  where  the  hoof-horn  has  become  spongy  or  rotten, 
and  the  secreting  membrane  is  covered  with  fungoid  growths.  Whether  these  condi- 
tions be  expressed  by  the  term  "  canker,"  "  thrush,"  "  foot-rot,"  or  "  foul,"  or  by  other 
equally  unmeaning  and  vulgar  titles,  it  is  necessary  to  insist  upon  the  fact  that  the 
pathological  elements  of  the  structural  changes  are  identical. 

It  will  not  be  understood  that  every  instance  of  com,  or  punctured  foot,  of  neces- 
sity shall  present  the  appearance  of  ''foot-rot'*  or  "  canker;''  on  the  contrary,  it  is 
admitted  to  be  necessary  that  the  ii^'ury  or  disease  shall  be  neglected,  that  the  defec- 
tive part  shall  be  exposed  to  the  influence  of  dirt  and  wet  before  the  changes  in  the 
stracture  of  the  hoof  and  the  function  of  the  membrane  will  occur ;  but  when  they 
have  occurred, — ^when  the  hoof  or  parts  of  it  are  soft  and  spongy,  or  black  and  rotten, 
— when  the  membrane  is  throwing  out  an  abundance  of  epithelial  cells, — then  the 
apparent  resemblance  in  all  these  differently-named  diseases  is  proved  by  the  micro- 
scope to  be  a  true  identity,  and  justifies  the  assertion  that  there  are  none  of  the  pro- 
ducts of  "  foot-rot"  -which  are  not  common  to  other  affections  of  the  foot  hitherto 
presumed  to  be  entirely  distinct  from  it  and  from  each  other. 

The  third  position  which  we  have  undertaken  to  discuss  will  require  but  little  con- 
sideration. It  refers  to  the  '^  virus"  of  *'  foot-rot," — the  animal  poison  supposed  to 
be  capable  of  inducing  the  disease  by  contact. 

The  question  of  the  existence  of  such  poison  among  the  products  of  ''  foot-rot"  must 
be  determined  by  experiment ;  and  the  only  foundation  for  the  assumption  of  '*  virus" 
lies  in  the  fact  that  the  introduction  of  the  matter  from  a  diseased  foot  to  the  healthy 
foot  by  puncture  through  the  horn  has  produced  "  foot-rot"  in  some  cases,  although  it 
has  fiuled  to  do  so  in  others. 

After  all,  the  fact  may  be  admitted  without  any  question;  it  proves  very  little;  we 
are  quite  prepared  to  learn  that  an  injuiy  to  the  horn  of  the  foot,  followed  by  the 
contact  of  a-  mixture  of  moist  epithelial  cells  and  particles  of  dirt,  will,  if  applied 
sufficiently  long,  produce  "  foot-rot ;"  we  know  that  dirt  and  moisture  will  suffice, 
witl^out  any  additional  elements. 

Some  of  the  experiments  in  inoculation  failed,  probably  because  there  did  not 
happen  to  be  enough  of  the  gritty  particles ;  others  because  they  did  not  remain  long 
enough  in  contact  with  the  membrane  to  establish  any  irritation ;  and  at  best  there 
was  not  so  much  disease  produced  as  would  have  occurred  if  the  animals  had  been 
placed  upon  undrained  land,  where  there  happened  to  be  a  tolerably  plentiful  admix- 
ture of  sand  or  grit  in  the  soil. 

If  it  had  ever  been  found  that  the  introduction  of  the  matter  under  the  skin  of  the 
leg  or  any  part  of  the  body  produced  the  disease,  there  would  be  fair  evidence  of  its 
specific  nature ;  but,  in  the  absence  of  this  proof,  we  cannot  admit  an  assumption 
which  is  altogether  unnecessary  to  explain  the  results. 

From  the  present  state  of  the  argument  we  may  consistently  deduce  the  conclusion, 
that ''  foot-rot"  is  primarily  consequent  tipon  such  a  derangement  of  the  structure  of 
the  horn  as  permits  the  introduction  of  foreign  particles,  which  ultimately  reach  the 
internal  membrane,  and  occasion  irritation,  followed  by  exudation  and  excessive 
secretion. 

Obioin  of  "Foot-Rot." 

Wherever  the  conditions  of  moisture  and  grit  exist,  on  the  same  lands  ''foot-rot"  may 
be  expected  to  be  rife.  Whether  the  famd  be  light  or  heavy  seems  to  matter  but  little; 
the  stiffest  undrained  clavs  and  the  lightest  of  undrained  sandy  or  chalky  soils,  are 
equally  active  in  the  production  of  the  disease,  which  is  consequently  tolerably  gene- 
ral in  its  distribution. 

It  is  usually  admitted  that  "foot-rot"  is  unknown  where  the  soil  is  efficiently  drained; 
it  is  certunly  well  known  on  soils  which  are  so  porous  that  the  idea  of  drainage  is 
scouted,  on  tiie  plea  that  the  land  is  never  wet  enough ;  although  we  have  had  the 
satisfaction  of  hearing  these  reasoners  admit  that  in  the  dryest  seasons  on  such  soils 
the  disease  is  less  prevalent 

The  rapid  extension  of  "  foot-rot"  among  the  floek  is  easily  explained  where  all 
are  exposed  to  the  same  influences.  If  there  is  sufficient  wet  to  soften  the  horn  and 
dilate  the  canals,  it  is  only  necessary,  further,  for  gritty  particles  to  be  present  to 
complete  the  requisite  conditions  for  the  production  of  the  effects  we  have  been  con- 
sidering :  no  more  active  virus  is  wanting  than  exists  in  the  shape  of  wet  and  dirt. 
Vol.  L-  Ko.  Ill,— New  Sebhs.    Mjleoh  1866.  M 


160  "  foot-rot"  in  sheep. 

In  instances  recorded  of  the  spread  of  the  affection  on  previously  healthy  lands 
from  one  or  two  diseased  subjects,  we  have  the  usual  difficulty,  viz.,  ignorance  of  all 
the  conditions ;  nothing  can  be  gained  by  endeavouring  to  combat  such  positions,  or 
indeed  to  defend  them.  If  they  are  facts,  they  are  met  by  equally  authentic  instances 
of  a  totally  opposite  character ;  therefore,  whichever  view  may  be  taken^  there  are 
facts  recorded  in  contradiction. 

All  the  evidence  obtained  by  investigation  tends  to  prove  that  "  foot-rot"  only 
spreads  under  the  influence  of  causes  which  i^t  mechanicsdly  upon  the  structures,  and 
are  not  in  any  way  connected  with  the  development  of  a  "  specific"  virus. 

Treatment  and  Prevention. 

It  will  not  be  necessary  to  insist  upon  the  importance  of  perfect  drainage ;  but, 
looking  upon  the  affection  independently  of  the  continuance  of  the  causes  which  give 
rise  to  it,  the  question  occurs,  Can  any  remedies  be  applied  to  ameliorate  or  cure  it 
while  those  causes  remain  ? 

Experience  decides  in  the  affirmative :  indeed,  so  little  difficulty  attends  the  treat- 
ment that  every  shepherd  has  an  infallible  application,  which  certainly  often  succeeds 
in  curing  the  affection  about  as  fast  as  it  is  produced,  so  that  an  average  number  of 
cases  wUl  always  require  attention.  This  may  be  considered  as  a  normal  state  of 
affairs  on  lands  which  give  "  foot-rot" 

The  routine  is  perfectly  simple.  Each  sheep  that  indicates  by  his  lameness  the 
necessity  for  treatment  is  caught,  and  the  detached  or  decayed  horn  of  the  foot  pared 
off  by  a  strong  somewhat  curved  knife;  sometimes  the  entire  hoof  requires  removal 
in  this  way.  In  the  next  place,  the  exposed  surface  is  painted  over  with  some 
caustic  mixture,  by  means  of  a  feather  or  brush. 

The  rationale  of  the  process  seems  to  be  the  destruction  of  the  extreme  sensibility 
of  the  membrane  and  the  production  of  an  astringent  effect  upon  the  relaxed  and 
distended  vessels,  and  the  condensation  of  the  epithelial  cells  to  form  the  compact 
homy  texture  which  is  required.  The  addition  of  some  medium,  as  tar,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  temporarily  protecting  the  parts  while  the  new  horn  is  being  secreted  is  an 
important  part  of  the  treatment 

For  the  cure  of  severe  cases  caustic  dressing  appears  to  be  indispensable,  and  gene- 
rally very  powerful  agents  are  desirable.  Various  preparations  are  in  favour,  but 
they  may  nearly  all  be  included  in  one  class. 

Among  the  most  valuable  we  may  name  a  mixture  of  nitrate  of  mercury  with 
hydrochloric  and  acetic  acids.  Sulphate  of  copper,  with  tar,  is  preferred  by  some; 
and  recently  the  preparations  manufactured  by  JDr  Calvert  of  Manchester,  under  the 
name  of  Phenyline  and  Terebane,  have  been  advantageously  employed  as  caustic 
dressings  for  ''foot-rot"  in  sheep  and  the  allied  diseases  in  the  feet  of  other  animals. 

The  preparation  of  the  nitrate  of  mercury  is  the  most  powerful,  although  its 
action  can  be  modified  by  dilution.  In  its  concentrated  form  it  produces  intense 
pain  for  a  time,  evidently  followed  by  diminution  of  sensibility ;  and  in  the  course 
of  a  few  hours  after  the  application  the  animal  will  stand  apparently  without  suffer- 
ing, even  when  the  entire  horn  has  been  removed  from  both  fore  feet. 

The  compound  is  made  by  dissolving  two  drachms  of  metallic  mercury  in  two  ounces 
of  nitric  acid,  then  adding  an  ounce  each  of  hydrochloric  and  acetic  acids,  and  dilut- 
ing with  four  to  twelve  parts  of  water,  according  to  the  degree  of  action  required. 

To  arrest  the  development  of  the  malady,  or  to  prevent  its  occurrence,  by  any 
means  which  can  be  devised  to  render  the  feet  less  susceptible  to  the  action  of  the 
deleterious  influences  to  which  they  are  of  necessity  exposed  in  certain  localities,  is 
of  more  importance  than  the  treatment  of  the  disease  in  its  worst  forms. 

By  systematic  examination  of  the  sheep  among  whom  foot-rot  is  prevalent  the 
primary  symptoms  may  be  detected,  and  by  regular  preparation  of  the  hoofs  they 
may  be  kept  in  a  condition  least  favourable  to  attacks  of  the  disease.  In  order  to 
effect  this  object  the  surface  of  the  hoof  must  be  kept,  as  far  as  possible,  free  from 
ridges,  or  hollows,  or  fissures;  and  all  unnecessary  extension  of  the  edges  of  the  hoof 
must  be  carefully  prevented.  A  great  deal  has  been  and  is  still  urged  against  the 
use  of  the  rasp  and  drawing-knife  upon  the  foot  of  the  horse ;  the  frogs  in  particular 
are  held  especially  sacred  from  either  instrument  Observation,  however,  has  led  us 
to  conclude  that  error  may  exist  in  both  directions,  and  that  however  injurious  the 
excessive  use  of  the  knife  may  be,  the  neglect  of  it  is  not  less  so.  « 

Every  loose  portion  of  horn,  should,  at  the  very  least,  be  removed,  and  eveir 
fissure  or  hollow  capable  of  holding  dirt  should  (particularly  in  the  frog)  be  levelled, 
and  the  surface  rendered  smooth.    In  animals  whose  feet  are  much  exposed  to  dirt 


CASE  OF  HYDROPHOBIA.  161 

and  moisture,  and  where  no  great  attention  is  paid  to  them  in  the  stable,  a  neglect 
of  these  precautions  leads  to  the  development  of  those  diseased  conditions  that  we 
have  considered  a«  allied  to  "  foot-rot "  in  sheep.  The  horn  of  the  sheep's  foot  on 
moist  or  light  soils  is  very  little,  if  at  all,  worn.  The  edges  of  the  wall  curve  under 
and  form  receptacles  for  dirt;  ridges  and  fissures  and  cracks  are  left  untouched, 
and  the  very  natural  results  follow.  If  every  sheep,  before  being  placed  on  lands 
known  to  produce  "  foot-rot,"  had  his  feet  properly  prepared  and  periodically  attended 
to,  the  number  of  cases  of  disease,  even  with  the  continuance  of  its  causes,  would  be 
reduced  to  a  minimum. 

No  particular  skill  nor  any  Urge  amount  of  labour  would  be  required  to  effect  all 
we  desire.  The  shepherd'  being  furnished  with  a  small  rasp,  a  strong  curved  knife, 
and  a  small  point  or  awl  for  picking  out  the  dirt  from  minute  fissures,  would  be  ex- 
pected to  hold  the  animals  successively  bet^neen  his  legs,  and  first  cut  off  with  his 
knife  any  elongation  of  the  edges  of  the  horn  until  the  sole  of  the  foot  is  rendered 
perfectly  flat  and  leveL  Next,  rasping  the  hoof  generally  aver  the  outside,  he  will 
examine  the  clean  surface  to  see  if  any  cracks,  or  fissures,  or  hollows,  or  shrunken 
parts  exist;  if  they  are  found  he  proceeds  to  excavate  by  knife  and  rasp  until  he 
reaches  the  bottom  of  the  cavity  or  removes  the  whole  of  the  decayed  structure ; 
afterwards  applying  a  little  tar  to  protect  the  parts,  or  using  some  stronger  dressing 
if  he  finds  the  condition  of  the  foot  renders  it  necessary.  Supposing  the  horn  to  be 
found  quite  perfeot,  it  will  still  be  advisable,  after  the  surface  has  been  rendered 
sufficiently  smooth,  to  apply  a  coating  of  tar  to  prevent  the  immediate  action  of  the 
moisture  and  grit  of  the  soil  upon  the  exposed  surface  of  the  hoof. 

A  little  extra  expense  and  trouble  would  enable  the  operator  to  use  a  more 
adhesive  material  than  tar  as  a  protection  to  the  feet  after  the  use  of  the  rasp  and 
knife.  Yarious  mixtures  of  pitch,  resin,  and  tallow,  with  a  small  proportion  of  gutta 
percha,  might  be  melted  together,  and  applied  warm  with  the  greatest  advantage. 

The  repetition  of  the  process  of  rasping  and  paring  the  feet  and  applying  some 
external  protective  agent  will  be  necessary  according  to  circumstances.  The  nature 
of  the  soil  and  the  character  of  the  season  will  have  an  essential  influence ;  but, 
under  any  circumstances,  once  a  month  will  be  quite  sufficient ;  and  we  have  prac- 
tical authority  for  saying  that  it  would  answer  in  a  commercial  sense  to  devote  that 
amount  of  labour  to  the  accomplishment  of  so  important  an  object  as  the  ameliora- 
tion or  prevention  of  the  disease. 

It  may  be  accepted  as  a  fact  beyond  all  question,  that  if  by  any  means  the  integ- 
rity of  the  hoof  can  be  preserved,  "  foot-rot "  will  become  an  extremely  rare  disease ; 
idthough  we  do  not,  under  any  circumstances,  anticipate  its  extinction  so-  long  as  an 
acre  of  land  remains  undrained. 

New  Cavendish  Strbet,  Pobtland  Place,  Londoit,  W. 


CASE  OP  HYDROPHOBIA-DEATH— AUTOPSY. 

(UNDEB  THE  OABE  OF  DB  OWEN  BEES.) 

Fob  the  notes  of  the  following  extremely  rare  and  interesting  case  we  are  indebted 
to  Mr  Wootton  Bushell  :— 

Hydrophobia  is  a  disease  so  very  rare,  that,  Dr  'Wilks  says,  this  is  only  the  second 
case  admitted  into  Guy's  since  his  connexion  with  the  Hospital.  One  little  circum- 
stance mentioned  to  us  by  Dr  Wilks  is  not  alluded  to  in  the  report.  It  is  sometimes 
said  of  persons  affected  by  hydrophobia  that  they  "  barked  like  a  dog."  It  is  gene- 
qtlly  believed  that  this  statement  is  due  entirely  to  the  bystander's  imagination. 
Now  it  seems  that  in  this  case  the  patient  did  occasionally  make  a  strange  explosive 
noise,  which,  iJthough  not  like  the  bark  of  a  dog,  yet  resembled  it  enough  to  account 
for  the  origin  of  the  popular  notion  alluded  to.  The  bite  was  several  weeks  before 
the  symptoms  set  in.  In  the  other  case  Dr  Wilks  had  seen  the  bite  several  years  before 
the  actual  outbreak.  That  case  was  a  well-marked  one,  but  the  interval  was  so  long 
that  it  is  hard  to  believe  the  hydrophobia  to  have  been  connected  with  a  wound  in- 
flicted at  a  time  so  very  distant. 

George  R.,  aged  13,  admitted  into  Guy*s  Hospital  under  Dr  Rees,  January  16, 1865. 
Has  always  been  a  healthy  boy ;  father  and  mother,  and-  numerous  brothers  and  sis- 
ters alive  and  well. 


162  CASE  OF  HYDROPHOBIA. 

On  December  18,  twenty-nine  days  ago,  as  he  was  returning  home  from  school,  he 
was  bitten  in  the  upper  lip  by  a  large  dog.  This  dog  was  then  under  treatment  for 
madness,  but  had  got  loose  in  some  way.  The  dog  subsequently  bit  a  little  girl 
slightly  in  the  hand,  and  was  immediately  afterward^  killed  by  a  butcher  with  an 
axe.  The  boy  went  to  a  surgeon's  at  Greenwich  directly  he  had  been  bitten,  and 
within  a  quarter  of  an  hour  the  edges  of  the  wound  were  pared  and  adapted  by  pins 
and  strapping,  as  in  the  operation  for  hare-lip.  The  pins  were  removed  in  nine  days, 
and  very  soon  afterwards  the  wound  was  healed.  The  mother  says  that  he  had  severe 
rigors  just  before  the  pins  were  removed ;  they  came  on  twice  a^y,  and  lasted  about 
a  quarter  of  an  hour. 

The  boy  was  in  his  usual  health  after  the  wound  healed,  and,  according  to  the 
mother,  even  sharper  and  quicker  than  previously. 

On  Thursday  afternoon,  January  12,  however,  he  began  to  complain  of  headache 
and  lassitude,  and  stiffness  of  the  face,  which  commenced  in  the  right  side,  (where 
the  scar  is,)  and  afterwards  extended  to  the  left.    He  slept  well  that  night 

On  the  following  day  he  still  had  more  or  less  headache,  and  the  stiffness  of  the 
face  continued. 

On  Friday  night  he  was  restless. 

On  Saturday  he  was  about  the  same,  but  began  to  lose  his  appetite,  which  np  to  that 
day  had  been  very  good.  In  the  afternoon,  however,  he  went  out  shopping  with  his 
mother.    He  was  very  restless  that  night. 

On  Sunday  morning  at  breakfast  he  first  felt  a  difficulty  in  swallowing  liquids,  and 
had  a  spasm  when  trying  to  drink  his  tea,  and  stiffness  of  the  neck  came  on.  He 
swallowed  a  teaspoonful  of  gruel  on  Sunday  with  difficulty,  but  has  taken  nothing  to 
eat  or  drink  since. 

On  Sunday  night  he  was  very  restless,  and  did  not  sleep  at  all.  At  two  o'clock  in 
the  morning  he  asked  for  a  draught  of  cold  water,  but  could  not  swallow,  as  the  at- 
tempt brought  on  a  spasm.  He  was  again  offered  drink,  but  could  not  take  any, 
although  thirsty. 

State  on  admitaion  at  twdve  o'clock  on  Monday  morning. — He  has  an  anxious, 
frightened  expression  of  countenance.  The  intellect  is  quite  clear,  and  he  answers 
questions  intelligibly,  although  unwillingly,  because  talking  seems  to  bring  on  spasm 
of  the  cervical  muscles.  He  had  a  convulsive  attack  when  first  placed  in  bed,  owing 
to  the  draught  caused  by  throwing  a  blanket  over  him.  The  scar  on  the  right  side 
of  the  upper  lip. is  like  that  after  the  operation  for  hare-lip,  with  the  marks  of  the 
pins  on  either  side.  He  says  that  there  has  been  no  pain,  itching,  nor  numbness  in 
the  part,  and  there  is  no  evident  infiammation  nor  swelling.  He  complains  of  pain 
in  the  neck  and  face,  but  there  is  no  spasm  when  in  bed.  The  breathing  is  very 
peculiar,  accompanied  by  sighing ;  respirations  14  to  16,  laboured.  Pulse  92  to  98, 
irregular. 

When  a  glass  of  wine  was  brought  he  declared  that  he  could  not  take  any,  but 
when  pressed  he  raised  the  cup  to  his  lips  with  a  determined  air,  and  succeeded  in 
swallowing  a  little  with  much  difficulty ;  but  immediately  spasm  of  the  cervical  and 
thoracic  muscles  came  on  with  a  general  convulsive  fit.  He  then  fell  back  into  the 
bed  exhausted  and  panting  for  breath.  When  asked  some  time  after  to  take  more 
he  refused,  and  seemed  almost  to  have  a  spasmodic  attack  at  the  thought  of  it. 

2  P.M.  —Continues  in  the  same  condition.  Has  had  no  more  spasms.  On  trying 
again  to  drink  some  wine,  he  succeeded  in  swallowing  about  half  a  teaspoonful)  hot 
with  much  distress,  and  a  spasm  came  on  immediately  afterwards.  Respiration 
variable— 14  to  18.  Pulse  very  irregular,  varying  from  88  to  102  in  a  few  moments. 
Dr  Rees  ordered  him  to  be  kept  as  quiet  as  possible,  aud  curtains  to  be  placed  round 
the  bed,  to  keep  off  draughts. 

DL.  Quinse  Disulph.  gr.  yj. ;  acid,  sulph.  dil.  M.  x. ;  vin.  rubri.  aqusd  Sa  5j-  fiat.; 
enema  2  dis  horis.  As  much  port  wine  as  possible;  but  only  to  be  given  at  intervals 
of  three  hours. 

4  P.M . — Pulse  98,  irregular.  Respiration  16,  sighing  and  irregular.  Complains  of 
stiffness  of  the  right  arm.    Ii\jection  4.30  retained.    Refused  to  take  wine. 

5  P.M. — The  pulse  104,  irregular.  Respiration  as  before.  He  complains  of  pain  in 
both  arms,  coming  on  with  the  paroxysms,  which  are  slight,  the  respiratory  muscles 
being  chiefly  affected.  They  begin  with  a  slight  cough,  followed  by  rigidity  of  the 
cervical  muscles,  and  quick,  sighing  respirations. 

6  P.M. — A  spoonful  of  wine  was  administered,  followed  by  the  usual  convulsions, 
and  also  by  paroxysms  of  pain  in  the  legs  as  well  as  in  the  arms.  The  pain  went  off 
in  a  few  seconds. 


CASE  OF  HTDBOPHOBTA.  163 

7  P.M. — Poise  104 ;  respiration  14.  Has  had  two  or  three  slight  spasms  dnriiig  the 
hour.  Complained  of  the  light,  and  asked  to  hare  the  gas  turned  down.  He  then 
for  the  first  time  wanted  to  spit,  and  with  difficulty  spat  up  a  little  thin  mucua  In- 
jection giyen  and  retained. 

8  P.M . — Has  been  starting  up  in  bed  with  a  sensation  of  choking ;  complains  of 
aching  pain  in  the  epigastrium.  He  asked  for  cold  water.  Some  wine  was  brought 
in  a  mug ;  he  held  it  for  a  moment,  and  then  asked  for  a  spoon  ;  this  he  thrust  into 
his  mouth  with  a  determined  efibrt,  bat  immediately  spat  out  the  wine,  saying  that 
he  could  not  swallow.  This  was  followed  by  a  spasuL  Complained  of  the  light  of 
the  fire,  and  curtains  were  put  up.  The  spasms  are  frequent,  more  serere,  and  ex- 
eited  by  any  noise.  The  injection  was  repeated,  but  he  passed -it  directly  afterwards 
with  some  urine,  the  first  since  admission.     Pulse  100,  weaker ;  respiration  22. 

10  P.M. — The  spasms  haying  become  more  frequent  and  severe,  attempts  were  made 
to  administer  chloroform,  but  these  caused  violent  spasms  and  a  burning  sensation, 
as  of  mustard,  in  the  throat  He  threw  himself  out  of  bed  during  one  severe  spasm. 
Another  iigection  given,  c.  tr.  opii.  mxxx. 

11  P.M. — Has  had  several  spasms  during  the  last  hour,  shrieking  out  apparently  in 
great  pain,  and  trembling  all  over.    Is  becoming  strange  in  his  manner. 

Tucasday,  12.15  A.M. — Has  been  somewhat  quieter.  Asked  for  bread  and  butter, 
and  swallowed  a  little  without  any  spasm.  He  then  asked  for  drink,  but  the  sight  of 
fluid  caused  a  spasm,  which  was  increased  when  he  tried  to  drink.  He  said  that  his 
"  throat  was  stuffed  up."  Asked  the  gentleman  attending  "  to  breathe  away  from 
him." 

1  A.M. — After  a  good  deal  of  trouble  we  administered  another  injection  (with 
opium.)  Before  this  he  had  continuous  attacks  of  spasm,  passing  rapidly  from  one 
to  another  for  eighteen  minutes ;  after  which  he  seemed  quite  exhausted,  and  panted 
for  breath.     He  wanders  in  his  mind. 

2  A.M. — Quieter ;  has  only  had  two  or  three  spasms  since  the  last  injection. 

3  A.M. — For  the  past  forty-five  minutes,  has  been  in  a  state  of  constantly  recurring 
spasms.  At  the  onset  of  a  severe  spasm  he  springs  up  in  bed  ;  then  puts  his  hands 
furiously  to  his  throat,  as  if  to  tear  something  away ;  the  head  is  thrown  violently 
back,  the  mouth  open,  and  the  eyeballs  protruded ;  then  he  makes  several  expiratory 
efforts,  sometimes  with  a  shrill,  screaming  cr}^,  the  head  is  thrown  violently  from  side 
to  side,  and  the  hands  tossed  wildly  about,  beating  his  chest,  and  striking  anything 
that  is  near ;  the  spasm  generally  ending  by  the  expectoration  of  a  viscid  mucus, 
which  receutly  has  been  tinged  with  blood.  The  passage  of  the  enema  tube  caused  a 
spasm,  but  the  injection  was  retained.  Pulse  114 ;  respirations  very  irregular,  and  ^o 
interrupted  by  the  spasms  that  they  cannot  be  counted. 

3.35  A.M. — Spasms  continue,  but  perhaps  somewhat  less  frequently.  He  has  much 
trouble  with  viscid  mucus,  putting  up  his  hands  to  tear  it  away  from  his  mouth  dur- 
ing the  spasms.  He  asked  for  drink,  and  when  wine  was  given  him  he  took  two  or 
three  spoonfuls  hastily,  just  managing  to  swallow  them  before  a  spasm  came  on.  He 
then  asked  for  bread  and  butter,  and  ate  some,  though  several  times  he  was  inter- 
rupted by  spasms ;  before  finishing  it,  however,  a  severe  spasm  came  on,  and  he 
vomited  the  whole  into  his  hands,  and  threw  the  vomit  to  the  other  side  of  the  room. 
Bespirations  taken  between  the  spasms  32  per  minute. 

4.15  A.M. — Is  in  a  state  of  almost  constant  agitation,  throwing  himself  about  in  the 
most  frantic  manner.  Skin  so  irritable  that  the  least  touch  throws  him  into  a  spasm. 
Says  he  is  hungry,  but  that  trying  to  eat  brings  on  a  violent  spasm.  He  keeps  jump- 
ing out  of  bed  and  crawling  about  the  floor  and  under  the  bed.  Mind  wandering 
very  much. 

6  A.M. — Spasms  continue  very  severe.  He  rolls  about  the  bed,  throwing  his  arms 
and  legs  about  most  violently.  Vomits  and  spits  a  lar^e  quantity  of  a  thin  matter 
mixed  plentifully  with  blood.     Is  wildly  delirious. 

6  A.M. — Has  become  so  excessively  violent  that  he  is  kept  in  bed  with  the  utmost 
difficulty.  Fights  and  struggles  most  violently,  screaming,  shouting,  and  spitting  in 
all  directions. 

7  A.M. — The  violence  of  the  struggling  is  abating,  and  the  delirium  now  assumes  a 
playful  character ;  he  tosses  his  arms  about  in  a  choreic  manner ;  keeps  coughing 
and  hawking  up  a'  viscid  bloody  mucus.  An  enema  had  been  administered  at  6.30, 
which  before  was  quite  impossible.  Respirations  laborious,  and  accompanied  by  a 
peculiar  cry;  pulse  very  irregular,  and  so  weak  as  hardly  to  be  felt,  150  to  180. 

7.45  A.M. — Quieter,  but  still  rolls  about  in  the  bed,  and  tosses  his  limbs.  Intellect 
somewhat  clearer,  but  still  wandering.    Answers  questions  intelligibly.    When  asked 


164  RECUEIL  DE  MfiDECINE  V^TEfilNAIRE. 

if  he  was  thirsty,  he  said  that  he  should  like  something  to  drink,  and  on  wine  being 
offered,  he  swallowed  a  mouthful  pretty  well  with  coughing  and  some  spasm,  and 
then  asked  for  more,  drinking  altogether  from  two  to  three  ounces,  with  very  little 
general  spasm  only  of  the  pharyngeal  muscles.  The  mouth  is  filled  with  an  adhesive 
frothy  mucus,  which  he  cannot  spit  up.  Respiration  less  laboured ;  pulse  somewhat 
stronger— 114  to  120. 

8.15. — Seems  exhausted ;  going  into  a  state  of  low  muttering  delirium,  with  twitch- 
ing of  the  limbs.    An  enema  was  administered  before  8  without  any  apparent  effect. 

8.25. — Is  becoming  insensible;  pulse  imperceptible;  extremities  cold.  Died  at 
8.30  very  quietly,  apparently  from  syncope. 

A  poat^wrtem  examination  was  made  by  Dr  Wilks,  but  nothing  was  seen,  With 
the  exception  of  redness  of  the  back  of  the  tongue  and  fauces,  and  some  injection 
of  the  larynx  and  upper  part  of  the  trachea.  Nothing  was  seen  on  a  superficial  view 
of  the  brain  and  cord,  but  the  pons,  medulla  oblongata,  and  spinal  cord  are  in  the 
hands  of  Mr  Durham  for  careful  microscopical  examination.  As  these  parts  will  re- 
quire to  be  hardened  by  chromic  acid  before  sections  can  be  made,  some  time  must 
elapse  before  we  can  give  the  results  of  Mr  Durham's  researches. 


RECUEIL  DB  MfiDECINfi  V^T^IRINAIRE.— LITHOTRITY  IN  THE  HORSE. 

By  Paofbssob  Boulet,  Alfort 

The  subject  of  thiB»  a  bay  five-year-old  gelding  of  a  light  breed,  was  brought  to  the 
college  (Alfort)  by  the  owner,  who  had  recently  purchasisd  him,  under  the  impression 
that  he  was  the  subject  of  a  redhibitory  vice.  The  symptoms  noticed  by  him  were 
frequent  attempts  to  stale,  with  the  passage  of  urine  in  very  small  quantities  only,  and 
an  unintermittent  dropping  of  urine  from  the  urethra.  The  horse  appeared  other- 
wise in  perfect  health,  with  supple  skin,  smooth,  shining  coat,  and  excellent  appetite 
and  spirits.  The  penis  hung  slightly  from  the  sheath,  and  urine  of  a  muddy  charac- 
ter dropped  from  it  incessantly.  His  frequent  attempts  to  stale  produced  only  a 
small  stream  of  urine,  which  on  standing  threw  down  a  yellowish  white  sedimentary 
deposit. 

The  fossft  navicularis  contained  some  grayish-white  sebaceous  matter,  of  a  pasty 
consistence,  but  too  little  to  interfere  materially  with  the  discharge  of  urine.  The 
mucous  membrane  of  the  sheath  was  inflamed,  and  apparently  ulcerated,  and  bled  on 
being  touched.  Examination  through  the  rectum  detected  the  presence  of  a  round 
body  on  the  floor  of  the  pelvis,  of  the  size  of  the  closed  fist  On  pressing  with  the 
fingers  on  its  anterior  part,  it  can  be  detached  from  the  fundus  of  the  bladder,  in 
which  it  was  evidently  enclosed,  and  advanced  towards  its  neck.  It  was  undoubtedly 
a  urinary  calculus. 

Considering  the  ill-success  of  lithontriptics,  it  was  decided  to  operate  with  the 
lithotriteur,  which  was  accordingly  done  on  the  21st  February,  after  the  patient  had 
been  prepared  by  two  days  of  light  diet 

The  horse  being  left  in  the  standing  position,  the  urethra  was  distended  by  the  in- 
jection of  tepid  water,  and  an  incision  made  into  it  about  eight  lines  beneath  the  anus. 
A  grooved  director  was  introduced,  and  with  the  bistoury  a  slight  incision  made 
upward  in  the  course  of  the  median  raphe,  until  the  wound  was  dilatable  to  the 
extent  of  nearly  two  inches.* 

"The  animal  was  next  cast  and  properly  secured,  being  maintained  on  its  back  by 
bundles  of  straw  on  each  side  of  the  chest  and  abdomen.  The  lithotriteur  of  Dr 
GuiUon  was  now  introduced  through  the  urethra,  but  for  twenty  minutes  all  efforts 
to  seize  the  calculus  were  ineffectual.  Th^  obstacle  being  ascertained  to  be  the  con- 
traction of  the  vesical  walls  firmly  over  all  parts  of  the  stone,  the  bladder  was  dis- 
tended by  the  injection  of  tepid  water,  and  the  calculus  was  then  readily  grasped 
by  the  blades  of  the  instrument.  The  first  attempt,  however,  only  crushed  a  frag- 
ment of  the  stone,  yet  a  number  of  small  pieces,  of  a  grayish-brown  colour,  were  ex- 
pelled immediately  afterward.  These  were  hard  and  coidd  not  be  crushed  between 
the  fingers,  but  readily  broke  up  under  the  pressure  of  £he  nail. 

Several  other  successful  attempts  were  made  after  the  distension  of  the  bladder, 
and  at  last  the  entire  calculus  was  reduced  to  a  kind  of  mortar,  consisting  of  pieces  of 
different  sizes.  One  piece  larger  than  the  rest^  extracted  by  the  lithotomy  forceps, 
and  weighing  about  ten  drachms,  (thirty-five  to  forty  grammes,)  was  convex  on  the 


TEKXIGIXOrS  STMFXOIIS  Cfk  THE  HOK3S.  16o 

one  sde  aad  incgvlmrij  lKiol«n  on  the  oppaete.  IW  farakea  snifftce  s^ved  a  wnes 
of  Ujen  €i  Tuio«i  deeroa  of  tkickBCK.  mperpoHd  oa  m  ceatnl  B«ci^&  It  v«t 
condnded  ikaX  the  moac  kid  boa  iharouhlr  brc^eo  down  lad  cxp^led.  vhea  Uio 
hand  intiodmeed  imto  the  reessB  bo  l<mstr  f  eh  abt  hard  moT&b2e  bodT  ia  the  b2ad- 
der,  Aad  when  that  Of^mo  kid  eoatnesod  on  itadf  into  the  aoallost  'poKibk  halk^ 
-wHhoiit  any  of  the  don^j  ■mnrioa  ii^iancd  hr  the  poesence  of  sibaloas  depont. 

The  animal  vas  niaed,  aad  the  voond  ia  the  areUm  plagged  with  tov  to  cheek 
the  bKmorriiage,  which  had  beem  oowBdefable  dnriac  the  fcifftr-fiTe  miaates  the  ope- 
ration had  lasted.  He  was  sow  rabbed  dzr.  eoBifiana^lT  dothcd,  aad  coadoocd  to  a 
warm  stable.  The  poise  had  l^Mome  SLnm^  and  qoi^  the  conjnnctira  iiyeeted.  and 
the  breathing  aoedecated.  Yeocal  eohc  own  appeaxvd,  bat  of  a  mild  tjpe.  the 
patiait  Ijin^  down  eaationilT  aad  ertendin^  hiTnV';f  on  his  ri^t  or  left  side,  with< 
ooi  stnuggling  aboat  as  in  riokat  pain. 

TreatMrnemL — Walk  two  hocrs  and  gire  laxatiTe  iBJe<cti<HiB,  \Sod»  Sa]ph.>  Giro 
laxatiTe  dranghts  il50  g:naunes»  of  the  same  salt,  to  exerdw  a  deriTatiTo  effect  to- 
ward the  intestinal  mneooB  membrane.  Gire  camphorated  electoair  ^fifteen  grammes 
camphor)  to  allaj  the  spasms  of  the  bladder.  Apply  sinspifim^  to  the  four  Umbs,  and 
a  Terr  warm  ponltice  orer  the  Icnns.  Inject  decoction  of  poppy  hoMis  into  the  blad- 
der to  calm  the  irritalHlitj  of  the  mncoos  membrane. 

Colicky  pains  eontinned  daring  the  day  and  part  of  the  night. 

At  night  was  an  exaeerbation  of  the  febrile  symptoms,  with  prostration,  rapid, 
quick  poise,  aeederated  breathing,  profose  sweating,  and  moscalar  weakness. 

Next  day,  the  22d,  the  horse  seemed  better;  the  weakness  and  depression  less ;  the 
skin  hot  and  dry ;  the  palse  rafad,  <6S  per  minate,)  and  rery  weak,  and  respintioa 
calm.  He  sought  to  eat.  The  arine  escaped  by  the  wound  and  ran  down  the  thighs, 
thoogfa  at  times  a  jet  was  expdled  by  a  sudden  contraction  of  the  bladder.  There 
was  serous  infiltration  roond  the  wound.  The  animal  has  purged  actirely.  GiTe 
laxatiTe  drinks  and  injections,  and  clothe  warmly.    Mashes  allowed. 

On  the  23d  the  improrement  continued.  Slon  warm,  pulse  slower  and  stronger, 
aad  req[>iration  quiet.  Aj^tetite  good.  Poplar  ointment  was  applied  to  the  thighs  to 
prerent  irritation  by  the  urine.  Laxatire  dystera  were  continued,  but  the  drau^ts 
replaced  by  dinretie  doses  of  nitre,  (twenty-fire  grammes.)  Half  the  ordinary  diet 
allowed. 

On  the  following  day  there  was  marked  improTement  in  the  spirits  and  general 
condition.  The  wound  discharged  with  the  urine  a  little  yellowish  serous  pus.  A 
small  quantity  of  urine  paonod  through  the  penis.  The  s^me  treatment  was  con- 
tinued. Oii  the  25th  the  pulse  and  respiration  had  returned  to  the  normal  standard, 
and  laudable  pus  esc^ed  horn  the  wound.  On  the  26th  the  poplar  ointment  was 
replaced  by  a  layer  of  tar,  as  extensire  depilation  and  separation  of  the  epidermis 
was  taking  place. 

By  the  4th  ICarch  the  wound  was  so  far  closed  that  a  few  drops  only  escaped  by  it 
daring  the  most  riolent  contractions,  and  by  the  12th  it  had  completely  closed. 

The  gelding  was  discharged  on  the  17th,  and  at  this  time  the  wound  showed  only 
a  slight  cicatrix.  The  urine  continued  to  be  expelled  at  frequent  intemds,  the  blad> 
der  baring  eridently  undergone  a  considerable  diminution  in  size,  and  become  inca> 
pable  of  holding  any  quantity  without  being  stimulated  to  expel  it.  In  urination 
too,  the  last  portions  were  expelled  in  a  series  of  jets,  coincidently  with  the  riolent 
action  of  the  expiratory  muscles  and  accelorator  urinse.  It  would  appear  that  the 
muscular  coat  no  longer  enjoyed  its  natural  contractility,  that  the  riscus  could  not 
contract  fully  on  itself,  and  that  it  could  only  be  completdy  emptied  by  the  action  of 
the  expiratory  muscles. 


VERTIGINOUS  SYMPTOMS  IN  THE  HOKSE  DUE  TO  A 
CHOLESTEATOMA. 

By  M.  Vmbsajsti,  junior,  Vetertnciricm  at  Clameey, 

Thb  subject  of  this  affection,  a  horse  in  very  good  condition,  was  bought  at  a  fair,  and 
two  days  later  did  a  good  day's  work  in  harness  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  drirer ; 
but  the  same  evening  at  eleven  o'clock,  was  attacked  with  the  symptoms  in  question. 
When  first  seen  by  M.  Yemant,  he  rested  motionless,  and  insensible  to  all  around 
him,  his  head  in  the  manger,  and  pressed  against  the  rack.    The  eye  was  dull,  and  the 


166  VEETIGINOUS  SYMPTOMS  IN  THE  HORSE. 

expression  haggard  and  depressed,  the  moyements  were  stiff  and  difficnlt,  that  of 
backing  particularly,  and  the  animal  inyariably  returned  to  his  manger  where  he  could 
find  a  support  for  his  head.  The  appetite  was  gone,  there  was  marked  trismus,  the 
mouth  was  hot  and  dry,  the  belly  tucked  up  and  no  passage  of  faeces.  The 
breathing  was  deep  and  slow,  the  artery  full,  tense,  and  hard,  and  the  mucous  mem- 
branes red. 

During  the  examination  a  paroxysm  came  on,  during  which  the  eyes  in  place  of 
being  dull  became  fixed  and  prominent,  and  the  moyements  precipitate  and  reckless. 
He  reared  up  and  pushed  with  all  his  force  against  the  rack,  first  at  one  side  and 
then  on  the  other,  but  always  in  a  forward  direction.  After  pushing  in  this  way 
for  some  time,  he  reared  anew  and  executed  yarious  irregular  moyements,  but  in  the 
course  of  a  quarter  of  an  hour  relapsed  into  the  same  condition  as  before  the 
paroxysm. 

He  was  treated  by  bleeding,  counter-irritants,  cold  to  the  head,  and  other  measures, 
but  with  little  benefit.  He  sought  to  eat,  but  could  take  little  on  account  of  the  tris- 
mus. He  had  three  paroxysmal  attacks  during  the  next  six  days,  at  the  end  of  which 
he  died.  Death  was  preceded  by  great  prostration,  the  pulse  gradually  became 
weaker,  the  breathing  more  laboured,  and  the  head  and  limbs  engorged. 

The  aiUopsy,  made  fiye  hours  after  death,  showed  nothing  remarkable  until  the 
left  ventricle  of  the  brain  was  opened,  when  there  escaped  an  abnormally  large  quan- 
tity of  a  yellow  serous  fluid.  The  entire  cayity  was  filled  by  a  flattened  elliptical 
tumour,  an  hypertrophy  of  the  choroid  plexus,  weighing  9  drachms,  and  measuring  in 
its  longest  diameter,  2  inches  and  4  lines,  and  in  its  shortest,  1  inch  3  lines.  The 
surface  was  in  a  series  of  irregular  rounded  masses,  and  the  whole  covered  by  a  smooth 
membrane — apparently  the  pia  mater.  The  mass  was  firm  and  resistant  at  the  ex- 
tremities, and  less  so  at  the  median  part.  The  colour  is  yellowish,  with  a  number  of 
small  glistening  bodies  of  a  golden  hue.  The  envelope  was  intimately  adherent  to 
all  parts  of  the  tumour.  The  tumour  was  easily  cut,  and  from  the  incision  escaped  a 
yellow,  odourless  fluid,  having  a  saline  taste,  and  holding  in  suspension  a  number 
of  the  glistening  yellow  bodies  above  referred  to.  The  tumour  was  otherwise  com- 
posed of  a  series  of  lamellae  superimposed  on  each  other,  and  permeated  by  numerous 
small  vessels.  The  structures  on  the  floor  of  the  ventricle,  particularly  the  corpus 
striatum  and  the  hippocampus  major,  were  greatly  atrophied. 


ROYAL  COLLEGE  OP  VETERINARY  SURGEONS. 


THE  TWENTY-SECOND  GENERAL  MEETING  of  the  ROYAL  COLLEGE 
of  VETERINARY  SURGEONS  will  be  held,  in  accordance  with  the  provisions 
of  the  Charter,  at  the  College,  No.  10  Red  Lion  Square,  London,  on  MONDAY, 
the  1st  of  May,  at  One  o'clock  precisely,  to  receive  the  Annual  Report  of  the  Council, 
and  also  the  Treasurer's  Report ;  and  to  elect  Seven  Members  of  the  Council,  Six  in 
the  place  of  the  following,  who  go  out  by  rotation,  viz., — William  Burley,  William 
Ernes,  William  Mavor,  J«hn  Legrew,  Samuel  Hicks  Withers,  and  Thomaa  Dike 
Broad;  and  one  in  the  place  of  John  Ellis^  deceased.  - 

ROBERT  LEWIS  HUNT,  Esq.,  the  President,  in  the  Chair. 

W.  H.  COAXES,  Secretary. 
10  RxD  Lion  Squabe,  March  1865. 


The  ANNIVERSARY  DINNER  will  take  place  as  usnal,  on  the  evening  of  the 
same  day,  at  Six  o'clock. 


BALLANTTMB  AND  CO.,  PRINTXB8,  KDINBUROH. 


THE  VETEKEfAET  REVIEW 

St0rkofon;ers'   |0urnal* 


OUeniAL   COKKiniCATIOIS  AIB   CA8S& 


Pleuro-Pneumania^  amd  Epieootic  Aphtha;  infonnation  rektiTe 
th^eto  fmnished  to  Mr  6.  Arvatage,  Hon.  Sec  to  the  Noith 
of  Enghnd  Veterinaiy  Medical  Assodation ;  V.S.  to  the  Kight 
Hon.  the  Eail  Vane: 

(To  AeEdHor  of  ike  VeterimaFy  Bevier.) 

Febniary  SO,  ISeS. 
The  following  commnnication  and  accompanying  questions  have  been 
forwarded  by  me  to  upwards  of  forty  practitioners,  including  the 
whole  of  the  members  of  our  Association,  with  the  view  of  obtaining  in- 
formation respecting  the  nature  and  joevalence  of  "pleuro-pneumonia** 
and  "epizootic  aphtha''  in  various  districts.  I  r^ret^  however,  in 
being  compelled  to  content  myself  with  so  meagre  a  report  firom 
sources  which  MotiU  prove  the  most  abundant  Out  of  the  above  num- 
ber of  communications  forwarded,  four  replies  only  have  been  received, 
two  of  which,  as  will  be  seen,  are  from  practitioners  far  distant  from 
the  centre  of  our  operations.  It  cannot  be  that  the  diseases  in  question 
have  not  prevailed  in  many  of  the  districts  around,  and  thus  have 
created  an  impossibility  to  supply  the  desired  information — ^we  know 
it  is  the  contrary ;  and  if  our  brethren  in  active  cattle  practice  would 
kindly  forward  information  on  such  pointy  it  would  materially  assist 
in  a  general  work  of  good.  We  cannot  expect  to  advance  under  such 
apadiy ;  like  the  faint-hearted  waggoner,  our  entreaties  for  help  with- 
out will  never  be  heard  or  answered  until  the  materials  for  an  earnest 
movement  are  demonstrated  to  have  an  existence  within. — ^Yours 
truly,  George  Abbdltagb,  Hon.  Sec. 


KOBTH  OF  EnOLAND  Y VTEBIHABT  MiDlCAL  ASSOCIATION, 

October  1, 1864. 

Deab  Sib, — Information  upon  the  following  diseases  is  earnestly 
requested.  Will  you  kindly  furnish  the  same  as  far  as  your  ability 
wiU  admit,  observing  the  numerical  order  in  the  arrangement  of  your 
answers  to  facilitate  reference,  and  oblige,  dear  sir,  yours  very  faith- 
fully, Geobgb  Abmatagb,  Hon,  Sec. 
Vol.  L— No.  IV.— N«w  Sibiis.    April  1865.  N 


168  PLEURO-PNEUMONIA,  AND  EPIZOOTIC  APHTHA. 


PLEUEO-PNEUMONIA. 

1.  Ha«  this  disease  prevailed  in  your  locality  of  late  ?  and  what 

have  been  the  general  characters  ? 

2.  Is  it,  in  your  opinion,  on  the  increase,  stationary,  or  otherwise  ? 

3.  What  losses,  direct  or  indirect,  have  come  under  your  notice  ? 

4.  What  has  been  the  ordinary  duration  of  the  disease  ?    And  how 

have  animals  or  carcases  aflfected  been  disposed  of  ? 

5.  As  a  rule,  are  animals  aflfected  placed  under  medical  treatment  ? 

or,  is  it  likely  that  many  become  aflfected,  die,  and  are  disposed 
of  without  ? 

6.  Have  any  instances  of  direct  contagion  come  under  your  notice  ? 

If  so,  how  was  it  eflfected  ? 

7.  What  class  of  owners  in  your  district  suflfer  the  greatest  losses  ? 

and  to  what  do  you  attribute  the  cause  ? 

8.  What  kind  of  treatment,   remedial  or^  preventive,  have  you 
adopted  ?  and  with  what  results  ? 

MURRAIN,  OR  VESICULAR  EPIZOOTIC. 

The  same  questions  will  apply  in  this  disease  also,  with,  however, 
this  addition. 

9.  Have  you  known  the  disease  to  be  communicated  to  the  human 

subject,  by  the  use  of  the  milk  of  aflfected  animals,  or  other 
means  ?  and  are  such  instances  rare,  or  of  common  occurrence. 


REPLIES. 

}ir 1  Roxburghshire, 

October  27, 1864. 
PLEURO-PNEUMONU. 

1.  There  has  been  little  of  the  disease  in  this  district  for  some  time, 
until  within  the  past  two  months,  about  the  beginning  of  which 
period  there  was  a  large  importation  of  Dutch  cattle.  The 
cases  occurring  among  the  imported  cattle  have  been  virulent. 

%  Since  the  period  I  have  indicated,  it  has  been  on  the  increase. 

3.  Losses  to  the  amount  of  several  hundreds  of  pounds. 

4.  About  fourteen  days  from  the  first  observable  symptoms  of  ill- 
ness, until  the  animals  were  either  destroyed,  or  died.  The 
carcases  have  generally  been  buried. 

5.  They  are  not,  as  a  rule,  placed  under  medical  treatment.     Many 

I  doubt  not,  become  aflfected,  and  disposed  of  without  treat- 
ment. 

6.  Nearly  all  are  cases  of  direct  contagion,  traceable  to  contact 
with  the  imported  Dutch  cattle ;  almost  every  lot  of  which  is 
diseased, — i.e^^  if  not  actually  in  some  of  the  animals  showing 
unmistakable  symptoms  of  plearo-pneumonia,  it  is  in  a  few 
weeks  fully  developed 


PUnJSO-PSSUlIOSIA,  AXD  EPIZOOnC  APfllHA.  169 

7.  Those  who  are  most  frequentlj  in  the  market ;  traceable  to  the 

purchasiiig  of  animals,  to  wUch  they  are  liable  from  their  ex- 
tensive dealings. 

8.  To  detail  my  treatment  in  cases  of  plenio-pnenmonia^  I  fear 

wonld  weary  yon.    I  may,  however,  briefly  express  it  as  ex- 
pectorant in  its  nature.     I  endeavour  as  much  as  possible  to 
treat  symptoms  as  they  arise;  and  by  all  means  support  the 
animals'  strength.     Secoveries  amongst  cases  treated,  I  may 
state  at  about  25  per  cent 
As  a  preventive,  I  have  more  confidence  in  s^regation,  with  at- 
tention to  the  general  comforts  of  the  animal,  than  aught  else.     I 
have  tried  various  internal  medicaments  as  preventives,  but  have  little 
faith  in  them. 

MURRAIN. 

1.  It  has  been  in  the  district  lately.     Nothing  particular  observed 

in  the  symptoms,  which  have  been  of  the  usual  character. 

2.  Rather  on  the  decline. 

3.  The  losses  have  been  slight,  only  in  deterioration  of  the  stock 

afiected. 
4. 

5.  Only  in  bad  cases,  or  when  animals  affected  are  numerous*  is 

medical  advice  sought 

6.  The  majority  are  cases  of  direct  contagion,  either  by  contact  of 

healthy  with  diseased,  or  by  the  placing  of  sound  animals  on 
ground,  or  in  trucks  previously  occupied  by  those  diseased. 

7.  &e  answer  under  pleuro-pneumonia  applies  to  this  alsa 

8.  In  treating  tases  of  vesicular  epizootic,  I  simply  direct  them  to 

have  a  clean  and  dry  lair,  and  furnish  an  astringent  wash  for  feet 
and  mouth. 

9.  I  have  never  known  of  the  disease  being  communicated  to  man ; 
but  am  acquainted  with  cases  where  disorder  of  the  digestive 
organs  have  followed  the  use  of  milk  from  animals  suffering 
from  murrain. 

There  is  nothing  I  am  more  completely  convinced  of  than  the  con- 
tagious nature  of  plenro-pneumonia.  I  could  furnish  hundreds  of 
cases  from  my  notes  and  memory  to  prove  the  truth  of  the  asser» 
tion. 

The  Dutch  black  and  white  cattle  are,  and  have  been  at  every 
great  importation,  the  scourge  of  the  country.  They  have  within  the 
last  two  months  completely  infected  the  border  counties ;  depend 
upon  it*  something  must  be  done,  sooner  or  later,  to  check  Uiis  state 
of  affairs. 


Mr ,  Newcastle. 

October  4,  1864. 
Dear  Sir, — In  furnishing  you  with  answers  to  questions  relative 
to  the  diseases  of  cattle— pleuro-pneumoma  a»d  vesicular  aphtha, 


170  PLEUEO-PNBUMONIA,  AND  EPIZOOTIC  APHTHA. 

I  may  premise  that  my  practice  among  cattle  is  not  very  extensive, 
being  chiefly  confined  to  cow-keepers  in  the  town  and  neighbourhood ; 
but  what  information  I  can  give  you  is  at  your  disposal. 

As  far  as  the  latter  disease  is  concerned,  I  have  had  but  few  cases, 
and  those  of  a  mild  character. 

PLEUEO-PNEUMONU. 

1.  It  has  prevailed  much  of  late,  and  often  fatal ;  many  cases  being 

in  an  advanced  stage  before  receiving  medical  aid. 

2.  Continues  quite  as  prevalent. 

3.  I  have  not  had  any  instance  brought  under  direct  notice  when 

the  losses  have  been  very  great ;  but  have  heard  of  one  pro- 
prietor who  lost  a  great  number  of  animals  within  the  last 
month  or  two. 

4.  Ordinary  duration,  from  five  to  ten  days,  sometimes  as  long  as 
three  weeks ;  and  generally  sent  to  the  knackers'  sometimes 
before,  sometimes  after,  death. 

5.  Many  animals  are  undoubtedly  affected,  and  never  placed  under 

treatment ;  J)ut  die,  or  are  otherwise  disposed  of. 

6.  I  cannot  say  that  I  have  traced  any  case  to  direct  contagion, 

although  they  may  have  been  placed  in  circumstances  favour- 
able, to  it. 

7.  Cow-keepers.     Sometimes  to  contagion,  sometimes  to  atmos- 

pheric influence  ;  often  aided  by  a  want  of  proper  attention  to 
diet,  exercise,  and  ventilation. 

8.  As  remedial  measures,  I  recommend  change  of  situation,  but 

this  is  not  often  practicable — aperient,  stimulant,  &c.,  &c., 
with  a  liberal  diet,  and  counter-irritation  external  to  the  parts 
affected.  In  the  early  stages,  I  have  found  treatment  invari- 
ably successful. 


Mr  W.  JB.  r.,  South  Yorkshire. 

October  4, 1864. 
PLEUEO-PNBUMONIA. 

1.  The  disease  prevailed  in  this  neighbourhood  in  the  months  of 
April  and  May.  I  have  had  only  a  few  cases  since ;  the  disease 
mostly  prevailing  from  April  and  May  to  June, — few  instances 
occurring  during  the  remaining  nine  months  of  the  year. 
About  twenty-four  cases  occurred  in  the  above  months ;  seven 
only  were  treated;  the  others  being  in  moderate  condition, 
were  sent  alive  to  the  slaughter-houses,  and  killed  for  human 
food. 

2.  I  am  quite  convinced,  in  my  practice,  however,  that  the  number 

of  cases  gradually  and  regularly  decreases  every  year. 

3.  Four  animals  have  died  under  treatment ;  two  old  cows,  and 

two  heifers. 


FUXrSD-FSkEUMOXIA,  ASD  EPIZOOnC  APHTHA.  171 

4.  In  the  fatal  cases,  the  animals  lived  about  a  fortnight^  and  the 

carcases,  except  die  skins,  were  buried  deep ;  the  places  in  which 
thej  were  kept  were  well  fumigated  with  sulphurous  acid  and 
chlorine  gases. 

5.  As  the  prognosis  is  so  different  in  these  cases  if  they  are  ia 

moderate  condition  I  generally  order  them  to  be  sent  off  at 
once  to  the  butcher ;  and  in  order  to  stay  the  spread  of  the  in- 
,  f ection,  my  adyice  is  generally  taken. 

It  is  seldom  we  treat  them  unless  they  are  in  low  condition, 
when  young  animals  often  recover— old  ones  but  seldom  ;  on 
the  averi^,  two-thirds  of  those  treated  recover. 

6.  I  have  never  known  a  case  arise  from  direct  contagion;  but 

have  known  scores  of  cases  of  infection,  where  healthy  animals 
have  been  placed,  and  only  for  a  short  time,  into  places  con- 
taminated with  the  expired  air  from  the  lungs  of  diseased 
cattla 

7.  Cattle-dealers  and  farmers  who  are  often  changing  their  stock 

and  bringing  foreign  cattle  into  their  yards.  Of  these  I  find 
the  Irish  catde  most  dangerous, 

8.  Treatment — aperient  alteratives  in  the  first  instance — setons  in 

dewlap — OL  Mylabris.  et  Tereb.  Tinct  Crotonis,  as  a  vesicant 
to  parts  externally ;  succeeded  by  the  various  stimulants,  and 
followed  by  tonics,  mineral  and  vegetable,  with  the  Pot  lodid. 

ECZEMA  EPIZOOTICA. 

1.  This  disease  prevails  in  this  district  every  year,  raging  for  a  few 

months,  and  then  almost  disappearing.  I  think  it  is  generally 
during  the  first  three  months  of  the  year  that  its  worst  forms 
are  witnessed.  This  year,  however,  it  has  not  been  so  fatal  in 
milk  cows,  nor  have  I  known  a  fatal  case  from  implication  of 
the  mammary  gland. 

2.  Now  stationary. 

3.  No  direct  losses  this  year. 

4.  From  a  week  to  ten  days. 

5.  They,  as  a  rule,  are  not  placed  under  medical  treatment,  except 

milk  cows,  when  the  mammary  gland  is  affected. 

6.  Scores  of  cases. 

7.  Cattle-dealers,  and  farmers  who  are  often  changing  their  stock. 

I  attribute  the  causes  to  contagion  and  travelling. 

8.  We  never  use  any  preventive  means,  and  scarcely  ever  treat 

them. 

9.  I  have  known  the  milk  from  diseased  cows  used  frequently, 

but  never  heard  of  any  complaint,  or  ill  effects  from  so  doing. 


172  PLHXniO-PNEXJMONIA,  AND  EPIZOOTIC  APHTHA. 

Mr y  near  Newcastle-on-Tyne, 

October  9, 1864. 
PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. 

1.  It  has  prevailed  to  some  extent,  and  of  a  milder  character  than 

formerly. 

2.  On  the  decrease. 

3.  Out  of  from  60  to  70  cases  which  I  have  had  under  my  own 

treatment,  more  than  half  recovered.  Some  of  these  were  very 
mild  cases ;  seven  very  severe  cases  out  of  that  number  re- 
covered. Indirectly  I  know  of  many  cases  which  have  not 
been  treated,  those  dying  and  got  rid  of  as  quickly  as  possible; 
the  owners  of  such  being  anxious  to  hide  from  their  neigh- 
bours that  they  have  had  the  disease. 

4.  Individual  cases,  from  three  to  six  weeks ;  where  several  had 

been  aflfected,  from  five  to  six  months.  In  one  instance,  it  ex- 
tended over  nine,  months,  no  fresh  animals  being  brought  on 
the  place.  KB, — This  is  from  the  first  visible  appearance  of 
the  disease. 

No  sale  of  diseased  carcases  have  come  under  my  notice  this 
year. 

5.  I  believe  that  in  this  locality,   the  greater  part  of  animals 

affected  are  not  treated. 

Many  are  sold  in  public  markets  as  soon  as  the  disease  shows 
itself. 

6.  There  is  not  one  single  instance  of  the  disease  occurring  in  my 
own  practice  that  I  have  traced  to  direct  contagion. 

7.  Small  farmers  and  cowfeeders  who  are  buying  fresh  stock  fre- 

quently. 

8.  Remedial. — Counter  irritation,  stimulants,  tonics,  and  careful 

nursing;  the  latter  of  the  greatest  importance.  Preventive. — 
Tonics,  removal  of  diseased  animals.  Use  disinfectants  indoors, 
and  enjoin  cleanliness,  &c.,  &c. 

MURRAIN,  OR  VESICULAR  EPIZOOTIC. 

Not  a  case  of  this  disease  has  come  under  my  notice  for  the  past 
two  years. 

There  is  little  I  can  add  to  the  above.  Pleuro-pneumonia  among 
our  cattle  I  have  not  seen  for  the  past  two  years.  The  animals 
under  my  charge  being  purchased  in  November,  and  housed  for  feed- 
ing, are  sold  off  in  May  following,  selected  generally  from  the  stock 
of  the  breeder — a  course  which  has  hitherto  rendered  them  exempt 
from  the  scourge. 

Vesicular  aphtha,  however,  caused  much  trouble  during  the  spring 
of  the  past  year.  One  animal  died  out  of  about  fifty  more  or  less 
affected ;  and  in  one  instance  which  came  under  my  notice,  fifteen 
animals  which  had  remained  a  considera;ble  time  free  from  the  affec- 


PLEUSO-PNEUXONIA,  AXD  EPIZOOTIC  APHTHA.  173 

tion^  although  kept  tied  np  in  a  byre,  showed  symptoms  of  the  dis- 
ease in  a  very  short  space  of  time  after  some  cattle  from  Newcastle 
market,  labouring  under  the  affection,  were  placed  in  an  adjoining  field. 

Mineral  tonics  administered  to  cattle  not  ab-eady  showing  the 
symptoms  of  disease  were  singularly  preserved  during  its  effects 
subsequently. 

It  has  come  to  my  knowledge  that  several  farmers,  not  far  dis- 
tant, during  the  past  year  lost  their  cattle  by  pleuro-pneumonia,  and 
in  other  instances  sold  them  in  market  to  avoid  loss  themselves,  and 
to  the  detriment  of  others.  One  careful  old  gentleman  takes  advan- 
tage  of  the  niglU,  and  packs  off  the  carcasses  to  London,  Of  the 
origin  of  these  diseases  I  hear  but  one  opinion, — fanners  and  butchers 
agreeing  that  the  foreign  cattle  import  the  disease,  while  the  trafiSc 
m  our  markets  perpetuate  them ;  and  as  far  as  legislation  goes  are 
liberal  enough  to  admit,  that  measures  for  preventing  the  sale  of  dis- 
eased living  animals  by  dealers  should  be  adopted,  or  powers  given 
whereby  a  person  could  sue  the  salesman  for  damages ;  but  they 
dare  not  vote  for  such,  because  it  acts  as  a  two-edged  sword,  and 
cuts  each  way.  In  fact,  what  is  wanted  by  them,  is  a  measure  to 
protect  farmers,  and  legalise  the  sales  of  their  unsound  meat ;  while 
the  dealers  from  whom  they  purchase  the  living  animals  shall  be 
liable  to  a  heavy  penalty.  IVom  what  I  have  seen,  disease  of  a  con- 
tagious character  arises  quite  as  much  from  the  practice  of  farmers 
and  dairymen  disposing  of  infected  stock  in  neighbouring  markets, 
when  most  probably  a  man  equally  as  necessitous  purchases  under 
the  idea  that  he  had  better  do  that  from  a  fanner  whom  he  knows^ 
or  has  heard  of,  than  take  them  from  the  stock  of  a  dealer ;  when  he 
finds  himself  no  better  off,  and  in  most  instances  considerably  worse. 

If  a  case  occurs  among  cattle  on  a  farm,  in  a  majority  of  instances 
the  whole  are  driven  to  market  and  sold ;  other  stock  is  thus  ren- 
dered unsound  by  the  spread  of  disease,  and  the  farmer  becomes 
equally  as  culpable  for  the  mischief  which  is  created  in  his  own 
hands,  as  in  the  case  of  loss  to  others  by  his  countenancing  and 
fostering  a  proceeding  unwarrantable  as  it  is  infamous. 

Next  to  placing  a  strict  w^tch  upon  imported  cattle,  should  come, 
in  my  opinion,  the  exercise  of  principles  of  judicious  management 
on  our  farms  and  in  town  dairies.  JWhen  cattle  are  affected  with  con- 
tagious diseases,  the  removal  of  which  is  well  known  to  imperil  the 
health  of  the  stock  of  another  individual,  it  is  high  time  the  latter 
should  not  only  be  protected  against  such  by  the  laws  of  his  country 
— ^in  his  case  the  rights  and  liberty  of  the  subject  being  respected — 
but  no  one  should  be  allowed  to  elaborate  and  carry  on  a  nursery 
for  malignant  fevers  and  virulent  epizootics  to  the  detriment  of  the 
former,  because,  in  his  opinion  of  the  rights*  and  privileges  of  a  sub- 
ject, he  can  do  so  with  impunity  upon  his  own  premises. 

The  same  principles  which  attempt  a  provision  against  fraud  on 
theone  hand,  would  also  diminish  the  pressure  of  evils  giving  rise 
to  it  on  the  other. 


174j  on  cebtipicatbs  of  soundness. 

It  would  therefore  prove  more  profitable  to  the  owner  to  prevent 
disease  by  measures  specially  studied  and  provided,  than  to  sufier  as 
at  present  from  the  insecure  state  of  things,  and  propagate  the  same 
through  the  extent  of  the  surrounding  localities  to  the  detriment, 
of  he  knows  not  how  many,  of  his  friends  and  neighbours. 

Agricultural  education  will  not  be  complete,  until  the  farmer  is 
conversant  with  the  elements  of  those  principles  which  in  their 
observance  regulate  the  safety  of  his  stock,  increase  his  personal 
profits,  and  no  longer  endanger  those  of  others. 


On  Certificates  of  Soundness.  By  M.  F.  M.  Case,  New  Veterinary 
College,  Edinburgh.  Being  an  Essay  read  before  the  Veterinary 
Association,  in  the  New  Veterinary  College,  on  the  10th  of 
March  1865. 

The  subject  which  I  have  chosen  for  this  evening's  consideration  is 
not  one  calculated  to  lead  to  much  scientific  discussion,  but  it  may, 
probably,  prove  as  interesting  as  the  usual  texts  for  our  evenings' 
debates. 

The  opinion  is  very  generally  entertained  amongst  veterinary 
surgeons,  that  many  practitioners  injure  '  themselves  permanently 
amongst  educated  men  from  the  clumsy,  ill-considered,  and,  indeed, 
ignorant  manner  in  which  they  write  certificates  after  they  have  exa- 
mined horses  for  which  their  opinion  has  been  sought  I  am  in- 
clined to  attribute  this  to  the  very  slight  importance  attached,  as  a 
general  rule,  to  a  thorough  understanding  of  the  various  points  which 
should  always  be  embraced  in  such  documents.  There  are  un- 
doubtedly other  causes  which  tend  to  render  certificates  of  soundness 
unsatisfactory  in  the  eyes  of  shrewd,  though  non-professional  men. 
Amongst  these  I  may  mention,  perhaps,  the  vagueness  of  the  terms 
soundness  and  unsoundness,  the  extraordinary  and  ill-defined  nature 
of  many  veterinary  terms,  such  as  spavin,  curby  hocks,  thick  wind, 
&c. ;  lastly,  the  great  difficulty  attending  the  satisfactory  description 
of  animals  examined  with  a  view  to  their  undoubted  identification. 
A  horse  buyer  can  easily  be  led  by  a  knave  to  believe  that  the  gray 
horse  that  he  is  wanting  to  buy  has  been  examined,  and  in  proof  of 
which  a  gray  horse's  certificate  is  tendered. 

Abroad  the  veterinary  surgeon's  duty  is  somewhat  simplified,  from 
the  distinct  manner  in  which  the  diseases  are  specified  by  law,  for 
which  horses  may  be  returned.  In  some  countries  there  are  only 
three  hidden  maladies  for  which  horses  can  be  returned  to  the  vendor. 
In  some  parts  of  Italy  the  defects  are  staggers,  broken  wind,  and 
hsematuria.     In  France  the  list  is  a  little  extended,  as  it  includes — 

1.  Periodic  Ophthalmia. 

2.  Staggers,  or  Megrims,  termed  in  France,  Epilepsy. 


OK  CERTIFICATES  OF  SOUXDXESS.  175 

3.  Glanders. 

4.  Farcy. 

5.  Chronic  disease  of  tlie  Chest 

6.  Immobility;  sleepy  staggers  of  English  authors. 

7.  Broken  wind. 

8.  Chronic  roaring. 

9.  Crib-biting  without  wearing  of  teetL 

10.  Intermittent  inguinal  hernia. 

11.  Do.         lameness  due  to  old  standing  disease. 

From  the  nature  of  this  list  you  will  readily  understand  why,  whilst 
I  was  at  Alfort,  very  few  examinations  of  soundness  could  be  seen, 
and  these  were  not  of  the  same  rigorous  character  that  we  are  com- 
pelled to  institute  in  this  country.  Notwithstanding  this  the  con- 
tinental certificates  are  far  more  precise  than  our  own.  They 
are  complicated  legal  documents  in  which  many  particulars  are 
stated  concerning  the  veterinary  surgeon  who  examines,  the  order 
he  has  received  for  such  examination,  the  time  and  circumstances 
under  which  the  animal  was  examined,  the  breed,  age,  size,  colour, 
blemishes,  and  proprietorship  of  such  animal,  the  description  of  the 
disease  discovered,  and  lastly,  the  conclusions  arrived  at,  with  the 
veterinarian's  signature.  No  erasures  are  permitted  unless  initialed. 
It  is  no  donbt  fortunate  for  us  that  we  are  not  bound  down  in  the 
preparation  of  our  certificates  by  rules  so  complicated  and  exact 
Nevertheless  we  have  greater  difficulties  to  encounter  in  having  to 
determine  whether  an  animal  is  absolutely  perfect  or  sound,  or  in  the. 
slightest  degree  imperfect,  diseased,  or  unsound.  Our  greatest  diffi- 
culty, undoubtedly,  lies  in  the  proper  interpretation  of  the  words 
sonndness^  and  unsoundness.  The  first  means  health  and  the  second 
implies  disease,  and  we  are  compelled  thus  strictly  to  interpret  them 
in  our  daily  practice.  The  opinion  is  very  generally  entertained  that 
no  horse  can  be  unconditionally  declared  sound,  and  advantage  is 
taken  by  unscrupulous  men  of  the  readiness  with  which  slight  imper- 
fections may  be  discovered  by  professional  men,  though  such  imper- 
fections in  no  way  interfere  with  an  animal's  usefuhiess.  When  a 
horse  has  been  purchased  at  too  high  a  price  it  is  well  known  that 
purchasers,  in  stable  slang,  try  "  to  pick  a  hole  in  him.*'  Unfortu- 
nately such  practice  has  very  much  discouraged  the  breeding  of  high- 
class  horses.  Farmers  know  that  if  they  invest  their  money  in  cattle 
and  sheep  they  do  not  risk  their  money  in  law-suits ;  but  a  300  guinea 
colt  may  impoverish  the  countryman  and  enrich  the  lawyer  to  the 
extent  of  twice  or  thrice  the  same  amount  It  is  my  opinion  that  to 
encourage  litigation  concerning  the  soundness  or  unsoundness  of  a 
horse  is  very  reprehensible,  and  we  should  strive  by  all  means  in  our 
power  not  to  lead  to  misunderstandings ;  and  it  is  for  this  reason 
that  I  think  we  should  carefully  study  the  forms  of  our  certificates  of 
soundness,  that  they  may  not  be  the  means  of  leading  men  on  thin  ice. 

The  forms  of  certificates  of  soundness  in  this  country  vary  much. 


176  ON  CERTIFICATES  OF  SOUNDNESS. 

The  simplest  is  probably  the  one,  a  copy  of  which  I  have  obtained 
from  Mr  Cartledge  of  Sheffield.   When  filled  up  it  reads  as  follows : — 

"Sheppield,  lO^A  March  1865. 
"  By  this  I  certify  that  I  have  this  day  examined,  at  the  request  of 
Joseph  Brown,  Esq.,  a  bay  gelding  five  years  old,  which  I  am  of 
opinion  is  sound.  (Signed)         "  B.  Cartledge, 

Graduate  of  the  Royal  College  of  Veterinary  Surgeons,  and 
Honorary  Fellow  of  the  Veterinary  Medical  Association." 

In  the  event  of  the  horse  examined  being  unsound,  Mr  Cartledge 
states  this  simply,  or  adds  his  reasons  why  he  considers  the  horse  un- 
sound. I  have  been  informed  that  the  London  practitioners  adopt  a 
somewhat  more  complicated  form.  They  usually  add  what  is  termed 
a  note  of  identification,  inasmuch  as  they  are  called  upon  to  exa- 
mine the  same  horse  on  several  occasions,  and  disputes  are  con- 
stantly,arising  from  the  readiness  with  which  a  number  of  indepen- 
dent opinions  are  obtained.  As  an  illustration  of  a  London  certificate 
I  may  adduce  the  following : — 

"  London,  2StIi  November  1864. 

"  I  hereby  certify  that  I  have  this  day  examined  a  gray  mare,  seven 
years  old,  the  property  of  James  Willoughby,  Esq.,  and  find  that  the 
said  mare  is  affected  with  ring-bone  on  the  near  hind  leg,  and  that 
she  is  consequently  unsound.  I  am  also  of  opinion  that  the  said 
ring-bone  existed  and  constituted  unsoundness  on  the  1st  instant,  on 
which  day  it  is  stated  she  was  purchased. 

(Signed)        "  John  Jones,  M.RC.V.S." 

Note. — "  With  a  view  to  identification  I  have  to  remark  that  the 
said  mare  is  wall-eyed,  has  a  blemish  of  old  standing  on  the  off  hock, 
and  a  melanotic  tumour  on  the  tail.*' 

Some  may  think  that  the  melanotic  tumour  should  be  mentioned 
with  the  ring-bone  as  a  cause  of  unsoundness,  but  as  it  often  consti- 
tutes nothing  more  than  a  blemish  it  may  be  mentioned  as  above. 

Certificates  are  sometimes  granted  for  other  reasons  than  declaring 
horses  sound  or  unsound,  as  in  the  case  of  an  animal  being  examined 
as  to  age  or  fitness*to  work.  We  have  to  be  guided  somewhat  as  to 
the  form  by  the  wishes  of  our  clients  and  the  circumstances  of  pecu- 
liar cases.  It  must  be  understood  that  I  am  here  alluding  only  to  the 
form  of  certificate,  as  I  do  not  wish  you  to  suppose  that  I  am  in  any 
way  an  advocate  for  distorting  matters  of  fact.  To  explain  what  I 
mean  I  subjoin  a  third  certificate : — 

Newoastlk-on-Ttnb,  20ih  March  1864. 

"  I  hereby  certify  that  I  examined  on  the  17th  instant,  at  11-30 
A.M.,  at  the  request  of  Mr  George  Murray,  horse-dealer,  Newcastle, 
a  bay  gelding,  seven  years  old,  at  the  George  Hotel,  Kelso.  I  found  the 
said  gelding  free  from  lameness,  and  capable  of  flexing  both  hock 
joints  with  perfect  freedom.  I  am  of  opinion  that  the  said  gelding 
was  fit  for  any  work  he  could  in  reason  be  put  to. 

(Signed)        *'  J.  Smith,  Veterinary  Surgeon.'* 


ON  CERTIFICATES  OF  SOXJNDKESa  177 

Note. — "  The  bay  gelding  above-mentioned  has  a  white  streak  on 
the  face,  and  old  standing  blemishes  produced  from  the  hocks  having 
been  fired,  I  was,  moreover,  informed  that  the  said  gelding  was  sold 
by  Mr  Gteorge  Murray  to  Captain  Ramsay,  on,  the  10th  February 
1864/' 

This  may  be  considered  as  a  fair  sample  of  a  certificate  given 
under  very  special  circumstances  and  required  for  a  horse  under 
dispute.  It  is  needless  to  multiply  examples,  and  were  I  to  attempt 
to  do  so,  I  should  exhaust  your  patience.  I  must  now  refer  to  the 
separate  points  which  we  are  to  hold  in  view  in  framing  certificates. 
It  would  be  superfluous  for  me  to  insist  on  the  importance  of  cor- 
rectly dating  any  such  documents.  The  introduction  which  is 
usually  "  I  hereby  certify,"  may  be  slightly  vari«d  according  to  taste ; 
but  immediately  following  this  it  is  necessary  to  be  precise  as  to  the 
period  of  the  examination,  which  is  commonly  at  the  time  of  writing 
the  certificate,  or  may  be  some  former  period.  The  description  of 
the  animal  then  follows,  and  many  prefer  entering  somewhat  into 
detail  on  this  point  in  the  body  of  the  certificate.  There  are  no 
doubt  speci^d  advantages  in  a  note  of  identification,  but  if  this  has  to 
be  dispensed  with,  it  is  usually  necessary  to  say  something  at  least  as 
to  the  coloun  and  age  of  the  animal  examined.  There  is  no  doubt 
whatever  that  blemishes  should  not  be  overlooked,  as  such  oversight 
may  be  viewed  in  the  light  of  negligence,  and  the  existence  of  a 
peculiar  scar  is  often  of  more  value  for  the  recognition  of  an  animal 
than  a  description  of  its  breed,  coat,  or  proportions. 

It  is  necessary  that  I  should  make  a  few  remarks  on  the  horse  t 
mouth.  Very  often  certificates  are  sought  for  no  other  purpose  than 
that  of  ascertaining  a  horse's  age.  As  the  veterinary  surgeon  may 
not  be  informed  of  this,  he  should  always  be  on  his  guard,  and  notice 
such  irregularities  as  "Yorkshire  fours,"  and  "Bishops,"  "Parrot 
mouth,"  or  teeth  worn  by  crib-biting. 

It  is  well  known  that  when  there  are  no  serious  irregularities  in 
dentition,  a  veterinary  surgeon  can  form  a  very  correct  opinion  as  to 
a  horse's  age  up  to  eight  and  nine  years.  Some  pretend  to  do  much 
more  than  this,  but  in  certificates  of  soundness  all  animals  above  eight 
should  be  marked  as  aged.  We  are  of  course  often  required  to 
inform  a  purchaser,  whether  a  horse  declared  aged  is  within  a  few 
years  above  eight  or  so  far  beyond  it,  that  he  may  be  considered  very 
old.  Whilst  I  do  not  think  it  is  prudent  for  a  veterinary  surgeon  to 
attempt  to  be  too  precise  under  these  circumstances,  it  is  obvious  that 
for  all  practicid  purposes  suflicient  information  may  be  obtained  from 
the  animal's  general  appearance,  colour,  angularity  of  bones,  straight 
teeth  with  narrow  triangular  surfaces,  and  protruding  tongue,  in 
order  to  protect  a  purchaser  from  buying  an  old  stager,  which  may 
be  clean  enough  on  his  legs  but  worn  out  in  his  body. 

An  interesting  anecdote  on  this  point  may  not  be  out  of  place.  A 
lady  of  high  rank,  well  known  at  Melton  Mowbray  during  the  hunt- 


178  ON  CERTIFICATES  OF  SOUNDNESS. 

ing  season,  wished  to  secure  a  handsome  gray  pony  as  a  match  for 
another  to  be  driven  in  a  phaeton.  A  medical  man,  whose  horse- 
dealing  propensities  were  well  known,  oflfered  her  ladyship  a  perfect 
gem,  which  he  declared  to  be  six  years  old.  A  veterinary  surgeon 
pronounced  the  somewhat  disguised  animal  to  be  above  sixteen.  The 
doctor  thereupon  declared  he  could  produce  a  certificate  of  birth. 
But  though  such  a  document  would  have  secured  the  sale  of  the  pony 
at  an  exorbitant  price,  it  could  not  be  procured.  I  have  purposely 
alluded  to  this  case  because  there  are  instances  in  which  a  veterinary 
surgeon  would  have  to  bow  to  a  well-authenticated  certificate  as  to 
the  date  when  an  animal  was  foaled,  as  in  the  case  of  thorough-bred 
stock.  Every  competent  practitioner,  however,  hits  the  mark  so 
closely  that  he  is  not  likely  to  be  troubled  with  such  certificates. 

In  certificates  of  soundness  we  are  usually  called  upon  to  state  at 
whose  request  an  animal  is  examined,  and  mention  is  often  made  of 
the  name  of  the  proprietor.  To  all  who  intend  practising  in  large 
cities,  it  is  important  to  give  a  word  of  caution  under  this  head.  It 
is  a  common  practice  amongst  horse  dealers  to  have  a  horse  frequently 
examined  by  a  veterinary  surgeon,  and  each  time  the  ownership  of 
the  animal,  is  declared  different.  I  have  heard  of  so  many  incautious 
practitioners  having  been  led  by  this  means  to  give  absurdly  conflict- 
ing opinions  on  the  same  animal,  that  I  should  advise  no  heed  being 
taken  of  men  or  names  until  a  thoroughly  impartial  opinion  had  been 
arrived  at.  It  is  perfectly  possible  that  a  horse  pronounced  sound 
one  week  should  be  unsound  the  next ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  it  is 
impossible  to  reconcile  some  contradictory  certificates,  which  prove 
that  horses  declared  one  day  to  have  old  standing  spavins  should  ten 
days  after  be  pronounced  perfectly  sound.  If  veterinarians  lower 
themselves  by  passing  or  rejecting  horses  as  it  may  suit  their  client's 
convenience,  they  of  course  disgrace  their  profession  and  must  ruin 
their  prospects  for  life.  It  is  sometimes  essential  to  hear  what  can 
be  learnt  of  the  history  of  a  case,  but  it  is  best  to  do  this  after  having 
carefully  ascertained  the  condition  of  the  animal  at  the  time  of  the 
examination,  and  whoever  consults,  or  owns  the  animal  examined, 
must  be  treated  in  such  a  way  as  not  to  be  led  to  believe  that  a 
veterinary  referee  is  to  be  influenced  by  the  Ukes  and  dislikes  of  those 
employing  him.  The  temptation  is  often  strong  to  make  out  a  case 
for  a  friend ;  but  no  practitioner  can  gain  the  lasting  esteem  of  any 
large  circle  of  patrons,  unless  he  is  determined  to  act  with  the  strictest 
impartiality  towards  all.  He  may  and  will  occasionally  offend  a  friend 
and  great  supporter,  but  he  has  in  his  professional  capacity  a  great 
public,  duty  to  perform,  jfrom  which  he  must  not  flinch  for  friend 
or  foe. 

The  next  element  in  a  certificate  is  usually  the  decided  statement 
whether  a  horse  is  or  is  not  sound.  There  is  no  middle  course  to 
select.  Explanations  may  be  added,  and  a  statement  made  that  some 
slight  defect  which  may  exist  in  no  way  affects  the  animal's  worth ; 
but  if  a  veterinary  surgeon  is  required  unconditionally  to  declare  a 


ON  CEKTIFICATES  OF  SOUNDNESS.  179 

horse  sound  or  unsound,  he  must  tell  the  truth,  the  whole  truth,  and 
nothing  but  the  truth,  by  which  he  may  have  to  abide  in  the  witness- 
box.  I  am  aware  that  there  are  many  who  do  not  like  to  reject 
horses,  if  they  do  not  find  defects  calculated  to  mar  an  animal's  use- 
fulness, but  we  must  adhere  to  the  definition  of  the  words  sound- 
ness and  unsoundness,  as  accepted  by  law,  and  though  this  may 
occasionally  lead  us  into  a  dilemma,  as  a  rule  it  is  found  to  answer 
well  in  practice. 

Though  a  veterinary  surgeon's  opinion  may  very  properly  be  asked 
as  to  peculiarity  of  conformation,  it  is  not,  as  a  rule,  his  duty  to  notice 
that  a  horse  is  cow-hocked,  calf  Jineed,  or  narrow-chested.  It  is  pre- 
sumed that  a  buyer  knows  what  he  wants,  and  if  he  be  at  all  a  decent 
judge,  all  he  needs  professional  advice  upon  is  the  question  of  health 
and  disease. 

In  stating  under  the  head  unsoundness  what  disease  or  defect  has 
been  noticed,  it  is  essential  to  be  as  brief  as  possible.  It  is  here  that 
we  find  our  veterinary  nomenclature  to  be  a  great  stumbling-block. 
The  practice  has  become  rather  common  of  late  to  use  the  popular 
or  commonly  accepted  name  for  a  defect,  and  add  a  brief  scientific 
definition.  There  are  various  ways  in  which  this  may  be  done,  and 
this  is  perhaps  best  explained  by  a  few  explanations.  Thus  a  vete- 
rinary surgeon  says,  "  I  find  the  said  gelding  to  have  chronic  disease 
of  the  larynx,  which  renders  him  a  roarer;"  or,  in  another  case,  "I 
find  the  gray  mare  aforesaid  to  be  affected  with  spavin  of  the  near 
hock,  that  is  to  say,  she  has  exostosis  and  ulceration,  implicating  the 
tarsal  bones  on  their  inner  aspect."  No  doubt  some  of  you  will  think 
the  last-named  definition  rather  pedantic  for  a  certificate  of  sound- 
ness, but  if  a  veterinarian  includes  in  his  certificate  the  name  by 
which  any  disease  is  commonly  known,  he  is  at  liberty  to  add  what- 
ever he  likes  in  the  way  of  affording  an  unmistakable  and  scientific 
explanation  of  his  opinion.  With  a  view  to  secure  simplicity,  some 
veterinary  surgeons  are  apt  to  fall  into  the  error  of  usfng  very  vague 
expressions,  such  as  "  I  hereby  certify  that  the  above-named  gelding 
is  unsound,  from  a  defect  in  his  wind."  Besides  this  being  very  in-^ 
elegant,  it  bears  no  indication  of  the  examiner  having  diagnosed  the 
cause  of  imsoundness.  Although  a  certificate  were  given  by  one  of 
the  highest  London  practitioners  in  terms  such  as  the  above,  I  can- 
not think  that  any  of  you  would  admire  it. 

It  is  commonly  at  the  conclusion  of  a  certificate  that  a  definite 
opinion  is  recorded  as  to  whether  or  not  a  disease  is  of  any  long  stand- 
ing. This  is  often  the  most  onerous  part  of  our  duty,  best  honoured 
in  the  breach  than  in  the  observance.  We  should  exercise  the  greatest 
caution,  and  not  do  as  some  who  are  prepared  to  stake  their  reputa- 
tion on  an  assertion  that  a  malady  has  existed  months  and  months 
prior  to  a  horse's  examination.  Not  long  since  there  lived  in  a 
flourishing  town  in  the  west  of  England  an  old  practitioner  in  very 
&ir  repute,  who  would  never  hesitate  to  declare  that  a  spavin  or  a 
ringbone  must  have  existed  for  three  or  four  years,  and  he  would 


180  ON  T.AMTNITIS  IN  THE  HORSR 

even  go  so  far  as  to  swear  that  the  animal  must  have  been  born  with 
the  disease  upon  him. 

It  must  savour  of  superfluity  to  remind  you  that  you  have  to  ap- 
pend your  signature,  and  if  you  wish,  your  titles,  to  any  certificate 
you  may  grant.  I  may  be  permitted  here  to  express  a  wish  that  all 
my  fellow-students  may  in  due  course  pass  a  successful  examination, 
and  being  pronounced  sound,  secure  the  proper  authority  to  style 
themselves  Members  of  the  Royal  College  of  Veterinary  Surgeons. 

Before  concluding,  I  must  say  a  few  words  on  the  note  of  identi- 
fication. The  best  note  of  identification  is  the  one  engraved  on  your 
memories.  Watch  your  horses,  that  you  may  not  speedily  forget 
them.-  Some  men  have  a  greater  aptitude  for  this  than  others,  but 
all  can  more  or  less  cultivate  the  power  of  recollection.  The  note 
appended  to  a  certificate,  however,  affords  a  means  of  determining 
whether  a  horse  said  to  have  been  examined  by  a  number  of  vete- 
rinarians has  really  been  seen  by  them  all ;  and  it  is  more  with  a 
view  to  detect  or  defeat  a  fraud  than  for  personal  satisfaction  that 
such  a  note  is  made  use  of.  Whatever  marks  are  mentioned  should 
be  referred  to  in  the  fewest  possible  terms,  and  none  need  be  intro- 
duced of  a  superfluous  nature. 

I  am  aware  that  in  selecting  the  difficult  subject  of  certiflcates  of 
soundness  on  which  to  write  an  essay,  I  have  been  guilty  of  no  little 
temerity.  I  nevertheless  felt  that  even  my  scanty  experiences  on  this 
important  topic  might  be  somewhat  acceptable.  I  might  have  said 
much  more  on  the  great  responsibility  which  devolves  on  us  when 
called  upon  to  act  either  as  advisers  to,  or  mediators  between,  the  pur- 
chasers and  sellers  of  horses.  We  may  be  guilty  of  serious  injustice 
through  inadvertence.  We  are  all  liable  to  err,  but  we  should  strive 
to  avoid  the  possibility  of  an  imputation  that  any  one  has  been  wronged 
at  our  hands  through  a  blameable  partiality  or  carelessness.  Nothing 
remains  for  me  but  to  hope  that  the  crude  observations  I  have  penned 
may  lead  to  some  profitable  discussion,  of  benefit  to  aU. 


On  Laminitis  in  the  Horse.  By  James  Brookes,  M.R.C.V.S., 
The  Hope,  PUkington,  near  Manchester.  Being  an  Essay  read 
before  the  Lancashire  Veterinary  Medical  Association  on  the  1st 
of  March  1865. 

Mb  RBEsroENT  and  Gentlemen, — The  subject  which  I  have  to 
bring  before  you  this  evening,  viz.,  Laminitis  and  its  companion 
Symptomatic  Fever,  is  one  of  the  most  important  that  has  ever 
offered  itself  to  the  serious  contemplation  of  our  profession. 

It  is  a  disease  so  dreadful  in  its  manifestations,  and  attended  with 
such  agony,  pain,  and  excessive  distress  to  the  poor  patient,  as  cannot 
fail  to  excite  compassion  for  him  from  all  who  witness  a  case  of  this 


ON  LAMlinnS  IN  THE  HOBSE.  181 

terrible  type ;  and,  gentlemen,  I  can  assure  you,  that  I  myself  have 
frequently  bc^n  so  affected,  that  I  would  not,  nay,  I  could  not  leave 
my  distressed  patient  until  I  was  satisfied  that  the  utmost  had  been 
done,  so  far  as  professional  knowledge  lay  within  my  reach,  ta  relieve 
it  from  Some  portion,  at  leasts  of  his  intense  sufierings. 

The  first  and  most  obvious  requisite  for  a  practitioner,  therefore, 
is  to  possess  the  facility  to  diagnose  a  disease  when  he  sees  it — to 
distinguish  it  from  others  manifesting  similar  symptoms,  and  thus  to 
foresee  its  probable  phases  and  results.  The  treatment  which  he 
adopts  will  be  judicious  in  proportion  to  the  readiness  with  which  he 
rec<^ises,  and  the  accuracy  with  which  be  discriminates  diseases, 
and  will  be  either  rational  or  empirical,  according  as  he  understands 
or  not  their  real  nature  and  true  cause.  It  is  in  the  investigation 
of  the  nature  and  cause  of  laminitis  that  I  earnestly  desire  you 
this  evening  to  co-operate  with  me.  No  man,  whatever  may  be  his 
pursuits,  deserves  the  name  of  a.  practiced  man,  whose  knowledge  and 
resources  are  limited  by  the  experience  of  his  predecessors  in  a 
similar  walk  of  life,  or  who  cannot  or  dare  not  experiment  or 
reason  for  himself.  In  all  professions,  and  in  none  more  so  than 
in  the  practice  of  medicine,  novel  events,  remarkable  phases,  and 
rare  combinations,  are  continually  presenting  themselves  which  can 
only  be  understood  and  successfully  encountered  by  the  aid  of  general 
principles.  Hence  the  need  that  every  successful  practitioner  should 
have  a  knowledge  of  pathology  and  therapeutics,  which  supply  the 
general  principles  to  guide  him  in  treating  disease,  or  complications 
which  he  has  not  previously  experienced. 

Let  us  observe,  for  instance,  the  small  strangulated  hemorrhoid  or 
pile  in  the  human  subject ;  look  at  the  intense  suffering,  the  most 
excruciating  pain,  the  sympathetic  and  symptomatic  disturbance  in 
the  system,  nay,  even  the  complete  prostration,  with  which  the  most 
powerful  man  is  overcome  when  suffering  from  acute  inflammation, 
attendant  upon  an  external  pile,  arising  from  the  circumstances  that 
the  lower  extremity  of  the  rectum  is  so  vascular,  that  the  veins 
possess  no  valves,  and  that  this  region  of  the  human  body  is  periodi- 
cally subject  to  mechanical  disturbance.  It  is  not  a  matter  of  sur- 
prise that  hemorrhoids  which  are  composed  of  structure  in  which 
blood-vessels  are  a  main  element,  occur  so  frequently  as  they  do. 
Here  we  clearly  see  that  with  increased  vascularity  we  have  greater 
tendency  to  inflammation  and  pain,  when  an  abnormal  or  morbid 
condition  of  tissue  is  by  any  means  produced.  Well  then,  gentlemen, 
from  the  peculiar  situation  of  the  sensitive  laminae,  and  their  being 
so  highly  vascular  and  abundant  in  nervous  texture,  the  disease  called 
laminitis,  which  has  its  seat  in  the  reticular  tissue  that  envelops  the 
coffin  bone,  consists,  I  conceive,  primarily  in  a  congestion  of  blood 
which  is  soon  followed  by  the  most  intense  inflammation.  The 
laminae  being  leituated,  as  I  may  say,  in  a  blacksmith's  vice,  betwixt 
two  hard  substances,  viz.,  the  coffin  bone  and  the  hoof,  high  con- 
gestive inflammation  is  readily  produced,  and  the  most  violent  paiu 


182  ON  LAMINITIS  IN  THE  HORSE. 

and  the  most  severe  results  is  the  consequence  when  inflammation 
ensues. 

But,  gentlemen,  need  I  take  up  the  whole  of  your  time  this  even- 
ing, bringing  before  your  notice  a  subject  upon  which  so  much  has 
been  written,  by  our  late  and  eminently  distinguished  friend,  Mr 
Percivall,  in  his  "  Hippopathology," — a  work  which  constitutes  a 
library  in  itself.  I  desire  to  direct  your  attention,  in  order  that  you 
may  perceive  for  yourselves,  to  his  able  and  excellent  remarks  which 
have  often  afforded  ine  profit  and  pleasure,  and  from  which  I  have 
gathered  fresh  food  as  from  a  rich  and  always  productive  and  valu- 
able pasture;  in  fact",  gentlemen,  he  has  been  my  pioneer  for  a 
lengthened  period.  But  lately,  we  have  two  other  gentlemen,  who 
have  given  us  their  ideas  ,on  this  important  subject, — ^viz.,  Mr  Wil- 
liams of  Bradford  and  Mr  Thomas  Greaves  of  Manchester.  I 
would  commend  to  your  notice  the  controversy  which  has  been 
carried  on  between  them  within  these  last  few  months,  and  which  will 
doubtless  do  much  to  convince  you,  and  every  other  observer,  that 
they  are  men  well  matured  and  well  grounded  in  the  science  of  dis- 
ease. 

Laminitis  is  of  two  specific  kinds,  which  we  may  designate  natural 
and  unnatural. 

1st  Natural  Laminitis  is  mostly  found  in  horses  of  a  low  breed, 
heavy  and  corpulent  in  body,  such  as  draught  horses  of  various  kinds ; 
and  this  arises,  doubtless,  from  constitutional  causes. 

2d.  Unnatural  Laminitis,  or  artificial  phase  of  this  terrible  disease, 
is  most  frequently  met  with  in  light  bred  animals,  and,  no  doubt,  is 
the  result  of  their  endeavour  to  resist  the  violence  occasioned  by  over- 
exertion on  hard  roads,  and  by  the  exhaustion  produced  by  rapid 
driving  and  other  artificial  deleterious  causes,  such  as  being  suddenly 
called  upon  to  perform  long  journeys,  overloading  or  gorging  the 
stomach  with  food,  eating  large  quantities  of  wheat,  or  feeding  upon 
new  oats.  There  is  one  cause,  however,  so  predominant  and  in- 
fluential in  its  character,  that  ought  never  to  be  lost  sight  of,  and 
that  is  work,  or  what  may  be  construed  into  violence  done  to  the 
feet.  For  instance,  a  horse  with  high  stamping  action  going  any 
great  distance,  or  for  any  length  of  time  upon  a  macadamised  road, 
or  hard  pavement  of  any  kind  whatever,  will  be  a  very  likely  sub- 
ject for  an  attack  of  this  disease,  particularly  if  it  has  been  idle,  at 
rest,  or  unseasoned,  and  is  suddenly  and  at  once  put  to  do  severe 
work. 

Of  the  former  character  or  type  of  this  disease,  I  have  had  no  less 
than  eight  cases,  which  have  come  under  my  care  during  the  last  three 
years,  some  of  which  animals  have  not  been  out  of  the  stable  or  box 
for  weeks,  nay,  for  months,  and  the  remainder  have  only  followed 
their  ordinary  employment,  yet  all  have  been  attacked  with  symp- 
toms equally  violent  with  the  most  virulent  cases  that  have  ever  come 
under  my  experience.  This  is  one  among  many  evidences  of  the 
justice  of  my  distinction  of  the  natural  from  the  unnatural  or  arti? 


ON  LAMINinS  IN  THE  HOBSE.  183 

ficial  phases  of  laminitis,  and  which  cannot  be  accounted  for  by  the 
general  and  popularly  received  theory  that  this  disease  is  the  off- 
spring of  violence  or  overwork.  Surely,  then,  gentlemen,  my  theory 
is  not  ill  founded,  for  there  must  be  some  occult  or  mysterious  cause 
for  this  disease  presenting  itself  under  the  peculiar  circumstances 
which  I  have  now  related. 

What,  I  have  frequently  asked  myself,  is  this  hidden  or  undis- 
covered cause  ? 

Is  it  idiosyncrasy  or  some  peculiar  element  in  the  system  of  the 
patient  ? 

Is  it  cachexia  or  a  bad  habit  of  body  ? 

And  when  ruminating  upon  this  subject,  I  have  frequently  had 
brought  to  my  recollection  the  remarks  made  by  Professor  Spooner 
upon  this  form  of  disease,  during  the  period  when  I  was  attending 
his  lectures,  which  were  to  the  effect  that  "  Laminitis,"  to  all  intents 
and  purposes,  belongs  to  the  rheumatic  class.  And  more  lately,  on 
perusing  an  excellent  paper  on  this  subject,  the  production  in  1855 
of  our  esteemed  friend  Mr  Greaves,  I  find  two  right  words  used  in 
their  right  place,  in  reference  to  the  active  cause  of  this  disease — 
viz.,  the  igneous  element  I  feel  quite  satisfied  and  fully  convinced 
that  this  expression,  "  igneous  element,"  is  the  very  essence  of  this 
lamentable  affiction  to  which  the  equine  race  is  subject,  lurking  as 
it  does  in  the  system,  waiting  only  for  some  exciting  circumstance  to 
rouse  it  into  activity. 

Just  allow  me,  gentlemen,  to  call  your  attention  to  the  rheumatic 
fever  in  the  human  subject.  Here  we  have  the  symptoms  somewhat 
similar  to  those  which  we  see  in  the  laminitic  acute  pain, — extreme 
tenderness  attended  with  great  constitutional  disturbance,  extreme 
restlessness,  intense  thirst  and  loss  of  appetite,  the  pulse  often  up  to 
120,  and  full,  hard,  and  jerking;  the  bowels  are,  obstinately  costive, 
the  urine  scanty  and  high  coloured,  with  a  strong  acid  reaction ;  the 
skin  is  often  bathed  in  a  profuse,  strong,  sour-smelling  perspiration, 
which,  however,  affords  no  relief ;  and  it  is  an  established  fact  with 
the  medical  profession,  that  the  rheumatic  is  essentially  a  blood 
disease,  and  that  the  poison  which  is  accumulated  in  it  appears  to  be 
lactic  add.  It  also  contains  a  large  excess  of  fibrin.  The  urine  is 
excessively  add,  high  coloured,  and  contains  much  uric  acid  ;  and  the 
remedy  of  the  faculty  in  such  cases — the  treatment  by  alkalies. 

Since  the  system  is  saturated  with  the  acid,  the  most  rational  treat- 
ment is  the  Alkalies,  and  it  is  the  most  successful — Bicarbonate  of 
Potass,  Nitrate,  Bitartrate,  and  Acetate ;  and  I  beg  to  suggest  to  our 
President  that  three  or  four  of  our  Manchester  practitioners  should, 
when  they  have  imder  their  care  a  patient,  or  patients^  labouring 
under  this  disease,  they  shall  collect  some  urine,  and  also  some  por- 
tion of  the  blood,  for  the  purpose  of  being  analysed  by  some  eminent 
analytical  chemist,  at  the  expense  of  this  Association  ;  and  I  have  no 
doubt,  and  not  the  least  fear,  but  that  we  shall  obtain  thereby  some 
peculiar  poison,  or  effete  matter,  that  has  been  secreted  in  the  circu- 

VoL.  L— No.  IV.— Nkw  Series.    Apeil1865.  O 


184  OK  liAMINITIS  IN  THE  HOESE. 

latory  system ;  and  doubtless,  then,  this  state  of  the  blood  will  present 
an  interesting  subject  for  investigation. 

SYMPTOM& — The  horse  stands  in  a  fixed  position.  If  confined  to 
the  fore  feet,  the  symptoms  are  of  that  peculiar  character  that  they 
can  hardly  by  any  person  of  any  experience  be  mistaken.  All  of  a 
heap,  is  the  old  phrase  used  to  denote  Xhe  animaFs  position — ^the 
pulse  is  full,  frequent,  and  remarkably  hard;  the  respiration  seeming 
to  sympathise  with  the  pulse.  The  horse  places  his  hind  legs  under 
him  in  order  to  take  the  weight  of  his  body  off  his  fore-feet;  he 
groans  and  moans  from  the  severity  of  the  pain,  which  in  some 
extreme  cases  lays  him  completely  prostrate.  If  forced  to  step 
forward,  he  most  unwillingly  makes  an  effort  to  do  so;  and  his 
method  of  accomplishing  it  is  expressive  of  no  disease  save  laminitis. 
The  feet  are  hot  and  painfuL  If  one  foot  be  held  up — ^which  in  some 
cases  it  is  very  difficult  to  do  so — ^he  can  scarcely  stand  upon  the 
other.  He  does  not  like  to  get  up  when  laid  down ;  and  if  com- 
pelled, does  so  with  great  difficulty ;  and  he  is  very  unwilling  to  move 
from  one  place  to  another.  Throbbing  of  the  pastern  arteries  is 
another  well-marked  symptom.  The  mouth  is  parched,  breath  hot, 
mucous  membranes  vascular  and  scarlet  in  colour  ;  parts  of  his  body 
are  in  a  state  of  tremor ;  he  is  continually  changing  the  position  of 
hi^  feet  in  search  of  relief.  The  pain  is  explained  by  the  larger 
supply  of  blood  to  the  nerves  of  the  part,  combined  with  the  pres- 
sure of  the  surrounding  textures  upon  them.  It  is  accordingly 
most  severe  when  the  surrounding  textures  are  most  unyielding. 
With  increased  heat  of  surface,  great  thirst,  dry  skin,  scanty  and 
high-coloured  urine,  we  have  the  most  obstinate  and  sluggish  state 
of  the  bowels  present. 

Teeatment. — Many  different  modes  of  treatment  have  been  recom- 
mended ;  and,  reasoning  on  general  physiological  principles,  the  func- 
tions of  the  alimentary  canal  are  so  tardily  carried  on  that  we  cannot 
insure  the  operation  of  a  purge  under  24  hours,  there  being  no 
animal  but  the  horse  in  which  acute  disease  makes  such  sad  havoc  in 
so  short  a  time.  Empty  his  stomach  we  cannot  with  an  emetic,  nor 
can  we  purge  in  a  few  hours ;  and,  well  knowing  the  obstinacy  of  the 
bowels  in  this  disease,  our  measures  must  be  prompt  to  act  and 
decisive  when  they  do  act ;  for  the  grand  purpose,  if  the  practitioner 
desires  to  be  successful,  must  be  to  conquer  the  disease  by  resolution, 
as  every  other  mode  of  termination  is  unfavourable  if  not  destructiva 
Consequently  to  bring  about  this  issue  is  the  aim  and  desire  of  every 
one  treating  this  malady;  and  as  the  nature  of  the  disease,  its 
seat,  and  the  disorganisation  which  it  produces,  are  weU  known,  this 
result  is  not  so  difficult  of  accomplishment  as  it  may  appear  at  first 
sight,  in  proof  of  which  I  beg  to  offer  to  your  notice  to-night  the 
treatment  which  I  have  found  most  successful  during  a  lengthened 
period  of  practice.    It  is  as  follows  : — 

Bleeding  from  the  coronary  plexus.  Aconite,  M  X  every  two  or 
three  hours  in  half  a  pint  of  cold  water. 


ON  LAMINinS  IN  THE  HOBSE.  185 

Gentle  pnige — Nitrate  of  Potass,  3ii  in  cold  water  every  time  the 
patient  ddnks,  day  and  night  New  yeast  about  half  a  pound  two 
or  three  times  a  day. 

Externally — Cold  water  poured  on  the  feet  with  great  force  every 
hour  or  two,  day  and  night. 

Bleeding. — ^In  inflammation  there  is  diminished  action  ;  that  is, 
diminished  contractility  of  the  small  arteries,  with  increased  action  of 
the  heart,  and  the  two  together  keep  up  that  dilated  condition  of  the 
small  vessels  which  is  the  essence  of  inflammation.  It  is  obvious  that 
there  are  two  ways  which  these  minute  vessels  may  be  restored  to 
their  healthy  degree  of  contraction.  The  first  is,  by  lessening  the 
quantity  of  blood  to  the  part,  and  the  second  by  increasing  their  con- 
tractility. In  most  acute  inflammations  both  these  remedies  are 
required.  If  the  inflammatibn  be  recent,  the  small  vessels  may 
recover  themselves  if  once  relieved  from  the  undue  quantity  sent  to 
them  by  the  heart ;  and  in  this  case  the  abstracting  of  blood  or  the 
use  of  depressing  remedies  will  suffice ;  but  if  inflammation  be 
chronic,  the  small  vessels  may  have  so  lost  their  contractility  as  not  to 
recover  themselves,  though  the  blood  circulates  through  them  in 
diminished  quantity,  and  in  this  case  we  must  use  such  remedies  as 
restore  the  lost  contractility  of  the  vessels,  and  precisely  the  same 
treatment  is  required  in  that  state  to  which  we  give  the  name  of  con- 
gestion. The  treatment  of  inflanmiation,  then,  is  twofold.  It  consists 
in  diminishing  the  quantity  of  blood  sent  out  by  the  heart  on  one 
hand,  and  in  restoring  the  lost  contractility  of  the  small  vessels  on 
the  other.  As  the  increased  action  of  the  heart  occurs  only  in  the 
acute  form  of  inflammation,  it  is  in  that  form  alone  that  general 
remedies  are  necessary.  These  remedies  are  bloodletting,  aided  in 
certain  cases  by  active  purgatives  ^nd  depressants. 

Bleeding  alone,  even  though  often  repeated,  will  not  suffice  to  sub- 
due the  i^ammation,  for  each  bleeding  is  followed  by  reaction,  and 
that  reaction  establishes  the  inflammation. 

By  combining  depletion  with  depressing  remedies,  we  save  blood 
and  avert  chronic  disease.  The  great  principle  to  be  observed  in  the 
treatment  of  acute  inflammation  is  to'  subdue  it  at  once,  so  as  not  to 
allow  reaction,  and  to  give  the  small  vessels  time  to  contract  to  their 
usual  size. 

Aconite. — ^Very  little  has  been  said  or  written  on  the  properties  of 
Aconite  given  in  M  X  doses  in  half  a  pint  of  cold  water;  it  diminishes 
vascular  and  nervous  excitement.  I  have  observed,  after  two  or  three 
doses,  my  patient  has  laid  down  and  been  disposed  to  sleep,  which 
certainly  appears  to  me  to  secure  the  desideratum  so  strongly  urged 
by  our  friend  Mr  Greaves,  in  his  remarks  on  this  disease — ^viz.,  to  get 
the  weight  of  the  body  off  the  feet.  I  think  that  object  is  obtained 
here. 

Large  doses  produce  alarming  symptoms  and  considerable  excite- 
ment^ but  in  small  doses  I  have  often  seen  the  sedative  effect  almost 
instantaneous. 


186  ON  LAMINITIS  IN  THE  HOBSE. 

I  well  recollect,  whilst  attending  the  lectures  of  Professor  Spooner, 
that  he  said,  when  speaking  on  sedatives — ^there  was  none  like  Bella- 
donna, for  you  had  two  objects  in  view  in  administering  it.  It  was 
the  best  sedative  and  at  the  same  time  was  a  laxative,  which  power  no 
other  sedative  possessed ;  and  I  venture  to  assert  that  Aconite  given 
with  caution  in  small  doses,  and  well  diluted,  has  in  my  experience 
proved  the  best  sedative  we  have,  and  stands  pre-eminent  as  a 
diuretic. 

Nitrate  of  Potassa. — Nit.  Potassse  given  repeatedly  in  water  I 
believe  to  possess  the  property  of  destroying  or  neutralising  certain 
morbid  poisons  existing  in  the  blood,  as  well  as  in  a  less  marked 
manner  to  have  the  power  of  checking  inflammation,  which  result  is 
attributed,  at  least  in  part,  to  its  well-known  property  of  rendering 
the  fibrin  of  the  blood  more  soluble.    ' 

Cold  Applications. — Cold  water,  according  to  the  degree  and  man- 
ner of  its  application,  acts  in  very  different  ways.  Its  general  effect 
■  on  the  circulation  depends  upon  its  intensity ;  but  when,  as  in  this 
instance,  the  feet  are  hot  and  dry,  it  reduces  the  temp»ature,  lowers 
the  circulation,  soothes  the  nervous  system,  diminishes  the  extreme 
sensibility,  and  restores  the  contractility  of  the  capillary  vessels, 
thereby  preventing  further  effusion,  and  allowing  the  absorbent  ves- 
sels to  remove  any  fluid  which  may  have  been  thrown  out. 

Dietetics. — In  this  disease,  as  the  functions  of  the  stomach  and 
digestive  organs  are  either  primarily  or  sympathetically  impaired,  and 
the  assimilation  of  nutriment  consequently  very  feeble,  it  becomes  a 
necessity  for  the  practitioner  to  supply  such  concentrated  forms  of 
nutrition  as  will  be  most  certainly  and  readily  absorbed  by  the  dis- 
ordered system.  I  have  found  these  to  be,  amongst  others,  two  eggs 
every  two  or  three  hours,  day  and  night,  in  a  cupful  of  cold  water, 
until  the  fever  abates — after  which  give  small  bran  mashes  and  the 
raw  swede  turnips,  or  in  summer  green  food  in  small  quantities ;  and 
thoroughly  to  eradicate  the  disease,  along  with  the  change  of  diet, 
there  should  be  also  secured  for  the  patient  a  change  of  locality. 

Now,  gentlemen,  I  have  very  briefly,  and  by  no  means  pertinently, 
laid  before  you  a  meagre  outline  of  the  residts  of  my  experience  in 
the  treatment  of  this  fearful  disease.  I  therefore  earnestly  entreat 
you,  neither  to  discard  it  at  once,  because  it  at  the  first  blush  does 
not  appear  to  follow  in  the  time-honoured  and  beaten  track  of  our 
craft — nor  to  ignore  it  because  the  appliances  and  modris  operandi 
of  treatment  are  novel  and  perchance  to  you  untried.  Every  new 
discovery  in  science  and  art  must,  sometime  or  other,  be  an  innova- 
tion, and  necessarily  be  regarded  by  those  who  are  habituated  to  the 
old  and  long  recognised  system  of  things  in  that  sphere,  with  sus- 
picion and  doubt. 

But  if  its  pretensions  b\3  not  investigated,  and  its  merits  tested, 
there  is  at  once  an  end  of  all  progress.  Invention  and  new  appliances 
of  long  known  powers  are  the  distinguishing  features  of  our  age  in 
every  phase  of  life.    Why,  then,  should  our  profession  bean  exception^ 


QEKEBAL  PABALTSIS  IN  A  MABE.  187 

We  may  be  as  sceptical  as  we  choose  and  as  conservative  as  we 
like,  but  truth  is  light,  ever  expanding,  and  .will  shine  over  our  path 
whether  we  will  walk  by  it,  or  in  it,  or  no.  And  if  we  fail,  being 
weak-sighted,  or  blind  to  appreciate  its  life-giving  expansive  powers, 
other  minds  and  geniuses  less  prejudiced,  will,  by  experiment,  gain 
experience,  and  by  experience  succeed  in  effecting  marvels  which 
might  have  been  our  achievements  if  we  had  been  more  progressive. 

Let  me  therefore,  gentlemen,  urge  upon  you  the  necessity  of  care- 
ful investigation  into  the  facts  now  summarily  brought  before  your 
notice,  and  let  me  induce  you  to  ascertain  for  yourselves,  by  actual 
and  careful  experiment,  the  advantage  or  otherwise  of  the  several  ap- 
pliances which  have  been  recommended  as  curative  agents  in  this 
lamentable  disease.  And  I  feel  confident,  that  if  care  be  taken  in 
the  administration  of  proper  doses,  and  in  a  careful  diagnosis  of  the 
varied  forms  of  the  disease,  you  will  not  have  cause  for  regret. 


General  Paralysis  in  a  Mare,     By  James  Baillie,  M.RC.V.S., 

Lauder. 

Sib, — ^Allow  me  to  bring  before  you  a  case  I  had  lately  in  practice, 
and  if  you  think  it  worthy  a  place  in  the  Review,  please  to  insert  it. 

I  was  called  to  see  a  six-year-old  mare,  the  property  of  Mr  Mill, 
Handsidehill,  and  on  my  arrival  I  found  her  lying  motionless.  On 
inquiry,  I  learned  the  following  particulars : — The  mare  had  been  at 
Dalkeith  market  on  Thursday — a  distance  of  twenty-four  miles — and 
had  returned  home  on  the  Friday,  arriving  at  noon.  The  same  after- 
noon she  had  gone  about  an  hour  and  a  half  in  the  mill,  was  taken 
out  of  it  quite  cool,  had  a  drink  of  cold  water,  and  was  put  into  the 
stable.  Shortly  afterward,  she  was  observed  to  move  stiffly,  and  was 
walked  out  some  distance ;  but  while  doing  so,  fell  down,  and  had  to 
be  placed  on  a  gate  and  pulled  in  by  two  horses.  This  was  about  four 
o'clock  P.M.  A  neighbouring  farmer  who  was  sent  for,  gave  a  bottle 
of  ale  and  two  glasses  of  whisky,  and  advised  the  owner  to  send  for 
me,  giving  the  messenger  instructions  to  request  that  I  should  bring 
some  strong  purgative  medicine,  as  the  stomach  and  bowels  were 
affected. 

I  arrived  about  ten  o'clock.  She  was  down,  with  the  legs  stretched 
out,  pulse  eighty  and  full,  active  contractivse  (apparently  spasmodic) 
of  the  oesophagus,  stiffness  of  the  neck,  the  muscles  being  contracted 
as  in  tetanus,  the  conjunctivae  and  scheniderian  membranes  were 
reddened,  and  the  extremities  cold.  The  ears  were  kept  in  almost 
constant  motion,  their  movements  being  particularly  active  when  any 
noise  was  made.  The  eyes  were  bright,  and  sight  seemed  unimpaired. 
The  mare  also  strained  constantly  as  if  for  the  passage  of  faeces. 

When  the  legs  were  pricked  with  a  pin,  there  was  no  movement  or 


188  GENEBAL  PABALYSIS  IN  A  MABE. 

other  indication  of  suffering,  and  when  bent  up  they  were  suffered"  to 
remain  so. 

Believing  that  I  had  to  deal  with  a  case  of  congestion  of  the  ner- 
vous centres  (spinal  cord,)  with  constipation,  and  probably  with  in- 
flammation of  the  bowels,  I  attempted  to  give  an  aloetic  ball,  but 
failed,  owing  to  the  spasmodic  closure  of  the  jaws.  In  consequence, 
I  gave  thirty  drops  oL  crotonis  in  a  quantity  of  linseed  oil  and 
enemas.  Having  abstracted  six  or  seven  quarts  of  blood,  and  given 
4  oz.  liq.  ammon.  acet.,  I  had  her  warmly  clothed,  and  she  shortly 
broke  out  into  a  very  copious  perspiration,  by  which  she  seemed 
greatly  relieved.  As  the  pulse  continued  the  same,  I  abstracted  three 
cfuarts  more  blood  two  hours  later,  and  gave  twenty-four  drops  of 
Fleming's  tincture  of  aconite. 

I  remained  with  her  the  whole  night,  giving  during  the  course  of  it 
thirty  drops  more  oL  crotonis,  and  repeating  the  enemas  every  hour  and 
a  half.  These  brought  away  a  considerable  amount  of  indurated  faeces. 
I  also  had  her  turned  from  one  side  to  the  other,  to  excite  the  action 
of  the  bowels.  On  leaving  in  the  morning,  I  gave  orde^p  to  continue 
the  enemas,  turn  her  once,  and  keep  her  well  clothed. 

I  visited  her  again  at  five  P.M.,  and  found  that  a  considerable  quan- 
tity of  dung  had  been  passed  throughout  the  day,  but  all  in  a  hardened 
<5ondition.  I  gave  thirty  drops  more  oL  crotonis  in  a  quart  oL  lini,  and 
passing  the  catheter  drew  off  a  very  large  quantity  of  urine  of  a  na- 
tural colour.  She  had  evidently  passed  none  since  taking  ill.  Before 
leaving  I  repeated  ^the  dose  of  croton  oil,  as  I  could  hear  no  motion 
in  the  bowels,  and  also  ordered  the  enemas  to  be  kept  up.  The  per- 
spiration continued  free,  and  the  tenesmus  -persistent,  often  causing 
the  return  of  the  enemas  as  they  were  administerei  During  the 
d9,y  the  mare  had  regained  the  use  of  the  legs  somewhat,  as  she  moved 
them  backwards  and  forwards ;  but  she  never  attempted  to  rise.  She 
also  occasionally  lifted  her  head  and  looked  back,  and  moaned  a  good 
deal.  I  would  have  applied  hot  cloths  to  the  abdomen  had  I  not  con- 
sidered the  costiveness  due  to  paralysis  of  the  intestines.  The  modera- 
tion of  the  paralysis  I  considered  in  great  measure  due  to  the  abun- 
dant perspiration. 

The  pulse,  which  had  all  the  while  ranged  from  eighty  to  ninety 
per  minute,  was  now  becoming  very  weak.  The  mare  moaned  a  good 
deal,  and  appeared  very  seusitive  to  noises. 

Having  again  turned  her,  and  given  orders  to  administer  a  bottle 
of  linseed  oU  next  day,  if  there  was  no  improvement,  I  left  at  10  P.M. 

I  may  state  that  deglutition  was  diflScult,  and  that  aU  along,  in 
order  to  make  her  swallow,  I  had  to  manipulate  the  throat,  keeping 
the  head  as  well  out  as  possible. 

The  patient  died  next  morning  at  six  o'clock,  having  struggled  a 
good  deal  during  the  night,  particularly  vnth  the  fore-feet,  as  evinced 
by  the  marks  on  the  stones.  On  the  following^  morning  I  made  a 
post-mortem  examination,  and  noted  the  following  particulars : — On 
opening  the  abdomen,  the  walls  of  which  were  loaded  VFith  fat,  a  con- 


GENEBAL  PABALYSIS  IN  A  MABE.  189 

siderable  quantity  of  reddish  serum  escaped.  Discoloured  patches 
were  seen  along  the  course  of  the  ilium  and  on  the  mesentery,  but 
these  were  by  no  means  extensive.  The  omentum  had  throughout  a 
similar  appearance.  .  The  spleen  was  large  and  very  spongy,  and  the 
liver  normal  '  In  removing  the  large  masses  of  fat  around  the  kid- 
neys, their  capsules  were  torn  off.  The  organs  themselves  were  exten- 
sively diseased,  the  cortical  substance  being  red,  rough,  or  granular, 
and  easily  broken  down.  The  bladder  was  quite  empty,  although  the 
mare  lived  thirteen  hours  after  the  urine  had  been  drawn  off  by  the 
catheter. 

The  lungs  were  congested,  but  not  inflamed,  and  the  pericardium 
contained  a  considerable  quantity  of  bloody  serum.  The  heart  itself, 
with  its  valves,  were  quite  healthy,  and  the  pleural  surfaces  were  in  a 
similar  condition. 

On  opening  the  stomach  I  found  it  empty,  with  the  exception  that 
it  contained  a  few  straws,  evidently  recently  swallowed  and  unmasti- 
cated.  The  small  intestines  were  empty.  The  ccecum  contained  some 
softened  ingesta,  and  the  colon  was  full,  but  not  over-filled,  its  con- 
tents being  rather  dry. 

My  examination  was  conducted,  under  considerable  diflSculties,  in  a 
field  covered  with  snow,  and,  in  addition  to  this,  I  was  pressed  for 
time,  so  that  I  was  imable  to  dissect  out  the  great  nervous  centres.  I 
regret  that  the  case  is  thus  rendered  incomplete,  although  there  can 
be  little  doubt  but  that  their  examination  wbuld  have  disclosed  the 
existence  of.  congestion,  and  probably  red  softening  of  the  spinal  cord. 
The  difficulty  of  deglutition  seemed  to  imply  that  the  medulla  oblongata 
partook  in  part  of  the  diseased  condition,  but  the  remainder  of  the  ence- 
phalon,  I  believe,  was  healthy,  as  the  functions  of  the  eye,  ear,  &c.,  ap- 
peared normal,  or  only  oves-excited.  In  the  character  of  the  pulse,  fever, 
and  loss  of  movement,  the  case  bore  a  considerable  analogy  to  puerperal 
fever  in  the  cow,  differing  only  in  this,  that  the  brain  proper  was  less 
affected.  The  draught  of  cold  water,  when  the  mare  was  already  ex- 
hausted by  a  long  jeurney  and  subsequent  work,  had,  I  believed, 
caused  a  revulsion  toward  the  nervous  centres,  inducing  congestion 
and  sudden  paralysis.  The  kidneys  appear  to  have  become  involved 
consequent  on  the  disease  of  the  spinal  cord,  as  the  urine,  drawn  off 
twenty-four  hours  after  the  onset  of  the  disease,  did  not  appear  altered 
in  any  particular.  The  disorganisation  of  the  kidneys,  too,  though 
extensive,  was  apparently  of  no  long  standing. 

The  mare  was  very  fat,  but  quite  able  for  her  work,  and  likely  to 
be  well  used. — I  am,  &c. 


190  ON  NAVICtTLAR  DISEASE  AND  FOUNDEE. 

ON  NAVICULAE  DISEASE  AND  FOUNDER. 
By  Joseph  Gamgee,  Senior. 

The  following  is  the  subBUnce  of  a  Paper,  with  verbal  changes,  which  was  read  at 
the  Veterinary  Association,  in  the  New  Veterinary  College,  on  March  3. 

The  above  denominations  which  I  use,  in  preference  to  others  also 
in  vogue,  for  conveying  to  the  mind,  notions  concerning  the  charac- 
teristic features  of  different  pathological  affections  to  which  horses' 
feet  are  prone,  may  require  explanation  on  my  part,  with  some 
statement  of  the  reasons  which  induce  me  to  couple  together  two 
such  formidable  diseases  of  the  foot,  as  those  which  I  submit  for 
deliberate  consideration  and  discussion  at  this  meeting. 

With  the  knowledge  that  I  am  exposing  myself  to  be  questioned, 
as  all  men  do  who,  not  content  with  matters  as  they  stand,  raise 
objections,  point  out  errors,  and  endeavour  to  contribute  some  share 
to  the  required  amendments  and  advances;  I  do  not,  like  some, 
believe  that  those  who  work,  should  do  so,  heedless  of  all  the  erro- 
neous doctrines  in  vogue,  which  are  perpetually  being  promulgated 
anew.  To  such  indifference  on  questions  of  the  first  importance,  I 
profess  to  share  no  part ;  neither  my  innate  disposition,  nor  the  dis- 
cipline which  experience  has  imposed,  prompt  me  to  compound  with 
adherents  to  false  notions,  because  they  paid  to  be  taught  them. 
None  are  so  proper  to  point  out  the  quicksands;  as  those  who 
have  worked  through  time  and  under  disadvantages^  to  escape  from 
them. 

On  the  discovery  made  by  the  late  Mr  James  Turner,  of  the  ex- 
istence of  a  diseased  state  of  the  navicular  bone,  which  he  proved,  by 
adducing  cases  and  specimens,  was  not  of  unfrequent  occurrence, 
he  called  the  ulcerated  condition  of  the  bone  "navicular  disease;" 
and  the  phrase  was  most  happy,  owing  to  its  simple  plainness  and 
neutral  import,  in  so  far  as  the  adoption  of  the  word  only  referred 
to  a  phenomenon  without  committing  the  user  of  it  to  any  doctrine, 
physiological  or  pathological.  For  these  reasons,  and  believing  that 
the  subsequently  compound  Latinised  word,  "  Navicular  arthritis,'*  is 
objectionable  on  the  grounds  noticed,  I  see  good  reason  for  keep- 
ing to  the  original  words,  and  to  reserve  the  freedom  of  discussion  on 
the  pathology  of  the  disease,  unfettered  by  words. 

Founder  is  an  old  term,  in  use  to  designate  a  diseased  state,  ac- 
conapanied  by  lameness,  and  which  has  been  often  described,  though 
not  satisfactorily  defined.  Founder,  as  applied  to  the  case  of  a  lame 
horse,  would  seem  to  indicate  inability  to  move,  as  is  clearly  the 
meaning  when  the  same  word  is  applied  to  a  stranded  ship.  In 
French  veterinary  literature,  the  word  "  Fourbure"'  is  of  old  stand- 
ing, and  is  still  in  full -vogue, — clearly  applied  by  our  neighbours  in 
the  same  sense  as  intended  when  rightly  used  by  us.  It  is  uncertain 
whether  "founder"  is  a  corruption  of  "fourbure,"  or  whether  both 
words  originated  from  a  common  root. 


ON  NAVICULAB  DISEASE  AND  FOUNDER.  1 91 

With  their  usual  clear  way  of  describing  symptoms,  our  neigh- 
bours across  the  Channel  tell  us,  that  *'  La  Fourbure  is  a  disease^ 
while  labouring  under  which,  the  horse  can  hardly  walk,  and  scarcely 
can  flex  his  limbs,  which  seem  to  be  all  of  a  pieca  He  appears  to 
lack  the  equilibrium  of  all  his  limbs,  and  one  would  think  that  all 
the  articulations  were  made  immovable  when  the  horse  is  made  to 
tura" — Lttfosse,  Dictionaire  Raisonne  D'Hippitrique,  1775. 

In  our  own  country,  "  founder"  has  been  used,  in  reference  to 
conditions  differing  in  the  character  and  supposed  seat  of  disease. 
At  the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  horses  were  said  to  be 
foundered,  and  distinction  was  drawn  between  chest-founder  and 
foot-founder.  It  was  not  until  Turner  had  shown  that  navicular 
disease  was  a  common  sequence  in  the  cases,  pronounced  chest- 
founder,  that  English  veterinarians  began  to  limit  the  term  "  founder" 
to  typical  cases,  such  as  have  been  characteristically  described  by  the 
learned  French  author  of  the  last  century,  already  referred  to.  In 
its  properly  defined  and  limited  application,  "  founder"  is,  I  believe, 
still  the  least  objectionable  of  any  term  in  use  with  us,  and  for  pre- 
cisely the  same  reason  as  I  have  assigned  for  preferring  the  words 
"  navicular  disease."  In  both  cases  alike,  I  say  keep  to  the  original 
or  older  terms,  especially  as  neutrality  is  of  moment,  in  preference  to 
taking  up  with  the  terms,  "  inflammation  of  the  laminse,"  or  "  lami- 
nites," — ^phrases  intended  to  convey  the  ideas  of  their  originators,  on 
the  pathological  character  of  the  disease. 

When  men  talk  learnedly  about  "navicularithitis,"  and  "kminitis," or 
of  other  conditions  of  the  feet,  where  lameness  is  the  manifest  symp- 
tom, and  amongst  whom  no  two  members  can  be  found  to  agree;  it 
may  fairly  be  inferred  that  the  matter  is  not  in  a  satisfactory  state. 
None,  however,  but  those  unacquainted  with  such  questions  should  be 
surprised  at  the  conflicting  state  of  opinion.  If  the  subject  was  under- 
stood, though  shades  of  difference  in  the  opinions  of  professional  men 
would  still  be  found,  on  all  the  more  essential  points  agreement  would 
be  arrived  at. 

Can  any  rational  man  believe  that  under  ignorance  of  the  normal 
functions  of  the  foot,  the  diseased  conditions  which  supervene,  are  to 
be  comprehensively  seen  into  ?  The  prevalent  ideas  are  that  one  pair 
of  bones  are*  attached  to  a  larger  one  by  a  yielding  medium  substance, 
which,  by  stretching,  admits  of  their  descent ;  and  that  another  pair 
of  bones  (the  sessanoids)  are  suspended  by  an  elastic  ligament,  endowed 
with  considerable  elongating  properties ;  and  that  the  navicular  bone 
is  pressed  down  on  to  the  tendon  beneath  it,  which  in  turn  reposes  on 
the  frog ;  and  lastly,  that  the  coffin  bone  is  slung  by  elastic  medium 
bands  to  the  inner  surface  of  the  wall  of  the  hoof,  that  these  bands 
(the  laminae)  allow  by  their  stretching  properties  for  the  bones  to 
descend,  (if  one  descends,  all  must,)  to  admit  of  which  the  sole  of  the 
hoof  must  be  cut  away,  and  otherwise  weakened  to  avoid  obstruction 
(query,  support.) 

i^oWf  I  ask,  is  this  the  material  to  harbour  in  men's  brains  as  i^ 


192  ON  NAVICULAB  DISEASE  AND  FOUNDER. 

foundation  on  which  to  build  a  superstructure  of  any  kind — either  of 
normal  actions  or  diseased  conditions  ?  No ;  the  anatomy  of  the 
foot  must  be  understood ;  from  phenomena,  we  must  arrive  at  sys- 
tems, and  then  we  may  learn  pathology — knowledge  of  healthy  actions 
first,  and  then  the  altered  states — disease,  causes,  and  sequences — may 
be  understood. 

Navicular  disease  is  met  with  chiefly  amongst  the  fine  breeds  of 
•speedy  horses,  with  whom,  and  in  their  special  kinds  of  work,  a 
more  constant  energetic  pressure  is  kept  up  in  the  region  of  this 
bone.  The  causes  of  this  disease,  like  those  of  most  others,  are 
essentially  of  two  kinds — ^viz.,  predisposing,  and  actual  or  direct 
causes.  The  first  consists  in  the  management  of  horses  from  the  time 
they  are  foals  to  adult  age ;  well  formed,  strong  feet,  all  other  things 
being  the  same,  withstand  the  efiects  of  after-causes  the  longest. 

Bad  shoeing  and  fast  work  under  weight  or  draught  are  the  most 
common  exciting  causes  of  this  as  of  most  other  diseased  conditions 
of  horses'  feet.  Bad  shoeing  is  a  vague  expression ;  but  I  call  all 
bad,  in  degrees  that  is  not  done  by  system,  subordinate  to  the 
necessary  knowledge  of  the  foot.  There  are  some  bad  habits  which 
have  found  their  way  into  the  practice  of  shoeing,  and,  indeed,  have 
been  all  along  enforced  systematically,  which  may  be  pointed  out  in 
thi|  place,  though  I  cannot  go  into  details  on  the  art  in  this  essay. 
Paring  of  the  soles  and  the  weakening  of  the  hoof,  either  by  instru- 
ment or  softening,  should  be  alike  avoided ;  as  no  skill  is  needed  in 
attending  to  this  step,  alike  conservative  and  remedial  in  tendency, 
I  submit  it  with  recommendation  that  it  be  taken  as  a  rule  appli- 
cable to  the  case  of  all  horses. 

Navicular  disease  never  occurs  suddenly,  is  never  caused  by  bruises 
from  stones  as  alleged,  nor  does  it  appear  as  a  primary  aflFection. 
The  cofl&n  bone  having  the  whole  weight  and  exertion  to  sustain,  is 
always  the  first  to  suffer,  and  it  is  when  an  altered  position  from  the 
normal  state  takes  place  in  the  coflSn  bone,  and  the  other  component 
structures  of  the  foot  relatively,  that  derangement  of  functions  and 
stress  of  pressure  is  imposed  on  the  navicular  bone.  The  coflSn  bone 
undergoes  more  change  in  physical  formation,  and  that  more  rapidly, 
than  occurs  in  any  other  bone, — I  may  say  of  any  animal, — and  that 
for  the  reason,  that  no  bone  is  placed  under  so  many  complications  of 
adverse  influence  and  by  misapplied  art  and  exertion  combined. 

The  semilunar  crest,  and  the  normal  asperities  of  the  coffin  bone 
become  absorbed  under  the  influences  prevalent,  by  which  the 
attaching  processes  for  the  tendon,  the  planta  band  and  the  frog, 
are  all  weakened  and  positions  become  altered ;  the  navicular  bone  in 
the  case  is  more  and  more  called  on  to  bear  pressure,  when  its  normal 
bulk  would  lack  space ;  therefore  absorption  of  its  substance  takes 
place  from  within,  until  at  length  its  outer  surface  breaks  down ;  being 
always  on  its  lower  and  posterior  surface  where  the  ulcerated  aper- 
tures one  or  more  are  seen,  whence  limph  issuing  becomes  attached  to 
the  tendon^  by  which  effort  of  nature  the  structures  become  in  some 


OH  HAYICULAB  DBKAfiE  AND  FOUNDSB.  193 

measure  fixed  together^  and  the  otherwise  unsupportable  friction  is 
diminished. 

Treatment — Ours  is  all  of  a  prophylactic  kind;  firstly,  preven- 
tive measures  are  the  great  resource^ — the  taking  care  of  the  stable,  ere 
the  steed  is  lost,  is  our  watchword.  But  cases  will  make  their  appear- 
ance, and  though  not  one  in  ten  of  those  pronounced  to  be  the  navi- 
cular disease  are  of  that  type ;  yet  in  various  stages  of  progress  cases 
of  navicular  disease  frequently  appear.  My  remedies  in  these  cases 
consist  in  the  taking  of  very  much  the  same  measures  as  I  adopt  for 
prevention,  or  rather  for  the  maintenance  of  healthy  action  regardless 
of  any  particular  disease.  I  remove  causes,  i.e.,  in  the  first  place  the 
shoes,  and  withdraw  all  ascertainable  causes  of  pain  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible ;  rest  and  some  fomentation  to  the  feet  are  amongst  the  most 
efiective  meana  Continued  rest  in  a  loose  box  may  be  necessary  for 
two  or  three  weeks,  during  which  time  the  feet  will  acquire  form  and 
strength,  under  such  management  as  I  carry  out — ^viz.,  no  softening 
application  after  the  first  two  or  three  days,  when  circulation  of  the 
blood  will  have  found  its  equilibrium  over  the  foot,  after  which  clean- 
liness and  care  and  abstaining  debilitating  the  hoof  is  observed.  But, 
we  may  say,  my  friends,  this  is  not  surgery.  Would  you  not  bleed, 
blister,  insert  setons,  and  if  the  lameness  continued  persistent,  unnerve 
the  horse  ?  I  shake  my  head  and  say — No !  Well,  is  it  pretended  that 
I  can  cure  all  cases  submitted  to  me  of  the  character  under  notice  ? 
No.  Then  what  is  to  be  done  with  the  incurables,  are  they  not  to 
-be  submitted  to  the  orderly  routine  of  successive  operations?  I  can 
hardly  be  made  to  comply,  and  for  the  following  reasons : — ^I  saw  so 
much  of  that  which  is  called  the  surgery  of  these  cases  in  my  early 
days,  such  torture,  butchery,  and  sacrifice  of  property,  that  I  tried 
what  I  believed  then  the  more  rational  mode  of  procedure,  and  have 
been  rewarded  by  great  success ;  the  few  cases  of  protracted  and  ad- 
vanced disease,  which  after  due  observation  and  trial  I  diagnose  as 
incurable,  I  advise  to  be  put  out  of  their  miserable  state.  They  are 
very  few,  since  all  but  a  fractional  part  are  redeemed  to  a  state  of 
ease  and  usefulness  by  the  measures  thus  employed. 

Founder,  the  distinguishing  feature  of  which  I  cannot  better  por- 
tray than  by  referring  to  the  description  given  of  symptoms,  pub- 
lished by  the  distinguished  Lafosse  in  the  last  century,  is  a  disease 
which  occurs  most  in  the  lieavy  breeds  of  horses ;  I  advisedly  dis- 
tinguish between  heavy  breeds,  viz., — round  formed,  punchy  bred 
horses,  and  those  of  high  stature,  or  with  reference  to  the  actual 
weight  of  the  animal  It  is  the  mode  of  breeding  and  management 
that  furnishes  the  predisposing  causes  to  founder ;  and  which  rela- 
tively exempts  horses  from  causes  of  lameness,  by  which  from  the 
same  stock,  soft,  lumbering  horses,  with  flat  feet,  are  produced,  under 
indefinitely  bad  management ;  the  cob  horse  of  fourteen  hands,  and 
the  coach  or  cart  horses  of  seventeen  hands,  may  alike  contract  in 
their  early  ages  the  predisposition  to  all  diseased  states  common  to 
flat  feet :  the  words, ''  flat  feet,''  should  always  to  be  taken  in  a  rela- 
tive, and  not  a  positive  sense. 


194  ON  NAVICULAR  DISEASE  AND  FOUNDEE. 

The  description  of  horse  under  consideration,  while  prone  to 
almost  every  form  of  disease  of  the  feet,  of  which  founder  is  the 
most  formidable,  are  withal  almost  exempt  from  navicular  disease ; 
and  a  few  words  in  this  place  on  phenomena  comparatively,  jnay  help 
to  show  the  existing  causes  in  each  case,  illustrative  of  the  fact  that 
through  predisposition  by  breeding  and  conformation,  different  effects 
and  types  of  disease  are  brought  on  under  similarity  of  treatment 
and  work.  It  has  been  said  already  that  the  speedy,  well-bred, 
energetic  horse  is  prone  to  navicular  disease ;  that  he,  with  greater 
leverage  construction  than  the  common  bred,  exerts  more  force  on  to 
the  navicular  bones,  and  that  all  disturbing  influences  tend  to  bring 
about  effects  in  degree,  until  the  extremes  noticed  become  the  results. 

While  the  flat-footed  horse,  with  dwelling  action,  cannot  give  that 
intensity  of  force  on  to  the  navicular  bones,  which  causes  the  disease, 
he  bears  on  a  greater  surface  with  a  less  substantial  foundation  than 
lihe  strong  footed.  The  want  of  the  natural,  strong  arches  of  the 
pedal-bone  and  hoof,  the  two  structures  which  act  together,  and 
which  mainly  govern  the  position  and  functions  of  the  complex  organ, 
the  foot,  calls  for  artificial  provision  to  sustain  the  whole ;  and  proper 
shoeing  and  excessive  moisture  constitute  our  means,  whereby  in 
these  cases,  as  in  the  other  types,  the  effects  brought  on  by  multiplied 
adverse  conditions  may  be  avoided.  The  horse,  with  hoofs  and  pedal- 
bones  flattened  under  the  ordinary  modes  of  managing  the  feet,  which 
give  little  support,  and  much  unnatural  obstruction  to  functions,  is 
in  a  state  progressively  getting  worse, — ^he  goes,  to  use  a  comparative 
phrase  applied  to  analogous  cases  in  man,  whole  footed. 

This  subject  may  be  made  more  clear  if  we  compare  two  bones  of 
similar  class  and  breed  of  horses.  Say  the  thorough-bred ;  for  al- 
though these  are  the  least  liable  to  founder,  still,  relatively  one  with 
another  they  differ,  and  to  that  extent  may  be  studied  with  profit. 
A  race  horse,  with  a  shallow,  flat  foot,  seldom  runs  on,  as  an  aged  horse, 
though  many  with  feet  so  formed  are  large  powerful  horses  ;  and  when 
the  course  is  wet  and  soft  they  often  win  the  race.  Such  feet,  like  those 
of  the  duck,  in  water,  are  in  their  element ;  but  change  from  swampy 
to  hard  ground,  and  the  horse,  physically  in'ferior  in  other  respects,  but 
with  strong,  arched  feet,  wins  the  race.  According  to  predisposition, 
and  the  accumulation  of  causes,  absorption  of  the  cofl&n  bone  goes  on 
— the  thin,  weak  sole  renders  the  prominent  points,  margins,  &c.,  of 
that  bone  incompatible  with  other  abnormal  phenomena ;  the  de- 
fective, mutilated  hoof,  always  in  conformity  and  conforming  to  the 
coffin  bone,  requires  that  that  bone  should  have  its  sharp  asperities 
removed,  though  at  the  expense  of  strength,  energy,  and  action,  and 
accordingly  absorption  does  the  work,  as  a  provision  of  compensation. 
The  horse  thus  loses  form,  speed,  and  power ;  the  active  riding  horse 
becomes  a  poor  harness  drudge ;  the  one  that  could  trot  with  ease 
ten  miles  an  hour,  can,  with  much  pain  and  difficulty,  only  do  seven  ; 
and  the  cart  horse  that  could  walk  away  with  his  load  nimbly,  at 
length  goes  kneeding  .the  ground,  and  dwelling  on  the  posterior  re- 
gions of  his  feet^  while  he  is  jinable  to  revolve  them,  to  use  the 


ON  NAYICULAB  DISEASE  AND  FOUNDER.  195 

anterior  region,  the  point  where  his  powers  should  be  exerted,  with 
full  energy  and  force. 

We  have  now  come  pretty  close  to  all  the  conditions  of  chronic 
founder,  and  only  want  some  little  increased  exertion,  fresh  exciting 
influences  from  shoeing,  or  a  little  more  time,  when  ulceration  of  the 
pedal  bone  having  proceeded  to  a  great  extent  by  slow  degrees,  now 
becomes  more  active  ;  and  all  the  acute  symptoms,  indicating  inflam- 
mation ^of  the  foot,  with  general  derangement  of  the  system,  are  set 
up.  This  stage,  acute  founder,  may,  and  sometimes  does  occur,  with- 
out the  slow  process  of  change  above  noticed.  We  never,  however, 
have  efiect  without  causes ;  and  there  are  usually  several  in  operation 
at  this  juncture;  the  local,  as  regards  condition  of  the  feet ;  general,  as 
regards  the  constitution  of  the  animal;  and  immediate,  as  in  the  case 
where  violent  exertion  has  been  in  force. 

These  cases  of  intense  suffering  to  the  animal,  and  rapidly  progress- 
ing destruction  of  normal  organisation,  have  been  called  Laminitis, 
an  absurdly  applied  term,  given  to  represent  an  idea,  as  already 
alluded  to— an  idea  that,  instead  of  being  supported,  the  coffin  bone 
is  suspended.  Reverse  the  notion,  and  admit,  since,  whether  admitted 
or  not,  nature's  laws  being  omnipotent,  that  sole  of  the  hoof,  with  the 
arches  of  the  coffin  bone,  support  the  burden;  give  place  to  these  views, 
and  the  subject  may  be  contemplated  more  profitably,  when  it  will 
be  seen  that,  instead  of  the  connecting  medium  between  the  pedal  bone 
and  cartilages  being  the  seat  of  the  affection,  the  lower  and  anterior 
region  of  the  coffin  bone  is  invariably  the  seat  of  suffiering,  the  en- 
veloping fibrous  structure  becoming  simultaneously  affected.  Mean- 
while absorption  and  shortening  of  the  bone  goes  on,  its  substance 
wastes,  its  removal  being  nature's  object,  and  the  posterior  region,  the 
foot,  is  alone  sought  to  tak6  the  whole  or  chief  burden.  It  would  be 
too  much  to  attempt  in  this  paper  to  enter  on  all  the*  metamorphoses 
that  follow,  comprising  even  death  of  the  animal ;  or  to  enlarge  on 
the  various  degrees  of  restoration  in  other  cases  attainable.  Suffice 
for  the  present  to  show  character,  causes,  and  the  rationale  of  the 
subject. 

I  have  made  selection  of  one,  from  amongst  my  collection  of  patho- 
logical specimens,  very  typical  of  the  disease  under  consideration ;  the 
subject  was  a  cart-mare,  whose  fore-feet  I  ob- 
tained, the  bones  of  one  of  which  furnished  the 
specimen  drawn  for  the  accompanying  wood- 
cut. I  never  saw  the  animal  until  after  she 
had  been  taken  alive  to  the  slaughter-yard 
and  was  killed,  when  I  learned  as  much  as 
can  usually  be  relied  on  in  such  cases  from 
mere  report,  which  amounted  to  the  state- 
ment that  the  mare  had  been  many  months 
excessively  lame,  that  she  had  been  kept 
at  work  until  recently,  and  when  impossible 
to  proceed  longer  with  torture  she  was 
destroyed. 


196  ON  NAVICULAE  DISEASE  AND  FOUNDER. 

The  specimen  represented  on  other  side,  exhibits  in  a  marked  degree 
the  wasted  condition  of  the  coflSn  bone  over  its  lower  surface,  under 
which  weakened  state,  with  corresponding  mutilated  state  of  the  hoofs 
(the  sole)  in  particular,  and  from  the  cruelly  imposed  exertion  to 
which  the  mare  had  been  kept,  the  front  of  the  bone  has  become  bent 
upwards,  or,  more  correctly  speaking,  it  is  partially  fractured,  after  be- 
coming so  reduced  that  the  plates  of  bone  composing  the  planta  arch 
,  became  torn  asunder,  and  a  bending  of  the  remainder  and  upper  part 
of  the  pedal  bone  followed. 

My  collection  of  morbid  specimens  of  the  foot,  and  of  pedal 
bones  in  particular,  all  show  that  the  planta  region  is  the  seat  of  dis- 
ease in  founder ;  and  knowing  that  the  conclusions  I  have  arrived  at, 
by  the  only  method  by  which  such  questions  admit  of  solutions-patho- 
logical researches — ^have  not  yet  found  many  converts  amongst  the 
members  of  the  profession,  through  their  having  become  early  im- 
bued with  very  different  notions,  I  challenge  any  one  to  sustain  their 
long-cherished  hypothesis. 

Words  and  opinions  count  for  nothing  in  my  estimation,  when 
these  are  opposed  by  phenomena ;  therefore  let  any  one  produce  the 
foot  of  a  foundered  horse,  or  call  the  disease  what  they  please, 
laminitis  will  do  for  the  occasion ;  and  let  that  foot,  or  any  number 
of  feet  of  the  kini,  be  prepared  in  a  proper  way,  so  that  its  true 
pathological  state  is  shown,  which  cannot  be  imtil  the  pedal  bone  has 
been  divested  carefully  of  its  membranes;  and  let  a  single  case  be 
shown  me,  in  which  inflammation  and  ulceration  (for  the  latter  suc- 
ceeds the  first  in  this  disease)  has  existed  over  the  upper  connecting 
surface  of  the  pedal  bone,  in  which  the  inferior  surface  is  found 
normal — show  me,  I  say,  one  case,  and  I  will  admit  that,  without 
disputing  about  exception,  as  evidence  against  my  position.  But  I 
will  reverse  the  point,  for  my  abundant  evidence  and  proof  enables 
me  to  say,  that  not  one  case  will  be  found,  even  in  those  extreme, 
in  which,  a  third  of  the  bulk  of  the  coflSn  bone  in  front  has  disappeared 
by  absorption,  in  which  the  course  of  diseased  action  has  not  pro- 
ceeded from  below  upwards,  and  from  the  anterior  lower  margin  back- 
wards ;  and  to  that  extent  when  the  whole  lower  part  of  the  front  of 
the  pedal  bone  becomes  involved,  and  only  its  joint  articulations  and 
posterior  parts  are  left  for  the  most  essential  offices  in  that  deplorable 
existence  of  the  animal 

TREATMENT, 

The  difference  we  find  in  the  pathological  state  of  cases  of  founder 
is  more  of  degree  tlmn  of  kind,  and  to  that  extent  brings  us  to  form 
different  prognoses  of  the  result  to  be  expected,  and  the  time  re- 
quired to  effect  a  given  measure  of  relief,  as  well  as  the  best  mode  of 
procedure  in  the  case. 

There  is  no  disease  to  which  the  horse  is  liable,  that  is  more  con- 
trollable by  a  right  application  of  veterinary  skill,  than  the  whole 
train  of  cases  of  founder,  beginning  with  the  sprawling,  soft,  fiat- 


OK  NAYICULAB  DISEASE  AND  FOUNDER.  197 

footed  colt,  off  the  swamp  or  wet  dung  of  the  farm-yard,  to  the  con- 
vex or  pummaced-footed  horse,  with  the  various  complications  which 
intervene  and  accompany  these. 

The  whole  train  of  consequences  giving  rise  to  deformed  and  dis« 
eased  feet  is  due  to  physical  causes ;  and  to  that  branch  of  veterinary 
art  and  science  which  assumes  to  take  care  of  horses'  feet,  whether 
in  health  on  with  reference  to  their  restoration,  should  devolve  the 
labour  and  credit  pertaining.  These  cases  require  real  knowledge  and 
manual  dexterity,  and  if  one  man  does  not  embody  all  these,  two 
must  be  employed.  Sham  knowledge  is  no  use,  and  only  perplexes ; 
as  a  matter  of  course  it  is  understood  that  shoeing  is  the  procedure 
which,  least  of  all,  admits  of  being  done  well  in  all  its  details  by  de- 
puty ;  and,  I  regret  to  add,  that  the  difficulty  of  learning  this  branch 
renders  it  unfashionable ;  therefore,  to  prescribe  is  of  little  avail  until 
some  common  ground  is  established  as  to  how  and  where  it  is  to  be 
taught  and  learned,  and  what  the  recompense  for  services  of  such 
importance.  The  art  of  shoeing,  well  carried  out,  the  feet  sustained 
and  protected,  with  freedom  of  functions  provided  for,  nine-tenths  of 
all  cases  of  founder  will  be  prevented,  and  the  whole  controllable 
thereby. 

All  horses'  feet,  and  flat  feet  especially,  should  be  kept  dry  and 
clean,  as  a  man  would  keep  his  own  hands  and  feet.  And  the  effect 
of  excessive  moisture,  encountered  in  their  daily  employment,  should 
be  provided  against.  But,  will  say  my  opponents,  horses'  feet  were 
designed  to  go  in  wet  and  dirt ;  yes,  but  altogether  of  another  kind 
and  degree,  and  then  with  hoofs  in  a  condition  to  withstand  it.  Our 
horses,  with  pared  and  rasped  feet,  are  often  exposed  in  a  quagmire 
for  many  hours  together  daily,  and  exerting  their  weight  on  a  hoof 
not  in  a  state  to  bear  it.  Let  a  man  walk  with  a  wet  soddened  boot, 
and  then  change  for  a  dry  one,  how  comfortable  he  mil  feel  by  that 
change.  The  case  is  illustrative  of  the  fact  that  artificial  usages  call 
into  play  other  resources  of  art,  to  counteract  the  evils  that  would 
otherwise  result ;  and,  as  a  counter  protection  against  external  noxious 
influences  to  the  hoofs  of  horses,  that  of  moisture  in  particular,  I  use 
an  ointment  which  has  been  productive  of  advantageous  effects  in  my 
practice  for  the  last  twenty-five  years.  This  hoof  ointment  is  com- 
posed thus :  take  two  parts  of  mutton  tallow,  to  one  of  Burgundy 
pitch,  melt  these  together  in^a  water  bath,  and  then  add  one  part  of 
Barbi^oes  tar.  If  this  ointment  is  rubbed  well  into  the  sole  and 
whole  hoof  with  the  hand,  the  feet  to  be  clean  and  dry  at  the  time, 
the  protecting  and  nourishing  properties  will  prove  very  decided. 
About  once  a  week  is  often  enough,  in  general,  to  apply  it,  and  I 
usually  recommend  it  to  be  done  on  a  Saturday  evening,  because  most 
of  the  horses  standing  in  stable  next  day  benefit  the  more  by  it. 
People  think  that  anything  is  good  enough  for  horses'  feet,  and  ac- 
cordingly all  sorts  of  offensive  stuff  is  used, — ^kitchen  stuff,  common 
tar,  &C..  I  should  as  soon  think  of  applying  such  material  to  my  own 
hair  as  to  a  horse's  foot 


1 98  ON  NAVICULAR  DISEASE  AND  FOUNDEB. 

Acute  founder,  with  all  its  concurrent  associations,  presents  symp- 
toms of  inflammation  of  the  feet,  and  general  constitutional  disturb- 
ance, viz., — fever,  with  throbbing  pulse,  and  such  a  case  is  not  en- 
couraging for  the  unprepared  practitioner  to  look  at,  while  the  agony 
of  the  horse  is  most  distressing. 

The  measures  I  adopt  in  such  cases  with  promptness  in  application 
have  been  tested  for  effect,  and  are  not  recommended  for  great  dis- 
play. Some  old  friends  may  perhaps  put  these  questions.  Do  you 
bleed,  apply  poultices,  or  ice  to  the  feet?  I  reply.  No,  I  do  nothing 
of  the  sort.  Guided  by  all  the  phenomena  observable  and  the  his- 
tory of  the  case,  I  proceed  generally  and  locally,  and  applying 
to  the  last  of  these  first,  I  remove  all  extraneous  substances  and 
matter  from  the  feet,  whether  of  iron  shoes,  leather  soles,  or  of 
filth  of  all  kinds.  A  loose  place  for  the  horse  to  rest,  move,  and  lie 
down  in,  is  sought.  An  aloetic  laxative  ball  is  given,  and  clysters, 
which  are  repeated  at  intervals  of  two  or  three  hours,  while  the 
urgent  symptoms  last ;  and  warm  water  fomentations  are  applied  to 
the  affected  feet,  either  by  placing  one  foot  at  a  time  in  a  pait  if  the 
horse  can  stand,  and  if  lying,  flannels  wrung  out  of  warm  water  are 
applied  to  the  feet. 

An  forage  should  be  removed  from  the  rack  and  manger,  and  only 
the  potions  prescribed  given  at  proper  intervals, — ^viz„  tepid  water, 
with  a  double  handful  of  bran  to  about  a  gallon,  to  be  given  freely ; 
and  good  meadow  hay  in  small  quantity,  say  six  lbs.,  in  the  course  of 
twenty-four  hours,  is  all  that  is  beneficial,  until  the  febrile  sjmptoms 
abate,  and  the  horse's  appetite  augments. 

If  the  horse  is  able  to  stand,  he  will  in  some  instances  be  placed 
more  at  ease,  and  altogether  the  better  for  the  affected  feet  being 
properly  shod ;  the  good  effect  arises  through  obviating  the  contact 
of  the  prominent  or  more  or  less  flattened  sole  pressing  on  an  uneven 
floor,  since  the  planta  region  of  the  foot  in  the  ease  is  engorged 
with  blood,  and  the  vascular  structures  compressed  between  the  sole 
of  the  hoof  and  the  pedal  bone  are  of  twice  or  thrice  their  normal 
thickness;  with  deposited  lymph  in  some  cases  contiguous  to  the  hoof, 
so  that  direct  pressure  of  the  planta  region  on  the  ground  cannot  be 
borne,  and  it  is  to  obviate  this  that  horses  instinctively  endeavour 
to  bear  wholly  on  the  yielding  structures  of  their  feet — in  other  words, 
their  heels,  while  the  front  of  the  foot  is  raised  in  the  air ;  and  thereby 
flexion  of  the  limbs,  so  accurately  described  by  Lafosse,  is  as  much 
as  possible  avoided.  Our  object  should  be  to  afford  the  means  of 
free  circulation  of  the  blood,  which  is  a  chief  want  in  these  flattened- 
down  feet,  and  one  of  the  phenomena  giving  rise  to  the  acute  stage  of 
the  disease ;  therefore,  by  setting  ^he  outer  aspect  of  the  sole  free 
from  pressure,  and  making  an  artificial  space  between  shoe  and  sole, 
a  substitute  for  the  natural  arch  of  the  pedal  bone  and  sole  is  given. 
In  adapting  the  shoe,  the  aim  should  be  to  bring  it  to  bear  on  both 
the  posterior  extremities  of  the  wall  equally,  ample  cover  and  propor- 
tionate substance  of  iron  is  required,  and  no  direct  pressure  must  be 


ON  KAVICULAE  DISEASE  AKD  FOUNDEE.  199 

sought  to  be  imposed  on  to  the  frog,  as  is  often  inadvertently  done ; 
and  only  knowledge  of  a  very  different  kind  to  such  as  has  prevailed 
on  the  physiology  of  the  foot  can  teach  the  reason  why  bad  shoes  and 
modes  of  forcing  pressure  on  the  frog  are  insupportable.  So  far 
placed  in  a  favourable  condition,  or  in  the  less  unfavourable  cases, 
where  the  foot  is  placed  at  ease  by  being  set  free  from  the  shoes 
that  caused  pain,  and  allowed  to  stand  barefooted,  the  fomentation 
being  discontinued,  and  the  hoofs  being  kept  free  from  moisture,  the 
horse  being  kept  on  firm  flat  surface,  with  a  thin  covering  of  litter, 
soothed  locally,  and  nicely  managed  hygienically,  the  condition  of 
the  feet  will  change  rapidly ;  and  since  perhaps  nine-tenths  of  my 
readers  will,  in  accordance  with  their  apprentice-imbued  notions,  con- 
ceive no  other  way  of  getting  rid  of  the  4accumulation  of  blood  and 
lymph  in  the  foot  but  by  plunging  in  an  instrument  and  abstracting 
it  largely,  I  will  tell  them  what  takes  place,  and  how,  after  all  exciting 
causes  whatsoever  have  been  removed,  relief  to  the  horse  is  attained 
within  the  first  six  hours  of  treatment,  which  goes  on  progressively 
in  increased  ratio  once  the  tension  is  relieved.  Once  secure  the  free 
circulation  of  the  blood,  which  was  obstructed  by  physical  causes,  and 
tension  diminishes,  and  thereby  a  new  cause,  which  had  been  brought 
on,  is  being  removed.  Grant  that,  we  have  lesions  left,  and  alteration 
of  structures  to  be  restored,  but  which  nature's  provisions  at  once  set 
about  to  accomplish ;  and  as. the  veins  and  lymphatics  carry  into  the 
general  circulation  the  local  accumulation,  the  arterial  system  brings 
new  material  of  life  to  fill  up  the  breaches.  Therefore  we  have  only 
to  think  about  our  part,  remove  causes,  and  nature  will  do  hers,  and 
the  disturbed  balance  find  its  equilibrium.  Having  advised  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  practice  I  follow,  shoeing  for  the  feet  which  are 
unable  to  bare  pressure  on  the  sole,  and  for  the  less  urgent  cases 
which  can  bear  it,  and  will  improve  by  the  healthy  stimulus,  there 
is  a  third  class,  where  the  horse  is  so  bad  that  he  cannot  stand  to  be 
shod.  To  such  I  give  a  nice  level  bed  of  used  litter,  into  which  the 
feet  press  during  the  short  interval  of  standing,  and  on  which  the 
horse  will  repose  and  stretch  himself  during  the  greater  time ;  while 
in  that  case  also  relief  will  come,  under  the  general  treatment  pre- 
scribed, when  the  case  will  become  one  of  those  noticed  already,  to 
be  shod  or  not  at  a  given  time,  according  to  the  state  of  the  feet. 

Remarks, — I  am  not  so  indiscreet  as  to  expect  that  my  self-imposed 
work,  of  devoting  my  best  efforts  to  the  conservation  and  restoration  of 
horses'  feet  during  the  greater  part  of  the  day,  of  prosecuting  anatomi- 
cal and  pathological  researches  at  other  times,  with  endeavours  to  teach 
what  I  know  and  daily  learn,  will  have  much  weight  with  readers.  Nor 
will  they  think  that  the  work  continued  by  the  midnight  light  is  worth 
any  consideratiOli,  all  of  which  I  freely  admit.  I  am  only,  and  but 
poorly  doing  my  duty,  for  which  I  lay  one  claim — that  of  being 
allowed  to  record  my  views  without  curtailment. 

I  have  Been  trying  for  many  fast  fleeting  years,  to  discover  from 
what  source  or  direction,  new,  better,  and  more  extended  knowledge 
Vol.  I.— No.  IV.— New  Sebies.    Apbil  1866.  P 


200  ON  NAVICULAE  DISEASE  AND  FOUNDER. 

and  discipline  could  be  drawn  into  the  veterinary  profession ;  and  the 
most  recent  inauguration  which  I  hailed  with  pleasure  and  hope,  was 
that  of  veterinary  associations  ;  and  while  I  still  hope,  I  take  warn- 
ing that  we  must  not  expect  the  good  to  come  in  the  lump.  None 
the  worse  in  the  long  run ;  the  bringing  of  men  together,  and  afford- 
ing the  opportunity  for  free  exchange  of  ideas,  is'  a  most  important 
step,  worthy  of  my  friends,  among  the  first  who  took  it.  Associations 
always  set  forth  the  true  character  6f  the  body  they  represent,  the 
greater  of  all  of  them  embodying  the  wisdom  of  the  nation ;  the  rest 
that  of  sections  of  the  community.  Veterinary  associations  take  their 
place  amongst  the  bulk,  and  will  in  due  time  show  the  cl\^racter  of 
our  common  body,  which  it  is  their  object  to  ameliorate. 

Whilst  some  members  of  these  associations  enlighten  by  their 
suggestions,  others  perform,  as  perhaps  at  this  crisis,  an  equally  use- 
ful task,  that  of  showing  and  proclaiming  the  nakedness  of  the 
land.  Of  such  have  been  pre-eminently  the  discussions  introduced 
and  sustained  on  the  subjects  which  I  have,  however  inadequately, 
endeavoured  to  treat  on,  in  this  paper.  I  don't  think  that  barbarism 
was  ever  set  forth  more  plainly,  than  it  is  depicted  by  some  of  those 
who  presume  to  possess  a  knowledge  of  the  way  to  preserve  sound, 
or  how  to  cure  lame  horses.  The  last  new  doctrine  that  I  have  seen 
lauded  forth,  is  that  of  casting  and  tying  down  horses  with  inflamed 
feet.  I  knew  of  the  irrational  practice  sometimes  adopted  of  hanging 
horses  up  by  slings,  when  in  that  condition,  by  which  irrational  pro- 
ceeding, through  the  gravitation  of  the  blood,  and  the  impossibility 
of  corresponding  facility  in  its  return,  the  state  of  the  animal  was  made 
hopeless. 

Veterinary  associations  and  periodical  literature  will,  I  believe,  lead 
to  changes  toward  a  better  system  of  knowledge,  and  application  of 
it,  than  has  yet  been  established  in  veterinary  practice  among  us. 
Free  intercourse,  facility  of  giving  widely-diffused  effect  to  facts  and 
ideas,  will  show  in  time  the  true  state  of  matters.  The  prerogative 
of  speech,  and  permanently  giving  effect  to  thought  and  knowledge, 
vouchsafed  to  men  alone,  was  not  given  to  be  misused.  Amongst  the 
aggregate  of  associations  the  whole  comes  out,  and  the  absurd  is 
quite  as  much  wanted  as  the  more  rational  and  positively  true. 

Amongst  the  members  of  the  veterinary  profession  in  this  country, 
few  have  spoken  openly,  still  fewer  have  written ;  but  it  is  by  those 
who  speak  and  write  that  the  whole  body  is  estimate^,  and,  I  believe, 
rightly  so.  If  only  five  give  effect  to  their  views,  and  five  hundred 
remain  passive  and  silent,  the  latter  must  be  held  as  agreeing  with 
their  self-constituted  deputies.  And  on  questions  deeply  affecting 
the  credit  of  the  veterinary  profession, — affecting  its  status,  and  th« 
services  it  could  render,^ — I  say,  in  the  words  of  Garibaldi, "  Those  who 
are  not  with  us  must  be  looked  on  as  against  us." 


THS  OX  :  HIB  DISEASES  AND  THEIR  TREATMENT.  201 


REVIEW. 

The  Ox :  his  Diseases  and  their  Treatment,  with  an  Essay  on  Par- 
turition  in  the  Cow,  By  J.  R.  Dobson,  Member  of  the  Boyal 
College  of  Veterinary  Surgeons.  With  numerous  Illustrations. 
London :  Longman,  Green,  Longman,  Roberts,  &  Green,  1864. 

Veterinary  surgeons  in  this  country  have  shunned  the  writing  of 
books.  Some  have  written  nothing  who  might  have  published  much 
to  the  benefit  of  their  profession.  Others,  on  the  other  hand,  have 
made  attempts ;  and  whether  judged  on  their  scientific  or  practical 
merits,  as  a  nde  we  can  only  record  instances  of  ludicrous  failure. 
Mr  Dobson  has  published  a  treatise  to  supply  what  he  calls  a  de- 
ficiency, viz.,  "  A  complete  treatise  upon  the  Diseases  of  the  Ox,*'  no 
such  work  having  "been  attempted"  "since  the  elaborate  work  of 
the  late  Mr  Youatt"  Poor  Youatt !  It  is  a  quarter  of  a  century  since 
he  laboured  to  create  out  of  chaos  a  connected  history  of  the  breeds 
and  diseases  of  cattle.  His  work  contains,  of  course,  much  that  we 
now  condemn.  There  are  errors  in  it  of  no  small  magnitude ;  but  be  it 
remembered,  it  was  the  first  work  in  any  tongue  embodying  so  vast 
an  amount  of  knowledge  on  the  ox  and  its  diseases.  It  has  been 
translated  and  extensively  quoted  in  various  countries,  and  is  now 
worthy  of  being  re-edited  by  some  one  who  can  bring  to  bear  on  the 
work  some  of  the  zeal  and  industry  of  its  original  author. 

Mr  Dobson  has  not  done  for  us  what  Youatt  did.  What  induced 
him  to  write  is  to  us  a  mystery.  We  are  too  charitable  to  believe 
that  he  had  the  presumption  to  fancy  he  could  supersede  our  old 
text-book  on  cattle.  Perhaps  he  wrote,  because,  as  he  tells  us  in  his 
preface,  he  has  had  "  nearly  fifteen  years'  experience  in  country 
practice."  Had  he  not  told  us  this,  we  should  have  supposed  he  had 
not  been  engaged  beyond  fifteen  months  in  the  study,  practical  and 
theoretical,  of  his  profession.  London  publishers  bring  out  neat  books ; 
they  are  determined  to  have  something  to  look  worth  buying;  and  too 
often  they  trouble  themselves  less  about  the  real  abilities  of  authors 
than  about  the  important  question  of  aptitude  for  book  manufacturing. 
There  is  something  good  in  Mr  Dobson's  work,  but  that  which  is  good 
is  not  Mr  Dobson's.  There  are  some  good  illustrations,  which  the 
Messrs  Longman  had  ready  access  to,  and  in  every  other  particular 
the  publishers  have  done  their  part  of  the  work  well  We  cannot  say 
as  much  for  the  author. 

Without  a  word  of  introduction,  the  first  part  of  the  treatise  be- 
fore us  refers  to  the  organs  of  respiration  and  their  diseases.  Thirty- 
three  small  and  broadly  printed  pages  exhaust  this  part ;  and  as  a 
specimen  of  the  whole,  we  may  refer  to  a  description  of  the 
larynx,  which  is  said  to  be  "  an  irregri^Zariy-shaped,  cartilaginous  box 
situated  at  the  upper  extremity  of  the  windpipe,  and  composed  of 
rings  of  cartilage,  slightly  overlapping  each  other,  and  connected  to- 


202  THE  ox  :  HIS  DISEASES  AND  THEIR  TEEATMENT. 

gether  by  tovgh  fibrous  tissue/'  This  is  a  fair  specimen  of  the  ana- 
tomical descriptions  in  the  work,  and  the  pathological  details  are  no 
less  extraordinary.  We  are  told,  for  example,  that  "  when  the  larynx 
is  affected  by  inflammation,  it  is  known  "  (we  presume  the  larynx  is 
known)  "  as  laryngitis.  This,  however^  is  so  exceedingly  rare  as  a  dis- 
tinct affection,  and  the  symptoms  and  treatment  so  closely  resemble 
bronchitis,  as  to  render  a  separate  description  unnecessary."' 

Perhaps  our  readers  may  imagine  Mr  Dobson  has  given  ample  in- 
formation under  the  head  Bronchitis.  All  he  says  about  the  symp- 
toms and  diagnosis  of  this  disease  is  as  follows : — 

"  The  symptoms  of  bronchitis  are,  quickened  respiration,  attended 
with  a  wheezing  sound — in  more  advanced  cases  increasing  to  a  grunt, 
accelerated  pulse,  and  the  general  febrile  symptoms  noticed  under 
Catarrh.  There  is  also  cough,  frequent,  and  attended  with  an  effort. 
The  discharge  from  the  nose,  at  first  limpid  and  clear,  as  the  disease 
advances  becomes  thicl^,  and  in  the  latter  stages  mixed  with  pus  or 
matter ;  but  so  prone  is  this  disease  to  run  on  to  inflammation  of  the 
lungs  and  pleuro-pneumonia,  that,  as  before  remarked,  it  is  seldom 
seen  in  its  pure  state.  As,  however,  the  treatment  of  this  affection 
and  inflammation  of  the  lungs  are  veiy  similar,  its  diagnosis,  as  a 
distinct  disease,  is  not  important." 

Such  is  the  information  furnished  by  a  man  of  fifteen  years'  ex- 
perience. There  is  not  a  word  on  that  important  disease,  croup  in 
calves ;  and  under  the  head  Hoose,  we  are  told  that  the  worms  in  the 
windpipe  receive  the  name  of  "Filariae  bronchiales,"  whereas  the 
worm  which  infests  the  calf's  respijatory  apparatus  is  "  Strongylus 
micrurus." 

We  have  marked  many  passages  of  a  similar  character  to  those 
quoted,  but  we  fear  that  our  readers'  patience  would  be  exhausted  if 
we  were  to  reproduce  them.  We  may  be  permitted  to  add,  that  if  Mr 
Dobson's  practical  experience  does  not  seem  to  have  been  great,  his 
learning  is  of  the  most  meagre  kind.  The  heaps, of  facts  which  he 
could  have  gleaned  from  the  veterinary  and  agricultural  periodicals  of 
the  last  twenty  or  thirty  years  have  been  sadly  neglected,  and  Mr 
Dobson  has  not  carried  us  a  single  step  beyond  Youatt's  days. 

In  conclusion,  we  may  say  that  we  have  no  doubt  the  Messrs  Long- 
man, as  good  publishers,  will  sell  "  Dobson  on  the  Ox,"  widely  and 
to  their  profit.  We  regret  that  its  purchasers  will  get  so  little  value 
for  their  money ;  and  as  it  is  intended  for  the  farmer  and  stock- 
keeper,  it  may  cost  its  readers  much  from-  the  crude  and  vague 
character  of  the  information  it  conveys. 


%\t  f etennarj  Jltlmfe  anir  Biathbmx&  |ottrnal 


THE  EOYAL  STUD. 


In  the  opening  number  of  the  Sporting  Times,  we  find  the  follow- 
ing critical  report  given  of  the  Hampton  Court  stud,  after  inspection, 
which  we  transcribe,  because  it  is  in  our  own  way,  and  belonging  to 
a  question  which  we  raised  long  ago.    The  editor  says — 

"  We  walked  through  the  whole  of  the  paddocks;  inspected  all  the 
mares  and  foals;  examined  the  hovels  and  boxes ;  criticised  the  mode 
of  drainage,  and  decidedly  objected  to  the  water.  The  glandular 
swellings  about  the  neck  of  the  yearlings  when  brought  to  the  ham- 
mer have  long  been  a  reproach  to  the  management  at  head-quarters. 
Considering  the  prices  realised  for  the  young  stock,  and  the  enormous 
profit  which  is  annually  made  thereby,  it  would  not  be  too  much  to 
expect,  that  if  the  spring-water  under  the  paddocks  is  so  unfit  for 
blood  stock,  that  a  supply  from  some  purer  source  ought  to  be  brought 
by  conduits  to  the  paddocks,  and  the  present  pumps  demolished 
altogether.  •  The  expense  of  bringing  water  from  the  Thames  by 
means  of  pipes^could  not  be  very  large,  and  the  outlay  would  soon  be 
repaid  by  an  improved  state  of  health  of  the  young  stock.  *  Derby- 
shire neck'  is  always  unsightly,  and  the  unsightly  appearance  is  not 
the  only  evil ;  the  cause  of  the  cervical  swelling  must  operate  on  other 
parts,  and  to  a  certain  extent  damage  the  nutritive  powers." 

Although  we  do  not  participate  in  the  editor's  antipathy  to  Black- 
lock  and  his  descendants,  admitting,  notwithstanding  such  failure  at 
the  stud  as  that  of  Charles  XII.,  (and  the  best  of  horses  having  occa- 
sionally left  such  a  blank,)  it  is  not  on  little  difierences  of  opinion 
that  we  are  going  to  dwell,  but  on  such  a  question  as  the  above, 
which  the  editor  has  re-introduced,  and  which  merits,  we  believe, 
public,  no  less  than  professional  attention. 

On  the  4th  of  June  1864,  a  letter  from  Mr  Joseph  Gamgee  ap- 
peared in  the  Sporting  Gazette,  which  was  reproduced  in  the  Veteri- 
nary Review,  in  which  the  case  of  the  filly  Saragosa,  whose  pastern 
bone  was  reported  to  have  been  fractured  when  running  for  the 


204  THE  ROYAL  STUD. 

Oaks,  was  discussed ;  and  we  here  reproduce  that  part  of  the  letter 
bearing  on  the  question,  introduced  for  the  second  time  by  the 
spirited  writer  above  quoted : — 

"  There  is  one  source  of  information  bearing  on  the  subject,  which 
lies  TOthin  the  reach  of  the  public ;  it  is  that  which  the  Hampton 
Court  paddocks  will  supply.  I  would  suggest  that,  in  the  interest  of 
science,  a  report  be  made  of  the  number  of  foals  and  yearlings 
which  have  fractured  a  leg  whilst  in  those  paddocks,  making  the  in- 
quiry extend  over  the  last  ten  or  fifteen  years.  If  1  am  not  greatly 
mistaken,  we  shall  find  a  significant  percentage  of  those  accidents  in 
all  the  stock  that  have  been  bred  there,  and  that  few  years  have 
passed  without  a  recurrence,  and  those  quite  apart  from  any  exposure 
to  violence.  We  also  find  that  the  Hampton  Court  stock  are  subject 
to  an  enlarged  state  of  the  glands  of  the  neck^  so  much  so  that  it  has 
been  named  the  Hampton  Court  deformity ;  it  generally  subsides 
after  the  stock  has  been  placed  in  good  training  stables  for  some 
months.  This  glandular  affection  seems  to  me  inseparable  from  some 
abnormal  state  of  the  constitution,  and  especially  as  connected  with 
the  condition  of  the  bones.  When  facts  have  been  made  out,  and 
the  number  of  fractures  that  happen  to  the  stock  before  they  are  put 
into  training  ascertained,  a  scientific  investigation  should  be  set  on 
foot ;  this  should,  I  suggest,  be  conducted  simultaneously  by  chemists 
specially  versed  in  two  branches  of  that  science — viz.,  by  the  agri- 
cultural chemist,  who  would  examine  the  soil,  its  produce,  and  also 
the  waters,  and  by  the  animal  and  pathological  chemist,  who  should 
examine  the  secretions,  &c.  Then  comes  the  question  of  topography 
and  space,  concerning  which  my  own  researches  are  available  for 
reference.  If  these  inquiries  were  to  lead  to  our  ascertaining  the 
causes,  the  nation  would  be  enriched  thereby,  infinitely  more  than  by 
the  amount  of  cash  which  the  Royal  treasury  would  receive  by  any 
number  of  annual  sales  of  young  stock  produced  there. 

**  Without  presuming  to  be  well  informed  as  to  the  average  perform- 
ance of  the  produce  of  the  Eoyal  paddocks,  I  can  but  think  that  we 
shall  find  the  best  of  them — mostly  two  and  three  year  old  performers 
— smart  horses,  but  few  of  them  run  on.  I  think  that  if  we  note 
all  the  stock  from  Moses's  year  to  the  present  time,  we  should  not 
discover  the  like  of  Stockwell,  Eataplan,  Fisherman,  Saunterer,  Caller 
Ou,  and  the  little  dwarf  Borealis.  And  yet  no  one  can  deny  that 
some  of  the  best  mares  in  England  have  always  been  at  the  paddocks, 
and  that  a  most  judicious  selection  from  the  best  stallions  in  the 
kingdom  has  always  been  made,  irrespective  of  those  kept  on  the 
spot  from  time  to  time.*' 

Ten  years  ago  our  attention  was  first  drawn  to  the  glandular  swell- 
ings, exhibited  in  the  necks  of  almost  all  the  yearlings  of  the  Hampton 
Court  stud.  To  our  inquiry  into  the  general  merits  of  the  horses  which 


THE  EOYAL  STTJD.  205 

had  come  from  the  Royal  stud  in  former  seasons,  and  which  had 
shown  similar  affection,  only  vague  replies  were  elicited,  such  as, 
**  they  soon  outgrow  it  when  they  get  into  training." 

Obvious  signs  served  to  advise  caution  and  delay  in  forming 
independent  judgment,  after  facts  had  been  made  out  sufficiently. 
We  attended  the  annual  sale,  and  saw  the  highest  prices  given  we 
had  ever  heard  bid  for  yearlings — proof  of  the  esteem  in  which  the 
stud  was  held  by  the  aristocracy  of  the  tur£ 

In  1856,  we  particularly  noticed  the  yearlings  belonging  to  Her 
Majesty,  and  also  to  Mr  Greville,  and  were  never  more  surprised  at 
a  sale  of  horses  than  to  see  a  dark  bay  or  brown  colt,  with  nothing 
about  him  very  attractive  to  us,  but,  on  the  contrary,  exhibiting  large 
goitre,  with  which  we  should  hardly  have  taken  him  at  any  price. 
A  high  bid  was  made,  succeeded  by  others,  and  the  price  of  the 
colt  went  up  rapidly,  not  by  10s.  but  by  50  guineas  at  a  bid,  until 
he  was  knocked  down  for  900  guineas,  or  something  over. 

With  such  a  sight  before  our  eyes,,  and  other  cases  very  much  the 
same,  it  remained  questionable  whether  those  who  bought  for  racing 
purposes,  to  add  other  heavy  sums  for  engagements,  were  right,  and 
whether  our  estimation  of  the  importance  of  the  subject  was  exag- 
gerated, or  the  reverse. 

The  colt  was  called,  after  purchase.  Greenfinch,  and  while  biding 
our  time  for  the  report  of  his  after-progress,  we  happened  to  be  in 
Tattersall's  yard  on  another  and  later  day,  when  up  came  Goldfinch, 
the  full  brother  to  Greenfinch  of  the  previous  year,  and  which  colt 
had  also  fetched  an  extraordinary  high  price,  and  had  been  heavily 
engaged.  On  the  second  appearance  at  the  hammer,  however.  Gold- 
finch fetched  35  guineas,  and  of  Greenfinch  we  never  heard  anything 
more;  therefore,  we  held  to  the  opinion  already  arrived  at,  after 
careful  consideration,  that  goitre  in  foals  is  to  be  looked  on  as  a  sign 
of  some  constitutional  anomaly,  the  true  character  of  which  has  not 
yet  been  fully  ascertained  or  investigated. 


206  THE  BREEDING  AND  MANAGEMENT  OF  PIGS. 

PEEISCOPE. 


THE  BREEDING  AND  MANAGEMENT  OP  PIGS. 

{From  the  Farmers*  Club  Journal.) 

Thi  monthly  meeting  of  the  Farmers'  Club  took  place  on  Monday  evening,  March  6, 
at  the  temporary  Club-rooms,  Robert  Street,  Adelphi,  London.  The  subject  was  "  The 
Breeding  and  Management  of  Pigs,"  introduced  by  Mr  S.  G.  Steam,  of  Brandeston, 
Wickham  Market.  On  the  table  there  was  an  excellent  model  of  Mr  Steam's  own 
piggery,  which  attracted  great  interest ;  and  plans  on  paper  were  also  distributed. 

The  Chaibman,  Mr  Robert  Leeds,  said  the  subject  for  consideration  that  eyening 
was  a  very  practical  one,  and  would  be  introduced  by  a  practical  man.  Mr  Steam 
was  as  well-known  in  connection  with  the  local  and  national  shows  for  his  breed  of 
pigs  as  Mr  Booth  had  become  for  his  Shorthorns  or  Mr  Webb  for  his  Downs.  A 
few  years  ago  the  breeder  who  had  achieved  great  success  was  anxious  to  keep  his 
system  of  breeding  secret ;  but  those  times  had  passed  by,  and  farmers  now  met  to- 
gether, like  other  people,  to  talk  over  business  matters  for  mutual  information  and 
advantage.  (Hear,  hear.)  Mr  Stearn  was  about  to  tell  them,  as  he  understood,  not 
80  much  what  he  had  done — that  they  knew  already — ^as  how  he  had  done  it,  how  he 
had  raised  these  wonderfully  precocious  pigs  to  such  a  state  of  perfection^  and  had 
made  them  pay,  not  only  in  the  show-yard,  but  also  on  the  farm. 

Mr  Stearn  said — Mr  Chairman  and  gentlemen,  in  bringing  forward  the  subject  for 
discussion  this  evening,  as  it  stands  upon  the  card,  viz.,  '*  The  Breeding  and  Manage- 
ment of  Pigs,"  I  will  explain,  as  far  as  I  can,  the  importance  of  this  much  neglected 
and  almost  despised  subject.  I  consider  it  one  of  more  importance  than  almost  any 
other  subject  to  the  public  at  large,  as  all  classes,  from  royalty  to  the  peasant,  are  in- 
terested in  it.  There  certainly  has  been  a  great  improvement  in  the  last  few  years  in 
Bwine,  owing,  I  have  no  doubt,  in  a  great  measure  to  the  agricultural  shows  having  given 
to  breeders  a  chance  of  seeing  what  a  pig  ought  to  be.  Still  there  is  not  so 
much  encouragement  given  at  the  shows  to  the  pig  class  as  there  is  to  all  other  classes. 
For  instance,  Newcastle  and  Lynn  gave  away  in  local  prizes  last  summer  several  hun- 
dred pounds  to  horses,  cattle,  and  sheep,  but  entirely  omitted  the  pigs ;  from  what 
cause  I  never  could  make  out,  unless  it  was  that  they  thought  a  pig  beneath  their  notice. 
The  pig  is  an  animal  of  great  importance  in  an  economical  point  of  view,  if  we  take 
into  consideration  with  what  extraordinary  quickness  the  supply  can  be  replenished ; 
for  the  fecundity  of  the  sow  is  astonishing,  and  the  early  maturity  of  her  progeny  is 
almost  unexampled  in  animal  creation.  The  inhabitants  of  most  countries  are  great 
consumers  of  the  flesh  of  the  pig ;  and  no  other  animal  produces  such  a  variety  of 
dishes.  I  consider  that  pork  must  be  the  most  profitable  article  to  the  butcher  as 
well  as  to  the  farmer,  the  offal  being  so  small  compared  with  either  cattle  or  sheep. 
In  fact,  there  is  scarcely  any  part  of  the  pig  but  what  can  be  used  for  food ;  and  the 
flesh,  in  the  form  of  fresh  or  pickled  pork,  hams,  bacon,  sausages,  pork-pies,  and  in- 
numerable other  dishes,  constitutes  the  principal  food  of  thousands  all  over  the  world. 
It  is  my  firm  belief  that  the  keeping  of  swine  is  fast  becoming  something  more  than 
a  mere  means  of  disposing  of  the  refuse  of  the  farm,  which  would  otherwise  be  wasted. 
Formerly  large  breeders  and  graziers  thought  the  pig  beneath  their  notice ;  but  I  find 
the  thing  is  changing ;  still  I  must  say  I  am  often  disgusted  as  well  as  surprised  to 
see  what  a  disgraceful  lot  of  pigs  are  kept  by  many  of  our  large  agriculturists  as  well 
as  by  the  small  ones,  such  as  I  am  sure  if  kept  to  any  great  extent  will  ruin  any  one,- 
for  they  eat  an  enormous  quantity  of  food,  and  will  neither  grow  nor  fatten  upon  it  ,* 
but  if  farmers  generally  would  pay  proper  attention  to  breeding,  rearing,  and  feeding, 
I  believe  there  could  be  double  the  meat  raised  at  little  more  than  the  present  cost, 
and  especially  if  they  had  suitable  piggeries,  made  use  of  propei'  feeding-troughs,  and 
selected  a  good  herdsman.  I  have  studied  the  management  of  pigs  for  the  last  thirty 
years,  and  have  found  that  the  better  the  attention  the  greater  the  profit;  and  if  a 
pereon  wishes  to  make  a  pig  pay,  the  pig  must  be  kept  well  when  young,  and  not 
allowed  to  run  twelve  months  in  almost  a  starving  condition.  The  first  thing  which 
I  introduce  must  be  the  piggeries  ;  for  any  one  commencing  the  breeding  of  pigs  must 
provide  a  place  to  keep  them  in.  I  must  say  I  scarcely  ever  see  one  that  I  consider 
fit  to  put  a  pig  into.  Some  are  badly  ventilated,  others  low  and  damp,  nine-tenths 
of  them  too  small,  some  too  cold^  others  too  much  confined,  and  having  no  means  of 


THE  BREEDING  AND  MANAGEMENT  OF  PIGS.  207 

altering  them  between  summer  tnd  winter ;  and  a  great  many  of  them  have  the  cis- 
tems  inside  them,  to  receive  the  wash,  &c^  from  the  hoose,  which  is  Tery  bad  indeed ; 
for  tiie  constant  stench  from  it  injures  the  health  of  the  animals,  and  I  am  sure  is  most 
unpleasant  to  those  who  have  to  attend  them.  But  the  worst  of  all  sties  are  those 
wiUi  wooden  floors  laid  over  a  pit  Some  1  obserFC  a  foot  deep,  which,  of  course, 
must  get  filled  up  with  unwholesome  rubbish.  I  have  said  that  I  am  surprised  at  the 
pigs  kept  bj  many  persons ;  but  if  I  think  again  I  do  not  know  that  I  ought  to  won- 
der so  very  much,  when  I  take  into  consideration  the  general  construction  of  the 
places  where  the  pigs  are  kept.  If  there  is  one  comer  on  the  premises  worse  than 
anoUier,  that  is  where  the  pig-sty  is  placed,  and  people  almost  require  marsh-boots  to 
get  to  it  There  is  no  question  but  what  it  would  be  a  great  boon  to  the  tenant 
&rmer  if  landlords  would  take  more  interest  in  providing  better  buildings  for  the 
pigs.  It  is  not  the  most  expensive  place  that  is  the  best ;  I  consider  it  decidedly 
otherwise.  But  what  is  required  is  a  simple,  economical,  well-situated,  and  well- 
planned  piggeifT.  Some  build  expensive  brick  or  stone  buildings,  which  I  have  proved 
are  not  so  healthy  as  bmldings  of  another  kind.  I  find  a  boarded  building  by  far  the 
.  best ;  if  tiled  or  slated  it  should  be  reeded  and  plastered  underneath,  so  as  to  prevent 
the  extremes  of  heat  and  cold,  having  a  ventilator  on  the  top  made  to  open  and  shut, 
half -doors  and  falls  both  back  and  front,  like  a  model  of  one  of  my  buildings  which  I 
have  with  me  this  evening,  and  which,  gentlemen,  I  will  exhibit  to  you  at  the  close  of 
my  paper.  The  farrowing  pen  ought  to  be  large,  to  allow  the  sow  plenty  of  room,  and 
likewise  to  admit  of  rails  being  placed  round  the  sides,  and  so  fixed  as  to  prevent  the 
sow  lying  on  the  young  ones.  These  rails  should  be  made  to  shift  according  to  the  size 
of  the  sow,  in  height  from  eight  to  twelve  inches,  and  extend  out  from  the  wall  about  nine 
inches,  having  the  supports  carried  up  sloping  from  the  rail  to  the  wall,  instead  of 
straight  from  the  floor,  like  an  inverted  bracket.  I  will  introduce  a  model  of  these  rails 
presently.  When  the  sow  lies  down  there  will  be  no  likelihood  of  her  crushing  the 
pigs  ags^nst  the  side,  as  there  is  plenty  of  space  left  for  them  to  pass  between  her  and 
the  w^ ;  for  that  is  generally  where  the  mischief  is  done,  as  sows  invariably  like  to 
lean  against  something  when  they  lie  down,  especially  when  they  are  kept  bare  of 
litter,  aa  I  like  to  have  them.  Since  using  these  farrowing  rails,  I  have  had  hundreds 
of  pigs  without  losing  one  from  being  crushed ;  whilst  if  we  take  an  average  of  the 
country,  nearly  half  the  pigs  are  lost  from  that  cause.  I  have  heard  a  great  many  people 
lately  complain  of  losing  many  pigs  from  the  mother  lying  on  them ;  but  if  they  wiU  fol- 
low my  plan  they  will  find  it  a  great  protection.  £xu:h  pen  ought  to  be  at  least  from  eight 
to  twelve  feet  square,  and  the  best  floor  I  find  is  asphalt.  No  damp  or  scent  can  rise 
from  that.  I  have  tried  boards,  bricks,  and  almost  everything  in  the  way  of  floors. 
Many  people  will  contend  that  boards  must  be  best ;  but,  gentlemen,  I  think  I  can 
convince  you  to  the  contrary.  If  you  will  consider  for  only  one  minute,  you  will  see 
that  they  cannot  be  healthy ;  for  if  the  boards  are  placed  close,  you  will  find  the  mois- 
ture stands,  and  the  floor  becomes  quite  saturated,  and  if  a  space  is  left  the  refuse 
litter*  will  go  between,  so  that  it  will  become  one  mass  of  putrid  matter  underneath, 
quite  level  with  the  floor,  whatever  the  depth  may  be ;  and  this  is  likely  to  bring  on 
all  kinds  of  disease.  In  the  cold  weather  I  think  the  asphalt  too  cold  for  very  young 
pigs,  therefore  I  have  false  lattice  floors  to  lay  down  on  the  asphalt,  which  are  Uiken  up 
once  a  we^,  and  everything  is  swept  from  underneath.  Every  morning  I  have  the  beds 
attended  to  and  fresh  littered,  for  I  find  the  cleaner  a  place  is  kept  the  better  the  pigs 
thrive.  The  floors  are  washed  down  generally  once  a  week ;  everything  runs  ofij  and  the 
asphalt  soon  dries.  There  is  another  great  advantage,  namely,  that  it  certainly  does  not 
take  more  than  two-thirds  of  the  straw  which  is  required  for  any  other  floor ;  for  the 
moisture  appears  to  run  under  the  litter  without  wetting  it  so  much,  as  the  asphalt  is 
laid  a  little  on  the  slope.  What  litter  is  taken  from  the  pens  inside  serves  for  the 
pounds  outside,  which  ought  to  be  paved  in  some  way  to  prevent  the  pigs  from  root- 
ing. A  tank  should  be  made  just  outside  to  receive  the  drainage  from  the  pounds; 
the  building  to  be  troughed  to  take  off  the  rain-water,  so  as  to  prevent  the  manure 
being  washed.  By  following  this  plan,  the  manure  is  made  very  regularly  and  good. 
I  find  this  piggery  most  comfortable  and  convenient  in  the  summer  for  getting  pigs 
up  for  the  shows.  For  on  the  hottest  day  it  is  always  made  cool  and  sweet  inside  by 
closing  the  top  doors,  opening  the  lower,  and  partly  shutting  down  the  falls  on  the 
south  side,  whilst  on  the  north  side  everything  is  set  open.  Lattice  slips  are  put  to 
all  tiie  lower  doors,  to  prevent  the  pigs  getting  out  At  the  time  when  the  pigs  were 
perfectly  cool  in  this  model  piggery,  the  herdsman  was  obliged  to  go  round  several 
times  in  the  day  to  all  the  other  places  with  a  watering-pot,  to  pour  water  over  the 
pigs  to  keep  them  alive.    Now,  gentlemen,  I  think  I  have  said  enough  about  the  con- 


208  THE  BREEDING  AND  MANAGEMENT  OF  PIGS. 

gtraction  of  piggeries.  In  selecting  pigs  for  breeding  great  attention  should  be  given 
to  choosing  a  good  breed,  sach  as  will  come  to  early  maturity ;  for  that  is  where  I 
find  the  profit  is  gained,  and  the  better  the  quality  of  the  breed  the  less  food  is  re- 
quired to  bring  them  to  that  maturity.  The  contrast  between  the  coarse  and  the  many 
beautiful  specimens  of  our  improved  breeds  is  very  manifest,  and  affords  good  proof 
of  what  may  be  achieved  by  the  skill  and  care  of  the  breeder.  To  give  an  extended 
outline  or  description  of  the  original  species,  or  of  the  various  breeds  and  innumerable 
crosses  and  varieties  of  pigs,  would  occupy  too  much  time — ^therefore,  I  shall  just  de- 
scribe our  Suffolk  pigs.  From  the  many  prizes  awarded  to  them  from  the  various 
agricultural  shows  all  over  the  kingdom,  and  my  own  experience,  I  consider  no  other 
breeds  so  well  adapted  to  most  localities  as  the  improved  white  and  black  Suffolks. 
The  improvement  took  place  not  before  it  was  needed,  for  a  worse  animal  could  not 
be  found  than  the  old  Suffolk  pig,  with  its  long  thin  snout,  large  lapears,  arched  back, 
long  legs,  thin  body,  coarse  bristly  hair,  thick,  long,  straight  tail ;  in  fact,  with  every- 
thing to  make  it  a  disgusting-looking  brute.  When  I  read  a  paper  on  swine  a  few 
years  since,  as  many  persons  no  doubt  will  remember,  I  said  I  did  not  like  black 
pigs  so  well  as  white ;  but  by  judicious  crossing  they  have  become  so  nearly  equal  to 
the  white  that  I  now  have  scarcely  a  preference.  They  are  similar  in  form  and  sym- 
metry, and  will  either  of  them  come  to  early  maturity,  and  fatten  to  a  great  weight 
with  a  small  quantity  of  food  in  proportion  to  that  weight.  In  choosing  the  boar  and 
the  sow  of  the  Suffolk  breed,  the  chief  points  are :  a  rather  small  head,  with  wide 
heavy  chaps ;  short  snout ;  broad  deep  chest ;  ears  rather  small  and  thin,  with  the 
ends  sharp  and  pendulous,  pointing  a  little  forward ;  roundness  of  rib ;  shortness  of 
the  legs ;  small  feet ;  long  body ;  the  thigh  well  dropp^  close  to  the  hock ;  shoulders 
and  hams  thick ;  the  neck  rising  well  behind  the  ears ;  small  bones  in  proportion  to 
the  flesh ;  broad  and  straight  or  slightly  rising  back ;  tail  smdll  and  curled,  and  placed 
high ;  hair  thin,  long,  fine  and  silky.  Strict  attention  to  these  points  in  selection  can- 
not fail  of  perpetuating  good  stock.  As  much  or  more  attention  ought  to  be  given  to  the 
boar  as  to  the  sow;  for  I  find  the  progeny  generally  resembles  the  boar  more  than  the  sow. 
I  prefer  the  sows  for  breeding  to  be  rather  larger  than  the  boar,  and  good-sized  animals, 
since  they  are  more  likely  to  have  a  larger  number  of  pigs.  And  great  care  should 
be  taken  not  to  save  one  with  less  than  ten  or  twelve  paps.  I  consider  twelve  good 
even  pigs  to  be  sufficient  in  a  general  way  for  a  sow  to  bring  up.  I  do  not  recom- 
mend breeding  very  young.  Generally  speaking,  there  is  not  sufficient  care  taken  on 
this  point.  Breeding  too  young  is  a  means  of  preventing  the  sows  growing  to  the 
proper  size,  or  acquiring  sufficient  strength.  The  proper  time  for  the  sow  to  begin 
ta  breed  is  from  ten  to  twelve  months  old,  the  boar  being  from  eight  to  twelve  months 
old.  I  think  it  well  to  cross  as  far  distant  as  possible  occasionally,  so  as  to  strengthen 
the  constitution.  Some  think  this  of  no  consequence,  and  breed  in-and-in  many 
years  following.  Some  time  back  I  purchased  a  sow  from  a  gentleman  who  had 
made  a  practice  of  this  for  more  than  twenty  years.  Th^  first  farrow  she  produced 
with  me  came  out  full  of  ulcers ;  the  legs  of  most  of  them  were  crooked  with  large 
spavins ;  in  fact,  they  could  scarcely  be  called  pigs  at  all,  and  I  was  obliged  to  have 
them  all  killed  when  they  were  a  few  weeks  old.  But  when  wishing  to  make  a  cross, 
my  plan  is  to  buy  a  sow  of  different  blood,  and  then  fall  back  again  to  my  original  stock ; 
by  which  means  I  retain  the  same  character,  without  injuring  the  breed.  I  find  that 
by  this  method  I  can  breed  them  almost  exactly  as  I  desire.  So  far  as  my  experience 
goes,  the  time  of  gestation  averages  about  113  days,  or  sixteen  weeks  and  one  day.  But 
old  sows  go  rather  longer  than  young  ones.  When  a  sow  is  in  pig  she  should  have 
full  liberty  to  roam  about  and  feed  on  grass  in  the  summer,  whilst  in  tiie  winter  she 
should  have  roots  of  various  kinds  and  about  a  pint  of  beans  per  day.  A  short  time 
before  farrowing  she  ought  to  be  put  into  a  convenient  pen  or  sty,  and  fed  on  simple 
food.  As  the  time  approaches  she  should  be  carefully  watched,  and  allowed  only  a 
sm^l  quantity  of  dry  short  straw ;  otherwise,  on  farrowing,  if  the  straw  is  too  long, 
the  pigs  are  very  likely  to  be  smothered.  The  proper  plan  is,  at  the  time  of  farrow- 
ing, to  have  a  man  with  the  sow  to  attend  to  her ;  for  I  think  it  is  not  wise  to  lose 
half,  or  perhaps  the  whole,  of  the  pigs  for  the  want  of  a.  little  attention  at  the  most 
particular  time,  especially  after  having  had  the  expense  of  keeping  the  sow  so  long 
previously.  At  the  time  of  farrowing  fallow  a  very  small  quantity  of  litter  cut  short, 
and  have  a  hamper  placed  in  the  pen,  with  a  little  straw  at  the  bottom,  and  Uned 
with  an  old  blanket.  I  put  a  slip  or  partition  about  two  and  a  half  feet  high  across 
the  pen,  to  prevent  the  sow  from  getting  to  the  hamper.    As  the  pigs  come  forth,  I 

rut  them  into  it,  and  cover  them  up,  until  the  sow  has  done  farrowing,  after  which 
put  them  to  her  and  let  them  suck.    When  finished  I  put  them  back  into  the 


THE  BBKEDINQ  AND  MANAGEMENT  OF  PIGS.  209 

hamper,  giye  the  sow  a  little  warm  milk  and  bran,  and  whilst  she  is  eating  this  have 
the  bed  attended  to,  by  removing  all  the  wet  straw,  &c  I  add  a  little  fresh  straw 
cat  shorty  and  then,  when  the  sow  lies  down,  let  the  pigs  go  to  her  again.    I  always 

five  the  herdsman  mzpence  per  head  for  all  the  pigs  he  can  bring  up  to  a  month  old. 
find  thiB  much  the  cheapest  plan,  for  then  there  is  no  fear  but  that  he  will  see  to 
them  property,  and  attend  to  them  in  the  first  instance  as  well  in  the  night  as  the  day. 
How  often  do  we  hear  people  complain  of  the  sow  eating  her  own  young  ?  Therefore 
itepa  ought  to  be  taken  to  prevent  her  from  doing  so ;  for,  when  once  a  sow  does  that, 
she  is  of  very  little  nse  for  breeding  purposes.  If  you  will  allow  mc,  I  will  explain  what 
I  have  f  onnd  to  be  the  caose.  In  some  litters  the  side-teeth  are  much  longer  and  sharper 
than  in  others ;  when  this  is  the  case,  and  the  pigs  begin  to  suck,  they  bite  and  scratch 
the  papBy  ponishing  and  irritating  the  sow  to  such  a  degree,  that  it  brings  on  inflam- 
mation, and  the  sow  becomes  mad  with  rage.  She  throws  some  one  way  and  some 
anoUier;  at  last  she  bites  tiiem,  and,  if  she  once  draws  blood,  she  will  begin  to  eat 
them.  NTow,  my  plan  for  preventing  this  is  as  follows : — When  the  pigs  are  a  few 
hours  old  I  have  them  taken  away  in  the  hamper,  so  that  the  sow  cannot  hear  them, 
and  nip  those  teeth  off  with  a  pair  of  pincers.  As  soon  as  this  is  done,  and  the  pigs 
put  back,  the  sow  is  as  kind  to  them  as  possible,  and  perfectly  docile.  Since  having 
my  model  piggeiy,  I  prefer  breeding  in  the  winter,  rather  than  in  the  summer;  for 
the  proper  temperature  of  the  building  can  be  kept  up  quite  sufficiently  in  the  coldest 
wea&er,  and  after  the  pigs  have  been  taken  proper  care  of  the  first  day  or  night,  the 
cold  does  not  appear  to  affect  them  so  much  as  the  heat.  If  pigs  are  farrowed  in 
January  and  February,  and  kept  with  the  sow  eight  or  nine  weeks  before  being  weaned, 
they  will  grow  and  thrive  in  the  spring  and  summer,  so  that  they  are  fit  for  either 
breeding,  feeding,  bullock  yards,  or  any  thing  you  may  require  them  for  in  the  au- 
tumn, and  thus  you  can  have  another  litter  of  pigs  in  August  instead  of  October. 
When  farrowed  too  late  in  the  autumn,  young  pigs  will  not  thrive  through  the  severe 
weather  in  winter;  and  especially  if  the  usual  plan  is  resorted  to,  of  turning  them  into 
open  sheds  or  cold  piggeries,  you  see  them  worth  very  little  more  for  their  two  or 
three  months*  keep ;  but  by  pursuing  the  plan  I  have  recommended,  you  clear  the 
worst  time  by  having  the  pigs  kept  with  the  sow.  The  general  opinion  is,  not  to 
breed,  so  that  the  pigs  come  at  the  time  of  year  I  have  stated,  viz.,  January  and  Feb- 
ruary, because  people  care  to  give  so  little  attention  to  the  sow  at  the  time  of  farrow- 
ing. She  is  put  into  a  cold  damp  sty,  with  scarcely  room  to  turn  round  in,  and  a 
great  deal  of  straw.  When  she  begins  to  make  her  bed,  strict  orders  are  given  to  the 
man  or  boy  not  to  go  near  her  for  several  hours,  for  fear  of  disturbing  her ;  but  when 
he  does  go  to  the  place,  he  finds  that  some  of  the  pigs  have  crept  away  from  the 
mother,  and  perished  with  the  cold,  and  some  are  crushed  against  the  wall  for  want 
of  rails  to  protect  them.  Some  sows,  especially  young  ones,  will  not  allow  their  pigs 
to  ai^roach  them ;  others  will  eat  the  pigs  in  consequence  of  their  paps  being  so  bit- 
ten and  punished  by  the  teeth.  Through  all  this  mismanagement  many  gentlemen 
have  declined  breeding  pigs  altogether.  I  find  eight  weeks  old  is  a  good  time  for 
weaning  pigs  in  the  summer,  and  nine  weeks  in  the  winter.  And  I  like  to  have  those 
which  are  not  saved  for  stoc^  operated  upon  a  short  time  previously.  The  boars  I 
keep  for  stock  are  confined  in  a  shed  with  a  roomy  yard,  under  lock  and  key ;  for  if 
they  are  allowed  to  roam,  we  are  likely  to  get  wrong  in  the  breed.  I  allow  them 
plenty  of  water,  and  about  a  pint  and  a-half  of  beans  each  per  day,  and  any  other  food 
which  is  most  convenient, 'such  as  vetches  or  mangel-wurzel:  I  always  keep  some 
of  the  latter  all  the  year  on  purpose.  I  will  now  explain  my  method  of  feeding. 
Many  people  think  I  have  said  too  much  already  upon  that  subject  for  my  own  inte- 
rest; but  never  mind,  I  have  no  secfet.  When  the  pigs  are  about  three  days  old,  and 
whitet  the  sow  is  feeding,  I  give  them  some  new  milk,  warm  from  the  cow,  sweetened 
with  a  little  sugar,  just  to  induce  them  to  eat.  The  milk  is  put  into  a  flat  wooden 
trough,  with  the  sides  about  three-quarters  of  an  inch  high,  placed  in  the  bed  where 
the  pigs  lie.  After  running  into  it  once  or  twice,  they  will  drink  it,  and  are  no  more 
trouble.  In  three  or  four  days  I  mix  half  skim  milk  with  the  new,  and  likewise 
some  oatmeal  and  a  little  fine  sharps ;  by  degrees  I  omit  the  new  milk  and  sugar,  and 
in  their  stead  add  some  whole  Indian  corn  or  barley.  The  sow,  as  I  have  steted  be- 
fore, after  farrowing,  should  be  fed  for  a  few  days  on  mild  food,  such  as  bran  mixed 
with  warm  milk.  After  two  or  three  days  add  a  little  barley  or  bean  meal,  and  in- 
crease tiie  quantity  of  these  as  the  pigs  keep  growing.  For  a  few  weeks  after  the  pigs 
are  taken  off  the  sow,  they  cannot  be  fed  too  well  or  too  frequently;  but  care  must 
be  taken  not  to  give  them  too  much  food  at  a  time,  and  to  make  them  clear  their 
troughs  ont^  for  they  will  eat  the  food  much  better  when  it  is  fredi.    I  give  them  a 


210  THE  BBEEDING  AKD  MANAGEMEI^T  OF  PIGS. 

yariety  of  meal,  such  as  wheat,  maize,  barley,  oat,  and  whatever  is  most  convenient 
to  mix  together.  I  have  it  all  wetted  with  cold  water,  and  then  scald  it  with  boiling 
water,  and  sprinkle  it  with  salt.  The  cooking  house  is  fitted  up  with  a  copper  and 
cisterns,  and  the  food  is  mixed  one  under  the  other.  What  is  mixed  one  day  is  used 
the  next,  thus  giving  sufficient  time  to  allow  the  food  slightly  to  ferment,  and  cool 
sufficiently  to  feed  with.  This  is  my  winter  plan,  but  in  the  summer  I  mix  all  with 
cold  water,  and  feed  with  cold  food.  Between  meals  I  give  them  whole  maize,  and 
mangel-wurzel  or  swedes  cut  small,  a  little  coal  and  soil  occasionally,  and  allow 
them  plenty  of  clean  water.  When  pigs  are  put  up  fatting,  I  find  nothing  better  to 
feed  them  with  than  barley  and  maize  meal,  mixed  together  into  slops,  water  always 
kept  by  them,  and  a  little  mangel  cut  for  them  occasionally.  It  is  very  beneficial 
to  wash  and  brush  them  as  often  as  convenient.  This  is  quickly  done  by  experienced 
hands,  and  will  amply  repay  for  the  trouble.  If  you  will  try  the  experiment  between 
this  and  the  common  mode  of  treatment,  you  will  be  surprised  at  the  difference.  I  am 
certain  that  the  cottagers  would  find  their  pigs  fatten  a  great  deal  faster  if  they  would 
wash  and  brush  them,  and  feed  them  with  warm  food,  instead  of  with  food  all  ice, 
and  that  they  would  be  well  paid  for  any  little  extra  trouble  it  might  cause  them. 
Store  pigs  ought  to  have  their  liberty,  as  far  as  convenient,  to  range  in  large^ards  in 
winter^  and  to  have  the  run  of  a  piece  of  pasture  in  the  summer.  They  should  also 
be  fed  two  or  three  times  a  day.  Good-bred  and  well-fed  store  pigs  will  always  con- 
sume the  refuse  from  the  farm  and  dairy,  which  a  bad-bred  one  would  refuse.  I  have 
never  known  mine  refuse  anything  in  the  way  of  pig-food  yet  that  was  offered  them, 
not  even  the  prize  animals.  I  have  received  letters  from  a  great  many  gentlemen  at 
different  times,  requesting  me,  if  I  could,  to  inform  them  how  to  prevent  little  pigs' 
tails  falling  off.  Now  this  is  a  thing  I  have  given  my  attention  to  for  a  long  time, 
but  I  am  sorry  to  say  up  to  the  present  I  have  not  been  able  to  solve  the  mystery.  I 
have  a^ed  the  opinion  of  a  great  many  old  pig-breeders,  but  no  two  thought  alike. 
One  would  have  it  that  it  is  only  the  winter  pigs  which  lose  their  tails ;  another  says 
that  it  comes  from  the  easterly  winds ;  another,  from  breeding  too  close ;  another, 
from  feeding.  I  have  bred  thousands  of  pigs,  and  tried  a  great  many  experiments. 
Once  or  twice  I  thought  I  had  found  out  the  riddle.  But  no ;  what  seemed  to  do 
good  at  one  time  took  not  the  least  effect  the  next  I  find  that  quite  as  many  pigs 
lose  their  tails  in  the  spring  and  summer  as  in  the  winter.  I  have  bred  as  closely  as 
anything  could  be  bred,  just  for  a  trial,  and  not  one  tail  has  come  off.  Then,  again, 
I_have  bred  as  far  distant  as  possible,  and  perhaps  nearly  half  the  pigs  have  lost  their 
tails.  Sometime  last  summer  I  had  two  sows,  sisters  of  one  litter,  put  into  a  place 
with  only  a  low  partition  to  divide  them.  They  farrowed  within  an  hour  of  one  an- 
other. '  Several  pigs  of  one  sow  lost  their  tails,  whilst  those  of  the  other  lost  none. 
Both  litters  were  bred  precisely  the  same.  In  the  coldest  week  last  January  five  of 
my  sows  farrowed ;  they  averaged  ten  pigs  each,  and  not  one  of  them  lost  a  tail.  I 
have  quite  made  up  my  mind  it  is  neither  breeding,  feeding,  hot  weather,  cold  wea- 
ther, nor  easterly  wind  which  is  the  cause,  nor  does  it  signify  whether  the  pigs  are 
black  or  white ;  therefore  I  must  leave  it  to  some  one  with  a  wiser  head  than  I  have 
to  solve  this  mysterious  affair.  I  will  now  introduce  feeding-troughs.  This  is  a  subject 
which  I  consider  has  been  but  little  studied,  if  we  may  judge  from  the  badly-constructed 
troughs  we  see  in  use.  Not  being  able  to  buy,  or  even  see,  a  trough  my  short-legged 
heavy-&ced  pigs  could  eat  out  of  at  all  comfortably,  I  turned  my  attention  to  them,  and 
designed  some,  which  have  been  manufactured  by  Messrs  Bansomes  and  Sims, 
Ipswich.  They  are  of  simple  construction,  easily  adjusted  so  as  to  suit  pigs  of  various 
sizes,  and  will  prevent  waste  and  soiling  of  food ;  are  a  good  width  from  back  to 
front,  and  have  no  sharp  edge  left  in  the  front,  so  that  a  pig  with  the  heaviest  chap 
can  feed  with  the  greatest  ease  and  comfort,  as  well  as  those  animals  that  can  eat  out 
of  a  quart  mug.  In  fact,  they  are  most  economical  in  every  respect.  I  have  brought 
models  with  me ;  but  as  the  troughs  have  been  out  some  little  time,  I  think  most 
likely  many  now  present  have  seen  them  in  use.  I  will  offer  nothing  further,  except 
my  best  thanks,  gentlemen,  for  your  kind  attention.  My  statements  are  plain,  and 
I  hope  intelligible.  If  they  appear  too  plain  for  my  present  audience,  they  I  trust 
will  be  good  enough  to  accept  an  apology  on  the  ground  of  my  anxiety  that  every 
person,  however  unlettered,  may  be  able  to  understand  and  apply  them. 

Mr  FiSHEB  HoBBS  (Boxted  Lodge,  Colchester)  said,  as  an  old  pig-breeder,  they 
perhaps  expected  him  to  make  a  few  remarks.  He  had  not,  indeed,  come  prepared 
to  make  any,  and  should  therefore  merely  refer  to  the  points  to  which  his  friend  Mr 
Stearn  had  alluded.  In  the  first  place,  he  would  observe  that  Mr  Stearn  made  a  slight 
allasion  to  persons  who  having  been  exhibitors  of  pigs  many  years  ago,  did  not  come 


THE  BBEEDINO  AKD  MANAGEMENT  OF  PIGS.  21 1 

before  the  public  in  that  capacity  now.  PerhapB  he  intcndc<l  to  refer  to  him  (Sir 
Fisher  Hobbs)  as  having  been  an  old  pig-breeder,  and  as  not  being  so  successful  as 
he  was  years  back;  those  who  knew  his  breed  of  pigs,  and  who  had  seen  them  of  late 
years,  would,  he  thought,  admit  that  they  were  better  now  than  they  ever  were  before. 
His  reason  for  withdrawing  from  exhibitions  was  well  known  to  many.  Thft  reason 
was,  that  he  had  taken  an  active  part  in  the  Itoyal  Agricultural  Society  as  steward 
and  as  judge,  and  especially  in  the  former  capacity ;  and  it  was  hinted  to  him  by 
some  person  that  he  had  better  give  up  that  position  or  the  position  of  an  exhibitor. 
Of  course,  after  a  number  of  years  every  one  got  tired  of  exhibiting;  but  he  still  kept 
his  breed  of  pigs,  which  was  originally  descended  from  three  families.  For  upwards 
of  five^md-twenty  years  he  had  never  gone  away  from  his  own  breed,  either  for  a  boar 
or  a  sow,  and  he  contended  that  by  judicious  selection  of  both  the  male  animal  and 
the  female  the  breed  might  be  perpetuated  in  that  way.  Of  course,  this  system  re- 
quired a  considerable  number  of  animals,  and  a  very  choice  selection  of  the  male  for 
the  female.  He  concurred  in  most  of  the  remarks  that  had  fallen  from  Mr  Steam, 
but  wbuld  have  liked  to  see  the  paper  turn  more  on  the  breeding  of  pigs.  He  was 
very  glad  that  Mr  Steam  had  come  to  what  he  considered  a  right  conclusion  on  that 
subject,  namely,  that  they  should  select  their  pigs  according  to  the  climate  and  the 
management  to  which  they  would  be  subjected.  He  knew  that  a  few  years  ago  his 
friend  set  forth  to  the  world  that  all  breeders  of  black  pigs  were  in  the  wrong,  and 
that  there  would  soon  be  no  pigs  but  white  ones.  Now,  he  (Mr  Fisher  Hobbs)  con- 
tended that  in  a  hot  climate  like  the  eastern  counties  of  England,  where  pigs  were 
daring  the  summer  months  turned  out  to  grass  and  clover,  black  skins  were  favour- 
able to  animals,  as  they  did  not  attract  the  heat  so  much  as  white  skins.  Not  long 
ago  the  black  pig  would  have  been  hunted  down  in  Suffolk,  quite  as  much  as  a  wolf 
would  be  at  the  present  time ;  but  he  was  glad  to  find  that  in  that  county  black  pigs 
were  now  iJmost  as  common  as  white  ones.  He  would  appeal  to  Mr  Steam  whether 
that  were  not  the  case. 
Mr  Stbabn. — No. 

MrFiSHEB  Hobbs.— Well  at  all  events,  he  had  made  a  very  considerable  advance  in  the 
bust  twenty  years — (hear,  hear) — and  hence  he  thought  agriculturists  must  have  become 
aware  that  animals  should  be  selected  in  accordance  with  such  requirements  as  he  had 
referred  to.  In  the  South  of  England  also  black  pigs  were  almost  universally  selected, 
especially  in  Kent  and  Sussex,  and  they  extended  as  far  as  Devonshire  andCornwall. 
Mr  Steam  had  laid  down  certain  rules  in  regard  to  the  selection  of  animals,  and  they 
were  rales  which  must  commend  themselves  to  all  breeders.  As  regards  the  com- 
plaint that  the  Royal  Agricultural  Society  did  not  offer  any  special  prizes  for  pigs,  he 
would  observe  that  when  that  question  had  come  before  the  Council  he  had  abstained 
from  iaking  part  in  the  discussion,  because  he  knew  that  the  feeling  of  exhibitors 
was  so  strong  that  they  might  have  supposed  he  was  influenced  by  his  own  position ; 
but  now  that  Mr  Steam  had  introduced  the  subject,  he  must  say  that  he  thought  that 
in  most  societies  the  pig  had  not  hitherto  occupied  its  fair  position.  As  to  early 
maturity^  small  oflfal,  and  so  on— those  were  points  on  which  they  were  all  agreed. 
He  did  not  agree  with  Mr  Steam  that  asphalt  made  the  best  floor  for  the  pig  or  for 
any  animal.  It  was  exceedingly  cold,  and  was  so  slippery  that  although  plenty  of 
litter  might  be  placed  upon  it,  it  was  very  apt  to  slide  away,  and  many  injuries  had 
taken  place  in  consequence.  Many  years  ago  he  was  very  partial  to  asphalt  floors, 
both  for  pigs  and  for  cattle ;  but  he  had  broken  them  all  up.  He  believed  that  good 
hard  concrete,  made  with  one  bushel  of  lime  and  six  bushels  of  gravel,  a  few  hard 
cinders,  well  pulverized,  and  perhaps  a  little  chalk,  would  form  the  best  kind  of  floor, 
and  it  was  very  inexpensive.  He  had  had  floors  paved  with  hard  white  bricks,  and 
in  various  other  ways ;  but  he  had  found  that  concrete,  when  kept  sufficiently  clean, 
made  as  hard  and  good  a  floor  as  they  could  have.  Certainly,  when  not  well  made 
such  a  floor  was  apt  to  get  loose,  and  water  softened  it ;  but  when  thoroughly  made, 
it  was  as  hard  as  a  board,  and  no  boar  could  put  his  nose  into  it— an  evil  which  it 
was  sometimes  very  difficult  to  obviate.  With  regard  to  the  buildings  recommended 
by  Mr  Steam,  he  (Mr  Fisher  Hobbs)  considered  them  simple  and  economical,  and 
when  a  man  had  to  build  a  new  piggery  on  a  small  scale,  he  could  not  perhaps  lay 
out  his  money  better  than  by  erecting  it  in  that  form.  There  were,  however,  two 
points  which  it  was  very  material  to  bear  in  mind  :  one  was,  that  a  piggery  should 
never  face  the  north  ;  the  other  was,  that  they  should  never  use  red  bricks  in  build- 
ing it,  as  bricks  of  that  kind  absorbed  moisture  and  interfered  with  the  health  of  pigs. 
One  great  feature  in  the  intemal  arrangements  of  Mr  Steam's  piggery  was  the  wooden 
rail,  which  prevented  the  sow  from  iiyuring  her  young.     If  there  were  nothing  else 


212  THE  BBEEDING  AND  MANAGEMENT  OF  PIGS. 

that  entitled  him  to  them,  Mr  Steam  would  deserve  the  thanks  of  pig  breeders  for 
exhibiting  that  excellent  arrangement.  As  regarded  parturition,  there  was  one  point 
mentioned  by  Mr  Steam,  which  had  certainly  not  been  sufficiently  attended  to :  he 
meant  the  proper  amount  of  litter.  He  said  that,  in  littering,  brewers  were  very  apt 
to  give  file  animals  too  much  straw,  and  that  a  good  number  of  pigs  were  lost  from 
that  cause,  a  statement  that  he  (Mr  Fisher  Hobbs)  could  fully  confirm.  With  respect 
to  the  evil  of  sows  eating  a  portion  of  their  young,  he  must  say  that  when  a  sow  had 
become  carnivorous,  perhaps  from  having  been  in  a  butcher's  yard,  or  eating  portions 
of  dead  game  or  poultry  thrown  into  the  pig-yard,  he  did  not  see  how  the  tlung  was 
to  be  stopped.  But  the  evil  was  too  frequently  brought  on  through  the  sows  being 
in  a  feverish  state,  partly  in  consequence  of  irritation  caused  by  the  young  pigs.  He 
believed  it  was  generally  brought  on  by  the  milk's  being  inflamed,  in  consequence  of  the 
BOWS  having  eaten  such  fattening  food  as  barley-meal  beforehand,  instead  of  milk-produc- 
ing food.  He  considered  that  that  frequently  conduced  to  make  the  animal  camivorous 
as  much  as  the  irritation  from  the  teeth  of  the  young  pigs.  With  regard  to  these 
black  pigs  being  called  Improved  Suflfolks,  he  could  never  understand  why  the  Suf- 
folk breeders  claimed  any  priority  in  that  respect.  He  had  himself  sent  pigs  into 
Devonshire,  Oxfordshire,  and  other  counties.  He  recollected  sending^  a  few  years 
ago,  a  boar  and  a  sow  into  Oxfordshire.  In  the  first  year  the  produce  came  out  as  a 
half -breed — improved  Essex  and  Oxford ;  in  the  next  year  as  an  improved  Oxford — 
(laughter) — and  so  the  change  went  on.  Although  they  were  the  same  animals  in  form 
and  character,  they  lost  the  appellation  of  Improved  Essex,  and  jumped  into  a  new 
one.  When  he  first  bred  pigs,  he  selected  three  animals  which  originally  descended 
from  Lord  Western's.  He  had  the  Neapolitans,  and  with  them  he  crossed  the  Old 
Eraex,  which  was  formerly  a  black-and-white  pig,  very  little  better  than  the  unim- 
proved breed  which  Mr  Steam  exhibited  now ;  but  in  course  of  time  he  got  it  all 
right.  Having  the  privilege  of  sending  his  sows  to  Lord  Western's  boar,  he  used  to 
send  animals  similar  in  colour  to  his  lordship's  own,  but  larger ;  and  Lord  Western 
used  to  exclaim,  "  Why,  whatever  did  Mr  Hobbs  send  that  brute  here  for  ! "  His 
object  was  to  get  a  male  animal  which  was  erect  in  form,  and  at  the  same  time  a  good 
female  with  plenty  of  room  for  young.  From  those  three  families  he  contrived  to 
form  one  breed ;  and  for  five-and-twenty  years  he  had  never  used  either  a  male  or  a 
female  belonging  to  any  one  else.  He  did  not  mean  to  say  that,  if  he  did  not  sell 
one  particular  breed  of  animals,  he  would  be  right  in  keeping  solely  to  that  stock  ; 
but  there  were  many  persons,  both  at  home  and  abroad,  who  looked  to  him  for  a  good 
boar.  His  friend  Mr  Steam  had  got  hold  of  the  Improved  Essex,  and  called  it  an 
Improved  Suffolk.  Perhaps  they  wQuld  some  day  have  a  little  race  together — (hear, 
hear) — and  then  it  would  be  seen  which  breed  was  the  best.  At  all  events,  he  thought 
a  long  race  of  pure  blood  must  be  very  beneficial,  crossed  with  other  breeds ;  and  his 
main  reason  for  pursuing  the  course  he  had  done  was  that  he  knew  other  persons 
liked  to  have  a  thorough-bred  male  animal.  Mr  Steam  threw  out  a  sort  of  challenge 
about  pigs'  tails.  He  had  his  own  opinion  on  that  subject,  and  he  held  that,  on  two 
out  of  the  three  points  which  he  mentioned,  Mr  Steam  was  correct  In  the  first 
place,  he  agreed  with  his  friend  that  by  high  breeding  pigs  would  lose  their  tails,  if 
they  were  not  properly  attended  to— that  was  to  say,  pigs  were  very  subject  to  the  in- 
fluence of  weather,  and  many  of  them  were  lost  through  not  being  kept  sufficiently 
warm.  When  pigs  were  high  bred,  coarse  wheat-straw  was  often  veiy  prejudicial  If 
straw  was  of  very  flinty  character,  it  irritated  the  skin ;  and  the  tail  was,  in  conse- 
quence, more  likely  to  break  off.  Some  yeiars  ago  the  late  Lord  Westem  had  a  par* 
ticularly  good  boar  which  had  lost  its  tail  He  asked  his  lordship  why  he  was  breed- 
ing from  a  pig  without  a  tail.  He  only  laughed  at  the  question ;  but  in  three  years 
he  had  scarcely  a  pig  throughout  his  herd  with  a  tail,  and  that  showed  what  was 
likely  to  follow  where  there  was  breeding  in-and-in,  by  injudicious  selection.  But  the 
question  was,  why  pigs  lost  their  tails  ?  He  believed  it  was  partly  in  consequence  of 
the  parts  being  so  small  that  the  blood  could  not  freely  circulate  in  cold  weather. 
He  recollected  having  formerly  lost  far  more  pigs'  tails  in  winter  than  in  summer, 
but  he  had  latterly  avoided  that  source  of  loss  to  a  considerable  extent.  But  he  thought 
this  evil  was  attributable,  in  a  great  measure,  to  breeding  in-and-in  too  much,  with- 
out a  proper  selection  of  the  male  animal.  As  regarded  the  troughs  which  Mr  Steam 
recommended,  he  begged  to  say  that  he  had  used  them  himself  for  the  last  three  years, 
and  he  considered  them  invaluable  as  regarded  economy  of  food,  and  in  every  way. 
In  conclusion,  he  would  observe  that  he  believed  that  pigs,  if  properly  managed, 
would,  quite  independently  of  prizes,  prove  profitable  animals,  eating,  as  they  did, 
the  refuse  of  the  farm,' and  not  requiring  much  expensive  food.    He  knew  that  in 


THE  BSEEDIKG  AND  MANAGEMENT  OF  PIGS.  2  J  3 

t 
Norfolk,  and  tome  otiier  conntieB,  many  of  the  best  graziers  hated  the  sight  of  a  pig ; 
bat  he  thought  that  at  the  present  time,  with  economical  and  well-arranged  buildings 
and  jodiciouB  management,  the  quantity  of  pigs  might  in  many  cases  be  increased  to 
a  considerable  extent  with  advantage.  He  knew  that  at  the  exhibitions  abroad 
f<neigner8  had  all  the  English  improved  breeds.  Especially  was  that  the  case  in 
France,  and  in  that  country  pigs  were  now  managed  bo  well,  that  if  a  challenge  were 
riven  by  England  to  France  for  a  show  of  pigs  in  1867,  he  would  rather  back  the 
French  than  the  English,  even  with  the  English  breeds.  (Hear,  hear.)  Therefore, 
he  would  advise  Mr  Stearn,  if  he  Intended  to  continue  an  exhibitor,  to  look  about  him, 
and  keep  up  his  iMreed.  He  would  be  happy  to  answer  any  questions  which  his  friend 
might  put  to  him,  or  to  show  him  his  pigs,  and  although  he  was  not  an  exhibitor  at 
present  he  might  be  enticed  by  a  challenge  to  come  out  as  an  exhibitor  again.  (Cheers.) 

Mr  L..  A.  CoussMAKES  (Westwood,  Guildford)  said — Mr  Fisher  Hobbs  had  made 
some  remarks  about  the  colour  of  pigs,  to  which  he  wished  for  a  moment  to  allude. 
It  was  an  old  saying  that  there  never  was  a  good  horse  of  a  bad  colour ;  and  perhaps 
that  remark  was  applicable  also  to  pigs.  Mr  Hobbs  seemed  to  think  that  black  pigs 
were  better  adapt^  f or  the  south  of  England  than  white  ones.  Now,  unless  Jie  were 
mistaken,  it  had  always  been  considered  that  black  attracted  the  sun's  rays  more 
tlum  white.  (Hear,  hear.)  They  painted  their  gates  white  to  protect  them  from  the 
sun;  they  wore  white  hats  to  protect  their  heads  from  the  sun;  and  they  painted 
their  gurden  walls  black  to  attract  the  sun.  He  understood  Mr  Hobbs  to  say  that 
bUck  pigs  were  better  adapted  for  the  south  than  white  ones.  He  should  have 
thought  that  the  reverse  was  the  case,  seeing  that  black  attracted  the  rays  of  the  sun, 
and  retained  heat  much  longer  than  white. 

Mr  G.  M.  Allendbb  (Lee  Grange,  Winslow)  said — Some  years  ago  he  heard  Mr 
Steam  deliver  a  lecture,  somewhat  similar  to  that  which  he  had  given  that  evening, 
before  a  local  society  in  Suffolk,  and  he  then  picked  up  a  good  many  wrinkles  from 
him,  and  had  kept  them.  (Laughter.)  He  thought  that  gentleman  was  perfectly 
justified  in  what  he  had  said  about  the  neglect  of  pigs  by  the  Royal  Agricultural  So- 
ciety. Speaking  generally,  he  must  say  that  pig  breeders  had  not  been  at  all  well 
treated  as  regarded  prizes.  It  cost  quite  as  much  to  take  a  pen  of  three  pigs  to  a 
show  as  it  did  to  take  a  pen  of  Southdowns ;  yet,  while  the  owner  of  the  latter  might 
get  £20,  the  owner  of  the  former  could  only  obtain  £10. .  That  was,  of  course,  merely 
the  pounds;,  shillings,  and  pence  view  of  the  matter ;  but  still  the  difference  had  its 
effects  as  regarded  breeds  of  pigs.  Eespecting  the  management  of  breeding-pigs,  he 
perfectly  agreed  with  Mr  Stearn,  that  rails  round  the  farrowing  pen  were  a  most 
valuable  protection.  Two  or  three  years  ago  he  adopted  Mr  Steam's  plan  in  that 
respect,  and  since  that  time  he  had  not,  he  thought,  lost  a  single  pig.  On  the  pre- 
vious dfty  he  found  quite  unexpectedly  a  large  litter.  Not  one  of  them  was  crushed ; 
whereaai,  without  the  rails  he  would  probably  have  lost  half.  Many  persons  bred  far 
too  early  from  young  sows.  Last  year  he  sold  to  a  gentleman  in  his  neighbourhood  a 
young  pig,  warning  him  against  breeding  too  early.  This  advice  was  disregarded ; 
the  purchaser  of  the  pig  commenced  breeding  when  she  was  eight  and  a  half 
months  old,  and  the  result  was  that  out  of  the  first  litter,  consisting  of  eleven 
pigs,  only  two  were  left.  He  was  at  issue  with  Mr  Steam  as  regarded  the  merits 
of  Berkshire  pigs.  There  was  one  breed  of  pigs  to  which  three  parties  were  laying 
claim  for  their  respective  counties,  Mr  Steam  claiming  them  as  Suffolks,  Mr  Hobbs 
as  Essex,  and  some  one  to  whom  Mr  Hobbs  alluded  as  Oxfords. .  Now,  Berkshire  pdgs 
were  Berkshires  all  the  world  over— (hear,  hear)— in  whatever  county  they  were  bred 
they  were  well  received,  and  one  great  merit  was  that  they  yielded  more  lean  flesh  in 
proportion  to  the  bulk  than  any  other  class  of  pigs.  (Hear,  hear.)  The  cooking  of 
food  was  often  very  useful;  but  care  should.be  taken  not  to  supply  food  in  too  warm 
a  state,  as  in  that  case  it  was  apt  to  affect  the  lungs.  With  regard  to  the  best  food 
for  pigs,  he  would  observe  that  when  questioned  on  that  point  last  week  he  replied, 
bofley-meal.  As  to  the  losing  of  the  tail,  he  supposed  that  was  confined  to  the  Suf- 
folks ;  he  had  not  found  the  Berkshire  pigs  losing  their  tails.  (Laughter.)  Personally 
he  felt  veiy  much  obliged  to  Mr  Stearn  for  his  paper.  Although  pigs  were  generally^ 
put  down  Uust  in  show  lists,  it  should  be  recollected  that  they  were  the  animus  which 
produced  the  largest  amount  of  meat  within  a  short  time.  (Hear,  hear.)  A  litter,  say 
of  ten  pigs,  could  be  converted  into  a  ton  of  meat  in  six  months,  with  ordinary  good 
feeding.  There  was  no  animal  in  creation  that  would  yield  such  a  return,  and  there- 
fore he  thought  neither  the  Norfolk  graziers  nor  any  other  graziers  ought  to  turn  up 
their  noses  at  pigs.  (Hear,  hear.)  Biefore  sitting  down  he  would  remark  tfiat  in  his 
neighbourhood  there  was  a  disease  among  pigs,  which  was  a  sort  of  fever,  and  was  so 


214  THE  BREEDING  AND  MANAGEMENT  OF  PIGS. 

Berioua  in  its  effects  that  some  persons  had  lost  from  a  hundred  to  a  hundred  and  fifty 
pigs  within  the  last  twelve  months.  He  lived  near  Aylesbury,  and  there  many  far- 
mers had  given  up  keeping  pigs  because  they  had  not  been  able  to  get  rid  of  this  dis- 
ease. They  had  gone  into  the  market,  bought  a  lot  of  pigs,  and  within  three  or  four 
days  had  lost  them.  [A  Voice  :  What  are  the  Symptoms  ?]  The  animal  was  at  first 
a  little  drowsy  and  off  its  feed.  A  few  red  spots  were  afterwards  found,  principally 
about  the  belly.  The  redness  sometimes  extended  to  the  intestines,  and  the  whole 
body  became  red.  Animals  attacked  with  this  disease  had  been  killed  in  thousands 
during  the  last  year. 

Mr  T.  Owen  (Clapton,  Hungerford)  said— Being  a  Berkshire  man,  he  rose  to  con- 
firm what  had  just  been  said  with  respect  to  the  Berkshire  breed  of  pigs.  Having 
bred  and  fed  a  great  many  of  them,  he  contended- that  they  were  the  most  useful  pigs 
in  the  world,  inasmuch  as  they  made  more  lean  in  proporti6n  to  the  fat  than  any  other 
kind  of  pigs,  and  were  always  in  favour  both  with  the  butcher  and  the  consumer.  In 
his  neighbourhood,  a  pig  that  weighed  above  ten  score  could  not  be  sold  without  great 
difficulty.  One  great  advantage  of  the  Berkshire  pig  was  that  it  could  be  fattened 
very  quickly.  The  butcher  or  the  bacon-curer  who  came  into  his  district  would  always 
prevent  the  breeders  from  fattening  their  animals  too  much.  Animals  weighing  from 
seven  to  eleven  scores  could  besold  veryreadily;  but  if  farmers  carried  pigs  beyond  eleven 
scores,  they  had  to  look  a  long  time  for  a  customer.  He  quite  agreed  with  Mr  Steam,  that 
the  piggery  which  he  had  described  was  a  very  nice  one,  adapted  to  bring  a  pig  to  per- 
fection ;  but  he  contended  that  it  would  not  do  in  his  own  neighbourhood  to  breed 
and  feed  as  Mr  Stearn  did,  and  for  this  reason,  that  there  were  no  breeders  who  cared 
about  the  fineness  of  their  pigs.  They  went  into  tjie  market,  as  feeders,  of  pigs,  to 
buy  the  most  hardy  animals  they  could  obtain ;  not  animals  which  had  been  pam- 
pered, but  such  as  had  been  fed  moderately ;  and  he  believed  that  there  were  ten 
times  as  many  customers  for  pigs  of  the  former  as  for  pigs  of  the  latter  class.  He  agreed 
with  Mr  Stearn  that,  in  order  that  a  pig  might  be  brought  to  perfection  early  and  for 
show,  it  should  be  kept  on  as  long  as  possible  with  sugar,  warm  milk,  and  things  of 
that  kind.  He  had  himself  fed  three  or  four  hundred  pigs  a  year  in  accordance  with 
the  views  which  he  had  expressed.  He  once  obtained  a  lot  of  Chinese  pigs,  and  they 
fed  so  exceedingly  fast  that  he  thought  he  had  got  a  complete  nest-egg  on  his  farm ; 
but  the  result  was,  that  when  he  sent  them  to  his  butcher  in  London,  whom  he  sent  all 
his  porkers  to,  he  returiied  a  few  chops  out  of  one  of  them,  and  desired  I  should  cook 
them.  They  were  all  fat,  no  lean,  and  said  he  could  not  sell  them  at  any  price.  In 
his  (the  butcher's)  opinion,  there  was  no  pig  in  the  world  equal  to  the  Berkshire  pig, 
t)ecause  it  yielded  a  greater  proportion  of  lean  to  fat  than  any  other  breed.  With 
regard  to  what  Mr  Stearn  said  about  the  breeding  of  sows,  he  would  remark  that,  in 
his  (Mr  Owen's)  district  they  never  liked  their  pigs  to  farrow  early,  or  in  winter. 
They  generally  endeavoured  to  get  sows  to  farrow  not  earlier  than  the  first  week  in 
March.  '  Then  he  kept  the  little  pigs  as  growing  as  possible.  At  the  end  of  seven 
weeks  they  weaned  them.  They  then  placed  the  sow  for  a  few  days  where  she  was 
certain  to  go  to  hog  (they  had  the  boar  always  at  hand ;)  and  they  always  found  at 
the  change,  when  the  milk  was  going  away,  that  she  was  sure  to  take  the  boar,  so 
that  they  had  a  second  litter,  generally  at  the  commencement  of  August.  These  pigs 
required  very  little  care — at  least,*  not  half  the  care  that  they  would  require  if  they 
were  farrowed  in  January ;  and,  as  Mr  Hobbs  had  justly  observed,  the  finer  an  animal 
is  bred,  and  the  purer  its  blood,  the  more  liable  it  is  to  a  weakness  in  the  tail.  A 
rough  pig  out  of  a  litter  will  not,  in  Berkshire,  lose  its  tail ;  but  he  considered  the 
frost  had  much  to  do  with  it.  When  exposed  to  a  severe  frost,  he  had  seen  as  many 
as  five  or  six  out  of  a  litter  lose  their  tails.  He  quite  agreed  with  Mr  Stearn  that 
for  pigs,  in  the  summer,  pasture-land  was  the  finest  thing,  for  nothing  was  so  good 
for  them  as  gnawing  the  turf.  The  plan  of  Mr  Stearn  was  not  carried  out  in  their 
neighbourhood,  for  this  reason — namely,  that  landlords,  as  a  rule,  did  not  like  to  see 
an  expensive  building  of  that  sort :  they  were  sure  to  say  it  was  too  fine,  or  something 
of  that  kind.  The  last  speaker  had  referred  to  the  diseases  of  pigs.  He  had  seen  a 
lot  of  twenty  bought  at  Newbury  market ;  and  within  a  week,  three  parts  of  them 
had  died :  and  he  quite  agreed  with  that  gentleman  in  saying  they  could  discover 
nothing  indicative  of  disease  but  a  small  red  spot.  If  they  killed  a  pig  in  good  con- 
dition,  but  diseased,  and  scalded  it,  they  would  see  red  spots  upon  it.  It  woidd  be 
quite  white  when  scalded ;  but  when  it  cooled  down,  it  became  a  perfect  pink  along 
the  belly  and  sides.  He  had  had  several  in  that  state ;  and  though  he  had  consulted 
a  veterinary  surgeon,  that  gentleman  could  never  discover  a  remedy.  He  said  that 
the  only  thing  to  be  done  was  to  remove  them,  and  thoroughly  whitewash  the  sties 


THE  BEEEDING  AND  KAJ^AGEMENT  OP  PIGS.  215 

with  qnick'lime,  and,  in  fact,  make  a  clearance,  and  get  rid  of  the  lot,  because  the 
disease,  whaterer  it  was,  was  very  infectious,  and  he  had  never  yet  seen  or  heard  of 
its  being  cured. 

Mr  JB^BSBT  Smith,  fEmmetVs  Grange,  South  Molton,)  would  not  have  risen  but 
for  the  observations  which  had  been  made  with  respect  to  the  Royal  Agricultural 
Society  of  England.  Being  intimately  connected  with  that  society,  he  wished  to  set 
one  matter  right  He  happened  to  be  a  member  of  the  Prize-sheet  Committee ;  and 
the  first  object  of  that  committee  was  to  agree  on  the  amount  to  be  devoted  to  that 
prize-sheet,  and  then  they  proceeded  to  allot  that  amount  in  various  proportions 
amongst  the  several  breeds  of  animals  throughout  the  kingdom.  Of  course,  their 
first  object  was  to  encourage  cattle ;  next,  sheep ;  thirdly,  horses ;  and  lastly,  If  they 
pleased,  pigs.  Turning  now  to  the  question  of  the  management  of  pigs,  it  was  many 
years  since  be  bad  taken  any  part  in  th^t  business ;  but  he  thought  they  would 
agree  with  him  that  there  were  some  conclusions  at  which  they  had  that  night  cer- 
tunly  arrived.  First,  they  had  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  they  had  a  most 
exceUent  advertisement  before  them ;  next  that  pig-breeding  seemed  to  be  quite  a 
profession;  next,  that  good  diet  and  warmth  were  two  great  essentials  towards 
early  maturity. 

A  Member.-^ And  cleanliness  a  third  essential.   (Hear.) 

Mr  Smith. — And  a  fourth,  if  you  please, — "  they  clip  no  wool."  (Laughter.)  Another 
matter  had  been  stoutly  debated,  but  on  that  they  had  not  arrived  at  a  conclusion ; 
he  referred  to  the  pig's  tail.  (A  laugh).  Some  gentlemen  said  that  it  dropped  off  at 
one  age,  some  at  another;  some  that  all  lost  their  tails  at  one  time  or  another ;  and 
that  Berkshire  pigs  alone  seemed  to  retain  them.  But  whether  they  kept  them  on 
or  dropped  them  off,  his  (Mr  Smith's)  experience  in  the  breeding  of  pigs  was  this,  that 
if  a  sow  farrowed  in  warm  weather,  the  pigs  would  not  be  troubled  with  tail-disease, 
while  if  she  farrowed  in  cold  weather  they  might  be.  Now  he  would  suggest  that  if 
they  pinched  off  a  little  bit  from  the  end  of  the  tail  and  thus  caused  the  blood  to 
circulate,  Ae  tails  would  remain  on.  Mr  Hobbs  had  referred  to  pigs  in  Devonshire, 
and  that  waa  a  part  of  the  country  with  which  he  (Mr  Smith)  was  well  acquainted. 
It  was  a  notorious  fact  that  the  best  farmers  in  the  west  of  England  had  an  opinion 
that  white  pigs  burned  in  the  sun,  while  black  ones  did  not.  As  to  the  use  of  asphal- 
tum  as  a  floor  for  pigs  to  lie  on,  he  thought  that  would  be  rather  a  cold  affair.  He 
himsdf  had  lately  erected  a  piggery,  and  in  doing  so  had  hit  upon  a  grooved  brick, 
which  answered  remarkably  well,  and  he  had  adopted  Torr's  patent  double  feeding- 
trough.  With  the  latter  the  fat  pigs  fed  on  one  side ;  they  then  lifted  up  the  shield 
or  slide,  and  the  store  pigs  came  and  cleared  out  the  trough.  In  some  instances 
there  was  a  yard  attached,  when  the  pig  entered  at  the  centre,  then  went  in  on  the 
one  hand  to  a  raised  ground  of  grooved  bricks,  with  an  incline  towards  the  centre. 
They  fed  there,  and  went  out  for  natural  purposes  to  the  yard,  from  which  they  went 
to  the  grooved  bricks  on  the  other  side,  where  they  lay  on  a  raised  bed.  Where  that 
plan  was  adopted,  and  they  had  a.  supply  of  water  to  wash  out  the  grooved  bricks,  it 
was  certainly  the  most  perfect  they  ha!d  ever  seen.  He  did  not  go  altogether  with  Mr 
Mechi  about  feeding  pigs  on  boards,  because,  as  Mr  Steam  had  very  properly  said, 
there  would  always  be  a  certain  amount  of  stench ;  but  within  the  last  few  days  he 
had  gone  into  his  own  piggery,  and  it  was  as  sweet  as  they  could  wish  a  piggery  to  be, 
simply  from  the  fact  that  the  sewage  could  not  remain.  It  was  carried  off  by  the 
grooved  bricks  on  the  incline ;  and  that  arrangement  was  as  nice  a  one  as  could  be 
imagined.  A  remark  had  fallen  from  Mr  Stearn  as  to  the  time  when  pigs  should  be 
dropped.  He  (Mr  Smith)  had  a  particular  fancy  with  regard  to  that,  whether  it  was 
the  pig,  the  horse,  the  cow,  or  the  sheep.  He  should  like  the  young  animal  to  be 
dropped  as  it  were  not  in  the  rising  of  the  moon,  but  the  rising  of- the  year,  about  the 
Ist  of  January,  and  grow  into  the  warm  weather  rather  than  the  reverse.  There 
was  a  principle  involved  in  that,  and  the  more  they  adhered  to  that  kind  of  thing, 
keeping  warmth  strictly  in  view  as  nature's  principal  law,  they  would  find  they  would 
not  err  so  much  as  those  of  their  neighbours  who  blundered  along,  and  contrived  to 
have  their  animals  grow  into  the  cold  weather  instead  of  warm.    (Hear.) 

Mr  Wilson  (Althome,  Maldon)  said  they  were  indebted  greatly  to  Mr  Steam  for 
the  very  interesting  lecture  which  he  had  delivered,  and  for  having  delivered  it  with- 
out reserve  and  telMng  them  all  he  knew.  It  was  for  those  present  to  consider  how 
&r  they  could  individually  apply  his  experience,  or  how  far  they  found  their  own  plans 
more  convenient  to  carry  out  owing  to  their  being  accustomed  to  them.  There  were 
three  objects  in  pig  breeding,  and  according  to  the  particular  object  which  the  breeder 
had  in  view  so  he  must  govern  his  proceedings.  Thus  one  man  bred  pigs  in  order  to 
Vol.  I.— No.  IV.— New  Semes.    Apbil  1865.  Q 


216  THE  BBEEDING  AND  MANAGEMENT  OF  PIGS. 

get  a  prize,  another  to  get  store  animals,  and  a  third  for  the  shambles;  and  in  all 
Siree  a  different  mode  of  proceeding  would  be  necessary.  He  himself  had  found  that, 
as  a  general  principle,  they  could  not  feed  animals  too  highly  from  the  earliest  time, 
although  they  might  at  that  time  be  apparently  imsaleable.  He  had  never  found 
difficulty  in  selling  stores  because  they  were  too  fresh ;  he  had  generally  found  it  to 
be  the  reverse.  With  regard  to  various  breeds,  he  thought  every  breed  had  some 
good  property  of  its  own  which  was  appreciated  by  the .  neighbourhood  where  it  was 
best  known.  One  reason  for  the  disease  amongst  pigs,  which  developed  itself  in  many 
various  forms — sometimes  in  the  pigs  being  without  tails,  sometimes  with  spots  on 
their  skins,  sometimes  in  their  suffering  from  CMunps— was  that  the  hog  was  not  suffi- 
ciently often  changed.  It  matters  less  what  hog  they  used,  provided  they  changed  the 
animal  every  year ;  for  breeding  in-and-in  was  worse  with  pigs  than  with  any  other 
animal.  The  man  who  bred  carefully,  and  had  a  good  hind  to  manage  his  pigs,  would 
manage  to  have  five  farrows  in  two  years ;  and  that  was  breeding  rather  closely.  They 
must  not,  however,  be  surprised  if  they  got  the  blood  diseased  from  too  frequent  com- 
munication. As  to  the  cheapest  food,  he  had  generally  found  that  to  depend  chiefly 
upon  the  market  price.  This  year  the  great  crop  of  barley  made  that  the  cheapest 
food ;  but  last  year  Indian  com  was  by  far  the  cheapest  The  best  imported  food  for 
pigs  would  be  lentils ;  but  the  very  first  season  of  their  Importation,  it  appeared  they 
cleared  out  Egypt  and  other  countries.  To-day,  at  market,  36s.  were  demanded  for 
lentils,  whereas  good  Indian  corn  could  be  obtained  at  288.  They  could  not,  there- 
fore, lay  down  successfully  any  fixed  rule  as  to  the  best  food  for  pigs ;  but  he  imagined 
that,  in  proportion  to  the  food  consumed,  a  pig  paid  better  generally  for  his  keep  than 
any  other  animal.  He  did  not  believe  that  a  bullock  or  sheep  would  make  anything 
like  the  large  return  that  a  pig  did  j  and,  with  present  prices  of  food,  the  pig  will 
prove  the  best  grazier.  He  said  "  grazier  "  because  the  pig  was  a  good  grazier,  and 
made  more  money  than  anything  else  ;  pigs  came  to  maturity  more  quickly  in  pro- 
portion to  the  food  they  consumed,  and  they  therefore  made  the  greatest  return. 
There  was  no  doubt  but  that  the  disease  in  pigs  originated  in  a  peculiar  state  of 
the  blood ;  and  if  by  the  use  of  sulphur — only  a  pig  was  so  difficult  to  physic — or 
any  other  medicinal  preparation,  they  could  put  the  blood  into  a  right  state,  a  pig 
might  be  as  easily  kept  healthy  as  a  sheep  or  a  bullock.  Unfortunately,  however, 
they  could  not  doctor  him  ;  and,  therefore,  the  knife  was  the  only  cure  for  the  disease 
in  pigs.  With  regard  to  the  question  of  fat,  it  was  a  common  experience  that  it  was 
difficult  to  sell,  it  being  said  that  people  would  not  eat  it,  and  that,  therefore,  they 
must  get  pigs  of  about  eight  score  to  meet  the  demand.  He,  however,  would  remind 
his  brother  farmers  that  the  fat  was  easily  converted  into  lard,  while  they  could  sell 
the  leaner  parts  for  bacon  at  a  fair  price.  So  that  if  any  of  them  were  tied  up  with 
a  large  lot  of  fat  pigs,  there  was  a  sale  for  them  without  giving  them  away. 

The  Chairman,  in  drawing  the  discussion  to  a  close,  said  that  they  ought  to 
feel  grateful  to  Mr  Stearn  for  the  frank  and  open  manner  in  which  he  had  described 
his  system  of  feeding.  He  (the  Chairman)  was  not  a  pig  man,  but  whenever  he  had 
taken  it  in  hand  he  had  lost  money,  and  he  believed  moreover  that  eight  out 
of  every  ten  persons  would  find  that  they  did  the  sataie  if  they  kept  accounts. 
At  the  commencement  of  his  paper,  Mr  Stearn  had  remarked  that  farmers 
formerly  despised  pigs,  but  he  (the  Chairman)  could  not  admit  that,  because 
when  he  began  farming,  some  thirty  years  ago,  he  was  obliged  to  keep  from  three  to 
four  pigs  to  every  bullock ;  and  his  system  now  in  stocking  the  yard  was  to  keep  one 
pig  to  every  two  or  three  bullocks  at  the  most.  As  to  the  question  whether  they 
could  buy  pigs  and  keep  them  on  corn,  he  should  like  to  see  the  accounts  of  those 
who  had  tried  it  during  the  last  season.  He  could  only  say  that  his  account  was  a 
very  bad  one ;  but  he  had  to  pay  his  neighbour,  Mr  Hudson,  for  grinding  a  thousand 
coombs  of  corn,  most  of  which  they  had  eaten.  He  could  not,  therefore,  agree  with 
Mr  Wilson. 

Mr  Stearn,  in  reply,  said  he  quite  agreed  with  Mr  Hobbs  that  there  were  certain 
districts  where  black  pigs  were  the  best.  Where  there  was  much  clover  grown,  black 
pigs  might  be  turned  into  it ;  but  looking  to  the  average  of  the  whole  country,  he 
would  back  the  white  ones  against  the  black,  whether  in  summer  or  winter.  The 
heat  of  summer  no  doubt  affected  the  white  more  than  it  did  the  black ;  but  in  the 
winter  the  black  was  more  tender  than  the  white,  as  the  latter  could  bear  the  cold 
much  the  best.  With  regard  to  the  cause  of  the  tail  disease,  some  persons  believed 
it  to  be  occasioned  by  the  frost  or  by  close  breeding ;  but  in  January  last,  when  there 
was  plenty  of  frost  and  snow,  he  had  five  sows  farrowed  within  a  few  days  of  each 
other^  averaging  ten  pigs  in  each  farrow,  and  not  one  of  them  lost  a  tail;  and,  on 


ECLIPSE  AND  TOUCHSTONE.  .  2l7 

the  other  hand,  he  had  ten  bows  farrowed  last  summer  about  the  same  time,  and 
seTeral  of  the  pigs  lost  their  tails,  not  one  of  those  who  were  bred  the  most  closely 
losing  theirs ;  but  when  he  bought  strange  sows  and  cr}ssed  them  as  far  distant  as 
possible,  many  of  the  pigs  lost  their  tails,  and  he  could  never  divine  from  what  cause. 
He  had  tried  eyeTything  he  could  think  of  to  check  this  disease ;  he  had  even  cut  off 
pieces  of  the  tail  pretty  well  up  to  the  red  spot  itself,  and  even  then  the  small  por- 
tion of  the  tail  left  would  drop  off.  As  to  the  Berkshire  breed,  that  was  no  doubt 
good  for  bacon,  there  being  plenty  of  lean,  but  perhaps  it  took  more  time  to  make 
the  pigs  fat  than  he  should  Hke.  They  were,  no  doubt,  a  kind  of  pig  more  suitable 
for  some  districts  than  for  others ;  and  when  large  flitches  of  bacon  were  wanted,  he 
would- recommend  the  Berkshire  breed.  With  regard  to  the  expense  of  his  building, 
he  could  only  say  that  if  they  could  erect  it  for  £25,  and  it  would  last  for  a  lifetime, 
he  did  not  think  they  could  require  anything  cheaper,  seeing  that  it  had  every  con- 
venience, and  was  well  ventilated.  With  regard  to  the  floor  being  a  smooth  surface 
and  wdl  dnuned,  he  could,  by  taking  the  lattice  floor  up  once  a  week,  and  sweeping 
everything  away  from  under  it,  have  the  whole  as  clean  as  possible.  With  reganl  to 
the  prizes  given  by  the  Royal  Agricultural  Society,  no  doubt  it  was  right  to  fix  upon 
a  certain  sum  to  be  distributed  amongst  the  several  classes,  but  he  would  recommend 
as  a  much  better  plan  that  they  should  give  larger  sums  and  fewer  prizes.  As  to  the 
Chairman  not  making  his  pigs  pay,  he  was  not  surprised  at  it,  for  a  bigger  lot  of 
vermin  he  never  saw  than  Norfolk  pigs.  He  had  never  yet  seen  a  good  pig  bred  in 
Norfolk ;  they  were  the  worst  lot  of  pigs  under  the  sun.  He  could  scarcely  call  them 
pigs,  and  was  satisfied  that  they  would  ruin  any  man  in  England  who  attempted  to 
keep  them,  as  it  was  impossible  to  make  them  pay. 

The  Chairman  said  that  tlie  principal  part  of  the  pigs  he  had  kept  so  unfortunately 
were  animals  brought  from  the  county  of  Northampton,  from  a  gentleman  who  had 
as  good  pigs  as  any  man  in  that  county. 

On  the  motion  of  Mr  T.  Congreve,  seconded  by  Mr  Coussmaker,  a  vote  of  thanks 
was  passed  to  Mr  Steam  for  his  excellent  paper ;  and  a  similar  compliment  having 
been  paid  to  the  Chairman,  on  the  motion  of  Mr  R.  Sjjiiith,  seconded  by  Mr  Nash, 
the  proceedings  terminated. 


ECLIPSE  AND  TOUCHSTONE. 
To  the  Editor  of  the  Sporting  Times, 


Sir, — ^I  beg  permission  to  correct  a  mistake  which  found  its  way  into  the  Sporting 
Times  of  18th  instant ;  where,  in  your  reply  to  Sir  J.  B.,  the  narrative  runs  thus : — 
"  It  is  said  that  the  skeleton  of  the  famous  Eclipse  is  in  the  Hunterian  Museum  of  the 
Boyal  College  of  Surgeons.  Mr  Flower,  the  articulator  attached  to  that  institution, 
has  lately  mounted  ToucJistone  for  the  Marquis  of  Westminster,  by  whom  the  animal 
was  much  prized." 

The  above  reference  to  the  skeleton  of  Eclipse  is  void  of  foundation ;  that  about 
Touchstone  is,  I  believe,  sulwtantially  correct.  It  is  to  set  the  matter  right  about 
the  first-named  horse  that  I  intrude  on  your  space,  and  the  time  of  your  readers. 

In  November  1860  I  became  the  medium  of  treating  with  the  now  lamented  Mr 
Bracy  Clark,  the  then  owner,  for  the  skeleton  of  the  renowned  Eclipse,  for  the  New 
Veterinary  College  at  Edinburgh ;  and  I  accordingly  purchased  the  skeleton  for  the 
price  of  one  hundred  guineas,  of  the  man  whose  property  it  had  been  from  the  latter 
end  of  the  last  or  beginning  of  the  present  century.  The  purchase  was  effected,  and 
Eclipse's  skeleton  transferred  to  Edinburgh,  from  Clark's  house  in  London,  just 
seventeen  days  previous  to  the  occurrence  of  the  death  of  the  able  and  zealous  culti- 
vator of  veterinary  science,  at  the  great  age  of  ninety  years. 

Besides  bringing  the  bones  of  the  best  horse  on  record  out  of  the  box  in  which 
they  had  been  so  many  years  secluded,  we  were  probably,  as  the  following  incidents 
wiU  show,  instrumental  in  causing  those  of  the  next  grand  horse  of  his  time  to  be 
disentombed,  and  placed  within  the  reach  of  the  student,  for  observation  and  com- 
parison. 

The « facts  stand  thus  : — Desirous  to  obtain  the  skeleton  of  some  one  of  the  best 
amongst  the  horses  of  our  time,  to  place  beside  that  of  Eclipse,  we  began  to  make 


218  ECLIPSE  AND  TOUCHSTONE. 

inquiry,  and  turning  our  attention  to  the  old  animals  then  (1860)  living,  Touchstone 
and  the  mare  Pocahontas  stood  foremost.  A  little  time  elapsed,  and  before  any 
application  was  made  the  death  and  burial  of  Touchstone,  which  had  taken  place  at 
Eiaton  Hall,  were  publicly  reported. 

Correspondence  with  the  noble  owner  was  begun  by  Professor  John  Gkimgee 
addressing  a  note,  soliciting  permission  to  obtain  the  bones  of  Touchstone,  for  the 
expressly  avowed  purpose  of  placing  them  beside  those  of  Eclipse.  To  that  applica- 
tion a  most  condescending  reply  was  written  by  the  Marquis  of  Westminster,  and 
there  appeared  no  impediment  in  the  way  of  the  obtainment  of  our  object,  until  fur- 
ther consideration  determined  that  the  grand  horse's  skeleton  should  have  a  place  in 
the  Metropolis.*  The  disinterment  was  accordingly  effected,  and  the  bones  conveyed 
from  Cheshire  to  London,  where,  under  the  superintendence  of  Professor  Flower,  the 
skeleton  was  arranged  and  put  up,  to  be  seen  with  the  most  valuable  collection  of  its 
kind  in  the  world. 

With  permission,  I  will  take  this  opportunity  of  making  a  few  observations  on 
the  importance  of  preserving  skeletons  of  very  choice  specimens  of  the  horse,  inde- 
pendently of  the  high  value  to  be  attached  to  those  of  the  two  extraordinary  animals 
referred  to. 

All  philosophic  anatomists  make  profound  study  of  skeletons,  assiduously  compare 
and  often  refer  to  them ;  and  none  have  more  need  of  adopting  such  course  than 
those  whose  aim  it  is  to  become  profoundly  instructed  in  the  construction  and  move- 
ments of  the  horse,  whose  worth  depends  on  degrees  of  perfection  in  conformation, 
substantially  governed  by  the  physical  condition  of  the  horse's  frame. 

How  it  is  that  a  subject  of  so  much  importance  should  have  been  so  little  recog- 
nised is  matter  of  astonishment.  There  have  been  few  skeletons  of  the  horse 
accessible  even  to  students,  and  those  preserved,  regardless,  for  the  most  part,  of  any 
typically  high  standard  of  perfection  in  the  animal  to  whom  they  belonged.  The 
best  horses.  Eclipse  excepted,  have  been  buried,  which,  in  reality,  amounts  to  burying 
the  indexes  to  knowledge. — I  am,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

Joseph  Gahgee. 

New  Veterinary  College, 
Edinburgh,  Feb.  21,  1865. 

[We  were  aware  when  we  wrote  the  reply  to  Sir  J.  B.  that  Mr  Gamgee  had  a 
skeleton  which  was  reputed  to  be  Eclipse's.  But  it  \s  just  possible  that  neither  the 
one  in  the  Museum  of  our  Royal  College,  nor  the  one  in  Mr  Gamgee's  College  at 
Edinburgh,  is  the  genuine  one.  Neither  of  them,  we  are  sure,  can  be  properly 
authenticated.  The  one  at  our  college  has  had  the  repute  of  being  Eclipse's  for  the 
last  twenty  years,  and  we  do  not  altogether  like,  at  our  time  of  life,  to  have  the 
"  foundations  of  our  faith  "  destroyed.  Perhaps,  as  Mr  Gamgee  is  a  foreigner,  he  is 
not  aware  that  it  is  usual  in  England  for  famous  horses,  as  well  as  famous  men,  to 
possess  a  multiplicity  of  skeletons.  If  he  has  read  up  English  history,  he  must  have 
made  acquaintance  with  the  singular  discovery  of  the  Rev.  Deaa  Swift,  who,  when 
on  a  visit  to  Oxford,  had  shown  to  him  the  skull  of  Oliver  Cromwell.  The  Dean 
afterwards  went  to  Cambridge,  and  was  there  shown  another  and  a  different  shaped 
skull,  which  was  also  declared  to  be  the  skull  of  the  kinglet  Oliver.  Swift  imme- 
diately said,  "  Why,  his  skull  was  shown  to  me  the  other  day  at  Oxford.  He  could 
not  have  had  two  skulls."*  "  Oh  yes,  sir,  he  had,"  replied  the  Cambridge  curator. 
"  That  at  Oxford  was  his  skull  when  a  boy ;  this  one  is  his  skull  when  grown  up  a 
man,  and  the  one  he  possessed  at  his  death ! "  There  are  also  no  fewer  than  four 
skulls  which  are  severally  claimed  as  once  the  receptacles  of  the  brain  of  Eugene 
Aram.  The  lantern  of  Guy  Fawkes  is  at  Oxford ;  Edinburgh  also  claims  to  possess 
the  genuine  trophy.  This  may  be  the  case  with  Eclipse.  As  in  Homer's  case  nine 
cities  contested  the  distinction  of  giving  him  birth,  so  here  two  renowned  cities  con- 
test the  honour  of  preserving  all  that  is  mortal  of  the  immortal  Eclipse.  We  remain 
neutral;  the  point  is  hardly  worth  contesting.— Mr  Gamgee  speaks  of  '*  Professor" 
Flower.  Mr  Flower,  at  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons,  though  a  most  worthy  man, 
is,  in  no  sense  of  the  term,  a  "  Professor,'*  his  post  of  *' Articulator "  being  a  com- 
paratively menial  occupation.  It  is  the  custom,  we  believe,  in  Edinburgh  for  men  to 
turn  cottages  into  colleges,  paddocks  into  '*  parks,"  and  for  vanity  to  elect  its  "  Pro- 
fessors,** and  produce  its  parks  where  necessity  compels  an  occupation  or  uses  land 
as  pasturage.  There  is  another  gentleman  at  our  Royal  College  of  Surgeons  of  the 
name  of  Flower,  the  successor  of  Mr  Owen ;  but  in  no  proper  sense  of  the  term  is  he 
a  "  Professor."    The  "  College"  is  not  a  "  University/'  and  therefore  cannot  pro- 


ECLIPSE  AND  TOUCHSTONE.  219 

pcrly  elect,  appoint,  or  promote  any  of  its  officers  to  a  Professorship,  We  contend 
that  the  heads  of  Universities  only  can  appoint  "  Professors."  When  will  mankind 
reach  the  goal  of  that  admirable  simplicity  which  constitutes  the  beau  ideal  of  all 
greatness,  whether  in  science  or  in  art  ?— Ed.] 


To  Db  Shortpousb,  Editor  of  the  Sporting  Times, 

Sib, — When  I  addressed  the  letter  which  yon  did  me  the  honour  to  publish  on 
March  4, 1  had  no  other  motive  for  doing  so  than  that  of  affording  information  which 
you  appeared  not  to  be  in  possession  of.  In  your  Inaugural  Address  occurs  the  fol- 
lowing words : — "  It  may  be  said  that  if  we  accustom  ourselves  to  speak  the  truth,  the 
whole  truth,  and  nothing  but  the  truth,  .  .  .  establishments  will  be  closed  against  us. 
This  is  of  little  moment."  In  the  course  of  your  own  remarks  on  my  letter  you  say, 
"  We  were  aware  when  we  wrote  the  reply  to  Sir  J.  B.  that  Mr  Gamgee  had  a  skeleton 
which  was  reported  to  be  Eclipse's.  But  it  is  just  possible  that  neither  the  one  in  the 
Museum  of  our  Royal  College,  nor  the  one  in  Mr  Gamgee's,  is  the  genuine  one. 
.  .  .  The  one  at  our  college  has  had  the  repute  of  being  Eclipse's  for  the  last  twenty 
years,  and  we  do  not  altogether  like,  al  our  time  of  life,  to  have  the  foundations  of  our 
faith  destroyed."  You  say  again,  "  We  remain  neutral;  the  point  is  hardly  worth 
contesting." 

I  beg  now  to  submit  the  question,  Whether  your  reply  to  Sir  J.  B.  was  in  accordance 
with  the  motto  which  you  adopted—"  To  speak  the  truth,  the  whole  truth,  and  no- 
thing but  the  truth;"  or  whether  the  adhesion  to  a  foregone  determination,  in  defi- 
ance of  evidence,  because  you  "  do  not  altogether  like,"  at  your  "  time  of  life,"  to  have 
"  the.  foundations  of  your  faith  destroyed,"  was  in  harmony  with  the  above  motto  ? 
Moreover,  I  beg  to  question  the  policy  of  raising  fictitious  questions,  and  then  declar- 
ing "  we  remain  neutral"  The  old  adage  of  setting  a  town  on  fire,  and  running  away 
by  the  light  of  it,  comes  to  mind  here.  Everything  relating  to  the  history  of  Eclipse 
and  his  skeleton  was  so  fully  discussed  four  years  ago,  that  I  have  not  the  inclination, 
even  if  I  could  spare  the  time,  to  go  over  the  whole  subject  again  now.  This  much, 
however,  I  may  add,  that  no  horse  on  record  that  I  have  heard  of,  has  been  proclaimed 
to  the  world  so  fully,  reliably,  and  had  a  career  marked  by  so  many  historical  inci- 
dents as  was  the  case  with  Eclipse.  He  was  bred  by  a  prince  of  the  realm  in  Windsor 
Great  Park,  and  was  sold,  after  the  death  of  his  royal  breeder,  at  a  public  auction  in 
London,  on  which  occasion  some  remarkable  events  occurred,  wMch  afterwards  be- 
came part  of  the  horse's  history. 

Next  we  have  the  published  and  verbally-handed-down  accounts  of  Eclipse's  racing 
career,  whilst  he  was  the  property  of  the  Messrs  Wildmanr  and  Dennis  O'Kelly,  and 
when  the  last  named  gentleman  became  his  sole  owner,  in  whose  possession  Eclipse 
retired  victorious  from  the  turf,  and  passed  through  his  unrivalled  career  as  a  stallion. 
After  being  twenty  years  in  the  possession  of  his  second  owners  (confederates)  Eclipse 
died,  and  due  care  was  taken  to  have  his  skeleton  prepared,  by  careful  dissection,  by 
the  man  who,  at  that  time,  occupied  the  first  position  in  England  as  an  anatomist  of 
the  horse.  The  rest  of  the  tale  is  soon  told.  Not  long  after  Mr  Vial  de  Sain  Bel 
had  dissected  Eclipse,  and  written  an  essay  on  the  proportions  of  that  horse,  death 
removed  him  from  his  sphere  of  labours,  in  the  then  newly-established  Veterinary 
College,  where  he  had  been  made  professor.  At  this  juncture,  Mr  O'Kelly  presented 
the  Eclipse  skeleton  to  Mr  Bond,  a  veterinary  surgeon  in  London,  who  had  been  Sain 
Bel's  pupil  and  assistant.  After  the  death  of  Bondj  his  widow  presented  the  Eclipse 
skeleton  to  Mr  Braey  Clark,  another  former  pupil  of  Sain  Bel's,  and  the  intimate 
friend  of  her  husband,  to  whom  he  had  rendered  many  kind  services.  The  sub- 
sequent transfer  of  the  Eclipse  skeleton  to  the  New  Veterinary  College  has  been  suffi- 
ciently dwelt  on  already ;  therefore  I  ask.  What  ground  ever  existed  for  the  founda- 
tion of  a  report  of  Eclipse's  skeleton  being  in  the  Hunterian  Museum  ?  I  affirm, 
none  whatever;  and  having  narrated  the  positive  facts  connected  with  the  case,  I 
think  I  may,  after  the  challenge  received,  notice  some  negative  incidents  relative 
to  it.  More  than  forty  years  ago,  when  I  attended  the  anatomical  classes  at  the 
old  school  in  Windmill  Street,  (rendered  so  famous  by  the  brothers  Hunter,)  not  only 
was  there  no  skeleton  -of  the  horse,  reputed  to  be  that  of  Eclipse,  amongst  John 
Hunter's  collection,  but  nothing  of  the  kind  was  even  mentioned. 

I  come  now  in  my  narrative  to  a  period  near  twenty  years  from  the  present  time, 
when,  and  for  several  years  afterwards,  members  of  my  family  were  constantly  attend- 
ing as  students  at  the  Hunterian  Museum,  with  whom  I  was  regularly  in  the  habit  of 


220  IMPORTANT  CASE  TO  PEALERS. 

communicating.  I  can  therefore  vouch  that  no  skeleton  of  the  horse,  reputed  to 
be  that  of  Eclipse,  was  during  these  periods  in  the  Hunterian  Museum.  Lastlv,  when, 
about  six  years  ago,  I  visited  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons,  expressly  with  the  object 
of  inspecting  the  museum,  in  reply  to  interrogations  about  specimens  of  the  osteology 
of  the  horse,  I  was  told,  "  We  have  no  good  skeleton  of  the  horse  in  the  museum," — 
a  fact  soon  demonstratively  confirmed,  when  I  saw  the  one  there  articulated  and 
in  possession,  of  no  repute  and  of  no  special  value. 

Permit  me  therefore,  sir,  to  say  that  in  this  argument  the  onus  probandi  devolves 
on  yourself. 

Regarding  your  personal  remarks,  evidence  is  again  aflTorded  of  conclusions  arrived 
at  without  premises.  Essex-born  and  bred  men  like  myself  would  seem  to  be  about 
the  last  amongst  the  Queen's  lieges  who  could  be  taken  for  foreigners.  Nor  does  a 
few  years'  residence  abroad  usually  deprive  a  man  of  his  nationality,  or  confer  the 
privilege  of  assuming  that  of  the  country  in  which  hospitality  has  been  shown  him. 
— I  am,  sir,  your  most  obedient  servant,  Joseph  Gamqbjl 

New  Veterinaby  Colleqb,  Mar,  9, 1865. 


IMPORTANT  CASE  TO  DEALERS. 

SiLLBNOB  V.  POTHBCABT. — (JuTy  CaSC.) 

(From  the  Hampshire  Chronidey  February  11,  1865.) 

The  plaintiff,  Mr  Benjamin  Sillence,  is  the  well-known  farmer  and  dealer  in  this 
county,  who  resides  at  New  Barn,  Compton,  and  the  defendant  is  Mr  T.  Pothecary, 
also  a  farmer  and  dealer,  residing  at  Newton  Stacey,  near  Stockbridge.  Mr  W. 
Bailey  appeared  for  defendant;  Mr  Sillence  conducted  his  own  case.  The  action 
was  brought  to  recover  compensation  in  consequence  of  some  pigs  which  plaintiff 
had  purchased  of  defendant  turning  out  unsound,  the  damage  being  laid  in  the  par- 
ticulars of  claim  at  £50. 

Mr  Sillence  stated  that  he  had  bought  a  quantity  of  pigs  in  the  Winchester  market 
of  defendant,  upon  the  representation  or  warranty  that  they  were  sound,  whereas 
they  had  turned  out  to  be  diseased  with  a  malady  known  as  the  cattle  murraine.  He 
thought  the  case  was  a  most  important  one,  inasmuch  as  the  practice  of  selling  dis- 
eased animals  in  the  market,  for  a  long  time  past,  bad  caused  great  dissatisfaction, 
80  much  so  that  many  farmers  and  graziers  were  now  afraid  to  enter  the  market 
The  disease  with  which  these  animals  were  afflicted  was  so  destructive  that  scarcely 
one  ever  survived  it ;  and  it  might  safely  be  stated  that  nineteen  out  of  twenty  died 
in  it.  It  was  a  very  contagious  malady ;  so  that  animals  of  the  pig'kind,  if  they 
came  in  contact  with  it  on  the  road,  or  even  on  one's  own  premises,  they  were  almost 
sure  to  catch  it.  Mr  Pothecary  was  a  large  dealer  in  pigs,  and  it  had  been  mooted 
in  his  favour,  that  unless  a  vendor  gave  a  written  warranty,  a  purchaser  could  have 
no  claim  :  so  that  if  a  dealer  once  managed  to  get  such  animals  out  of  his  hand,  the 
purchaser  could  sustain  no  claim  for  compensation. 

Judge. — There  is  no  law  of  the  kind. 

Plaintiff  said  it  was  the  custom  of  the  country  to  buy  such  stock,  relying  upon  the 
honour  of  the  seller.  If  he  did  not  say  anything  to  the  contrary,  the  customer  had 
a  right  to  consider  the  animals  as  sound,  such  animals  always  being  supposed  to  be 
sound. 

Judge. — The  law  does  not  assume  the  animals  to  be  sound.  There  must  be  a  war- 
ranty or  representation  that  they  are  sound. 

Plaintiff  continued— On  Saturday,  the  6th  November  last,  he  went  to  the  Winches- 
ter market,  where  he  saw  defendant,  with  whom  for  a  long  period  he  had  been  in 
the  habit  of  dealing.  After  examining  one  lot  of  pigs  at  40s.  a  piece,  defendant 
showed  him  a  second  and  a  third  lot,  the  last  being  composed  of  thirty  animals, 
which  defendant  said  he  would  warrant  to  be  good  sound  animals,  and  such  as  would 
suit  him  (plaintiff)  well.  Defendant  further  said  to  Mr  Sillence,  "  You  have  bought 
a  good  many  pigs  of  me ;  I'll  warrant  that  they  will  suit  you  better  than  any  yoa 


IMPOBTANT  CASE  TO  DEALEES.  221 

htLYB  eyer  bonght  of  me."  Plaintiff  stated  that  he  asked  him  where  he  got  the  pigs 
from,  and  he  replied  that  he  had  them  from  a  farmyard  the  day  before ;  but  this  he 
(plaintiff)  said  he  had  since  ascertained  was  not  correct.  Defendant  asked  23s.  each 
for  the  animals,  and,  relying  upon  what  had  been  stated,  plaintiff  offered  22s.  a  piece 
for  them,  and  the  bargain  was  struck  for  the  thirty  animals.  He  also  bought  some 
pigs  of  a  Mr  Broad  at  the  same  time.  The  pigs  were  driven  to  Mr  Sillence's,  and 
next  morning  his  man  perceived  something  was  the  matter  with  them,  which  he  did 
not  observe  the  night  before,  because  it  was  dark  when  they  arrived.  On  the  follow- 
ing Monday  plaintiff  left  his  home  at  an  early  hour ;  but  his  man  pressed  him  to 
examine  the  pigs,  as  they  were  in  a  very  relaxed  condition,  and  a  serious  nuisance. 
He  saw  them,  and  directed  the  man  to  give  them  beans.  He  was  engaged  much 
during  that  week,  but  saw  them  two  or  three  times,  and  they  appeared  to  iS  very  ill. 
Many  of  them  refused  to  eat,  and  one  died  in  the  course  of  the  week.  Two  more 
died  on  the  following  Tuesday,  and  in  a  few  days  more  fourteen  were  dead,  and 
twenty-three  or  twenty-four  died  in  all.  He  saw  defendant  at  Andover  fair,  on  the 
17th  November ;  told  him  the  state  of  the  animals,  and  he  replied  that  it  was  a  bad 
job ;  he  was  sorry  plaintiff  had  them  ;  but  it  could  not  be  expected  that  he  (plaintiff) 
should  lose  the  money.  Defendant  said  he  would  see  the  party  of  whom  he  had 
bought  the  pigs,  would  meet  plaintiff  at  Winchester  the  next  Saturday,  and  he  would 
then  put  the  matter  right.  He  asked  plaintiff  if  he  had  written  to  Mr  Broad,  who 
"  ought  to  share  in  with  them ;"  and  he  replied  that  he  had  not,  for  he  did  not 
believe  Mr  Broad's  animals  were  diseased  before  they  came  in  contact  with  defend- 
ant's, and  therefore  he  should  not  be  justified  in  doing  so.  The  pigs  he  bought  of 
Mr  Broad  did  not  show  any  signs  of  disease  for  nine  or  ten  days.  On  the  Saturday 
following  he  aga\n  met  defendant  in  the  market  at  Winchester,  when  defendant  said 
— "  Mr  Sillence,  this  is  a  bad  job  for  me ;  I  am  sorry  for  it.  The  other  parties 
won't  allow  a  penny,  but  I  will  give  you  five  pounds  or  five  guineas  to  settle  it." 
Plaintiff  refused  this  offer,  considering  it  as  unreasonable,  as  fourteen  were  then 
dead,  and  fourteen  more  had  been  separated  from  the  rest,  to  see  whether  the  disease 
could  be  arrested  by  so  doing.  Plaintiff  again  saw  Mr  Pothecary  on  a  subsequent 
occasion,  when  he  got  in  a  rage,  accusing  plaintiff  with  annoying  him  by  sending  a 
most  *'  unanimous  "  letter.  He  then  declared  he  would  not  allow  plaintiff  a  farthing 
diunage,  and  told  him  to  do  his  best.    He  had  therefore  brought  this  action. 

In  answer  to  Mr  Bailey,  plaintiff  acknowledged  that  the  pigs  appeared  to  be  sound. 
Those  he  had  bought  of  Mr  Broad  were  mixed  with  those  he  had  from  Mr  Pothecary 
almost  directly.  Some  of  Mr  Broad's  pigs  were  "  killed  to  save  their  lives."  The 
disease  was  very  common  now.  He  bought  forty-five  pigs  altogether  of  defendant 
and  Mr  Broad.  Defendant  did  not  say,  **  Bather  than  this  should  have  happened  I 
would  have  given  £5  ;"  but  what  he  (plaintiff)  had  stated. 

To  his  Honour. — I  relied  upon  defendant's  warranty  when  I  bought  the  pigs,  and 
had  he  not  told  me  they  came  out  of  a  farmyard  the  day  before,  I  would  not  have 
bonght  them. 

To  Mr  Bailey.— Defendant  volunteered  the  statement  that  the  animals  were  sound. 

In  answer  to  the  Judge,  plaintiff  further  stated  that  if  anybody  had  asked  him 
next  day  if  he  had  a  warranty  with  the  pigs,  he  should  have  replied  that  he  had. 

Charles  Street,  in  the  service  of  plaintiff,  was  then  called,  who  proved  the  sad  state 
the  pigs  were  in  when  they  were  brought  home,  and  afterwards. 

His  Honour  expressed  some  surprise  that  a  veterinary  surgeon  had  not  been  called 
in  to  examine  the  animals  after  they  were  dead.  He  might  then  have  given  the 
Court  information  as  to  their  actual  state ;  but  plaintiff  explained  this  by  stating 
that  he  knew,  perhaps,  more  about  the  disease  than  a  veterinary  surgeon  would.  The 
disease  appeared  to  strike  into  the  whole  system,  and  showed  itself  externally  in  the 
skin.  He  thought  it  was  small-pox— just  the  same  disease  as  the  Wiltshire  sheep 
Buffered  from  some  time  since.    There  was  no  cure  for  it. 

Mr  Bailey  (to  Street.)— What  is  this  mysterious  disease  ? 

Street. — 1  call  it  *'  diseased  miirraine." 

His  Honour  inquired  the  total  loss  to  the  plaintiff. 

Mr  Sillence. — I  believe  that  twenty-three  died,  nineteen  were  killed,  and  two  are 
still  living. 

Mr  Hall,  another  farmer,  said  he  bought  twenty-five  pigs,  at  45s.  a  piece,  from 
defendant.  Twenty-three  of  them  died,  some  before  a  week  had  passed.  Others  got 
infected ;  so  that  his  entire  loss  by  the  deal  amounted  to  £150.  He  had  every  reason 
to  believe  that  his  stock  were  all  right  before  he  placed  those  he  bought  of  defendant 
with  them.  He  had  no  warranty  with  them.  It  was  customary  to  say  they  werd  tUl 
right  when  bought. 


222  IMPOBTAKT  CASE  TO  DEALEES. 

Plaintiff. — The  purchase  was  made  by  the  witness  on  the  5th'of  Norember  out  of 
the  same  herd  as  mine. 

Mr  Sillence,  of  Hinton  Ampner,  fanner,  said  he  bought  eighteen  pigs  of  Mr 
Pothecarj  on  the  same  day.  They  had  the  disease.  Three  died,  and  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  others  caught  it  from  the  eighteen  sent  home.  The  whole  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  died,  and  were  worth  15s.  a  piece.  He  was  obliged  to  kill  more 
to  prevent  the  disease  spreading  further.  The  pigs  showed  the  disease  nine  days 
after  the  purchase. 

Mr  Bailey  then  addressed  the  jury  for  the  defence,  and  urged  that  plaintiff,  before 
he  could  have  a  verdict,  must  show  conclusively,  firsts  that  there  was  a  warranty  as 
to  their  soundness ;  and  if  he  succeeded  in  doing  that,  he  must  show,  also,  that  at 
the  very  time  of  the  sale  the  animals  had  in  them  the  seeds  of  that  disease  from 
which  they  afterwards  died.  There  was  nothing  at  all  said  about  a  warranty  to  the 
defendant,  and  it  had  not  even  been  mentioned  in  the  particulars  of  claim.  After 
ably  commenting  upon  the  insufficiency  of  the  evidence  to  prove  these  facts,  he  called 
the  defendant,  Mr  Pothecary,  who  stated  that  he  had  attended  Winchester  market 
for  the  past  fifteen  or  sixteen  years.  On  the  day  he  sold  the  animals  to  plaintiff  he 
brought  in  something  more  than  one  hundred  pigs  in  the  same  lot.  Mr  Lloyd 
Broad  was  present  at  the  time  of  the  purchase.  Plaintiff  did  not  ask  whether  the 
animals  were  sound,  and  he  (defendant)  made  use  of  no  words  warranting  them.  It 
was  not  customary  in  Winchester  market  to  warrant  them.  He  never  did.  On  Satur- 
day, the  12th  November,  plaintiff  asked  him  about  Mr  Broad,  but  made  no  com- 
plaint whatever.  He  saw  him  at  Andover  on  the  following  Thursday,  when  plaintiff 
said  three  of  the  pigs  were  dead.  He  (defendant)  said  he  was  sorry  for  that.  Plain- 
tiff asked  who  he  bought  them  of,  and  he  told  him  of  Mr  Pearce.  He  (defendant) 
said  nothing  about  a  warranty.  On  the  following  Saturday  he  saw  plaintiff  at  Win- 
chester, and  asked  him  about  the  pigs,  when  plaintiff  said  he  knew  how  they  were 
when  they  were  sold.  Defendant  said  that  was  not  correct,  and  afterwards  that  he 
would  sooner  have  given  five  or  ten  pounds  than  anything  should  have  happened. 
On  the  18th  November  he  received  a  letter  asking  him  to  take  away  the  pigs,  sug- 
gesting that  they  should  be  killed,  and  threatening  an  action  for  bringing  (Sseas^ 
animals  for  sale  into  the  market.  He  bought  the  pigs  in  Andover  market.  Plain- 
tiff had  never  alluded  to  a  warranty,  and  as  far  as  he  (defendant)  knew,  the  pigs 
were  sound  at  the  time  of  the  sale.  That  same  day  he  sold  three  lots  to  other  gentle- 
men, who  had  made  no  complaint. 

To  Plaintiff. — He  did  not  say,  "  Write  to  Mr  Broad,  and  let  us  share  the  expenses." 
He  did  not  say  in  Winchester  market  that  the  other  parties  would  not  allow  a  far- 
thing towards  the  expenses.  To  his  knowledge  he  never  had  a  pig  die  on  his  farm 
of  cattle  murraine. 

Mr  Broad,  of  Preston  Candover,  said  he  was  present  during  the  purchase,  and  did 
not  hear  a  word  about  a  warranty,  and  he  believed  he  heard  all  that  was  said. 

Mr  Pearce,  farmer,  near  Andover,  said  he  sold  defendant  some  pigs,  which  he 
believed  to  be  sound.  It  was  not  customaiy  to  warrant  such  animals.  He  believed 
that  the  pigs,  or  at  least  a  portion  of  them,  were  the  same  as  those  sold  by  defendant 
to  Mr  Sillence. 

This  was  the  case,  and  plaintiff  offered  a  few  remarks  to  the  jury  upon  the  evi- 
dence, after  which  his  Honour  summed  up;  and  the  jury  returned  a  verdict  for 
defendant,  upon  the  ground  that  no  warranty  had  been  proved. 


BA.LLANTTNB,  BOBEftTS,  AND  CO.,  PBUTTEBS,  SDIMBUBGH. 


THE  VETEEINAET  REVIEW 


Stathabamxs    ^anxnixL 


OSIOINAL    COMMUNICATIONS   AND    CASES. 


The  Siberian  Bail-Plague,     By  John  Gamgee,  Principal  of  the 
New  Veterinary  College,  Edinburgh. 

Thebk  is  something  so  terrible  in  the  prospect,  however  slender,  of 
an  approaching  plague,  that  any  hint  as  to  the  possibility  of  such  an 
event  creates  the  greatest  alarm.  It  is  strange,  but  true,  that  we 
fear  the  ills  that  threaten  more  than  those  that  directly  afflict  us. 
We  are  not  kept  in  constant  terror  by  the  typhus  and  typhoid  fevers 
which  are  preying  on  useful  lives  here ;  nor  are  we  disposed  to  listen 
to  any  observations  on  the  means  whereby  existing  cattle-plagues 
may  be  exterminated.  The  announcement,  however,  that  the  people 
of  St  Petersburg  are  being  decimated  by  *'  the  black  death,^'  or  that 
the  cattle  of  Podolia  have  the  Eussian  steppe-plague,  may  prove 
quite  sufficient  to  give  rise  to  a  panic,  and  suggest  nimierous  attacks 
on  Government  for  its  remissness  in  collecting  information,  or  in 
encircling  our  islands  with  fancied  shields  capable  of  resisting  any 
deadly  pestilence. 

What  a  commotion  about  nothing  have  we  not  witnessed  during 
the  past  month !  The  death  of  three  fever-stricken  physicians  in 
Dundee  last  year,  the  short  intervals  at  which  no  less  than  seven 
worthy  doctors  have  fallen  victims  to  fever  in  Greenock,  the  steady 
rising  in  the  number  of  cases  of  typhus  in  Glasgow,  London,  and 
other  cities  in  these  isles,  have  produced  no  such  effect  on  the  public 
mind  and  the  legislature  as  the  death  of  two  physicians,  first  reported 
as  forty,  and  a  few  dozen  Eussian  labourers,  in  or  near  St  Peters- 
burg. 

Fortunately  for  us  all,  railroads  and  telegraphic  communication 

are  speedily  correcting  the  state  of  ignorance  in  which  we  have  been 

living,  concerning  the  good  and  the  bad,  which  nature  has  bestowed  on 

mankind  in  various  parts  of  the  world    The  evils  attendant  on  the 

Toi^  L— Ko.  Y.— Nxw  Ssbub.    Mat  1865.  B 


224  THB  SIBERIAN  BOIL-PLAGUE. 

great  diversity  of  tongues  seem  to  be  fast  vanishing,  though  it  must 
be  confessed  that  industrious  men  might,  especially  on  questions 
aflfecting  the  health  of  men  and  animals,  prevent  much  of  the  unne- 
cessary alarm  occasionally  created  by  disseminating  knowledge  con- 
cerning such  events  as  plague-manifestations,  and  preventing  the 
egregious  blunders  recently  committed. 

What  do  we  know  of  Asiatic  diseases?  We  refer  small-pox, 
cholera,  boil-plagues,  cattle-diseases,  &c.,  to  the  East,  but  of  what 
occurs  beyond  the  frontiers  of  European  Eussia  we  know  much  too 
little.  There  are  records  of  great  value,  no  doubt,  in  the  archives  of 
the  government  of  the  Czar;  there  are  pamphlets  and  works  relating 
to  direct  observations  of  the  diseases  of  Siberia  and  Southern  or 
Eastern  Asia,  but  we  know  little  or  nothing  of  them.  We  are 
usually  content  with  referring  certain  epidemics  and  epizootics  to 
broad  uncultivated  plains,  in  the  direction  of  which  we  can  trace 
such  maladies,  and  where  we  believe  they  are  alone  capable  of  spon- 
taneous development. 

The  idea  still  seems  preposterous  to  some  that  true  plagues  are 
never  generated  spontaneously.  They  creep,  however,  from  place  to 
place  until  a  combination  of  circumstances  intensify  the  effects  of 
poisons,  which,  perhaps  for  ages,  have  not  been  allowed  to  die.  The 
small-pox  lymph,  the  virus  of  hydrophobia,  the  pestilential  emana- 
tions from  droves  of  cattle  affected  with  contagious  typhoid,  or  the 
killing  breath  of  oxen  suffering  from  pleuropneumonia,  do  not  owe 
their  origin  to  local  and  accidental  influences,  but  to  that  same 
system  of  propagation  which  nature  has  ordained  for  the  multiplica- 
tion of  animals  and  plants.  It  is  strange,  but  certain,  that  an  unde- 
viating  process  of  generation  is  as  prolific  in  perpetuating  certain 
plagues  as  it  is  in  peopling  the  globe.  It  is  clearly  the  duty  of  men 
of  science  to  devote  very  special  attention  to  the  maladies  which  are 
propagated  without  regard  to  conditions  of  soil  or  climate,  and  to 
distinguish  these,  which  I  call  true  plagues,  from  diseases  constantly 
developing,  owing  to  inborn  tendencies,  in  men  or  animals,  or  to  the 
operation  of  such  causes  as  heat  and  cold,  drought  or  deluge,  dirt  or 
famine. 

Throughout  the  known  world,  certain  maladies,  capable  of  sud- 
denly affecting  and  destrojring  a  large  number  of  animals  or  plants, 
undoubtedly  arise,  from  circumstances  not  altogether  foreign  to  the 
parts  where  the  diseases  appear.  Indeed,  I  know  of  no  country  where 
a  certain  degree  of  cold  or  heat,  rain  or  snow,  may  not  directly  induce 
a  somewhat  remarkable  mortality  amongst  men  or  animals.  Civili- 
sation has  been  tending,  though  slowly,  to  the  diminution  of  pure  en- 
demic and  enzootic  disprders,  inasmuch  as  natural  influences  are 
counteracted  by  artificial  conditions  ;  and,  the  hot  summer,  which  on 
some  ill-drained  lands  would  really  have  bred,  what  some  might  call 
a  plague  amongst  men  and  animals,  has  now  no  effect  on  the  same 
lands  well-drained,  where  the  soil  is  ploughed  deeply  and  regularly, 


THE  SIBERIAN  BOIL-PLAGUE.  22 T 

and  abundant  crops  are  reared  with  the  aid  of  artificial  manures. 
There  are  ague-stricken  countries  and  broad  fens,  where  malignant 
boils  destroy  human  beings,  or  any  warm-blooded  animals,  so  soon 
as  the  summer  heat  is  sufficiently  intense;  and  shepherds  migrate 
with  their  flocks  from  unhealthy  plains,  to  mountain  pastures,  in 
order  to  escape  a  certain  death.  We  need  only  visit  the  garden  of 
Europe,  the  Apennines,  and  the  Sicilian  valleys,  to  test  the  truth  of 
these  remarks.  Such  examples  of  disease-generating  districts  are 
numerous,  but  from  their  usual  isolation,  and  the  conditions  under 
which  the  people  of  these  times  exist,  we  have  no  such  appalling 
results  as  those  which  furnished  thrUling  themes,  on  which  the  clas- 
sical writers  of  old  dilated  with  so  much  effect. 

No  well-informed  person  can  doubt  that  the  contagious  pestilences 
of  men  and  animals,  of  the  majority  of  which  we  have  only  tradi- 
tional accounts,  belong  to  the  ever-recurring  pustular  plagues,  repre- 
sented now-a-days  by  the  milder  and  localised  outbreaks  of  malignant 
anthrax,  malignant  pustule,  milzbrand,  &c.,  which  have  lost  all  their 
terrible  features,  especially  in  our  healthy  islands.  Wild  animals,  as 
well  as  domestic,  fell  victims  to  infection,  in  former  times,  and  still 
succumb  where  boil-plagues  prevail.  It  is,  indeed,  an  error  to  ima- 
gine that  domesticity  and  civilisation  breed  disease.  I  am  strongly 
disposed  to  believe  the  very  reverse.  Maladies  of  a  peculiar  kind 
appear ;  but,  on  the  whole,  the  terrible  devastations,  even  of  the  18th 
century,  exceeded  in  virulence  and  numerical  results  anything  that 
has  been  witnessed  since  1800.  As  man  advances  in  knowledge 
and  wealth,  cultivating  the  soil  that  it  may  yield  its  utmost,  and 
engaging  in  commerce  or  intellectual  pursuits,  he  is  certainly  less 
liable  to  such  plagues  ;  and  the  annihilations  which  we  are  told 
awakened  new  life — the  extraordinary  "  alternations  of  life  and 
death,"  of  times  gone  by — operate  now  on  very  limited  areas  of  the 
earth's  surface. 

Hecker*  says : — "Were  it  in  any  degree  within  the  power  of  human 
research  to  draw  up,  in  a  vivid  and  connected  form,  a  historical 
sketch  of  such  mighty  events,  after  the  manner  of  the  historians  of 
wars  and  battles,  and  the  migrations  of  nations,  we  might  then  arrive 
at  clear  views  vrith  respect  to  the  mental  development  of  the  human 
race,  and  the  ways  of  Providence  would  be  more  plainly  discemibla 
It  would  then  be  demonstrable,  that  the  mind  of  nations  is  deeply 
affected  by  the  destructive  conflict  of  the  powers  of  nature,  and  that 
great  disasters  lead  to  striking  changes  in  general  civilisation.  For 
all  that  exists  in  man,  whether  good  or  evil,  is  rendered  conspicuous 
by  the  presence  of  great  danger." 

For  the  history  of  plagues  to  be  written,  as  Hecker  desires,  we 
need  information  which  has  been  lost.    Yet  much  remains  to  demon- 


*  The  Epidemics  of  the  Middle  Ages,  from  the  Gennan,  by  Dr  Hecker.  Tranfilated 
hj  B.  G.  Babington,  M.D.,  F.R.S.    London :  Trubner  &  Co.    1859. 


226  THE  SIBERIAN  BOIL-PLAQUE. 

strate  that  the  beneficent  object  of  nature,  even  in  the  production  and 
dissemination  of  plagues,  has  been  to  make  men  better  and  wiser  than 
they  were.  Industry  has  done  much  for  longevity  in  man,  and  there 
are  records  of  noble  victories  gained  by  man's  intellect  over  the  de- 
structive influences  which  must,  no  doubt,  have  been  destined  for  our 
ultimate  good.  Jenner  taught  us  how  to  annihilate  small-pox  in  man, 
and  a  thorough  study  of  the  history,  geographical  distribution,  and 
progress  of  every  other  plague,  will  enable  us  to  circumscribe  out- 
breaks of  diseases  still  dreaded  by  Europeans.  The  terror  of  unex- 
pected death,  by  the  loathsome  diseases  of  old,  is  now  rare  and  fleeting. 
The  day  must  arrive,  when  all  cause  of  fear  will  be  effectually  and 
satisfactorily  removed  ;  and  my  object  is  to  show  that,  had  we  been  at 
all  informed  on  the  subject  of  the  Siberian  boil-plague,  the  early  tele- 
grams from  Berlin,  announcing  the  appearance  of  that  disease,  would 
not  have  produced  the  effect  they  did. 

Synonyms  and  Definition, — Jaswo,  Mohmo,  Naguptan  by  the 
Tartars,  Morowaja,  Jaswa,  Schelwaki,  or  boils,  Wetrenitza,  Powetrie, 
Wosduschnaja  Bolesu;  these  are  the  local  Siberian  and  Bussian 
names.*  In  German  it  has  been  called  Sibirische  Pest,  Sibirische 
Seuche ;  Beulen  Seuche,  Pestblatter,  Wind  oder,  Luf tseuche,  Schwarze 
Erankheit,  Brandheulen,  and  Haupt  says  that  the  best  name  would  be 
Sibirische  Milzbrand. 

The  Siberian  boil-plague  is  a  contagious  disease,  said  to  be  capable 
of  spontaneous  development  during  the  hottest  months  of  the  year, 
in  man  and  in  the  horse  ;  it  has  been  traced  to  Eastern  and  South- 
eastern Asia,  from  whence  it  spreads  usually  in  a  westward  direction, 
attacking  most  of  the  provinces  of  European  Kussia,  where  it  also 
not  unfrequently  occurs  as  an  endemic,  but  as  a  rule  never  extend- 
ing beyond  the  Eussian  dominions.  It  is  characterised  in  man  by 
painful  gangrenous  boils,  which  form  on  any  part  of  the  body,  and 
give  rise  to  a  fever  of  a  malignant  tjrpe,  of  which  the  leading  symp- 
toms are  difficult  breathing,  sense  of  great  weight  on  the  chest,  fre- 
quent and  filtering  pulse,  dizziness,  or  fainting,  nausea,  vomiting, 
constipation  followed  by  diarrhoea,  convulsions,  and  death.  It  pre- 
sents itself  in  the  form  of  a  relapsing  as  well  as  a  continued 
fever.  Though  some  observers  speak  of  the  Siberian  plague  as 
affecting  cattle,  sheep,  swine,  and  other  animals,  it  is  asserted  by 
authentic  writers  that  it  differs  from  ordinary  anthrax  in  attacking 
men  and  horses  alone,  and  not  being  readily  communicable  from  the 
one  to  the  other.  Homed  cattle  are  occasionally  attacked  with  a 
disease  very  similar  to  the  boil-plague  when  this  disease  is  raging, 
and  probably  the  bovine  species  must  be  included  in  the  list  of  crea- 
tures subject  to  this  fearful  disease. 

GeographicaWistribuHon, — The  Siberian  boil-plague  owes  its  usual 

*  Haupt  Ueber  einige  Seuchenkrankheiten  der  Haosthiere  in  Sibirien. — ^Yon 
Wilhelm  Haupt,  BerlixL    1845. 


THE  SIBEEIAN  BOIL-PLAGUE.  227 

name  to  the  fact  that  Gmelin  first  reported  on  it  as  observed  by  him 
between  the  years  1 733  and  1743,  in  Western  Siberia.  It  appears  to 
have  been  originally  imported  from  Mantchooria  in  Eastern  Asia,  hav- 
ing been  traced  to  the  neighbourhood  of  the  river  SoongarL  It  first 
penetrated  South-western  Siberia,  and  found  its  way  through  the 
Kirghiz  steppe  to  the  shores  of  the  Caspian,  the  plains  around  the 
Ural  Mountains,  and  some  of  the  wellrwatered  lands  around  the  Wolga. 
We  have  no  record  of  the  Siberian  boil-plague  prior  to  1 700,  and  it 
was  believed  by  Gmelin  and  others  not  to  be  an  old  disease  when 
first  described  in  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century.  It  is 
diflScult  to  say  if  it  be  the  representative  of  the  terrible  oriental 
plague  of  five  hundred  years  back,  shorn,  however,  of  its  worst 
features.  It  is  somewhat  strange  that  the  first  accounts  of  the  black 
death  are  found  in  the  East,  though  little  was  heard  of  it  until  its 
appearance  in  Western  Asia.  It  has  been  supposed  to  have  begun  in 
China.  "  From  China,  the  route  of  the  caravans  lay  to  the  north  of 
the  Caspian  Sea,  through  Central  Asia  to  Tauris.  Here  ships  were 
ready  to  take  the  produce  of  the  East  to  Constantinople,  the  capital 
of  commerce,  and  the  medium  of  connexion  between  Asia,  Europe, 
and  Africa.  Other  caravans  went  from  India  to  Asia  Minor,  and 
touched  at  the  citieys  south  of  the  Caspian  Sea ;  and  lastly,  from 
Bagdad,  through  Arabia  to  Egypt ;  also  the  maritime  communication 
on  the  Bed  Sea,  from  India  to  Arabia  and  Egypt,  was  not  inconsi- 
derable. In  all  these  directions  contagion  made  its  way ;  and  doubt- 
less Constantinople  and  the  harbours  of  Asia  Minor  are  to  be  regarded 
as  the  foci  of  infection,  whence  it  radiated  to  the  most  distant  sea- 
ports and  islands."  * 

The  black  death  of  the  fourteenth  century  not  only  invaded  the 
Mediterranean  islands  and  seaports  in  all  directions,  but  it  spread 
over  the  European  continent,  and  what  is  most  remarkable,  did 
not  make  its  appearance  in  Eussia  ''until  1351,  more  than  three 
years  after  it  had  broken  out  in  Constantinople.  Instead  of  ad- 
vancing in  a  north-westerly  direction  from  Tauris  and  from  the 
Caspian  Sea,  it  had  thus  made  the  great  circuit  of  the  Black  Sea,  by 
way  of  Constantinople,  Southern  and  Central  Europe,  England,  the 
northern  kingdoms,  and  Poland,  before  it  reached  the  Eussian  terri- 
tories ;  a  phenomenon  which  has  not  again  occurred  with  respect  to 
more  recent  pestilences  originating  in  Asia''  "(• 

Whatever  there  may  be  of  similarity  between  the  great  mortality 
of  old,  and  the  Siberian  boil-plague  of  modem  times,  consists  perhaps 
more  in  simple  geographical  distribution  than  essential  patholo- 
gical characters  ;  and  Hecker  specially  refers  to  the  spitting  of  blood, 
the  infallible  diagnostic  of  the  black  death,  as  not  occurring  in  the 
milder  *•  indigenous  plague,"  which  no  doubt  often  was  an  anthracoid 
afiection,  such  as  the  one  so  often  witnessed  in  Eussia.     It  is  cer- 

*  Hecker,  loc.  cit.  t  Idem. 


228  THE  SIBERIAN  BOIL-PLAGUE. 

taiiily  remarkable,  that  so  far  as  we  are  at  present  informed,  the 
Siberian  boil-plague,  or  the  true  black  death,  owes  its  origin  to 
thinly-peopled  regions  in  Eastern  Asia,  where  rivers  overflow,  tem- 
pests are  not  uncommon,  terrestrial  commotions  prevail,  a  rank  vege- 
tation and  organic  debris  putrify  under  the  influence  of  excessive 
heat,  and  the  soil  seems,  if  we  are  to  judge  from  results,  occasionally 
to  vomit  forth  pestilential  miasmata  which  give  rise  to  plagues  of  a 
highly  communicable  type. 

It  is  somewhat  difficult  to  understand  that  a  disease,  originally  in- 
troduced as  a  purely  imported  plague,  should  remain  for  ever  after  an 
endemic  or  enzootic  in  the  Eussian  dominions.  We  certainly  have 
instances  of  maladies  kept  up  by  the  original  cause — contagion — 
which  led  to  their  introduction  in  any  new  land,  as  with  the  con- 
tagiouS\  bovine  pleuropneumonia,  of  our  own  country,  America,  the 
Australian  colonies,  &c. ;  but  there,  more  or  less,  the  malady  always 
prevails — it  does  not  die  out  and  recur.  It  is  said  of  the  Siberian 
boil-plague  that  it  breaks  out  suddenly  in  June  or  July,  and  ceases 
in  August,  very  rarely  victimising  animals  or  men  later  on  in  the 
autumn,  and  never  in  winter  or  early  spring.  This  would  certainly 
point  to  the  malady  being,  and  perhaps  having  always  been,  endemic 
or  enzootic  in  Eussia,  though  severe  outbreaks  might  be  aggravated 
by  extensions  of  the  same  contagion  from  very  unhealthy  parts  of 
Asia  beyond  the  Eussian  frontiers. 

Haupt  tells  us  that  the  portions  of  the  Eussian  dominions,  and 
especially  of  Siberia,  where  the  disease  appears  most  rife,  are  from 
Yameshevsk  to  Omsk  on  the  Irtish  and  Kirghiz  line,  on  the  borders 
of  the  Irtish  up  to  Yara,  spreading  somewhat  westward,  and  extend- 
ing up  between  the  Ural  Mountains  and  the  Eiver  Obi,  thus  approach- 
ing the  Arctic  Ocean.  The  whole  of  the  Tobolsk  government  is  more 
or  less  infested  with  it.  Much  less  so  do  we  find  it,  though  it  is  still 
endemic,  in  the  vicinity  of  Irkutsk  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Baikal. 
To  a  certain  extent,  it  occurs  almost  every  summer  amongst  the 
Christian  villages  and  settlements  from  Udinsk,  Jerginsk,  along 
the  borders  of  the  Eiver  Seleuga,  across  the  Altaian  Mountains,  to  the 
Kirghiz  Steppes.  Dr  Meyer,  who  travelled  through  thggfe-' steppes  in 
1826,  asserts  that  the  boil-plaigue  attacks  animals,  and  rairely  men,  in 
their  western  portion  more  than  the  eastern. 

There  are  not  a  few  high-lying  hilly  districts  and  table-lands  where 
the  malady  has  never  or  very  rarely  been  seen.  Haupt,  Ledejbour, 
Meyer,  Pallas,  Georgi,  and  others  refer  to  such  healthy  parts,  where 
men  nor  animals  have  never  been  afiected  with  the  disease.  From 
the  descriptions  given  of  these  places,  some  aslfigh  as  2346  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  sea,  surrounded  by  mountains  of  which  not  a  few  are 
covered  with  everlasting  snow,  it  is  possible  that  their  healthiness, 
or  rather  freedom  from  the  Siberian  boil-plague,  may  depend  on 
distance  from  through  routes,  along  which  contagious  disorders 
specially  spread.  Anthracic  diseases  of  a  purely  endemic  character 
are  by  no  means  rare  in  mountain  regions,  though  contagious  diseases 


THE  SIBERIAN  BOIL-PLAGUE.  .  229 

spread'  slowly  wherever  great  obstacles  to  communication  amongst 
men  and  animals  are  met  at  every  step. 

It  is  certainly  singular  that  so  interesting  and  destructive  a  malady 
as  the  one  under  consideration  should  have  claimed  the  attention  of 
the  learned  to  so  slight  an  extent,  that  no  satisfactory  histoiy  of  its 
individual  outbreaks  has  been  written. 

Steller  first  observed  the  boil-plague  in  Tobolsk  in  1738,  when  it 
aflfected  horses,  cattle,  and  men.  The  elder  Gmelin*  mentions  that 
the  malady  prevailed  at  Tara  in  1741,  but  it  spared  men  and  attacked 
the  horses.  In  1757  the  summer  heat  suddenly  attained  a  very 
high  degree,  and  in  the  Dorpat  district  alone,  Fisscherf  says  that 
1500  horses  died  of  the  boil-plague.  The  mortality  suddenly  ceased 
with  the  occurrence  of  a  shower.  HaartmannJ  states  that  an  in- 
credible number  of  horses  died  at  the  same  time  in  Finland ;  human 
beings  died,  and  some  oxen  were  also  seized. 

In  1772,  Georgi§  saw  the  malady  in  Eastern  Asia,  in  the  district  of 
Dauria,  on  the  banks  of  the  river  Argun,  and  in  the  Nertchinsk 
Steppes,  where  it  destroyed  half  the  horses  of  these  regions,  sparing 
those  of  the  native  and  heathen  population,  but  attacking  fiercely 
those  of  the  Christian  settlers.  Heusinger  quotes  Falk*s  remarks  || 
made  after  his  journeys  in  Siberia  from  17()8  to  1 773.  Falk  says  : — 
"  It  is  common  over  the  whole  of  Southern  Siberia,  from  the  Ural 
Mountains  to  the  Chinese  frontiers,  and  especially  on  the  Irtish  and 
its  tributaries;  nevertheless,  it  does  not  appear  to  be  altogether 
peculiar  to  Siberia,  as  here  and  there  in  the  writings  of  physicians 
cases  of  disease  are  to  be  found  described,  the  appearances  of  which 
present  the  greatest  resemblance  to  the  boil-plague.  In  Siberia  it 
breaks  out  every  year — sometimes  here,  sometimes  there — often  in 
several  places ;  but  it  has  not  been  observed  to  become  quite  general 
over  the  country." 

At  this  period  Pallas  was  also  travelling,  and  alluded  to  the  pre- 
valence of  the  disease  on  the  Soongarian  Steppe,  along  the  Siberian 
frontier  to  the  Wolga,  where  it  was  less  common  than  in  the  easterly 
districts.  He  does  not  mention  it  as  occurring  in  Eastern  Siberia, 
but  alludes  to  sad  devastations  by  the  disease  amongst  the  good  horses 
of  the  people  in  the  broad  district  watered  by  the  river  Iset.  Hablizl, 
one  of  Pallas's  contemporaries,  alludes  to  the  disease  as  specially  rife 
after  floods.  A  staff-surgeon  about  the  same  period  reports  on  the 
disease  as  occurring  annually  amongst  human  beings,  from  the  Cas- 
pian Sea  along  the  border  of  the  Terk. 

Professor  Uden,  who,  according  to  Heusinger,  justly  includes  the 


♦  Gmelin  J.  Q.,  Reise  durch  Sibirien.    Gottingen,  1752. 

t  Liefl.  landwb.  p.  447.  T  Abhandlungen,  d.  Ednig.  Schired.  Akad.  vol.  zz. 

§  Georgi  J.  G.  Bemerk,  auf  einer  reise  ixn  Russichen  Reiche.    Petersburg,  1775. 
II  Falk  J.  P.  Bertriige  zur  topographischen  Kenntniss  der  Eussichen   Reichs. 
Peienburg,  1785. 


230  THB  SIBERIAN  BOIL-PLAGUE. 

Siberian  boil-plague  in  the  general  history  of  anthrax  outbreaks, 
speaks  of  the  disease  as  prevalent  over  a  very  wide  extent  of  country 
in  European  and  Asiatic  Eussia,  and  as  having  killed  many  horses, 
cattle,  sheep,  pigs,  and  men. 

Haupt  speaks  from  personal  inquiries  and  observations  for  a  period 
extending  from  1810  to  1823,  and  alludes  to  the  fact  that  in  Eastern 
Siberia,  due  north  of  the  supposed  original  seat  of  the  malady,  it  had 
not  been  known  more  than  from  thirty  to  sixty  years.  The  disease 
seems  to  have  been  very  fatal,  especially, on  its  first  appearance,  at  each 
outbreak,  from  the  year  1780  to  1800,  but  always  less  so  in  East  than 
West  Siberia.  During  the  period  of  Haupt's  observations  the  attacks 
over  the  country  seem  to  have  been  more  restricted  and  milder  than 
before.  Probably  the  ravages  of  the  disorder  had  been  mitigated  by 
better  treatment,  for  the  renowned  traveller  Adolph  Ermann,*  whose 
journeys  through  Eussia  commenced  in  1828,  says,  after  referring  to 
the  tormenting  flies  and  gnats  of  the  swamps  of  Asiatic  Eussia : — 
"  It  is  in  the  hot  season,  too,  that  that  terror  of  natives  and  visitors, 
the  Siberian  plague  (Sibirskaya  yazva,  as  it  is  called)  prevails.  This 
malady  is  known  to  cut  off  frequently  both  men  and  cattle  in  the 
course  of  a  few  days.  It  is,  however,  much  less  feared  now  than  for- 
merly, as  it  has  been  found  that  puncturation  with  a  needle  upon  the 
exposed  parts  of  the  person  will,  if  promptly  resorted  to,  always  pre- 
vent the  extension  of  the  irritation  and  swelling  which  invariably 
accompany  the  progress  of  the  disease. 

I  can  add  little  to  the  above  facts,  relating  to  the  history,  of  the 
disorder.  It  is  singular  how  few  have  referred  to  special  outbreaks, 
and  the  most  recent  notice  alluded  to  by  that  most  indefatigable 
compiler,  Heusinger,  in  his  work  published  so  late  as  1850,  is  that  of 
Gebler,  who  speaks  of  the  disease  as  very  prevalent  in  1829,  at  Bar- 
naul, in  the  government  of  Yomsk.  The  summer  was  rather  dry  and 
cool  than  hot,  and  the  Siberian  carbuncle  began  in  the  middle  of 
July.  Gebler  compared  it  to  the  Hungarian  anthrax  (Schwarze 
blatter,)  or  the  Swedish  furia  infemalis  (Skott-sjukam,)  and  speaks  of 
it  as  more  severe  than  he  had  seen  it  previously.  It  is  certain  that 
the  disorder  has  continued  to  appear  yearly  up  to  the  present  time, 
but  invariably  during  the  summer,  and  not  attracting  any  special 
attention,  from  the  usual  character  of  its  manifestations.  Professor 
Unterberger,  of  Dorpat,  spoke  to  me  about  it  in  1863,  and  referred  to 
it  as  one  of  the  endemic  plagues  of  Eussia. 

Causes  of  the  Disease. — So  far  as  we  can  learn,  the  malady  has 
been  traced  invariably  to  the  oppressive  heat  of  summer.  The  mean 
temperature  in  July  at  Yakutsh  is  68°8  Fahr. ;  but  this  is  much  ex- 
ceeded in  some  parts,  and  at  the  same  time  the  night  temperature  is 
very  low.  There  are  usually  very  sudden  changes  from  cold  to  heat 
when  the  Siberian  boil-plague  manifests  itself,  whilst,  on  the  other 

*  Travels  in  Siberia,  by  Adolph  Ermann.  Translated  by  William  Desborongh 
Cooley.    London,  1848. 


THE  SIBERIAN  BOIL-PLAGUE.  231 

hand,  it  disappears  rapidly  if  the  temperature  lowers  speedily,  or  as 
the  autumn  sets  in.  Most  observers  admit,  that  outbreaks  usually 
begin  and  cease  in  the  months  of  May,  June,  July,  and  August,  and 
the  last  two  are  probably  the  worst  months  for  the  disease.  It  has 
been  known  to  break  out  suddenly  in  August  and  to  cease  in  three 
weeks,  committing  sad  havoc,  so  long  as  the  heat  was  suflScient  to 
induce  it 

There  are  many  records  which  tend  to  confirm  Hablitzl's  view,  that 
inundations  are  prolific  in  causing  outbreaks  of  the  Siberian  boil- 
plague.  Rather  unlike  the  contagious  typhoid  of  the  ox  so  prevalent 
in  the  Russian  steppes,  it  is  to  be  met  with  more  in  well-watered 
plains,  free  from  the  vast  accumulations  of  brine,  so  common  in  the 
Russian  dominions.  The  most  remarkable  and  fertilising  rivers  of 
Siberia,  or  even  of  European  Russia,  as  well  as  the  inland  seas,  seem 
to  saturate  the  soil  periodically  with  superabundant  moisture,  favour- 
able when  a  certain  degree  of  heat  occurs  to  the  development  of  the 
Yaswa.  The  spring  floods,  when  the  snow  and  ice  melts,  heavy  falls 
of  dew  in  summer,  &c.,  are  often  followed  by  the  development  of  the 
disease. 

It  is  common,  therefore,  on  the  rich  and  broad  meadow  lands,  which 
are  here  and  there  disposed  to  be  swampy,  or  on  the  wide  plains 
through  which  rivers  flow,  which  are  often  nearly  dry  in  summer, 
where  waters  fit  for  the  use  of  men  and  animals  is  only  to  be  had  on 
the  surface  in  spring,  though  at  any  spot  the  soil,  which  is  hard  and 
dry,  may  be  tapped  with  effect,  and  wells  of  this  description  have  to 
be  constantly  bored. 

Although  the  Siberian  boil-plague  occurs  annually  to  a  greater  or 
less  extent,  all  observers  have  noticed  the  recurrence  of  severe  and 
wide-spread  outbreaks  at  intervals  varying  from  ten  to  fifteen  years. 
As  many  natural  phenomena  manifest  a  very  remarkable  periodicity, 
so  do  we  recognise  in  disease  a  tendency  to  follow  a  similar  law. 
This  cannot  be  easily  understood  with  regard  to  purely  contagious 
diseases,  and  there  is  much  need  for  very  careful  investigation  into  all 
circumstances  which  lead  to  the  unusual  development  every  now  and 
then  of  the  essentially  contagious  affections.  With  regard,  however, 
to  anthrax  and  the  anthracoid  maladies,  including  the  Siberian  boQ- 
plague,  we  can  readily  understand  the  connexion  between  their  un- 
usual development  and  their  atmospheric  vicissitudes  or  other  so- 
called  *'  cosmical  phenomena,"  which  operate  so  largely  in  inducing 
or  preventing  such  diseases. 

Genelin,  Haupt,  and  others,  have  noticed  that  during  any  special 
outbreak,  there  are  days  and  weeks  of  greater  mortality  than  others. 
Some  days  or  weeks  of  serious  illness  are  followed  by  brief  healthy 
periods,  and  an  aggravation  of  the  disorder  again  occurs.  It  is  al- 
ways most  fatal  at  the  commencement  of  an  outbreak,  and  the  fever 
becomes  less  severe.  We  now  know  that  the  simplest  sporadic 
affections  manifest  the  most  interesting  periodicity  with  reference  even 


232  THE  SIBEKIAN  BOIL-PLAGUE. 

to  remissions  and  exacerbations.   The  same  applies  especially  to  fevers 
and  the  various  plagues. 

,    Haupt  asserts  that  the  Siberian  plague  is  most  to  be  feared  when  , 
the  atmosphere  is  still,  or. during  the  prevalence  of  south  and.westerly 
winds.     North  and  east  winds  are  against  its  appearance,  as  also  cold 
and  wet  weather. 

In  man,  age  and  sex  affect  the  development  and  severity  of  the 
disease.  Males  suffer  more  than  females.  Females  experience  less 
pain  and  recover  more  readily  when  attacked.  Some  say  it  never  at- 
tacks children,  whereas  others  assert  that  rare  instances  have  occurred 
in  early  life,  but  the  disease  was  mild  and  not  fatal  There  is  but  a 
slight  disposition  to  attacks  up  to  the  age  of  twenty ;  from  twenty  to 
forty  it  is  common  ;  it  becomes  rare  in  people  above  forty,  though  it 
is  very  deadly  when  it  attacks  the  old  and  infirm. 

The  malady  usually  commences  among  the  lower  classes,  and  there 
is  no  reason  to  doubt  that  the  causes  capable  of  inducing  ordinary 
relapsing  or  famine-fever,  have  often  combined  to  aggravate  the 
genuine  Siberian  or  Asiatic  boil-plague.  When  the  disease  appears, 
however,  the  wealthy  succumb,  and  there  are  many  Siberian  towns 
where  peiteons  of  distinction,  male  and  female,  have  died  of  the 
disease. 

I  have  now  to  consider  that  most  important  question,  the  contagi- 
ous character  of  the  disease  and  the  relations  existing  between  these, 
in  men  and  animals. ' 

As  with  anthrax  and  all  allied  disease,  it  has  been  supposed  that 
the  poison  capable  of  producing  the  boil-plague  is  transmitted  from 
place  to  place  by  flies  and  insects.  Acting  on  this  belief  the  Siberians 
have  been  known  to  set  fire  to  a  house  in  which  there  was  lying  the 
dead  body  of  a  man,  the  first  afflicted  in  a  village,  and  who  was  sup- 
posed to  have  been  contaminated  by  a  sting.  The  face,  scalp,  and 
neck  are  so  often  the  seats  of  the  boils,  and,  indeed,  so  much  more 
frequently  than  other  parts  of  the  body,  that  there  appears  to  be 
almost  as  much  foundation  for  this  belief  in  relation  to  the  boil- 
plague  as  to  the  ordinary  malignant  pustule.  Whereas,  however, 
there  is  a  general  unanimity. of  opinion  regarding  the  invariable  de- 
pendence of  malignant  pustule  on  communication  from  the  lower 
animals,  there  is  almost  as  decided  a  concurrence  of  statements  with 
reference  to  the  spontaneous  and  independent  development  of  the 
Siberian  boil-plague  in  man. 

Animals  Affected  with  the  Disease. — ^Very  precise  information  has 
been  published  regarding  the  manner  and  extent  to  which  horses  are 
affected,  and  no  doubt  many  outbreaks  are  almost  entirely  confined 
to  the  equine  species.  Haupt  is  very  distinct  in  his  remarks  on  the' 
almost  complete  immunity  enjoyed  by  other  animals  during  even 
severe  manifestations  of  the  Siberian  boil-plague,  and  he  has  pub- 
lished information  as  to  the  number  of  horses  attacked  at  stated 
periods.     Thus,  the  chief  of  the  Tobolsk  government  published  a 


THE  SIBEBIAN  BOIL-PLAGUE. 


233 


list  relating  to  an  outbreak  in  the  summer  of  1822,  before  the  1st  of 
July,  when  the  number  of  horses  aflfected  is  represented  as  follows : — 


YilUges. 

No.  of  horses  kept. 

No.  dead. 

No.  stlU  ill  on  the  1st  of  July. 

Sutchewa,   

83 
17 

156 

36 
62 
27 
65 
78 
25 
88 
20 
146 

29 

45 
50 
15 
25 
23 
20 

85 
9 

2 

1 

1 

1  • 
8 
8 
1 
1 
.      4 
12 

6 

5 
1 

1 

2 

1 

7 

(  These    two    cases    oc- 
—  i     curred   on  the  17th 
(     to  24th  June. 

Occurred  on  the  24th 
f            of  June. 

f          Occurred  on  the  25th 
I             of  June. 

1 

o  1  After  the  Ist  July,  9 

^  j      taken  iU  and  6  dead. 

4 

2 

1 

Adbaachak, 

Owsanikowa, 

Rusanowa,      

Germakowa,  

Kopotulowa,  

Domaschnfya, 

Siinkowa,    

Burlakowa, 

Malkowa,    

Jurti  Ji  Statzkia, 

Bascbajewa,    ...... 

Druswanka,    

Kaliki,    

Bertschustny, 

Schorukowa,  

Zarewskaja, 

Besrukowa, 

No.  of  Tillages,.  19 

950 

94 

18 

About  10  per  cent,  therefore,  of  the  entire  number  of  horses  died  of 
this  one  disease  alone.  It  is  also  reported  that  in  1818,  in  the  district 
of  Jalutrovosk,  360  horses  died  out  of  80,000  in  the  months  of  June 
and  July.  During  the  same  months  in  1821,  in  the  town  of  Tobolsk, 
100  horses  fell  ill  out  of  a  total  of  1000,  and  30  died. 

Heusinger  states  that  Steller,  one  of  the  oldest  observers,  spoke  of 
the  disease  beginning  amongst  horses,  and  the  most  recent  writer, 
Pobrowsky,  also  assures  us  that  horses  are  first  seized. 

The  fact  that  horses  are  affected  more  than  men  has  been  attri- 
buted to  human  beings  experiencing  some  protection  from  their 
houses;  horses  that  are  constantly  in  the  open  air,  grazing,  &c.,  being 
specially  sieized  in  many  districts. 

Horned  cattle  are  not  very  liable  to  the  disease.  In  1818  only  15 
cows  died  out  of  55,000,  whilst  the  disease  was  raging  amongst  horses. 
In  the  outbreak  of  1822  in  one  district  only  2  cows  out  of  67  were 
affected,  and  in  another  district  4  cows  were  seized.  Gmelin,  Falk, 
and  Ledebour  assert  positively  that  cattle  are  rarely  affected,  and 
Haupt  trusts  to  his  personal  experiences  in  declaring  that  repeated 
cases  of  the  disease  in  any  animals  besides  horses  are  apt  to  be  cases 
of  other  affections,  raging  at  the  time  that  the  boil-plague  is  raging, 
but  distinct  from  this  malady.  He  specially  indicates  that  where  he 
observed  the  disease,  that  there  were  many  more  animals  of  other 
kinds  than  horses,  but  he  never  met  with  the  disease  except  in  the 
latter. 


234}  STEANGULATED  INGUINAL  HERNIA  AND 

All  agree  that  sheep  are  rarely  attacked,  and  pigs  have  very  rarely 
been  referred  to  in  connexion  with  the  subject.  Camels  and  goats 
have  been  reported  as  subject  to  it  in  rare  instances. 

Of  the  wild  animals  special  notice  has  been  takea  of  an  outbreak 
amongst  the  dziggetais  of  the  steppes,  which  are  said  by  Wlassof  to 
have  been  the  first  affected  in  1779,  and  after  them  horses  and  even 
cattle  were  seized.  Wrangell  alludes  to  reindeer  being  affected  at 
the  same  time  that  the  boil-plague  has  been  raging  amongst  men. 

From  all  this  we  learn  that,  however  similar  the  causes  induc- 
ing the  Siberian  boil-plague  may  be  to  those  giving  rise  to  ordinary 
anthrax,  there  is  an  essential  difference  between  the  susceptibilities  of 
different  animals  in  relation  to  the  two  maladies.  Anthrax  origi- 
nates principally  in  cattle,  sheep,  and  pigs,  and  communicated  by 
them  to  human  beings.  Horses  are  not  so  often  affected  as  rumi- 
nants. The  Siberian  boil-plague  is  said  to  occur  principally  in  men 
from  causes  apart  from  contagion  ;  and,  indeed,  rarely  have  instances 
of  communications  from  the  equine  species  been  noticed.  Horses 
are  principally  affected,  and  independently  of  other  quadrupeds :  a 
clear  distinction  seems  therefore  to  be  established  between  ordinary 
anthrax  and  the  Siberian  plague. 

(To  be  continued.) 


Strangulated  Inguinal  Hernia  and  Rupture  of  the  Stomach  in  a 
Horse.    By  G.  Armatage,  V.S.  to  Eight  Hon.  the  Earl  Vane. 

I  AM  indebted  to  Mr  A.  Maun,  sen.,  Lambton,  for  the  morbid  speci- 
men which  accompanies  this  report.  The  case  possesses  features 
of  peculiar  interest,  and  I  think  it  is  worthy  of  a  place  in  our 
Veterinary  Records, 

The  subject  of  this  notice  was  a  brown  horse,  17  hands  high,  -and 
about  14  or  15  years  of  age,  used  on  the  collieries  of  the  Earl  of 
Durham,  principally  as  a  crab-horse ;  that  is,  he  was  employed  in  a 
kind  of  windlass,  by  which  the  workmen  are  lowered  or  raised  dur- 
ing their  examination  and  repair  of  the  pumps,  &c.,  in  shafts  of  coal- 
pits. Such  an  occupation  is  often  long  continued,  necessitating  an 
exposure  frequently  to  most  inclement  weather;  but  when  men  are 
only  to  be  lowered,  the  work  is  not  considered  laborious,  nor  was  he 
found  to  suffer  under  it  in  any  way  whatever. 

On  one  occasion,  six  years  ago,  when  drawing  coal-waggons  on  a 
slight  gradient,  he  stumbled  and  fell,  and  was  pushed  along  the  rails 
by  the  waggons  a  distance  of  about  thirty  yards,  receiving  extensive 
bruises  about  the  haunch,  loins,  and  thighs,  which .  appeared  to  be 
superficial,  however,  and  were  quite  well  in  the  space  of  a  month, 
the  animal  being  again  put  to  crab-work,  none  the  worse  to  all  ap- 
pearance. From  this  time  till  December  last,  he  continued  to  work 
well,  maintained  his  strength  and  condition,  yet  appeared  somewhat 


BUPTUBE  OP  THE  STOMACH  m  A  HOESE.  235 

dull,  but  never  requiring  medical  assistance.  On  the  12t1i  of  that 
months  he  was  seized  with  slight  colic,  for  which  Mr  Mann  prescribed 
an  anodjme  mixture,  and  returned  to  his  work  again  in  half  an  hour. 

Nothing  further  took  place  until  the  2d  of  the  present  month — 
March — when  the  driver  again  brought  the  animal,  now  in  extremis. 
Symptoms  were  urgent,  and  speedily  developed,  consisting  of  hurried 
respiration,  cold  perspiration  over  the  whole  body,  which,  in  the  first 
instance,  broke  out  abruptly  on  each  side  of  the  thorax,  behind  the 
shoulder.  As  he  walked,  he  reeled,  and  when  allowed  to  stand, 
trembled  much,  and  with  diflSculty  escaped  falling.  The  hind  legs 
were  placed  widely  apart,  and  he  constantly  attempted  to  urinate, 
succeeding  only  in  passing  a  few  drops  of  normal-looking  fluid.  The 
eyeballs  protruded  in  the  extreme,  the  neck  arched,  and  muscles 
strongly  contracted,  drawing  the  nose  in  close  approximation  to  the 
chest,  where  it  was  retained. 

The  tongue  black,  and  hung  from  the  mouth,  which  was  tightly 
closed,  allowing,  however,  of  white  froth  to  be  discharged  in  great 
quantities.  Mucous  and  froth,  of  a  dirty  colour,  also  came  from  the 
nostrils  profusely.  The  conjunctiva  was  of  a  pale  yellow  colour,  with 
its  network  of  vessels  finely  injected. 

As  nothing  had  passed  his  bowels  for  some  time,  it  was  attempted 
to  introduce  the  hand,  but  this  could  not  be  efi'ected,  on  account  of 
extreme  spasm.  At  times  he  would  attempt  to  lie  down,  and  continued 
thus — experiencing  no  relief  from  treatment — from  10  A.M.  to  3  P.M., 
when  he  suddenly  dropped  dead. 

From  the  first  the  pulse  was  imperceptible  at  the  jaw  and  radius, 
accompanied  with  extreme  coldness  of  the  ears  and  extremities. 

A  postrmortem  examination  was  commenced  on  the  morning  of  the 
3d  instant. 

On  opening  the  abdomen,  a  coDsiderable  amount  of  fat  adhered  to 
the  intestines  ;  and  about  four  gallons  of  red  serum  escaped  from  the 
opening  made  into  the  walls.  About  half  the  quantity  of  fiuid  also 
came  away  by  the  rectum,  when  the  carcass  was  moved  in  the  act  of 
flaying. 

The  transverse  colon  exhibited  a  patch  of  peritoneal  inflammation, 
six  or  eight  inches  in  area ;  but  all  other  tissues  and  viscera  were 
blanched  and  flaccid. 

Food  was  distributed  throughout  the  cavity,  and  extended  to  the 
pelvis.  The  intestines  were  next  turned  aside,  and  found  to  contain 
fluid  only ;  but  in  the  omental  sac  was  a  large  mass  of  half-masticated 
hay  and  oats,  with  whole  beans,  occupying  a  space  equal  to  double 
the  quantity  found  in  any  stomach  in  health.  The  small  intestines 
were  traced,  when  a  portion  was  found  to  form  an  inguinal  hernia, 
with  adhesions ;  at  the  pyloric  end  it  was  free.  The  oesophagus  was 
divided,  when  the  cardiac  portion  of  the  stomach,  on  being  raised, 
was  discovered  to  be  extensively  lacerated  along  the  greater  curvature, 
and  the  lacerations  extended  to  the  pyloric  hsdf. 

When  this  case  was  first  related  to  me,  and  special  reference  made  to 


236  STRANGULATED  HEBNIA  IN  A  HOBSK. 

the  apparent  absence  of  much  of  the  tissue  composing  the  coats  of  the 
stomach,  I  fancied  it  might  be  a  case  of  ulceration  and  perforation  ;  but 
on  carefully  examining  the  parts,  and  ascertaining  some  of  the  facts,  I 
can  glean  that  the  horse  was  first  seized  with  symptoms  of  severe  and 
unmoveable  obstructions  of  the  bowels.  The  tenesmus,  violent  con- 
tractions of  the  rectum  on  the  arm  being  forced  up,  the  partial  sweats 
bedewing  the  body,  indicate,  with  the  aid  of  the  information  derived 
from  post-mortem  appearances,  that  the  animal  had  a  strangulated 
inguinal  hernia.  This  is  so  rare  in  geldings  that  its  having  been 
overlooked  need  not  astonish  us,  especially  as  the  symptoms  were  very 
decidedly  those  of  ruptured  stomachs. 

On  examining  the  stomach  and  omentum  at  my  leisure,  I  have 
found  that  the  particles  of  undigested  food  still  adhering  to  the 
omentum,  indicate  that  the  gastric  laceration  must  have  occurred 
shortly  after  the  ingestion  of  a  quantity  of  food.  As  is  usual  in  these 
cases,  the  over-distended  organ  had  become  lacerated  along  the  greater 
curvature  by  tearing  of  the  peritoneal  coat  first,  then  of  the  muscular, 
which  had  receded  so  as  to  deceive  one  as  to  the  amount  of  destruc- 
tion the  stomach  had  sustained,  and  the  mucous  membrane  was  soft 
and  irregularly  torn,  and  in  a  condition  as  if  it  had  sufiered  somewhat 
from  the  action  of  the  gastric  juice. 

This  case  is  replete  with  interest,  and  it  shows  how  careful  we 
should  be  in  diagnoscing  cases  which  appear  at  first  sight  trivial 
and  unimportant  Who  thinks  of  examining  the  inguinal  region  of  a 
gelding,  though  he  may  be  suffering  from  some  extraordinary  and 
unaccountable  obstruction  ?  It  is  very  important  to  make  a  close  ex- 
amination in  all  cases  in  which  injections  cannot  be  given  or  retained 
in  the  rectum.  The  strangulation  in  the  case  above  related  cannot 
have  occurred  before  the  horse  had  taken  the  full  meal  which  rendered 
possible  the  rupture  of  the  stomach,  and  I  am  disposed  to  believe  that 
the  animal  was  fresh  and  well  until  he  took  his  last  feed,  after  which 
the  strangulation  supervened,  and  this  indirectly  led,  through  the 
horse  knocking  himself  about,  &c.,  to  the  coats  of  the  stomach  giving 
way. 

When  I  say  that  the  horse  was  perfectly  well  before  the  last  attack, 
which  ended  in  his  death,  I  do  not  wish  it  to  be  understood  that  he 
was  entirely  free  from  inguinal  hernia,  as  few  will  doubt  that,  in  all 
J)robability,  the  inguinal  hernia,  with  its  adhesions,  had  existed  for 
some  time,  and  at  last  led  to  the  horse'B  sudden  destruction  through 
one  of  the  many  causes  which  are  capable  of  producing  a  hernial 
strangulation. 


THB  HISTOEY  OF  THE  VETEEINAEY  AET.  237 


Preliminary  Examinations,  with  Reflections  on  some  Epochs  in  the 
History  of  the  Veterinary  Art.    By  Joseph  Gamgee,  Senior. 

Whethbb  it  be  advisable  to  institute  preliminary  examinations  for 
candidates  for  studentship  at  the  veterinary  colleges,  is  a  questions 
which  has  from  time  to  time  been  discussed,  without  any  apparent 
advance  being  made  towards  its  solution,  or  the  exhibition  of  much 
argument  in  favour  of  the  measure. 

Some  years  ago,  at  the  time  when  veterinary  periodicals  were 
first  established,  the  general  questions  relating  to  modes-  of  granting 
diplomas,  and  the  pursuance  of  a  curriculum  of  instruction,  were  freely 
discussed  imder  various  aspects,  according  to  the  views  entertained  by 
the  men  of  progress  at  that  time.  Preliminary  examination  was 
then,  amongst  other  means,  suggested  as  calculated  to  guard  against 
the  admission  of  men  insuflBciently  educated  into  the  ranks  of  the 
profession. 

At  the  time  referred  to,  it  was  felt  to  be  a  peculiar  hardship  by 
some  of  the  most  distinguished  members  of  the  veterinary  profession, 
that  they  were  emphatically  denied  all  participation  in  testing  the 
fitness  of  candidates  to  receive  the  diploma,  or  in  testifying  to  their  fit- 
ness to  practise  the  art ;  and  as  they  saw  men  entering  at  the  Eoyal 
Veterinary  College,  of  all  ages  and  conditions,  who  in  the  space  of 
from  six  to  nine  months  after  were,  with  few  exceptions,  allowed  to 
pass  the  Board,  and  pronounced  to  be  duly  qualified  to  practise  the 
veterinary  art,  they  justly  showed  umbrage  at  the  impolitic  course 
so  prevalent.  Systematically  shut  out  from  deliberative  assistance  on 
all  matters  concerning  their  own  profession,  many  of  those  talented 
members  were  determined  to  begin  to  attack  the  abuses  at  some  one 
point ;  and,  therrfore,  the  question  of  fitness  for  admission  at  the 
College  was  raised. 

Comparisons  were  made  of  the  courses  adopted  at  the  veterinary 
schools  of  France  and  those  laid  down  in  the  programme  on  the 
establishment  of  the  London  College ;  with  the  unsystematic  manner 
subsequently  carried  out  in  practice  at  the  last-named  institution. 

The  comparisons  were  fallacious,  because  partially  drawn;  there 
being  hardly  any  resemblance  between  the  French  and  English  veter- 
inary schools.  The  first  were  fostered  by  Government  support,  and 
conducted  under  a  modified  military  discipline,  where  the  students 
fulfilled  the  first  avowed  objects  of  the  State,  these  being  the  obtain- 
ment  of  able  practitioners  for  the  army  service,  departmental  towns, 
and  agricultural  districts.  Four  years  of  systematic  training  was  the 
least  admissible  course  prior  to  granting  the  final  examination ;  and 
to  enable  youths  to  devote  that  time,  the  State  helped  them  by  pro- 
viding board  and  instruction  at  a  charge  below  cost.  Conditions 
were  attached  to  these  privileges ;  the  candidate  had  to  afford 
documentary  proof  from  his  birth-place,  of  age,  character,  paren- 
tage, &c.,  and  farther  to  submit  to  an  ordeal  to  test  the  extent  of 


238  THE  HISTORY  OP  THE  VETERINARY  ART. 

preparatory  scholastic  knowledge  possessed,  and  also  some  pertaining 
to  the  veterinary  art. 

In  England,  in  accordance  with  our  free  and  self-supporting 
sy^ms,  Government  took  no  farther  heed  about  the  obtainment  of 
able  veterinary  surgeons,  than  that  of  sanctioning  the  school  and 
granting  a  military  status  to  members  admitted  into  the  army 
service.  The  students  received  no  aid  from  the  State  as  in 
France. 

One  great  mistake  made  by  its  managers  in  the  early  stage  of  the 
London  Veterinary  College  was,  the  election  of  one  professor  only, 
into  whose  hands  all  control  and  emoluments  converged;  every 
guinea  which  was  paid  as  entrance-fee  by  pupils  went  into  his  private 
purse.  Thfe  professor  filled,  besides  the  College  chair,  a  multiplicity 
of  oflScial  appointments,  which,  in  the  aggregate,  gave  an  annual  in- 
come reported  at  the  time  to  have  ranged  between  three  and  four  thou- 
sand pounds  per  annum, — a  sum  suflScient  to  have  commanded  a  staff 
of  the  most  talented  teachers  of  veterinary  science  that  Europe  could 
have  furnished.  Ninety  lectures,  or  thereabout,  were  delivered  at  our 
College  during  the  session,  and  the  twenty  guineas  admission-fee,  as 
might  have  been  anticipated,  formed  a  premium  for  allowing  numbers 
to  enter,  without  questions  as  to  their  capability  of  profiting  by  the 
course  ;  and  rapid  exit  from  the  College,  with  admission  into  the  pro- 
fessional body,  was  permitted,  which  encouraged  others  to  enter — 
ours  being  the  only  one  amongst  the  professions  that  could  be  decided 
on,  qualified  for,  and  entered  into  within  the  space  of  a  year.  A 
royal  road  was,  iji  fact,  opened,  afibrding  quick  and  easy  change 
from  a  nondescript  person  to  the  man  of  professional  status,  and 
the  attempt  to  alter  for  the  better  such  a  state  of  things  some  years 
later,  by  merely  extemporising  a  few  questions  to  be  answered  before 
admission  to  studentship,  was  not  affording  evidence  of  much  under- 
standing of  the  many  shortcomings,  which  required  change  before  a 
course  of  instruction  could  be  provided  and  discipline  established, 
such  as  an  art  like  that  of  veterinary  medicine  and  surgery  urgently 
required. 

From  comparing  with  foreign  veterinary  schools  as  in  time  past,  it 
has  of  late  become  the  fashion  to  vie  with  the  universities  and  medical 
schools  of  our  own  country,  but  without  profiting  by  the  great  re- 
forms that  have  taken  place  at  these ;  selecting  for  imitation  only  an 
incidental  and  most  recent  step — ^that  of  preliminary  examination ;  yet 
no  analogy  can  be  shown,  and  such  hastily  drawn  comparisons,  and 
precipitate  action  taken  on  them,  are  liable  to  lead  to  any  but  good 
practical  results.  There  is  a  wide  difference  between  the  work  re- 
quired and  time  to  be  devoted  before  a  degree  in  medicine  or  surgery 
can  be  obtained,  and  that  which  the  Eoyal  College  of  Veterinary 
Surgeons  deems  sufiicient ;  and  whether  admitted  or  not,  it  is  a  fact, 
that  the  work  of  the  veterinarian  differs  greatly  from  the  calling  of 
the  physician  and  surgeon,  and  it  seems  to  me  tJiat  our  proper  course 
is,  to  emulate  the  older  institutions  in  the  solid  and  essentially  sci^n- 


THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  VETERINAEY  ART.  239 

tific  and  professional  work,  leaving  for  a  while,  at  least,  the  prepara- 
tory scholarship  test  open. 

The  great  improvements  which  have  been  going  on  for  centuries 
in  the  universities  and  medical  schools,  the  advances  in  all  pursuits 
which  extend  the  borders  of  knowledge,  not  only  of  the  science  of 
human  medicine,  but  of  the  veterinary  art,  has  rendered  the  work 
of  the  student  so  much  greater  than  formerly,  that  the  time  de- 
voted to  study  has  been  enlarged,  and  four  years  is  now  the  mini- 
mum period  of  systematic  work  that  will  suflSce  before  a  degree 
in  medicine  can  be  obtained.  So  pressed  for  time  to  do  the  neces- 
sary work  are  the  students,  that  it  has  been  deemed  expedient  by 
the  boards  and  directors,  to  institute  examinations  in  arts,  as  a 
prior  step,  in  order  to  ensure  a  high  standard  of  learning  amongst 
physicians  and  surgeons,  without  allowing  the  scholastic  to  clash 
with  the  professional  subjects,  so  that  the  last  may  have  their  undi- 
vided energies  during  the  four  years  allotted. 

'  An  old  proverb  with  the  Italians  says,  "  The  fathers  of  citizen 
families,  who  have  three  sons,  usually  destine  the  most  promising  and 
talented  to  follow  the  legal  profession,  the  second  one,  tried  by  the 
same  test,  is  sent  to  study  medicine,  and  the  third,  and  least  active  of 
the  three,  becomes  a  priest."  In  our  country,  where  high  scholastic 
acquirements  in  young  men  is  at  a  premium,  we  shoiJd  not  only 
have  church,  law,  and  medicine  before  us,  but  with  an  infinity  of 
brilliant  careers  open  to  compete  for  by  young  men,  we  could  hardly 
expect  to  be  last  among  the  bodies  who  seek  new  life  and  social 
strength  from  the  dawn  of  manhood.  Whereas,  by  leaving  our  por- 
tals open  as  heretofore,  and  inviting  the  really  eligible  to  veterinary 
studentship — viz.,  the  lovers  of  animals,  men  who  have  been  bred 
amongst  them^  and  who  to  some  extent  have  acquired  habits  in  their 
management; — these,  who  will  not  only,  in  many  instances,  bring 
much  scholastic  lore,  but  they  will  do  what  others  have  all  along 
done;  they  will  bring  sound  vigorous  minds  and  hands,  used  to 
work,  which  with  honest-looking  English,  Scottish,  and  Irish  faces, 
should  find  a  welcome  reception  at  any  veterinary  school  in  the  king- 
dom ;  and  if  such  men  cannot  be  made  good  veterinary  practitioners, 
the  fault  must  be  sought  in  the  system,  and  not  the  men. 

In  veterinary  practice,  instead  of  wanting  to  obtain  all  men  alike, 
the  reverse  should  be  the  aim,  and,  if  freedom  be  allowed,  the  men 
wlQ  come  from  places  to  which  they  will  go  back  again ;  and  it  is 
clearly  the  province  of  the  veterinary  schools  to  send  them  away 
well  accomplished  for  the  future  career  that  awaits  them.  An  illus- 
tration is  afforded,  by  some  members  of  our  profession,  of  what  may 
be  regarded  as  an  axiom  :  that  no  section  of  men  should  be  intrusted 
to  make  laws  for  their  own  governance,  inasmuch  as  these  members 
ask  to  be  allowed  to  tyrannise  over  future  candidates  by  excluding 
them,  on  the  plea  that  the  medical  schools  require  preliminary  educa- 
tion ;  while  we  refuse  to  follow  their  example  on  all  the  more  essential 
matters.  Many  of  the  graduates  in  medicine  are  always  to  be  found 
Vol.  I.— No.  V.— New  Semes.    Mat  1865.  S 


240  THE  HISTOBY  OF  THE  VETEEINAEY  ABT. 

about  the  medical  hospitals,  devoting  more  time  to  learning  after  they 
have  fulfilled  the  law,  in  giving  up  four  years  to  study  and  then 
obtaining  their  diploma,  than  the  Eoyal  College  of  Veterinary  Sur- 
geons demands  altogether. 

At  a  recent  meeting  and  dinner  of  one  of  the  provincial  veterinary 
associations,  I  observe  that  a  member  rose  and  made  a  laudatory  speech, 
as  a  compliment  to  the  Principal  of  our  oldest  Veterinary  College, 
because  he,  "  the  Principal,"  had  been  bold  enough  to  go  in  for  pre- 
liminary examinations,  and  had  actually  given  the  blow  first,  and  the 
word  afterwards,  for  he  had  sent  two  candidates  away  from  the  Col- 
lege, without  admission,  this  session.  The  strange  narrative  has  so 
far  excited  my  curiosity,  that  I  long  to  make  acquaintance  with  these 
two  distinguished  individuals.  Were  they  merely  extemporised  for 
the  purpose  of  producing  a  little  dust  to  throw  in  the  associated 
members'  eyes  ?  Or  were  they  blind,  dumb,  or  could  they  have 
been  the  bearers  of  tickets-of-leave  ? 

These  questions  are  of  moment,  and  the  answers  to  them  may 
prove  relevant  in  forming  a  judgment  on  the  matter. 

If  we  are  to  have  preliminary  examinations  forced  prematurely 
upon  us,  let  us,  in  the  name  of  English  fair  play,  have  the  formality  of 
a  by-law  from  the  Council  of  the  Royal  College  of  Veterinary  Sur- 
geons, not  to  say  some  legislative  enactment.  What  could  the  fathers 
of  those  two  young  men  have  said,  in  finding  their  sons  sent  away, 
snubbed,  their  anfiour  propre  and  hopes  destroyed  by  the  arbitrary 
bidding  of  one  individual  ? 

Assuming  the  possible  case  of  these  men  having  reached  the  years 
of  discretion,  and  to  have  earned  the  little  packet  of  guineas  which 
they  took  to  invest  in  the  acquisition  of  important  knowledge ;  and 
suppose  them  to  be  told,  "  Oh  no,  go  and  hammer  iron  and  cut  and 
rasp  horses'  feet,  you  are  no  scholars."  I  hardly  think  that  the  two 
men  would  have  been  made  of  such  sterling  stuff  as  such  test  would 
imply,  or  else  we  should  have  learnt  of  their  having  taken  legal  ad- 
vice, on  being  so  peremptorily  dismissed,  before  they  bowed  and 
backed  out. 

Let  us.  have  educated  men  to  all  available  extent ;  and  education 
freely  worked  out ;  we  shall  not  attempt  to  prescribe  the  exact  kind 
or  quantity ;  but  at  least  give  us  sound  minds  and  bodies,  the  last 
strengthened  by  the  performance  of  useful  works,  and  the  former 
untenanted  by  vicious  thoughts  and  crotchets ;  and  then  if  good 
practical  veterinary  surgeons  are  not  formed,  the  fault  will  be  with 
the  schools. 

Be  the  case  as  it  may,  since  the  act  of  summarily  dismissing  these 
men  was  unprecedented,  and  without,,  what  sensible  Englishmen  would 
call,  authority ;  it  would  have  been  well  if  the  profession  had  been 
informed  more  about  the  matter. 

Most  fathers  who  send  a  son  to  the  Veterinary  College,  provided 
with  the  necessary  number  of  guineas  to  meet  demands,  and  with  a 
clean  shirt  and  a  blanket,  would  press  for  inquiry  into  causes,  if  then: 


EXTEACTION  OF  THE  CALF  IN  BEEACH  PRESENTATION.    241 

son  was  refused  admission  ;  and  if  the  case  happened  to  be  that  of  a 
young  man  subsisting  on  his  own  resources,  coming  with  a  light 
heart,  and  the  money  of  his  own  earning,  to  buy  the  means  of  more 
knowledge,  give  such  a  man  the  cold  shoulder,  and  send  him  away. 
I  should  think  that  once  he  had  travelled  all  the  way  to  London, 
he  would  tell  the  odd  tale  there. 

While  I  am  for  enlarging  the  means  of  instruction,  lengthening 
the  time  for  study,  and  exacting  the  performance  of  alloted  work  from 
students,  I  am  convinced  that  all  interests  will  be  best  served,  and 
veterinary  science  and  art  grow  to  more  solid  proportions,  by  allowing 
freedom  for  action,  and  relying  on  healthy  competition  and  honourable 
rivalry  amongst  schools  and  pupils.  Distinguishing,  however,  between 
freedom  and  neglect,  I  believe  that  energy  and  wise  procedure  should 
prevail  in  the  Council  of  the  Eoyal  College  of  Veterinary  Surgeons, 
which,  if  it  lacks  the  powers  to  carry  required  measures  of  reform, 
should  seek  to  obtain  them. 

The  second  section  of  my  paper  on  some  epochs  in  the  History  of 
the  Veterinary  Art  is  unavoidably  postponed. 


Oases  and  Observations  on  Extraction  of  the  OqJIf  in  Breach  Pre- 
sentations by  One  Leg,  By  Mr.  W.  A.  CartweiC4HT,  M.RC.V.S., 
Whitchurch,  Salop. 

About  one  o'clock  on  Sunday  morning,  the  20th  March  1865,  I  was 
called  up  to  an  aged  cow  that  could  not  calve,  belonging  to  Mrs 
Lewis,  of  Hadley,  Marbury,  Cheshire,  and  was  informed  it  was  a 
breach  presentation.  On  my  arrival,  I  found  the  cow  Jiad  had  several 
calves,  and  was  in  fair  condition. 

A  person  of  the  name  of  Jones,  residing  in  the  village  of  Marbury, 
and  who  in  his  younger  days  had  been  pretty  clever  at  such  work, 
had  tried  for  several  hours  to  extract  the  calf,  but  had  only  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  one  of  the  hind  legs  up.  I  found  the  other  hind 
leg  lying  very  low  down  under  the  calf  s  body,  and  I  was  not  able 
to  lay  hold  of  the  foot,  or  large  pastern,  so  as  to  put  a  cord  around 
the  latter. 

I  then  inserted  a  hook  imder  the  tendons  just  above  the  point  of 
the  OS  calcis,  with  the  hope  that  I  should  draw  the  leg  higher  up  so  as 
to  lay  hold  of  the  foot,  but  even  then  I  could  not  reach  the  foot,  as 
the  point  of  the  hook  stuck  under  the  partially  expanded  os  uteri ; 
but  at  length  we  got  the  hook  into  the  passage,  with  the  leg  bent 
under  the  thigh,  and  in  this  position  we  removed  the  calf  by  pulling 
at  the  hock  of  one  leg,  and  at  the  other  leg. 

The  placenta  immediately  followed,  and  the  cow  was  soon  all  right 
again. 

Ca^e  2. — On  Sunday  afternoon,  the  3d  of  April  1865, 1  was  sent 
for  to  the  above  farmhouse  to  another  aged  cow,  from  whom  they  could 
not  extract  the  calf.   On  my  arrival  I  found  this  also  was  a  breach  pre- 


242         EXTPvACTION  OF  THE  CALF  IN  BREACH  PBESENTATION. 

sentation,  and  the  persons  in  attendance  had  not,  in  this  case,  even 
been  enabled  to  get  one  of  the  hind  legs  up,  but  after  a  time  I  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  one  of  the  legs  straight  into  the  passage,  but  after 
trying  every  expedient,  I  was  not  enabled  to  get  the  other  leg  up. 

I  then  began  seriously  to  consider  what  next  was  to  be  done,  and 
on  thinking  the  matter  over,  I  could  see  no  reason  why  the  calf  would 
not  come  as  easily  away  with  the  one  leg  under  the  belly  as  if  it  was 
straight  out  behind,  and  I  then  determined  to  see  if  such  would 
not  be  the  case  ;  and  after  obtaining  the  necessary  help  of  three  men, 
I  found  that,  on  steadily  and  gently  pidling  at  one  leg,  we  were 
gradually  succeeding,  and  ultimately  we  got  the  calf  away  without 
using  greater  force  than  if  we  had  had  both  legs  straight  out.  The 
placenta  soon  after  followed,  and  the  cow  is  doing  well. 

On  the  15th  April  1865, 1  had  another  breach  case  at  an  adjoining 
farmhouse,  but  as  the  calf  was  small  and  in  a  better  position,  I  ex- 
tracted it  in  about  ten  minutes. 

Observations. — As  I  take  very  great  interest  in  veterinary  ob- 
stetricy,  I  should  be  glad  if  any  other  veterinary  surgeon,  who  has 
had  the  opportunity  of  putting  the  practice  of  extracting  by  one  hind 
leg  to  the  test,  would  send  to  your  journal  any  similar  cases,  either 
successful  or  otherwise ;  for  I  think  if  we  can  as  easily  extract 
in  this  position  as  in  the  other,  it  will  both  save  us  a  great  deal  of 
trouble,  and  the  animal  a  great  deal  of  unnecessary  pain  ;  and,  for 
my  part,  I  see  no  reason  at  present  why  the  calf  should  not  come 
away  with  one  leg  under  him  as  in  both  being  straight  out,  as  the 
stifle  and  thigh  will  lie  in  the  flank  and  under  the  belly  without  im- 
peding the  extraction  of  the  calf.  Some  may  say  that,  by  pulling 
only  at  one  side  of  the  foetus,  we  cannot  so  easily  extract  it  as  by  pull- 
ing at  both  legs,  but  of  this  I  am  rather  doubtful,  and  am  inclined  to 
think,  on  the  contrary,  this  position  may  actually  be  an  advantage  in 
pulling  one  side  of  the  pelvis  in  advance  of  the  other,  so  that  the 
iliac  projections  should  not  be  in  opposition  at  the  same  time ;  and  if 
we  don't  like  to  pull  at  one  leg  only,  we  can  easily  insert  a  hook 
under  the  skin  of  the  rump  on  the  other  side  so  as  to  pull  at  this, 
side  also. 

In  the  twenty-eighth  volume  of  the  "Veterinarian,"'  p.  12,  will  be 
found  a  case  of  breach  presentation  recorded  by  me,  when  the  cow 
expelled  a  larger  calf  by  the  breach  only,  arid  with  both  legs  under  its 
belly,  and  the  cow  and  calf  did  well.  The  distension  was  enormous, 
and  she  expelled  it  without  scarcely  any  assistance  from  me.  In 
volumes  xv.,  xix.,  xx.,  and  others,  of  the  "  Veterinarian,"  your  readers 
will  find  the  subject  of  extraction  in  breach  and  other  presentations 
pretty  freely  discussed  by  me. 

In  conclusion,  I  cannot  but  observe,  that  I  do  not  think  there  is 
any  subject  more  worthy  the  attention  of  veterinary  students  than  the 
subject  of  veterinary  obstetricy,  as  it  is  highly  essential  that  every  one 
intending  to  practice  in  a  country  district  ought  to  be  well  grounded 
-    this  department  especially. 


FBACTUBES  OF  A  NAVICULAE  BONK  243 


Extraction  of  a  Foal — Forefeet  presented — Head  hack.  By  the  same. 

At  7  a.m.,  on  Friday,  21st  April  1865,  I  was  called  in  to  a  large 
cart  mare,  seven  years  old,  the  property  of  Mr  Billington  of  this  town, 
that  could  not  foal  On  my  arrival  I  found  the  mare  standing  up, 
and  two  legs  of  the  foal  were  presented ;  and  on  examination  I  ascer- 
tained that  they  were  fore  ones.  In  my  exploration  I  found  that  I  could 
also  lay  hold  of  the  two  hind  feet,  and  which  were  within  the  pelvis. 
The  head  I  could  not  find  anywhere,  and  it  was  stretched  back.  After 
a  little  consideration  I  determined,  now  I  had  the  opportunity,  to  pass 
cords  around  the  hind  legs  just  above  the  fetlock  joints,  and  having 
done  so,  I  pushed  them  back  as  well  as  I  could,  and  then  tried  to  find 
the  head,  but  without  avail.  I  next  tried  to  push  the  fore  legs  back 
and  draw  the  hinder  ones  forward,  and  extract  by  the  breach,  but  I 
found  I  could  not  force  the  fore  legs  suflSciently  back  in  consequence 
of  the  mare's  excessive  straining. 

•  Having  no  alternative,  I  removed  first  one  fore  leg  and  then  the 
other,  in  the  usual  way,  at  the  shoulders. 

We  now  drew  the  hind  legs  forward,  and  the  remainder  of  the  foal 
came  away  without  any  difficulty,  and  the  placenta  immediately 
followed. 

I  saw  her  afterwards  in  the  course  of  the  day,  and  I  fancy  she  will 
do  well.  I  have  ascertained  since,  that  some  of  the  neighbours  heard 
the  mare  groaning  and  knocking  about  in  the  course  of  the  night,  and 
I  have  no  doubt,  from  her  general  appearance  when  I  arrived,  that 
she  was  foaling  then. 

I  forgot  to  mention  that  the  side  of  the  face  of  the  foal  was  curved 
and  hoUow  on  one  side,  with  the  nose  bent  inclining  to  the  left  side, 
produced  by,  no  doubt,  lying  against  some  part  of  its  body, -and 
it  must  have  been  in  this  position  for  many  months  to  produce  the 
malformation. 


Fractures  of  a  Navicular  Bone,  following  on  protracted  and  a  pro- 
gressive diseased  condition  of  the  same,  with  altered  condition  of 
the  Pedal  Bone.  By  Joseph  Gamgee,  Sen.,  Professor  in  the  New 
Veterinary  College. 

To  the  Editor  of  the  Edinburgh  Veterinary  Revieiu, 

Aldkrshott,  April  7, 1865. 

SlE, — In  a  letter  which  you  published  in  your  journal  for  May  1864, 
commenting  on  Professor  Gamgee  sen.'s  paper,  which  appeared  in  the 
previous  number,  on  chronic  lameness  of  horses,  I  stated  with  regard 
to  navicular  disease,  that  '*  I  do  not  expect  to  find  absorption  of  the 
bone  internally  as  the  cause  or  first  condition  of  the  disease,"  to  which 


244*  FRACTURES  OF  A  NAVICULAR  BONE. 

letter.  Professor  Gamgee  appended  some  remarks,  and  also  invited  in- 
vestigation, with  the  view  of  dispersing  the  fallacy  of  "  old  notions/^ 
which  he  gives  me  credit  for  holding  conscientiously.  At  present  I  have 
hot  heard  or  read  of  any  new  notions,  which  appear  to  accord  with 
facts  to  be  observed  in  the  diseased  parts  after  death,  or  with  the  his- 
tory and  symptoms  of  a  case  during  life ;  while  I  submit  that  my  "  old 
notions  "  do  both.  I  therefore  trust  to  be  excused  if  I  briefly  revert 
to  the  subject.  I  have  despatched  a  navicular  bone,  with  the  portion 
of  the  flexor  tendon  which  passes  under  it,  to  the  Professor's  address, 
'for  his  inspection  and  use.  The  specimen  illustrates  the  disease  as  I 
believe  it  really  exists  in  the  majority  of  cases,  viz.,  primarily  in  the 
flexor  tendon,  as  it  passes  under  or  behind  the  navicular  bone,  al- 
though I  think  inflammation  of  the  articular  cartilage  of  the  bone,  or 
its  lining  synovial  membrane,  may,  nay  does,  lead  to  that  roughened 
warty  appearance  of  the  articular  surface  of  the  bone,  sometimes  found 
in  this  kind  of  lameness.  In  the  specimen  sent,  the  tendon  at  the 
surface  next  the  bone  presents  the  appearance  of  having  been  gnawed 
by  mice ;  and  was,  I  doubt  not,  the  part  flrst  afiected,  which  when 
sprained,  having  some  fibres  ruptured,  as  this  tendon  had,  givps  to  my 
mind  the  reason  wty  this  disease  proves  so  incurable.  The  tendon  acts 
over  a  lever,  and  is  lined  by  a  vascular  secreting  membrane,  which  also 
connects  it  with  the  articular  cartilage ;  hence  every  motion  tends  to 
keep  up  the  inflammation  in  the  tendon,  and  also  to  cause  it  to  ex- 
tend to  other  tissues,  till  the  whole  bursa  becomes  involved,  and  subse- 
quently the  bone  also ;  hut  first  at  the  surface,  and  that  only  after  the 
articular  cartilage  has  been  afiected.  This  is  an  old  notion,  but  not  the 
one  Professor  Gamgee  ascribed  to  all,  as  neither  contraction  nor  bruis- 
ing, &c.,  enter  into  the  question  as  causes  of  the  disease.  A  horse 
may  be  sound  one  day,  with  a  foot  apparently  healthy,  and  the  next 
day  lame  from  navicularthritis,  never  again  to  be  sound.  Such,  in  fact, 
was  the  case  with  the  one  from  which  the  specimen  was  obtained. 
Contraction  does  not  produce  the  disease,  but  it  frequently  follows  it, 
as  it  does  almost  any  chronic  infiammation  of  the  foot,  and  when  pre- 
sent, causes  absorption  or  wasting  of  the  coffin  and  sometimes  the 
navicular  bone  from  pressure.  Necessarily,  as  the  box  lessens,  the  con- 
tents must  diminish  in  bulk ;  besides,  a  diseased  part  cannot  perform 
perfectly  the  natural  functions,  which  is  probably  another  cause  of 
wasting  of  these  bones ;  but  I  distinguish  between  general  wasting  of 
a  part,  and  ulceration  of  the  same — one  is  diseased  structure,  the  other 
diminished  bulk.  Professor  Gamgee  in  his  paper  compares  thie  ulcera- 
tion on  the  surface  of  the  navicular  bone  to  a  decayed  tooth,  and  says 
in  effect  that  it  commences  internally  and  extends  towards  the  surface, 
till  eventually  the  bone  breaks  in.  Did  he  ever  find  true  ulceration 
internally  with  a  sound  articular  surface  ?  If  it  occurs  so,  why  call  it 
atrophy  or  wasting  ?  It  would  be  simply  caries  extending  from  the 
centre — a  very  different  condition  to  general  wasting.  Again,  if  it  com- 
mences internally,  as  the  Professor  supposes,  how  is  it  that  the  ulcera- 
tion does  not  show  itself  on  the  anterior  articular  surface  ?  and  why 


FBACTUEES  OF  A  NAVICULAR  BONE.  245 

does  not  the  wasting  of  the  coffin  bone  lead  also  to  ulceration  exter- 
nally? Seeing,  according  to  the  Professor's  views,  it  is  the  first  affected, 
I  should  expect  to  find  the  ulceration  most  marked  in  it — I  have  the 
honour  to  be,  your  obedient  servant, 

Alfred  J.  Owles, 
Veterinary  Surgeon,  General  Staff. 


New  Vetbwnart  College,  Edinburgh, 
8^  April  1865. 

Dear  Sir, — I  beg  to  acknowledge  receipt  of  a  diseased  specimen 
of  navicular  bone  and  section  of  tendon,  which,  with  your  letter,  shall 
receive  my  best  and  early  attention. 

In  tendering  thanks,  I  feel  doubtful  whether,  as  an  individual,  I 
am  entitled  to  express  my  opinion  on  the  merits  of  the  step  you  have 
taken,  because  I  believe  the  question  to  be  of  so  much  importance, 
that  every  member  who  takes  the  same  means  as  you  are  doing  to 
arrive  at  definite  knowledge  on  so  important  a  subject,  deserves  the 
thanks  of  his  brethren. 

I  should  have  been  glad  if  you  had  sent  me  the  pedal  bones  of  the 
same  foot ;  and  one  of  the  reasons  for  my  writing  thus  early  is,  in 
the  hope  that  you  may  not  have  made  away  with  that  bone,  to  ask 
you  to  forward  it  also,  and,  if  possible,  at  same  time  to  secure  the 
other  fore-foot  of  the  same  horse,  and  send  it  as  welL 

If  you  send  those  specimens,  or  either  of  them  to  me,  I  promise  to 
afford  you  all  the  information  that  may  be  derived  from  their  care- 
ful investigation. 

I  may  tell  you,  though  you  will  have  gathered  it  from  my  writings, 
that  for  several  years  past  I  have  been  in  the  habit  of  examining  the 
whole  pedal  region  in  these  cases;  and  in  order  to  include  the  entire 
knee-joint,  I  have  a  section  made  through  the  lower  extremity  of 
the  radius ;  and  but  for  such  extensive  research,  thereby  learning  re- 
lations, I  could  not  have  made  out  much  that  will,  with  the  aid  of 
others,  ere  long  become  evident  to  all — I  am,  dear  sir,  yours  faith- 
fully, J.  Gamgee. 

10^  April  1865. 

Sir, — I  beg  you  will  excuse  the  trouble  I  am  giving,  in  my  desire 
to  render  the  specimen  you  sent  me  of  the  utmost  possible  use  to 
veterinary  science. 

Since  I  wrote  you  on  Saturday,  I  have  examined  the  specimen  ; 
and  now,  if  you  can  answer  me  the  following  questions,  or  some  of 
them,  the  information  afforded  wiU  be  of  importance  : — 

How  old  was  the  horse  ? 

How  was  he  bred  ? 

How  long  had  you  known  him  ? 

Had  he  ever  possessed  free  and  good  action  in  his  trot  since  you 
knew  him,  or  while  in  the  possession  of  his  last  owner  ? 


246  FEACTUBES  OF  A  NAVICULAE  BONE. 

Had  he  ever  been  lame  to  your  knowledge  ? 
Did  the  horse  feel  infirm  or  unsafe  to  the  rider  of  late  ? 
What  exertion  was  he  undergoing  when  the  accident  happened 
which  led  to  his  destruction  ? — I  am,  sir,  yours  faithfully, 

Joseph  Gamgee. 

Mr  Owles  favoured  me  with  the  bone,  and  I  received  the  following 
from  him : — 

Aldeeshott,  11^^  April  1865. 

Sib, — In  reply  to  the  questions  in  your  letter  of  yesterday,  I  have 
the  pleasure  to  state  that  the  horse  was  rising  eight  years ;  he  was 
got  by  a  thorough-bred  horse, — I  forget  the  size.  I  had  known  him 
about  three  years  before  his  death  in  January ;  he  had  fair  action, 
fine,  but  not  high ;  he  had  never  been  lame  during  the  time  I  knew 
him  previously,  and  was  not  infirm ;  the  cause  of  the  lameness  is  not 
known,  it  was  sudden.  Subsequently  to  the  lameness  he  had  influ- 
enza badly,  and  rheumatism  followed ;  the  latter  attacked  both  fore 
fetlocks.  This  complication  of  diseases  reduced  the  animal  and  left  him 
with  diseased  lungs  and  permanent  lameness,  which  led  to  his  being 
destroyed.  The  foot  lameness  commenced  in  June  1862 ;  I  did  not 
see  the  case  till  two  weeks  after  the  attack — the  symptoms  were  ob- 
scure, but  indicated  the  foot  as  the  seat  of  injury. — I  am,  yours  faith- 
fully, Alfbed  Owles. 

In  a  letter  bearing  date  of  the  15th,  Mr  Owles  says,  "  The  horse 
had  never  been  lame  since  I  knew  him  previous  to  June  1 862,  when 
the  foot  lameness  commenced ;  and  I  did  not  see  the  case  for  two 
weeks  after  the  attack,  as  I  was  on  the  march,  but  I  heard  of  it  im- 
mediately by  letter." 

Eemabks. 

For  the  interesting  specimen,  an  illustration  of  which  is  given  fur- 
ther on,  we  are  indebted  to  Mr  Owles,  Veterinary  Surgeon  to  the 
General  Staff  at  Aldershott,  who  has  kindly  supplied  the  history  of 
the  case,  which  will  be  found  to  head  these  observations.  The 
navicular  bone  came  to  my  hand  through  the  post,  on  Saturday, 
April  8 ;  it  was  carefully  put  up  in  dry  tow  and  paper.  On  open- 
ing the  parcel,  same  time  reading  the  letter  which  accompanied 
it,  I  found  some  bloody  exudation  around  the  bone,  and  the  tow 
adhering  to  it ;  I  therefore  placed  it  in  a  basin  of  water,  in  order  to 
clear  it  of  extraneous  matter,  and  to  examine  it  at  leisure.  In  the 
meantime,  I  acknowledged  receipt,  and  the  same  evening,  after  wash- 
ing the  bone,  I  looked  at  it  with  the  attention  such  a  specimen  would 
at  any  time  elicit  from  me.  The  first  thing  to  be  observed  was  a 
highly  vascular  state  of  the  whole  substance  of  the  bone ;  and  two 
depressions,  when  viewed  from  its  lower  and  broad  surface,  were  seen 
on  the  inferior  anterior  ledge,  which,  on  closer  inspection,  proved  to  be 
two  fractures ;  the  commonly  prevalent  flattened  surface  of  the  bone 


FEACTUEES  OF  A  NAVICULAR  BONE.  247 

on  its  lower  surface  fonned  a  characteristic  feature  of  it,  so  much  so 
that  a  deep  depression  in  the  bone  is  manifest  over  three-fourths  of  its 
long  axis,  passing  through  the  natural  prominent  ridge  over  the  lower 
and  broad  surface  of  the  bone.  Having  made  these  observations  I  tied 
a  thread  round  the  bone,  and  hung  it  to  the  window  curtain,  in  order 
to  see  its  true  character  by  daylight  next  morning ;  and  accordingly, 
after  a  lapse  of  some  eight  hours,  the  bone  being  clean  and  dry,  its 
pathological  state  could  at  once  be  seen.  The  membranous  textures 
lining  the  bone  having  retracted  by  drying,  left  the  fractured  edges 
clearly  defined  through  their  whole  extent,  and  I  was  able  at  this 
juncture  to  see  how  force  had  been  exerted  to  produce  the  result,  and 
that  the  urgent  symptoms  of  lameness,  which  finally  led  to  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  horse,  must  have  been  sudden  in  their  appearance;  yet, 
seeing  the  chronic  diseased  state,  I  cannot  conceive  that  the  horse  could 
have  moved  freely  during  many  of  the  latter  months,  or  a  year  previous 
to  the  occurrence  of  fracture.  I  wrote  to  Mr  Owles  for  more  historical 
details,  and  am  indebted  to  him  for  them,  which  will  be  found  annexed, 
and  also  duly  received  the  pedal  bone,  which  appears  to  be  of  the  near 
fore-foot  of  a  well-bred  horse,  and  is  evidently  that  to  which  the 
fractured  navicular  bone  belonged.  I  find  the  pedal  bone  wasted  by 
absorption,  both  on  its  planta  surface  and  around  the  lower  circum- 
ference of  its  outer  surface,  giving  to  it  a  diminished  form;  which 
altered  condition,  I  consider,  must  have  deprived  the  horse  of  the 
capability  of  showing  free,  safe,  and  easy  action.  This  pedal  bone 
exhibits  the  signs  of  abnormal  stress  having  been  imposed  on  to  it,  over 
two  aspects — firstly,  the  socket  formation  on  either  side,  which  receive 
the  inner  and  outer  condyles  of  the  coronary  bone,  are  depressed, 
having  their  margins  thin,  and  bulging,  showing  that  the  weight  was 
conveyed  vertically  on  to  it,  and  that  the  foot  would  have,  when 
viewed  from  the  pastern  joint,  an  overshooting  appearance. 

The  next  aspect  of  the  coflSn  bone,  on  which  I  shall  remark,  is 
that  where  the  most  injury  had  been  sustained,  and  though  not  first 
in  the  order,  became  an  additional  cause  of  increased  general  derange- 
ment ;  I  allude  to  the  posterior  and  lower  articulating  surface  of  the 
coflSn  bone,  where  it  articulates  with  the  anterior  aspect  of  the 
navicular  bone — that  part  of  the  pedal  bone  contiguous  to,  and  im- 
mediately above,  the  ledge  of  the  navicular  bone,  which  was  fractured 
in  two  places. 

I  am  now  come  to  a  part  of  my  narrative  where,  with  the  com- 
monly-accepted notions  on  the  structures  and  functions  of  these  parts, 
I  fear  I  shall  not  easily  make  myself  understood;  yet  the  questions 
involved  are  of  great  importance,  which  require  to  be  cleared  up 
regarding  the  economy  of  the  foot  and  diseases  incidental  to  it. 
However  far  it  may  be  from  my  wish  to  give  a  partial  and  in- 
complete description  of  my  views  on  the  function  of  structures  under 
consideration,  as  it  is  the  only  way  to  treat  the  matter,  since  fuller 
details  are  incompatible  with  space,  I  adopt  the  alternative. 
The  navicular  bone,  which  is  oblong  in  shape,  is  placed  transversely 


248 


FRACTUBES  OF  A  NAVICULAE  BONE. 


behind  the  centre  of  the  pedal  bone,  it  has  three  lubricated  surfaces, 
— the  uppermost  receives  the  posterior  and  lower  part  of  the  cor- 
onary bone,  the  upper  and  anterior  articulates  with  a  corresponding 
surface  of  the  pedal  bone,  and  the  lower  and  backward  aspect  of  the 
navicular  bone  forms  the  surface  for  the  flexor  pedal  tendon  to  slide  on. 
This  bone  is  of  about  twice  the  substance  and  strength  in  the  middle, 
where  it  has  a  twofold  convexity,  as  seen  above  and  below,  to  what  it 
is  on  either  side,  midway  between  the  centre  and  each  extremity; 
which  again  are  thickened  and  strong,  with  obvious  adaptation  for 
the  hold  of  ligaments.  The  relative  extent  of  the  two  large  articu- 
lating surfaces  of  the  navicular  bone,  bear  proportion  to  each  other  of 
from  two  to  three,  or  two  to  one  greater  on  the  lower  aspect  than 
that  above,  where  it  faces  the  coronary  bone.  The  difference  between 
the  extent  of  the  two  surfaces  is  given  by  two  ledges  being  extended 
from  the  body  of  the  bone  inferiorly,  one  anteriorly,  which  extends 
partly  over  a  concavity  of  the  pedal  bone,  and  gives  support  and  form 
for  the  tendon  to  rest  and  move  on,  and  the  other  ledge  extending 
along  the  posterior  aspect  of  the  bone,  is  short  and  dense,  and  is  of 
about  half  the  thickness  of  the  body  of  the  bone.  The  whole  margin 
of  this  bone  gives  strong  attaching  surfaces  to  ligaments. 

The  accompanying  illustration,  which  I  republish  fxom  the  Review, 

vol.  iii.,  page  640,  where  I  first 
demonstrated  some  of  the  most 
important  connections  and  en- 
dowments of  the  navicular  bone, 
exhibits  a  transverse  section  of 
the  foot,  the  posterior  region 
being  removed,  to  show  the 
ligament  rising  from  the  pos- 
terior ledge  of  the  navicular 
bone,  increased  manifold  in 
substance  at  each  extremity, 
passes  obliquely  over  either 
side  of  the  coronary  bone,  up- 
wards and  forwards  to  the  an- 
terior and  lower  surface  of  the 
pastern  bone,  which  latter  is 
the  shaft  which  acts  on  the 
navicular  bone,  the  innermost 
nucleus  of  a  system,  these  bones 
standing  in  relation  to  each  other  as  pulley  and  fulcrum  below,  the 
pastern  region  constituting  the  leverage  power. 

Turning  to  the  anterior  aspect  of  the  navicular  bone,  and  viewing 
its  lower  surface,  we  find  an  advancing  ledge  giving  attachment  to 
the  ligament  which  connects  this  to  the  pedal  bone,  not,  as  has  been 
inferred,  by  a  uniform  flat  ligament,  but  one  whose  power  is  mainly 
at  the  central  point,  where  the  navicular  bone  pushes  forward  like  a 
ship's  bow,  having  great  substance  there,  in  a  medean  line  from  front 


FRACTUBES  OP  A  NAVICULAR  BONE.  249 

backwards,  (or,  having  regard  to  the  oblique  position  of  the  bone  nor- 
mally, it  would  be  about  equally  correct  to  say  from  below  upwards.) 
From  that  anterior  point  a  strong  short  ligament  connects  it  to  the 
inner  inferior  concavity  of  the  pedal  bone,  the  fibres  of  which  ligament 
are  mainly  inserted  directly  into  the  latter;  and  part  of  them,  the 
outermost,  become  blended  with  those  of  the  perforans  tendonae,  with 
which  they  are  inserted.  Thus  the  pedal  bone  at  its  central  positions 
inferiorly,  in  its  most  concave  recess,  and  where  its  strength  converges, 
gives  three  insertions  to  structures,  on  the  integrity  and  the  economy 
of  which  depends  the  power  of  movement,  and  value  for  all  purposes, 
of  the  horse.  These  insertions  are,  firstly,  the  main  anterior  ligament 
in  the  medean  line  of  the  navicular  bone ;  secondly,  the  tendon  of  the 
flexor  perforans  ;  and  thirdly,  the  strong  tendinous  frog.  I  need  not 
trace  these  connections  and  the  blending  of  functions  further  for  my 
present  object.  The  ligament  which  connects  the  navicular  to  the 
pedal  bone  is  continuous  with  the  central  part  described ;  and  looking 
at  the  crescent-shaped  front  ledge,  we  find  two  other  points  of  that 
bone  pushing  forward  towards  two  prominent  parts  of  the  pedal 
bone ;  and  at  these  points  the  connecting  ligament  has  increase  of 
strength,  and  it  was  at  these  two  points  where  the  two  fractures  in 
the  specimen  before  us  took  place ;  they  are  on  either  side,  equi- 
distant from  the  strong  central  attachment. 


Besides  the  attachment  direct  between  the  pedal  and  navicular 
bones,  the  latter  is  most  strongly  connected  by  ligaments  from  both 
its  extremities,  which  are  directly  inserted  on  the  inner  surface  of  the 
lateral  cartilage,  where  it  is  supported  by  the  basilar  process  of  the 
pedal  bone  on  each  side ;  and  as  the  cartilage  runs  forward  and  is 
attached  to  the  lower  lateral  surfaces  of  the  coronary  bone,  and  is 
connected  with  the  anterior  part  of  the  pedal  bone,  we  shall  presently 
see  how  functions  blend  there  to  sustain  force.  Lastly,  those  liga- 
ments from  the  ends  of  the  navicular  bone  connect  downwards  and 
backwards  with  the  cartilages  and  fibrous  bands,  all  of  which  coalesce 
and  constitute  the  substance  and  strength  of  the  pliable  region  of 
the  foot. 

How  did  these  fractures  of  the  navicular  bone  happen  ?  Why,  in 
the  same  way  as  all  fractures  of  that  bone  do  happen,  whether  it 
occurs  near  one  of  its  extremities,  or,  as  in  some  cases  of  more  ad- 
vanced disease,  in  its  centre — the  locality  depending  on  the  relative 
weak  part  of  the  bone,  and  the  way  the  force  was  applied  on  it     In 


250  PEACTXTRES  OF  A  NAVICULAR  BONE. 

the  case  under  notice  the  most  prone  points  were  those  connected 
strongly  to  the  pedal  bone ;  at  the  connection  of  the  navicular  with 
the  pedal  bone  the  functions  of  the  foot  allow  of  limited  relaxation 
when  it  is  lifted,  and  corresponding  slight  recedence  occurs  from  the 
connecting  point  of  these  bones.  But  as  the  foot  is  pressed  down, 
when  movement  of  the  body  is  going  on,  the  pressure  of  the  coronary 
bone  is  great  in  proportion  to  the  energy  of  the  muscular  force  em- 
ployed when  the  weight  is  passing  over  the  point  of  resistance,  at 
which  instant  the  navicular  bone  is  put  to  the  test.  Fixed  by  its 
front  ligaments  as  well  as  laterally,  and  abutting  against  the  pos- 
terior surface  of  the  pedal  bone,  pressed  up  from  behind  by  the  flexor 
tendon,  the  pastern  applies  its  leverage  force  ;  thus,  all  fast  and  beauti- 
fully harmonising  below,  nothing  seen  by  man  of  creative  mechanism 
equals  this  aspect  of  the  horse's  foot,  with  its  cuplike  concavity, 
formed  by  two  bones,  so  connected  as  to  receive  the  strong  broad 
condyles  of  coronary  bone,  which  of  itself  is  pla3dng  physical  parts 
beyond  my  power  to  estimate  their  force.  It  was  by  this  antagonism 
of  downward  pressure  anteriorly,  and  the  upward  action  posteriorly, 
that  the  two  points  of  the  ledge  of  the  navicular  bone  were  fractured 
by  virtue  of  its  own  connecting  ligaments,  being  stronger  than  the 
bone  itself  at  the  part. 

My  concluding  remarks  on  this  instructing  case  shall  be  brief. 
When  the  horse  was  first  known  to  be  lame,  with  the  remainder  of 
the  history  of  the  case,  will  be  best  gathered  from  the  account  of  the 
gentleman  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  the  report.  Though  we  have 
the  pathological  conditions  of  one  fore-foot  only,  there  is  no  ground 
for  supposing  that  the  other  one  was  free  from  disease,  and  probably 
it  was  not  exempt  from  some  share  of  the  recent  injury,  since  many 
cases  show  that  the  feet  often  suffer  in  pairs,  and  sometimes  three, 
and  even  all  four  give  way  under  extraordinary  efforts  when  fracture 
of  one  bone  occurs  under  exertion.  We  see  that  Mr  Owles  speaks 
of  the  feet,  and  not  of  a  foot,  as  the  seat  of  lameness.  He  tells  us 
that  both  pasterns  were  swollen,  which  was  attributed  to  rheuma- 
tism ;  and  that  this  was  succeeded  by  influenza,  and  this  latter  by 
confirmed  disease  of  the  lungs  and  breaking  up  of  the  constitutional 
system. 

My  own  opinion  on  this  interesting  case  is,  as  far  as  opinion  may 
be  allowable  on  the  basis  of  facts  and  concurring  incidents,  that  a 
weakening  and  at  length  diseased  process  had  long  been  in  progress 
in  both  pedal  and  navicular  bones,  and  that  the  fractures  occurred 
through  the  natural  powers  of  the  horse  being  exerted  on  structure?, 
weakened  and  placed  under  physical  disadvantages  in  relation  to  co- 
operating phenomena. 

Instead  of  rheumatism,  I  believe  that  the  swollen  state  of  the 
pasterns  was  due  to  the  fractured  and  complicated  condition  of  bones 
and  tissues  below ;  and  that  in  all  probability  with  the  bones  loose, ' 
as  the  fractured  parts  remained  without  any  sign  of  their  union  being 
in  progress,  that  purulent  affection  of  the  blood  followed;  which  ran 
its  coarse  in  the  way  described^  with  the  fatal  consequences. 


%\t  ^tknmi^  S^tteltt  s«b  BUthiamxi  Iffurnal 


THE  PKOGKESS  OF  THE  PKOFESSION. 

When,  in  1858,  we  published  the  first  number  of  this  Journal,  one 
great  motive  which  induced  us  to  take  the  step,  so  shortly  after  estab- 
lishing the  new  Veterinary  College,  was  to  advocate  the  combination 
of  all  veterinary  practitioners  into  one  body,  with  a  liberal  consti- 
tution, having  full  power  over  its  governing  council  and  examin- 
ing boards,  as  secured  to  our  profession  by  royal  charter  in  1844. 
Many  have  since  been  the  eflforts  to  bring  such  men  as  Professor 
Dick  and  Mr  John  Hall  Maxwell  to  their  senses  on  this  question, 
but  few  in  the  south  have  known  what  essence  of  arrogance  and 
obstinacy  these  two  names  represent — the  one  determined  to  crush 
every  one,  to  have  his  own  way  in  all  that  concerns  veterinary  teach- 
ing and  examining  in  the  north ;  and  the  other  ready  to  do  anything 
in  support  of  tyrannical  and  oppresive  rule; — gentle  lambs  these 
to  be  coaxed  into  good  ways — to  be  reformed  after  a  long  career  of 
evil-doing !  What  did  they  care  if  a  small  profession  was  split  up 
into  two  halves,  and  if  the  students  who  went  to  England  with  these 
certificates  were  taunted  and  annoyed  ? 

We  have  been  told  all  along  that  Professor  Dick  had  his  students 
examined  before  the  Highland  Society's  Board.  Professor  Dick  has 
been  represented  as  not  being  all-powerful  with  the  unpaid  examiners 
whom  he  chooses.  He  gives  them  a  dinner,  and  formerly  was  liberal 
enough  to  invite  the  students  to  the  entertainment,  but  of  late  has 
imposed  a  penalty  which  the  students  refuse  to  pay.  They  get  off 
with  a  two-guinea  fee  for  their  examination,  which,  no  doubt,  covers 
the  expenses  incurred  in  parchment  and  paper.  This  irresponsible 
board  has,  however,  been  doing  a  little  good  duty.  At  the  examina- 
tions during  the  past  month,  it  rejected  7  out  of  28  students.  Out 
of  the  21  which  it  passed,  3  were  examined  a  second  time.  ,  It  is, 
be  it  remembered,  the  work  done  by  Professor  Dick's  friends,  for 


252  THE  PBOGKESS  OF  THE  PROFESSION. 

Mr  Maxwell  told  the  gentlemen  who  dined  with  Professor  Dick  at  the 
Waterloo  Hotel,  that  "  there  had  been  often  a  deal  of  misapprehension 
as  to  the  relations  which  existed  between  the  Highland  Society  and 
the  Edinburgh  Veterinary  College.  Some  thought  that  Professor 
Dick  examined  the  pupils  himself  and  passed  them,  while  others 
believed  that  the  Highland  Society  did  the  examination,  and  granted 
the  students  its  own  diploma.  This,  however,  he  was  glad  to  say, 
was  not  the  case." 

We  should  not  have  noticed  these  matters  but  for  the  circumstance, 
that  whilst  fewer  students  are  taking  the  so-called  Highland  Society's 
certificate,  which  Mr  Maxwell  tells  us  is  not  the  Highland  Society's, 
but  Professor  Dick's,  a  large  number  of  members  is  annually  ad- 
mitted into  the  body  of  our  legally-constituted  profession.  Many  who 
were  formerly  contented  with  Mr  Dick's  certificate  have  gone  to  the 
expense  of  a  journey  to  Edinburgh  and  London,  to  become  properly 
qualified ;  and  some  who  have  written  to  the  Professor  for  certificates, 
have  received  them  in  an  envelope,  with  the  ungracious  and  not  very 
grammatical  sentence  of  "  fools  and  their  money  is  soon  parted," 
alluding,  no  doubt,  to  the  fee  payable  for  the  only  legal  veterinary 
diploma  in  these  realms. 

If  the  Eoyal  College  has  to  congratulate  itself  on  its  present  posi- 
tion, it  certainly  cannot  thank  Professor  Dick,  or  Mr  John  Hall 
Maxwell ;  and  as  the  new  Veterinary  College  led  to  the  reorganiza- 
tion of  the  Scotch  branch,  it  has  steadily  enhanced  the  interests  of 
the  body  corporate,  and  exposed  the  rottenness  of  a  system  which, 
for  many  years,  did  no  small  damage  to  the  profession  in  North 
Britain.  It  is  no  meagre  result  to  find  the  number  of  properly  quali- 
fied members  of  our  profession  steadily  increasing  in  the  North ;  and 
we  anticipate  that  what  has  not  been  accomplished  by  exhortation 
and  earnest  appeal  to  Professor  Dick,  has  been  attained  by  the  strong 
hand  of  time,  and  the  effect  of  rational  advice  with  those  who  now 
seek  to  become  veterinary  practitioners. 


BOYAL  COLLEGE  OF  YETESINABY  SURGEONS.  253 

KOYAL  COLLEGE  OF  VETERINARY  SURGEONS. 

Quarterly  Meeting  of  Council,  April  5,  1865. 

Present — ^The  President,  Professors  Spooner  and  Vamell,  Messrs 
Broad,  Ernes,  Greaves,  Harpley,  Harrison,  Helmore,  Lawson, 
Robinson,  Thacker,  Wilkinson,  and  the  Secretary. — The  Presi- 
dent in  the  chair. 

The  minutes  of  the  preceding  meeting  were  read  and  confirmed. 

Letters  were  read  which  had  been  received  from  several  gentlemen 
holding  the  Highland  and  Agricultural  Society's  certificate,  who  were 
desirous  of  becoming  candidates  for  the  diploma  of  the  Royal  College 
of  Veterinary  Surgeons  at  the  next  meeting  of  the  Court  of  Examiners. 

A  letter  was  also  read  from  Professor  Syme,  acknowledging  his 
election,  and  accepting  his  appointment,  to  the  Scotch  section  of 
the  Board  of  Examiners  ;  and  one  from  Dr  Struthers,  on  the  subject 
of  his  re-election  as  Secretary  to  the  Board. 

The  subject  of  the  forthcoming  examinations  was  then  considered, 
when  it  was  moved  by  Mr  Ernes,  and  seconded  by  Mr  Helmore, — 

"  That  the  London  examinations  take  place  April  24,  and  be  con- 
tinued on  the  25th,  26th,  and  27th.*'— Carried. 

It  was  moved  by  Mr  Wilkinson,  and  seconded  by  Mr  Ernes, — 

"  That  the  Scotch  examinations  take  place  on  April  24  and  follow- 
ing days." — Carried. 

The  Registrar  reported  the  following  deaths, — viz.,  Mr  Henry 
Hogreve,  halfway  loth  Dragoons;  diploma  dated  July  1,  1806. 
Mr  Wm.  Woodman,  half -pay,  2d  Dragoons  ;  diploma  dated  June  30, 
1812.  Mr  Sargeant  T.  Harman,  Arundel,  Sussex ;  diploma  dated 
April  30,  1847.  Mr  Thos.  Pengree  Page,  E.LC.,  19th  Hussars; 
diploma  dated  June  28,  1836.  Mr  John  Robinson,  Lichfield,  Staf- 
ford; diploma  dated  April  27,  1815.  Mr  William  D.  Lines,  St 
John's  Wood ;  diploma  dated  May  11,  1853.  Mr  James  Buckeridge; 
Hungerford,  Berks ;  diploma  dated  April  28,  1863 ;  and  Mr  Charles 
C.  Brett,  half-pay,  Cavalry  Dep6t,  Maidstone ;  diploma  dated  April 
1,  1828. 

The  Finance  Committee  reported  that  they  had  examined  the 
vouchers  and  receipts  of  payment  during  the  preceding  quarter, 
which  were  found  to  be  correct.  They  also  submitted  the  quarterly 
balance-sheet  of  the  Treasurer's  account,  from  which  it  appeared 
that  the  liabilities,  for  the  quarter  ending  April  1,  amounted  to 
£69,  6s.  lid.  They  recommended  that  these  liabilities  should  be 
discharged. 

It  was  moved  by  Mr  Broad,  and  seconded  by  Mr  Helmore;  that 
the  report  be  adopted. — Carried. 

Cheques  were  ordered  to  be  drawn  for  the  current  expenses. 

The  arrangements  for  the  forthcoming  annual  meeting  were  next 


254  EOYAL  COLLEGE  OF  VETEBINARY  SURGEONS. 

considered,  when  it  was  moved  by  Mr  Lawson,  and  seconded  by  Mr 
Eobinson, — 

*'  That  Messrs  Wilkinson,  Emes,  Harpley,  and  the  Secretary,  be 
appointed  the  committee  to  prepare  the  annual  report." — Carried. 

It  was  moved  by  Mr  Lawson,  and  seconded  by  Mr  Greaves, — 

"  That  Mr  James  Hall,  and  Mr  Joseph  Woodger,  be  appointed 
auditors." — Carried. 

A  discussion  next  took  place  relative  to  the  anniversary  dinner, 
when  it  was  resolved, — "  That  the  London  Tavern  be  selected,  and 
that  the  Council  be  the  stewards." 

It  was  moved  by  Mr  Wilkinson,  and  seconded  by  Mr  Greaves, — 
"  That  Messrs  Silvester,  Emes,  Harpley,  and  Thacker,  constitute  the 
dinner  committee." — Carried. 

The  Secretary  called  the  attention  of  the  Council  to  the  propriety 
of  having  additional  advertisements  inserted,  viz.,  in  the  Sporting 
Gazette  and  the  Glasgow  Herald,  which  was  agreed  to. 
By  Order  of  the  Council, 

Wm.  Hy.  Coates,  Secretary. 


SPECIAL  MEETING  OP  THE  COUNCIL,  HELD  APRIL  19,  1865. 

Present — The  President,  Professor  Varnell;  Messrs  Brown,  Emes, 
Harpley,  Harrison,  Helmore,  Moon,  Thacker,  Wilkinson,  Withers, 
and  the  Secretary. — The  President  in  the  chair. 

The  minutes  of  the  preceding  meeting  were  read  and  confirmed. 

A  letter  was  read,  which  had  been  received  from  Dr  Struthers, 
relative  to  an  application  for  examination  made  by  Mr  Eobert  Park, 
a  veterinary  student  of  the  Glasgow  school,  who  submitted  an  attested 
list  of  medical  certificates  which  he  had  received  from  the  University 
of  Glasgow,  during  a  period  of  three  years'  attendance,  as  well  as  a 
certificate  from  Professor  M'Call  of  the  Glasgow  Veterinary  College, 
for  the  session  1864-5. 

It  was  moved  by  Mr  Wilkinson,  and  seconded  by  Mr  Harpley, — 

"  That  Mr  Park  be  considered  eligible  for  examination,  and  that  a 
telegram  be  sent  to  Dr  Struthers  to  that  eflfect." — Carried. 

A  letter  was  also  read  from  Mr  Cowie,  one  of  the  members  of  the 
Court  of  Examiners  acting  for  Scotland,  relative  to  the  meetings  of  the 
board  in  Edinburgh  being  held  twice  in  one  day  on  an  emergency, 
and  requesting  to  be  informed  whether  in  such  a  case  the  examiners 
would  be  entitled  to  double  fees. 

The  subject  was  discussed  at  some  length,  and  ultimately  ordered 
to  be  adjourned  for  future  consideration.  The  Secretary  was  re- 
quested in  the  meantime  to  commimicate  with  Mr  Cowie,  and  to 
ascertain  from  the  medical  examiners  resident  in  Edinburgh  whether 
it  would  be  agreeable  to  them  to  attend  two  meetings  in  one  day. 

The  annual  abstract  of  the  proceedings  of  the  Council,  as  prepared 


PBOGBAMME  OF  COKGBESS  OF  YETEBlNABIANa  256 

by  the  Report  Committee,  was  then  read,  and  submitted  for  approval, 
whereupon 

It  was  moved  by  Mr  Harrison,  and  seconded  by  Mr  Ernes, — 

"  That  the  report  be  received  and  adopted." 

The  amended  balance  sheet  of  the  receipts  and  expenditure  during 
the  past  year,  as  audited,  was  laid  on  the  table.  After  considerable 
discussion. 

It  was  moved  by  Mr  Thacker,  and  seconded  by  Professor  Vamell, — 

*'  That  it  be  received  and  adopted." — Carried. 

A  cheque  was  ordered  to  be  drawn  for  the  examiners'  fees. 
By  order  of  the  Council, 

Wm.  Hy.  Coates,  Secretary, 


PROGRAMME  OF  THE  SECOND  INTERNATIONAL 
CONGRESS  OF  VETERINARIANS, 

TO  BE  HELD  AT  VIENNA,  FBOM  THE  21ST  TO  THE  26TH  AUGUST  1865. 

The  International  Congress  of  Veterinary  Surgeons,  which  met  in 
Hamburgh  in  1863,  on  the  invitation  of  Professors  Gamgee  of  Edin- 
burgh, and  Hering  of  Stuttgart,  resolved  at  its  sitting  on  the  18th 
July,  that  the  next  Congress,  now  fixed  for  1865,  should  take  place 
at  Vienna ;  and  the  Professors  of  the  Imperial  Veterinary  College  of 
Vienna,  whose  names  are  subjoined,  and  who  were  present  at  Ham- 
burgh, were  deputed  to  make  the  necessary  preparations. 

According  to  the  desire  expressed  at  the  first  Congress,  the  second 
should  have  been  summoned  for  the  time  during  which  an  extensive 
agricultural  exhibition  was  to  take  place,  but  circumstances  over 
which  the  Committee  had  no  control  have  interfered  with  such  an 
arrangement. 

As  for  the  Agricultural  Show  of  1866,  proposed  by  the  Imperial 
Agricultural  Society  of  Vienna,  the  details  and  particulars  have  not 
yet  been  under  consideration.  Still  therefore  undecided,  notwith- 
standing that  gentlemen  who  wish  to  attend  the  Congress  might 
have  preferred  the  Exhibition  period,  the  Committee  has  felt  the 
necessity  of  taking  the  requisite  steps  to  call  the  Congress  together 
in  1865,  without  having  regard  to  the  contingency  of  an  agricultural 
show. 

By  a  supreme  decision.  His  Imperial  and  Royal  Apostolic  Majesty 
has  deigned  to  acquiesce  in  the  holding  of  the  International  Congress 
of  Veterinarians  at  Vienna  in  1865. 

The  time  most  convenient  for  such  a  Congress  seemed  to  the  Com- 
mittee to  be  near  the  end  of  the  month  of  August,  as  at  that  season 
the  holidays  have  commenced  at  all  the  Veterinary  Colleges,  and  the 
Vol.  L— No.  v.— New  Sbbum.    May  1865.  T 


254  EOYAL  COLLEGE  OF  VETEBINARY  SURGEONfiL 

considered,  when  it  was  moved  by  Mr  Lawson,  and  seconded  by  Mr 
Eobinson, — 

"  That  Messrs  Wilkinson,  Ernes,  Harpley,  and  the  Secretary,  be 
appointed  the  committee  to  prepare  the  annual  report." — Carried. 

It  was  moved  by  Mr  Lawson,  and  seconded  by  Mr  Greaves, — 

"  That  Mr  James  Hall,  and  Mr  Joseph  Woodger,  be  appointed 
auditors." — Carried. 

A  discussion  next  took  place  relative  to  the  anniversary  dinner, 
when  it  was  resolved, — "  That  the  London  Tavern  be  selected,  and 
that  the  Council  be  the  stewards.'* 

It  was  moved  by  Mr  Wilkinson,  and  seconded  by  Mr  Greaves, — 
"  That  Messrs  Silvester,  Ernes,  Harpley,  and  Thacker,  constitute  the 
dinner  committee." — Carried. 

The  Secretary  called  the  attention  of  the  Council  to  the  propriety 
of  having  additional  advertisements  inserted,  viz.,  in  the  8porting 
Gazette  and  the  Olasgow  Herald,  which  was  agreed  to. 
By  Order  of  the  Council, 

Wm.  Hy.  Coates,  Secretary, 


SPECIAL  MEETING  OP  THE  COUNCIL,  HELD  APRIL  19,  1865. 

Present — The  President,  Professor  Vamell;  Messrs  Brown,  Ernes, 
Harpley,  Harrison,  Helmore,  Moon,  Thacker,  Wilkinson,  Withers, 
and  the  Secretary. — The  President  in  the  chair. 

The  minutes  of  the  preceding  meeting  were  read  and  confirmed. 

A  letter  was  read,  which  had  been  received  from  Dr  Struthers, 
relative  to  an  application  for  examination  made  by  Mr  Bobert  Park, 
a  veterinary  student  of  the  Glasgow  school,  who  sabmitted  an  attested 
list  of  medical  certificates  which  he  had  received  from  the  University 
of  Glasgow,  during  a  period  of  three  years'  attendance,  as  well  as  • 


certificate  from  Professor  M'Call  of  the  Glasgow  Veterinaiy  College, 
for  the  session  1864-5. 

It  was  moved  by  Mr  Wilkinson,  and  seconded  by  Mr  Harpley^ — 

"That  Mr  Park  be  considered  eligible  for  examination,  and  that  a  | 
telegram  be  sent  to  Dr  Struthers  to  that  effect." — Carriei 

A  letter  was  also  read  from  Mr  Cowie,  one  of  the  niembei»a  of  thej 
Court  of  Examiners  acting  for  Scotland,  rc4ati  va  to  tlic  inc^t  ^  n  ^ .  r  ,r  tb^  j 
board  in  Edinburgh  being  held  twice  in  one  d&y  oil  ftii  -.j  i  ^l^  liC/i  f 
and  requesting  to  be  informed  whether  in  sacAi  %  caw  Uio  {^saimiias 
would  be  entitled  t(»  double  fees. 

The  subject  was  discussed  at  some  la^i^th  ^  miA  ttltiauitely  tst^m^ 
to  be  adjourned  for  future  coDsideration.  *rhe  S^Kjf^l*^  waa  re- 
quested in  the  meantime  to  commt'^'  ^^Ctmi^t  tna  Hi  f 
ascertain  from  the  medical  exanu^ 
it  would  be  agreeable  to  them  J 
The  annual  abstract  of  tk^l 


256  PROGRAMME  OF  THE  SECOND  INTERNATIONAL 

Professors  have  a  good  opportunity  of  being  present.  Moreover,  the 
season  is  propitious  for  those  who  have  to  travel  from  the  North  and 
East  of  Europe. 

With  the  consent  of  the  Imperial  and  Royal  Ministry,  the  Com- 
mittee have  fixed  the  time  for  the  Congress,  from  the  21st  to  the 
26th  of  August,  which,  according  to  the  time  required  for  discussions, 
might  be  prolonged  towards  the  end  of  the  month. 

The  Imperial  and  Royal  Academy  of  Sciences  has  kindly  placed 
at  the  disposal  of  the  Congress  the  accommodation  required  in  its 
palace.  No.  2  University  Square,  and  one  of  the  members  of  the  Com- 
mittee will  have  the  honour  to  receive  there,  from  and  after  the  18th 
of  August,  the  gentlemen  who  intend  taking  part  in  the  Congress. 

The  object,  already  known  by  the  rules  of  the  Hamburgh  meeting, 
is  to  deal  with  veterinary  questions  having  an  international  import- 
ance, to  consider  propositions  bearing  thereon,  and  submitting  reso- 
lutions to  all  the  governments. 

The  principal  objects  of  discussion  will  be  the  means  of  commu- 
nication in  the  propagation  and  the  progress  of  epizootics  from  the 
various  countries ;  the  propositions,  comprising  common  measures 
necessary  to  prevent  the  extension  of  and  overcome  these  maladies, 
no  less  than  the  measures  which  concern  the  international  commerce 
of  the  domestic  animals.  Generally  speaking,  all  questions  of  veteri- 
nary science  are  dealt  with  which  relate  to  sanitary  or  veterinary 
police. 

The  epizootics  of  special  interest  in  difierent  countries  of  Europe 
must  be  brought  under  the  special  notice  of  the  Congress  by  attending 
members,  with  a  view  to  securing  a  discussion  on  the  most  important 
points  before  the  assembly. 

The  Committee  has,  with  the  consent  of  the  Imperial  and  Royal 
Ministry  of  State,  determined  on  proposing  the  following  subjects 
for  discussion  : — 

I.  On  the  contagious  tjrphus  (Russian  cattle  plague)  of  homed 
cattle,  with  special  reference  to  two  points, — 1st,  The  question  raised 
in  Hamburgh  as  to  the  number  of  days  to  which  the  period  of  qua- 
rantine for  this  disease,  now  extending  to  twenty-one  days,  may  be 
restricted  without  inconvenience;  2dly,  deliberation  on  common 
measures  concerning  the  treatment  of  animals  and  animal  products, 
in  relation  to  international  commerce,  during  the  prevalence  of  the 
cattle  plague  in  the  country. 

II.  Discussions  on  the  methods  of  disinfecting  railway  waggons, 
already  required  by  several  states,  with  a  view  to  attain,  if  possible, 
to  the  realisation  of  this  desideratum  in  a  uniform  manner,  with  due 
regard  to  the  interests  of  trade,  of  veterinary  police,  and  of  the  rail- 
way companies. 

III.  On  rabies  canina,  which  has  attained  an  unusual  extension  of 
late  years  in  Vienna,  in  other  large  cities,  and  in  various  parts  of  the 
country.  A  discussion  on  the  causes  of  the  malady,  on  the  success 
of  measures  adopted  up  to  the  present  time  to  prevent  its  propa- 


CONGRESS  OP  VETERINARIANS.  257 

gation,  such  as  taxes,  periodic  examination  of  dogs,  compelling  the 
wearing  of  muzzles,  &c.,  might,  perhaps,  lead  to  a  plan  whereby  some 
reasonable  regulation  might  be  adopted  for  the  supervision  of  dogs. 

IV.  Of  late  years  several  states  have  passed  laws  concerning  the 
redhibitory  diseases,  or,  at  all  events,  deliberations  have  been  made  con- 
cerning defects,  or  certain  morbid  states  to  which  this  character  might 
be  attributed.  A  uniform  law  concerning  the  redhibitory  vices  would 
be  of  great  importance  to  the  international  commerce  in  domestic 
animals.  The  opinion  of  the  assembly  on  these  defects  might  be  of 
much  value  to  legislation. 

The  Committee  has  the  honour  of  inviting  the  professors  of  vete- 
rinary colleges,  members  of  veterinary  societies,  veterinarians  in  all 
parts  of  Europe,  and  social  economists,  who  take  an  interest  in  dis- 
cussions such  as  are  proposed,  to  participate  in  the  forthcoming  Con- 
gress at  Vienna.  The  Committee  also  hopes  that  gentlemen  in- 
tending to  be  present  will  signify  the  same  to  one  of  its  members, 
who  will  have  great  pleasure  in  furnishing  any  information  which 
may  be  required. 

The  Committee  of  the  second  International  Veterinary  Congress : 
Dr  Pillwax,  Dr  RoU,  Dr  MuUer, 
Professors  of  the  Imperial  and  Royal  Veterinary  College  in  Vienna. 

Vienna,  ZOth  March  1865. ' 


258  BREACH  OF  WAEBANTY. 

PERISCOPE. 


BRISTOL  ASSIZE,  Wkdnksday  and  THrRSDAi,  6th  and  7th  Apbil. 

{Before  Mr  Baron  Channell.) 

Bbbach  of  Warranty — Green  v.  Groves. 

This  action  was  brought  to  recover  £81,  Os.  2d.,  for  breach  of  warranty  of  200  lambs. 

Counsel  for  the  plaintiff,  Mr  Karslake,  Q.C.,  and  Mr  Edlin;  for  the  defendant,  Mr 

Cole  and  Mr  Collins. 

Mr  William  Lewis,  farmer,  near  Ilchester,  was  the  first  witness  called,  he  swore 
that  he  was  present  when  the  plaintiff  purchased  the  200  lambs  of  the  defendant,  and 
that  the  defendant  warranted  the  lambs  "  all  perfectly  sound."  In  cross-examination 
he  admitted  having  heard  the  defendant  say  that  if  the  plaintiff  gave  the  lambs  water 
after  driving  them,  they  would  "  run  out.** 

Evidence  was  also  led  to  show  that  the  lambs  were  not  mixed  with  others  on  their 
way  to  the  plaintiff's  premises. 

Mr  G.  A.  Whitemore,  Shepton-Mallet,  Somersetshire,  was  asked  by  Mr  Green  to 
exffinine  one  of  the  lambs  which  died.  Its  liver  was  diseased  and  contained  three 
flukes.  Is  not  quite  sure  whether  flukes  breed  in  the  liver  or  not.  Cross-examined — 
The  lamb  died  from  disease  of  the  liver.  One  of  the  lobes  of  the  liver  was  turned  in 
its  colour. 

Professor  Murray,  Royal  Agricultural  College,  Cirencester — Rot  or  coathe  is  a  dis- 
ease depending  on  the  presence  of  flukes  in  the  liver.  The  germs  or  pupa  cysts  are 
tiU^en  up  by  the  sheep  while  feeding  on  the  grass.  They  make  their  way  through  the 
stomach  into  the  bil^ry  ducts.  The  flukes  develop  there — cannot  undertake  to  give 
an  opinion  as  to  the  age  of  a  fluke ;  would  conjecture  that  a  fluke  attains  its  full  size 
in  from  six  weeks  to  two  months.  Their  presence  in  the  liver  is  injurious  to  the 
health  of  the  sheep.  They  are  injurious  by  taking  up  bile  which  should  be  applied 
to  digestive  purposes ;  and  they  are  also  prejudicial  by  pressing  on  the  walls  of  the 
ducts,  and  thus  producing  structural  disease  of  the  liver.  They  do  not  breed  in  the 
liver,  as  their  ova  must  pass  out  of  the  liver  and  undergo  several  changes  of  form  be- 
fore they  are  fitted  to  develop  in  the  sheep's  system.  Wet  warm  weather  favours  the 
production  of  it.  Cross-examined — One  fluke  would  not  kill  a  sheep ;  nor  would  two 
kill  a  sheep.  The  injury  they  produce  depends  on  their  number.  Sheep  are  more 
liable  to  rot  than  other  animsds,  because  they  are  closer  feeders.  Flukes  may  develop 
in  the  livers  of  sheep  in  early  spring,  if  at  that  season  there  is  mild  rainy  weather. 
Ewes  affected  with  rot  could  not  be  kept  for  the  purpose  of  breeding.  Reexamined— 
Rot  is  not  a  curable  disease.  Its  progress  may  be  retarded  by  giving  nutritious  food, 
but  the  sheep  will  ultimately  die.  Sheep  fatten  well  in  the  early  stage  of  rot ;  but 
when  the  liver  becomes  disorganised,  they  become  emaciated  and  die.  By  Baron 
Channell — The  presence  of  flukes  in  the  liver  has  a  tendency  to  weaken  the  animal; 
they  will  render  it  less  able  to  resist  depressing  influences.  In  cold  weather  the 
germs  of  the  fluke  are  shrivelled  up  and  destroyed. 

Mr  Cole,  for  the  defence,  contended  that  there  was  no  evidence  of  a  breach  of  war- 
ranty in  the  case. 

The  Judge,  however,  ruled  that  there  was  such  evidence.  Mr  Cole  then  addressed 
the  jury. 

Mr  Charles  North,  veterinary  surgeon,  Ceme  Abbas,  Dorsetshire,  was  called  by  the 
defendant.  He  examined  a  lamb  and  found  his  liver  healthy.  Saw  the  liver  of 
another  lamb,  which  was  also  healthy.  Did  not  think  a  dozen  flukes  in  a  sheep's  liver 
would  do  it  any  harm.  Does  not  consider  it  incurable.  Never  knew  lambs  to  have 
rot.  The  flukes  taken  from  the  lamb  which  have  been  shown  him  are  three  weeks 
old^  Cross-examined — Can  tell  the  age  of  a  fluke.  A  fluke  attains  it  full  size  in 
from  four  to  six  weeks.  Could  cure  it  in  the  early  stage  when  the  flukes  are  not 
mature.  They  are  not  able  to  resist  the  effects  of  medicine  then.  They  may  be 
killed  when  they  are  three  weeks  old.  Would  ascertain  that  the  flukes  were  of  this 
age  by  the  appearance  of  the  sheep.  Would  give  common  salt  and  sulphate  of  iron. 
Was  told  that  the  second  liver  was  that  of  one  of  the  lambs  about  which  there  was  a 
dispute. 

Several  other  witnesses  were  called  in  support  of  the  defendant's  case,  and  Mr 
ELarslake  replied,  after  which  the  Court  a4Journed  until  ten  o'clock  next  morning. 

His  Lordship  occupied  about  two  hours  in  summing  up,  after  which  the  jury  re- 
turned a  verdict  for  the  plaintiff  for  £81,  Os.  8d. 


LANCASHIRE  VETEBINABT  MEDICAL  ASSOCLiTION.  259 


LANCASHIRE  VETERINARY  MEDICAL  ASSOCIATION. 

The  Members  of  the  Lancashire  Yeierinary  Medical  Association  held  their  tenth 
meeting,  on  the  evening  of  the  1st  of  March,  at  the  Brunswick  Hotel,  Piccadilly — The 
President  in  the  chair.  The  President  opened  the  meeting  with  a  short  address, 
and  afterwards  read  a  letter  from  the  committee  of  the  Royal  Institution,  in  answer 
to  a  communication  from  him  (the  President)  requesting  permission  from  the  said 
committee  to  allow  the  meetings  of  the  above  Association  to  be  held  in  the  theatre 
of  the  Institution,  and  it  was  thought  this  permission  would  be  obtained  before  the 
next  meeting.  The  President  also  read  a  letter  from  the  Dean  of  Manchester,  pro- 
mising to  do  all  he  could  to  assist  in  promoting  the  scheme.  A  unanimous  vote  of 
thanks  was  accorded  to  Mr  J.  Qreaves  for  his  very  handsome  present  to  the  Associa- 
tion, viz.,  a  reading-desk,  silk  banner,  and  a  framed  portrait  of  Professor  Charles 
Spooner.    The  following  gentlemen  were  then  elected  members  of  the  Association : — 

Proposed.  Seconded. 

Mr  Lawson,       .        .        Mr  P.  Taylor,  .        .        .        Mr  J.  Greaves. 

„  Woods,        .        .  „  J.  Greaves,         .        .  „  Haycock. 

„    Billii^on,  .  „  Gibson,       .        .        .  „  Dixon. 

„  Paulden,     .        .  „  J.  Greaves,         .        .  „  J.  Taylor. 

„  Buckley,     .        .  „  J.  Greaves,         .        .  „  J.  Taylor. 

„  A.  Challoner,      .  „  J.  Taylor,   ...  „  J.  Greaves. 

Ifr  Heap  was  nominated  by  Mr  J.  Greaves. 

It  was  then  proposed  by  the  President  that  the  Rules  should  be  read ;  but  Mr 
Haycock  moved  an  amendment  to  the  effect  that  they  should  not  be  read,  as  there 
would  be  no  time  for  discussion.  Upon  this  being  put  to  the  meeting,  the  amend- 
ment was  carried  by  a  large  majority.  Mr  Greaves  intimated  his  intention  of  pro- 
posing an  amendment  to  Rule  15  at  next  meeting,  and  Mr  Haycock  an  amendment 
to  the  preamble.  The  Secretary  then  read  the  minutes  of  the  last  meeting,  which, 
being  duly  confirmed,  the  President  called  upon  Mr  Brooks  for  his  Essay  on  Laminitis. 
The  subject  elicited  a  warm  discussion,  which  principally  bore  on  the  relation  of 
laminitis  to  rheumatism.  Several  members  entered  into  the  discussion,  and  Mr  J. 
Greaves  read  his  thoughts  on  the  subject  After  which,  the  time  being  expired,  the 
President  proposed  a  vote  of  thanks  to  Mr  Brooks  for  his  paper,  which  was  seconded 
by  Mr  J.  Greaves,  and  unanimously  accorded.  The  meeting  then  terminated.  Mr  J. 
Greaves  being  asked  for  a  paper  on  the  prevailing  influenza,  by  the  whole  of  the 
gentlemen  present,  kindly  promised  to  write  an  essay  on  the  subject  for  the  next 
meeting. 

Mr  Ortavea*  Observations  on  Laminitis, 

It  is  known  to  most  of  you  that  I  have  written  upon  this  subject  many  years  ago, 
and  again  lately,  and  that  I  entertain  opinions  upon  it  which  differ  from  those 
generally  received.  It  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  you  will  expect  me,  on  the  pre- 
sent occasion,  to  give  a  reason  why  I  entertain  these  views.  Veterinary  surgeons,  as 
a  rule,  do  not  publish  their  views  to  the  world  until  they  have  carefully  studied  the 
subject  they  are  writing  upon.  I  have  given  to  this  question  my  best  attention  for 
over  thirty  years,  having  been  in  constant  daily  occupation  during  th^t  period  in  a 
not  inconsiderable  practice.  I  have  devoted  much  of  my  time  in  the  sick-box  by  the 
side  of  my  sufifering  patient,  have  watched  closely  the  progress  of  the  disease,  have 
consulted  every  author  upon  the  subject,  and  meditated  upon  it  for  whole  nights, 
without  a  moment's  sleep  night  after  night,  and  the  conclusions  I  have  come  to  is 
that  the  disease  called  laminitis  lacks  several  essential  particulars  or  conditions 
which  are  ever  present  in  acute  inflammation. 

The  difference  between  my  opinion  and  that  generally  received  is,  that  the  one 
ascribes  it  to  acute  inflammatory  action  affecting  primarily,  if  not  solely,  the 
laminal  tissues,  whereas  I  consider  that  the  pain  emanates  from  the  interior  of  the 
coffin  bone  and  the  dense  nervous  textures  which  invest  that  bone,  that  the  laminal 
tissues  are  only  secondarily  affected,  (they  are  simply  implicated  or  involved  in  the 
general  suffering,)  and  that  the  affection  partakes  much  more  of  a  rheumatic  type 
or  protracted  cramp  than  actual  inflammation,  and  would  appear,  in  many  cases,  to 
be  referable  to  hereditary  causes. 

I  base  my  opinion  upon  two  points  mainly.  The  first  is,  that  it  is  contrary  to  all 
experience  that  intense  inflammatory  action  can  be  developed  instantaneously,  as 
laminitis  can  be  and  often  is.   Now,  in  inflammation  proper  there  must  exist  certain 


260  LANCASHIRE  VETERINAEY  MEDICAL  ASSOCIATION. 

phenomena.  You  may  search  throughout  all  human  and  veterinary  records,  and  you 
will  search  in  vain  for  a  single  example  of  true  inflammation  being  fully  developed 
instantaneously.  Spasm  sometimes  attacks  with  intensity,  but  always  suddenly,  in- 
flammation never.  Multitudes  of  examples  might  be  adduced  as  illustrations  of  this 
truth;  therefore  I  say,  to  call  this  instantaneous  pain  in  the  feet  inflammation, 
whether  that  pain  is  the  result  of  metastasis  or  from  whatever  cause  it  may  be,  and 
however  intense  it  may  be  for  the  time  being,  is,  I  contend,  calling  it  by  an  incorrect 
term.  Acute  founder,  or  fever  in  the  feet,  is  an  infinitely  more  proper  term,  or  even 
pedltis,  (Professor  Dick's  term,)  than  laminitis. 

The  second  point  from  which  I  draw  my  inference  is,  that  the  effects  which  we 
know  must  follow  protracted  intense  inflammation  do  not  attend  or  follow  laminitis. 
If  severe  and  protracted  laminitis  be  true  inflammation,  then  suppuration,  destruc- 
tion of  tissue,  gangrene,  and  decay  of  laminal  tissue  must  follow,  as  an  inevitable  and 
unavoidable  consequence..  There  is  no  plan  of  treatment  you  could  adopt  could  pos- 
sibly prevent  it  It  must  unquestionably  be  attended  by  the  same  laws,  and  be  followed 
by  the  same  results,  which  inseparably  belong  to  inflammation,  but  which  results  we 
never  have  in  laminitis,  however  intense  and  protracted  the  pain  may  have  been.  I 
give  this  as  my  deliberate  opinion  after  much  serious  and  earnest  consideration. 

I  am  well  aware  that  authors  and  lecturers  teach  us  that  spasm  can  exist  only 
where  th^re  is  muscular  fibre.  Of  this  I  am  not  so  very  sure  ;  but  of  one  thing  I  am 
convinced  that  an  intense  pain  may  be  instantaneously  developed  in  which  inflam- 
mation, as  at  present  understood,  is  not  an  element,  and  where  muscular  fibre  does 
not  exist,  at  least  not  that  we  are  aware  of.  I  look  upon  what  is  generally  under- 
stood by  the  term  laminitis  to  be  an  affection  of  the  feet  hitherto  undefined,  a  con- 
dition yet  to  be  ascertained — it  has  no  name  in  our  nomenclature.  I  believe  it  to 
affect  primarily  the  cellular  membrane  and  nerve-fibre  which  enters  into  the  compo- 
sition of  the  internal  structure  of  the  bone  and  its  dense  coverings,  that  the  affection 
is  dependent  upon  the  feet  and  the  system  generally  being  in  a  peculiar  condition 
fovourable  to  the  disease  at  the  time  the  attack  takes  place, — a  wondrous  -sympathy 
is  developed  by  community  of  tissue, — there  may  be  a  preponderance  of  lactic  acid, 
or  uric  acid,  or  some  other  morbid,  irritable  state  of  body,  or  a  preponderance  of 
phosphate  of  lime,  or  animal  matter  in  the  bone  itself.  These  conditions  to  some 
extent  emanate  from  derangement  of  the  digestive  organs,  and  may  be  in  operation 
separately  or  simultaneously,  (this  may  have  been  going  on  some  time  before  and 
preparatory  to  the  acute  attack.)  An  element  is  generated  or  roused  in  the  system, 
— call  it  igneous  element  or  calorescence — for  a  moment  it  poises  itself,  and  then  it  is 
irresistibly  attracted  to  these  tissues. 

"  The  obedient  steel  with  living  instinct  moves, 
And  veers  for  ever  to  the  pole  it  loves." 

Something  of  the  nature  of  a  positive  and  negative  electrical  state,  a  current,  is 
transmitted  through  the  electrical  wires,  which  creates  incipient  tumult  or  local  irri- 
tation in  the  bone,  and  which  is  attended  with  instant  and  intense  suffering.  I  use 
the  term  electrical,  it  being  a  definition  the  nearest  approach  to  what  I  mean.  I 
am  anxious  to  reason  this  question  as  clearly  as  I  can.  I  am  persuaded  the  time 
will  come  when  it  will  be  found  this  is  not  merely  speculative.  I  will  advance  some 
illustrations  as  practical  proofs  of  this  nerve-force.  In  forty-nine  cases  out  of  fifty 
where  neurotomy  has  been  performed  for  chronic  lameness,  say  navicular  disease, 
the  operation  may  be  performed  with  impunity,  and,  unless  some  puncture  or  bruise 
of  the  sensitive  parts  takes  place,  there  is  no  fear  of  sloughing  of  the  hoofs.  But 
what  is  the  effect  if  you  operate  whilst  the  foot  is  under  this  electrical  influence  ? 
I  beg  to  call  your  particular  attention  to  this  point,  since  I  have  taken  great  pains  to 
clear  the  point  up.  Whether  the  case  be  one  of  old-standing  or  recent  laminitis,  you 
will  find  that  the  adhesion  or  bond  of  union  between  the  sensitive  and  insensitive 
laminaa  is  immediately  destroyed  after  the  operation.  These  laminae  appear  to  quit 
or  leave  each  other  and  become  detached,  as  if  an  electric  affinity  had  been  suddenly 
withdrawn,  and  in  a  few  days  the  hoof  slips  off.  The  sensitive  laminae  continue 
alive  and  vascular  during  this  process.  Perhaps  you  are  ready  to  reply.  This  can  be 
easily  explained  on  the  principle  that  the  horse,  experiencing  an  instant  relief  from 
all  pain,  places  the  whole  of  his  weight  upon  his  feet ;  the  attachment  between  the 
laminae,  having  become  greatly  weakened  by  recent  acute  disease,  at  once  yields; 
that  the  separation  is  the  result  of  ruptured  and  torn  attachments.  But  I  am  con- 
vinced this  is  not  so.  Their  separation  is  dependent  upon,  and  is  the  result  of,  sheer 
inability  to  hold  together.    The  cohesive  affinity  or  mystic  power  which  held  their 


LANCASHIRE  VETERINARY  MEDICAL  ASSOCUTION.  261 

serrated  edges  together  before  no  longer  exists.  Now,  this  is  a  fact ;  what  is  the 
deduction? 

Further,  if  you  fire  a  horse's  feet,  or  blister  a  horse's  feet  severely,  after  unnerving, 
you  will  have  deep  sloughing,  and  a  hundred  to  one  but  you  have  sloughing  of  the 
hoofs  also.  I  have  witnessed  these  phenomena  over  and  over  again ;  and  again  ask. 
What  is  the  deduction  ?  It  appears  to  me  that  it  is  dependent  upon  some  agent  or 
element  analogous  to,  if  not  identical  in  principle  with,  the  disconnecting  of  the  con- 
ductor in  an  electrical  machine.  I  am  convinced  of  this  element  in  the  animal  eco- 
nomy, and  that  it  plays  an  important  part  in  the  functions  of  vitality.  I  have  met 
with  men  who  appear  unaccustomed  to  inductive  reasoning,  who  seem  incapable  of 
deep,  concentrated  thought  for  five  consecutive  minutes,  prefer  to  pooh-pooh  this  idea 
rather  than  examine  it.  They  have  never  examined  the  cause  of  animal  heat,  nor 
mastered  the  problem  of  how  fever  heat  is  generated,  or  what  the  increase  of  tem- 
perature under  inflammation  is  dependent  upon.  They  may  tell  me  it  is  dependent 
upon  chemical  action,  or  combustion  in  the  capillaries  and  air  cells,  but  they  seem 
unaware  that  some  of  the  most  profound  thinkers  of  the  present  age  have,  during 
moments  of  their  clearest,  most  lucid  intuition,  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  fact  that 
there  is  another  element  existing  in  the  production  of  this  phenomenon,  an  element 
apart  from  and  wholly  independent  of  this  combustion  theory. 

But  what  does  practice  teach  us  upon  this  point?  I  wish  to  address  you  as  practi- 
cal and  scientific  men.  What  conclusions  can  we  arrive  at  when  we  find  one  eminent 
man  asseverate,  that  his  success  in  these  cases  is  attributable  to  prompt  and  efiectual 
blood-letting,  and  that  operation  performed  over  and  over  again ;  another  practitioner, 
of  even  longer  experience,  asseverates  that  his  success  in  these  cases  is  attributable  to 
never  bleeding  at  aU,  even  in  the  worst  of  cases  ?  Now,  gentlemen,  we  are  dealing 
with  one  of  those  questions  in  which  both  cannot  he  right.  Again,  we  find  many 
eminent  practitioners  strongly  advocate  the  removal  at  once  of  all  weight  from  off  the 
parts,  and  place  the  laminae  and  the  feet  in  a  state  of  complete  rest.  This  method  is 
prompted,  to  all  appearance,  by  scientific  and  humane  considerations ;  but  we  find 
other  practitioners,  equally  eminent,  as  strongly  advocate  thin-heeled  shoes  and 
compulsory  exertion.  We  are  assured  that  both  these  systems  are  attended  with 
more  or  less  success ;  but  we  are  again  dealing  with  one  of  those  questions  in  which 
loth  cannot  he  right.  Again,  I  ask  a  number  of  eminent  practitioners,  "  To  what  do 
they  attribute  the  cause  of  the  throbbing  of  the  planta  arteries  in  laminitis?"  They 
answer  me  at  once,  and  unhesitatingly,  "  It  is  in  consequence  of  the  blood  meeting 
with  an  obstruction  in  its  transit  through  the  foot."  I  ask  the  same  gentlemen,  "  To 
what  they  attribute  the  cause  of  the  extreme  small  feeble  pulse  in  influenza?"  They  an- 
swer at  once,  and  unhesitatingly,  "  To  the  general  congestion  of  the  capillary  system." 
Here  again,  gentlemen,  we  are  confronted  with  an  incongruity ;  we  are  dealing  with 
one  of  those  questions  in  which  both  cannot  he  right;  and  what  a  labyrinth  we  get 
into  if  we  dare  to  deviate  from  the  trodden  path,  and  ascertain  where  the  truth  lies ! 
The  fact  is,  gentlemen,  we  may  depend  upon  it,  that  in  many  of  these  cases,  as  in 
other  diseases,  nature  has  been  the  grand  restorer ;  that  she  has  very  frequently  had 
to  work  the  cure  single-handed,  if  not  in  the  very  face  of  difficulties  which  our  limited 
knowledge  has  been  unwittingly  placing  in  her  way.  I  consider  it  would  be  a  bur- 
lesque upon  common  sense,  it  would  be  stultifying  true  principle,  to  admit  that  the 
very  opposite  plans  of  treatment  are  producing  the  same  effects.  What  dbes  every-day 
experience  teach  us  ?  It  teaches  us  this  lesson,  at  all  events,  that  we  may  bleed  in 
severe  cases  of  laminitis  whenever  we  like,  to  syncope,  if  we  choose ;  in  half  an  hour 
after  such  bleeding,  the  arteiy  is  throbbing  again  as  hard  as  before ;  we  may  bleed 
again  and  again,  and  yet  again ;  drain  the  system  to  exhaustion,  at  a  fearful  expense 
of  vitality,  but  the  artery  is  rebellious  still. 

Now  I  believe  this  state  of  things  is  not  dependent  upon  congestion  or  inflamma- 
tion at  all.  I  do  not  believe  there  is  a  particle  more  blood  sent  to  the  feet  in  lami- 
nitis than  there  is  at  any  other  time  ;  and  further,  that  the  throbbing  of  the  artery 
is  solely  and  entirely  referable  to  a  peculiar  action  in  the  artery  itself,  and  it  receives 
its  stimulus  from  the  peculiar  electrical  condition  of  the  parts.  Some  cases  in  which 
I  have  bled  most  promptly  and  most  effectually  have  done  the  worst ;  others,  in  which 
I  have  not  bled  at  all,  have  recovered.  The  exudation  or  effusion  which  occasionally 
takes  place  in  the  sole,  I  consider  of  very  light  importance.  Post-mortem  examina- 
tions have  led  me  to  the  conclusion  that  the  disease  partakes  of  rheumatism,  and  not 
inflammation ;  that  it  is  precisely  similar  in  its  nature  to  that  troublesome  and  most 
painful  affection  which  occasionally  attacks  the  white  fibrous  tissues  behind  the  fet- 
locks.   Professor  Spooner  does  not  believe  it  to  be  inflammation.    Professor  Bar- 


262  THE  MANAGEMENT  OF  GRASS  LAND. 

low,  who  was  one  of  the  brightest  ornaments  of  the  profession  in  his  day,  considered 
it  community  of  disease  through  community  of  tissue.  But  I  have  a  strong  faith,  as 
science  adyances,  and  the  true  physiology  of  this  affection  becomes  better  understood, 
it  will  be  found  that  the  true  cure  will  differ  in  many  essential  particulars  from 
that  hitherto  adopted,  and  it  will  be  something  simple  and  decisive. 

In  reply  to  several  questions  put  by  Mr  John  Greaves  of  Altrincham,  as  to  what 
plan  of  treatment  he  most  recommended,  Mr  Greaves  said,  in  all  severe  cases  he 
strongly  advocated  prompt  and  copious  bleeding  from  the  arm,  mild  doses  of  opening 
medicine ;  take  the  shoes  off  at  once,  and  leave  them  off,  but  do  not  touch  the  soles ; 
put  the  feet  in  poultices ;  allow  a  large  quantity  of  soft  litter  to  remain  underneath 
the  feet;  if  there  is  much  lameness,  by  all  means  throw  him  down  at  the  first  visit. 
This  is  easily  managed  when  you  have  got  into  the  knack,  and  the  horse  comprehends 
what  you  are  about.  You  may  bleed  in  the  sole,  if  properly  done,  with  impunity, 
and  often  with  much  benefit.  As  to  after-treatment, — nitrate  of  potass,  4  oz. ;  extract 
of  belladonna,  2  drams  twice  a tiay ;  or  bicarbonate  of  potass,  \  oz.  twice  a  day  for 
some  time ;  or  Fleming's  tincture  of  aconite,  in  10>drop  doses,  every  six  hours.  But 
he  confessed  he  had  but  little  faith  in  any  known  medicine  as  after-treatment,  in 
changing  the  natural  tendency  in  the  system,  if  a  hereditary  predisposition  existed 
in  the  constitution. 


THE    MANAGEMENT    OF    GRASS    LAND. 

{From  the  Journal  of  the  Farmers*  Clvb.) 

The  monthly  meeting  of  this  Club  took  place  on  Monday  evening,  April  3,  at  the 
temporary  (Dlub-rooms,  Robert  Street,  Adelphi.  The  subject  appointed  for  considera- 
tion was  "  The  Management  of  Grass  Lands,"  the  introducer  being  Professor  Coleman. 

The  Chairman,  Mr  R.  Leeds,  of  West  Lexham,  Brandon,  Norfolk,  in  opening  the 
proceedings,  said  : — The  gentleman  who  was  about  to  address  them  might  be  regarded 
as  embodying  in  his  own  person  that  combination  of  practice  with  science  of  which 
they  heard  so  much  in  the  present  day.  If  he  were  correctly  informed.  Professor 
Coleman  took  a  very  good  degree  at  their  chief  agricultural  university — he  meant  the 
Cirencester  College,  where  he  afterwards  continued  for  some  time  to  manage  the  col- 
lege farm.  That  was  the  right  way  of  turning  his  tuition  to  good  account.  The 
county  from  which  he  (the  Chairman)  came  was  not  looked  upon  as  a  grass  county, 
but  he  believed  the  members  of  that  Club  generally  would  feel  an  interest  in  a  dis- 
cussion which  had  for  its  object  an  improved  management  of  grass  land,  especially 
considering  the  extremely  low  prices  of  com,  and  the  high  prices  of  meat  which  had 
prevailed  for  the  last  three  or  four  years,  He  believed  that  was  not  the  first  occasion 
on  which  that  subject  had  been  introduced  for  discussion,  either  directly  or  indirectly. 
If  his  memory  served  him  rightly,  four  or  five  years  ago,  Mr  Owen  Wallis  brought 
under  consideration  the  best  plan  of  feeding  off  grass  lands  during  the  spring,  summer, 
and  autumn  months.  The  wording  of  the  question  on  the  card  that  evening  took  a 
much  wider  range ;  and  without  attempting  to  anticipate  the  Professor's  remarks,  he 
would  now  call  upon  the  Professor  to  introduce  the  subject. 

Professor  Coleman  said : — Mr  Chairman  and  Gentlemen, — The  subject  which  I 
have  undertaken  to  introduce  for  discussion  this  evening  is  one  of  great  importance 
to  the  agricultural  interests  at  the  present  time,  since  it  affects  the  great  question  of 
live  stoci.  The  subject  is  so  comprehensive,  embracing  such  a  variety  of  points,  that 
in  the  short  hour  allotted  me  I  can  only  hope  to  point  out  a  few  of  its  more  salient 
features;  and,  first,  allow  me  to  explain  that  I  do  not  claim  any  novelty  in  the  matter 
I  shall  bring  before  you.  I  have  no  pet  theory  to  develop  by  which  grass  land  may 
be  doubled  in  value,  and  great  returns  expected ;  and  even  if  I  had  any  particular 
practice  of  my  own  to  describe,  I  should  feel  that  the  Central  Farmers'  Club  was 
hardly  the  arena  for  discussing  local  practices,  depending,  as  they  usuaUy  do,  upon 
peculiarities  of  soil,  climate,  &c.  My  object  is  to  show  that  grass  land  is  very  grateful 
for  liberal  treatment,  that  our  pastures  require  cultivation  and  attention  just  as  much 
as  our  arable  land,  since  the  one  is  no  more  a  natural  condition  than  the  other,  though 
from  the  general  practice  we  should  conclude  that  farmers  consider  grass  as  requiring 
no  sort  of  care — that  our  pasture  cultivation  is^  as  a  rule,  far  behind  the  arable  manage- 


THE  MANAGEMENT  OF  GRASS  LAND.  263 

ment,  and  to  point  out  how  short-sighted  and  unprofitable  is  the  system  of  mowing 
and  grazing  year  after  year,  drawing  from  the  soil  its  most  valuable  ingredients,  until 
at  length  the  sward  becomes  thoroughly  worn  out  In  the  continued  production  of 
our  pastures  that  have  been  utterly  neglected,  we  have  a  proof  of  the  economy  of 
nature  and  the  almost  inexhaustible  supply  of  plant  food  in  our  soils.  We  all  know 
the  result  of  cropping  arable  land  without  returning  periodically  as  manure  the  mate- 
rials extracted  by  the  crop.  Yet  the  arable  land  is  enriched  by  constant  exposure  to 
the  atmosphere— -or  rather,  fresh  stores  of  food  are  eliminated — ^and  is  thus  placed  in 
more  favourable  conditions  than  our  grass  land.  And,  lastly,  I  hope  to  show  that 
grass  land  will  give  a  good  return  for  outlay.  The  subject  divides  itself  into  the  fol- 
lowing heads  : — 1st,  Is  it  desirable  to  materially  increase  the  proportion  of  grass  land  ? 
2d,  How  can  we  best  produce  a  pasture  ?  3d,  Improvement  of  worn-out  and  neglected 
pastures ;  4th,  Value  of  irrigation  by  water  and  sewage. 

I. — Is  IT  DESIRABLE  TO  MATEBIALLY  INCBEABE  THE  PBOPORTION  OF  GRABS  LAND  ? 

At  the  present  time  we  are  constantly  met  by  the  assertion  that  land  should  go 
down  to  grass.  Those  who  know  nothing  of  practical  matters  seem  to  look  upon  this 
as  the  panacea  for  all  our  difficulties.  Stock  is  high,  and  likely  to  maintain  high 
rates.  Com,  on  the  other  hand,  is  low ;  therefore  grow  grass.  And  so,  with  a  dash 
of  the  pen  as  it  were,  and  a  shrug  of  the  shoulders  at  our  dull  stupidity  in  not  at  once 
seeing  the  necessity  for  altering  our  practice,  the  question  is  settled.  A  nobleman, 
who  takes  a  lively  interest  in  agriculture,  but,  like  many  others,  has  a  theoretical 
rather  than  a  practical  acquaintance  with  the  subject,  lately  fell  into  conversation  with 
a  large  Lincolnshire  farmer.  "  Ah,'*  said  he,  "  you  are  all  wrong  in  Lincolnshire ;  you 
should  lay  all  your  land  down  to  grass."  The  gentleman  to  whom  this  remark  was 
addressed  soon  proved  that  Lincolnshire  was  growing  more  beef,  mutton,  and  wool 
now  than  would  be  possible  if  his  idea  could  be  carried  out,  and  giving  us  a  vast  bulk 
of  corn  into  the  bargain,  in  the  production  of  which  a  thriving  population  was  very 
profitably  employed,  and  added  his  opinion  that  the  present  prices  of  corn  and  horn 
would  have  comparatively  no  effect  upon  the  increase  of  grass,  but  might  prevent  our 
churchyards  being  ploughed  up.  There  may  be,  and  doubtless  are,  instances  where 
the  land  is  strong,  expensive  to  cultivate,  and  the  climate  moist  and  backward,  where 
the  return  to  pasture  may  be  desirable ;  but  even  in  such  cases  we  must  have  a  consi- 
derable proportion  of  arable  land,  in  order  to  winter  our  stock  and  make  the  most  of 
our  grass  land.  So  that  the  loose  way  in  which  ignorant  people  talk  is  amusing,  and 
at  times  irritating ;  indeed,  every  one  fancies  he  can  give  some  advice  to  the  farmer, 
who  is  considered  rather  dow,  and  all  the  better  for  a  little  jogging.  And  if  the 
change  from  arable  to  grass  was  as  easy  to  carry  out  as  to  talk  about,  many  mijght  be 
induced  to  increase  the  proportion,  though  we  should  much  doubt  their  wisdom  in  so 
doing.  But  it  is  a  slow  and  expensive  process,  and  very  little  return  can  be  obtained 
for  some  years,  and  in  many  cases  a  man  loses  valuations  he  would  be  entitled  to  on 
giving  up  his  occupation.  I  cannot  help  giving  the  testimony  of  a  celebrated  short- 
horn breeder,  whose  farm  consists  of  two-thirds  pasture.  He  told  me  if  he  had  double 
the  arable  land  he  could  winter  a  greatly-increased  stock ;  as  it  was,  he  gave  his  neigh- 
bours £2  an  acre  for  barley  straw,  and  carted  it,  and  could  not  get  enough,  and  that 
it  was  utterly  ridiculous  to  talk  of  laying  down  more  land  to  grass.  It  certainly  would 
be  in  his  case,  as  he  has  too  much  already ;  but  there  may  be  instances  of  land  broken 
up  from  pasture  in  consequence  of  the  high  price  of  corn,  that  may  advantageously 
go  back  to  grass ;  but  except  in  the  case  of  very  rich  land,  as  the  alluvial  soils  resting 
on  clay,  such  as  the  grazing  lands  of  Leicestershire,  accompanied,  as  they  often  are, 
with  flooded  meadoMrs  that  produce  a  great  bulk  of  coarse  hay,  grass  land  cannot  be 
worked  to  advantage  without  at  least  an  equal  quantity,  and  more  often  two-thirds,  of 
arable,  to  grow  fodder  and  litter. 

II. — How  TO  PRODUCE  A  PASTURE. 

First>  select  a  proper  mixture  and  sufficient  quantity  of  good  seeds.  This  can  only 
be  obtained  by  going  to  a  respectable  seedsman,  and  paying  a  full  price.  Professor 
Buckman's  investigations  proved  that  a  frightful  amount  of  dirt,  weeds,  &c.,  was 
often  introduced  into  our  fields  with  bad  seeds — also  that  in  many  instances  a  large 
per-centage  did  not  grow.  The  unfortunate  weakness  of  farmers  for  a  cheap  article 
is  well  known.  They  are  captivated  by  a  low  price — saving  a  few  shillings  per  acre, 
eventually  to  lose  pounds.  We  should  have  a  due  mixture  of  graminaceous  and  legu- 
minous plants,  varying  slightly  according  to  the  kind  of  soil.  Thus  in  the  case  of 
good  loams^  soils  containing  a  due  admixture  of  sand  and  clay,  and  land  that  is  na- 


264  THE  MANAGEMENT  OF  GRASS  LAND. 

torallj  kind  for  grass,  we  may  sow  grasses  of  a  highly  nutritive  character,  snch  as 
meadow  fox-tail  (Alopecurus  pratensis),  cat's-tail  or  timothy  (Phleum  pratensis),  and 
cocksfoot  (Dactylis  glomerata);  with  these,  which  are  all  large-producing  grasses, 
we  may  add  meadow-grass  (Poa  pratensis),  sweet-smelling  vernal-grass  (Anthoxanthum 
odoratum),  which  flavours  the  hay,  perennial  rye-grass,  and  common  red  and  Dutch 
clover.  In  varying  from  the  above  for  poor  stiff  clays,  we  may  alter  the  quantities 
rather  than  the  kinds  of  grass ;  perhaps  the  introduction  of  rough  meadow-grass  (Poa 
trivialis)  and  the  lolium  fescue  (Festuca  loliacea)  may  be  desirable,  using  more  rye- 
grass and  common  clover,  and  a  smaller  proportion  of  the  more  nutritive  grasses. 
For  thin  soils  on  limestone,  which  are  generally  undesirable  as  permanent  pasture,  or 
at  any  rate  not  suitable  for  mowing  purposes,  we  may  introduce  sheep's  fescue 
(Festuca  ovina),  a  small-leaved  sweet  grass,  which  forms  a  large  proportion  of  the 
sweet  down  pastures,  and  is  most  valuable  as  a  pasture  grass.  Yellow  oat-grass 
(A vena  flavescens)  and  soft  oat-grass,  both  poor  quality,  may  be  added  in  small  quan- 
tities. Yarrow  (Achillea  millefolia)  and  the  yellow  vetchling  may  be  sown  in  addi- 
tion to  common  and  Dutch  clovers.  Lastly,  for  sandy  soils,  which  again  are  seldom 
adapted  for  grass,  we  may  leave  out  the  richer  grasses  altogether,  as  they  will  not 
stand,  and  use  a  large  quantity  of  common  rye-grass,  smooth-meadow  and  hard-fescue 
grasses,  with  a  smaller  quantity  of  soft-oat  grass  and  sweet- vernal  grass,  filled  up  with 
a  greater  variety  of  clovers,  using  the  zigzag  clover  principally,  which  appears  natural 
to  sandy  soils,  and  adding  bird's-foot,  trefoil,  and  yarrow.  For  details  as  to  the  exact 
quantities  to  be  sown  in  each  case,  I  would  refer  to  Professor  Buckman's  very  useful 
work  on  "  How  to  Grow  Good  Grasses,"  published  by  Robert  Hardwicke,  192  Picca- 
dilly. The  next  point  for  consideration  is  the  question  of  laying  down  "  with  or 
without  a  crop."  Some  discussion  appeared  on  this  subject  in  our  agricultural  papers 
last  autumn,  and  even  got  into  the  Time^  The  different  opinions  expressed  were 
attributable  to  the  diflferent  conditions  under  which  experience  had  been  gained. 
Thus  in  the  southern  and  eastern  parts  of  England,  the  young  seeds,  especially  on 
clay,  if  sown  without  a  com  crop,  would  frequently  get  scorched  by  the  hot  summer's 
sun ;  whereas  in  the  moister  districts  of  the  north  and  west,  and  upon  more  friable 
soils,  the  seeds  grow  fast,  soon  cover  the  ground,  and  do  much  better  without  a  crop, 
which  only  draws  them  up,  as  well  as  exhausts  the  surface  soiL  Having  been  much 
struck  with  the  appearance  of  the  young  pastures  on  Mr  Henry  Howard's  property  at 
Greystoke,  Cumberland — where  a  large  park  of  naturally  rough  land  was  gradually 
reclaimed  by  breaking  up  forty  or  fifty  acres  at  a  time,  taking  one  or  two  crops  just 
to  clean  the  surface  and  allow  the  vegetable  matters  to  rot — I  have  received  a  very 
full  account  of  the  process  from  Mr  Barker,  the  highly-respected  agent,  and  cannot 
do  better  than  read  it  verbatim  to  the  Club.  Mr  Barker  says : — "  I  shall  follow 
the  or&er  indicated  by  you.  1.  The  soil:  Soils  of  various  qualities  have 
been  treated — sandy  clay,  and  moorish  soils  on  a  clay,  and  sandy  clay  subsoil ; 
red  loam  on  limestone  and  red  loam  on  freestone;  soft  spungy  clays  and  hard 
gravels.  2.  The  mode  of  breaking  up  the  old  sward:  Paring  and  burning 
were  resorted  to — on  some  rough  heathy  land  at  first;  but  latterly  the  first  opera- 
tion has  been  simply  ploughing  out  with  two  horses  abreast,  excepting  the  land  was 
very  rough  with  ling  or  rushes,  and  then  these  were  mown  off  before  ploughing.  The 
land  so  ploughed  (begun  in  October  and  carried  on  to  be  finished  by  January  if  pos- 
sible) was  sown  with  oats,  generally  black  Tartarian,  and  manured  with  from  2  to  3 
cwt.  of  Peruvian  guano.  3.  Course  of  Crops:  Oats  as  above,  the  first  year.  Second 
year — Turnips,  with  a  mixture  of  bones  and  guano,  the  turnips  chiefly  eaten  on  the 
ground.  Third  year,  if  the  land  appeared  in  sufficiently  enriched  or  unbroken,  another 
crop  of  turnips  as  before ;  if  considered  in  a  proper  state,  then  the  land  well  scarified 
and  worked,  and  about  the  latter  end  of  May  or  beginning  of  June  sown  with  rape 
and  grass  seeds,  and  a  little  guano.  In  the  spring  of  the  year,  either  preceding  the 
turnip  crop  or  before  sowing  down,  the  land  received  a  good  liming,  say  150  or  160 
bushels  to  the  acre.  I  have  never  in  practice  found  any  prejudicial  effect  or  loss  from 
applying  lime  and  guano  in  the  same  year,  but  rather  the  contrary.  If  the  ammonia 
is  set  free  by  the  lime,  I  think  the  soil  catches  it.  4.  The  Mixture  of  Seeds :  The  fol- 
lowing may  be  taken  as  an  average,  but  different  soils  had  different  quantities : — 
6  lb.  rape,  5  lb.  cow-grass,  5  lb.  white  clover,  2  lb.  red  clover,  2  lb.  alsike  clover,  2  lb. 
meadow  foxtail,  1  lb.  crested  dogstail,  2  quarts  meadow  fescue,  8  quarts  Italian  rye- 
grass, 8  quarts  Pacey's  rye-grass,  8  quarts  Stickney's  rye-grass,  2  quarts  cocksfoot 
5.  Period  cU  which  First  Fed :  Generally  in  August.  The  field  sown  is  always  divided 
by  hurdles  into  three  or  four  divisions,  and  these  are  fed  in  rotation,  not  allowing 
them  to  get  too  bare.    The  stock  in  the  first  year  always  sheep,  which  fatten  with  sor- . 


THE  MANAGEMENT  OF  GRASS  LAND.  265 

prising  rapidity.  The  rape  affords  shelter  to  the  young  seeds,  and  the  additional  feed 
gives  increased  droppings  on  the  land  and  increased  fertility.  6.  Future  Manage- 
ment ;  and  Manures^  if  any :  The  second  year  a  part  is  generally  cut  for  hay,  mown 
early,  about  4th  to  8th  of  June,  and  a  luxuriant  fog  follows.  The  part  pastured  is 
fed  by  a  mixed  stock  of  horses,  cattle,  and  sheep,  and  so  on  from  year  to  year.  If 
judiciously  stocked  and  attended  to,  the  pasture  becomes  in  the  second  or  third  year 
like  old  good  pasture  land,  and  will  continue  so.  Land  managed  as  above  twenty 
years  ago  is  now  still  fine  pasture.  You  will  observe  that  all  wet  land  is  first  drained 
either  before  the  first  plougher  out  or  in  the  stubble.  As  to  improvement  in  value, 
the  land  has  been  advanced  from  100  to  500  per  cent.  We  took  into  our  hands  about 
100  acres  from  a  farm  that  had  been  ploughed  and  mismanaged ;  the  farmer  was  glad 
to  get  quit  of  it  at  3s.  6d.  per  acre.  After  undergoing  the  above  course  of  treatment, 
and  after  we  had  three  years  of  the  first  grass,  the  farmer  was  pleased  to  have 
it  again  at  25s.  per  acre,  and  it  is  now  far  cheaper  to  him  than  when  he  paid 
8s.  6d.  Such  is  Mr  Barker's  description  of  a  practice  which  from  personal  ob- 
servation I  know  to  have  been  most  profitable,  and  which  I  consider  so  valuable 
as  to  need  no  apology  for  introducing.  In  the  southern  counties,  as  I  said  before, 
his  plan  would  not  always,  or  perhaps  generally,  answer ;  and  we  have  the  choice 
of  spring  corn  or  wheat.  The  latter  is  often  the  best  crop  to  sow  in,  but  it 
comes  at  the  end  instead  of  the  beginning  of  a  rotation,  when  the  land  is  often 
not  so  clean  as  it  should  be.  Where,  however,  wheat  follows  the  fallow,  I  should 
recommend  laying  down  with  it  in  preference  to  either  barley  or  oats ;  and  for  this 
reason,  that  the  seeds  would  have  more  air  and  light,  and  be  less  drawn  up ; 
the  surface  firmer;  and  the  seeds,  if  kept  near  the  top,  would  vegetate  better. 
Moreover,  if  the  wheat  is  tolerably  high,  the  seed  will  vegetate  without  requiring 
either  harrowing  or  rolling ;  and  this  is  a  point  of  more  importance  than  is  at  first 
Buppose(^  for  small  seeds  require  to  be  as  near  the  surface  as  possible,  and  too  often 
rolling  and  harrowing  puts  much  of  them  too  deep  to  vegetate  at  all.  This  was  alluded 
to  by  Mr  John  Grey,  in  an  address  to  the  Hexham  Farmers'  Club,  when  he  called 
attention  to  some  experiments  made  many  years  since  for  the  Highland  Society,  and 
recorded  in  Morton's  CyclopaBdia.  Fine  soil  was  sifted,  and  put  into  boxes  in  which 
grooves  could  be  made  to  any  desired  depth.  Grooves  were  made  of  a  J-in.,  4-in., 
1  in.,  1  J-in.,  and  2  inches,  sCad  seeds  sown  in  each.  It  was  only  in  the  J -in.  depth  that 
any  quantity  of  the  seeds  came  up  ;  about  half  the  seeds  were  lost  in  the  ^-in.  groove, 
and  at  1  in.  hardly  any  penetrated.  And,  adds  Mr  Grey,  "  What  was  to  become  of 
those  small  seeds  if  they  were  thrown  upon  clods,  and  a  heavy  roller  passed  over  them 
afterwards  ?  No  doubt  one-half  of  them  would  be  lost  sight  of  altogether ;  and  if  they 
wanted  permanent  pasture  they  must  be  at  the  pains  to  make  their  mould  as  fine  as 
possible,  rolling  the  surface,  and,  having  sown  the  seeds,  covering  them  as  gently  and 
lightly  as  possible  with  a  light  harrow — doing  it,  in  fact,  as  carefully  as  a  gardener 
did  with  his  light  rake.  Without  that,  they  would  very  likely  see  only  one-half  their 
seeds  have  any  produce."  These  experiments  partly  explain  how  it  is  that  so  little 
seed  often  vegetates.  Where  we  sow-in  barley  or  oats,  I  think  it  is  a  good  plan  to  sow 
when  the  barley  is  up,  first  rolling,  then  lightly  harrowing,  and  after  seeds  are  sown, 
roll  again.  Having  secured  a  plant,  we  have  next  to  consider  how  to  manage  it. 
Hard  stocking  with  sheep  will  not  do,  as  they  eat  the  heart  of  the  clover,  which  in- 
variably dies.  We  have  seen  that  with  rape  sheep  may  safely  graze  in  the  autumn ; 
but  after  corn  it  is  best  not  to  graze  at  all,  but  simply  to  consolidate  the  surface  by 
heavy  rolling.  In  some  instances,  it  answers  to  mow  a  light  crop  the  first  year,  cutting 
early,  just  as  the  grasses  are  coming  into  flower — either  this,  or  rapid  folding  over 
with  sheep.  By  these  means  we  encourage  the  roots  to  spread  out ;  and  if  the  surface 
is  well  roUed  after  mowing,  and  a  moderate  coat  of  rather  rotten  manure  or  manures 
and  soil  applied  during  autumn  or  winter,  it  will  do  very  well.  The  third  year  we 
shall  usually  notice  a  falling  off,  this  being  the  intermediate  stage  between  the  arti- 
ficial and  the  permanent  condition.  Some  of  the  grasses  we  have  sown  are  dying  out, 
and  those  that  have  got  a  hold  are  hardly  established.  A  few  more  seeds  may  be 
bushed  in,  and  a  dressing  of  farmyard  manure  and  artificials  applied  ;  indeed,  the 
better  we  do  the  land,  the  sooner  will  a  permanent  sward  be  established.  One  thing 
we  must  not  do,  and  that  is,  stock  hard  with  sheep  running  at  large,  as  the  clover  and 
fine  grasses  will  be  injured  by  continual  gnawing ;  whereas,  if  lightly  folded  over,  the 
sheep  eat  it  off  at  once,  and  little  or  no  harm  is  done. 

III. — Improvement  of  worn-out  and  neglected  pastures. 
The  first  point  is  to  remove  superfluous  water.    We  cannot  grow  nutritious  grasses 


266  THE  MANAGEMENT  OP  GEASS  LAND. 

80  long  as  the  soil  is  saturated  with  molBture.  We  may  have,  it  is  true,  a  considerable 
bulk  of  watery  bad  herbage,  and  it  is  this  fact  that  has  led  to  an  idea  that  grass  land 
does  not  want  drainage  so  much  as  arable ;  indeed,  in  some  instances  it  has  been  said 
that  drainage  has  injured  grass  land.  This  I  deny  as  regards  clay.  Instances  may 
occur  in  which  drainage  does  no  good — where  the  subsoil  is  gravel,  for  instance,  and 
where  the  moisture  which  found  its  way  along  the  porous  beds  from  higher  land  may 
have  actually  nourished,  and  only  been  in  excess  at  rare  intervals ;  for,  be  it  remem- 
bered, such  water  is  not  necessarily  stagnant :  it  may  fertilise  and  pass  on,  and  so  after 
a  time  escape.  Now,  close  draining  in  such  a  case,  by  cutting  off  the  water  before  it 
reaches  the  roots,  may  do  harm,  and  I  have  heard  of  cases  where  this  was  so  apparent 
that  the  drains  were  blocked  up  again.  Draining  alone  will  not  renovate  a  worn-out 
pasture,  as  too  often  people  appear  to  imagine  it  should  do :  the  coarse  grasses  which 
have  taken  possession  of  the  ground,  and  driven  out  or  dwarfed  the  better  sorts,  die 
out  when  the  water  goes ;  the  soil  contains  little  available  food ;  the  atmosphere  has 
not  been  able  to  circulate  and  act  upon  the  minerals ;  and  consequently,  if  draining 
is  not  followed  by  liberal  treatment,  the  produce,  at  any  rate  for  a  time,  falls  off,  and 
the  farmer  who  may  have  looked  upon  drainage  as  the  only  necessity  is  disgusted  to 
find  he  has  less  grass  than  before,  and  perhaps  jumps  to  a  too  hasty  conclusion  that 
the  drainage  was  a  mistake.  An  anecdote  told  me  by  a  Cumberland  landlord  corro- 
borated this.  His  father  was  anxious  to  drain  a  field  which  was  very  wet ;  the  tenant 
strongly  objected ;  but  as  the  landlord  was  willing  to  pay  cost,  and  was  continually 
urging  the  advantage,  a  reluctant  consent  was  given.  The  drainage  was  well  done, 
and  much  water  ran  through  the  pipes.  About  a  year  after  the  operation  the  parties 
met.  "Well,  Mr  Smith,  how  does  the  drainage  answer?"  "Oh,  confound  the 
drainage !  I  wish  I  had  never  seen  a  pipe  on  the  place ;  why,  before  I  could  never 
keep  the  grass  down,  and  the  cattle  always  had  a  good  bite,  and  now  it  is  as  bare  as 
a  board."  Two  reasons  might  be  given  for  this — actually  less  grass  grew,  the  better 
sorts  requiring  encouragement ;  and  the  cattle  found  the  herbage  so  sweet  and  good 
that  they  ate  it  down  close,  which  they  objected  to  do  when  it  was  coarse  and  sour. 
Every  one  must  have  noticed  that  in  a  field  partly  wet  and  partly  dry  sheep  will 
gnaw  up  the  herbage  very  bare  on  the  dry  land,  and  leave  it  in  bunches  where  it  is 
wet  The  fact  was  really  a  satisfactory  proof  of  the  success  of  the  drainage.  Another 
idea  was  and  is  commonly  entertained,  viz.,  that  grass  land  does  not  require  such 
complete  drainage  as  arable,  and  that  shallower  drains  at  wider  intervals  will  answer. 
The  frequency  and  direction  of  the  drains  depend  upon  the  comparative  porosity  or 
stubbornness  of  the  subsoil ;  but  if  we  have  similar  soil  we  must  drain  as  thoroughly 
on  grass  as  on  arable.  Whilst  on  this  subject,  I  cannot  refrain  from  alluding  to  the 
porous  and  impervious  beds  which  are  so  frequently  found  side  by  side  in  a  direction 
N.E.  and  S.W.  I  have  seen  them  very  commonly  on  the  oolite  formations  and  in 
other  places,  and  some  people  believe  they  always  exist  more  or  less.  I  would  recom- 
mend all  who  are  laying  out  money  in  this  expensive  operation  to  first  carefully  exa- 
mine the  soil  and  subsoil  by  digging  a  few  trial  holes  before  deciding  on  the  plan ; 
for  wherever  we  have  these  porous  banks,  a  few  drains  at  wide  intervals  cut  due  N. 
and  S.  will  remove  the  water  more  completely  than  an  elaborate  arrangement  of 
drains  cut  merely  in  reference  to  the  surface.  The  importance  of  getting  out  the 
water  is  shown  by  the  improved  health  of  stock ;  in  one  way  or  another  many  of  the 
most  fatal  diseases  to  which  sheep  and  cattle  are  liable  may  be  attributed  to  the  un- 
healthy nature  of  the  food,  and  stagnant  water  is  one  principal  cause  of  bad  grass. 
The  investigations  made  by  Dr  Voelcker  into  the  causes  of  the  peculiar  scouring  lands  of 
central  Somerset  have  thrown  much  light  upon  this  interesting  subject.  It  seems  that 
the  scour  is  caused  partly  by  a  too  rapid  growth  of  grass  and  its  consumption,  either 
green  or  converted  into  hay  whilst  in  an  unripe  state — that  is  whilst  containing  an 
excess  of  saline  and  nitrogenous  ingredients,  and  a  lack  of  sugar.  This  we  may 
believe  to  be  often  the  case  in  imperfectly-drained  pastures ;  such  land  is  naturally 
cold  and  backward.  There  is  no  early  growth  as  summer  comes  on,  and  especially  if 
it  prove  a  dry,  warm  summer,  growth  becomes  very  rapid,  the  plant  finds  an  excess 
of  mineral  matter  ready  for  use,  and  grows  rank  and  unhealthy.  The  appearance  in 
certain  districts,  on  good  land,  of  splenic  apoplexy  during  last  autumn,  leads  me  more 
particularly  to  dwell  on  this  point.  After  a  very  dry  summer,  during  which  very  little 
growth  took  place,  warm  growing  showers  caused  a  rapid  growth ;  the  plant  found  in 
the  soil  an  excess  of  mineral  matters ;  the  animal,  eating  such  rapidly-formed  and 
raw  food,  was  affected,  the  blood  rendered  viscid,  and  inflammation  of  the  spleen 
ensued.  We  can  also,  I  think,  understand  the  beneficial  effects  of  salting  the  land  as 
an  antidote  for  this  fearful  disease— viz.,  that  it  tends  to  check  vegetation.    It  may 


THE  MANAGEMENT  OP  GRASS  LAND.  267 

be  thought  that  I  am  going  too  far  when  I  say  that  I  attribute  the  losses  occurring  in 
certain  seasons  from  liver-rot  almost  entirely  to  the  unhealthy  state  of  the  grass, 
causing  a  derangement  of  the  system,  and  especially  the  liver.  It  may  be  argued 
that  the  fluke  which  generally  though  not  invariably  pervades  the  liver  is  a  sufficient 
cause ;  but  why  then  is  it  only  in  peculiar  seasons,  unfavourable  to  the  growth  of 
healthy  food,  that  this  pest  affects  animals  on  undrained  or  badly-drained  pastures, 
or  at  any  rate  that  the  disease  is  aggravated  tenfold  ?  We  are  told  that  the  cists  are 
taken  in  by  the  sheep  from  water,  and  are  so  plentiful  in  our  ponds  at  a  certain  season 
that  they  must  be  imbibed.  How  is  it  that  sheep  escape  ?  Surely  the  presence  of  the 
fluke  in  an  active  state  is  the  result  rather  than  the  cause  of  a  diseased  condition  of 
the  organ,  just  as  the  fungus  known  as  mildew  on  wheat  is  the  effect  of  an  unhealthy 
state  of  the  plant.  Improve  the  quality  of  the  herbage,  render  it  sweet  and  whole- 
some, and  rot  disappears.  As  two  instances  of  very  fatal  diseases  which  arise  from 
unhealthy  grass,  I  may  mention  black-leg  and  red-water.  Many  years  since  I  had  an 
opportunity  of  seeing  something  of  black-leg.  It  invariably  attacked  animals  grazing 
on  some  peaty,  swampy  pastures,  and  disappeared  when  the  same  were  thoroughly 
drained.  It  always  occurred  either  in  the  spring  or  autumn,  when  there  had  been  very 
growing  weather,  causing  a  flush  of  grass.  With  red-water  I  have  had  no  experience, 
but  am  aware  that  it  is  accompanied  by  great  debility,  and  that  tonic  treatment  is 
the  only  remedy,  and  doses  of  balsam  copaiba  have  proved  very  advantageous.*  So 
important  is  a  daily  supply  of  sound  food  to  the  animal  frame,  and  so  necessary,  that 
those  who  have  the  care  of  valuable  stock  should  understand  the  principles  of  health 
and  disease.  I  do  not  say  in  all  cases,  but  in  the  majority  of  cases  where  grass  land  ia 
unhealthy  for  stock,  it  is  either  because  an  excess  of  moisture  impoverishes  the  herbage, 
prevents  a  steady  growth  in  early  spring,  and  causes  a  too  rapid  and  luxuriant  herbage 
in  summer,  or  else,  that  our  soil  is  deficient  in  alkalis,  lime,  and  bone  earth.  This  latter 
we  can  ascertain  by  an  examination  of  the  natural  herbage.  Whenever  we  find  clover, 
lupin,  &c.,  we  may  doubt  the  advantage  of  using  bones ;  and  if  we  farther  find  the  soil 
rich  in  lime,  we  may  feel  satisfied  that  our  money  will  be  thrown  away  on  bones  or  lime. 
We  tried  a  series  of  experiments  at  Cirencester,  on  grass  land,  on  the  oolite,  and  could 
never  see  the  least  benefit  from  bones,  superphosphate,  or  lime ;  and  this  experience 
wiU,  I  am  sure,  be  corroborated  by  all  who  farm  upon  limestone  formations.  When, 
however,  we  have  to  do  with  pastures  on  the  sandstone  or  iron-clay  formations,  bonea 
and  lime  tell  marvellously,  because  these  materials  are  deficient  in  the  soil  naturally, 
and  we  have  been  removing  what  little  there  was  in  the  shape  of  hay,  milk,  and  meat, 
&c.  Artificials  are  very  costly,  and  a  mistake  in  using  an  article  that  is  not  needed 
will  be  a  great  loss.  I  would,  therefore,  recommend  every  one  to  try  an  experiment 
for  himself,  using  bones,  superphosphate,  and  ammoniacal  manures.  Where  bones 
are  found  to  produce  no  efiect,  ammoniacal  manures  will  tell ;  but  as  Mr  Lawes  has 
ably  shown,  well-made  farmyard  manure,  which  contains  all  the  mineral  food  of  plants 
in  addition  to  ammonia,  is  the  best  dressing  for  grass  land,  especially  when  it  is 
worked  up  into  a  compost  with  soil,  lime,  &c.  It  is  a  great  question  as  to  whether 
we  can  best  improve  a  pasture,  or  break  it  up  and  resow ;  some  are  so  hide-bound,  so 
overrun  with  couch  grass  and  other  weeds,  that  it  seems  at  first  hopeless  to  try  and 
develop  good  grasses  and  destroy  the  rubbish.  Still  I  have  known  very  remarkable 
improvements  eflected  by  care  and  attention ;  and,  as  a  general  rule,  I  should  recom- 
mend improvement  rather  than  reconstruction,  which  is  usually  a  tedious  process. 
There  are  soils  and  situations  so  favourable  to  grass,  that  if  we  leave  land  at  rest  for 
three  or  four  years  it  becomes  covered  without  any  seeds  having  been  sown,  and  in 
such  cases  it  will  answer  best  to  break  up,  take  a  crop  or  two,  and  relay ;  but  this  ia 
exceptional,  and  we  must  remember  that  we  thus  destroy  to  a  great  extent  that  mass 
of  vegetable  mould  in  which  the  roots  of  grasses  delight,  and  which  is  so  difficult  to 
re-form.  The  surface  of  rough  land  should  be  well  harrowed  over  and  over  again, 
until  the  couch-grass,  moss,  &c.,  are  pulled  out  and  the  air  let  in.  In  a  work  on  agri- 
culture, published  in  1807,  and  which  abounds  in  good  practical  matter,  I  find  a 
scarifier  with  two  sets  of  teeth,  invented  by  Mr  M'Dougall  of  Oxford  Street,  recom- 
mended for  this  purpose;  and  when  harrows  are  not  heavy  enough,  I  would  recom- 
mend the  use  of  any  ordinary  scarifier  to  tear  out  the  moss  and  weeds.  Constant 
rolling  is  also  beneficial,  tending  to  produce  an  even,  firm  surface;  good  grass  only 

*  I  may  mention  the  following  treatment  which  has  been  found  successful  :— 
Boil  1  02.  of  nitre  in  1  pint  of  skim  milk ;  beat  up  the  yolk  of  an  egg  in  jhrom  (according  to  age  of 
beast)  2  to  4  tablespoonfuls  of  balsam  of  copaiva,  and  boU  the  whole  together,  and  give  it  to  the 
animal.    Repeat  the  dose  next  day  if  not  cored.    Care  mast  be  taken  to  keep  the  animal  quiet,  and 
avoid  aperients  when  the  water  is  red. 


268  THE  MANAGEMENT  OF  GRASS  LAND. 

grows  on  a  firm  surface,  etery  one  must  have  noticed  the  superior  quality  of  the  herb- 
age wherever  a  footpath  crosses  a  field.    Levelling  any  irregularities,  and  sowing  a 
few  seeds  to  replace  the  couch,  &c.,  harrowed  up,  knocking  off  nettles  and  salting  the 
ground,  spudding  up  thistles,  and  generally  looking  after  the  surface,  and,  above  all, 
applying  bulky  dressings  of  soil,  farmyard-manure,  lime,  &c.,  almost  anything  bulky, 
as  food  for  grass— thus  road  scrapings  from  granite,  or  flint  for  clay,  and  from  lime- 
stone materials  on  sandy  land  or  land  deficient  in  lime — will  do  much  good.    As  an 
instance  of  great  and  remunerative  improvement  on  what  was  a  most  unpromising 
tracts  I  give  a  few  details  of  the  work  at  the  Manor  Farm,  Braydon.    Braydon  is  a 
large  tract  of  flat  clay  land,  principally  in  grass,  which  probably  contains  some 
20,000  acres.    The  traveller  by  the  Great  Western  Railway  touches  one  side  of  this 
extensive  district  when  proceeding  from  Purton  to  Minety  stations.    It  is  nearly  all 
in  Wiltshire,  bounded  on  the  north  by  Minety,  south  by  Brinkworth,  to  the  east  by 
Cricklade,  and  to  the  west  by  Charlton.     Until  a  comparatively  recent  date  Bray- 
don was  not  penetrated  by  any  roads  worthy  of  the  name ;  cart  tracts  with  fearful 
ruts,  fatal  to  modern  springs,  formed  the  only  approach  to  the  scattered  homesteads. 
The  lower  land  was  deluged  by  water,  and  the  whole  tract  exceedingly  wet.     Small 
fields  and  high  straggling  fences  render  Braydon  famous  in  the  hunting  annals  of  the 
V.  W.  H.    The  character  of  the  herbage  is  coarse  and  poor.     Carnation  grass,  juncae, 
and  bull  pates  abound,  and  the  surface  exhibits  that  starved  blue  look  that  indicates 
water  and  poverty.    In  wet  seasons  such  lands  suffer  severely,  producing  sheep-rot, 
and  the  half-starved  store  stock  that  wander  about  the  pastures  are  unhealthy;  indeed, 
some  of  the  Braydon  land  is  so  poor  and  wet  that  it  is  an  old  saying  that  '*  it  would 
rot  a  goose.*'     The  rents  vary  from  7s.  6d.  to  15s.  per  acre.     Such  was  the  condition 
of  the  Manor  Farm,  a  tract  of  300  acres,  purchased  by  Mr  E.  Ruck,  at  Lady  Day 
1862,  for  £4000,  being  exactly  £13,  6s.  8d.  per  acre.    In  the  following  May  I  walked 
over  the  land,  and,  as  it  was  a  very  wet  time,  had  a  good  opportunity  of  judging  of 
its  value  unimproved.    It  was  principally  in  grass,  the  fields  small,  and  surrounded 
by  wide  straggling  fences,  the  ditches  half-filled  with  soil  and  accumulations  of  vege- 
table matter,  and  the  soil  so  saturated  with  moisture  that  it  was  difficult  to  struggle 
through  the  mud.    Nothing,  not  even  Talpa's  Farm,  could  present  a  more  dreary  and 
desolate  appearance,  and  it  was  certainly  a  bold  undertaking  to  embark  capital  in 
reclaiming  such  apparently  poor  stuff.    Mr  Ruck  divided  the  arable  and  pasture  land 
into  equal  portions,  keeping  the  latter  near  the  homestead  ;  the  former,  originally  in 
sixteen  fields,  was  laid  out  in  four  enclosures  of  equal  size,  and  this,  as  well  as  a  great 
part  of  the  grass  land,  was  thoroughly  drained  three  feet  deep  and  eight  feet  apart,  by 
the  mole-plough,  driven  by  steam,  which  has  so  far  answered  extremely  well.    Mr 
Buck  estimates  the  cost  at  only  10s.  per  acre  :  I  prefer  doubling  the  amount,  as  more 
nearly  approaching  the  contract  price  for  such  work.    Mr  Ruck,  who  has  been  a  very 
successful  steam-cultivator,  had  his  original  12  horse  engine  fitted  with  a  windlass, 
suitable  to  draw  the  draining-plough,  and  thus  made  a  capital  job.    Deep  ditches  have 
been  dug,  into  which  each  drain  empties,  four  or  five  pipes  being  placed  in  the  mouths, 
to  keep  the  outlets  open.     The  draining  has  made  the  surface  firm  and  sound.    In 
April  1862,  2  cwt.  of  superphosphate  of  lime  and  1}  cwt  of  guano  was  applied  with 
the  water-drill,  diluted  with  600  gallons  of  water  per  acre;  the  cost  of  this  dressing 
was  26s.    Sheep  were  fed  on  the  grass,  eating  csike  and  corn  at  lOd.  per  head  per 
week,  and  the  return  was  I7d.  per  head  weekly.    In  April  1863,  the  same  dressing 
was  repeated,  and  sheep-feeding  with  com  was  commenced  as  before.    The  grass  grew 
80  rapidly,  and  became  so  rank,  that  the  sheep  were  removed,  and  after  being  shut  up 
the  land  was  mown,  and  25  cwt.  of  hay  per  acre  was  secured.    In  the  autumn  a  com- 
post, consisting  of  soil  from  new  ditches  and  old  banks,  mixed  with  lime,  gas-lime, 
and  a  portion,  of  manure,  was  applied.    In  the  last  year  the  same  artificials  were  used, 
the  whole  mown  a  fair  crop ;  and  when  I  visited  the  farm  last  autumn,  compost 
similar  to  that  alluded  to  was  being  carted  out  and  spread  on  the  land.    None  but 
those  who  knew  the  Manor  Farm  in  its  original  condition  can  appreciate  the  improve- 
ment that  has  taken  place.    Instead  of  the  poor,  watery  grasses,  we  now  find  a  rich 
carpet  of  quite  good  grajsses  and  clover,  and  the  cattle  and  sheep  look  healthy  and 
thriving.    At  the  time  of  my  visit,  the  stock  numbered  183  head  of  young  cattle, 
principally  yearlings;  13  horses,  for  breeding;  and  240  sheep.    The  cattle  had  2  lb. 
a-day  of  cake  and  com,  and  the  sheep  }  lb.    Beans,  peas,  barley,  wheat,  and  palm-nut 
meal  were  mixed  up,  and  for  every  4  lb.  of  such  meal  2  lb.  of  oilcake  is  used.    On 
this  grass,  where  sheep  are  hardly  known,  Mr  Ruck  has  wintered  shearlings  with 
com.    These  improvements,  with  proper  buildings  and  roads,  have  doubled  the  value 
of  the  land,  and  proved  a  good  investment    As  a  further  instance  of  the  capacity  of 


THE  MANAGEMENT  OF  GBASS  LAND.  269 

worn-out  pasturea  for  improvement^  the  experience  of  Mr  Campbell,  of  Buscot,  may 
be  noticed.  The  Buscot  estate  is  situated  on  the  Oxford  clay,  naturally  suited  for 
grass,  but  from  a  long  course  of  neglect  it  was  reduced  to  a  miserable  condition. 
Thorough  drainage  was  first  carried  out;  then  three  experiments  were  tried.  Ist, 
The  turf  was  carefully  pared  off,  the  surface  dug  over,  and  then  relaid,  under  an  im- 
pression that  aeration  was  required,  and  that  this  exposure  would  lead  to  the  decom- 
position of  mineral  food.  The  cost  was  heavy.  No  additional  food  was  obtained, 
and  the  humus  was  lost  so  congenial  to  grass,  and  that  firm  condition  of  surface 
without  which  fine  grasses  cannot  grow.  This  may  be  at  once  dismissed  as  a  failure 
and  mistake.  2d,  The  turf  was  pared  and  burnt,  a  course  of  crops  taken,  and  the 
land  seeded  down.  Here  many  years  must  elapse  before  a  good  sward  can  be  obtained. 
And  lastly,  the  turf  was  left,  and  improved  by  manure  and  sheep  folding ;  and  this 
was  the  most  successful  and  economical  system,  and  the  improvement  on  the  Buscot 
herbage  has  been  very  marked.  These  results  are  interesting  as  showing  that  the 
most  hopeless-looking  grass  on  clay  is  capable  of  profitable  improvement.  We  must 
now  consider  in  what  way  we  can  most  economically  restore  fertility  to  worn-out,  ex- 
hausted pastures.  Draining  having  removed  the  water,  and  the  air  being  able  to 
circulate,  the  natural  food  will  be  slowly  eliminated,  and  in  process  of  time  the  finer 
grasses  will  struggle  into  life.  Still  we  must  encourage  their  development  by  apply- 
ing suitable  food ;  and  here  it  is  most  difficult  to  enter  upon  any  reliable  details,  in- 
asmuch as  the  wants  of  the  field  will  depend  on  the  nature  of  the  soil.  A  gentleman 
farming  on  the  old  red  sandstone,  for  example,  advocates  bones  steamed,  ground,  and 
passed  through  a  half-inch  riddle,  dust  and  all,  5  to  8  cwt.  at  a  dressing,  and  repeat 
the  dose  after  four  or  five  years,  reducing  the  dressing  to  5  cwt.  A  gentleman,  Mr. 
Thomas  Little,  whose  experience  has  always  been  upon  a  limestone  formation,  says, 
"  I  once  tried  an  experiment  with  fine  bone-dust  and  superphosphate  of  lime  on  dry 
pasture.  It  was  on  a  small  scale.  The  lots  were  marked  out,  but  I  could  never  dig- 
cover  the  least  benefit  from  either  manure."  This  agrees  with  my  own  experience  at 
Cirencester,  and  I  allude  to  it  again,  in  order  to  guard  any  from  applying  bones,  lime, 
&c.,  without  first  ascertaining  that  the  soil  is  deficient  in  such  materials.  The  geological 
position  of  the  land  is  not  always  a  safe  guide,  for  the  surface  is  often  covered  with  a 
drift  totally  different.  The  application  of  nitrogenous  manures  alone  is  not  often  to 
be  recommended.  They  undoubtedly  cause  a  great  increase  in  produce  for  the  time, 
but  the  quality  is  not  improved.  Certain  grasses  are  developed  at  the  expense  of 
others,  and  it  naturally  follows  that  if  unaccompanied  by  mineral  matters  such  appli- 
cations must  tend  to  exhaust.  If,  however,  we  can  apply  bulky  materials,  road  scrap- 
ings, mixed  with  a  quantity  of  farm-yard  manure,  cleanings  out  of  ditches,  waste 
vegetable  matters,  all  well  rotted  and  thoroughly  mixed  up,  and  applied  in  autumn  or 
winter,  15  to  20  loads  per  acre  of  such  materials  will  do  much  to  encourage  a  mixed 
and  improved  herbage.  The  cleaning  out  of  ponds,  when  well  mellowed  with  lime, 
(about  fivcbushels  of  lime  to  every  ton  of  mud,)  and  left  mixed  for  a  year,  will  make 
a  good  Messing.  Tou  all  know  the  result  of  the  manure  experiments  at  Rothamsted, 
which,  as  far  as  they  go,  are  very  instructive;  also  the  advice  given  by  Dr  Voelcker  as  to 
the  mixture  of  mineral  manures,  guano,  &c.,  which  he  recommends,  and  which  I  sus- 
pect constitute  the  ingredients  of  the  special  grass  manures  which  have  in  many  cases 
proved  so  beneficial.  But  these  applications  are  expensive,  and  it  is  as  well  if  we  can 
avoid  them.  Bones  we  must  use,  if  the  clay  is  deficient  in  lime.  The  cheapest  way  to 
improve  grass  land  is  to  fold  sheep  eating  oilcake  or  other  artificial  food.  It  of  course 
takes  time,  but  if  slow  it  is  very  efifectual.  "  The  sheep's  belly  is  the  best  flung-cart.'' 
This  is  the  plan  I  most  strongly  recommend.  The  mechanical  effect  of  the  treading, 
especially  in  wet  weather,  is  considerable.  I  have  seen  wonderful  improvement  made 
in  grass  land  by  sheep-folding.  At  the  same  time,  applications  of  a  bulky  nature,  as 
described  above,  may  be  collected  and  applied  without  a  very  heavy  outlay.  In  this 
way  a  great  improvement  may  be  made  in  neglected  grass  land — an  improvement 
which  will  be  found  highly  remunerative.  Grass  land  once  put  into  good  heart  must 
be  maintained  by  periodical  dressings,  by  careful  attention,  roiling  and  chain-harrow- 
ing the  surface,  and  by  either  collecting  the  droppings  of  cattle  into  a  heap  and  mixing, 
or  else  carefully  knocking  and  keeping  the  outfalls  of  the  drains  cleared  out 

IV. — Value  op  ibbigation. 

Water,  which,  as  we  have  seen,  is  so  injurious  when  in  excess,  may  yet,  under  proper 

management,  be  made  of  great  use  in  fertilising  grass  land.    Irrigation  has  been 

practised  from  early  times.    The  merit  of  the  discovery  is  claimed  by  one  Rowland 

Vaughan,  who  laid  out  water-meadows  in  Herefordshire,  during  the  reigns  of  Eliza- 


270  THE  MANAGEMENT  OF  GRASS  LAND. 

beth  and  Jaones  I.  The  inhabitants  of  South  Cemej,  a  village  in  Gloucestershire,  on 
the  river  Chum,  also  lay  claim  to  the  honour.  A  tradition  was  current  that  the 
practice  was  introduced  by  a  wealthy  farmer  of  South  Cerney,  one  Welladvise.  Irri- 
gation in  this  country  is  most  successful  on  land  that  possesses  a  porous  subsoil  and 
a  natural  drainage,  by  which  the  excess  of  water  can  escape.  In  such  circumstances 
irrigation  proves  of  great  value,  supplying  moisture  which  fertilises,  but  does  not 
make  the  soil  cold  or  prevent  the  circulation  of  air.  If  strong  lands  are  irrigated,  we 
must  take  care  to  have  the  subsoil  very  thoroughly  drained  and  the  surface  carefully 
levelled,  so  that  the  water  may  nowhere  stagnate,  and  even  then  we  shall  find  that 
the  produce  is  not  so  healthy  as  that  from  a  dry  porous  soil.  A  great  distinction  should 
always  be  made  between  irrigation  proper  and  flooding;  in  the  former  case,  the  water 
regularly  flows  over  the  surface,  and  should  be  always  in  motion,  gently  trickling.  In 
the  case  of  natural  flooding,  it  comes  and  goes  in  a  most  irregular  and  uncertain 
manner,  and,  although  leaving  valuable  sediment,  the  water  often  remains  on  for 
weeks  at  a  time,  becomes  stagnant,  and  poisons  the  grass.  Circumstances  are  the  best 
guides  in  this  important  operation.  According  to  the  Rev.  Mr  Wright,  who  described 
the  South  Cerney  system,  the  water  should  be  turned  on  in  November,  and  kept  on 
three  weeks.  During  December  and  January,  the  great  point  is  to  shelter  the  grass 
from  frost,  &c. ;  at  the  same  time  it  is  necessary  every  ten  days  or  a  fortnight  to  take 
the  water  off  entirely,  in  order  that  the  land  may  get  aired,  otherwise  the  roots  of  the 
grass  will  rot.  Care  is  also  necessary  to^see  that  the  water  flows  regularly  and  evenly 
over  the  surface.  In  February  great 'care  is  required,  and  much  depends  on  the 
judgment  of  the  drowner.  If  the  water  remains  on  too  long,  a  white  scum  forms, 
which  is  injurious  to  the  grass ;  if  taken  off  and  sharp  frost  follows,  grass  is  cut  up. 
Water  in  February  should  remain  on  about  a  week;  then  take  off  altogether  for  as 
long  a  time,  securing,  if  possible,  one  dry  day  after  removing  water.  In  March  the 
early  feed  is  ready.  The  sheep  may  be  folded  over  until  May  1,  then  a  week's  water 
will  start  the  hay  crop.  Many  instances  occur  in  which  the  circumstances  would 
allow  of  irrigation,  but  either  indolence  or  ignorance  of  the  benefit  prevents  its  being 
carried  out.  The  necessary  conditions  are  a  porous  subsoil,  land  lying  on  a  gentle 
slope,  contiguous  to  and  somewhat  lower  than  the  river,  and  means  to  get  rid  of  the 
water.  In  rough  uneven  ground,  we  must  often  lay  out  a  considerable  sum  in  level- 
ling the  surface,  without  which  our  water  will  do  more  harm  than  good  ;  and  it  is 
because  sufficient  attention  is  not  paid  to  this,  and  the  water  allowed  to  stagnate  in  the 
low  spots  and  miss  much  of  the  ground,  that  irrigation  is  so  often  worse  than  useless. 
We  may  say,  as  a  general  rule,  that  water  will  prove  most  beneficial  when  the  land  re- 
gains its  soundness,  and  walks  dry  in  from  twelve  to  twenty  hours.  Catch-meadows 
are  suitable  for  hill-sides,  when  the  supply  of  water  is  limited.  They  are  less  costly  in 
preparation  than  the  last  described,  but  seldom  ensure  an  equal  distribution  of  water, 
and  used  water  is  generally  inferior.  The  advantage  of  using  water  will  depend  in  a 
great  measure  upon  the  care  and  attention  we  bestow,  and  upon  the  nature  of  the 
water.  Some  streams  are  known  to  be  peculiarly  suitable,  and  produce  greater  effects 
than  others.  Generally  the  best  results  are  produced  on  the  land  where  the  water  first 
irrigates.  Water  may  be  used  over  and  over  again,  but  as  a  rule  those  meadows 
nearest  the  source  are  the  most  valuable.  Mr  Wright,  on  this  subject,  says  the  first 
or  highest  part  of  a  catch-meadow  will  be  much  improved ;  the  second  may  reap  some 
benefit ;  but  the  third,  which  receives  the  exhausted  thin  cold  water,  will  produce  an 
unprofitable  crop.  Our  farmers  never  choose  more  than  a  second  use  in  the  same 
meadow,  and  that  seldom— calling  it  small  beer.  The  reason  for  the  different  effects 
of  water,  and  the  question  of  temperature,  mineral  matters,  &c.,  are  points  not  yet 
fully  understood,  and  the  question  demands  a  careful  examination.  I  cannot  forego 
another  quotation  from  Mr  Wright,  whose  remarks  are  extremely  practical.  "  In 
opposition  to  the  opinion  of  practical  waterers,  I  hesitate  not  to  affirm  that  the  mud  is 
of  as  much  consequence  in  winter-watering,  as  dung  is  in  the  improvement  of  a  poor 
upland  field.  The  meadows  in  this  county  which  lie  next  below  a  market  town  or  vil- 
lage are  invariably  the  best,  and  those  which  receive  the  water  after  it  has  been  two  or 
three  times  used  reap  proportionably  less  benefit  from  it.  Our  farmers  know  the 
mud  to  be  of  so  much  consequence  in  watering,  that  whenever  they  find  it  collected  at 
the  bottom  of  the  river  or  the  ditches,  they  hire  men  whole  days  to  disturb  and  raise 
it  with  rakes,  made  for  the  purpose,  that  it  may  be  carried  down  by  the  water  and  spread 
upon  their  meadows.  One  meadow  in  South  Cerney  I  think  is  an  incontestable 
proof  of  the  consequence  of  muddy  water.  It  is  water  by  a  branch  of  the  common 
stream  that  runs  for  about  half  a  mUe  down  a  public  road.  This  water  becomes  very 
thick,  and  when  it  enters  the  meadow  is  almost  as  white  as  milk.    This  field  of  seven 


THE  IIAKAGEMENT  OF  GRASS  LAND.  2 

ieres  mm,  before  watered,  let  for  lOs.  an  acre,  but  is  already  become  the  richest  la; 
in  the  parish,  and  has  produced  at  one  crop  18  loads  of  hay,  each  load  more  than  i 
cwt." — ^more  than  three  tons  per  acre.  That  hind,  under  favourable  conditions,  nu 
be  greatly  increased  in  value  by  irrigation,  is  proved  by  the  high  rents  which  ai 
paid  for  such  land.  The  system  is  much  adopted  in  Wilts,  Dorset,  Hants,  and  espe 
dally  Gloucestershire,  where  the  Valley  of  the  Churn  exhibits  some  very  fertile  tracts 
On  this  river  there  are  about  1000  acres  of  watered  meadow,  supposed  to  be  improved 
by  irrigation  £2  an  acre  of  yearly  rent  over  their  original  value.  The  advantages 
consist  not  only  in  the  increased  supply  of  grass,  but  in  the  early  feed,  which  thus 
becomes  most  useful  for  ewes  and  lambs.  Care,  however,  is  required  in  feeding, 
inasmuch  as  the  grass  is  often  watery  and  unmatured,  and  especially  in  a  wet  cold 
spring  sheep  are  apt  to  scour  if  not  supplied  with  some  dry  food.  The  feed  from 
March  to  May  is  considered  worth  £1,  Is.  an  acre.  Shut  up  early  in  May,  after 
being  watered  for  a  few  days,  there  is  generally  an  abundant  crop  by  the  beginning 
of  July  :  two  tons  per  acre  is  not  unusual.  After  which  a  good  soaking  will  start  an 
eddish  worth  at  least  15s.  an  acre.  The  cost  of  maintaining  the  ditches,  flood-gates, 
9lc.,  in  order,  amounts  to  about  6s.  an  acre.  The  best  water-meadows  are  found  in  the 
valleys  of  limestone  formation,  as  the  oolite  and  the  chalk,  for  example,  since  here 
we  have  a  fine  loamy  soil  on  a  porous  subsoil.  The  roots  of  the  grasses  are  much 
benefited  by  the  thorough  soaking,  and  the  soil  contains  mineral  food,  which  the 
moisture  conveys  to  the  roots.  Upon  sandy  soils  water  may  increase  the  bulk  of  the 
produce,  but  the  quality  will  be  weak  and  unhealthy ;  indeed,  it  must  be  admitted 
that,  except  in  very  favourable  localities,  irrigation  causes  an  increased  growth  of 
coarse  grass,  and  neither  the  hay  nor  the  feed  is  at  all  equal  in  nutritive  value  to 
sweet  uplands.  As  a  rule,  we  shall  find  certain  grasses  of  a  quick-growing  nature 
taking  the  place  of  that  mixed  herbage  which  is  seen  in  our  best  pastures ;  and  the 
tendency  of  irrigation  is  to  produce  a  simpler  herbage.  This  is  not  in  accordance 
with  Professor  Buckman,  who  declares,  in  the  work  already  referred  to,  that  water 
properly  used  tends  to  improve  the  quality  of  the  grass,  and  convert  some  descriptions 
that  are  ordinarily  inferior  into  really  useful  grasses.  This  is  doubtless  true  in  the 
cases  he  has  examined ;  but  I  cannot  but  think  his  experience  is  somewhat  excep* 
tional,  at  least  it  does  not  agree  with  my  own.  I  believe  irrigation,  when  practical, 
is  of  great  value  in  securing  some  early  grass,  which,  if  judiciously  fed,  helps  the  ewes 
and  la^bs  over  a  very  difficult  time,  and  the  heavy  crop  of  hay  secures  fodder  for  the 
upland.  The  after-feed  I  look  upon  as  poor,  and  totally  unfit  for  sheep.  The  late 
Mr  Pusey  went  to  great  expense  in  laying-out  water  meadows  on  his  sandy  soil  at 
Pnsey,  and  it  was  confidently  affirmed  at  the  time  that  the  land  was  perfectly  healthy 
for  sheep ;  hundreds,  however,  were  rotted,  and  Mr  Pusey  found,  to  his  cost,  that  he 
was  wrong.  The  quality  of  the  produce  was  too  poor  to  keep  animals  in  health,  and 
I  am  afraid  that  the  present  tenant  hardly  irrigates  at  all.  Why  is  it  that  such  land  is 
always  unsafe  for  sheep  in  the  summer  and  autumn,  especially  in  moist,  warm,  grow- 
ing weather ;  but  that  a  rank,  luxuriant  growth  of  grass,  unmatured,  containing  an 
excess  of  nitrogen,  and  a  deficiency  of  sugar,  is  produced,  which  is  poisonous  and  un- 
healthy f  As  I  said  before,  diffisrent  water  evidently  varies  in  value  for  irrigation  pur- 
poses. Springs  out  of  the  chalk  have  been  found  in  some  instances  to  possess  remark- 
ably fertilising  properties.  Thus  a  particular  meadow,  the  soil  o|  which  is  a  good  loam 
upon  a  fine  gravel,  watered  by  pure-water  from  springs  rising  out  of  the  chalk,  has 
been  mown  in  a  warm  spring  five  weeks  after  the  stock  were  taken  out.  Almost 
every  year  it  is  cut  in  six  weeks,  and  the  produce  varies  from  one  to  three  waggon 
loads  per  acre.    In  the  last  place,  we  have  very  briefly  to  consider  the  application  of 

SEWAGE  TO  6BABS  LAND. 

This  subject  has  been  so  frequently  discussed  lately,  that  we  are  all,  I  am  sure, 
heartily  tired  of  the  very  word  "  sewage; "  and  therefore  I  will  very  briefly  allude  to 
it  Experience  of  practical  men  has  decided  that  sewage  is  more  suitable — 1st,  for 
the  development  of  strong,  coarse  grasses — such  as  Italian  rye-grass  and  cocksfoot — 
than  for  mixed  grasses ;  2d,  that  it  is  more  suitable  for  grass  than  arable  cultivation, 
and  that  the  larger  the  application  the  greater  the  result ;  and,  lastly,  that  the  rain- 
fall of  a  district  has  more  to  do  with  the  result  than  is  commonly  allowed.  It  is  well 
known  that  the  application  of  sewage  is  always  most  marked  during  moist,  cloudy 
weather,  and  that  in  scorching  summer  weather  little  or  no  good,  and  in  some  in- 
stances positive  harm,  arises  from  the  application  of  sewage.  The  results  at  Croydon, 
fdr  example,  can  never  equal  those  at  Edinburgh,  because  the  climate  is  so  much 
drier.  Then  I  think  it  must  be  admitted  that  the  best  comparative  results  wlR  \m 
Vol.  L-No.  v.— Niw  SiBiKS.    May  1865.  ^ 


272  THE  MANAGEMENT  OF  GRASS  LAND. 

obtained  from  the  application  of  sewage  to  poor  light  sand,  which,  without  this 
stimulant,  would  prove  almost  worthless.  Mr  Blackburn's  operations  at  Aldershott 
will  be  watched  with  great  interest,  as  giving  a  further  experience  on  this  point.  The  . 
application  of  sewage  to  good  feeding  pastures  is  at  any  rate  a  very  doubtful  proceed- 
ing, as  is  evidenced  by  the  effects  upon  the  Eugby  land.  We  should  quite  anticipate 
this.  That  beautiful  carpet  of  mixed  herbage  which  affords  the  muscle  and  fattening 
materials,  so  well  combined  that  we  can  see  our  cattle  daily  increasing  in  rotundity, 
gives  place  to  a  rank  growth  of  certain  coarse  grasses.  These  are  cut  long  before 
they  are  matured,  a  watery  produce  results,  and  we  cannot  expect  that  animals  will  get 
fat  on  such  food,  unless  we  add  plenty/  of  artificial.  All  this  does  not  sanction,  how- 
ever, the  lamentable  waste  of  the  liquid  portions  of  our  manure,  which  we  so  con- 
stantly see  arising  from  unspouted  buildings,  uncovered  yards,  and  the  absence  of  any 
arrangements  to  catch  and  preserve  these  valuable  fertUisers.  But  my  advice  is,  do 
not  make  your  manure  in  that  way,  which  necessitates  the  separation  of  solid  and 
liquid  elements.  Instead  of  going  to  a  heavy  expense  for  tanks,  &c.,  cover  over  your 
yards  (as  described  by  Mr  Moscrop  in  his  very  practical  paper,)  and  then  apply  a  small 
dressing  of  such  manure  to  your  exhausted  pastures.  The  expense  ought  not  to  be 
an  impediment,  for  this  is  a  permanent  improvement  of  the  first  kind,  and  the  tenant 
can  well  afford  to  pay  an  interest,  and  the  landlord  to  procure  the  capital,  for  work 
that  will  improve  the  permanent  value  of  his  property  so  much.  Every  experiment 
that  has  been  recorded  as  to  the  merits  of  covered  and  open  yard  manure  has  been 
strikingly  in  favour  of  the  former ;  and  an  additional  reason  at  the  present  time  is 
found  in  the  saving  of  litter,  now  that  straw  is  so  valuable  for  food.  It  is  calculated 
that,  properly  applied,  20  lbs.  of  litter  a  day  is  amply  sufficient  for  a  beast ;  possibly, 
if  cut  into  lengths,  less  will  do.  If  the  situation  of  the  farm  offers  opportunities  of 
using  town  sewage,  the  land  being  porous  and  sandy,  and .  capable  of  being  laid  out 
so  as  to  receive  the  fluid  by  gravitation,  and  we  can,  in  short,  irrigate  the  surface, 
then  it  will  be  found  profitable  to  use  the  sewage,  mowing  the  crops  for  green  food  for 
milch  cows,  provided  we  can  get  it  for  a  moderate  sum.  Mr  Lawes^  at  Eugby,  proves 
that  the  highest  increase  for  1000  tons  of  sewage  was  about  £5, 10s.  When  we  cal- 
culate the  cost  of  laying  out  our  land,  &c.,  we  shall  see  that  O^d.  to  Ofd.  a  ton  is  about 
the  range  of  price,  according  to  circumstances,  that  we  could  afford  to  pay,  and  shows 
us  how  ridiculous  are  the  views  of  those  who  would  have  us  believe  that  the  sewage 
is  worth  2d.  a  ton.  Gentlemen,  you  have  patiently  listened  to  my  long  yarn ;  I  have 
endeavoured  to  bring  forward  some  plain  considerations,  and  now  leave  the  matter  in 
your  hands  for  discussion. 

Mr  J.  Carter  (King  William  Street,  City)  said  there  was  one  thing  connected  with 
this  question  which  it  had  for  years  struck  him  might  be  made  useful  to  agriculture, 
and  especially  to  grass  lands.  In  the  salt  works  of  Cheshire  a  certain  portion  of  the 
salt-pan  was  always  clipped  off.  An  immense  quantity  of  it  lay  idle,  about  10  per 
cent,  being  salt,  and  a  good  deal  of  the  remainder  iron,  and  he  believed  that  if  a 
sample  were  tried  it  would  be  found  very  useful  on  grass  lands. 

Mr  NocKOLDS — In  what  way  ?  as  a  manure,  or  for  your  cattle  to  lick  ? 

Mr  Carter — As  a  manure. 

Mr  James  Thomas  (late  of  Lidlington)  said  they  had  just  listened  to  a  very  inter- 
esting lecture,  but  the  subject  was  so  very  wide  that  the  discussion  might  be  carried  to 
almost  any  extent.  The  question  before  them  was  "  The  management  of  grass  lands," 
and  knowing  how  many  different  kinds  of  soils  there  were  in  Great  Britain,  from  the 
Cheviot  Hills  to  the  Cotswolds,  and  from  the  rich  grazing  meadows  of  Lincolnshire 
and  Leicestershire  to  the  West  of  England,  they  must  all  feel  that  a  debate  on  such 
a  subject  might  be  almost  ad  infinitum.  6ne  thing  which,  as  it  appeared  to  him, 
circumstances  had  taught  them  within  the  last  few  years  was,  that  strong  yellow  clays 
could  not  be  kept  profitably  under  cultivation  with  the  plough,  that  such  cultivation 
could  not  be  carried  on  by  the  tenant  with  the  hope  of  paying  the  landlord's  rent,  and 
still  less  of  improving  his  own  condition.  The  question,  then,  necessarily  arose, 
whether  it  would  be  wise  or  unwise  to  lay  down  land  more  extensively  in  grass  ;  and 
he  could  only  say  that  he  believed  a  vast  quantity  of  inferior  arable  land  would  pay 
much  better  if  it  were  laid  down  to  grass,  or  at  all  events  withdrawn  from  tillage. 
They  all  knew  the  great  use  of  the  Downs  in  the  south  of  England,  and  how  well  they 
worked  with  other  lands,  and  how  profitable  good  sheep-farms  had  been  to  occupiers. 
Professor  Coleman  had  spoken  of  the  proper  mode  of  laying  down  land  to  grass  when 
that  had  been  determined  upon ;  and  on  that  point  he  (Mr  J.  Thomas)  perfectly 
agreed  with  him.  He  recollected  reading  in  Mr  Caird's  lectures,  some  years  ago,  an 
account  of  the  manner  in  which  the  tenantry  of  Sir  James  Graham,  in  Cumberland, 


THE  MANAaflUENT  OF  GRASS  LAND.  273 

▼ere  laying  down  for  permanent  grass,  that  was  with  coleseed  in  June  or  July.  They 
found  that  the  trampling  of  the  sheep  at  that  period  of  the  year  did  much  benefit  to 
the  clover  by  consolidating  the  land,  just  as  old  agriculturists  had  found  their  clovers 
best  on  the  headlands  which  had  been  trampled  by  horses.  He  believed  that  the 
modem  plan  adopted  on  Sir  James  Graham's  estate,  and  subsequently  in  various 
parts  of  England,  would  be  found  the  best  mode  for  laying  down  land  for  permanent 
grass.  As  regarded  drainage,  he  had  found  in  his  own  experience,  and  he  had  heard 
others  say  the  same  thing,  that  land  which  was  intended  exclusively  for  the  feeding 
of  oxen  and  the  fattening  of  bullocks  for  the  London  market  might  be  overdrained. 
He  believed  Mr  Congreve  would  bear  him  out  in  saying  that  land  which  was  required 
for  sheep  alone,  and  land  which  was  required  for  oxen  alone,  required  very  different 
treatment.  An  old  friend  of  his,  Mr  Hewitt,  once  told  him  that  he  had  found  that 
in  the  management  of  his  grass  land  the  best  plan  was  to  put  sheep,  say  two  to  the 
acre,  in  May,  with  his  grazing  oxen,  because  the  sheep,  by  picking  up  and  eating  all 
the  finer  grasses,  compelled  the  oxen  to  eat  the  coarser  kinds,  and  after  two  or  three 
weeks  of  sheep  at  the  pasture,  on  removing  them  he  obtained  a  far  more  level  table 
of  better  land  than  he  could  otherwise  possibly  have  had.  He  followed  Mr  Hewitt's 
example  for  twenty  or  thirty  years  after,  and  in  no  one  instance  had  he  found  his 
theory  to  be  wrong.  He  believed  that  no  land  which  was  naturally  unsuited  to  grass 
could  ever  become  good  grazing  land.  The  best  grazing  land  in  Leicestershire  had 
all  become  so  from  being  originally  in  the  state  of  ploughed  land,  as  the  old  ridges 
showed,  and  then  being  left  to  themselves.  The  fact  was,  that  there  was  an  aptitude 
in  such  land  for  grass,  and,  notwithstanding  all  that  had  been  said  about  the  quantity 
of  quarts  of  seed,  &c.,  that  might  be  applied  with  benefit,  he  was  convinced  that 
land  which  had  no  natural  adaptation  for  producing  grass  could  never  be  made 
good  pasture.  As  regarded  the  diseases  to  which  lambs  and  cattle  were  sub- 
ject, owing  perhaps  to  their  eating  sour  or  bad  grass,  he  thought  that  a  great 
deal  of  loss  might  be  avoided  by  the  use  of  crushed  malt.  He  did  not  wish 
to  enter  into  the  question  of  the  malt-tax,  but  thus  much  he  might  say,  that 
in  advocating  the  free  use  of  malt  for  their  animals  farmers  had  thought  more  of 
the  benefit  which  they  would  gain  in  the  fattening  of  oxen  and  sheep,  than  of  the 
means  which  they  would  thus  possess  of  securing  their  health.  Thousands  of  lambs 
might  thus  be  saved  every  year,  and  surely  that  was  a  most  important  fact  for  the 
public  relative  to  the  price  of  meat.  (Hear,  hear.)  When  a  young  farmer,  he  used  to 
lose  a  great  many  lambs  every  year,  and  neighbours  of  his  had  lost  hundreds  in  a 
single  season.  The  natural  remedy  for  such  an  evil  was  the  use  of  crushed  malt ; 
but  this  they  were  deprived  of  by  the  pressure  of  the  tax.  As  regarded  sewage,  he 
would  observe  that  he  had  gone  to  considerable  expense  in  order  to  apply  it  bene- 
ficially ;  he  had  a  tank  at  Lidlington,  and  Fowler's  best  pumping  apparatus,  but  he 
used  them  for  many  years  with  little  or  no  result.  He  believed  that  unless  London 
sewage  were  used  on  light  soils,  as  on  such  places  as  Maplin  Sands,  there  would  be 
very  little  result.  As  to  the  idea  of  raising  it  to  Shooter's  Hill  or  any  other  elevation 
of  that  kind,  and  spreading  it  by  means  of  pipes  through  the  country,  he  felt  quite 
sure  that  the  attempt  to  carry  it  out  would  only  end  in  the  entire  loss  of  the  capital 
employed. 

Mr  Robert  Smith  (Emmett's  Grange,  South  Molton)  said  that,  coming  as  he  did 
from  the  West  of  England — the  land  of  grass  and  irrigation — he  might  be  expected 
to  make  a  few  remarks  that  evening.  First,  as  regarded  irrigation,  Mr  Coleman  had 
alluded  to  other  counties,  but  not  to  Devon.  In  Devon,  however,  they  were,  he 
believed,  at  the  top  of  the  ladder  in  that  matter.  The  irrigation  of  the  low  lands 
there,  from  the  adjacent  streams,  was  certainly  very  good  indeed.  In  his  (Mr 
Smith's)  district,  the  mountain-streams  were  collected  together  and  spread  over  the 
hill-side  with  considerable  advantage.  These  are  termed  **  catch  meadows."  He  had 
some  fifty  acres  of  these  water-meadows ;  and  the  land  had  greatly  increased  in  value. 
Irrigation,  indeed,  was  so  important  that  it  was  a  subject  of  itself,  and  one  which 
required  the  most  mature  consideration.  In  fact,  irrigation  has  not  received  its  pro- 
per share  of  support.  For  instance,  the  quality  of  water  had  much  to  do  with  irriga- 
tion ;  gravitation  had  a  great  deal  to  do  with  it;  and,  lastly,  the  principle  of  warmth 
had  more  to  do  than  almost  anything  else.  Some  years  ago  he  wrote  a  paper  for  the 
late  Mr  Pusey,  on  the  catch-meadows  of  Exmoor,  where  he  described  the  practice 
which  he  still  followed;  and,  instead  of  entering  into  the  subject  then,  he  would 
refer  those  who  wanted  to  know  something  about  catch-meadows  to  what  he  said 
about  them  in  that  paper.  The  chief  feature  of  the  water-meadow,  he  thought,  was 
not  altogether  the  growth  of  succulent  grasses,  which  might  be  turned  into  hay,  andL 


274  THB  MANAGEMENT  09  GBASS  LAND. 

made  yalaable  in  that  way,  but  for  early  feed.  For  instance,  when  they  saw  a  barren 
field  on  one  side  of  a  hill,  and  a  verdant  meadow  on  the  other — when  they  saw  lambs 
starving  on  the  one  hand,  while  others  were  getting  fat  on  the  other  hand,  as  he  had 
done  in  Devonshire — they  had  there  an  illustration  of  the  value  of  water-meadows. 
As  regarded  warmth,  indeed,  they  all  knew  that,  practically,  climate  ruled  everything. 
One  person  might  speak  of  his  barley  cultivation,  another  of  wheat  cultivation,  and  a 
third  of  grass ;  but  climate  governed  the  whole ;  and,  therefore,  while  in  the  eastern 
counties  they  could  not  keep  grass  on  the  land,  in  the  western  counties  they  could 
not  keep  it  off  the  land.  When,  therefore,  they  saw  a  tendency  in  nature  to 
assist  grasses,  it  behoved  them  to  assist  nature,  and  to  get  as  good  grasses  as 
they  possibly  could.  Again,  whether  they  studied  the  English  counties  or  the 
Scotch  counties,  or  their  own  individual  cases,  they  would  always  find  the  pro- 
duce of  the  soil  regulated  by  climate.  It  was  truly  said  that,  when  farmers 
went  from  east  to  west,  they  did  not  transplant.  Having  been  brought  up  in  a 
dry  climate,  on  getting  into  a  wet  one,  they  were  too  apt  to  continue  the  old  system 
of  farming.  With  regard  to  the  remark  of  Mr  Thomas,  as  to  the  period  for  laying 
down  grass-land,  there  again  he  was  in  a  position  to  speak  practically.  He  had  at 
that  moment  three  hundred  acres  of  grass-land  which  had  been  seeded  down  with- 
out a  corn  crop.  Instead  of  directing  his  attention  to  corn,  he  had  directed  it  to 
grass,  on  account  of  the  character  of  the  climate.  He  entirely  differed  from  Mr 
Thomas's  friend,  who  sowed  his  grass-seed  about  Jane  or  July,  a  period  of  extreme 
heat,  when  they  would  not  cover  the  ground.  So  far  as  his  experience  went,  the  best 
way  of  laying  down  land  for  permanent  pasture  was  to  prepare  and  clean  it  as  well  as 
possible  for  the  root-crop  in  the  previous  year  (if  they  could  sow  two  root-crops  in 
succession,  so  much  the  better),  and  in  the  next  season,  as  early  as  the  frost  would 
allow,  to  put  in  the  grass-seed.  Say  by  the  Ist  of  April,  rapeseed  should  be  sown 
with  the  grass-seeds.  If  the  seeds  were  sown  thick  enough,  they  would  soon  be  up, 
and  they  would  prove  most  verdant  and  be  ready  to  stock  by  Midsummer.  The  land 
would  thus  have  a  covering  before  the  heat  of  the  sun  came,  and  be  most  valuable 
in  the  scarce  hot  months  of  July  to  September,  a  period  when  they  found  the  greatest 
difficulty  in  getting  food  for  their  animals,  the  young  seeds  would  throw  up  such  an 
immense  quantity  of  succulent,  feeding-grasses,  that  no  doubt  would  remain  in  the 
minds  of  those  who  saw  them,  as  to  what  period  was  best  for  sowing.  There  was  a 
principle  involved  in  all  this.  For  instance,  if  they  sowed  seeds  late  in  the  autumn, 
they  found  them  very  feeble ;  sometimes  they  lost  the  plant,  and  they  never  were  what 
they  could  wish  them  to  be.  For  some  years  past,  however,  the  result  of  seeding  land 
down  without  corn,  in  his  neighbourhood,  at  the  period  which  he  had  mentioned,  had 
been  most  beautiful.  He  must  confess  his  regret  that  Professor  Coleman  had  not 
entered  a  little  more  fully  into  the  management  of  grass-lands.  The  professor  re- 
marked that  there  was  now  a  growing  fashion  with  regard  to  such  lands.  He  (Mr 
B.  Smith)  did  not  like  fashion  in  such  a  matter,  as  it  might  lead  to  excess,  and  a  time 
might  arrive  when  corn  would  be  dear  and  meat  comparatively  cheap ;  but  he  was 
convinced  that  the  adoption  of  a  better  system  of  grass-production,  especially  in  suit- 
able climates,  would  in  many  cases  yield,  for  the  outlay  made,  a  return  of  not  less  than 
twenty  per  cent.  Mr  Thomas  made  a  remark  about  grass  changing  after  draining. 
There  was  a  principle  involved  in  this ;  the  aquatic  grasses  were  killed,  and  nature  had 
to  replant.  As  regarded  this,  he  would  remark  that  the  effect  of  taking  away  the 
aquatics,  though  better  for  sheep,  would  be  less  valuable  for  cattle.  Again,  showing 
the  effect  of  warmth,  the  grasses  were  very  fine  on  the  southern  slope  of  a  hill,  while 
those  on  the  north  were  coarse.  With  respect  to  top-dressings,  he  would  obaerve 
that  different  districts  had  their  own  customs  in  such  matters.  A  Devonshire  farmer 
would  go  for  lime  at  any  price,  and  apply  it  to  the  land  in  compost  with  earth.  He 
(Mr  Smith)  felt  that  while  arable  culture  had  a  literature  of  its  own,  the  grass  land 
subject  had  as  yet  been  comparatively  neglected,  but  most  especially  irrigation  on  the 
catch-meadow  principle. 

Mr  T.  Wilson  (Althorne,  Mai  don)  regretted  that  the  question  had  not  been  more 
specific,  as  it  was  too  wide  for  proper  discussion  in  a  single  evening,  and  he  hoped  that 
the  subject  would  be  taken  up  again  in  another-  form.  The  discussion  had  been  ex- 
tended to  the  best  way  of  laying  land  down  to  grass,  and  also  to  covered  homesteads. 
He  would,  however,  confine  himself  to  the  subject  on  the  card — the  management  of 
pasture  laud.  The  land  in  his  neighbourhood  was  very  strong  land,  and  had  been 
supposed  not  to  be  fit  for  gracing.  AH  he  could  say,  however,  was  that  the  grass-land 
which  he  held,  which  had  been  in  permanent  pasture,  and  that  which  he  had  put  into 
grass  with  some  care  and  circumspecti^    .  harrowing,  rolling,  and  manuring  it,  had 


THE  MANAQEMXNT  OF  GRASS  LAND.  275 

been  infiniiely  more  profitable  to  him  than  land  on  which  he  grew  com  crops,  and 
the  impression  on  his  mind  was,  that  the  less  land  they  ploughed  the  less  money  they 
would  lose.  (Laughter).  He  believed  there  was  no  land,  that  was  good  enough  to  grow 
com,  that  would  not  grow  grass.  At  the  same  time,  he  believed  there  was  land 
that  was  too  bad  to  grow  grass,  which  might  be  made  to  grow  corn.  He  remembered 
Bome  Devon  farmers  coming  into  his  neighbourhood,  with  the  view  to  take  farms, 
whose  objection  was  that  there  was  no  grass.  One  of  them,  however,  remarked, 
"look  at  the  grass  on  the  roadsides,  in  the  lanes;  it  is  good  enough  there,  and  if  it 
will  grow  in  the  lanes,  it  will  grow  in  the  fields.  We  have  only  to  put  the  lanes  into 
ihe  fields,  and  then  we  shall  have  grass  enough."  The  natural  use  of  land  is  to 
graze,  the  artificial  to  plough  ;  and  if  the  same  labour  and  expense  are  bestowed  on 
hnd  in  the  one  case,  as  in  the  other,  the  land  under  grass  will  generally  be  found 
more  remunerative,  or  less  unprofitable,  than  that  under  the  plough. 

Dr  VoBLCKBR  (Salisbury  Square)  concurred  in  the  remarks  from  Mr  Smith,  to  the 
effect  that  whereas  arable  land  had  received  a  vast  amount  of  careful  attention  on  the 
part  of  the  arable-land  farmers,  the  management  of  grass  land  had  been  wofully 
neglected.  It  was  quite  true  that  there  was  land  which  had  a  natural  aptitude  for 
producing  grass,  just  as  there  was  a  great  deal  of  land  in  England  which  had  a  natu- 
ral aptitude  for  producing — almost  without  any  kind  of  manure,  but  simply  through 
deep  ploughing— a  very  heavy  produce  of  corn.  But  the  question  was,  whether  there 
was  any  grass  land  which  would  not  repay  careful  attention  and  yield  a  large  increase 
of  the  produce.  He  believed  that  if  the  same  degree  of  attention  which  had  been 
bestowed  on  arable  land  were  given  to  pasture,  they  would  see  the  produce  very  mate- 
rially increased,  and  in  some  cases  find  the  character  of  the  herbage  greatly  improved. 
Having  seen  a  good  deal  of  the  pasture-land  of  Cheshire,  he  knew  what  excellent 
effects  were  produced  there  by  a  judicious  application  of  manures  adapted  to  the  soil. 
He  had  seen  great  changes  effected  through  the  application  of  bones,  both  in  the 
quantity  and  quality  of  the  herbage.  At  the  same  time,  he  felt  bound  to  say  that 
he  had  seen  the  same  bone  manures  tried  in  Gloucestershire,  and  he  had  tried  them 
himself,  without  producing  the  slightest  benefit.  There  could  be  no  doubt  as  to  the 
fact  that  there  was  grass  land  to  which  it  was  a  waste  of  money  to  apply  any  artificial 
manure  at  all.  It  was  better  to  apply  the  manure  to  the  arable  portions  of  the  farm 
than  to  spend  money  on  the  manuring  of  such  grass  land.  In  short,  the  character 
of  the  soil  must  be  carefully  studied  and  watched  by  those  who  had  the  land  in  their 
occupation.  Still,  he  believed  that  by  the  j  udicious  application  of  proper  manures,  they 
might  very  materially  increase  the  produce  of  their  pastures.  The  character  of  the 
manure  which  was  applied  to  the  land  would  materially  influence  the  result ;  indeed, 
the  experiments  which  had  been  tried  by  Mr  Lawes  and  others,  showed  that  the 
farmer  could,  to  a  great  extent,  regulate  his  produce,  and  that  he  could  grow  a  much 
larger  quantity  of  produce  than  those  who  had  not  tried  or  read  the  results  of  the 
experiments  might  think  possible,  through  the  application  of  particular  kinds  of 
manure.  Thus,  by  the  application  of  ammoniacal  manures,  farmers  could  almost 
treble  their  produce,  though,  he  was  sorry  to  add,  at  the  expense  of  quality.  On  the 
other  hand,  by  the  application  of  phosphatic  manures,  they  could  materially  change 
the  quality  of  the  natural  grasses,  for  the  application  of  bones  and  superphosphate 
would  greatly  increase  their  clover  and  leguminous  produce.  Thus,  by  the  careful 
study  of  the  effects  of  different  manures  on  particular  soils  they  might  in  a  great 
degree  regulate  what  they  intended  to  produce.  He  agreed  with  Mr  Smith  that  irri- 
gation deserved  to  occupy  a  much  larger  share  of  attention ;  and  he  thought  that 
very  important  practical  results  might  be  expected  from  it,  when  the  study  of  the 
scientific  chemist  in  the  laboratory  went  hand  in  hand  with  practical  experience  in 
investigating  this  subject.  There  were  now  so  many  opposing  views  on  the  part  of 
those  who  had  practised  irrigation,  that  there  could  be  no  question  that  it  was  highly 
desirable  to  consider  those  points  on  which  difference  of  opinion  exibted.  They 
knew  that  some  waters  were  much  better  adapted  for  irrigation  than  others ;  they 
knew  that  variations  in  the  natural  temperature  of  the  water  very  much  influenced 
the  result ;  they  knew  that  on  some  lands  perfectly  clear  water  produced  the  best 
effects,  while  in  other  cases  muddy  water  was  the  best.  These  and  other  matters 
required  to  be  carefully  sifted ;  and  it  was  vain  to  hope  that  by  merely  speculating 
on  this  matter  they  would  ever  arrive  at  sound  practical  conclusions.  -(Hear,  hear). 
He  would  be  glad  if  farmers  who  had  had  practical  experience  of  irrigation  would 
give  him  the  benefit  of  it,  and  would  be  happy  to  come  down  to  any  farm  to  examine 
the  water,  &c.,  for  himself,  as  he  intended  to  bring  the  subject  of  irrigation  before 
the  Boyal  Agricnltuzal  Society  of  England. 


276  THE  MANAGEMENT  OF  GRASS  LAND. 

Mr  T.  CoNOBEVE  (Peter  Hall,  Brinklow,  Coventry)  could  not  allow  the  discussion 
to  close  without  saying  a  word  in  defence  of  what  appeared  to  him  a  rather  maligned 
class  amongst  them  that  evening.  He  was  himself  a  grazier,  and  on  the  part  of  the 
graziers  of  England  he  must  demur  to  any  impression  going  forth  from  that  Club  that 
tiiey  neglected  their  grazing  land.  (Hear,  hear).  He  maintained  that  they  did  not 
neglect  it;  that  the  grazing  land  of  England — and  he  then  spoke  as  an  occupier  of 
such  land — was  a  subject  of  as  much  consideration  to  a  grazier  as  ploughed  land  was 
to  the  farmer.  Grazing  land  required  even  a  greater  share  of  attention  than  ploughed 
land ;  and  there  were  great  numbers  of  men  who  paid  as  much  attention  to  the 
grazing  of  their  cattle  and  sheep  as  others  did  to  the  cultivation  of  wheat  and  barley. 
He  did  not  wish  it  to  go  forth  that  the  graziers  of  England,  who  produced  for  six 
months  of  the  year  a  supply  of  meat  for  the  London  market,  were  a  thick-headed  set 
of  men  who  paid  no  attention  to  their  business.  (Hear,  hear).  It  was  an  old  saying 
that  any  fool  could  make  a  farmer.  (Laughter).  It  was  certainly  not  every  fool  who 
could  make  a  grazier.  The  grazier  had  his  stock  to  buy  and  to  manage ;  and  it  was 
one  thing  to  grow  crops,  and  another  to  buy  and  feed  a  lot  of  cattle  and  make  money 
of  them.  The  graziers  had  to  keep  their  eye  on  the  grass  during  the  whole  time  of 
feeding.  If  they  let  it  grow  too  long  they  were  beat,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  if  they 
kept  it  too  short  they  were  beat ;  and,  therefore,  grazing  required  at  least  as  much 
attention  as  any  other  agricultural  occupation.    (Hear,  hear). 

Mr  J.  A.  NocKOLDS  (Stour  Lodge,  Bishop's  Stoii^ford)  did  not  believe  it  was  a 
general  opinion  that  the  graziers  of  England  managed  their  grazing  land  badly. 
(Hear,  hear).  He  had  confessed  himself  a  culprit  according  to  Mr  Thomas's  view  of  the 
subject.  Many  years  ago  he  was  an  advocate  for  the  breaking  up  of  old  clay  pastures, 
some  farmers  having  told  him  of  the  large  quantity  of  mangold-wurzel  which  they  had 
thus  secured,  without  saying  anything  about  the  bad  barley  crop  that  followed.  He 
entirely  agreed  with  Professor  Coleman,  that  the  renovation  of  old  pasture  was  a  far 
easier  task  than  the  making  of  new.  There  was  another  point  to  which  he  would 
refer.  Valuers  who  visited  a  parish  for  the  purpose  of  making  an  assessment  to 
the  poor  rate  or  the  tithe  rent-charge,  were  in  the  habit  of  putting  a  spade  in  the 
ground,  to  see  what  was  the  character  of  the  subsoil.  In  a  large  parish  in  Essex,  with 
which  he  was  connected,  the  grasses  were  very  different,  and  yet  when  the  spade  was 
used  the  subsoil  was  invariably  found  the  same.  How  was  this  to  be  accounted  for  ? 
Drainage  there  was  none ;  and  he  believed,  therefore,  the  difference  in  grasses  was 
only  to  be  accounted  for  by  difference  of  management.  Good  management  would,  he 
thought,  show  itself  more  completely  on  grass  than  on  arable  land.  He  could  only 
account  for  the  difference  which  he  had  mentioned  by  supposing  that  in  some  cases 
there  was  an  accretion  of  soil,  through  continued  dressings ;  that  the  roots  of  grass 
spread  horizontally  instead  of  vertically,  and  that  on  the  application  of  new  dressings 
the  grass  luxuriated,  while  in  other  cases  the  poverty-stricken  grasses  lacked  that 
source  of  nourishment.    (Hear,  hear.) 

Mr  J.  Bradshaw  (Knole,  Guildford)  wished  to  say  that  he  had  repeatedly  seen 
bones  used  in  Cheshire  with  good  results ;  but  that,  on  the  other  hand,  when  he  used 
bones  in  Surrey  the  benefit  was  nil.  The  greatest  improvement  that  he  had  effected 
in  pasture  had  been  through  the  feeding  of  sheep  with  swedes  and  cake  upon  old  pas- 
ture until  it  was  puddled.  It  was  his  misfortune  to  have  read,  fifteen  or  twenty  years 
ago,  all  kinds  of  recipes  in  the  Journal  of  [the  Royal  Agricultural  Society,  and 
amongst  others,  what  had  been  alluded  to  that  evening,  as  having  been  adopted  on  the 
estate  of  Sir  James  Graham.  Having  tried  that  system  in  Surrey,  and  had  met  with 
total  failure. 

Mr  R.  Smith — In  what  month  did  you  sow  your  seeds  ? 

Mr  Bradshaw — Pretty  early;  he  thought  in  June. 

Mr  Fisher  Hobbs  (Boxted  Lodge,  Colchester)  said — Having  lived  formerly  in 
Leicestershire,  and  living  now  in  Essex,  one  of  the  driest  counties  in  England,  he 
considered  that  the  management  of  grass  should  be  very  different  in  different  dis- 
tricts. Leicestershire  contained  some  of  the  finest  grass  lands  to  be  found  in  Eng- 
land, and  at  the  time  when  he  resided  in  that  county,  thirty-eight  years  ago,  there 
seemed  to  be  little  or  no  management.  He  agreed  with  Mr  Congreve,  that  the  best 
graziers  paid  attention  to  their  lands ;  but  in  the  county  of  Leicester  it  was  formerly 
the  practice,  in  the  spring  of  the  year,  when  cattle  were  first  turned  into  the  pastures, 
to  act  as  if  it  were  considered  sure  that  the  land  would  carry  a  certain  number  of 
cattle  throughout  the  summer.  Whether  there  was  much  grass  or  little,  or  whether 
the  amount  of  rainfall  was  large  or  small,  those  animals  were  turned  in  to  be  fatted, 
and  there  they  remained  until  sold  in  the  autumn.    (Hear,  hear.)    In  his  younger 


THE  MANAGEMENT  OF  GRASS  LAND.  277 

days  he  farmed  some  land,  part  of  which  was  park  land,  containing  a  quantity  of 
oak  trees,  while  a  great  deal  of  it  was  badly  drained.  He  found  that  by  draining, 
high  manuring,  and  the  occasional  application  of  farmyard  manures,  and  more 
particularly  by  the  application  of  unfermented  manure,  say  eight  cubic  yards  per 
acre,  immediately  after  the  mowing,  he  benefited  the  pasture  more  than  he  could  by 
any  other  means.  He  also  found  by  various  experiments  that  bean  straw,  cut  in  the 
autumn,  and  applied  to  the  grass  at  a  period  when  it  contained  a  good  deal  of 
oleaginous  matter,  had  a  marked  superiority  over  other  substances  when  used  as  a 
manure.  He  had  applied  liquid  manures  in  various  ways  with  little  or  no  success. 
His  old  friend,  the  late  Lord  Western,  used  to  say,  when  he  told  him  about  what  he 
was  doing  in  this  matter  :  "  Young  man,  go  on  ;  I  like  to  see  these  experiments ;  but 
I  made  similar  ones  thirty  years  ago,  and  unless  an  immense  quantity  of  rain  fell 
immediately  after,  the  result  was  failure."  A  great  deal  no  doubt  depended  on 
management,  but  it  was  not  to  be  expected  that  in  a  county  like  Essex,  where  the 
rainfall  was  generally  under  18  inches  a  year,  they  would  have  the  same  amount  of 
grass  produce  as  was  obtained  in  the  West  of  England.  He  must  say  he  did  not  think 
the  subject  had  been  gone  into  deeply  enough  that  evening:  It  was,  in  fact,  one  of 
very  great  importance.  When  in  travelling  throughout  England  they  observed  the 
large  breadth  of  grass  land  as  compared  with  the  arable  land  under  the  management 
of  the  grazier  and  the  farmer,  they  must  all  admit  that  with  better  management  the 
results  might  be  far  more  satisfactory.  (Hear,  hear.)  There  was,  he  thought,  great 
room  for  improvement  with  regard  to  the  securing  of  the  hay  crop.  Not  far  from 
London  they  saw  three  or  four  men  mowing  in  one  part  of  the  farm,  and  three  or 
four  weeks  after  they  saw  the  same  operation  going  on  in  a  different  part  of  the  farm. 
The  adoption  of  a  proper  system  was,  he  believed,  not  the  rule  but  the  exception. 

Mr  Allendeb  (Lee  Grange,  Winslow)  said  there  was  one  question  on  which  he 
would  like  to  hear  the  opinion  of  Professor  Coleman,  namely,  whether  it  was  best  to 
mow  continuously  or  alternately.  He  felt  sure,  as  the  result  of  his  own  experience, 
that  grass  ought  either  to  be  continuously  mown  or  continuously  grazed.  The  effect 
of  continuous  mowing  is  to  simplify  the  herbage,  nature  adapts  herself- to  circum- 
stances, and  the  bulk  of  the  growth  comes  to  perfection  at  one  time ;  continuous  graz- 
ing encourages  the  growth  of  a  variety  of  grasses,  which  produce  a  succession  of  keep. 
The  effect  of  mowing  land  usually  grazed  is  that  a  heavy  crop  is  seldom  obtained, 
unless  allowed  to  become  overgrown,  and  then  the  quality  of  the  hay  is  inferior,  and 
the  land  materially  injured  for  some  years.  On  the  other  hand,  if  a  meadow,  usually 
mown,  be  grazed,  the  bulk  of  the  crop  comes  at  one  time,  and  if  heavily  stocked,  the 
cattle  waste  as  much  as  they  consume.  He  should  also  have  been  glad  to  hear  some 
opinions  as  to  the  best  manures  for  various  descriptions  of  grass  land.  On  clays 
containing  lime,  where  white  clover  was  indigenous,  as  in  the  best  grass  lands  of 
Buckinghamshire,  he  thought  bones  were  not  needed.  He  believed  that  the  best 
time  for  applying  manure  was  immediately  after  the  hay  crop,  and  that  the  best  kind 
of  manure  was  unfermented  dung. 

The  Chairman,  in  closing  the  discussion,  said  he  thought  Professor  Coleman  had 
given  them  a  very  good  paper.  He  could  confirm  what  he  said  about  water-meadows, 
having  occupied  about  50  acres  of  land  of  that  description.  He  had  found  that  moss 
was  caused  by  close  feeding.  For  example,  he  had  a  piece  of  pasture  land  which  grew 
as  nice  a  grass  as  could  be  desired.  He  turned  in  a  flock  of  ewes  upon  it ;  he  ran  his 
ewes  there  up  to  Christmas,  for  a  few  seasons,  and  the  result  was  that  the  land  be- 
came a  perfect  bed  of  moss.  That  showed  the  different  effects  of  climate,  and  it  showed 
also  that  there  could  be  no  rigid  rule  for  farming  grass  land.  As  regarded  the  manage- 
ment of  arable  land,  they  were  in  the  habit  of  saying  in  Norfolk  that  the  grass-land 
men  did  not  farm  their  arable  land  at  all.  It  had  been  said  in  effect  that  even  the 
arable-land  men  did  not  farm  their  grass  land  at  all,  and  that  view  seemed  to  him 
pretty  nearly  right.    (Hear,  hear.) 

Professor  Coleman,  in  replying,  said — The  proper  answer  to  Mr  Allender's  question 
depended  very  much  on  the  varying  circumstances  of  the  soil.  Supposing  land  to  be 
properly  dressed— and,  in  his  opinion,  it  ought  to  be  dressed  at  least  every  other  year — 
after  the  grass  had  been  mown  and  properly  eaten  down,  then  the  tendency  to  become 
coarse  would  be  counteracted.  The  cropping  down  close  in  autumn  would  encourage 
the  finer  grass,  which  would  otherwise  be  pushed  into  the  shade  altogether  by  continual 
mowing  and  manuring.  Constant  mowing  and  manuring  encouraged  the  coarser  and 
stronger  grasses. 

On  the  motion  of  Mr  Mabsh,  seconded  by  Mr  Nookolds,  thanks  were  voted  to  Pro- 
fessor Coleman  for  his  paper ;  and  on  the  motion  of  Mr  Bbadshaw,  seconded  by  Mr 
L.  A.  CousBMAKSB^  the  customaiy  acknowledgment  was  made  to  the  ChairaASu 


278  CABMEN  AND  CAB  HOBSSS->MULE  BBEEDINO. 


SHELTER  FOR  CABMEN  AND  CAB  HORSES. 

Sib,— 'I  hope  that  the  modest  refuge  for  cabmen  which  has  just  been  erected  at 
Canonmills  is  but  t^e  beginning  pf  a  more  civilised  state  of  affairs  as  regards  both, 
cabmen  and  cab  horses.  Why  should  there  not  be  covered  stands  for  our  cabs  ?  The 
wear  and  tear  both  to  men  and  horses  from  exposure  in  such  a  climate  as  ours  must 
^be  excessive.  I  should  like  to  hear  what  the  death-rate  is  among  cab  horses;  for, 
'with  that  information  before  me,  it  would  not  be  difficult  to  calculate  the  amount  of 
saving  to  the  cab  proprietors  by  having  shelter  provided  for  their  horses  when  not  in 
motion.  We  all  know  that  it  is  possible  to  make  a  corrugated  iron  shed  ornamental, 
and  there  is  no  reason  why  any  objection  on  the  score  of  appearances  should  be  taken 
to  such  erections  even  in  Princes  Btreet.  Supported  on  neat  iron  pillars,  coloured 
blue  and  red,  a  corrugated  iron  roof  would  be  no  eyesore.  At  one  end  a  coffee  shop 
might  be  constructed  for  the  use  of  the  cabmen.  If  erected  at  the  expense  of  the 
municipality,  the  cab  proprietors  ought  to  be  called  on  to  pay  an  annual  rent.  What 
that  rent  would  be  must  depend  on  the  expense  of  the  shed.  At  a  cost  of  £200,  a 
shelter  for  ten  cabs  would  entail  an  annual  rent  of  £1  per  cab. — I  am,  &c., 

A  Mounted  Officeb. 
— Scotsman^  20ih  April. 

[We  gladly  endorse  the  views  and  second  the  movement  of  "  A  Mounted  Officer." 
The  subject  is  one  of  the  greatest  importance,  and  one  to  which  our  attention  has 
been  directed.  Not  only  Edinburgh,  but  London,  and  every  large  town  in  the  king- 
dom, should  take  up  the  matter. — Ed.  Vet.  Jieview.] 


MULE  BREEDING. 


It  ia  rare,  though  not  impossible,  for  a  mule  mare  to  bear  progeny.  Some  years  ag*, 
great  attention  was  attracted  by  a  case  of  this  description  which  occurred  near  Naples. 
Mr  A.  Fonblanque,  of  the  British  Consulate  at  Alexandria,  has  communicated  to  Mr 
Darwin  a  notice  of  a  **  curious  birth''  which  has  taken  place  at  Cairo,  that  of  a  foal 
produced  by  a  mule.  Mr  Fonblanque  says,  so  great  was  the  excitement  at  this 
unheard-of  event  among  the  native  population,  that  it  produced  an  official  inquiry, 
a  copy  of  which,  together  with  a  certificated  translation,  Mr  Fonblanque  has  tor* 
warded,  along  with  his  letter  announcing  the  prodigium.  The  latter  consists  of  the 
deposition  of  one  Mohamed  Effendi  Ashmani,  a  veterinary  surgeon,  before  the  police 
at  Cairo  on  the  27th  June  1864 ;  and  states  that,  on  the  previous  day,  the  said  Mo- 
hamed had  proceeded,  "  in  pursuance  of  instructions  received,  to  the  house  of  one 
Ibrahim,  a  master  marbler,  situated  at  Darb  el  Ahmar,  to  examine  a  mule  which 
had  given  an  offspring.  It  appears  that  the  said  mule  had  been  covered  by  an  ass, 
as  the  offspring  is  a  jennet.  The  mule  is  twenty-two  years  of  age;  and  as  she  has  no 
milk,  which  is  indispensable  to  maintain  the  jennet,  directions  were  given  for  feed- 
ing it." 

Although  Mr  Fonblanque  has  no  personal  knowledge  of  this  case,  he  does  not 
believe  that  ''  any  intentional  deception  has  been  practised."  "  No  attempt  haa 
been  made  to  turn  the  affair  to  profit  by  exhibition  or  otherwise ;  in  fact,  it  fur- 
nishes considerable  annoyance  to  the  owner  of  the  animal.*' 


BALLANTTNK,  BOBBBTS,  AND  00.,  PBXKTBBS,  BDIKBUBOH. 


THE  VETERINAEY  REVIEW 


AND 


St0rk0foiurs'  ^anxnni. 


OBIGINAL    COMMUNICATIONS   AND    CASES. 


Food  in  its  Relation  to  the  Organism,  with  a  Review  of  Liehig's 
Theory,  and  its  Influence  on  the  Progress  of  Agriculture,  By 
Professor  A.  J.  Mueray,  Royal  Agricultural  College,  Cirencester. 

Man  naturally  reasons  about  the  phenomena  which  surround  him. 
If  men  had  not  laboured  to  ascertain  the  laws  which  regulate  natural 
phenomena,  and  combine  these  laws  so  as  to  form  theories,  the 
human  race  would  have  remained  in  a  state  of  savage  and  brutish 
ignorance.  The  sensation  of  hunger,  and  the  prospect  of  starvation, 
produced  that  activity  of  the  faculties  which  was  necessary  in  order 
to  form  the  rudiments  of  the  arts  and  sciences  in  a  primitive  state  of 
society.  As  man  becomes  civilised,  and  the  boundaries  of  science 
become  enlarged,  the  results  of  scientific  investigation  are  used  to 
promote  the  general  prosperity.  In  the  most  highly  civilised  states 
the  chief  temporal  object  of  the  great  mass  of  the  people  is  to  obtain 
a  suflSciency  of  food ;  a  deficient  supply  will  produce  a  revolution, — 
deficiency  in  quality  will  produce  plagues  and  pestilences.  Few 
things,  then,  can  be  of  more  importance  than  an  inquiry  into  the 
nutritive  value  of  food. 

Liebig  appears  to  have  been  the  first  author  who  attempted  to 
classify  the  elements  of  food,  and  to  assign  to  each  a  special  function 
and  nutritive  value.  Sir  Humphrey  Davy's  Lectures  on  Agricultural 
Chemistry  were  published  in  1813,  and  on  referring  to  those  portions 
of  the  work  in  which  the  proximate  elements  of  food  are  described — 
such  as  albumen,  gluten,  starch,  sugar,  and  gum — he  merely  speaks 
of  them  as  being  nutritive ;  he  does  not  attempt  to  classify  them, 
nor  does  he  compare  the  nutritive  value  of  one  element  with  that  of 
another.  He  makes  no  mention  of  the  nutritive  properties  of  fatty 
and  inorganic  matter.  This  fact  shows  us  that  though  Idebig's 
classification  is  far  from  being  correct,  it  was  yet  a  great  advance 
Vol.  I.— No.  VI.— New  Sbbies.    June  18«5.  X 


280  FOOD  m  iTS  RELATION  TO  THE  ORGANISM. 

towards  the  truth,  and  that  by  directing  attention  to  this  subject  he 
has  paved  the  way  for  a  correct  theory  of  food,  the  principles  of 
which  are  based  on  facts.  It  is  no  slight  proof  of  Liebig's  great 
genius,  that  on  this  subject  he  should  have  approached  so  near  to  the 
truth,  while  others  have  only  been  able  to  reach  the  goal  by  slow  and 
laborious  investigation.  It  illustrates  the  advantage  which  is  ob- 
tained when  the  conclusions  of  the  deductive  reasoner  are  subjected 
to  the  test  of  experiment. 

Liebig^s  theory  of  food  has  the  merit  of  being  easily  understood  ; 
and  as  it  was  also  explained  and  illustrated  with  great  ingenuity  by 
its  author,  it  was  readily  adopted  by  chemists  and  physiologists. 
Simplicity  is  a  great  recommendation,  but  it  must  be  sacrificed  to 
truth  ;  and  it  will  afterwards  be  shown  that  Liebig's  division  of  food 
into  plastic  and  heat-producing,  is  based  on  a  complete  misconception 
of  the  structure  and  properties  of  those  tissues  which  form  the  bodies 
of  animals.  Liebig's  error  may  be  traced  to  his  regarding  the  body, 
and  the  food  which  sustains  the  body,  from  an  exclusively  chemical 
point  of  view ;  he  has  not  sufficiently  appreciated  the  distinction 
which  exists  between  processes  modified  by  vitality  and  the  mani- 
pulations which  are  practised  by  the  chemi$t  in  his  laboratory.  While 
we  readily  accept  the  opinion  of  the  chemist  as  to  the  changes  he 
observes  in  substances  that  are  capable  of  being  examined,  we  cannot 
accept  his  opinions  as  to  the  functions  and  properties  of  tissues  when 
these  are  merely  deduced  from  an  examination  of  their  chemical  com- 
position. 

Correct  views  on  the  subject  of  food  must  be  based  on  its  relation 
to  the  organism,  and  it  will  be  seen  that  this  aspect  of  the  subject  is 
overlooked  or  disregarded  by  Liebig.  We  hear  it  constantly  asserted 
by  the  followers  of  Liebig  that  the  higher  the  percentage  of  nitrogen 
the  more  nutritive  the  food  must  be.  They,  however,  appear  to  forget 
that  the  body  can  only  assimilate  a  certain  proportion  of  food,  and 
that  anything  above  that  proportion  is  consequently  of  no  value  what- 
ever so  far  as  the  body  is  concerned.  It  will  also  be  shown  that  so 
far  from  an  excess  of  certain  elements  being  an  advantage,  it  tends  to 
induce  disease. 

Food  includes  all  those  substances  which,  when  taken  into  the 
stomach,  are  capable  of  being  modified  in  such  a  way  as  to  supply 
materials  for  the  nourishment  of  the  body.  Many  different  kinds  of 
food  are  obtained  from  the  animal,  vegetable,  and  mineral  kingdoms ; 
vagetable  and  apimal  substances  form  the  principal  articles  of  diet ; 
but  inorganic  materials,  though  not  used  in  such  large  quantity,  are 
not  less  essential  to  the  well-being  of  the  body. 

Plants  obtain  from  the  soil  and  atmosphere  the  elements  necessary 
to  their  maintenance,  and  in  the  tissue  of  the  plant  these  elements 
undergo  such  a  change  as  to  fit  them  to  support  animal  life.  All 
plants,  however,  do  not  contain  equal  proportions  of  available  ele- 
ments, nor  are  those  materials  present  in  all  plants  in  such  a  form  as 
to  admit  of  their  being  readily  separated  and  digest-ed.     Some  plants 


FOOD  IN  ITS  EBLATION  TO  THE  ORGANISM.  281 

then  contain  so  small  a  quantity  of  nutritive  elements  as  to  ren- 
der them  of  little  value  for  food ;  while  others  contain  such  a 
large  proportion  of  nutritive  substances  as  to  render  them  valu- 
able 

Flesh  and  blood  constitute  an  aliment  for  a  great  many  species. 
The  value  of  other  animal  substances  depends  to  a  great  extent  on 
their  solubility  in  the  digestive  juices.  Mineral  matters  are  also 
indispensable  to  the  nourishment  of  animals.  Though  mineral 
substances  are  usually  eaten  in  combination  with  organic,  and 
seldom  separately,  their  presence  in  food  is  not  the  less  essen- 
tial to  the  maintenance  of  health.  Water,  phosphate  of  lime,  and 
conunon  salt,  form  a  considerable  part  of  the  food  consumed  by 
animals. 

According  to  Liebig,  food  consists,  1st,  of  nitrogenous  elements, 
and  2d,  of  non-nitrogenous  elements.  Among  the  nitrogenous  ele- 
ments are  comprehended — 1st,  vegetable  albumen,  fibrin,  casein ;  2d, 
animal  flesh  and  blood.  Those  are  termed  the  plastic  or  tissue-making 
elements,  as  they  supply  the  materials  which  form  the  blood,  and  the 
blood  supplies  the  materials  which  form  the  tissues.  According^ to 
this  theory,  the  nutritive  value  of  food  depends  on  the  amount  of 
nitrogen  it  contains.  But  as  other  substances  than  nitrogenous  ones 
are  contained  in  the  food,  some  function  must  be  assigned  to  them. 
Second  class.  Fat,  sugar,  starch,  gum,  and  other  similar  substances, 
are  said  to  be  employed  in  maintaining  animal  heat,  and  are  called  by 
Liebig  respiratory  food.  They  undergo  what  is  termed  combustion 
or  burning,  i.e.,  oxygen  unites  with  the  carbon  contained  in  those 
substances,  and  when  this  occurs  heat  is  evolved. 

Besides  the  two  classes  of  nitrogenous,  or  tissue- forming,  and  non- 
nitrogenous,  or  heat-producing,  there  is  also  a  class  of  inorganic  sub- 
stances, such  as  water,  phosphate  of  lime,  potash,  iron,  &c.  According 
to  Liebig,  the  conversion  of  the  nitrogenous  elements  into  tissue,  and 
the  production  by  the  respiratory  principles,  is  only  possible  when 
the  mineral  matters  are  present.  According  to  this  view,  then,  they 
are  neither  respiratory  nor  nutritive  elements.  Nitrogenous  elements, 
albumen,  fibrin,  gluten,  and  casein,  are  what  are  called  proximate 
principles  of  food.  These  substances  may  be  analysed  into  carbon, 
hydrogen,  nitrogen,  oxygen,  phosphorus,  and  sulphur ;  but  these  ele- 
ments are  not  consumed  by  animals  separately,  but  only  when  they 
unite  to  form  proximate  principles.  Casein,  gluten,  and  albumen  exist 
largely  in  the  cereals,  and  in  leguminosse;  they  are  also  found  in 
various  proportions  in  the  stalks,  roots,  and  leaves  of  most  plants : 
they  furnish  herbivorous  animals  with  the  materials  essential  to  the 
composition  of  the  blood  and  solid  parts  of  the  body.  When  Liebig, 
however,  says,  "  that  only  nitrogenous  substances  are  capable  of  con- 
version into  blood,*'  their  function  is  incorrectly  stated,  and  is  con- 
tradicted by  facts.  Though  Liebig's  hypothesis  is  contradicted  by 
the  phenomena  which  it  professes  to  explain,  it  has  been  adopted  by 
most  chemical  and  physiological  writers.    The  following  observations 


282  FOOD  IN  ITS  BELATION  TO  THE  OBOANISM. 

of  Colin's  illustrate  this  remark:*  "As  the  quantitative  determina- 
tion of  nitrogen  in  food  supplies  us  with  the  proportions  of  fibrin, 
albumen,  and  casein  which  it  contains,  and  accordingly  this  ought  to 
be  a  tolerably  exact  method  of  ascertaining  its  nutritive  value ;  the 
other  elements,  such  as  starch,  gum,  and  sugar,  are  generally  in  excess, 
and,  as  a  learned  chemist  observes,  their  exact  proportion  is  not  of 
such  great  importance.  The  proximate  principles  which  have  been 
mentioned  also  exist  in  the  flesh  and  juices  of  animals.  Animal 
albumen  is  found  in  the  white  of  eggs,  in  the  juice  of  flesh,  and  in 
the  serum  of  the  blood.  Animal  fibrin  exists  in  the  blood  and  mus- 
cles ;  while  animal  casein  is  the  principal  constituent  of  milk." 

If  the  nitrogenous  substances  are  the  only  plastic  elements,  it  would 
naturally  follow  that  they  should  be  stored  up  in  the  body  in  a  much 
larger  proportion  than  the  non-plastic  elements.  So  far  is  this  from 
being  the  case,  however,  that,  according  to  Lawes's  experiments  t 
on  the  increase  of  fattening  animals,  of  100  nitrogenous  sub- 
stances consumed,  13'5  parts;  of  100  non-nitrogenous  substances 
consumed,  18*5  parts ;  and  of  100  mineral  consumed,  7*3  parts  are 
retained  in  the  increase.  When  we  see  that  non-nitrogenous  elements 
not  only  go  to  supply  the  waste  of  the  body,  but  that  actually  a  much 
larger  proportion  of  them  are  used  in  the  formation  of  tissue  than 
of  the  nitrogenous  elements,  the  fallacy  of  considering  the  latter 
as  the  plastic  elements  is  most  apparent. 

According  to  liebig's  estimate  of  the  nitrogenised  constituents 
saved  for  the  production  of  heat,  the  whole  amount  of  these  sub- 
stances consumed  by  the  horse  in  his  hay  and  oats,  by  the  pig  in  its 
potatoes,  would  only  suffice  to  support  their  respiratory  process,  and, 
consequently,  their  animal  heat ;  in  the  horse  for  four  and  a  half  hours, 
in  the  pig  for  four  hours  daily. 

It  is  an  error  to  suppose  that  the  heat  of  the  body  is  maintained 
by  changes  in  the  food ;  the  food  repairs  the  waste  of  the  body,  and 
animal  heat  is  maintained  by  the  oxidation  of  the  tissues.  If  food 
were  necessary  to  maintain  heat,  how  does  a  hibernating  bear  live  ? 
It  has  eaten  no  food  during  its  long  period  of  slumber,  but  at  the 
commencement  of  that  period  it  was  sleek  and  fat,  at  its  termination 
it  looks  as  if  it  had  been  practising  the  Banting  system — even  its 
shadow  has  grown  less.  It  has  lived  like  a  fraudulent  banker  whose 
dividends  are  paid  from  his  capital;  it  does  not  collapse,  however,  and 
is  favoured  by  nature  as  its  prototype  is  by  fortune,  and  it  soon  grows 
fat  and  respectable  by  gorging  itself  on  the  flesh  and  blood  of  its 
weaker  fellow-creatures.  During  that  period,  then,  when  the  bear 
did  not  eat  foody  the  temperature  of  its  body  must  have  been  main- 
tained by  the  oxidation  of  its  tissues.  The  fat  of  the  bear's  body  has 
diminished  more  rapidly  during  the  period  of  hibernation  than  any 
other  tissue ;  it  must  therefore  be  more  readily  oxidised  than  the  other 

*  Traits  de  Physiologic  Compar§e  par  G.  Colin.    Paris,  1854. 

t  Mr  Lawes  '^  On  the  Chemistry  of  Feeding  Animals.'*    Dublin,  1864. 


VETEBINARY  RECOia)S.  283 

tissnes.  Food  containing  a  high  per  centage  of  the  nitrogenous  com- 
pounds must  be  given  in  moderate  quantity.  Though  that  which  is 
not  assimilated  increases  the  manurial  value  of  an  animal's  excre- 
ments, yet  it  is  found  that  an  excessive  quantity  of  such  food  disturbs 
the  balance  of  health,  and  renders  an  animal  liable  to  intestinal  dis- 
orders, and  to  other  maladies  which  depend  on  the  proportion  be- 
tween the  solid  and  fluid  constituents  of  blood  being  altered  from  the 
healthy  standard,  by  the  system  of  feeding  and  treatment.  The 
chemical  composition  food  may  be  unexceptionable,  while  its  physical 
characters  may  be  such  as  to  produce  disorders  of  the  digestive 
organs.  Food  may  be  hard  and  insoluble,  and  by  its  mere  presence  in 
the  intestinal  may  be  calculated  to  produce  irritation  and  disorder. 
Bean-straw  is  certain  to  produce  such  disorder  in  horses.  It  seems 
very  improbable  that  the  chemical  composition  of  food  will  ever  form 
a  criterion  for  regulating  the  quantities  given  to  animals.  If  it  can- 
not accomplish  this,  however,  chemistry  assists  us  in  understanding 
those  wonderful  processes,  by  which  the  destructive  and  construc- 
tive powers  are  equally  balanced,  which  never  rest  for  a  moment, 
and  cease  only  with  life. 

(To  be  contintied.) 


Veterinary  Records. — Roaring  cw  a  ResvU  of  Obstruction  in  ike 
Nasal  Passages,  By  G.  Armatagb,  M.RC.V.S. ;  V.S.  to  Eight 
Hon.  the  Earl  Vane. 

Among  the  various  causes  which  occasionally  give  rise  to  that  condi- 
tion in  horses  termed  "  roaring,"  tumours  within  the  nostrils  are 
included. 

Their  presence  for  a  time  are  not  regarded ;  but  contemporaneous 
with  their  growth  and  development  special  symptoms  appear,  which, 
in  a  majority  of  instances,  eventually  assume  a  distressing  and  urgent 
character. 

Nasal  tumours  have  been  classed  as  "  fibrous  and  soft  polypi,  and 
osseous." 

The  former  may  be  single  or  multiple,  having  an  attachment  by 
means  of  a  pedicle  to  the  turbinated  bones,  occupying  more  or  less 
the  inferior  portions  of  the  passage,  and  in  some  instances  protrud- 
ing from  it ;  or  resident  within  one  or  other  of  the  sinuses,  deriving 
their  attachment  from  the  lining  membrane. 

The  osseous  tumour  does  not  so  commonly  come  beneath  our 
notice  as  the  preceding,  but  may  be  described  as  mostly  occupying 
the  position  of  the  turbinated  bones,  where  they  attain  considerable 
size,  giving  rise  to  no  slight  inconvenience. 

One  of  the  indications  of  tumours  being  located  within  the  nostrils, 
is  the  interruption  to  the  free  passage  of  air  in  respiration.    This  may 


284?  VETERINARY  RECORDS. 

be  partial  or  complete,  which  state  will  be  observed  by  the  sounds 
emitted  during  rapid  exertion,  and  the  greater  quantity  of  air  drawn 
and  expelled  through  the  free  side.  As  their  growth  in  the  ordinary 
run  of  cases  is  slow,  extending  over  a  great  length  of  time,  other  symp- 
toms of  their  presence  will  be  developed,  e.  g.,  discharge  of  mucous, 
pus,  or  blood  from  the  affected  side,  with  swelling  of  the  facial  bones, 
softening,  and  even  caries  in  neglected  and  maltreated  cases.  Percus- 
sion over  the  abnormal  region  affords  a  marked  contrast  with  the 
healthy  side,  a  dull  sound  being  emitted.  Under  continued  work 
the  animal  loses  condition,  particularly  in  cases  of  an  aggravated 
nature,  either  from  the  extensive  irritation  and  ulceration  consequent 
on  the  movement,  in  respiration,  of  the  diseased  growth,  or  direct 
interference  with  mastication,  as  a  result  of  acute  pain,  and  softening, 
or  caries  of  the  surrounding  bones. 

It  occurs  to  my  memory  at  .this  moment  that  a  gray  cart-horse 
which  came  under  my  notice  some  years  ago,  exhibited  the  peculiar 
features  of  the  condition  now  under  consideration,  in  a  characteristic 
manner.  He  was  purchased  at  a  fair  from  a  gang  of  Leeds  horse- 
dealers,  well  known  to  be  most  perfect  swindlers  of  their  craft ;  and 
being  a  remarkably  good-looking  animal,  my  friend,  feeling  suflScient 
confidence  in  his  opinion  of  what  constituted  a  horse,  unhesitatingly 
purchased. 

Soon  after  being  put  to  work  the  difficulty  in  breathing  was  noticed, 
and  accompanying  the  frequent  attempts  to  gain  relief  by  forcible 
expiration,  large  quantities  of  foetid  mucous  and  pus  were  -ejected. 
One  of  the  gang  who  had  been  placed  to  watch  their  animid  now 
volunteered  his  *'  certain  opiiiion  that  he  was  a  roarer,  and  no  gam- 
mon," supplementing  his  assertion  by  the  fact,  "  I  knowed  him  to  be 
no  good,  nor  the  men  ye  got  him  from ;  and  if  he  wor  for  sale  I  doant 
mind  stannin'  a  fiver."  He  was  continued  at  work  until  the  owner 
became  disgusted  with  the  appearance  of  the  animal,  when  he  was 
sold,  at  an  enormous  sacrifice,  of  course,  and  also,  as  a  result  of  the 
usual  watchfulness,  came  again  into  the  possession  of  his  previous 
swindling  proprietors,  who  afterwards  had  several  successful  bargains 
with  other  unsuspecting  purchasers.  No  treatment  was  resorted  to 
to  remove  the  polypi  in  this  case. 

A  chestnut  mare,  about  fifteen  hands  high,  the  subject  of  an  osse- 
ous tumour,  was  noticed  by  me  about  eight  years  ago.  Upon  exa- 
mination, I  found  the  animal  was  only  five  years  old,  of  good  propor- 
tions and  capabilities,  and,  but  for  this  affection,  well  calculated  to 
fulfil  the  duties  desired  of  her  by  the  owner,  a  country  butcher. 

A  limited  quantity  only  of  air  passed  up  the  left  nostril,  and  that 
produced  a  sharp  hissing  sound,  which  was  considerably  increased 
during  exercise,  but  had  not  already  given  rise  to  signs  of  distress. 
A  considerable  time  elapsed  before  I  had  an  opportunity  of  again  seeing 
the  mare,  when  the  facial  bones  were  considerably  swollen  on  the 
affected  side,  hot  and  tender ;  a  discharge  of  a  foetid  character  escaped 
from  the  nostril^  which  at  times  was  mixed  with  blood.    Any  attempt 


VETEEINAEY  RECORDS.  285 

at  minute  examination  was  greatly  disliked  by  the  mare,  and  she  ex- 
hibited such  indications  as  led  me  to  suppose  that  she  had  been  the 
victim  of  constant  brutality,  which,  if  not  considered  in  the  light  of  a 
primary  cause  of  the  affection,  most  certainly  was  well  calculated  to 
aggravate  it. 

The  infirmities  dependent  upon  this  state  of  things  were  daily  in- 
creasing, but  the  owner  declined  to  call  in  professional  assistance.  I 
next  saw  her  in  other  hands,  a  cow-leech,  who  had  taken  charge  of 
the  case,  "  no  cure  no  pay,"  and,  in  the  end,  took  her  at  a  low  figure 
"  to  cure  her.'*  The  treatment  consisted  in  "  eating  out  the  cancer," 
by  an  ointment  of  rare  qualities,  compounded  according  to  some  well 
known  recipe,  the  active  ingredients  of  which  were  acid,  arsenious. 
cum  hyd.  bichlor. 

Having  removed  the  external  bones,  &c.  by  the  aid  of  pliers  and 
ointment,  a  large  irregular  osseous  tumour  was  observed  to  block  up 
the  passage.  Breathing  was  established  through  the  superior  portion 
of  the  wound  thus  produced,  the  molars  were  interfered  with,  portion 
of  the  fleshy  cheek  wanting,  mastication  greatly  interfered  with  ;  and 
after  being  ridden  some  time  in  the  old  gentleman's  practice,  with  a 
piece  of  canvas  over  the  parts,  the  suffering  creature  disappeared 
suddenly,  no  one  knew  whither. 

Two  cases  of  tumours  within  the  nostrils,  differing  materially 
from  the  ordinary  polypi,  and  producing  material  effects,  have  been 
brought  tmder  my  notice,  a  description  of  which  is  as  follows :  A 
black  pony,  three  years  old,  about  twelve  hands  high,  was  purchased 
at  Doncaster  April  fair.  Shortly  after  he  had  been  broken  to 
harness,  the  groom  declared  him  to  be  a  roarer,  the  real  cause  of 
which  was  not  suspected,  and  the  affair  was  looked  upon  as  a  bad 
bargain. 

For  more  than  twelve  months  things  remained  almost  stationary, 
when,  however,  a  rapid  increase  of  the  diflSculty  in  respiration  took 
place  during  work.  Upon  examination,  I  found  the  right  nostril  was 
the  principal  passage  for  air,  a  small  portion  only  passing  through  the 
left,  and  only  in  expiration,  causing  the  false  nostril  to  dilate,  and 
when  inspiration  was  commenced  it  would  suddenly  flap  and  collapse, 
giving  rise  to  symptoms  of  suffocation  when  the  right  nostril  was 
firmly  pressed  close  by  the  hand. 

An  enlargement  was  observable  on  the  outside,  beneath  the  skin, 
situate  rather  above,  and  in  front  of  the  nasal  opening,  about  two 
inches  in  length,  oval  in  outline,  and  about  one  in  widlii,  the  long 
axis  being  placed  from  above  downwards. 

When  the  finger  was  passed  up  the  passage,  it  was  found  to  be 
closed  in  greater  part  by  the  larger  half  of  the  tumour  which  pro- 
jected internally  upon  the  septum  nasi,  giving  rise  to  great  irritation 
and  excoriation,  discharge  of  mucous  and  pus,  which  accumulated 
above  during  seasons  of  quiet.  In  this  position  the  tumour  received 
two  coverings,  an  outer  by  the  skin,  and  an  inner  by  its  modified 
reflection  within  the  passage. 


286  DISEASE  IN  THE  HEAD,  ETC.,  OP  A  COW. 

On  pressure  slight  pain  was  produced,  and  it  resembled  a  tightly 
distended  India-rubber  bag. 

Manipulation  failed  to  move  it  beneath  the  coverings  from  its  posi- 
tion. I  looked  upon  it  as  an  encysted  tumour,  and  determined  upon 
its  removal  by  the  knife,  which  was  readily  accomplished  by  a  longi- 
tudinal incision  being  carried  through  its  entire  length,  and  careful 
dissection  down  the  lateral  surfaces.  It  was  found  to  have  attach- 
ments to  the  inner  and  outer  coverings,  particularly  the  inner,  which 
was  inseparably  woven  with  its  natural  walls,  and  of  course  obliged 
to  be  removed  with  them.  The  hemorrhage  was  insignificant,  and 
called  for  no  attention. 

The  wound  being  closed  by  the  ordinary  twisted  suture,  I  allowed 
the  animal  to  rise ;  and  afterwards  it  did  well,  and  remained  perfectly 
free  from  the  causes  which  produced  the  roaring. 

-The  tumour  possessed  a  strong  fibrous  covering  or  sac,  and  resem- 
bled in  shape  an  elongated  ellipsis.  It  was  tense,  and  required  mode- 
rate pressure  between  the  fingers  to  cause  its  parieties'  to  yield. 
An  incision  carried  through  its  length  showed  it  to  be  made  up  of  a 
condensed  material  of  a  fibrous  character,  in  the  centre  of  which  was 
a  cavity  full  of  a  gray-looking  matter,  which  oozed  through  a  small 
orifice  in  a  ropy  manner,  which,  from  its  tenacity,  coiled  upon  itself, 
forming  a  mass  not  unlike  a  bundle  of  cord,  twisted  and  ravelled  in 
every  conceivable  form. 

A  few  months  subsequent  to  the  above  case,  I  met  with  another, 
the  subject  being  a  thick-set  brown  cart-mare,  and  suffering  in  a 
similar  manner. 

I  endeavoured  to  obtain  permission  to  remove  the  tumour,  which 
had  existed  and  continued  to  increase  slowly  for  more  than  two  years, 
now  rendering  the  animal  of  little  use  to  the  owners,  but  was  informed 
that  a  member  of  the  profession  had  declared  the  ofiending  substance 
was  of  such  a  nature  that  to  remove  it  would  cost  the  animal's  life. 
I  learned  afterwards  that  by  his  advice  she  was  destroyed,  I  thus 
lost  an  opportunity  of  investigating  the  exact  nature  of  the  case,  but 
have  no  doubt  that  it  resembled  the  preceding  in  every  respect. 


Disease  in  the  Head,  Neck,  Sc,  of  a  Cow,  (JElephantiasis  T)  By 
James  Law,  Lecturer  on  Anatomy  in  the  New  Veterinary  Col- 
lege. 

The  peculiar  and  highly  interesting  case  which  forms  the  subject  of 
the  following  remarks  was,  in  March  last,  kindly  sent  to  the  New 
Veterinary  College  for  dissection  by  Mr  James  Ker,  veterinary  sur- 
geon, Peebles,  at  the  request  of  Mr  Thomas  Todd,  M.R.C.V.S.,  then 
one  of  our  students.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  a  fuller  history  of  the 
case  cannot  be  had ;  but  even  as  it  stands,  it  can  scarcely  fail  to  prove 
interesting  to  the  readers  of  the  Review. 


DISEASB  IN  THE  HEAD,  ETC.,  OF  A  COW.  287 

The  subject,  a  small  cow  of  the  Ayrshire  breed,  and  at  the  time  of 
her  death  seven  years  old,  was  purchased  by  her  late  owner,  a  farm- 
senrant,  a  short  time  prior  to  Whitsunday  1863,  with  the  under- 
standing that  she  should  be  delivered  at  the  term.  At  the  date  of 
purchase  nothing  was  noticed  amiss  with  her ;  but  when  the  pur- 
chaser went  to  bring  her  home,  a  slight  swelling  was  observable  near 
the  root  of  the  left  ear.  This  went  on  increasing ;  and  when  Mr  Ker 
was  called,  in  the  beginning  of  July  1863,  there  was  a  great  swelling  "  at 
the  back  of  the  ear,  and  all  over  the  parotid  gland,  with  a  pock  hang- 
ing in  the  intermaxillary  space,  and  a  little  enlargement  down  the 
cheek."  The  treatment  at  first  adopted  consisted  in  fomentations  for 
a  couple  of  days,  and  afterwards  the  application  of  an  embrocation  of 
soap  liniment  and  ammonia.  This  treatment  led  to  so  much  fever, 
that  it  had  to  be  suspended,  in  order  to  save  the  poor  animal's  life. 
Six  or  seven  months  later  the  same  treatment  was  adopted,  with  a 
similar  result. 

The  enlargement  appears  to  have  gone  on  increasing  with  little  or 
no  interruption,  but  for  long  it  confined  itself  to  the  parts  posteriorly 
to  the  eya  It  was  only  in  the  spring  of  1864  that  it  encroached  on 
the  anterior  part  of  the  face.  At  this  time  she  was  unable  to  masticate  ; 
and  Mr  Ker  found,  on  examination,  that  "  two  hard  bodies,  about 
the  size  of  marbles,  existed  at  the  opening  of  the  parotid  duct.  These 
in  time  came  to  suppuration,  and  the  swelling  began  then  to  come 
over  the  face  and  lips." 

She  took  the  bull  in  1863,  and  in  the  following  spring  had  a  calf ; 
but  it  was  small,  and  badly  matured. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  summer  of  1864  she  had  an  attack  of 
rheumatism  in  her  body  and  legs,  which  greatly  reduced  her.  She 
was  then  excessively  lame,  being  only  able  to  walk  a  few  yards  with- 
out lying  down ;  but  by  the  autumn  she  had  completely  recovered 
from  this.  It  is  noteworthy  that,  at  the  same  time,  the  swelling  of 
the  face  had  greatly  diminished,  the  disease  being  at  this  time  scarcely 
recognisable,  save  by  the  entire  absence  of  hair  on  the  afiected  side 
of  the  head. 

Throughout  its  whole  course  the  disease  was  much  affected  by  the 
state  of  the  weather.  Cold,  damp,  and  changeable  weather  invariably 
led  to  an  increase  of  the  swelling,  while  a  dry  mild  season  had  a 
directly  opposite  result. 

The  patient  does  not  seem  to  have  shown  any  desire  for  the  bull 
during  the  course  of  last  summer,  and  had  accordingly  no  calf  this 
year ;  a  circumstance  which  may,  however,  be  perhaps  justly  attributed 
to  the  rheumatic  afiection. 

Besides  the  treatment  by  stimulating  embrocations  above  referred 
to,  various  other  plans  were  adopted.  Setons  passed  through  the 
tumour  operated  quite  as  badly  as  the  blisters.  Preparations  of 
iodine,  externally  and  internally,  seemed  to  have  a  temporarily  bene- 
ficial efiect,  but  exerted  no  permanent  curative  influence.  Sedatives 
and  stimulants  had  to  be  resorted  to  at  different  times  to  counteract 


288  DISEASE  IN  THE  HEAD,  ETC.,  OF  A  COW. 

the  general  constitutional  state.  "What  bears  on  my  mind  now," 
remarks  Mr  Ker,  "  is  that  free  scarifications  over  the  swelling  wouli 
have  had  a  good  effect  There  is  one  place  on  her  cheek  that  was 
freely  scarified ;  it  was  long  in  healing,  but  after  it  healed  it  was 
firmly  adherent  to  the  bone,  and  no  swelling  took  place." 

On  her  arrival  at  the  college  the  cow  was  in  low  condition,  but 
fed  well,  and  did  not  appear  to  be  more  impoverished  than  many 
such  cows  are  at  the  same  season  of  the  year.  Her  functions  gene- 
rally did  not  seem  impaired ;  and  she  was  lively  and  spirited.  Her 
head,  however,  presented  a  most  uncouth  and  repulsive  aspect.  The 
entire  left  side  of  the  head  was  denuded  of  hair,  the  depilation  ex- 
tending as  far  back  as  the  ala  of  the  atlas ;  the  surface  consisted  of  a 
number  of  irregularly-formed  eminences,  separated  from  each  other 
by  fissures  of  variable  depth  and  extent,  and  covered  by  a  thickened 
cuticle  of  a  homy  consistency,  which  separated  in  scales  of  consider- 
able size.  One  fissure,  extending  from  the  outer  canthus  of  the  eye 
to  near  the  angle  of  the  lower  jaw,  was  nearly  eight  inches  in  length. 
This  was  in  the  seat  of  the  scarifications  above  referred  to ;  and  here 
the  skin  was  felt  to  be  most  intimately  connected  with  the  subjacent 
long  structures. 

The  entire  denuded  surface  had  a  dirty-white  appearance.  Beyond 
the  margins  of  depilation  the  skin  was  resolved  into  great  tuberous 
indurated  masses,  with  the  hair  only  slightly  diminished  over  their 
surface.  These  portions,  which  extended  for  a  considerable  distance 
downward  on  the  lower  border  of  the  neck,  terminated  by  an  abrupt 
margin,  becoming  continuous  with  the  true  skin ;  and  at  such  points 
the  hand  could  be  passed  inward  beneath  the  morbid  mass,  showing 
that  it  was  quite  distinct  from  the  subcutaneous  tissues. 

The  following  measurements,  taken  immediately  after  death,  will 
serve  to  illustrate  the  extent  of  the  disease : — 

Diseased  Side.        Healthy  Side. 
Feet.   Inches.         Feet.  Inches. 
Distance  from  the  root  of  the  horn  over  the  angle  of  the 

lower  jaw  to  the  median  line  of  the  intermaxillary 

space,  ......        1        6}  1        1| 

Distance  from  the  nasal  angle  of  the  eye  to  the  median 

line  of  the  intermaxiUary  space,     .  .  .15  1        OJ 

Distance  from  the  middle  of  the  nasal  bones  to  the  angle 

of  the  mouth,  .....        0        9  07 

Distance  from  the  root  of  the  ear  to  the  median  line  of 

the  muzzle,  .  .  .  .  .        1      llj  ^        7j 

FeeL  Inches. 
Circumference  round  the  eyes  and  angles  of  the  jaws,  .        3        3^ 

Circumference  at  the  angles  of  the  mouth,       .  .  .19 

Distance  from  the  median  line  of  the  muzzle  to  the  mar- 
gin of  the  diseased  mass  in  the  neck,         .  .  .        2      11 
Distance  from  the  angle  of  the  left  jaw  to  the  posterior 

extremity  of  the  tumour  in  the  neck,  .  .  .11^ 

Breadth  of  the  diseased  mass  in  the  neck,        .  .  .12 

Ditto  ditto  in  front  of  the  ear,         .  .        1        5^ 

Ditto  ditto  in  front  of  the  eye,         .  .12 

Ditto  ditto  at  the  angle  of  the  mouth,        .        0        9^ 

The  average  thickness  of  the  diseased  skin,  when  removed,  was  over 


DISEASE  IN  THE  HEAD,  ETC.,  OF  A  COW.  289 

If  inclies,  the  greatest  thickness  about  2^^  inches.  The  microscopi- 
cal characters  of  the  dermis  seemed  to  differ  little  from  those  of  the 
natural  skin.  There  were  the  usual  fibro-areolar  fasiculi  interlacing 
and  leaving  interspaces  of  considerable  size,  which  were  filled  up  by 
vessels,  nerves,  and  cells,  a  few  of  the  latter  containing  fat.  The 
areolae  seemed  larger  than  natural,  and  appeared  to  the  naked  eye  as 
yellow  spots  on  the  cut  surface. 

The  deep  layer  of  the  dermis,  on  the  whole  left  side  of  the  face,  was 
intimately  connected  with  the  muscular  tissue,  so  as  to  appear  quite 
continuous  with  it ;  and  the  muscle  itself  had  in  great  part  given  place 
to  white  fibrous  tissue.  This  metamorphosis  was  not  confined  to  the 
motors  of  the  nose  and  lips ;  but  the  masseter  and  temporalis,  as  well, 
had  in  their  greater  part  undergone  this  degradation. 

The  skin  and  mucous  membrane  at  the  anterior  nares  were  much 
thickened,  those  on  the  left  side  nearly  closing  the  orifice.  This 
hypertrophy  of  the  mucous  membrane  was  continued  nearly  as  far 
back  as  the  posterior  nares.  The  papillae  were  unusually  prominent, 
but  the  intimate  structure  of  the  membrane  did  not  appear  much 
changed.  The  turbinated  bones  on  the  left  side  appeared  to  be,  to  a 
great  extent,  decalcified,  so  that  on  drying  they  collapsed,  almost  en- 
tirely obliterating  their  internal  cavities. 

The  lips  were  greatly  thickened,  particularly  on  the  left  half  of  the 
mouth,  and  the  buccal  membrane  had  for  a  considerable  distance 
undergone  a  similar  change.  This  was  particularly  marked  on  the 
hard  palate,  though  the  vascular  plexas  beneath  appeared  normal 
The  bones  of  the  hard  palate  were  nearly  a  line  thicker  than  those  of 
a  healthy  skulL 

The  rows  of  molar  teeth  on  the  left  side  were  abnormally  curved 
in  an  outward  direction.  The  deviation  was  greatest  in  the  second, 
third,  and  fourth,  the  third — the  farthest — being  nearly  three  lines 
farther  outward  than  the  corresponding  tooth  on  the  right  sida  The 
bone  on  the  outer  side  of  the  alveoli,  for  the  molar  teeth  on  the  upper 
jaw  were  unusually  prominent,  and  the  tubercles  representing  the 
maxillary  spine  were  almost  obliterated.  The  alteration  in  the  bones 
was,  however,  to  be  observed  on  the  whole  left  side  of  the  face. 
Thus  the  whole  outer  surface  of  the  left  ramus  of  the  lower  jaw  was 
more  prominent,  asperous,  and  softened,  than  that  of  the  right,  the 
change  being  greatest  in  the  vicinity  of  the  condyle.  The  bones  be- 
low the  eye — the  lachrymal,  and  portions  of  the  frontal,  malar,  and 
superior  maxillary,  had,  however,  undergone  the  greatest  modification. 
These  were  soft,  covered  by  slight  rugosities,  spongy;  apparently 
wanting  in  calcareous  materials,  and  having  some  resemblance  to 
cancellated  tissue.  The  sutures  uniting  these  bones  were  opener  than 
is  natural,  and  there  was  a  distinct  falling  in  of  the  bones  as  they  ap- 
proached them.  A  vertical  section  of  bone  taken  firom  this  part  and 
placed  under  the  microscope,  shows  large  openings,  evidently  repre- 
senting the  canals  of  Havers,  but  more  analogous  to  the  cancelU  in 
the  denser  parts  of  the  spongy  tissua    Around  these  enlarged  canals 


290  DISEASE  IN  THE  HEAD,  ETC.,  OP  A  COW. 

the  osseous  tissue  is  deposited  in  a  somewhat  irregular  manner,  and 
not  in  regular  concentric  plates  with  intervening  lacunae  and  canali- 
culL  On  adding  a  drop  of  hydrochloric  acid  to  decalcify  the  speci- 
men, a  regular  fibrous  framework  was  left. 

The  articular  surface  of  the  left  condyle  of  the  lower  jaw  had  a 
peculiar  fossa,  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in  depth,  on  the  posterior 
part  of  its  inner  half.  It  did  not  appear  to  have  undergone  any 
morbid  change  recently.  It  is  curious  to  note,  that  in  the  axoido- 
atloid  joint,  ulceration  was  met  with  on  the  articular  surface  Below 
the  odontoid  process,  and  on  the  corresponding  part  of  the  atlas.  It 
is  evident  that  this  part  would  most  readily  suffer  from  the  greatly- 
increased  weight  of  the  head ;  but  I  have  since  found  the  same  con- 
dition in  a  minor  degree,  in  the  case  of  a  cow  that  died  from  parturi- 
tion fever. 

Among  the  internal  organs  nothing  was  observed  amiss,  the  avto- 
psy  in  this  respect  agreeing  with  the  state  of  the  functions  during 
life. 

One  great  difficulty  in  connexion  with  the  present  case,  is  that  of 
giving  it  a  name.  It  presents  some  characters  in  common  with  the 
elephantiasis  grcecorum  of  the  human  subject,  but  others  seem  quite 
incompatible  with  the  idea  of  this  affection.  Among  the  points  of 
agreement  may  be  mentioned,  the  exudation  into  the  substance  of 
the  skin  arid  its  hypertrophy,  without  marked  change  in  structure  ; 
the  implication  of  the  subjacent  soft  textures  where  the  greatest 
changes  have  taken  place  in  the  integument;  the  fever  and  other 
constitutional  symptoms ;  the  aggravation  under  the  influence  of  cold 
and  damp  ;  its  intractability  by  blisters,  setons,  and  local  stimulating 
applications  generally ;  and  its  steady  progress  without  any  perma- 
nent improvement,  until  the  cow  was  considered  useless. 

It  differs,  however,  in  some  very  important  features.  Thus  there 
appeared  to  be  no  morbid  alteration  in  the  bronchial  and  mesenteric 
glands  and  other  internal  organs.  It  may  be  said  that  the  reproduc- 
tive functions  were  placed  in  abeyance,  but  it  is  questionable  whether 
this  did  not  depend  on  the  debility  consequent  on  the  rheumatism  of 
the  previous  summer,  since  the  ovaries  seemed  to  have  undergone 
no  essential  modification  of  structure,  and  each  contained  a  large 
number  of  Graafian  vesicles,  though  none  of  these  had  approach^ 
the  mature  condition.  Again,  true  elephantiasis  tuberculosa  is  said 
never  to  affect  the  bones,  whereas  in  this  case  these  were  deeply  in- 
volved. It  is  true,  that  the  principal  alteration  in  the  osseous  tissue 
was  met  with  at  those  points  where  the  skin  had  been  incised,  and 
where  it  was  most  intimately  connected  with  the  bone ;  but,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  deeper-seated  bones,  such  as  the  turbinated,  and  even 
the  palatine,  were  similarly  affected  though  in  a  lesser  degree. 

It  might  be  asked  if  this  is  not  the  same  disease  or  an  analogous 
one,  only  exhibiting  some  modifications  in  its  progress,  due  to  the 
particular  species  of  animals  affected,  in  the  same  way  as  small-pox 
in  the  human  subject,  and  in  the  sheep,  though  distinct  diseases,  pre- 


HISTORY  OP  VETEEINAEY  SCIENCE.  291 

sent  many  analogons  and  almost  identical  symptoms,  and  may  be 
considered  the  same  in  kind.  It  is  best,  perhaps,  to  avoid  all  discus- 
sion of  this  question  at  present,  leaving  the  facts  on  record,  and  wait 
for  reports  of  similar  cases  to  throw  more  light  on  the  subject. 

Since  making  the  post-mortem  examination  of  the  above-mentioned 
case,  another  one  has  been  under  my  observation,  presenting  sjrmp- 
toms  almost  identical  in  kind.  This,  too,  was  an  Ayrshire,  and  the 
property  of  an  East  Lothian  hind.  The  disease  had  been  present  for 
about  twelve  months,  commencing  by  a  tumour  about  the  size  of  a 
hen's  egg,  on  the  right  cheek)  and  gradually  increasing,  until  it 
covered  the  whole  side  of  the  face,  and  extended  for  some  distance 
on  the  neck.  In  its  superficial  appearance,  and  in  its  confinement  to 
the  skin,  and  separation  from  the  deeper  tissues  in  the  neck,  where 
the  integument  is  only  loosely  connected  with  the  latter  in  health,  it 
strongly  resembled  the  other  case.  At  one  time  it  had  fluctuated 
opposite  the  middle  of  the  ramus  of  the  lower  jaw,  and  it  had  accord- 
ingly been  opened  at  this  point.  On  the  seat  of  the  incision,  at  the 
time  of  my  examination,  there  was  a  large  and  unsightly  sore,  with  an 
irregularly  tuberculated  and  indurated  mass  projecting  from  it,  and 
from  this  an  tmhealthy  discharge  had  been  kept  up  for  several  months. 
This  cow  appeared  in  general  good  health,  fed  well,  and  was  said  to 
be  an  excellent  milker.  She  was  afterwards  sold  at  the  Haddington 
live  stock  sales,  and  I  have  been  unable  to  learn  what  became  of  her. 


Reflections  on  Important  Epochs  in  the  History  of  Veterinary 
Science.     By  Joseph  Gamgee,  Sen. 

In  submitting  a  few  fragmentary  remarks  on  epochs,  nations,  and 
men,  remarkable  for  the  impetus  given  to  the  progress  of  veterinary 
science,  it  is  less  my  aim  to  write  a  history  of  veterinary  medicine, 
than  to  show  the  student  that  it  has  one.  ''  Historical  studies  are, 
in  all  sciences,  the  most  secure  guides  in  the  maze  of  human  opinion.'' 
To  the  absence  of  such  study,  or  any  impartially  elaborated  work  on 
the  subject,  is,  I  believe,  in  no  small  measure  due  the  slow  progress 
that  veterinary  science  has  made,  and  the  confused  and  unsatisfactory 
state  in  which  it  now  is  in  this  country. 

Instead  of  progressive  advance,  such  as  is  possible  for  rational  men 
to  promote,  the  state  of  the  veterinary  art  has  been  in  a  perpetual  state 
of  oscillation ;  the  experience  of  one  generation  has  been  regarded  as 
foolishness  by  its  successor. 

In  attempting  to  give  a  cursory  sketch,  I  purpose  dividing  my 
subject  into  five  epochs,  somewhat  arbitrarily  tjJien  I  allow,  as  these 
vary  accordingly  as  different  inquirers  pursue  their  course  from  dif- 
ferent points  to  show  special  aspects. 

Xenophon  is  regarded,  by  writers  of  all  countries,  to  be  the 
great  authority  amongst  the  ancients,  on  the  horse;    the  way  to 


292  HISTORY  OP  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

choose  him,  and  their  management  under  all  conditions,  especially 
in  relation  to  military  service.  This  learned  philosopher  of  Greece 
exhibits  more  extended  knowledge  of  horses,  gained  by  actual  ob» 
servation,  than  probably  has  been  shown  by  any  other  writer.  His 
concise  description  of  the  formation  of  the  horse,  of  action,  and  ex- 
position of  physiological  laws,  all  concur  in  aflfording  proof  of  great 
mastery  over  his  subject. 

Xenophon  makes  such  generous  reference  to  prior  contributors,  as 
well  as  contemporary  men,  that  he  is  the  true  authority  and  repre- 
sentative of  the  Grecian  epoch  on  all  questions  relating  to  the  horse; 
and  his  writings  will  commend  themselves  to  all  inquirers  after  truth, 
and  for  their  refined  eloquence,  to  all  future  generations,  as  they  have 
done  to  the  past. 

With  these  few  remarks,  I  pass  from  the  notice  of  the  greatest 
amongst  the  early  philosophers ;  and  neither  shall  I  make  any  attempt 
to  trace  the  steps  of  learning  in  the  same  sphere,  from  the  days  of 
Xenophon,  to  an  advanced  period  of  the  Christian  era. 

It  may  be  said  that  the  Imowledge  of  the  Greek  writers  on  veteri- 
nary science,  as  on  other  philosophic  pursuits,  was  not  lost  to  poster- 
ity;  it  is  true  none  the  less,  that  some  procedures,  which  probably 
were  not  in  vogue  in  their  time,  no  mention  having  been  made  of 
them,  had  their  origin  in  later  times.  I  allude,  especially,  to  the  art 
of  applying  iron  shoes ;  the  most  important,  in  its  effects,  on  the  use- 
fulness of  the  horse,  as  civilisation  advanced,  and  extended  west  and 
northwards,  of  any  branch  of  knowledge  applicable  to  the  manage- 
ment and  treatment  of  horses. 

From  my  own  limited  acquaintance  of  the  early  Italian  authors,  as 
well  as  from  all  that  can  be  made  out  from  Ercolani's  excellent 
work,*  the  most  elaborate  on  the  history  of  veterinary  science  extant, 
it  appears  that  the  wisdom  embodied  in  Xenophon's  writings  was 
made  the  foundation  on  which  the  southern  Italians  enlarged  their 
experience ;  and  as  near  to  our  own  time  as  the  seventeenth  century,  M. 
Garzoni,  then  a  Venetian  senator,  in  his  work  "  On  the  Art  of  Well 
Understanding  and  Distinguishing  the  Quality  of  Horses;  the 
Cultivation  of  a  Noble  Breed,  &c.,'*  uses  language  and  precepts  almost 
identical  in  many  places  to  those  of  Xenophon,  near  two  thousand 
years  before. 

The  Neapolitans  appear,  from  their  works,  published  at  Venice 
during  the  early  periods  after  the  art  of  printing  came  into  vogue,  to 
have  occupied  the  first  ranks  in  the  art  of  horse  management,  includ- 
ing the  art  of  farriery  and  veterinary  science. 

.  To  the  critical  inquirer  alone  would  reference  to  the  many  works 
published  in  Italy  during  the  earlier  centuries  of  the  Christian  era, 
be  of  great  interest.  Ercolani  has  been  most  indefatigable  in  search- 
ing over  the  collections  of  manuscript  on  the  subject,  contained  in 

*  Ricerchi  Storico,  Analitiche,  sugli,  Screttori  di  Veterinano.  G.  D.  Ercolani.  In 
two  volumes,  1851-4.    Turin. 


HISTOEY  OF  VETERINARY  SCIENCB.  293 

the  public  libraries  of  Florence,  from  which  numerous  interesting 
extracts  are  given  by  him. 

I  shall  now  proceed  to  epoch  the  second.  Carlo  Ruini  fills  a  simi- 
lar heroic  place  in  the  Italian  history  of  veterinary  science,  to  that  so 
pre-eminently  occupied  by  Xenophon  in  the  annals  of  Greece ;  with 
the  diBFerence,  that  important  and  marked  progress  is  inaugurated  by 
the  latter,  the  father  of  the  anatomy  of  the  horse. 

Carlo  Euini,  a  native  of  the  ancient  university  city  of  Bologna,  of 
which  he  became  a  senator ;  cultivated  the  study  of  anatomy  at  the  then 
renowned  medical  school  of  Padua,  a  few  years  before  our  country- 
man, Harvey,  went  thither,  and  succeeded  in  giving  the  last  touch  to 
the  all  but  exhausted  subject,  that  of  the  circulation  of  the  blood.  I 
shall  not  dilate  on  Ruini's  claims,  as  the  one  among  anatomists  whose 
views  on  the  subject  preceded  Harvey's,  and  who  had  independently 
made  such  advances  as  to  have  left  the  way  clear,  and  the  discovery 
a  stage  nearer  than  he  found  it.  It  is,  however,  as  the  founder  of 
veterinary  science,  that  we,  as  veterinarians,'  may  refer  to  the  memory 
of  Ruini. 

I  cannot  take  notice  in  this  place  of  the  many  writers  which  ap- 
peared soon  after  the  appearance  in  1590  of  Ruini's  folio  work  on 
the  anatomy  of  the  horse,  illustrated  with  numerous  splendid  plates. 
Italy,  France,  England,  Germany,  and  Spain,  had  subsequently  each 
their  followers  in  the  steps  of  the  great  master  just  noticed. 

Two  authorities,  following  closely  on  the  Ruini  epoch,  deserve 
special  notice,  because  I  believe  that  science  was  advanced,  and  ex- 
perience, founded  on  observation,  was  ^established  by  them,  which 
formed  the  bond  of  connexion  between  the  Italian  age  of  veterinary 
science,  and  that  which,  a  century  later,  was  advanced  from  this 
higher  standard  and  broader  basis,  in  France,  by  Bourgelat. 

G.  A.  Borelli,  of  Naples,  a  great  philosopher  and  mathematician, 
left  his  famous  work  in  three  volumes,  published  after  bis  death, 
towards  the  close  of  the  seventeenth  century,  entitled,  "De  Motu 
AnimaliuDa."  This  remarkable  work,  wherein  so  much  display  of 
talent  of  the  highest  order  is  given,  produced  great  advantage,  espe- 
cially to  veterinary  science. 

Borelli's  work  exerted  good  influence  on  the  progress  of  the  study 
of  physiology ;  more  particularly  so  on  that  of  locomotion;  and  it 
was  in  this  that  much  of  the  value  to,  and  influence  on,  veterinary 
science  consisted,  the  value  of  horses  depending  on  the  relative  state 
of  perfection  of  their  locomotive  system. 

Through  a  series  of  fundamental  laws,  which  Borelli  set  forth,  per- 
manent advantage  resulted,  and  the  extension  of  veterinary  science. 
SoUeysel,  in  the  same  century,  and  more  extensively  still  Bourgelat 
in  the  next,  applied  Borellfs  theories,  in  their  studies  and  descriptions 
of  the  action  of  the  horse. 

SoUeysel,  chief  over  the  royal  stables  of  Louis  XIV.,  published  his 
great  work  in  1664,  entitled,  "Le  Parfait  Marechal;"  wherein  he 
treats  on  the  beauty,  good  qualities,  and  defects  of  the  horse ;  the 


294  HISTOEY  OF  VETEEINAEY  SCIENCE. 

art  of  shoeing,  designed  to  restore  bad  feet  and  conserve  the  good, 
and  on  the  general  management  of  the  horse. 

This  author  exerted  most  valuable  influence  on  the  progress  of  the 
veterinary  art  in  France  at  the  right  time.  His  position  and  large 
acquaintance  which  he  cultivated  with  all  authorities  who  had  preceded 
him,  with  accuracy  of  observation,  and  lucid  descriptions,  prepared 
the  way  for  Bourgelat,  who  in  after  time  established  the  veterinary 
schools  of  France. 

Our  learned  and  respected  contemporary,  Dr  Ercolani,  in  his 
**  Critical  Observations  on  SoUeysel,"  says,  "Of  the  numerous  masters 
on  horsemanship  or  directors  of  stables  (Scudieri)  who  preceded  him, 
or  became  his  successors,  I  shall  specially  notice  Solleysel  only  of 
this  epoch,  because  all  the  others  were  of  less  account." 

Solleysel,  besides  being  grand  master  of  the  stables  of  the  king, 
was  a  member  of  the  Royal  Academy,  and  esteemed  by  his  contem- 
poraries as  one  of  the  illustrious  men  in  France  of  the  seventeenth 
century. 

Ercolani  proceeds  to  say,  "  In  his  description  of  the  diseases  of  the 
horse,  Solleysel  only  brought  into  France  that  which  the  writers  of 
Italy,  on  farriery,  had  taught  before  his  time  and  since,  with  fewer 
imperfections  in  their  method.  In  good  faith,  however,  Solleysel 
confessed  whence  he  drew  his  information,  and  highly  lauded  Ruini's 
work,  to  which  he  made  frequent  references.  With  much  order  and 
precision  Solleysel  taught  horse-shoeing  systematically,  and  the  sub- 
ject was  henceforward  well  treated  in  France.  He  did  not  create  a 
new,  but  illustrated  and  brought  to  perfection  the  system  of  Frederick 
Grisoni" 

Ercolani  continues,  "  If  by  his  contemporaries  Solleysel  was  ranked 
with  the  illustrious  men  of  his  time,  by  posterity  he  has  been  other- 
vrise  judged."  Quoting  from  D'ArbovaJ,  where,  in  his  Dictionary, 
article  Veterinary,  the  author  says,  "  Solleysel  is  stUl  the  oracle  of 
those  who  mix  in  the  art  of  treating  horses,  though  he  would  only 
have  been  considered  at  this  time  a  veterinary  practitioner  of  little 
consideration.  He  was  not  wanting  in  spirit,  had  seen  much,  and 
copied  much  from  the  ancients ;  but  how  many  imperfections  are 
there  not  in  his  Parfait  Marechal,  how  many  absurdities,  without 
counting  the  manifest  errors  and  barbarous  practices  contained?" 

Ercolani  adds,  "  It  is  certain  that  Solleysel  retained  not  a  few 
errors,  and  taught  not  a  few  false  doctrines." 

Had  Solleysel's  great  work  been  lost,  instead  of  being  available  in 
every  great  public  library,  I  should  not  find  it  necessary  to  search 
for  more  eloquent  advocates  in  praise  of  his  memory  than  the  learned 
Italian  author  and  the  departed  man's  own  countryman,  whose  words 
respectively  I  have  quoted.  Both  authors  agree  that  the  hero  of  this 
notice  observed  much,  copied  much  from  the  ancients,  and  brought 
to  perfection  some  of  their  systems.  Moreover,  he  was  no  plagiarist, 
but  acknowledged  the  sources  of  his  learning,  and  extolled  Uie  autho- 
rities he  profited  by.    But,  say  both  critics,  Solleysel  retained  not  a 


mSTOEY  OP  VETEKINAEY  SCIBNCB.  295 

few  errors,  and  taught  many  barbarous  practices.  Properly  inter- 
preted, this  means  that  SoUeysel  introduced  much,  systematised  much, 
but  that  the  life  of  one  man,  even  as  able,  indefatigable,  and  in  the 
enjoyment  of  opportunities,  was  not  equal  to  the  task  of  reforming 
and  amplifying  the  whole  sphere  of  veterinary  science  and  practice. 

SoUeysel  was  the  very  man  for  the  time  in  which  he  lived.  He 
utilised  all  available  material.  The  great  anatomical  work  of  Ruini, 
the  systems  of  farriery  published  by  Neapolitan  and  other  Italian 
writers,  were  alike  brought  by  him  into  France.  I  cannot  con- 
ceive the  possibility  of  a  man  working  more  or  more  successfully  for 
veterinary  science,  and  for  the  honour  of  his  country,  than  SoUeysel 
did,  but  for  whom  France  would  possibly  not  have  had  in  the  f oUow- 
ing  century  her  Bourgelat ;  or  what  is  more  probable,  Bourgelat  would 
not  have  started  as  the  founder  of  veterinary  schools  from  the  high 
ground  he  did. 

I  am  thus  brought  to  what  may  be  called  the  third  great  epoch  in 
the  progress  of  veterinary  science.  Having  briefly  aUuded  to  the 
Grecian  and  the  ItaUan,  we  have  now  the  French  epoch  inaugurated ; 
and  though  this  was  the  most  important  of  aU,  and  the  greatest,  be- 
cause knowledge  had  accumulated,  and,  as  has  been  shown,  that  of 
Greece  had  been  brought  to  Italy,  there  augmented,  when  Bourgelat, 
owing  mainly  to  his  distinguished  merits,  but  partly  to  the  time  in 
which  his  lot  was  cast,  did  more  for  the  improvement  of  the  veteri- 
nary art  than  any  other  man  either  before  or  since  his  time ;  in  short, 
bold  as  the  statement  may  seem  to  some,  and  difficult  to  prove  as  the 
proposition  is,  for  my  own  part,  I  have  no  more  doubt  of  the  fact 
than  I  have  of  that  of  Bichard  Cobden  being  the  greatest  amongst 
the  promoters  of  free  commercial  intercourse  between  nations. 

Probably,  in  either  case,  the  men  made  the  opportunity,  the  ma- 
terials for  which  lay  in  a  forward  state  of  readiness  ;  and  when  once 
reform  becomes  inaugurated,  and  its  necessity  seen,  new  workers  take 
it  up,  and  more  progress  is  made  during  the  lifetime  of  a  man  than 
had  been  accompUshed  during  centuries  in  his  particular  sphere. 

As  the  founder  of  veterinary  coUeges,  Bourgelat  gave  such  impetus 
to  tjie  teaching,  study,  and  practice  of  veterinary  medicine  in  France, 
that  that  nation  became  acknowledgedly  first,  for  its  skUled  prac- 
titioners, and  particularly  for  weU-trained  artizans  in  that  most  im- 
portant branch,  the  art  of  shoeing.  To  this  happy  result,  which  has 
saved  miUions  of  horses  to  France,  whUe  totally  opposite  measures 
have  been  the  cause  of  destroying  tens  of  miUions  with  us,  much  was 
contributed  by  SoUeysel  and  Bourgelat,  who,  in  two  successive  cen- 
turies, proclaimed  the  importance,  and  contributed  rules  to  raise  the 
state  of  perfection  in  the  art  with  the  help  of  their  contemporaries. 

The  succeeding  and  fourth  epoch  may  be  caUed,  when  viewed  from 
an  English  aspect,  the  EngUsh  epoch. 

At  the  time  Bourgelat  was  founding  veterinary  schools  in  France, 
we  in  England  had,  besides  more  horse  amateurs  than  any  other  na- 
tion, at  least  one  of  the  ablest  anatomists  of  the  horse. 

Voi^  L-No.  VI.— Niw  Siana    June  1865.  Y 


296  HISTORY  OF  YETEBINABT  SCnOTCE. 

George  Stubbs  published  his  great  folio  work  in  1761. 

To  hold  the  balance  justly,  in  comparing  Stubbs's  work  with  that 
of  Ruini,  we  must  look  at  time  and  circumstances,  as  we  remarked 
in  Bourgelat's  case.  It  requires  that  allowance  be  made  for  the 
higher  ground  on  which  these  last  writers  started,  having  the  works 
of  all  who  had  preceded  them  for  their  guides  and  aids.  All  this 
granted,  Stubbs  notwithstanding,  like  Bourgelat,  displayed  powers, 
and  the  qualifications  which  give  worth  to  power,  not  possessed  by 
many  of  the  pioneers  of  veterinary  science  noticed. 

It  is  needless  to  advert  to  the  too  palpable  fact,  and  say  that  our 
countryman,  Stubbs,  did  not  find  the  field  prepared  to  receive  the 
germs  of  a  new  system  of  veterinary  science  offered  by  him  in  his 
elaborate  book,  as  his  learned  contemporary  Bourgelat  did  in  France. 
Stubbs's  work  was  the  embodiment  of  original  knowledge,  and  I 
am  convinced,  from  comparing  some  details  of  the  work  with  the 
natural  subject,  that  Stubbs's  beautiful  drawings  were  executed 
from  admirable  dissections  done  by  his  own  hands;  in  no  other 
way  could  the  knowledge  portrayed  with  such  exactness  have 
been  acquired.  Not  only  did  Stubbs  bequeath  to  his  country  the 
best  work  offered  by  any  one  man  of  any  time  on  the  anatomy  of  the 
horse,  but  his  drawings  were  of  a  high  standard,  adapted  to  improve 
taste,  whilst  his  text  was  so  eloquently  concise  as  to  relieve  the  sub- 
ject of  its  dry  tminteresting  character,  which  the  study  of  anatomy 
is  found  to  be  by  beginners. 

There  are  not  many  incidents  to  call  for  notice,  between  the  epoch 
just  referred  to  and  the  next  one,  which  is  of  most  importance,  viz., 
the  time  when  "  the  London  Veterinary  College"  was  established. 

UnKke  the  case  in  France,  the  opening  of  our  college  had  not  been 
anticipated  by  a  native  SoUeysel,  or  equivalent  to  his  contemporaries. 
Truly  England  had  her  Lord  Pembroke,  her  Strickland,  Freeman, 
and  Richard  Berranger,  Esq.  The  last  named  had  given  a  rich 
fund  of  information  in  his  work  on  the  history  of  horsemanship. 
Moreover,  the  English  were  a  practical  people,  especially  practically 
able  horsemen.  Alas,  how  much  barbarous  custom  is  allowed  to 
pass  under  the  designation  of  practical  when  theory  or  mind  applica- 
tion is  depreciated ! 

It  does  not  come  within  the  scope  of  this  notice  to  refer  to  the 
incidents  recorded  with  regard  to  the  establishment  6i  the  Veterinary 
College  at  London,  nor  will  it  be  profitably  spent  time  to  dwell  on  the 
brief  space  which  the  name  of  the  first  Professor,  Sain-bel,  occupies 
in  the  annals  of  veterinary  science.  The  like  may  be  said  of  Moor- 
croffc's  brief  tenure  of  the  joint  professorship  with  Mr  Coleman. 

M.  Vial  de  Sain-bers  death  happening  within  a  year  after  he  took 
office  as  the  first  professor,  and  Mr  Moorcroft's  precipitate  resigna- 
tion soon  afterwards,  did  not  admit  of  either  one  or  the  other  exerting 
any  permanent  influence  on  the  future  destiny  of  the  college  or  the 
science  and  art  of  veterinary  medicine,  which  the  school  was  designed 
to  promulgate. 


HISTOBY  OF  VETEBINABY  SCIEKCE.  297 

For  all  practical  considerations  Mr  Coleman  must  be  regarded  as 
the  first  professor  of  veterinary  medicine  in  this  country.  Before  his 
time  the  college  had  not  got  into  working  order,  and  the  number  of 
pupils  who  had  attended  were  few,  though  some  were  of  high  stand- 
ard, ranking  amongst  them  Mr  B  acy  Clark. 

The  time  to  write  the  history  of  the  veterinary  art  in  this  country 
during  Professor  Coleman's  career,  and  subsequently,  has  not  yet,  I 
believe,  arrived.  Historical  questions  are  more  dispassionately  entered 
into  at  remote  periods  than  at  one  approximating  to  the  time  of 
occurrences.  I  propose,  therefore,  limiting  my  remarks  on  contem- 
porary occurrences  to  a  few  incidents,  such  as  I  consider  stand  in 
some  relation  to  first  causes. 

All  the  great  men  mentioned  in  the  preceding  pages  as  marking 
epochs  in  the  history  of  veterinary  science,  and  others  who  brought 
almost  equally  marked  influence  to  bear,  were  remarkable  for  belong- 
ing to  the  highest  order  of  men  for  general  knowledge  and  distin- 
guished merits.  All  these  men  left  works,  either  in  manuscript  or 
print,  which  have  come  down  to  us,  and  immortalised  the  names  of 
their  respective  authors.  The  writings  of  these  men  aflFord  the  evi- 
dence of  the  work  they  did  in  their  generation. 

To  pursue  our  inquiry  by  logical  guidance,  it  is  necessary,  as  far 
as  we  go,  to  trace  from  phenomena  to  results.  In  electing  a  profes- 
sor to  the  London  Veterinary  College,  an  experiment  was  made  which 
had  never  been  tried  before.  It  consisted  in  selecting  a  non-professional 
man,  or  rather  a  young  man  of  another  profession,  a  sister  profession- 
grant,  to  fill  the  professional  chair  and  preside  over  theveterinary  school^ 
practically  and  theoretically.  Here  we  have  a  bold  and  unexampled 
experiment,  and,  strange  to  say,  it  was  made  at  a  time  when  the 
nation  appreciated  the  importance  of  employing  such  masters  of  their 
art  as  a  Nelson  to  command  our  fleets,  and  such  brilliant  experts  in  the 
science  and  art  of  war,  as  Abercrombie  and  Wellington,  to  lead  Bri- 
tish arms  to  victory.  And  yet  a  long  neglected  calling,  or  rather 
series  of  callings,  all  of  the  highest  national  importance,  was  given 
away  with  as  littie  reference  to  consequences  as  if  the  subject  was  of 
no  greater  moment  than  that  of  appointing  a  doorkeeper  to  some 
pubUc  oflSce. 

All  is  well  that  ends  well,  and  those  from  amongst  the  hundreds 
of  members  of  the  profession  who,  like  the  humble  writer,  became 
affected,  directly  and  indirectly,  under  prevalent  influences,  say  of  their 
late  Professor  Coleman,  **  We  ne'er  shall  see  his  like  again!"  These 
members  are  bewildered  in  wonder  at  the  fortunate  discovery  of  so 
clever  a  man  at  such  a  crisis,  a  man  who  knew  so  much  of  the  world, 
and  so  little  about  the  subjects  he  was  required  to  teach. 

No  blame  to  Coleman.  All  shows  the  ordinary  course  of  human 
affairs,  when  they  drift  on  uncontrolled ;  still  we  have  the  fact  and 
the  consequences,  and  there  is  no  getting  rid  of  these. 

Professor  Coleman's  teachings  are  not  easily  referable  to,  for  the 
reason  that  he  did  not  leave  a  book,  or  the  material  for  one,  to 


298  HISTOfiT  OF  VETEBINABT  SCIENCE. 

afford  posterity  the  benefit  of  his  experience,  or  the  means  for  a 
critical  analysis  of  progress  made  during  forty-five  years  of  official 
responsibility.  He  compiled  a  book,  which  was  published  soon  after 
he  was  appointed  to  the  professorship,  choosing  for  his  theme  the 
most  important  and  difficult  subject  to  master  of  any  in  the  whole 
range  of  veterinary  science  and  art.  Mr  Coleman's  work  on  the 
structure  and  economy  of  the  foot  of  the  horse,  and  on  the  principles 
and  practice  of  shoeing,  is,  I  believe,  the  largest  book  on  the  subject 
ever  published. 

'*  The  tree  is  judged  by  its  fruit."  Now,  since  Mr  Coleman  did  not 
publish  again,  posterity  will  have  to  judge  of  the  state  of  the  veteri- 
nary art  in  our  time  by  the  complexity  of  writings  which  will  be  trans- 
mitted. Many  talented  men,  by  their  innate  tendencies,  varied  in- 
struction, and  readings,  impart  independent  characteristics  to  their 
works.  William  Percival  will  be  read,  as  SoUeysel  has  been,  as  the 
expositor  of  the  veterinary  art  in  England  in  his  age,  and  the  works 
of  many  other  writers  wiU  command  attention  in  different  measure. 

Professor  Coleman's  life,  teaching,  and  practice  exerted  influence 
specially  over  that  department  of  the  veterinary  art  on  which  he 
wrote,  and  which,  throughout  his  career,  he  regarded  with  all  its  im- 
portance, meanwhile  blmdly  believing  that  he  understood  the  matter, 
and  that  his  teaching  was  sound. 

Unlike  the  different  epochs  in  the  history  of  veterinary  medicine 
already  referred  to,  to  which  the  names  of  talented  men,  who  devoted 
themselves  spontaneously  to  the  cause,  imparted  the  features, — ^that 
which  is  marked  by  the  founding  of  the  Veterinary  College  at  Lon- 
don lacked  the  man.  Advertisement  brought  Mr  Coleman,  and 
high  wages  brought  out  his  keen,  mental  energies,  which  were  of  a 
refinement  that  even  great  errors  were  methodically  arranged,  so  that 
as  a  whole  they  became  invested  with  the  name  of  systems;  yet 
these  evaded  penetration,  and  passed  for  genuine  instruction. 
Bracy,  Clark,  and  William  Youat,  devoted  their  money  and  strength 
in  the  cause  of  veterinary  science,  and  so  far  have  claims  on  the 
gratitude  of  posterity,  that  it  was  for  the  love  of  truth,  and  not  for 
lucre,  that  they  toiled. 

When  at  some  future  time  the  history  of  veterinary  medicine  in 
England  during  this  age  is  written,  it  will  not  be  Mr  Coleman's  book 
of  the  end  of  last  century  to  which  reference  will  be  made,  but  to 
those  of  his  pupils.  And  it  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  on  his  favourite 
subject,  "The  Foot,"  and  shoeing,  the  traces  of  the  teacher's  dictum 
will  be  found  in  full  force  in  the  works  of  his  most  diligent  pupils, — 
**  White's  Farriery,"  the  papers  of  the  esteemed  James  Turner,  one 
of  Mr  Coleman's  most  rigid  followers,  who,  poor  man,  died  just  when 
he  would  have  been  the  first  amongst  reformers.  Whoever  reads 
"  Turner  on  the  Foot,"  sees  Coleman's  doctrines  intensified. 

Descending  farther  in  the  inquiry,  if  the  reader  takes  up  a  more 
recently  published  book  "On  the  Foot  of  the  Horse  and  How  to  Shoe 
it/'  he  will  find  all  the  errors  of  Coleman  and  his  immediate  pupili^ 


PIBEOUS  TUMOUB.  299 

combined,  with  additionally,  not  a  few  crotchets,  extemporised  by  the 
author  himself.  Such  is  pre-eminently  the  character  of  the  work  by 
William  Miles,  Esq. 


Fibrous  Tumour  growing  from  the  Mucous  Membrane  of  the 
Floating  Colon.  By  Geoege  Bollington,  M.RC.V.S.,  Chester- 
field, 

Chsstebfisld,  May  11, 1805. 

Sib, — A  Mr  Thorpe,  of  Clay  Cross,  a  small  town  a  distance  of  five 
miles  from  here,  came  this  morning  in  great  haste,  requesting  Mr 
James  Martin  (for  whom  I  am  acting  as  assistant)  to  go  to  his  house 
and  see  a  horse  of  his,  which  he  said  had  got  its  bowels  out,  and 
was  in  great  pain.  Mr  Martin  accordingly  went,  and  found  what 
the  owner  had  said  was  quite  true ;  for  the  animal  presented  a  most 
pitiable  appearance,  having  about  six  yards  of  intestine  hanging 
about  his  hind  legs,  which  he  was  making  vigorous  but  ineffectual 
efibrts  to  rid  himself  of.  It  was  at  once  apparent  that  recovery  was 
impossible ;  therefore,  the  poor  animal  was  immediately  shot. 

The  cause  of  all  the  mischief  was  readily  detected  ;  for,  owing  to 
the  intestines  being,  as  it  were,  turned  inside  out,  a  large  tumour  was 
seen  adhering  to  the  lining  mucous  membrane  of  the  single  colon,  and 
situated  about  three  feet  from  where  the  latter  terminates  in  the  rec- 
tum. This  body  had  evidently  partially  blocked  up  the  passage  of 
that  portion  of  the  alimentary  canal,  giving  rise  to  abdominal  pain 
and  violent  eflforts  at  defecation,  so  as  to  forcibly  expel  a  large  portion 
of  the  intestines  through  the  anal  opening.  I  considered  the  case 
worthy  of  your  notice ;  therefore  I  felt  inclined  to  send  you  the  parts, 
with  a  portion  of  the  intestine  attached,  which  I  hope  you  will  duly 
receive  (per  rail). 

I  think  any  remarks  upon  it  by  me  would  be  superfluous ;  for  you 
will  be  better  able  to  give  an  opinion  upon  it  than  myself. 

In  conclusion,  I  will  give  you  all  the  history  that  could  be  obtained 
from  the  owner,  which  you  will,  no  doubt,  think  rather  meagre^ 
The  horse  in  question  was  fifteen  years  old,  good  constitutioned,  and 
had  never  ailed  anything  previous  to  this  occurring.  He  ate  his 
supper  as  heartily  as  usual  last  night,  and  appeared  altogether  to  be 
in  good  health ;  but  on  his  stable  being  entered  this  morning,  he  was 
found  in  the  condition  already  described. 

Remaeks. — ^The  tumour  received  is  in  the  form  of  an  ovoid, 
attached  by  one  side  to  the  mucous  membrane  of  the  colon.  Its  long 
axis  is  parallel  to  the  course  of  the  gut,  and,  measured  in  this  direc- 
tion, it  is  over  eight  inches  in  circumference.  Its  antero-posterior 
diameter  is  three  inches ;  its  transverse,  two.  Its  structure  is  fibrous, 
but  of  diflerent  densities  at  the  opposite  extremities,  as  well  as  at 


300  ira^CTUBES  OP  A  NAVICULAR  BONE. 

▼triable  depths,  apparency  according  to  the  more  or  less  remote  date 
of  its  deposition.  Nearly  half  of  the  mass  is  dense  and  indurated, 
and,  comparatively  to  the  rest,  non-vascular.  The  greater  part  of 
the  remainder,  though  also  distinctly  fibrous,  is  much  softer  and 
more  vascular.  Lastly,  on  the  surface,  is  a  covering  of  lymph  recently 
exuded,  and  as  yet  non-vascular.  This  is  in  some  parts  over  a  quarter 
of  an  inch  in  thickness,  and  it  extends  over  the  whole  of  the  walls  of 
that  portion  of  the  colon  seat.  Microscopically,  it  shows  the  general 
characters  of  fibrinous  exudation,  having  a  great  tendency  to  resolve 
^itself  into  fibres,  intermixed  with  corpuscular  bodies.  The  tumour  is 
connected  by  strong  fibrous  bands  to  the  deep  layer  of  the  mucous 
membrane. 

The  large  size  and  deep-red  hue  of  the  solitary  glands  render  them 
very  prominent  objects  on  the  mucous  membrane  of  the  portion  of 
colon  attached. 

As  the  great  mass  of  the  tumour  was  evidently  of  long  standing, 
it  is  curious  that  it  should  not  previously  have  affected  the  health  of 
the  animal. 

Mr  Bollington  has  our  best  thanks  for  the  very  excellent  specimen 
of  such  a  rare  affection. — Ed. 


Fractures  of  a  Navicular  Bone,  following  on  protracted  and  a  pro- 
gressive diseased  condition  of  the  same,  with  altered  condition  of 
the  Pedal  Bone.  By  Joseph  Gamgbb,  Sen.,  Professor  in  the  New 
Veterinary  College. 

To  the  Editor  of  the  Edinburgh  Veterinary  Review, 

ALDEB3H0TI,  6th  May  1865. 

Sir, — ^Allow  me  to  offer  Professor  Gamgee  my  thanks  for  his  lucid 
description  of  the  diseased  bones  which  I  sent  to  him  last  month.  I 
should  have  been  still  more  obliged  had  he  also  alluded  to  the  diseased 
tendon  which  accompanied  them.  I  made  no  minute  examination  of 
the  parts  before  sending  them,  feeling  sure  a  full  report  would  be 
given  in  your  journal,  for  my  and  your  readers'  iuformation.  Perhaps 
a  few  supplementary  statements  of  facts  from  me  will  not  be  con- 
sidered either  presumptuous  or  useless,  in  assisting  those  who  care  to 
consider  this  question,  in  forming  an  opinion  upon  the  case ;  with 
this  object  only  I  venture  to  make  them.  When  the  horse  first  came 
under  my  observation,  he  was  rising  five  years,  fresh,  and  had  done  no 
work.  I  must  repeat  my  statement  that,  up  to  the  time  of  his  becom- 
ing lame  in  June  1862,  when  he  was  only  five  years  old,  he  had  free 
action,  and  showed  no  symptoms  of  being  infirm,  but  moved  freely 
and  well,  and  had  only  just  finished  his  training.  After  the  lameness 
the  horse  remained  under  treatment  for  Upwards  of  two  years,  when 
he  fell  into  a  horse-slaughterer's  hands,  who  used  him  a  few  times  to 
draw  dead  animals.     Did  the  fractures  occur  at  the  commencement 


FBACTUBES  OF  A  NAYICULAB  BONB.  SOI 

of  the  disease,  i.e,,  in  June  1862,  or  subsequently  to  that  date? 
Fractures  at  the  seat  of  attachments  of  ligaments  are  unusual  in 
bones  previously  free  from  change  in  structure.  This  horse  was  affected 
in  June  1862  with  sudden  and  permanent  lameness,  as  previously 
stated,  the  seat  of  which  was  in  some  structure-forming  part  of  the 
navicular  joint,  therefore  I  think  the  fractures  and  other  diseased 
conditions  in  the  bone  resulted  consequent  upon  the  injury  which 
produced  the  lameness  at  that  time,  so  that  Professor  Gamgee's  clear 
explanation  of  the  way  fractures  occur  in  a  foot  previously  diseased, 
does  not  explain  either  the  first  stage  of  the  disease,  (the  point  in 
question,)  or  furnish  an  answer  to  the  questions  I  ventured  to  suggest 
in  my  letter.  I  am  fully  aware  of  the  difficulty  of  solving  questions, 
And  do  not  expect  him  to  commit  himself  by  a  premature  answer, 
believing  that  if  the  Professor  felt  it  was  for  the  interest  of  the  pro- 
fession he  would  have  replied  to  the  questions.  Professor  Gamgee 
thinks  that  the  horse  did  not  suffer  from  rheumatism  at  all ;  we  are 
all  fond  of  seeing  things  in  the  way  our  'preconceived  ideas  can  best 
understand  and  account  for.  I  cannot  help  thinking  that  the  Pro- 
fessor was  actuated,  probably  unconsciously,  by  this  spirit,  when  he 
doubted  my  ability  to  diagnose  rheumatism  supervening  upon  a  case 
of  influenza,  which  was  daily  under  my  observation ;  for  if  he  has 
really  seen  horses  suffering  from  acute  rheumatic  inflammation  of  the 
dense  tissues  of  the  joints,  &c.,  suddenly  appearing  in  one  leg,  and  as 
suddenly  getting  better  to  appear  in  another  leg,  with  the  acute  pain 
in  the  spot  affected,  he  will,  I  think,  upon  consideration,  give  me 
credit  for  the  power  to  discriminate  between  rheumatism  of  the  fet- 
locks, and  effusion  into  them  from  diseased  feet.  Notwithstanding 
the  Professor's  doubts,  I  must  assure  him,  and  your  readers  also,  that 
the  horse  was  affected  with  rheumatic  inflammation,  quite  independent 
of  the  foot  disease ;  the  latter  existed  some  four  months  prior  to  the 
rheumatism,  which  followed  influenza,  during  the  convalescence,  as  is 
stated  in  my  note  of  11th  April.  Professor  Gamgee  will,  perceive  this 
upon  referring  to  it.  I  have  not  been  able  to  find  that  I  mentioned 
feet  in  either  of  my  letters,  and  draw  the  Professor  s  attention  to  his 
remarks  upon  this  subject. — ^I  have  the  honour  to  be,  sir,  your 
obedient  servant, 

Alfred  J.  Owles, 
Veterinary  Surgeon,  General  Staff. 


In  replying  to  Mr  Owles's  letter  of  5th  May,  in  which  he  asks  for 
more  elucidation  on  the  case  reported  by  him,  and  commented  on  by 
myself  in  the  last  issue  of  the  Review,  I  will  make  such  further  obser- 
vations as,  with  some  new  facts  given,  seem  to  me  to  be  called  for. 

Mr  0.  lays  stress  on  my  silence  about  the  piece  of  tendon,  to 
which,  though  it  is  very  carefully  preserved  for  any  future  reference 
if  required,  I  did  not  and  cannot  attach  any  importance  whatever 
in  my  deductions.   To  regard  the  condition  of  the  synovial  membrane 


302  FBACTUBES  OF  A  NAYICULAB  BONE. 

of  a  joint,  when  the  bone  over  which  it  glides  was  found  to  be  frac- 
tured in  two  places,  in  any  other  light  than  a  dependent  phenomenon 
in  the  sequence  of  changes,  would  be  to  mix  up  causes  and  effects, 
with  the  liability  of  placing  the  latter  first  in  order. 

I  shall  not  dilate  on  the  different  aspects  which  Mr  Owles's  case 
has  assumed,  even  historically  regarded,  to  what  appeared  by  the  tenor 
of  his  note,  published,  which  accompanied  the  pathological  specimen. 
It  now  turns  out  that,  instead  of  the  case  being  one  of  sudden  transi- 
tion from  complete  soundness  to  incurable  lameness,  the  horse  was 
known  to  have  been  lame  soon  after  he  began  work,  two  or  three 
years  before  his  death ;  that,  in  fact,  he  was  bred,  had  lived  and  been 
fed  for  eight  years  altogether,  without  rendering  the  least  service  for 
the  cost  and  trouble  encountered. 

Mr  0.  thinks  that  I  dismiss  his  notion  of  the  enlargement  of  the 
pasterns  of  both  fore  feet  of  the  horse  on  insufficient  premises ;  to 
which  in  reply,  I  beg  to  state  that,  without  having  seen  the  horse, 
some  of  the  views  I  take  are  only  published  as  opinions  and  offered 
as  suggestions.  Taking  the  history  of  the  case,  however,  with  its 
termination,  we  have  ample  grounds  for  showing  much  of  what  must 
have  been  the  condition  of  structures  before  death. 

Mr  Owles  submits  the  question,  "  Did  the  fractures  occur  at  the 
commencement  of  the  dise9»se,  i.e.,  in  June  1862,  or  subsequently  to 
that  date?''  Why,  most  assuredly  within  a  few  days  only  of  the 
horse's  death. 

I  believe  that  when  the  crippled  horse  fell  into  the  knacker's  pos- 
session, the  latter  would  use  the  animal  regardless  of  the  sufferings 
he  endured,  but  after  the  navicular  bone  became  fractured,  as  it  did 
under  exertion,  the  loose  fragments  of  bone  rendered  locomotion  and 
exertion  impossible,  through  physical  causes. 

The  case,  as  it  appears  to  me,  ran  its  course  in  the  ordinary  way, 
by  which  large  numbers  of  the  best  horses  in  this  country  are  con- 
stantly going  to  the  dogs.  Failing  to  prevent  the  occurrence  of  lame- 
ness in  the  first  instance,  or  of  making  out  intelligibly  the  cause  after 
it  occurred,  it  is,  in  the  order  of  things,  rationally  viewed,  that  change 
of  structures  should  succeed,  as  they  did,  and  the  consequences  be- 
came inevitable. 

I  can,  from  my  own  collection  of  specimens,  produce  a  hundred 
coffin  and  navicular  bones  variously  changed  from  their  natural  con- 
dition, and  about  one-fifth  of  that  number  fractured,  in  various  ways. 
These  fractures  are  found  to  have  happened  at  various  periods  before 
the  horses  were  destroyed,  in  some  complete  and  in  others  partial 
imion  of  the  fractures  had  become  established. 

Mr  Owles  hints  that  I  have  misrepresented  him  by  saying  that  he 
mentioned  two  feet  when  he  described  the  lameness  of  the  horse ;  these 
are  his  own  words : — "  Subsequently  to  the  lameness  he  had  influenza 
badly,  and  rheumatism  fallowed ;  the  latter  attacked  both  fore  fet- 
locks!*   Fetlocks  I  regard  as  regions  of  the  feet,  and  intimately  allied 


FBACTXJBES  OF  A  KAYICULAB  BONE.  303 

in  construction  and  functions  to  the  parts  immediately  involved  as 
the  first  seat  of  disease  in  the  case.  , 

Lest  I  may  be  accused  of  dismissing  Mr  Owles'  theory  on  the 
rheumatic  character  of  the  affection  without  due  consideration,  I  will 
remark  incidentally  that,  in  the  account  of  the  case  referred  to,  I  can 
see  nothing  to  indicate  the  presence  of  rheumatism ;  and  while  I  am 
not  saying  that  horses  are  not  subject  to  that  disease — on  the  con- 
trary, maintain  that  cases  of  it  do  occur,  yet  very  rarely,  and  under 
peculiar  complicated  states  of  the  animal  economy — it  is  very  im- 
portant that  questions  of  such  magnitude  should  be  abstractedly 
considered;  only  admit  probabilities  and  assume  the  occurrence  of 
phenomena,  when  there  is  hardly  a  possibility  and  no  evidence  of  the 
occurrence,  and  all  kinds  of  fancies  will  follow  and  loopholes  for 
evading  the  truth  thereby  be  opened. 

There  are  few  questions  which  have  led  to  so  much  falsehood 
unwittingly  uttered,  as  those  relating  to  lameness  in  horses ;  and  just 
in  proportion  to  the  extent  of  ignorance  which  predominates,  so  does 
evasion  of  the  truth  reign ;  instead  of  simple  exposition  of  the  matter 
with  all  the  good  which  such  a  course  would  involve,  only  give  more 
latitude  to  excuses  and  they  will  multiply ;  or  do  what  alone  would  be 
to  the  right  purpose,  accept  nothing  that  does  not  admit  of  clear 
demonstration,  and  then  new  inquiries  and  a  new  era  in  veterinary 
science  in  this  country  will  begin. 

The  professional  and  commercial  man  are  alike  driven  to  shifts 
and  violate  the  truth,  when  insufficient  understanding  on  matters  for 
their  purpose  is  present.  The  absence  of  knowledge  of  the  rules  of 
arithmetic,  and  the  value  of  the  commodities  he  deals  in,  makes  the 
merchant  inexact  and  involuntarily  unjust;  while  the  professional 
man,  from  not  being  cognizant  of  real  causes,  extemporises  false 
ones. 

Apropos  to  the  question  of  rheumatism  in  horses  may  be  men- 
tioned an  incident  which  will  be  fresh  in  the  minds  of  turf  men. 
In  1855,  Mrs  Osbaldiston's  horse,*' Rifleman,"  was  lame  at  Doncaster, 
and  from  that  cause  alone,  it  is  believed,  was  unable  to  win  the  St 
Leger.  Professor  Spooner,  being  consulted  at  the  time,  declared  that 
the  horse  was  affected  with  rheumatism. 

We  have  had  the  times  when  forefoot  lameness  of  horses,  into 
the  characters  of  which  men's  minds  had  not  penetrated,  were  passed 
off  for  shoulder  affections,  chest  founder,  &c. ;  and  unless  care  be 
taken  to  check  hastily  extemporised  notions,  the  burden  will  be  found 
to  have  only  been  shifted  from  one  shoulder  to  the  other. 

The  difference  between  true  and  false  representations  of  such 
cases,  leads  to  the  difference  between  the  perpetuation  of  misery  and 
loss,  and  that  of  going  to  the  root  of  the  evil  and  avoiding  its  con- 
sequences. Joseph  Gamgee. 

New  Vbterinabt  College, 
%th  May  1S65. 


304  TOWN  DAIBT  MANAGEMENT. 

TOWN  DAIRY  MANAGEMENT. 

No  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  sinee  the  practice  of  town 
dairymen  was  to  purchase  aged  cows,  shut  them  up  in  any  available 
shed,  feed  them  for  the  production  of  a  large  quantity  of  milk,  and 
breed  from  theooL  The  life  of  a  town  dairy  cow  often  extended  over 
aeveral  years,  especially  when  the  feeder,  having  accumulated  capital, 
was  in  a  position  to  have  a  farm,  where  a  certain  number  of  cows 
•could  be  kept  for  two  or  three  months  prior  to  the  period  of  the 
birth  of  a  wdf,  which  was  in  its  turn  either  to  supply  the  veal  market 
or  attain  the  age  of  a  breeding  cow  or  a  fattening  bullock. 

Contagious  diseases  were  thus  unknown.  They  first  appeared 
about  1833 ;  so  that  up  to  that  period  the  cows  in  town  sheds  suf- 
fered simply  from  occasional  accidents  or  local  diseases.  The  most 
malignant  affection  was  that  observed  in  very  abundant  milkers  after 
a  long  period  of  existence  in  the  dark  dungeons  termed  town  dairies. 
That  malady  was  phthisis  or  consumption — a  disease  rarely  seen 
nowadays,  owing  to  the  rapidity  with  which  young  stock  is  killed 
out 

The  lung  disease — contagious  pleuro-pneumonia — ^brought  about  a 
great  change  in  town  dairy  management.  A  check  was  at  once  given 
to  the  accumulation  of  stock.  Cows  did  not  live  to  breed,  and  if 
purchased  lean,  were  soon  consigned  to  the  knacker  or  the  sausage 
shop.  Breeding  from  town  cows  ceased  ;  and  whereas  formerly  about 
ten  thousand  cows  would  live  on  for  three  or  four  years  in  London, 
the  same  number  barely  survived  ten  months  after  the  introduction 
of  foreign  plagues  in  the  metropolitan.dairies.  The  bulls  which  were 
once  kept  in  the  town  dairies  soon  proved  unprofitable,  and  the  trade 
adapted  itself  by  purchasing  heavy,  young,  and  fat  cows  ready  for  the 
butcher  at  any  moment,  when  seized  with  illness.  The  mortality  has 
attained  such  high  proportions  as  to  reduce  to  poverty  those  who  did 
not  alter  their  practice  to  suit  a  new  state  of  things ;  whereas  many 
discovered  that  farm  cows  for  the  first  four  or  five  months  after 
calving  always  secured  such  an  abundant  supply  of  milk  as  to  meet 
much  of  the  loss  entailed  by  disease.  Milk  dilution  and  other  ques- 
tionable practices  soon  enabled  the  dairymen  of  large  cities  to  carry 
on  thriving  businesses,  and  accumulate  wealth. 

The  diseases,  however,  continue.  Cows  which  were  once  worth 
from  £10  to  £16,  are  now  fetching  from  £14  to  £30.  The  dairy  and 
breeding  districts  of  the  country  have  been  thinned.  The  veal  trade 
has  passed  entirely  into  the  hands  of  the  foreigner,  and  instead  of  in- 
creasing our  supply  of  fat  stock,  it  has  in  no  way  kept  pace  with  the 
country's  requirements. 

There  are  two  means  whereby  hopes  may  be  entertained  of  bring- 
ing about  a  beneficial  change  in  these  matters. 

The  first  is  by  adopting  adequate  legislative  means  to  check  the 
progress  of  contagious  disease,  and  compelling  town  dairymen  to  treat 
their  animals  in  a  proper  manner. 


TOWN  DAIBT  liANAGEMENT.  305 

The  second  and  moie  promising  method  is  by  demonstrating  how 
animals  may  be  kept  in  health,  and  wholesome  produce  supplied  at 
a  cheap  rate  to  the  public.  This  demonstration  can  be  readily  and 
profitably  aflTorded,  to  the  great  benefit  not  only  of  the  milk  con- 
sumers, but  of  the  British  stockowners  generally,  who  have  not  yet 
learned  how  to  deal  with  plagues  which  are  constantly  curtailing  the 
farmers'  resources. 

A  rational,  enlightened  system  of  farm  and  dairy  management 
adapted  to  the  wants  of  our  growing  population,  would  confer  a  last- 
ing boon  on  British  agriculture.  It  would  economise  our  stock, 
spare  more  for  breeding  purposes,  render  the  cattle-rearer's  business 
less  hazardous  and  more  profitable,  and  enable  us  to  produce  a  larger 
quantity  of  wholesome  animal  food  than  we  can  so  long  as  the  pres- 
ent management  continues. 

No  trade  is  more  profitable  than  that  of  a  town  dairyman.  Were 
it  not  so  how  would  the  thousands  of  our  cow-keepers  have  withstood 
the  enormous  annual  losses  they  have  sustained  ?  These  losses  can 
with  great  certainty  be  curtailed  ;  and  I  am  not  aware  of  any  form  of 
investment  which  will  better  pay  than  that  of  furnishing  adequate 
capital  for  an  improved  method  of  town  dairy  management  What 
this  should  be  may  next  engage  our  attention,  and  it  is  proposed  to 
divide  the  subject  under  various  heads  : — 

First 
a.  Position  and  nature  of  buildings. 
6.  Breed  and  general  character  of  stock. 

c.  Purchase  and  sale  of  stock,  and  method  of  preventing  con- 

tagious diseases. 

d.  Feeding  of  cows. 
€,   Labour. 
f.  Collection,  carriage,  and  sale  of  milk. 

Distribution  of  manure,  liquid  and  solid. 
Method  of  testing  the  daily  supply  of  milk. 

Secondly. 

a.  Total  expenditure  in  buildings,  stock,  &c. 

6.  Do.  do.         in  feeding  and  management. 

c.  Do.    receipts  in  trade. 

d.  General  results. 

I. 
a.  Position  and  Nature  of  Buildings. 

It  has  been  proved  by  the  medical  o£5cers  of  health  in  the  metro- 
polis and  elsewhere,  that  human  health  sufiers  from  cow-sheds  being 
permitted  to  remain  in  the  heart  of  any  large  town  surrounded  by  the 
houses  of  the  people. 

The  advantages  afforded  by  railways  enable  us  to  secure  cheap 
ground  apart  from  human  dwellings,  though  the  distance  from  town. 


t 


306  TOWN  DAIRY  MANAGEMBNT. 

if  possible,  should  not  be  large.  In  fact,  suburban  districts  are  suflS- 
ciently  open  to  admit  of  proper  dairies  being  established  there,  with  a 
view  to  a  direct  supply  of  milk  delivered,  with  the  aid  of  horses  and 
properly-constructed  vans. 

The  buildings  should  include  spacious,  well-ventilated  and  properly- 
subdivided  cow-sheds,  divided  into  various  yards.  These  must  afford 
separate  quarantine  accommodation  for  newly-bought  stock ;  a  second 
yard  for  the  first  transference  from  the  quarantine  shed ;  and,  lastly, 
the  stabling  for  standing  stock  of  cows.  Proper  stabling  for  horses 
and  storehouses  for  provender  are  essential 

In  addition  to  this,  a  large  well-ventilated  dairy,  with  proper  uten- 
sils, ample  provision  for  washing  and  scalding  tubs,  &c.,  complete  the 
requirements.  It  is  desirable  to  have  space  in  the  several  yards,  or 
adjoining  them,  for  the  movement  of  stock,  and  moderate-sized  pad- 
docks would  be  desirable. 

Whenever  a  very  extensive  dairy  is  established,  a  manager's  house 
and  labourers'  cottages  would  constitute  a  very  necessary  part  of  the 
buildings  to  be  erected. 

All  the  erections  must  be  of  a  most  ecorfomical  description,  and  it 
is  as  undesirable  as  it  is  unnecessary  to  spend  large  sums  in  solid 
masonry.  It  is  estimated,  in  round  numbers,  that  five,  or  at  most 
six,  thousand  pounds  would  cover  all  the  expenditure  in  providing 
accommodation  for  a  dairy  of  1000  cows  and  its  appurtenances. 

6.  Breed  and  General  Character  of  Stock. 

The  best  cows  for  town  dairy  purposes  are  cross-bred  short-horns 
and  pure  Ayrshires.  Some  good  Alderneys  might  be  desirable ;  and 
excellent  cows  can  be  obtained  from  healthy  districts  in  the  north- 
west of  France.  There  is  no  objection  to  Dutch  and  German  cows, 
except  that  they  would  require  great  attention,  with  a  view  to  prevent 
the  introduction  of  the  contagious  maladies  which  it  is  our  primary 
object  to  prevent. 

As  a  rule,  the  standing  stock  of  a  town  dairy  should  be  large  sized, 
of  the  best  milking  qualities,  in  fine  condition,  not  lean  or  too  fat, 
and  of  a  hardy  cross-breed.  The  pure  Ayrshires,  Alderneys,  and 
other  cows  of  choice  small  breeds,  are  specially  useful  for  the  abundant 
supply  of  a  rich-coloured  cream. 

c.  Purchase  and  Sale  op  Stock,  and  Method  of  Preventing 
Contagious  Diseases. 
Of  whatever  breed  the  cows  may  be,  they  should  be  purchased  of 
mature  age,  rather  young  than  old,  and  direct  from  the  breeders. 
Public  markets  and  fairs  must  be  avoided.  Healthy  breeding  districts 
should  be  alone  resorted  to,  and  the  animals  conveyed  in  special 
trucks  thoroughly  disinfected,  and  not  with  any  train  by  which  other 
cattle  may  be  travelling.  It  is  these  precautionary  measures  at  first 
which  will  enable  any  one  to  avert  disease,  and  buy  stock  at  the 
lowest  price. 


TOWN  DAIBY  MANAGEMENT.  307 

All  the  cows  must  be  bought  within  a  month,  and  usually  within 
a  fortnight,  of  the  period  of  calving.  The  travelling  is  apt  to  bring 
on  parturition,  and  when  this  does  not  happen,  an  opportunity  is 
afforded  to  acclimatise  the  animal,  and  prevent  that  very  common 
disease  amongst  well-fed  good  milkers,  viz.,  milk  fever. 

The  newly-bought  animals  should  be  subdivided  into  lots,  varying 
from  two  to  eight  at  most,  in  the  quarantine  sheds,  and  kept  there 
not  less  than  forty  days.  During  this  period,  they  should  all  be 
inoculated,  and  subjected  to  other  special  treatment  for  the  preven- 
tion of  pleuro-pneumonia. 

The  cows  would  then  be  drafted  into  the  second  yard  of  sheds^i 
where  they  would  also  be  kept  in  small  lots,  not  exceeding  twenty  in 
one  stable ;  and  lastly,  they  would  pass  into  the  regular  sheds,  whence 
they  would  only  be  removed  between  the  fifth  and  sixth  month  after 
calving,  to  be  resold,  especially  to  the  country. 

Any  animal  seized  with  sickness,  however  slight,  should  be  instantly 
removed  to  special  infirmary  sheds,  altogether  apart  from  the  estab- 
lishment in  which  the  general  stock  is  congregated. 

The  early  reselling  of  cows  has  been  found  to  be  the  best  policy 
in  town  dairies.  The  expense  of  accommodation  and  maintenance 
is  too  great  to  enable  a  town  dairyman  to  keep  on  cows  when  yield- 
ing little  milk ;  and  in  any  healthy  and  properly-conducted  establish- 
ment all  the  best  cows  should  be  permitted  to  breed*  and  be  sold 
to  farmers  who  would  keep  them  on  to  the  next  period  of  calving, 
when  they  might  again  return  to  the  dairy  whence  they  were  drafted. 
The  period  of  reselling  varies  much  with  different  animals,  but  as  a 
rule  it  should  not  exceed  the  sixth  month  from  the  date  of  calving. 

Cows  such  as  have  been  here  described  would  cost  on  an  average 
somewhat  under  £18  each,  if  Ayrshires;  and  foreign  stock  from 
healthy  districts  are  included.  Short-horn  stock  alone  would  be 
dearer,  if  of  first  quality,  as  it  always  should  be. 

The  calves,  amounting  at  least  to  90  per  cent,  on  the  number  of 
cows,  would  realise  over  head  from  10s.  to  £1,  and  even  more. 

WTien  the  cows  are  resold,  a  deterioration  in  price  of  £3  or  £4s 
might  be  calculated  upon,  so  that  the  cost  and  loss  on  the  stock  would 
stand  thus : — 

Cost  of  1000  cows,  say  at  £20  each,  .      £20,000 

Sale  of  900  calves  at  15s.  each,       .         .    £675 
Sale  of  1000  cows  say  at  £16  each,  16,000 


£16,675 


Loss  on  Stock,         ....        £3.325 

It  is  not  safe  to  calculate  on  less  than  10  per  cent,  of  casualties  of 
all  kinds,  which  would  increase  the  loss  on  stock  to  £5325.  This 
allows  a  wide  margin,  as  it  presupposes  that  all  animals  taken  ill 
would  die  and  prove  absolutely  worthless,  whereas  undoubtedly  the 
majority  would  recover. 


308  TOWN  DAIBT  MANAGEMENT. 

d.  Feeding  op  Stock. 

The  staple  articles  of  food  in  a*town  dairy  must  be  draffs  meal, 
(especially  bean  and  palm  meal,)  turnips,  grass,  and  straw. 

The  cost  of  keep  in  the  vicinity  of  London  would  not  exceed  14s. 
or  15s.  per  week  for  each  cow,  and,  taking  the  largest  sum,  1000 
cows  would  cost  £750  per  week,  or  £39,000  per  annum. 

The  keep  of  16  horses  required  for  the  establishment  would 
amount  to  £750  per  annum,  making  the  total  annual  expenditure  in 
live-stock  provender,  £39,750. 

e.  Management,  Labour,  Collection,  Cabela^ge,  and  Sale 

OF  Milk. 

Any  extensive  dairy  requires  a  shrewd  general  manager,  specially 
acquainted  with  stock  in  health  and  disease.  In  a  company  the  ex- 
penditure attendant  on  a  board  of  directors  must  be  incurred.  La- 
bourers should  be  calculated  at  the  rate  of  one  man  or  woman  to 
every  six  cows,  at  all  events,  for  milking.  In  any  district  a  large 
number  of  women  can  be  secured,  at  a  trifling  weekly  expenditure, 
to  milk  the  cows,  and  by  this  means  the  cost  of  labour  is  reduced. 
This  practice  is  in  force  in  Edinburgh,  Glasgow,  and  other  large 
cities.  Combining  the  expenditure  of  management  and  labour,  it 
would  amount  annually  to  somewhat  under  £5400. 

The  cows  would  have  to  be  milked  twice  daily,  and  the  milk  in 
part  placed  in  the  dairy,  and  in  part  taken  off  at  once.  In  a  large 
city  like  London,  the  sale  of  the  inilk  might  easily  be  effected  directly 
and  indirectly.  In  either  case  it  would,  as  in  Glasgow,  be  placed  in 
corked  barrels,  with  a  patent  stop-cock,  so  that  no  dilution  or  adul- 
teration could  be  practised.  Then  either  the  milk  is  taken  round  to 
houses  with  a  horse  and  van,  or  respectable  agents  are  appointed  in 
various  districts  for  the  sale  of  the  milk.  It  may  prove  best  to  unite 
the  two  systems. 

For  the  purpose  of  transfer  of  milk,  not  only  are  proper  cans  or 
barrels  essential,  but  well-constructed  spring  vans,  to  prevent  un- 
necessary jolting  and  churning  of  the  milk. 

1000  cows  would  yield  on  an  average  £61,000  worth  of  milk  per 
annum.  This  is  calculating  the  milk  at  Is.  per  gallon,  which  is  con- 
siderably below  the  London  retail  price. 

The  manure  of  1000  cows  can  readily  be  distributed  in  any  agri- 
cultural district,  and  would  fetch  £4504'^  10s.  per  annum. 


C^e  f  ttmnarg  |lelrafe  anir  Bittthiam&  lonrnal 


SHELTER  FOR  CABMEN  AND  CAB  HORSES. 

The  extent  of  service  rendered  to  the  public  by  the  system  of  cab- 
letting  in  the  streets  of  every  considerable  town  in  the  kingdom,  has 
become  such,  that  no  attempt  to  devise  means  for  the  amelioration 
of  the  condition  of  men  and  horses  so  exposed  can  be  regarded  as 
nncalled-for  at  the  present  time. 

It  is  some  time  since  our  attention  has  been  drawn  to  the  evils 
which  result  to  men  and  horses,  and  to  cabs  and  carriages  too, 
through  the  way  they  are  exposed,  day  and  night,  to  all  variations 
of  weather,  in  the  metropolis,  and  every  other  town  in  the  kingdom. 

Like  most  other  evils,  this  was  easier  seen  and  to  be  shown  than 
the  devising  a  remedy.  In  the  last  monthly  number  of  this  Review,  on 
the  last  page,  we  reproduced  from  a  contemporary  a  letter,  addressed 
by  a  gentleman  signing  himself  "  A  Mounted  Officer,"  in  which  the 
writer  shows  himself  to  be  fully  sensible  of  the  evil  in  reference  to 
Edinburgh ;  and  in  a  well-considered,  concise  formula,  gives  some 
hints  for  putting  into  execution  a  system  of  covered  cab-stands; 
and  after  calculating  the  probable  expense  of  providing  accommoda- 
tion for  a  given  number  of  cabs,  arrives  at  the  conclusion  that  an 
annual  rental  of  £1  per  cab  would  cover  the  necessary  expense 
entailed. 

With  modern  inventions,  especially  since  Sir  Joseph  Paxton  has 
shown  with  what  facility  large  spaces  can  be  covered  in,  by  means 
of  iron  and  glass,  at  relative  small  outlay,  and  yet  the  structure  be 
ornamental  withal,  the  suggestion  for  covered  cab-stands  has  become 
one  of  practical  facility. 

We  have  no  need  to  enter  on  the  architectural  part  of  the  scheme ; 
and  beyond  offering  one  or  two  suggestions,  we  should  not  presume 
to  advise  on  that  matter. 


310         SHELTEB  FOB  CABMEN  AND  CAB  HOBSES. 

Probably  one  of  the  obstacles  to  be  met  will  be  that  of  available 
sites  in  convenient  parts  of  large  towns  ;  but  against  this  it  may  be 
nrged^  that  no  more  room  will  be  required  for  covered  stands  than 
for  exposed,  open  standing-ground ;  and  virtually  a  cab-stand,  with 
all  its  miserable  associations,  as  at  present,  is  the  reverse  of  satis- 
factory to  behold. 

There  are  four  aspects  under  which  the  general  question  may  be 
taken  into  consideration,  each  affording  scope  for  different  faculties. 
Firstly,  the  men,  their  moral  and  physical  wellbeing ;  secondly,  the 
horses,  their  health  and  physical  fitness  for  work ;  thirdly,  the 
economy  that  covered  stands  would  afibrd,  in  the  diminished  destruc- 
tion of  property  which  would  result ;  and,  lastly,  the  many  ways  by 
which  the  public  would  be  the  better  served — dry  and  clean  vehicles, 
dry  and  comfortable-looking  men  and  horses ;  with  the  enjoyments 
which  the  absence  of  degrading  cruelty  brings. 

As  veterinary  surgeons,  our  attention  is  naturally  directed  towards 
promoting  the  wellbeing  of  horses ;  as  members  of  the  community, 
we  feel  interest  in  the  whole  matter. 


BOTAL  COLLEGE  OF  YBTEBIKABT  SUBGEOKP.  311 


ROYAL  COLLEGE  OF  VETERINARY  SURGEONS. 

The  Twenty-Second  General  Meeting  of  the  members  of  the  Royal 
College  of  Veterinary  Surgeons  was  held  at  the  College,  No.  10  Red 
Lion  Square,  London,  on  Monday,  May  1 . — ^The  President,  Robert 
Lewis  Hunt,  Esq.,  in  the  chair. 

Among  those  present,  were  Professors  Spooner,  Simonds,  and  Gam- 
gee  ;  also  J.  Wilkinson,  Esq.,  the  principal  veterinary  surgeon  to  the 
army.  Messrs  J.  Allen,  H.  T.  Batt,  Charles  Barrow,  W.  Bland,  G. 
Bollington,  Jas.  D.  Broad,  T.  D.  Broad,  G.  T.  Brown,  W.  Burley,  Thos. 
Burrell,  jun.,  Michael  Byrne,  M.  F.  M.  Case,  Jn.  Carless,  H.  J. 
Cartwright,  W.  Cawthron,  W.  Cooper,  W.  F.  Cooper,  Jas.  Cowie, 
Chas.  Dickens,  E.  C.  Dray,  J.  R  Dobsori,  R  H.  Dyer,  W.  B.  Ed- 
munds, W.  Ernes,  W.  Field,  jun.,  Mr  G.  Flanagan,  W.  Giltro, 
Thos.  Greaves,  Jas.  Hall,  Mr  G.  Harpley,  Edn.  Harrison,  M.  F. 
Healey,  T.  P.  Heath,  W.  Helmore,  J.  B.  Henderson,  C.  Hunting, 
Thos.  Jex,  Jn.  Lawson,  G.  A.  Leppie,  C.  Lowe,  DL  M*Lean,  Peter 
Moir,  Jas.  Moon,  Jas.  Moore,  J.  Moore,  jun.  R  Moore,  R  Mosley, 
Chas.  Percival,  Rd.  Pritchard,  W.  Pritchard,  T.  Rickaby,  W.  Rogers, 
Jas.  Rose,  Jas.  Rowe,  Alfd.  Rushall,  Thos.  Sangster,  W.  H.  R  Shaw, 
F.  R  Silvester,  Fk.  Spratt,  F.  T.  Stanley,  Ed.  Stanley,  Mk.  Tailby,  S. 
Tremlett,  Walker  Watson,  J.  R.  Williams,  Jn.  Wiggins,  W.  Wilson, 
S.  H.  Withers,  Hy.  Withers,  JosL  Woodger,  Josh.  Woodger,  jun., 
Ed.  Woodger,  T.  W.  Wragg,  and  the  Secretary. 

The  Secretary,  Mr  Coates,  read  the  advertisement  convening  the 
meeting,  and  also  the  minutes  of  the  previous  general  meeting,  which 
were  duly  confirmed. 

The  following  report  of  the  Council  was  then  read : — 

The  motion  for  the  adoption  of  the  report  was  unanimously  agreed 
to. 

The  meeting  was  addressed  by  Professors  Spooner  and  Gamgee, 
Messrs  Wilkinson,  Ernes,  and  Helmore. 

The  President  stated  that  the  members  of  Council,  who  retired  by 
rotation,  were  Messrs  W.  Burley,  W.  Ernes,  W.  Mavor,  J.  Legrew, 
T.  D.  Broad — and  one  in  the  place  of  Mr  J.  Ellis,  deceased. 

The  following  candidates  were  then  proposed  for  election  : — Mr  M. 
J.  Harpley,  by  Professor  Simonds ;  Edn.  Harrison,  by  Mr  Lawson ; 
C.  Hunting,  by  Mr  Dray ;  W.  Ernes,  by  Mr  Jex ;  T.  D.  Broad,  by 
Professor  Gamgee ;  E.  C.  Dray,  by  Professor  Spooner ;  W.  Burley, 
by  Mr  Withers ;  S.  H.  Withers,  by  Mr  Harpley ;  Rd.  Pritchard,  by 
Mr  Burley;  Jas.  Broad,  by  Mr  Lowe;  W.  Mavor,  by  Professor 
Spooner ;  Jas.  Moore,  sen.,  by  Mr  Brown ;  W.  Thacker,  by  Mr  Wil- 
kinson ;  W.  Helmore,  by  Professor  Gamgee. 

Mr  W.  Pritchard  and  Mr  C.  Percivall  were  appointed  scrutineers. 

The  scrutineers  stated  the  result  of  the  ballot  to  be  as  follows : — 
Mr  Ernes,  53 ;  Mr  Harpley,  45  ;  Mr  T.  D.  Broad,  43 ;  Mr  Mavor, 
41 ;  Mr  Pritchard,  40 ;    Mr  Harrison,  37 ;    Mr  Withers,  32 ;   Mr 
Vol.  I.— No.  VI.— New  Sibibs.    June  1865.  T^ 


312  KOTAL  COLLEGE  OF  YETEBINABT  SUBOEONS. 

Hunting,  28 ;  Mr  Burley,  28 ;  Mr  Dray,  25 ;  Mr  Jas.  Broad,  24 ; 
Mr  Thacker,  23 ;  Mr  Moore,  7 ;  Mr  Helmore,  4t ;  Mr  Stanley,  3. 

The  President  declared  the  following  gentlemen  to  be  elected: 
Messrs  Ernes,  Harpley,  Broad,  Mavor,  Pritchard,  Harrison,  and 
Withers. 

It  was  next  decided  by  lot,  that  Mr  Broad  take  the  place  of  Mr 
Ellis,  deceased. 

It  was  moved  by  Mr  Dray,  and  seconded  by  Mr  Bland,  that  the 
thanks  of  the  meeting  be  given  to  the  President,  for  the  very  able  and 
courteous  manner  in  which  he  had  conducted  the  proceedings  of  the 
day.— Carried  unanimously. 

The  President  returned  thanks,  and  the  meeting  terminated. 

The  annual  dinner  took  place  in  the  evening ;  a  large  number  of 
the  members  of  the  profession  dined  at  the  London  Tavern,  Bishop- 
gate  Street ;  Robert  Lewis  Hunt,  Esq.,  the  President^  in  the  chair. 

At  the  several  meetings  of  the  Court  of  Examiners  of  the  Boyal 
College  of  Veterinary  Surgeons,  the  following  gentlemen  passed  their 
examinations,  received  the  diploma,  and  were  admitted  members  of 
the  body  corporate. 

STUDENTS  OP  THE  BOYAL  VBTERINAEY  COLLEGE,  LONDON. 

April  24. — James  Rumsey  William,  Caernarvon,  North  Wales; 
Charles  William  Clancy,  Brownstown  Lodge,  Baldare ;  Eobert  Wilson, 
Wigton,  Cumberland;  George  CoUey  Bland,  Boston,  Lincolnshire; 
William  Reynolds  Jermyn,  Wymondfaam,  Norfolk;  George  James 
Gould,  Southampton;  Jidius  Sauffer,  Clapham,  Surrey ;  Haydon  Leg- 
gett,  Southall,  Middlesex ;  William  Farmer  Cooper,  Great  Berkhamp- 
stead,  Herts ;  Edward  Cooper  Smith,  Leamington. 

April  25. — Henry  Hobbs,  Newnham,  Gloucester ;  William  George 
Flanagan,  Reading,  Berks ;  Charles  Morgan,'  Wingham,  Kent ;  Dive 
Millener,  Sheemess ;  Alfred  Adrian  Jones,  Ludlow,  Salop ;  Edward 
Price,  Birmingham;  Thomas  Fowler  Hutchinson,  Great  Eccleston, 
Garstang ;  wSliam  Nicolson,  Liverpool ;  William  Northrop  Proctor, 
Bradford ;  James  Pulling  Heath,  Totness,  Devon ;  Charles  Houlden, 
South  Somercote,  Louth ;  William  Chambers,  Fakenham,  Norfolk. 

April  26. — William  Wyer,  Folkingham,  Lincolnshire;  John 
Young,  North  End,  Felsted,  Essex;  Robert  Ware,  Seavington, 
Uminster,  Somerset;  Edward  Samuel  Hewens,  Hayes,  Middlesex; 
Henry  Newson,  Lound,  Lowestoft,  Suffolk;  Charles  Biarrow,  New- 
market, Cambs. 

April  27. — ^Thomas  James  Poulton,  Coggeshall,  Essex;  Joseph 
Coates,  Guildford;  Richard  Homer,  Keighley,  Yorkshire;  James 
Trevitt  Little,  Liverpool;  James  Charles  Bacon,  Upper  Clapton, 
Middlesex. 

STUDENTS  or  THE  EDINBUBGH  VETERINARY  COLLEGE. 

George  Armatage,  Pensher,  by  Fence  Houses;  David  Dudgeon, 


NORTH  OP  ENGLAND  VETERINARY  MEDICAL  ASSOCLiTION.      31 S 

Sunderland ;  William  Allen  Field,  Newbury,  Berks ;  Alexander 
Lockhart,  Glasgow ;  Thomas  M'Crorie,  Monkton,  Ayrshire ;  Eobert 
Moore,  London ;  James  Green  Paton,  Manchester ;  Thomas  Sharpe, 
Hamilton,  Lanarkshire  ;  Robert  Wilson  Sloane,  Carsphaim,  Kirkcud- 
brightshire ;  Frederick  Wall,  Manchester ;  David  Young,  Hamilton, 
Lanarkshire ;  George  Young,  Haddington. 

STUDENTS  OF  THE  NEW  EDINBURGH  VETERINARY  COLLEGE. 

George  Bollington,  Arhover,  Chesterfield ;  William  Bower,  Rud- 
dom,  Norfolk ;  Walter  Henry  Bulmer,  Alford,  Lincolnshire  ;  Middle- 
ton  F.  M.  Case,  Godmanchester,  Hunts;  James  Connon,  Forgue, 
Aberdeenshire ;  Thomas  Douglas,  Moneylaws,  Northumberland ;  Ben- 
jamin Duff,  Edinburgh ;  William  Hunting,  South  Hetton,  Durham ; 
James  M'Kenna,  Belfast;  John  Porritt  Roth  well.  Bury,  Lancashire.; 
William  Rowe,  Coldstream ;  John  Scott,  Auchtermuchty,  Fifeshire ; 
Thomas  Todd,  Peebles ;  Thomas  Wyche,  Wilmslow,  Cheshire. 

STUDENTS  OF  THE  GLASGOW  VETERINARY  COLLEGE. 

Alexander  Anderson,  Glasgow;  Thomas  Campbell,  Garlistown, 
Wigtonshire ;  Peter  Findlay,  Glasgow. 


NORTH  OF  ENGLAND  VETERINARY  MEDICAL 
ASSOCIATION. 

The  Sixth  Quarterly  Meeting  of  this  Association  was  held  at  the 
Rose  and  Crown  Hotel,  Durham,  on  Thursday,  the  11th  May, — 
the  majority  of  the  members  being  present. 

The  President,  Mr  Hunting,  occupied  the  chair ;  and  among  the 
various  transactions,  it  was  decided  in  future  to  hold  the  meetings  at 
one  o'clock,  instead  of  four  o'clock  as  heretofore,  that  hour  affording 
greater  facilities  for  members  reaching  home. 

Six  new  members  were  enrolled,  viz. : — Mr  Matthew  Hedley,  Dar- 
lington ;  Thomas  Plews,  Stockton-on-Tees ;  William  Hunting,  South 
Hetton  ;  George  Hain,  Newcastle-on-Tyne  ;  William  Allison,  Thorn- 
ley  ;  William  Hardy,  Darlington. 

On  the  disposal  of  the  necessary  business  of  the  Society,  Mr  Far- 
row, M.RC.V.S.,  Durham,  complied  with  the  call  of  the  President,  and 
brought  forward  the  following  paper  on 

PARTURITION. 

Mr  President  and  (Jentlemen, — I  have  been  requested,  by  the 
worthy  Secretary  of  this  Association,  to  bring  forward  at  this  meeting 
a  subject  for  the  consideration  of  its  members.  I  consented  to  do 
so ;  not,  however,  with  any  promise  that  I  could  afford  anything  new 
or  interesting.  However,  I  hope  that  which  I  bring  before  you  will 
open  discussion,  and  cause  many  points  of  practical  utility  to  be 
made  known,  and  rendered  valuable. 


311  NOBTH  OF  ENGLAND 

The  subject  of  "Parturition"  is  one,  I  think,  which  has  been 
greatly  neglected  by  both  writers  and  teachers  of  veterinary  medicine. 
I  have  no  doubt  you  will  agree  that  it  is  one  worthy  of  our  considera- 
tion— one  of  importance  to  ourselves,  and  also  to  our  employers. 

It  is  not  the  ordinary  cases  of  parturition  that  we  are  called  upon 
to  attend,  but  the  difiScult  and  extraordinary  ones — cases  that  have 
proved  utterly  out  of  the  power  of  fanners  and  others  who  have  at- 
tempted to  remove  the  cause.  Under  such  circumstances,  we  labour 
against  considerable  disadvantages ;  and  we  require  to  possess  great 
confidence,  with  a  perfect  knowledge  of  the  subject,  to  enable  us  to 
deal  with  the  case  before  us.  This  should  be  done  promptly,  without 
loss  of  time ;  for  in  all  probability  that  time  which  would  have 
proved  the  most  valuable  in  effecting  a  removal  of  the  difiSculties, 
has  passed  away.  This  confidence  and  knowledge  is  best  acquired 
by  practice ;  yet,  by  discussion,  the  best  methods  to  relieve  in  diffi- 
cult cases  may  be  brought  forward,  and  a  great  amount  of  informa- 
tion gained  thereby,  each  member  adding  a  little  to  the  general  stock. 
This,  I  presume,  will  be  the  advantage  we  shall  have  on  this  occasion. 

My  remarks  will  be  purely  practical,  and  drawn  from  no  other 
source  than  long  experience  in  such  cases.  I  feel  less  hesitation  in 
addressing  practical  men,  than  I  should  do  those  not  conversant  with 
the  subject.  I  know  many  of  you  must  have  had  the  same  diffi- 
culties to  contend  with  which  has  fallen  so  frequently  to  my  lot. 

I  have  said  that  we  are  not  called  upon  to  attend  ordinary  cases  of 
parturition;  yet,  I  am  confident  from  long  experience,  that  many 
valuable  animals  and  their  offspring  would  be  saved  annually^  if  we 
were  consulted  at  the  commencement  of  labour,  in  place  of  being 
sent  for  at  too  late  a  period. 

There  are  five  classes  of  animals  that  require  our  assistance, — ^viz., 
the  mare,  cow,  ewe,  sow,  and  bitch — to  the  whole  of  which  I  have 
been  called  to  render  assistance  in  protracted  and  difficult  cases.  I 
shall  not,  however,  in  this  short  paper  attempt  to  extend  my  remarks 
further  than  the  two  first  or  principal  animals. 

The  process  of  labour  in  all  animals  is  attended  with  anxiety  and 
pain,  yet  they  suffer  considerably  less  than  the  human  female,  owing 
to  the  formation  in  them  of  the  parts'  connected  with  the  transit  of 
the  foetus ;  the  horizontal  position  of  the  pelvis  not  requiring  that 
form  and  construction  so  necessary  to  guard  against  abortion.  Al- 
though they  suffer  less  than  the  human  species ;  yet  in  all  there  is  a 
marked  anxiety,  restlessness,  and,  as  the  labour  advances,  considerable 
acute  pains,  which  only  cease  with  the  expulsion  of  the  foetus. 

In  the  mare  this  is  a  most  rapid  operation,  and  her  exertions  often 
the  most  powerful. 

Her  efforts,  while  they  last,  are  attended  with  extreme  perspiration, 
and  in  many  cases  also  with  extreme  exhaustion. 

In  the  cow  these  powerful  efforts  are  not  so  well  marked;  her 
labour  is  slower  and  more  protracted.     She,  however,  requires  more 


VETBEINAEY  MEDICAL  ASSOCIATION.  315 

frequently  our  assistance  than  the  mare,  and  will  bear  up  longer 
under  protracted  labour. 

What,  then,  are  the  general  causes  of  diflScult  parturition,  so  fre- 
quently occurriug  in  the  cow,  and  occasionally  in  the  mare  ?  They 
arise  from  various  and  very  diflTerent  causes. 

First,  From  a  want  of  that  natural  preparation  of  the  parts  through 
which  the  foetus  has  to  pass  in  its  exit  from  the  uterus. 

Secondly,  From  a  want  of  muscular  power  in  the  uterus,  to  press 
forward  its  contents,  arising  in  consequence  of  over  distention  from 
unnatural  fluid  accumulation  within  the  organ. 

Thirdly,  From  morbid  enlargement  of  the  foetus,  either  from  un- 
usual growth,  dropsical  states,  or  decomposition,  when  it  has  been 
dead  some  time  before  the  process  of  expulsion  has  commenced. 

Fourthly,  From  unnatural  presentation  of  parts,  whereby  the  foetus 
cannot  pass  through  the  pelvis  and  external  parts. 

When  the  period  has  arrived  for  the  completion  of  parturition, 
nature  in  ordinary  cases  prepares  the  way  by  a  relaxation  of  the 
parts ;  and  when  the  pains  of  labour  commence,  the  mouth  of  the 
uterus  also  opens  to  allow  a  free  passage  from  within. 

In  some  cases  this  part  remains  undilated  for  some  days,  and- 
generally  causes  considerable  uneasiness  on  the  part  of  the  owner, 
who  often  attempts,  or  wishes  to  have  the  parts  forced  by  an  opera- 
tion. This  should  never  be  done  so  long  as  the  labour-pains  con- 
tinue. If  they  cease,  or  no  improvement  takes  place,  then  we  are 
justified  in  assisting  the  dilatation  with  the  hand,  but  by  no  means 
with  the  knife. 

Another  cause  of  difficulty  occurs  from  a  banded  state  of  the  neck 
of  the  uterus,  and  is  generally  a  very  difficult  one  to  overcome. 

The  muscular  structure  of  the  neck  of  the  uterus  feels  like  a  band, 
or  thick  partition,  stretching  across  one  side,  without  any  tendency 
to  relax  or  give  way.  Such  a  condition  can  only  be  overcome  by 
considerable  patience,  and  continued  pressure  on  the  parts.  Cases 
do  occur,  when  there  is  no  dilatation  or  opening  of  the  os-uteri  at  the 
natural  period,  and  the  foetus  is  not  expelled  for  months  after.  I 
have  met  with  many  cases  of  this  kind  in  the  cow,  but  never  in  the 
mare. 

In  the  second  class  of  difficult  cases — those  in  which  exists  a  want 
of  muscular  power  to  expel  the  foetus  from  the  presence  of  a  large 
quantity  of  water  within  the  coverings — delivery  is  most  easily 
effected  by  breaking  down  the  membranes,  and  allowing  the  fluid  to 
pass  off;  the  foetus  is  then  to  be  brought  up,  and  extracted  in  the  usual 
way. 

The  mare  is  not  liable  to  this  state  as  far  as  my  experience  goes. 

The  third  cause,  or  that  which  arises  from  extreme  disproportion 
of  the  foetus  to  the  cavity  through  which  it  has  to  pass,  in  some 
cases  attaining  great  size  from  over  nutrition;  in  others  from  dropsical 
states  of  the  head  and  abdomen,  but  more  frequently  from  enlarge- 


316  NORTH  OF  ENGLAND 

ment,  arising  from  decomposition,  when  it  has  remained  some  time 
within  the  uterus  after  life  has  been  extinct. 

In  all  cases  of  this  description,  if  there  is  no  reasonable  probability 
that  the  foetus  can  pass  througli  the  pelvis  and  vagina,  we  must  re- 
duce its  size  by  a  removal  of  one  or  both  limbs.  To  secure  that  end, 
so  long,  however,  as  life  remains  in  the  foetus,  every  effort  should  be 
made  to  save  it ;  but  where  that  is  doubtful,  then  our  only  duty  is  to 
save  the  dam  if  possible. 

In  the  dropsical  states,  when  ascertained,  the  exit  of  fluid  affords 
instant  relief.     I  have  had  cases  of  this  description. 

Fourthly,  The  next  cause  and  most  common  are  those  that  arise 
from  a  false  or  unnatural  presentation  of  the  parts.  They  are  com- 
mon to  both  the  mare  and  cow,  although  much  more  frequent  in 
the  latter.  The  cause  of  this  difference  I  am  not  able  to  account  for, 
but  it  is  met  with  in  practice. 

In  all  unnatural  presentations  it  is  requisite  to  replace  the  parts 
in  the  order  as  intended  by  nature.  They  should  pass  through  the 
pelvis.  Before  any  attempt  is  made  to  rectify^  a  false  presentation, 
air  protruding  parts,  parts  that  have  passed  into  the  vagina  or  pas- 
sage, must  be  returned  into  the  uterus,  In  order  to  facilitate  this 
operation,  the  patient  must  be  placed  in  such  a  position  that  the  hind 
parts  may  be  raised  considerably  above  the  fore  ones.  This  elevation 
will  throw  the  foetus  back  into  the  cavity  of  the  womb,  and  by  the 
change  of  position,  afford  considerable  assistance  to  the  operator. 

The  most  common  form  of  false  presentation  in  the  mare  is  the 
fore  limbs,  without  the  head,  that  part  being  turned  on  the  shoulder, 
or  under  the  breast  of  the  foaL  In  the  early  stage  of  the  labour, 
before  the  fluids  have  been  expelled  from  the  uterus,  this  deviation 
from  the  natural  order  can  be  rectified  with  little  trouble  by  an  expe- 
rienced hand ;  but  after  that  time,  and  when  violent  muscular  action 
of  the  uterus  is  set  up,  it  becomes  no  easy  task  to  the  operator. 

Frequently  the  fore  limbs  must  be  removed  before  delivery  can  be 
accomplished. 

The  hind  parts  presenting,  with  limbs  under  the  belly,  is  another 
cause  of  difficulty.  The  hind  feet  must  be  brought  up  before  ex- 
traction can  be  effected.  This  is  best  accomplished  by  placing  cords 
upon  the  legs,  close  to  the  feet,  and  then  raising  them  while  the  hind 
parts  are  pushed  forwards. 

Another  cause  of  difficulty  arises  from  the  hind  parts  of  the  foetus 
becoming  fixed  in  the  pelvis,  either  from  being  too  large  to  pass,  or 
from  the  stifle  joint  becoming  forced  into  the  pelvis  in  a  contracted 
position.  It  is  then  necessary  to  force  back  the  foetus  into  the  womb, 
in  order  to  extract  it. 

The  treatment  of  the  animal,  after  difficult  labour,  will  be  a  stimu- 
lant in  the  first  place,  and  next  an  opening  drench.     A  strong  embro- 
cation of  mustard  and  ammonia  applied  over  the  seat  of  the  uterus, 
'  and  a  cooling  diet,  with  gruel,* will  be  the  proper  course  to  be  adopted. 
Having  detailed  a  few  of  the  principal  causes  of  difficult  parturi- 


VETERINARY  MEDICAL  ASSOCIATION.  317 

tion,  I  shall  be  glad  to  have  the  opinions  of  the  gentlemen  present, 
many  of  whom  must  have  had  quite  as  much  experience  in  such 
cases  as  I  have  had. 

A  lengthened  and  animated  discussion  succeeded  the  reading  of 
tke  paper,  in  which  most  of  the  members  took  part ;  resulting  in 
the  bringing  together  of  many  valuable*  opinions  and  details  of 
experience  gathered  during  continued  practice  among  the  animals 
referred  to. 

Vith  regard  to  the  greater  prevalence  of  difficult  cases  of  parturi- 
tion in  the  cow,  as  compared  with  the  mare,  it  was  generally  believed 
tha:  such  were  the  reslult  of  the  varying  outline  of  the  rumen,  and 
probably  also  from  the  common  practice  in  these  animals  of  "  rigging 
each  other." 

Mr  McGregor  said  he  had  found  young  Dutch  and  Irish  cattle, 
after  being  landed  here,  very  liable  to  false  presentations  in  labour, 
which  he  attributed  to  the  poverty  and  generally  weak  state^  of  the 
system,  together  with  the  motion  of  the  vessel  during  sea  passage. 

Mr  Farrow  was  also  inclined  to  the  same  belief,  and  added  that 
excitement  consequent  on  a  voyage  would  also  doubtless  act  with 
power  towards  the  same  end.  A  flock  of  ewes  came  under  his  obser- 
vation recently,  which,  having  been  frightened,  by  dogs  at  the  time 
•of  parturition,  presented  the  lambs  in  every  difficult  form. 

Twisting  of  the  uterus  was  advanced  by  Mr  Dudgeon,  which  he 
believed  was  occasioned  by  rolling. 

The  best  means  to  obviate  such  a  state  was  freely  discussed,  it 
being  the  opinion  of  those  most  practically  conversant  with  such 
anomalies,  that  a  restoration  to  a  natural  position  would  be  eflected 
by  placing  the  animal  on  the  ground,  and  rapidly  moving  the  body 
in  a  contrary  direction. 

Mr  Armatage  drew  the  attention  of  the  members  to  those  condi- 
tions of  parturition  in  the  mare,  in  which  not  only  a  false  position 
of  the  foetus  was  indicated,  but  there  were  unnatural  size  to  contend 
with,  most  powerful  muscular  contractions  of  the  uterus,  and  violent 
eflTorts  on  the  part  of  the  mare ;  such  states  were,  in  his  opinion, 
remarkably  important,  and  required  great  skill  and  energy. 

In  reply  to  these  remarks,  Mr  W.  Allison  supported  Mr  Farrow 
in  the  principle  of  allaying  the  muscular  contractions  by  bleeding 
largely,  and  administering  powerful  narcotics;  and  as  a  means  of 
getting  away  the  foetus,  considered  it  always  more  effective  and  rapid 
to  get  both  the  proper  limbs  into  position  rather  than  attempt  to 
speculate  on  a  withdrawal  by  one  limb  only,  even  should  one  be  in 
the  most  difficult  position, — under  the  body  for  instance. 

If  one  extremity  could  be  raised,  he  had  no  doubt  of  raising  the 
other  also. 

Mr  Hunter  noticed  the  various  forms  of  irregular  contractions  of 
the  uterus  which  had  come  under  his  notice,  and  the  inconveniences 
attendant  upon  them. 


318      NOETH  OF  ENGLAND  VETERINARY  MEDICAL  ASSOCIATION. 

The  question  of  removing  the  placenta  was  next  freely  taken  up  by 
Mr  Allison,  Mr  Dudgeon,  the  President,  Mr  Farrow,  and  others,  the 
general  opinion  being  that  in  cattle  little  or  no  inconvenience  arose 
from  its  remaining  four  or  five  days  in  the  cow ;  but  in  the  mare  ii 
should  be  removed,  if  not  expelled,  after  the  lapse  of  twenty-four 
hours.  In  the  latter  animal  retention  of  the  placenta  gave  rise  1o 
swelled  legs  and  hocks,  and  great  irritation,  from  absorption  of  tie 
putrifying  material. 

Mr  Armatage  adverted  to  numerous  cases  which  had  come  before 
him,  in  which,  shortly  after  parturition  had  been  completed  in  a  pr- 
fectly  natural  manner,  the  animal  would  strain  violently.  The  caise 
of  this  he  had,  in  every  instance,  been  able  to  trace  to  impaction  of 
the  third  stomach,  all  other  symptoms  which  accompany  such  a  st&te 
being  present. 

It  had  mostly  occurred  at  the  first  and  second  parturition,  aid 
among  well-bred  and  highly  fed  cattle.  Considerable  variety  of 
opinion  was  expressed  as  to  the  possibility  of  always  being  able  to 
detect  the  third  stomach  by  external  manipulation  in  the  right  flank 
or  per  rectum;  and  the  policy  of  relying  upon  such  a  proceeding  as  a 
means  of  diagnosis  in  these  diseases. 

A  vote  of  thanks  to  Mr  Farrow  for  his  paper  and  the  earnest 
manner  in  which  he  had  sought  to  place  before  the  meeting  the 
results  of  his  extensive  experience  in  connexion  with  cases  of  partu- 
rition was  moved'  by  Mr  Armatage,  seconded  by  the  President,  and 
carried  by  acclamation. 

The  thanks  of  the  meeting  were  also,  as  usual,  warmly  conveyed 
to  the  President  for  his  services  on  the  occasion. 

The  meeting  was  in  all  respects  highly  successful,  and  manifests 
the  onward  progress  which  the  Society  is  making.  Mutual  confidence 
in  each  other  becomes  a  greater  evidence  among  the  members ;  and 
the  great  value  of  such  associations  rendered  apparent  by  the  assist- 
ance derived  from  the  discussion  of  such  subjects  as  that  brought 
forward  by  Mr  Farrow  and  other  members.  The  benefits  thus  de- 
rivable are  capable  of  being  reduced  and  applied  to  the  everyday 
circumstances  of  each  individual,  which,  when  fully  considered,  are 
calculated  to  make  one  wonder  that,  being  easily  attained,  we  should 
have  been  content  to  remain  so  long  without  embracing  those  prin- 
ciples by  which  they  can  be  invariably  secured. 

The  next  meeting  will  be  held  at  Newcastle-on-Tyne  daring  the 
month  of  July. 


PATHOLOGICAL  ANATOMY  OF  GLANDERS.  319 

PERISCOPE. 


PATHOLOGICAL  ANATOMY  OF  GLANDERS. 
By  M.  Leisebino,  Professor  in  the  Veterinary  School  aJb  Dresden. 

{Bericht  aus  Sachsen,  1862,  p.  121.) 

Glandebs  depends  on  a  neoplasm  of  a  special  kind,  which  may  he  called  the  Olander- 
ous  Neoplasm.  This  neoplasm  is  the  foundation  of  the  malady,  whateyer  may  he  its 
form,  its  seat,  or  its  complications.  All  other  characters  and  phenomena,  whatever 
may  he  their  importance  and  signification,  for  the  purposes  of  diagnosis,  or  even  on 
the  life  of  the  animal,  are  hut  accessory  and  secondary  characteristics.  Glanders 
ordinarily  develops  itself  on  the  genus  Equus  only ;  hut  it  can  he  communicated  to 
other  species,  and  especially  to  man ;  it  cannot  he  identified  with  any  other  malady 
of  these  species.  All  veterinarians  know  its  seat — that  the  neoplasm  is  met  with  on 
the  mucous  membrane  of  the  respiratory  passages,  in  the  sinuses,  the  lungs,  and  in 
the  skin,  when  it  takes  the  name  of  Farcy. 

Yirchow,  who  was  the  first  to  examine  the  deposit  of  glanders,  ("  Handbuch  der 
Spez.  Path,  et  Therap,"  t  ii.  p.  1-408,)  considered  it  as  a  prolification,  or  even  a 
luxuriation,  of  cells  in  the  connective  tissue.  Leisering  looks  on  these  cells  as  the 
essential  elements  of  the  glanderous  neoplasm.  They  usually  show  a  great  variation 
in  size ;  the  majority  resemble  pus  corpuscles ;  but  many  are  twice,  four,  or  even  six 
times  as  large :  there  are  also  a  few  granulations,  often  with  a  glistening  surface ; 
lastly,  beside  the  round  cells  are  found  corpuscles  (the  cells)  of  the  connective  tissue. 
According  as  one  or  other  of  these  cell-formations  predominate— according  as  one 
or  other  develops  more  strongly,  or  as  one  of  the  forms  tends  to  disappear,  accord- 
ing to  the  form  assumed  by  the  intercellular  substance — there  will  be  some  differences 
on  the  glanderous  neoplasm ;  it  will  represent  at  one  time  a  consistent  fibrous  mass 
enclosing  vessels,  and  at  another  a  gelatinous  (colloid)  substance,  having  veiy  little 
consistency.  The  more  rapidly  the  neoplasm  is  developed,  the  more  will  the  round 
cells  predominate,  and  the  less  connective  tissue  will  be  found..  Again,  when  the 
development  is  slow,  the  tissues  affected  by  the  neoplasm  have  little  more  vascularity 
than  in  their  normal  condition ;  whereas,  if  rapid,  there  is  a  considerable  hyperhsemia 
of  the  surrounding  tissues,  and  even  hemorrhages  into  them. 

The  glanderous  neoplasm  agrees  with  other  such  new  productions,  in  having 
neither  proper  cellular  elements,  nor  an  organisation  that  distinguishes  it  in  an 
absolute  manner  from  other  neoplasms.  That  which  characterises  it  is  its  place  of 
election,  its  specific  progress,  and,  above  all,  its  contagious  character.  If  we  compare 
the  glanderous  to  other  neoplasms,  we  find,  on  the  one  side,  a  nodule,  and,  on  the 
other,  a  granulating  sore;  the  glanderous  neoplasm  being  sometimes  so  closely 
related  to  the  last  that  they  are  liable  to  be  confounded,  and .  have  been  by  certain 
schools. 

The  glanderous  neoplasm  shows  itself  under  the  form  of  well-defined  nodosities,  or 
tubercles,  and  of  infiltrations. 

I.— GLANDEBS  IK  THE  VOBlf  OF  NODOSITIES. 

This  form  of  glanders  is  so  exceedingly  common  that  it  has  been  considered  as 
the  habitual  form  of  the  malady,  and  thus  at  certain  times  it  has  been  considered  as 
a  tubercdous  affection.  The  nodosities  vaiy  in  size  from  that  of  a  millet  seed  to 
that  of  a  pea,  rarely  more,  unless  they  have  been  confluent,  or  when  there  is  coex- 
istent infiltration.  They  are  usually  angular  in  the  lungs ;  elsewhere,  they  are  round 
or  oval.  These  nodosities  are  commonly  met  with  in  the  lungs,  where  they  are  so 
frequent,  that  many  observers  believe  they  are  to  be  found  in  eveiy  case.  Thej 
are  veiy  rare  in  the  sinuses,  and  the  eminences  developed  there  are  somewhat  differ- 
ently produced,  as  will  be  seen  when  considering  glanders  by  infiltration.  In  farcy, 
which  may  be  called  glanders  of  the  skin,  nodosities  are  found  abundantly  in  the 
dermis;  but  they  also  extend  more  or  less  into  the  subcutaneous  areolar  tissue,  where 
they  sometimes  attain  to  considerable  dimensions. 

AU  glanderous  nodosities,  whether  situated  in  the  lungs,  nose,  or  skin,  ht.Y«  fasso&sa 
histological  characters.   In  the  fresh  state  they  ure  mot«  ox  \uft  v>^  ^sANxvui^^^^^ 


320         PATHOLOGICAL  ANATOMY  OF  GLANDERS. 

with  a  reddish-gray  colour ;  and  at  this  stage  they  retain  their  proper  vessels,  as  is 
seen  in  examining  the  tubercles  of  injected  langs.  They  may  remain  for  long  in 
this  condition  without  undergoing  further  change,  for  they  are  often  found  in  horses 
that  have  been  long  affected  with  glanders.  At  this  time  they  are  directly  contigu- 
ous to  healthy  tissue ;  and  it  is  only  at  a  later  date  that  a  thin  envelope  of  connective 
tissue  is  developed,  which  becomes  a  proper  covering  for  the  mass. 

They  may  undergo  a  metamorphosis ;  they  may  become  fatty,  caseous,  calcareous, 
or  they  may  ulcerate ;  they  are  subject  to  the  same  changes  as  tubercle,  properly  so 
called.  The  fatty,  caseous,  or  calcareous  transformation  of  neoplasms  in  nodosities 
is  especially  common  in  the  lung;  but  it  may  be  observed  elsewhere  as  well.  It 
begins  always  in  the  centre  of  the  mass,  and  extends  towards  the  periphery.  The 
calcification  in  the  lung  is  sometimes  so  great,  that  it  is  easy  to  press  out  the  tubercle 
from  its  covering  of  connective  tissue.  Ulceration,  on  the  contrary,  is  most  common 
on  the  mucous  membrane  of  the  respiratory  passages  and  the  skin ;  in  this  case,  the 
'  neoplasm  continues  to  reproduce  itself  as  it  is  decomposed. 

Whilst  the  middle  of  the  nodosity  softens  by  an  abundant  production  of  corpuscles 
resembling  pus  cells,  which  form  a  mass  of  detritus — whilst  around  the  margins  of 
the  tumour  new  elements  of  connective  tissue  and  rounded  cells  continue  to  be  pro- 
duced— these  productions  project  from  the  surface  of  the  mucous  membrane,  forming 
what  are  usually  called  ulcers;  the  depth  of  the  ulcer,  the  base  of  the  nodosity, 
being  formed  of  the  same  materials  as  the  borders.  The  ulcers  result  from  the 
metamorphosis  of  the  nodosities,  have  usually  a  rounded  form,  tend  to  increase  in 
size,  frequently  become  confluent,  and  lead  to  considerable  destruction  of  the  carti- 
lages and  bones.  The  ulcers  of  farcy  attack  the  entire  thickness  of  the  skin,  and  do 
not  affect  the  deeper  tissues,  unless  they  are  developed  from  deep-seated  nodules. 

n. — GLANDBBS  WITH  INPILTRATION. 

This  form  is  much  less  known  than  the  preceding,  so  that  a  longer  description  will 
be  given.  The  neoplasm  is  a  fluid  more  or  less  gelatinous,  of  the  consistency  of 
mucilage;  transparent,  reddish,  sometimes  yellow  or  gray.  It  infiltrates  the  tissues 
more  or  less  extensively ;  and  it  will  require  a  separate  study  as  existing  on  the  re- 
spiratory passages,  the  sinuses,  the  lungs,  and  the  skin. 

(a.)  It  is  very  common  in  the  mucous  membranes  of  the  nasal  chambers,  the  lar- 
ynx and  trachea.  There  is  no  projection  from  the  mucous  membrane  which  is  in  a 
state  of  hyperhaemia,  infiltrated  and  puffy,  sometimes  over  an  extensive  surface,  and 
sometimes  in  circumscribed  patches. 

The  modifications  it  produces  on  the  mucous  membranes  are  of  two  kinds.  In  the 
one  case  the  spithion  detaches  itself  over  the  portion  infiltrated,  and  there  is  the  pro- 
duction of  the  glanderous  neoplasm  the  same  as  in  the  noduli,  but  with  a  predomi- 
nance of  spherical  cells.  These  productions  have  not  the  same  consistency ;  they  are 
of  a  whitish  tint,  form  a  projection  on  the  mucous  membrane,  and  feel  soft  and 
velvety.  When  a  mucous  membrane  affected  in  this  way  is  placed  in  watet,  not  only 
the  puriform  matter  but  also  the  product  of  the  modified  connective  tissue  is  sepa- 
rated, laying  bare  the  red  and  corroded  bottom  of  the  ulcer.  These  ulcers  some- 
times cover  a  square  inch  of  surface,  though  oftentimes  they  are  very  much  smaller. 
While  the  neoplasm  is  being  formed,  it  has  a  great  tendency  to  soften,  and  form  a 
mass  of  debris.  These  ulcers  are  found  in  cases  in  which  the  malady  assumes  a  rapid 
course,  or  when  chronic  glanders  takes  on  the  acute  form.  In  the  second  variety,  in 
place  of  softening  rapidly,  the  neoplasm  acquires  a  fibrous  consistency ;  and  after  the 
detachment  of  the  epithelium,  or  sometimes  even  before,  the  neoplasm  presents  a 
strong  analogy  to  the  tissues  of  a  cicatrix ;  and  these  are  generally  considered  by 
veterinarians  as  the  cicatrices  of  ulcers.  The  productions  of  these  pretended  cica- 
trices have  not  been  traced ;  and  the  study  of  their  histology  reveals  that  they.contain 
the  same  elements  as  the  pretended  tubercle,  the  glanderous  nodosity,  only  the  con- 
nective tissue  predominates.  These  neoplasms  take  their  origin  in  the  tissue  of  the 
mucous  membranes,  and  the  submucous  cellular  tissue,  where  they  take  various  forms — 
stellate,  spindle-shaped,  &c.  They  are  above  all,  numerous  on  the  septum  vasi ;  they 
vary  from  an  almost  microscopical  size  to  patches  several  inches  in  diameter.  This 
fibrous  neoplasm  has  not  always  such  a  marked  analogy  to  the  tissue  of  a  cicatrix, 
but  projects  in  a  nodular  form  from  the  pituitary  membrane,  or  appears  as  a 
callosity  on  the  mucous  membrane  of  the  trachea  or  pharynx.  When  parts  affected 
in  this  way  are  plunged  into  water,  the  lesions  do  not  disappear  but  increase  in  size* 
Boaato  render  their  texture  more  apparent    These  neoplasms  ure  white,  bordering 


PATHOLOGICAL  ANATOMY  OF  GLANDERS.  321 

on  the  red  when  they  are  rich  in  vessels.  They  sometimes  show  points  of  hemorrhage 
in  the  substance  of  the  mucous  membrane,  and  in  the  surrounding  tissues.  In  the 
case  of  a  simple  wound  or  an  erosion  in  connexion  with  catarrh,  the  epithelium  is  re- 
generated without  producing  a  cicatrix  or  fibrous  cord,  as  is  seen  in  glanders.  Even 
if  the  wound  is  deep,  and  a  cicatrix  is  found,  it  consists  of  ordinary  connective  tissue, 
and  does  not  contain  the  elements  of  the  glanderous  neoplasm.  The  pseudo-cicatrices 
in  the  course  of-  the  malady  may  soften  and  ulcerate  like  other  glanderous  produc- 
tions ;  but  this  change  is  somewhat  rare. 

Can  these  glanderous  ulcers  or  chancres  be  cured  ?  and  if  so,  what  is  the  character 
of  the  resulting  cicatrix  ?  It  is  difficult  to  answer  this  question  with  certainty ;  but 
up  to  the  present  time  superficial  erosions  only,  and  not  deep  ulcers  have  become 
cicatrised. 

That  form  of  glanders  in  which  we  only  see  elevations  and  pretended  cicatrices  is 
most  tardily  developed;  the  other  symptoms  are  far  from  prominent;  and  there  is  apt 
to  remain  a  doubt  on  the  mind  of  the  observer  as  to  its  real  character. 

We  -find  them  on  the  pituitary  membrane,  smooth  patches  depressed  on'  the  sum- 
mit, and  which  appear  to  be  neoplasms  that  have  undergone  a  fatty  transformation. 

(6.)  The  mucous  membrane  of  the  sinuses  is  also  a  frequent  seat  of  glanderous  in- 
filtration. Here,  indeed,  this  form  is  alone  met  with,  and  not  the  nodosities  or 
tubercles.  When  developed  here,  the  mucous  membrane  is  in  a  state  of  hyperheemia; 
and  in  the  submucous  areolar  tissue  is  a  grayish  colloid  mass,  containing  the  ele- 
ments of  the  glanderous  neoplasm,  and  particularly  the  cells  allied  to  pus  globules, 
fusiform  cells,  and  granulations.  Little  by  little  the  mass  loses  its  transparency :  ves- 
sels appear  in  it ;  and  'the  intercellular  substance  becomes  fibrous.  The  thickened 
mucous  membrane  becomes  indurated,  bulges  irregularly,  and  takes  on  an  aspect 
known  to  be  characteristic , of  glanders.  Besides  the  neoplasm  of  the  connective 
tissue,  there  may  be  developed  an  osseous  neoplasm,  osteophytes,  productions  which 
are  not,  however,  characteristic  of  glanders.  Neoplasms  in  the  sinuses  seldom  soften 
and  ulcerate. 

(c.)  Lungs  affected  with  glanderous  nodosities  are  usually  infiltrated  as  well,  though 
sometimes  to  such  a  limited  extent,  that  it  is  not  observed.  It  is  noticed  above  all 
towards  the  free  borders  of  the  pulmonary  lobes,  and  immediately  under  the  pleura^ 
though  sometimes  they  exist  in  the  parenchyma.  This  form  of  glanders  has  a  re- 
semblance to  lobular  pneumonia,  and  thus  has  proved  a  source  of  confusion.  The 
pulmonary  tissue  is  first  impregnated  with  a  yellow  gelatinous  mass,  and  the  surround- 
ing parts  are  in  a  state  of  hj  perhsemia.  Soon  it  changes,  and  if  the  spherical  cells 
predominate  it  l>ecomes  hard,  and  resembles  gray  hepatisation.  These  neoplasms, 
which  may  acquire  very  large  dimensions,  are  susceptible  of  undergoing  the  same 
metamorphoses  as  the  nodosities ;  they  may  soften,  but  more  commonly  they  take  on 
the  caseous  or  calcareous  change.  If,  on  the  contrary,  the  connective  tissue  predo- 
minates, nodosities  of  a  fibrous  texture  are  met  with,  which  compress  the  pulmonary 
mass.  The  surrounding  parts  are  abnormally  vascular,  whereas  the  contained  mass 
is  destitute  of  blood.  There  are  often  fibrous  prolongations  of  the  neoplasm,  which, 
under  the  pleura,  present  similar  characters  to  those  of  the  pretended  cicatrices  on 
the  pituitary  membrane.  Sometimes  pleural  adhesions  are  met  with,  due  to  a  second- 
ary inflammation. 

Lastly,  the  glanderous  infiltration  often  exists  in  the  skin  and  subdutaneous  areolar 
tissue.  Around  the  nodosities  or  farcy  buds,  it  is  ordinarily  infiltration  of  the  dermis, 
and  particularly  of  the  cellular  tissue,  and  may  be  prolonged  into  the  muscles  beneath. 
The  yellowish,  translucent,  humid,  and  purulent-looking  masses  so  often  observed  in 
farcy,  are  only  the  analogues  of  the  infiltrated  parts  of  the  lung  tissue  already  men- 
tioned. Under  the  microscope  it  shows  cells  similar  to  those  of  pus,  cells  of  connective 
tissue  and  granulations,  as  in  other  glanderous  neoplasms ;  they  submit  to  the  same 
modifications,  being  transformed  into  an  abscess  when  the  cells  abound,  or  into  hard 
buds  when  the  connective  tissue  predominates. 

This  description  refers  to  glanders  in  the  chronic  form  chiefly;  but  it  is  probable 
that,  in  the  acute  form,  the  new  productions  are  identical  Leisering  was  unable  to 
get  specimens  so  early  in  the  disease  as  to  allow  a  satisfactory  examination  of  the 
intermaxillary  tumours,  so  as  to  ascertain  whether  they  are  veritable  neoplasms,  or 
simply  a  secondary  alteration  of  the  lymphatic  glands.  Whilst  he  has  never  seen 
nodosities  or  masses  by  infiltration,  it  is  probable  that  the  caseo* calcareous  masses 
observed  in  the  intermaxillary  and  other  glands,  has  an  origin  analogous  to  the  neo- 
plasm of  the  lungs. 
For  gUnders  there  must  thus  be  admitted  a  special  XL^o^VuKOi,  ^.y^xqvSkvxw^  ^^^ 


322  THE  MALT  TAX. 

character  of  tubercle,  but  as  distinct  from  it  as  are  the  simple  granulations  of 
diphtheria.  It  does  not  any  more  approximate  to  syphilis  of  man,  the  essence  of 
which  is  a  special  neoplasm — chancre.  Leisering  argues  with  Dupuy  in  admitting  a 
specific  morbid  alteration  of  the  cellular  tissue,  giving  rise  to  the  production  of  hard 
odcareous  tubercles,  with  a  tendency  to  ichorous  suppuration.  Yirchow  equally  admits 
a  morbid  alteration  of  the  cellular  tissue.  The  learned  professor  at  Berlin,  Foerster, 
and  others,  admit  that  the  glanderous  neoplasms  of  the  nose  own  their  origin  to  the 
luzuriation  of  elements  of  the  connectiye  tissue  of  the  mucous  membrane  and  sub- 
mucous tissue.  Now,  the  same  thing  is  observed  in  the  case  of  the  tubercles  of  the 
lungs,  and  even  in  glanderous  infiltrations.  It  is  notably  in  the  injected  pieces 
of  the  lungs  that  we  can  convince  ourselves  that  the  neoplasm  commences  only  in' 
the  interstitial  connective  tissue. 

A  specific  irritation  provokes  its  formation.  In  most  cases  this  irritation  is  known, 
not  chemically  or  microscopically,  but  by  its  power  of  communicating  itself  by  its 
virus.  If  l^s  virus  is  brought  into  contact  with  the  mucous  membrane  or  skin,  and 
affects  these,  local  alterations  are  first  seen,  and  afterwards  affections  of  the  lymphatic 
system.    This  is  analogous  to  the  operation  of  the  virus  of  syphilis  in  man. 

Once  a  single  neoplasm  is  produced  by  contagion  in  any  part  of  the  animal  body, 
there  exists  in  the  affected  individual  a  source  of  glanderous  virus  which  it  would  be 
difficult  to  dry  up.  This  virus,  conveyed  by  the  humours  from  place  to  place,  pro- 
vokes, in  the  places  of  election,  new  neoplasms;  and  it  may  even  be  communicated, 
like  syphilis,  from  the  mother  to  the  foetus.  But  that  the  lymphatics  charged  with 
conveying  the  virus  are  often  violently  inflamed  with  effusion  into  the  surrounding 
areolar  tissue,  &c.,  there  is  no  ground  for  concluding  that  glanders  is  an  affection  of  the 
lymphatic  system.  The  same  alterations  in  the  glands  and  vessels  are  observed  in 
other  maladies.  Glanders  cannot  be  considered  as  a  disease  with  alteration  of  the 
humours,  though  the  humours  may  be  charged  with  carrying  the  virus. 

The  glanderous  virus  does  not  need  to  be  inoculated  or  to  enter  the  blood-vessels ; 
it  may  be  conveyed  by  the  atmosphere  to  the  respiratory  passages  or  the  skin.  M. 
Leisering  leans  to  the  idea  that  glanders  is  always  due  to  contagion,  though  he  does 
not  altogether  deny  the  spontaniety  of  the  affection. 


THE  MALT  TAX. 
{From  the  Times  of  Saturday,  March  4.) 


Thb  literature  of  malt  threatens  to  become  oppressive.  No  question  of  the  remis- 
■ion  of  tax  arises  but  we  are  overwhelmed  with  pamphlets  and  papers  for  and  against 
the  alteration.  Last  year  Mr  Gladstone  pathetically  coi^essed  that  he  had  struggled 
long  and  hard  to  keep  abreast  of  the  flood  of  publications  on  the  sugar  duties,  but 
was  overcome  a  good  fortnight  before  the  opening  of  his  budget.  This  year  he  has 
to  meet  a  similar  tide,  and  will  probably  experience  a  similar  fate.  Every  day  bringa 
its  speech,  letter,  or  other  argument,  the  greater  part  of  which  tends  unfortunately 
only  to  darken  knowledge.  The  last  contribution  to  the  literature  of  malt  comes, 
however,  from  a  department  of  the  Administration  itself,  and  is  an  exception  to  the 
general  rule.  The  Board  of  Trade  has  issued  a  very  valuable  report  on  the  value  of 
malted  barley  as  food  for  stock.  Excited  by  the  allegations  that  cattle  could  be  fat- 
tened cheaply  on  malt,  and  that  the  abolition  of  the  malt  duty  would  so  far  reduce 
the  price  of  beef  that  we  might  dispense  with  the  importation  of  charqui,  Mr  Milner 
Gibson  has  had  a  series  of  experiments  tried  to  test  their  truth.  Oxen,  cows,  sheep, 
and  swine  have  been  carefully  selected  and  subjected  to  courses  of  feeding  under  cir- 
cumstances precisely  similar,  except  that  for  the  malted  barley  supplied  to  one  division 
or  group,  the  same  quantity  of  barley  unmalted  has  been  supplied  to  another.  The 
results  have  been  a  terrible  commentary  on  the  vanity  of  theory.  In  spite  o{  agri- 
cultural chemists,  Mr  Banting,  and  the  fattening  qualities  of  sugar,  the  beasts  fed 
on  the  unmalted  barley  fattened,  on  the  whole,  better  than  the  others,  and  the  supposed 
mperior  virtues  of  malt  are  altogether  discountenanced. 

The  agitators  for  the  repeal  of  the  malt  duty  must  confess  the  importance  of  thettt 

results  of  experiments,  which  appear  to  have  been  conducted  with  perfect  Aumesfl. 

Until  something  is  done  to  explain  them  away,  the  chance  of  successful  agitation  is 

bat  tUght    The  malt  duty,  considered  as  a  tax  on  beer,  is  a  very  moderate  impotft ; 


THE  MALT  TAX.  323 

on  an  average  it  does  not  amount  to  more  than  one-eighth  of  the  selling  price  of 
beer,  and  the  duty  is,  therefore,  less  onerous  to  the  consumer  than  the  duty  on  tea, 
the  duty  on  coffee,  or  the  duty  on  sugar.  But  if  malt  is  capable  of  any  other  use 
than  as  an  ingredient  in  the  manufacture  of  beer— if,  for  instance,  it  is  of  any  espe- 
cial yalue  as  food  for  cattle,  the  duty  upon  it  may  well  be  oppressive.  This  was  the 
single  point  which  was  effectively  made  at  the  meeting  in  the  Freemasons'  Tavern. 
After  the  county  members  had  discharged  their  harmless  thunder,  two  or  three  tenant 
farmers  of  plain  good  sense  argued  against  the  duty  as  a  hindrance  to  the  feeding  of 
■tock,  and  one  of  them  asserted  that  by  the  use  of  malt  he  could  have  obviated  the 
ill  effects  of  last  year's  drought,  had  not  the  Board  of  Inland  Revenue  intervened. 
The  farmers  in  question  made  no  wild  promises  of  cheap  beef,  but  they  spoke  with 
some  assurance  of  being  able  to  reduce  its  price  2d.  a  pound.  The  experiments  xdade 
by  order  of  the  Board  of  Trade  must  scatter  these  pleasing  visions.  We  can  no 
longer  believe  that  anything  can  be  done  with  malt  which  cannot  be  better  done  with 
plain  barley.  Mr  Lawes,  the  well-known  agricultural  chemist,  who  seems  tp  have 
conducted  the  experiments  for  the  Board  of  Trade,  took  two  samples,  each  of  seventy 
quarters  of  barley,  the  first  of  fair  malting,  and  the  second  of  fair  feeding  quality, 
and  he  malted  and  screened  half  of  each  sample.  He  had  thus  four  parcels— two  of 
malt  and  two  of  barley — with  which  to  carry  out  his  plans.  The  subjects  of  the  feed- 
ing experiments  were  twenty  cows,  twenty  oxen,  each  divided  into  two  lots  of  ten, 
sixty  sheep,  divided  into  lots  of  twelve  each,  and  forty-eight  pigs,  divided  into  lots  of 
eight  each.  The  animals  were  selected  so  that  those  in  each  class  should  be  as  far  as 
possible  of  the  same  size,  breed,  and  constitution ;  but,  to  make  the  trial  fairer,  they 
were  put  under  a  process  of  training  before  they  were  subjected  to  the  final  and  per- 
fect experiment  Thus,  the  twenty  cows  were  selected,  weighed,  and  placed  apart, 
and  for  a  fortnight  each  received  exactly  the  same  food  of  cake,  meal,  chaff,  and 
swedes.  At  the  end  of  the  fortnight  they  were  weighed  again,  and  definitely  divided 
into  two  lots,  and  the  exact  experiment  began.  For  ten  weeks  the  cows  received  the 
same  food  as  before,  except  that  each  of  the  first  lot  received  8  lb.  of  the  fair  malting 
barley  daily  instead  of  3  lb.  of  rapecake,  and  each  of  the  second  lot  received  the  malt 
and  malt  dust  produced  from  3  lb.  of  the  barley  instead  of  the  rapecake.  No  excep- 
tion can  well  be  taken  to  the  experiment  as  thus  stated,  and  the  experiments  with 
the  oxen,  sheep,  and  pigs  were  almost  identically  the  same.  The  only  difference  was 
that  feeding  barley  was  substituted  for  malting  barley  in  the  case  of  the  oxen,  and 
the  greater  number  of  the  sheep  and  pigs  allowed  experiments  to  be  made  with  mix- 
tures of  malted  and  unmalted  barley.  The  barley  and  malt  were  crushed  in  all  cases 
except  that  of  the  pigs,  when  they  were  coarsely  ground.  The  animals  were  weighed 
at  regular  intervals  during  the  progress  of  the  experiment,  and  the  milk  of  the  cows 
was  weighed  daily.  At  the  close  of  the  experiment  the  fattening  animals  were  killed 
and  their  carcases  weighed  and  examined.  The  results  almost  uniformly  showed 
greater  fattening  qualities  in  barley  than  in  malt;  the  difference  was  generally  slight, 
but  it  was  quite  perceptible.  The  only  decided  exception  was  furnished  by  the  cows, 
which  fattened  better,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  yielded  less  milk,  when  dieted  upon 
malt  Even  here  the  advantage  was  very  small ;  the  average  weekly  increase  per  1000 
lb.  of  live  weight  was  6*28  lb.  in  the  case  of  the  malt  eaters,  against  6*17  lb.  in  the 
barley  eaters,  while  the  milk  yielded  weekly  per  1000  lb.  of  live  weight  was  only 
137i  lb.  against  146  lb.  The  lactometer  invariably  showed  also  a  higher  proportion 
of  cream  in  the  milk  got  from  the  barley-fed  cows.  The  results  where  mixtures  of 
malted  and  unmalted  barley  were  tried  were  equally  favourable  to  plain  barley ;  the 
sheep  and  pigs  fed  on  this  last  fattened  better  than  those  dieted  on  malted  barley,  or 
on  a  mixture.  The  quality  of  the  stock  when  killed  led  to  the  same  conclusions. 
The  barley-fed  oxen  were  more  even  in  quality  than  the  malt-fed  beasts,  some  of 
which  were  decidedly  superior,  but  others  as  decidedly  inferior  to  their  rivals.  The 
sheep  showed  little  variation,  but  among  the  pigs  those  fed  on  barley  were  in  much 
better  condition  and  of  much  better  quality  than  those  fed  on  malt  The  worst  pork 
was  got  from  the  pigs  fed  on  the  malt  made  of  the  good  malting  barley. 

It  will  not  be  very  easy  to  get  over  these  results  of  actual  experiment  A  given 
weight  of  barley  is  shown  to  be  more  productive  of  milk  in  cows,  and  of  beef,  mutton, 
and  pork  in  fattening  stock,  than  the  same  weight  administered  in  the  shape  of  malt 
andmaJt-dust ;  and  in  considering  the  economic  advantages  of  the  two  kinds  of  feed- 
ing, the  cost  of  malting  must  of  course  also  be  taken  into  account.  The  fact  is  re- 
markable, and  is  perhaps  a  little  opposed  to  our  antecedent  notions  of  probability,  but 
theory  in  such  a  case  must  yield  to  experiment.  It  may  at  once,  however,  be  con- 
ctded  to  those  who  will  be  reluctant  to  receive  the  results  of  Mr  Ii&^^'%Sxc9«i^A9;5K^3L<;)»>» 


324!  BREEDING  OP  HUNTERS  AND  ROADSTEBa 

tliat  there  may  always  be  found  exceptions  to  the  general  truths  he  has  deduced.  We 
know  after  all  very  little  of  the  chemical  and  vital  forces  by  which  food  is  converted 
into  flesh,  and  the  proverb  "  One  man's  meat  is  another  man's  poison"  is  true  of 
beasts  as  of  men.  One  of  Mr  Lawes's  malt-fed  cows  increased  very  largely  in  weight, 
falling  off  at  the  same  time  in  milk  to  an  equal  extent,  while  one  of  his  barley-fed 
cows  actually  decreased  in  weight  during  the  progress  of  the  experiment.  But  what- 
ever value  such  exceptional  cases  may  have  for  the  fancy  breeder  as  hints  for  the 
management  of  young  or  delicate  stock,  they  cannot  be  regarded  by  the  legislator. 
He  must  act  on  a  large  average,  and  it  is  evident  enough  that  there  is  no  case  made 
out  for  reducing  the  malt  duty  in  the  interest  of  beef  and  mutton.  Malt  can,  however, 
only  be  used  as  food  for  cattle  or  as  an  ingredient  in  making  beer ;  and  if  malted 
barley  is  absolutely  less  useful  than  unmalted  barley  in  fattening  stock,  the  duty  must 
stand  or  fall  by  a  comparison  with  the  duties  on  other  beverages.  There  are,  of 
course,  disadvantages  incidental  to  the  duty,  as  there  are  to  all  duties.  It  may  occa- 
sionally discourage  the  sowing  of  land  with  barley  when  such  a  course  would  be  con- 
venient to  the  farmer ;  and  it  undoubtedly  operates  as  a  premium  on  the  best  and  a 
fine  on  inferior  barley  lands ;  but  no  tax  can  exist  which  is  not  open  to  many  objec- 
tioDS.  It  is  possible  that  the  beer  duty  should  have  been  retained  in  preference  to 
the  malt  tax,  but  private  brewers  could  not  easily  be  brought  under  its  operation ; 
and;  though  public  brewers  are  wealthy,  they  would  doubtless  remonstrate  a^inst  any 
reimposition  of  the  tax  upon  them. 


{ 


BREEDING  OF  HUNTERS  AND  ROADSTERS.  , 
{From  the  Scottisli  Farmer.) 

SiB, — Having  for  a  great  many  years  taken  a  deep  interest  in  the  breeding  of 
horses  for  the  road  and  field,  I  read  with  much  attention  two  papers  lately  published 
in  the  Scottish  Farmer  on  the  "  Breeding  of  Hunters  and  Roadsters,"  the  deteriorated 
state  of  the  breed,'  and  the  scarcity  of  first-rate  animals  in  these  two  classes.  Al- 
though agreeing  with  the  writer  in  the  main  points  of  his  argument,  I  beg  to  differ 
from  him  in  several  particulars.  He  justly  observes,  that  no  reason  exists  in  the 
lack  of  eager  and  enthusiastic  sportsmen ;  that  the  glorious  and  exciting  sport  of  fox- 
hunting has  lost  none  of  its  attractions,  is  fully  evinced  by  the  large  fields  that  turn 
out,  and  the  pluck  and  endurance  they  show  in  many  a  clipping  run.  There  is  also 
truth  in  the  writer's  assertion,  that  a  great  many  breeders  do  not  exercise  proper 
'udgment  in  the  selection  of  both  sire  and  dam,  and  are  too  stinting  of  good  keep. 
[n  this,  however,  there  is  nothing  new ;  it  has  been  the  case  ever  since  I  can  remem- 
ber anything  about  the  breeding  of  horses,  and  it  is  only  natural  to  infer,  that  as  we 
are  progressing  favourably  in  other  matters  connected  with  the  science  of  agriculture 
and  rural  economy,  we  do  not  retrograde  in  this. 

My  opinion  is,  that  there  is  really  no  deterioration  in  the  breed,  so  far  as  quality 
is  concerned,  but  there  is  certainly  a  marked  decrease  in  the  number  bred ;  and  the 
true  reason  is,  that  the  breeding  of  such  horses  generally  does  not  pay  ;  at  best  it  is 
a  very  slow  way  of  making  money.  Hunters  do  not  only  require  to  be  bred,  but  to 
be  thoroughly  made  before  one  can  command  a  high  price  for  them,  and  this  involves 
a  great  amount  of  time,  risk,  and  expense.  Besides,  not  one  breeder  in  a  hundred  is 
capable  of  making  them  himself ;  and  breeders  generally  are  compelled  to  sell  the 
most  promising  young  horses  to  dealers  or  middle-men,  who,  if  they  exercise  good 
discretion,  are  better  paid  than  the  breeder  by  at  least  50  per  cent 

Of  late  years  also  the  breeding  and  feeding  of  cattle  and  sheep  have  been  much 
more  remunerative,  turning  over  money  a  great  deal  quicker,  at  less  risk ;  and  hence 
80  long  as  the  relative  value  of  cattle,  sheep,  and  horses  remains  as  it  is,  there  will 
be  fewer  of  the  latter  bred. 

That  the  breeding  of  half-bred  horses  will  not  pay,  under  any  circumstances,  I 
would  by  no  means  argue ;  but  people  who  do  not  exercise  great  judgment  had  better 
not  breed  at  all.  I  endorse  your  writer's  assertion,  that  great  care  should  be  observed 
in  the  selection  of  the  dam,  as  she  exercises  even  greater  influence  on  her  progeny 
than  the  sire.  She  ought  to  be  a  lengthy,  low-legged,  deep-ribbed  animal— «  good 
mover,  with  good  temper,  good  constitution,  great  substance,  and  free  from  all  natu- 
J9l  in&rmiUeB.    1  would  consider  one  tnare  of  such  a  stamp,  if  judiciously  crossed. 


GOITRE  IN  THE  DOMESTIC  ANIMALS.  325 

and  her  produce  well  attended  to,  as  likely  to  pay  her  way  on  an  ordinary-sized  farm, 
or  ttoo  at  most  By  not  having  too  many  coming  into  work  at  the  same  time,  a  man 
has  a  better  chance  of  selling  a  really  good  horse,  if  he  be  fortunate  enough  to  breed 
one,  to  the  greater  adyantage.  Tour  writer  deprecates  the  practice  of  breeding  from 
old  mares,  which,  he  says,  invariably  breed  "  slugs."  In  this  I  cannot  coincide  with 
him.  Some  horses  and  mares  of  good  constitution  preserve  their  functions  unim- 
paired even  to  old  age,  and  transmit  them  to  their  progeny.  This  we  have  seen  in 
the  case  of  **  Blinkbonny,"  bred  from  a  middle-aged  mare  and  an  old  horse,  and  many 
others,  equally  striking.  He  says,  tlie  best  age  to  put  a  mare  to  breed  is  at  six  or  seven 
years  old;  but  surely  he  forgets  that  such  as  he  describes  would  at  that  age  be  a  very 
expensive  brood  mare  to  begin  with,  worth  at  least  three  figures.  I  would  not  object 
to  such  a  mare  after  she  had  carried  a  heavy  weight  to  hounds,  without  her  legs  giving 
way,  till  she  had  entered  into  her  teens  or  got  disabled  by  accident.  She  would  then 
have  her  muscles  more  fully  developed,  I  should  know  what  she  was  made  of,  and,  if 
her  produce  did  not  belie  her  promise,  I  should  certainly  not  discard  her  so  long  as 
nature  proved  she  was  capable  of  propagating  her  species. 

In  selecting  a  sire,  I  would  prefer  him  with  purity  of  blood ;  would  look  less  to 
large  frame  than  to  style  and  symmetry,  and  less  to  speed  than  to  power  and  endur- 
ance. If  a  race-horse,  I  would  prefer  one  that  had  carried  heavy  weights,  run  long 
distances,  and  trained  on  to  six  or  seven  years  old,  sound  in  wind  and  limb,  to  an  in- 
firm horse  that  had  made  the  most  brilliant  career  on  the  turf  as  a  two-or-three-year- 
old ;  but  would  not  object  to  a  horse  too  slow  for  racing  on  the  flat,  provided  he  pos- 
sessed stamina  and  good  staying  blood;  such  a  horse  would  be  likely  to  produce 
hunters  quite  fast  enough  to  live  with  hounds  across  a  severe  country. 

Your  writer  indulges  in  some  theories  about  country  stallions,  which  I  think  he 
would  find  some  difficulty  in  reducing  to  practice.  I  cannot  coincide  with  his  idea  of  re- 
versing the  present  order  of  things,  and,  instead  of  charging  double  price  for  thorough- 
breds, either  charging  double  for  coarse  agricultural  mares  or  prohibiting  his  horse 
from  serving  them  at  all.  The  first  alternative  would  be  impracticable,  the  latter 
unprofitable ;  besides,  some  of  these  mares,  if  of  a  good  colour  and  put  to  a  horse  of 
fine  quality,  might  produce  a  good  carriage  or  drosky  horse,  which  sometimes  pays  as 
well  as  a  hunter ;  and  at  the  close  of  the  season  the  owner  of  a  country  stallion  has 
usually  a  very  small  margin  of  profit  after  taking  all  he  can  get,  rag-tag  and  hohtail. 

Lastly,  the  writer  of  the  papers  alluded  to  recommends,  as  the  easiest  and  most 
likely  way  of  remedying  the  evil  he  complains  of,  that  country  gentlemen  in  each  dis- 
trict should  purchase  first-class  stallions,  and  put  such  a  price  on  their  services  as  far- 
mers vfill  pay,  looking  for  remuneration  not  to  their  services,  but  from  the  higher 
class  of  young  stock  they  would  be  able  to  purchase.  I  object  to  this  in  toto;  be- 
cause it  would  be  acting  foolishly  to  dispose  of  one's  property  below  prime  cost;  and 
even  were  one  inclined  to  indulge  in  such  philanthropy,  it  would,  I  am  afraid,  be 
misplaced.  It  would  just  be  an  inducement  to  others  to  bring  horses  into  competi- 
tion with  him  of  an  inferior  stamp,  with  which  they  would  stUl  contrive  to  undersell 
him,  as  it  is  notorious  that  with  many  breeders  cheapness  and  convenience  will  al- 
ways carry  the  day.  Were  country  gentlemen  to  bring  really  good  horses  into  the 
country  it  would  be  a  great  boon  to  breeders,  even  if  offered  at  a  fair  remunerative 
price.  Good  breeders  would  not  grudge  this,  and  if  others,  from  false  notions  of 
economy,  still  preferred  using  the  screws  with  which  the  country  is  infested,  by  all 
means  allow  them  to  pay  the  penalty  of  their  parsimoniousness,  and  breed  **  weeds." 
— I  am,  &C.,  John  Usheb. 


GOITRE  IN  THE  DOMESTIC  ANIMALS. 

By  M.  Baillabgeb. 

This  is  a  paper  read  to  the  Academy  of  Sciences  on  goitre,  as  observed  in  the  do- 
mestic animals  in  Savoy  and  Isere.  It  sets  forth,  contrary  to  the  opinions  of  some 
veterinary  writers,  that  in  districts  in  which  cretinism  and  bronchocele  prevail,  the 
latter  is  very  common  in  the  lower.  It  is  especially  common  among  mules, — a  curious 
circumstance,  as  these  animals  are  well  known  to  be  unproductive,  and  a  marked 
feature  of  cretinism  is  infertility.  Out  of  thirty  mules  examined  in  Maurienne,  twenty- 
three  were  affected  with  bronchocele,  the  thyroid  body  being  enlaxged  to  the  size  of  a 
hem's,  or  even  a  goose's  e^» 


826  PETRIFACTION  OF  THE  PEEICARDIUBL 

DIFFICULT  PARTURITION  IN  A  MARE. 

By  M.  G.  Canu,  Veterinarian  at  Zorigny-sur-  Vire, 

Ih  this  case  the  mare  had  been  in  Ubour  for  some  hours,  the  waters  had  escaped  and 
vet  nothing  presented.  The  hand  introduced  into  the  yagina  caused  extreme  vio- 
lence of  the  labour  pains,  so  that  it  was  impossible  to  render  any  assistance.  The 
mare  was  largely  bled,  and  it  was  ascertained  that  the  loins  were  presented,  the  back 
being  greatly  bent ;  but  for  an  hour  all  efforts  at  turning  proved  fruitless.  The  in- 
testines of  the  foal  now  appeared  at  the  valva,  the  walls  of  the  abdomen  having  given 
way.  The  whole  abdominal  viscera  was  now  removed,  and  as  the  union  of  the  verte- 
brae between  the  dorsal  and  lumbar  appeared  to  be  giving  way,  their  diqunction  was 
completed  by  the  aid  of  the  knife.  Other  measures  having  failed  to  make  any  im- 
provement, traction  with  a  hook  and  cord  were  employed.  In  this  way  the  two  first 
lumbar,  and  the  last  dorsal  vertebrae,  with  one  pair  of  ribs,  were  brought  away.  The 
hook  was  now  placed  in  the  thigh,  and  the  femur  separating  from  the  acetabulnm, 
one  hind  limb  was  removed.  By  means  of  a  couple  of  hooks  placed  in  the  innomi- 
nate bone  and  the  sacrum,  the  hind  extremities  were  now  withdrawn.  After  resting 
for  some  time,  the  four  limbs  were  sought  for,  brought  into  the  vagina,  and  she  had 
got  into  position  above  them.  Cords  were  attached  to  the  feet  and  the  lower  jaw, 
and  by  the  united  strength  of  five  men  the  remainder  was  drawn  through  the  tume- 
fied and  blackened  vagina. 

The  mare  which,  in  the  latter  part  of  the  operation,  had  fallen  from  exhaustion, 
was  now  covered  with  straw  and  a  thick  cloth,  and  given  tepid  liquids  sweetened  with 
hon^,  injections,  a  warm  bran  poultice  over  the  loins,  and  astringent  application!  to 
the  vagina.  In  two  days  she  was  up  seeking  for  food,  and  on  the  twelfth  day  was 
put  to  work. 


PETRIFACTION  OF  THE  PERICARDIUM. 
By  M  YxRNANT,  junior,  Clameey, 

This  remarkable  specimen,  allied,  as  M.  Yemant  believes,  to  calcareous  phthisis  alfiict 
ing  the  heart,  has  probably  no  analogy  except  in  some  remarkable  cases  cited  by 
Qurlt,  and  by  some  Mecklenburg  veterinarians.  The  heart  examined  out  of  the  chest 
was  not  recognisable.  It  is  a  voluminous  mass,  in  the  form  of  a  quadrangular  pyra- 
mid, wiUi  the  summit  inf  eriorly  and  truncated.  The  transverse  diameter  at  the  base 
IB  greater  than  the  distance  from  base  to  apex.    It  weighed  over  401bB. 

The  calcareous  covering  enveloped  the  whole  outer  snrface  of  the  ventricles,  covered 
the  superior  part  of  the  heart,  the  aorta,  and  pulmonary  arteiy,  and  formed  rings 
round  the  openings  of  the  vena  cavas.  The  auricles  were  lost  in  a  calcareous  mass  of 
great  thickness,  particularly  on  the  right  auricle. 

The  oJcareous  deposit  appears  to  exist  in  the  substance  of  a  fibrous  membrane  in- 
side the  pericardium,  and  most  intimately  attached  to  it  throughout.  The  fibrous 
■heath  is  white  opaque,  having  the  appearance  of  a  lardaceous  fibrous  tissue,  and  vexy 
resistant  to  the  knife.  The  whole  of  the  tissue  is  filled  with  irregidarly-roundea 
masses  varying  in  size  from  that  of  a  small  pea  to  that  of  the  closed  hand.  The 
smallest  of  these  are  easily  pressed  out,  leaving  a  cavity  with  smooth  glistening  walls 
like  the  surface  of  the  mass.  The  deposits  are  yellowish,  very  thick,  and  between  the 
fingers  feel  hard  and  resistant,  presenting,  in  fact,  all  the  characters  of  the  deposits 
in  the  lungs  of  cattle  suffering  from  calcareous  phthisis.  It  was  continuous  with  the 
muscular  structure  of  the  heart  at  the  anterior  and  posterior  borders,  at  the  extremities 
and  lateral  aspects  of  the  auricles,  but  very  loosely  connected  with  it  on  the  lateral 
aspects  of  the  ventricles  at  the  apex  and  the  coronary  furrow.  The  substance  of  the 
heart  itself  was  of  the  natural  size  and  weight. 

The  apex  of  the  heart  was  turned  more  forward  than  is  natural,  and  the  muscular 
structure  was  unusually  pale.  No  lesion  of  the  lungs  or  other  structure  was  ob- 
served. 

It  is  curious  how  the  normal  movements  of  the  heart  could  take  place  in  taeh  an 
unyielding  envelope.  All  that  was  known  of  the  bullock  from  which  it  was  taken 
was,  that  it  was  brought  to  the  abattoir  in  excellent  condition. 


THB  STUD-BOOK.  327 

THE  STUD  BOOK. 
To  the  Editor  of  the  Sjporting  Gazette, 

Sib, — ^A  letter  from  Mr  Goodwin,  which  appears  in  your  Sporting  Oazette  of  last 
week,  headed  as  above,  has  arrested  my  attention ;  and  I  am  thereby  induced  to  adL 
you  to  allow  me  space  for  a  few  remarks  on  the  same,  and  its  relative  questions. 

The  writer  alludes  to  the  circumstance  of  Fille  de  TAir's  name  not  appearing  in 
the  English  Stud  Book,  while  the  names  of  other  horses,  bred,  like  her,  abroad, 
though  less  distinguished  for  merit,  are  found  duly  registered.  As  no  cause  is  made 
apparent  for  the  omission  in  Fille  de  TAir^s  cai^e,  nor  time  elapsed  for  explanation 
to  be  given,  it  may  probably  turn  out  to  be  merely  accidental  or  inadvertence,  to 
which  the  omission  of  the  mare*s  name  is  to  be  ascribed,  and  I  s^all  therefore  not 
dwell  on  that  topic. 

Another  question,  however,  of  greater  moment,  is  raised  by  Mr  Qoodwin,  which  has 
long  occupied  my  attention,  and  therefore  I  readily  fall  in  with  your  correspondent 
in  the  discussion.  I  allude  to  the  exclusion  of  English  horses  from  the  Stwd  Booh 
for  all  time,  whose  progenitors  can  be  shown  to  have  run  as  half-bred ;  while  any 
slender  and  inferior  animal,  coming  from  the  non-European  shores  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean, has  his  or  her  place  at  once  allotted  in  the  general  Stud  Booh,  side  by  side 
with  those  of  the  stoutest  and  best  horses  in  the  world.  Mr  Goodwin  cites  the  high 
authority  of  Admiral  Rous,  who  says,  that  *'  Any  horse  good  enough  to  win  a  class  of 
the  Nursery  Stakes,  or  a  race  of  the  same  importance,  should  be  entitled  to  a  place 
in  the  Stud  Book,"  This  plain  exposition  of  such  sound  doctrine  requires  no 
comment 

That  the  jealousy  with  which  the  descent  of  the  English  blood  horse  has  been 
regarded  for  more  than  two  centuries  has  been  effectual  in  establishing  the  best  breed 
of  the  class  anywhere  to  be  found,  cannot,  I  think,  be  denied ;  still  I  believe  that 
some  slight  modifications  could  be  conceded  by  the  Jockey  Club  which  would  lead  to 
good  results,  without  ihcarring  risk  to  the  purity  of  future  descent;  but,  on  the 
contrary,  an  occasional  source  of  new  stamina  would  be  attained.  It  can  but  appear 
anomalous,  even  to  Englishmen,  who,  going  far  to  see  the  Derby,  find  at  times  the 
letters  "  h.  b."  appended  to  the  name  of  a  competitor  in  a  race  which  is  allowed  to 
idSbrd  the  highest  test  of  merit  amongst  the  horses  of  any  given  year,  of  a  verified 
age,  of  any  in  vogue.  Ajpropot  to  my  argument  may  be  related  an  incident  which 
occurred  in  1849.  An  Italian  nobleman,  who  came  over  to  England  and  saw  the 
Flying  Dutchman  win  the  Derby,  said  to  me  some  time  after=— *<  He  was  very  closely 
press^  at  the  end  by  a  half-bred  horse,  and  only  just  managed  to  beat  him."  Not 
foreigners  alone,  but  many  Englishmen,  imbibed  a  prejudice  against  The  Dutchman, 
one  of  the  best  horses  of  our  time,  through  the  same  circumstances;  and,  by  com- 
parison, all  the  best  horses  in  that  race  were  depreciated,  while  the  so-called  half- 
bred  was  in  that  respect  on  an  average  with  the  others. 

I  beg  now  to  draw  attention  to  a  horse,  whose  name  would  confer  as  much  credit 
to  the  Stud  Book  by  its  presence  as  he  would  derive  from  the  conceded  position.  I 
allude  to  the  Lawyer,  a  well-known  horse,  bred  by  the  late  Sir  Tatton  Sykes,  got  by 
the  Libel  out  of  a  mare  by  Hampton,  said  to  be  half-bred.  Mr  Eyke  states  in  hia 
advertisement  that  the  Lawyer  won  thirty  races,  including  seventeen  Queen's  Plates ; 
and  that  he  won  his  races  over  all  distances,  from  one  to  four  miles.  We  also  know 
that  during  his  career  the  Lawyer  met  the  best  horses  on  the  English  and  Irish  turf. 
According  to  Admiral  Rous's  sage  ruling,  the  Lawyer  has  done  much  more  than 
enough  to  win  his  way  to  nobility  amongst  horses.  What  about  his  breed  ?  I  g^ 
with  the  authority  just  named ;  and  if  a  horse  fell  from  the  clouds,  and  proved  him- 
self to  be  one  of  the  best  in  the  land,  I  would  send  him  to  the  place  of  distinction 
which  he  had  gained. 

As  to  breeding,  since  neither  the  Lawyer  nor  his  lineage  on  the  dam's  side  is  to 
be  found  in  the  Stud  Book,  I  will  relate  a  circumstance  which  may  to  some  extent 
prove  relevant :— In  May  1857,  in  compliance  with  a  request  made  to  me  by  Mr 
^oulton,  of  Oxfordshire,  I  undertook  to  purchase  for  this  gentleman  two  brood 
mares,  and  prevailed  on  the  late  Sir  Tatton  Sykes  to  sell  me  two  which  I  selected 
from  his  stud,  with  their  foals,  then  six  weeks  old,  with  them.  One  of  the  mares 
was  sister  to  the  Lawyer's  dam ;  the  foal  at  her  foot,  a  filly,  was  by  Toung  Barefoot, 
and  she,  as  well  as  the  sister  to  her,  had  been  put  to  the  libel.  The  result  was  the 
brown  colt^  since  called  the  Lawyer,  in  one  case,  whilst  the  mare  I  bought  proved 
barren  in  1858. 

YOL.  L— No.  YL—Niw  Skbibs.    Juitb  1885.  2  A 


328  P0XJLTBY-H0TJSE8. 

On  making  particular  inquiry  into  the  history  and  breeding  of  the  mare  I  had 
bought,  whose  name  did  not  appear  in  the  Stud  Book,  Snarry,  who  referred  to  his 
memorandum-book,  and  appealed  to  his  memory,  as  it  reflected  over  the  past  fort^ 
years,  gave  me  a  satisfactory  account  of  her  high  breeding,  and  then  added,  *'  Jx, 
when  you  go  into  the  house,  you  ask  Sir  Tatton,  he  will  tdl  you  a  good  deal  about 
her,  farther  back  than  I  can  go."  Accordingly  I  did  ask,  and  Sir  Tatton  entered 
into  detuls  with  a  clearness  that  those  only  who  have  had  proof  of  his  memory  and 
knowledge  can  appreciate.  Beginning  where  Snarry  left  ofi^.  Sir  Tatton  spoke  of  a 
certain  mare  in  tiie  line,  who,  he  said,  was  out  of  the  &mous  Jenny  Homer,  the  best 
**  cocktail"  of  her  day  in  England.  The  time  of  Jenny  Homer^s  performances  was 
not  stated,  but  must  have  been  about  the  beginning  of  the  century,  and  when  such 
frauds  were  common  as  that  of  changing  foals,  by  the  substitution  of  thorough-bred 
for  those  of  half-bred  mares.  It  was  when  the  practice  was  rife,  which  led  to  rob- 
beries which  came  to  a  crisis  in  the  time  of  a  horse  called  Tom  Pane,  with  oZtoMa 
Thus  it  seems  that,  to  go  back  to  the  half-bred  stock  which  has  left  the  imaginary 
stain  on  the  Lawyer,  we  must  retrace  the  genealogy  over  half  a  century,  and  pas 
OTer  Jenny  Homer,  a  mare  held  by  Sir  Tatton  Sykes  in  about  as  much  esteem  aa  old 
Beeswing  is  by  Torkshiremen  of  the  present  time. — I  am,  Sir,  ftc, 

JosiFH  Gaxqii. 

Few  Veterinary  College,  Edinburgh,  2d  May  1665. 


HALF-BRED  HORSES  AIO)  THE  STUD  BOOK. 
To  the  Editor  of  the  Sporting  OauUe, 

Dbab  Sib, — ^The  enclosed  note  has  been  addressed  to  me  br  Mr  Hutchinson,  of 
the  Manor  House,  Catterick.  As  it  is  an  instractiTe  account  of  a  mare  referred  to 
by  myself  in  a  recent  letter  published  in  the  Sporting  Gazette,  it  will  no  doubt  be 
acceptable  to  your  readers. — Tours,  &e.,  Jossph  Oaxoxb. 

Edinburgh,  16th  May  1865. 

Sib,— As  hunters'  stakes  are  now  becoming  very  fashionable,  it  is  requisite  to  get 
horses  as  near  pure  bred  as  possible,  to  become  suooiessf  ul  with  them,  and  still  be  aUe 
to  trace  back  to  the  half-bred  stock.  We  will  instance  the  Lawyer.  It  appean  the 
late  Sir  T.  Sykes  gare  you  his  pedigree  down  to  a  mare  called  Jenny  Homer.  It 
to  happens,  from  the  mare  being  bred  near  here,  that  I  have  easily  ascertained  her  . 
pedigree  from  a  Mr  R.  Hodgson,  a  nephew  of  Mr  Shipley's,  who  bred  her.  She  was 
got  by  Gk)lumpus,  the  sire  of  old  Catton,  out  of  a  mare  called  Applause  by  Syphon. 
Applause  had  only  two  crosses  of  blood ;  she  won  the  Broomfield  sUkes,  and  two  or 
three  fifties.  Mr  Shipley  sold  her  to  Mr  Lambton  for  850  guineas ;  and  in  his  posses- 
sion, at  seven  yean  old,  she  won  the  Lambton  Park  Hunten*  Stakes,  I  belieTe,  ridden 
by  the  late  Sir  Tatton  Sykes.  She  was  then  put  to  the  stud,  and  serred  by  a  horse 
of  Mr  Lambton's  called  Leopold.  By  this  horse  she  produced  two  fillies.  They  were 
very  fast  for  a  mile,  but,  unlike  their  dam,  could  not  stay  a  distance.  After  that 
ahe  was  sold  to  go  to  France,  where  she  ended  her  days.  This  may  be  useful  to  your 
friend  for  whom  you  bought  the  two  mares ;  at  all  events,  it  will  amuse  you  if  you 
take  an  interest  in  such  matten^  as  I  do  mysell — ^I  remain,  yours,  &&, 

JOHH  HUTOHDIBOV. 

P,S. — I  have  traced  the  Peggy  Taft  family  down  to  an  Ezmoor  pony,  served  by 
Herod,  nearly  100  years  ago.  Jenny  Homer  would  be  running  about  fort^-five  years 
ago.  Mr  Lsmbton,  who  bought  her,  afterwards  became  Lord  Duriuun,  of  Lambton 
iSistle,  county  of  Durham. 

Manor  House,  Catterick,  Yorkshire 
May  16, 1865. 


POULTRY-HOUSEa 
Whasis  the  best  sort  of  poultry-house  T  This  question  will  be  answered  variously  by 
different  individuals  As  hinted  in  our  remarks  on  some  palpable  blundecs  in  the 
treatment  of  poultry,  some  are  satisfied  with  bestowing  the  very  f"*^"**^  amonnt  of 
attention  on  the  hen4iouse.  Any  odd  comer,  let  it  be  ever  so  *^iiapida*^,  ofMD,  and 
6vm  ita  «pftce  aad  stmcture  unfit  as  a  lodging  for  fowla^  is  too  oftcAasnigiiM  Iw  the 


POXTLTRY-HOTTSES.  829 

parpom.  The  people  who  act  thus  tre  generally  among  the  gmmblen  at  the  slender 
reyenne  from  their  fowls.  Ton  mnst  patiently  hear  them  Talue  the  expenditure  on 
their  stock  at  some  such  figure  as  will  make  the  cost  of  each  egg  twopence  or  three- 
pence, while  the  poor  hens,  as  innocent  as  they  are  truly  unfortunate,  get  all  the 
blame.  Of  course,  the  old-fashioned  barn-door  fowls  or  cottager's  hens,  hardened^ 
but  likewise  stinted,  by  the  severe  training  of  their  chickenhood,  may  be  compara* 
lively  much  less  hurt  by  sleeping  in  a  hoyel  than  the  different  varieties  of  more 
generous  descent.  Still,  as  the  smaller  classes  of  cattle  and  sheep  are  now  much  im- 
proved, even  on  their  native  uplands,  by  closer  attention  and  more  genial  treatment 
than  formerly,  all  sorts  of  poultry  are  much  the  better  for  comfortable  roosts  in. 
roomy,  well-roofed  houses.  Perhaps  nothing  is  worse  than  a  l^tky  roof  and  a  pene- 
trating draught  Indeed,  a  duck's  fondness  for  water  is  fully  equalled  by  a  hen'i 
aversion  to  it  As  for  draughts,  geese  and  ducks  are  the  only  poultry  little  a^oted 
by  them,  while  other  classes  pay  the  penalty  of  exposure  to  them  in  much 
the  same  way  as  man  himself,  by  suffering  from  sore  throats,  weak  eye8» 
swollen  head,  and  general  debility.  This  state  of  things  is  particularly  true  of  such 
stocks  as  are  confined  within  too  limited  runs  during  the  day,  and  are  too  crowded  on 
their  roosts  at  night  Tet  there  must  be  abundant  fresh  air  admitted.  If  the  walls 
of  the  house  be  of  stone  or  bricks,  this  can  be  done  through  openings  in  the  roof 
formed  by  raising  one  or  more  tiles  or  slates  high  enough  up  to  save  the  fowls  from 
the  direct  current  of  colder  air.  If  the  house  be  of  wood,  ana  the  roof  of  felt  or  other 
tarred  cloth,  the  object  will  be  best  gained  by  slight  crevices  between  the  boards  or 
holes  bored  through  the  door,  or  by  the  door  itself  being  a  loose  fit,  always  guarding 
against  a  cold  current  rushing  through  the  heads  of  the  fowls.  In  summer,  when  the 
atmosphere  is  not  too  damp,  the  slip  admitting  into  the  yards,  when  not  placed  op- 
posite the  door,  may  be  left  open  at  night,  wholly  or  partially,  as  the  temperature  out- 
side demands.  In  a  house  made  of  boards  overlapping  one  another  the  roof  may  be 
made  perfectly  tight,  and  a  plentiful  supply  of  fresh  air  be  obtained  from  the  effect  of 
the  sun's  rays  on  the  side-boarding  and  door.  Hence  most  experienced  poultry-fanciers 
prefer  wooden  houses  to  all  others ;  and  certainly  in  warm  weather  they  merit  the 
preference  awarded  to  them ;  while  in  winter  any  too  open  part  can  be  stopped  up 
with  straw  or  hay,  and  if  necessaiy  the  whole  walls  may  be  made  weather-proof  by  a 
screen  canvas  placed  over  them.  Ventilation  is  also  a  very  easy  matter  when  the 
houses  are  not  confined  by  their  vicinity  to  other  larger  erections,  as  may  be  seen  in 
the  middle  of  a  park  devoted  chiefly  to  the  poultry  of  its  wealthy  owner.  In  such  a 
situation,  where  room  abounds,  small  movable  houses  are  decidedly  the  best 

All  houses,  of  whatever  material  formed,  should  be  high  enough  for  a  large-sixed 
man  to  stand  erect  in  them,  except  under  the  lowest  part  of  the  roof,  where  there  is 
no  occasion  to  enter  unless  in  a  stooping  posture  to  gather  the  eggs.  This  implies 
that  the  roosting  spars  should  be  placed  under  the  highest  part  of  the  roo^.and  the 
nest  under  the  lowest  part,  as  tiiey  should  be.  Where  room  is  precious,  the  nests 
should  be  covered  in  above,  thus  dispensing  with  all  other  assistance  to  the  birds  when 
flying  to  the  roosting  spars  or  descending  from  them.  The  spars  may  be  made  of 
any  soft  wood  from  three  to  three-and-a-half  inches  wide,  a  little  rounded  on  the 
npper  side,  and  the  sharp  edges  taken  off.  We  do  not  find  any  necessity  for  retain- 
ing the  bark,  if  the  spar  be  made  of  sawn  fir. 

The  height  of  the  perch  should  not  exceed  three  or  four  feet,  and  should  never  be 
very  near  the  roo^  otherwise  the  cocks*  combs  will  run  imminent  risk  of  being  frost- 
bitten by  coming  in  contact  with  the  roof.  All  poultry,  for  the  sake  of  cleanliness, 
should  have  this  spar  or  perch — Cochins  not  excepted,  although  theirs  need  not  be 
more  than  two  feet  above  the  floor.  Indeed,  all  lumpish  poultry,  including  the 
strong-winged  but  tender-toed  Dorking,  should  have  low  roosts ;  and  when  the  more 
active  breeds,  as  Game,  Hamburghs,  and  Spanish,  are  allowed  to  mount  five  or  six 
feet  above  the  floor,  the  range  of  nests  should  be  closed  in  above  with  a  ^de  board 
to  afibrd  them  a  landing-place  when  they  leave  their  perch.  Earthen  floors  are  the 
best,  but  to  remove  from  the  fowls  all  temptation  to  scrape  them  up,  they  should  be 
beaten  hard,  well  watered  on  the  surface,  and  then  smoothed  down  with  a  troweL 

Where  the  houses  are  numerous  it  will^be  a  great  advantage  to  have  them  planned 
so  as  to  pass  right  through  the  entire  nmge  of  them  without  interruption,  for  the 
purposes  both  of  cleaning  and  feeding.  In  such  cases,  also,  the  movable  tressle- 
shaped  perches  should  be  used. 

In  smaller  establishments  a  sheltered  situation  is  often  looked  for,  and  the  house 
leans  against  some  good  wall  Here  the  perches  may  be  fixed,  and  within  one  outer 
door,  under  lock  and  k^,  maj  be  formed  sereral  aeparatia  %i0sxVim«oiA««&^«sDa^^ 


'330  ON  MAKING  OP  DUTCH  CHEESE. 

the  main  passage  rnnning  parallel  with  the  supporting  wall,  each  containing  one 
cock  and  from  four  to  six  hens.  Before  this  term  we  had  a  house  answering  this 
description,  sixteen  feet  long  by  eight  feet  wide,  including  the  main  passage.  The 
four  inner  apartments  were  fitted  up  with  open  spars  to  admit  light  from  the  door 
and  windows,  which  latter  should  he  in  the  sides  of  the  house,  as,  if  placed  in  the 
roof,  there  will  be  considerable  inconvenience  during  a  snow  storm.  To  adapt  the 
house  to  the  ground,  one  run  entered  at  the  end,  and,  looking  northwards,  had  a 
board  fence  opposite  the  gable  of  the  house  as  a  shelter  from  cold  winds.  The  sub- 
divisions were  necessarily  small,  yet  with  good  airy  runs  and  abundant  ventilation 
through  this  wooden  fabric,  a  stock  of  from  sixteen  to  twenty  hens  and  four  cocks 
have  thriven  and  maintained  an  honourable  position  in  the  show  yard.  Removing  to  a 
new  house,  we  find  only  a  garden  border  seven-and-a-half  feet  wide,  but  of  great  length, 
whereon  to  erect  the  future  dwelling  for  our  pets.  Well,  what  is  to  be  done  ?  Why, 
against  a  wall  six  feet  high  we  are  placing  a  house,  entering  from  the  garden-walk, 
the  passage  inside  being  at  right  angles  to  the  wall,  the  ridge  of  the  roof  being  ex- 
actly in  the  middle  of  this  passage  overhead,  and  two  inner  doors  enter  a  separate 
apartment  on  either  side.  The  door  of  each  is  in  the  middle,  as  being  most  con- 
venient for  cleaning,  and  in  this  case,  to  avoid  contact  with  the  outer  door,  which, 
in  its  turn,  yielding  to  the  principle  of  convenience,  opens  inwards.  Runs  of  the 
same  width  as  the  house  communicate  with  both  apartments,  having  each  a  door  from 
the  garden  walk  close  at  the  corner  of  the  house,  and  the  trap-door  or  idip  for  the 
fowls  is  at  the  same  comer.  One  perch  in  each,  three  feet  high,  runs  from  end  to  end  of 
each  division,  and  two  roofed-in  nests  are  placed  over  against  the  door  and  the  middle 
of  the  perch.  A  large  pane  of  glass  is  placed  in  the  side  of  each  division  for  light. 
Except  the  garden  wall  gable  the  whole  is  of  overlapping  boards.  The  roof  does  not 
overlap,  as  it  is  covered  with  tarpaulin.  The  inmates  are  to  number  twelve  hens 
and  two  cocks ;  and  if  further  subdivision  be  rendered  necessary,  the  house  is  so 
halved  that  it  can,  with  almost  no  change,  have  three  apartments,  or  even  fonr  at  a 
push. — From  the  ScoUiih  FcvnMT^ 


ON  MAKING  OP  DUTCH  CHEESE. 

Will  Scottish  farmers  ever  make  good  cheese  ?  We  have  our  doubts  whether  in  onr 
day  we  shall  see  the  accomplishment  of  so  desirable  an  achievement,  so  very  slow  are 
they  in  improving  the  process  of  cheese-making,  Ayrshire  and  Wigtownshire  farmers 
excepted.  And  yet,  most  people  allow  that  a  good  cheese  is  a  good  thing ;  and  our 
analytical  chemists  assure  us  tliat  even  cheap  cheese  is  very  rich  in  elements  of  nu- 
trition. Dr  Lyon  Playfair,  in  certain  recently-published  papers  on  the  nature  and 
composition  of  food,  gives  a  table  of  the  composition  of  food.  Upon  this  he  remarks : 
"  Going  down  the  nutritious  table,  we  come  to  the  leguminous  plants,  such  as  peas^ 
beans,  and  lentils.  WiJth  the  exception  of  cheap  cheese,  this  class  of  plants  presents  us 
with  the  most  flesh-forming  food  in  the  whole  table."  But  while  cheese  gives  us  cheap 
flesh,  it  sparingly  supplies  heat-giving  material.  This,  however,  is  economically  fur- 
nished in  breaid — **  bread  and  cheese" — that  proverbially  simple  fare  which  enables 
many  a  labourer  to  do  a  hard  day's  work  with  no  addition  save,  it  may  be,  a  little 
skim  milk.  We  have  often  wondered  at  the  exploit.  Dr  Playfair  presents  us  with 
the  rationale. 

It  is  the  province  of  the  farmer  to  furnish  all  the  component  parts  of  this  nutri- 
tious meat.  So  far  as  the  cheese  is  concerned,  he  does  not  in  Scotland  do  well,  or 
adequately,  that  which  is  required  of  him.  The  Scotch  are  not  such  a  cheese-eating 
people  as  the  English — ^possibly  because  the  cheese  made  in  Scotland  is  in  general  of 
inferior  quality.  The  quantity,  moreover,  is  so  deficient,  that  the  importation  of 
cheese  from  abroad  is  veiy  great,  to  the  huge  detriment,  of  course,  of  the  Scottish 
agriculturist.  Recent  events  must  induce  him  to  devote  more  attention  to  the 
rearing  of  oxen  and  the  growth  of  forage  of  various  kinds ;  and  the  same  necessity 
must  compel  him  to  be  more  attentive  to  the  produce  of  his  dairy,  in  which,  we  are 
persuaded,  he  will  find  what  will  go  far  to  compensate  the  diminished  value  of  Ids 
corn  crops. 

But  dairy  husbandry,  to  be  successfully  prosecuted,  demands  attention  to  improv- 
ing the  breed  of  cows,  and  to  the  increased  growth  of  forage  plants,  and,  above  all, 
intelligent  acquaintance  with  the  best  modes  of  dairy  management.  Writing  near 
a  countiy-house  where  the  market  price  of  cheese  does  not  exceed  an  average  of  dd. 
per  lb.,  we  are  surely  justified  in  craving  something  better. 


ON  MAEXNG  OF  DUTCH  CHEESE.  831 

.  Will  it  pay?  We  shall  answer  that  pertinent  question  by  translating  a  letter  on 
cheese-making  by  a  distinguished  Frenchman.* 

When  our  Scottish  farmers  read  of  the  enormous  sum  annually  expended  by  France 
in  importing  cheese  from  Holland,  let  them  remember  that,  substituting  Great 
Britain  for  France,  the  same  folly  is  chargeable  on  us.  In  1862  we  imported  703,909 
cwts.  cheese,  of  the  computed  read  value  of  £1,550,094,  and  in  the  same  year  1,037,371 
cwts.  butter,  of  the  computed  real  value  of  £4,923,100.  If,  fired  with  the  ambition 
of  provisioning  the  marines  with  Dutch  cheese,  the  British  farmers  resolve  on  mak- 
ing it  like  the  long-keeping  cheese  of  Edam,  there  is  nothing  to  hinder  him.  The 
process  is  simply  this :  the  milk  is]  generally  curdled  by  means  of  muriatic  acid,  or 
spirits  of  salt,  and  great  care  is  taken  to  extract  the  whole  of  the  whey,  and  to  pre- 
vent fermentation.  The  curd  is  repeatedly  broken  and  pressed,  and  before  being 
made  up  in  the  round  shape  in  which  it  is  usually  sold,  the  broken  curd  is  well  soaked 
in  a  strong  solution  of  common  salt  in  water,  which  effectually  represses  fermentation, 
and  so  ensures  that  the  cheese  shall  keep  long,  even  in  warm  climates.  When  the 
cheeses  are  finally  pressed,  all  the  remaining  whey  is  washed  out  with  the  brine,  they 
are  rubbed  with  the  salt  over  the  outside,  and  set  aside  on  shelves  to  dry  in  a  cool 
place. 

If  a  Scotchman  cannot  do  this  as  well  as  a  Dutchman,  let  him  not  pretend  to  be  a 
farmer.    But  it  is  time  to  let  M.  Bichard  describe  the  daily  operations  at  Cantal. 

In  summer,  many  dairies  cover  the  mountains  of  Auvergne,  whose  substantial  and 
invigorating  plants  afford  excellent  pasture ;  the  milk  of  these  dairies  has,  time  im- 
memorial, been  applied  to  the  making  of  a  large  cheese  of  mediocre  quality,  known 
by  the  name  oifeurme  or  Cantal  cheese.  It  is  generaUy  supposed  that  the  moun- 
tains of  Upper  Auvergne  maintain  from  eighty  to  a  hundred  thousand  cows  of  the 
Aubrac  or  the  Salers  breed.  In  the  dairies  which  they  form,'  from  three  to  four  mil- 
lions kilogrammes  of^cheese  are  made,  worth  at  the  most  eighty  centimes  the  kilo- 
gramme; so  that  cheese-making  at  Cantal  produces  about  three  millions  francs.  In 
Qie  actual  state  of  the  manufacture,  the  price  of  eighty  centimes  the  kilogramme  is 
relatively  lower  than  that  of  other  cheeses  less  esteemed.  This,  on  the  one  hand,  ia 
owing  to  the  limited  sale,  which  is  nearly  confined  to  the  south  of  France ;  and,  on 
the  other,  it  cannot  be  kept  longer  than  six  to  eight  months.  After  that  time  it  is 
rancid,  even  rotten,  and  must  be  disposed  of  at  any  price,  if  one  does  not  wish  to  lose 
it  entirely.  This  explains  the  variations  in  the  price,  which  from  fifty  francs  the 
fifty  kilogrammes,  suddenly  falls  to  twenty-five  sometimes,  and  even  lower ;  besides, 
the  quality  of  this  cheese  hardly  permits  sending  it  to  a  distance,  especially  if  the 
temperature  be  high. 

For  long  the  Administration  and  some  proprietors  have  endeavoured  to  improve 
the  making  of  Cantal  cheese.  Since  1731  the  Government  has  tried  to  introduce 
the  mode  of  making  hard  Dutch  cheese  suitable  for  victualling  the  marine.  The 
Administration  took  the  lead  in  these  experiments,  and  offered  assistance  of  every 
kind  to  those  willing  to  engage  in  them ;  but  at  this  time  success  was  impeded  by 
lack  of  the  indispensable  element  of  enlightenment^  without  which  all  progress  ben 
comes  difficult,  if  not  impossible. 

This  postponement  or  negation  of  progress  recalls  two  important  facts  in  the  in- 
tervention of  science  to  stimulate  the  advancement  of  our  agriculture.  The  same 
causes  which  had  deprived  France  of  the  potato  and  the  merino  hindered  the  im- 
provement of  cheese-making  in  the  mountains  of  Cantal  The  administration  of 
Agriculture  was  pleased,  in  1855,  to  resume  the  experiments  which  had  previously 
fEoled.  More  fortunate  this  time,  it  had  at  its  disposal  pupils  from  the  schools  of 
agriculture  able  to  study  the  question  in  a  reasonable  method,  and  to  resolve  it  ad- 
vantageously. 

The  Administration  established  an  experimental  dairy  at  St  Angean.  It  sent  M. 
Le  Senechal,  director  of  this  dairy,  to  HoUand,  in  order  to  study  the  manufacture  of 
the  cheese,  which,  up  to  this  time,  could  never  be  obtained  in  Auvergne.  M.  Le 
Senechal,  on  his  return  to  St  Angeau,  after  careful  study  on  the  spot  of  the  Dutch 
method,  introduced  it  into  Auvergne,  and  succeeded.  He  made  hard  Dutch  cheese, 
known  under  the  name  of  Edam  cheese.  This  production  was  sold  at  Marseilles,  for 
the  service  of  the  marine,  at  the  price  of  160  fr.  to  180  fr.  the  100  kilo- 
grammes.   It  exactly  resembles  that  of  the  Dutch,  specially  employed  in  victual. 


•  Lefem  AMnuie  A.  M.  Dnmyn  de  Lhnys,  President  de  la  8octft6  ImpMale  d'AooUmatetio^ 
pw  M.  Richard  (da  Cantal,)  Yice-Pr^sident  de  la  BockM. 


332  GBUELTT  TO  SHEEP. 

Hng  the  marine,  and  exported  to  all  parte  of  the  globe  freqnented  b]r  French  shiiie. 
The  great  towns  in  France,  particularly  its  eeaporte,  are  supplied  with  this  Dateh 
eheeee,  because  it  keeps  as  long  as  is  requisite,  and  is  besides  of  good  quality. 

Notwithstanding  the  incontestable  saccess  of  M.  Le  Senechal  daring  six  or  seven 
years,  nobody  followed  his  example;  so  powerful  is  routine  in  opposing  progress 
when  the  light  does  not  paralyse  its  blind  obstinacy. 

The  Central  Society  of  Agriculture  at  Cantal  appointed  a  commission  to  examine 
M.  Le  Senechars  process  and  make  known  its  advantages.  The  writer  went  to  St 
Angeau  in  order  to  study  the  question.  The  experiments  of  the  Society  of  Agricid< 
ture  were  decidedly  in  favour  of  the  new  process,  and  those  which  he  made  at 
Seuliard  have  succeeded  so  well  that,  since  June  1862,  he  has  been  making  Dutch 
cheese  which  he  seUs  at  Marseilles  for  the  marine  at  the  price  of  160  fr.  the  100  kil- 
logrammes,  and  for  this  purpose  it  has  been  found  a  very  good  quality. 

If  this  manufacture  were  general  in  France,  it  will  free  her  of  the  annual  tribute 
which  she  pays  to  Holland,  not  only  for  provisioning  the  merchant  and  military  navy, 
but  also  several  of  the  large  towns.  France  has  not  enough  of  cheese  for  victualling 
the  marine.  It  annually  applies  to  Holland  to  make  up  the  deficiency.  In  three 
years,  1859  to  1861,  France  bought  hard  Dutch  cheese,  10,668,444  kilogrammes, 
which  at  a  minimum  of  160  fr.  the  100  kilogrammes,  represent  a  sum  of  17,069,510 
fr.  France  can  largely  supply  itself  without  paying  such  a  sum  to  the  foreigner. 
The  Department  of  Cantu  alone,  if  sufficiently  enlightened  to  produce  it,  might 
annually  make  almost  the  quantity  of  cheese  purchased  in  Holland.  All  the  dis- 
tricts of  France  which  make  rich  soft  cheese — a  product  which  does  not  keep,  and 
the  price  of  which  is  less  when  the  sale  is  not  quick— will,  it  is  thought^  willingly 
make  Dutch  Edam  cheese  when  finding  it  profitable. 

The  writer  wished  to  know  the  opinion  of  the  metropolitan  trade  as  to  the  nature 
of  his  cheeses.  In  Paris,  those  of  Holland  are  appreciated,  their  present  price  acewd- 
Ing  to  the  prices  current,  being  from  160  francs  the  100  kilogrammes.  The  writer 
went  to  Paris  last  February,  taking  with  him  twenty  cheeses. 

He  was  assured  as  to  the  good  quality  of  the  cheese  made  at  Seuliard  by  the  fol- 
lowing incident : — "  At  Paris  I  put  myself  into  correspondence  with  M.  Lonchampt^ 
a  whdesale  cheese  merchant.  After  meeting  him  he  wished  to  taste  my  productions. 
The  day  after  my  visit  I  sent  him  one.  At  the  moment  of  receiving  it  a  Dutch  cheese 
merchant  was  with  him.  This  merchant  would  not  believe  that  &e  production  was 
French,  and,  after  well  examining  it,  maintained  that  it  came  from  Holland.  It 
was  pierosd,  carefully  tasted,  and  the  contusion  of  this  Dutch  merchant  was, 
that  if  in  France  cheese  could  be  made  of  such  quality,  we  had  no  need  to  go  to  his 
low  country  to  bny  it.  These  very  words  were  reported  to  me  by  M.  Lonchampt 
himself.  He  wished  to  have  immediately  one  hundred  of  my  cheeses.  I  had  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  to  dispose  of  and  I  caused  them  to  be  despatched  to  him.  I 
have  learned  from  this  merchant  that  his  customers  were  very  mnch  pleased  with 
them." 

The  question  as  to  making  hard  Dutch  cheese,  capable  of  keeping  long,  and  suit- 
able for  provisioning  the  marine,  has,  in  M.  Richard's,  opinion,  been  nndeniably 
settled  at  Seuliard.  The  experiment  succeeded  at  the  very  first  From  that  time 
he  has  not  experienced  the  slightest  disappointment ;  all  his  productions  are  good, 
in  the  opinion  of  the  trade,  and  he  always  goes  on  with  unvarying  success.— .^^  tht 
SeotHth  Farmer. 


EXTRAORDINARY  CRUELTY  TO  SHEEP. 

At  the  Petly  Sessions  for  the  division  of  Tiverton,  held  at  the  Town  Hall  the  other 
day,  Mr  William  Stoate  of  Alleford,  Somerset,  was  charged  by  the  Secretary  of  the 
Royal  Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to  Animals,  with  ill  treating  and  tor- 
turing certain  sheep  on  his  farm,  the  Upcotts,  Clayhanger,  Devon.  The  court  was 
crowded  to  excess,  and  the  most  intense  excitement  prevailed  in  the  neighbourhood, 
owing  to  the  notoriety  of  the  alleged  offence,  the  number  of  animals  said  to  have  been 
tortured,  and  the  position  of  the  defendant  in  the  county.  It  appeared  from  the 
evidence  of  several  witnesses  that  the  defendant  was  an  eccentric  and  wealthy  bar- 
rister, and  that  at  Midsummer  last  he  sent  a  flock  of  275  sheep,  18  bullocks,  and  5 
hones  to  the  above  named  farm.  In  the  conrse  of  the  antomn  some  of  the  bollo^E 
Mttd  hone§  wen  taken  away»  and  ai  the  winter  advanced,  and  the  food  becma  wou^ 


OBITUABY.  S33 

the  ihepherd  who  had  charge  of  the  aaimalB  wrote  to  Mr  Stoate,  reqaeaUng  him  to 
provide  food,  aa  the  aheep  were  stanring/'  but  he  reeeired  only  a  supply  of  straw. 
The  shepherd  repeated  several  timea  his  application  without  better  success,  and  he 
was  ultimately  discharged  by  Mr  Stoate  in  Febmaiy  last.  Another  shepherd  was 
engaged  for  a  fortnight,  but  since  that  date  the  sheep  had  been  altogether  uncared 
for,  and  about  180  of  such  animals  and  an  Ezmoor  ponv  had 'literally  died  of  starva- 
tion. One  of  the  sheep  had  its  eye  picked  out  by  a  hira  before  it  was  dead,  as  it  lay 
in  a  prostrate  condition.  The  defendant  pleaded  that  he  had  been  buying  straw 
through  the  winter  to  sustain  the  sheep,  and  that  the  present  proceedings  had  been 
instituted  from  spite  and  malice,  because  there  were  many  farmers  in  the  neighbour- 
hood who  coveted  his  farm,  and  he  would  not  let  it  to  them.  He  conducted  his  own 
ease,  and  his  behaviour  was  very  eccentric  throughout  the  proceedings.  The  Bench, 
after  a  brief  deliberation,  sentenced  the  defendant  to  six  weeks'  imprisonment^  with 

jfiOStS. 


OBITTTABT. 

Tbb  death  of  Mr  Kiohabd  Vines  happened  at  his  residence  in  College  Street,  Gam- 
den  Town,  London,  on  the  6th  of  AprU  last 

In  perusing  this  record,  our  readers,  the  more  advanced  in  age  amongst  the  mem- 
bers of  the  profession,  will  deplore  the  loss  of  one  who,  in  the  session  1823-4,  waa 
foremost  amongst  those  who  were  students  at  that  time,  as  a  worker  on  the  Anatomy 
of  the  Horse.  Those  who  were  his  seniors  will  remember  his  early  communicationa 
on  various  interesting  subjects  of  physiological  research;  while  eveiy, member,  whose 
London  veterinary  diploma  bears  date  subsequent  to  that  time,  and  during  the  next 
fourteen  years,  will  respect  the  memory  of  the  deceased,  aa  tiiat  of  their  first  and 
ablest  anatomical  teacher. 

After  obtaining  his  diploma,  early  in  the  year  of  1824,  Mr  Vines  was  appointed, 
by  Professor  Coleman,  to  the  post  of  anatomical  demonstrator;  this  being  the  first 
help  of  ^e  kind  which  the  pupils  of  that  school  had  ever  ei^joyed.  Vines's  dection 
was  effected  entirely  by  force  of  the  students'  spontaneous  voices ;  since,  in  fact,  the 
aubject  of  this  memoir  had  not  only  woriced  systematically  during  the  previous  year% 
at  the  anatomy  of  the  horse,  but  attended  the  courses  of  those  distinguished  ana- 
tomists, Mr  Joshua  Brookes  and  Mr  Charles  Bell.  Vines  so  far  excelled  that  he  waa 
requested,  during  his  second  session,  to  give  private  demonstrations  to  a  section  of 
the  college  veterinary  students ;  and  such  was  his  success,  that  his  installation  as  the 
future  demonstrator  was  established,  leaving  the  Professor  little  more  to  do  than  to 
acknowledge  the  defcbcto  election,  on  merit,  by  giving  ofi&cial  sanction  4uid  a  stipends 

It  was  announced  the  other  day,  at  a  meeting  of  the  Council  of  the  Royal  Collega 
of  Veterinary  Surgeons,  that  Mr  Vines  "  was  for  fourteen  years  demonstrator  at  the 
Boyal  Veterinary  College  at  London."  A  touching  reminder  of  old  times  and  a 
warning  are  embodied  in  the  above  sentence. 

For  the  man,  who  we  unhesitatingly  affirm  to  have  been  at  the  time  the  most 
efficient  anatomical  teacher  of  any  veterinary  surgeon  \p.  the  kingdom,  to  have  never 
been  able  to  rise  beyond  the  grade  of  demonstrator,  shows  that  a  rotten  system, 
fraught  with  illiberality  and  iiyustice,  was  still  dominant 

All  who  were  acquainted  with  Vines  at  the  early  part  of  his  professional  career, 
and  who  knew  his  warmth  of  temperament^  will  have  no  difficulty  in  reconciling  his 
exdusion  from  any  step  of  promotion  during  fourteen  years,  with  the  beginning  of 
antagonistic  sentiments  between  the  neglect^  man,  who  felt  the  pressure  from  which 
he  could  not  get  relief,  and  those  with  whom  he  acted ;  and  which  antagonism 
ripened  into  open  rupture,  and  the  forced  resignation  of  one  who  had  rendered  good 
public  service  during  his  best  years. 

It  would  be  a  culpable  withholding  of  the  truth,  if  we  omitted  to  state  that,  out  of 
position,  Vines's  future  life  was  deprived  of  all  the  real  incentives  to  labour,  which^ 
when  duly  acknowledged  and  rewarded,  becomes  the  greatest  source  of  happiness, 
through  its  many  influences  that  the  world  affords. 

We  always  regarded  our  late  fellow-worker  ill-advised,  in  persisting  to  continue  to 
reside  in  such  dose  proximity,  as  he' did,  to  the  college— once  his  school,  and  the 
centre  of  his  sanguine  hopes;  and  afterwards  the  battle-ground  on  which  he  waa 
baffled  and  vanquished.  The  place  was  out  of  the  way  of  buslneai^  and  in  the  centre 
of  reminiaeenoca  of  paat  diqtotttii 


334  OBITVABY. 

Vines,  though  he  entered  the  profession  somewhat  later  than  could  hare  been 
wished,  about  thirty  years  of  age,  and,  like  the  minority  of  his  contemporaries,  had 
not  exgoyed  a  good  education,  such  as  fully  to  train  the  faculties  to  that  order  and 
exactitude,  wMch  so  much  avail  the  scientific  teacher,  yet,  from  being  a  devoted 
worker,  and  a  lover  of  his  calling,  he  became  both  a  good  practical  and  philosophical 
teacher  of  the  anatomy  of  the  horse. 

When,  in  the  future,  these  questions  become  reviewed,  it  will  probably  appear  that, 
during  a  series  of  years,  when  the  teaching  on  the  fundamental  branches  of  veterinary 
science  was  in  a  most  neglected  state,  the  only  individual  to  redeem  the  character  of 
the  school,  was  the  demonstrator,  Bichard  Vines. 

Many  members  of  the  profession  will  hear  with  extreme  regret  of  the  death  of  our 
late  esteemed  friend,  Mr  William  M'Kenna  of  Belfast.  The  family  of  Mr  M'Kenna 
had  been  gladdened,  on  Wednesday  the  26th  April,  by  the  news  that  his  eldest  son, 
Mr  James  M'Keuna,  had  that  morning  successfully  passed  the  examination  for  the 
diploma  of  the  Royal  College  of  Veterinary  Surgeons,  but  the  same  evening  they  were 
ouled  on  to  mourn  an  accident,  which  terminated  fatally  to  Mr  M'Kenna,  senior,  on 
the  following  Monday.  The  accident  happened  to  Mr  M'Kenna,  while  conversing  with 
a  gentleman,  at  the  residence  of  the  latter,  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Belfast.  His 
horse,  a  young  and  spirited  animal,  suddenly  reared  up  and  fell  on  his  master,  who 
sustained  severe  internal  bruises.  For  some  days  he  rallied  considerably,  and  Ikopes 
were  entertained  of  his  ultimate  recovery,  but  these  were  doomed  to  be  disappointed, 
and  he  sunk  on  the  Ist  May,  from  active  pulmonary  congestion. 

The  general  esteem  in  which  the  late  Mr  M'Kenna  was  held  may  be  judged  of  from 
the  terms  in  which  his  death  is  mentioned  by  the  local  newspapers.  We  quote  the 
following  from  the  Banner  qf  Ulster,  of  May  2d : — 

"  It  is  with  sincere  regret  (a  feeling  that  will  be  universally  participated  in)  that 
we  announce  the  death  of  Mr  M'Kenns^  veterinary  surgeon.  On  Wednesday  evening 
last,  Mr  M'Kenna  received  a  serious  injury  by  a  fall  from  his  horse.  He  continued 
in  a  precarious  state  till  last  night  at  half-past  nine,  when  he  died  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
eight.  Mr  M'Kenna  spent  his  whole  life  in  his  native  town,  and  was  one  of  our  most 
respected  citizens.  At  an  early  age  he  rose  to  eminence  in  his  profession,  and  lived 
to  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  skilled  and  successful  practitioners  in  Ireland.  His 
sudden  removal  will  be  heard  of  with  universal  Regret  He  was  distinguished  during 
his  whole  career  for  integrity  in  all  his  dealings  as  a  citizen,  and  warm-heartedness  aa 
a  friend." 

His  diploma  is  dated  6th  January  1835. 

During  the  past  month  we  have  received  a  notice  of  the  death  of  Mr  Geobob  Kibk- 
HAH,  veterinaiy  surgeon  at  West  Derby,  which  took  place  on  the  7th  of  May,  in  the 
48th  year  of  his  age.    His  diploma  dates  1843. 

Also,  after  a  lingering  illness,  Mr  Edwabd  Bbabt,  of  London,  a  member  of  the 
Council  and  Treasurer  of  the  Koyal  College  of  Veterinary  Surgeons.  His  ^ploma  ia 
dated  August  6, 1833. 


Ebbata. 
In  May  Number,  page  241,  lines  87  and  88,  for  "hook  **  read  "hoeh:*    In  several 
other  places,  for  **hrtach**  read  "breech."    In  page  243,  line  1,  for  "fore"  read 
"four. 


aAummn,  aoBian,  axd  oo.,  raumB%  wmKBumam, 


THE  VETERINAEY  EEVIEW 


AND 


^tathabantx^'  ^anxnnh 


OBIGINAL    COMMUNICATIONS   AND    CASES. 


Calculi  in  the  Intestines  of  a  Millers  Horse.    By  Professor  Mueray, 
M.E.C.V.S.,  Eoyal  Agricultural  College,  Cirencester. 

The  following  case  belongs  to  a  class  of  not  very  common  occurrence, 
and  as  some  of  the  symptoms  noticed  have  not  been  described  by 
previous  writers,  I  shall  specially  refer  to  them  as  possessing  special 
interest  and  importance. 

The  patient  was  an  aged  bay  horse  belonging  to  Mr  Allen,  a  miller 
near  Cirencester.  He  was  observed  to  be  ill  in  the  forenoon,  and  in 
consequence  a  colic  draught  was  administered ;  his  illness  subsided 
to  some  extent,  and  they  accordingly  continued  to  work  him,  but 
symptoms  of  illness  again  appearing,  he  was  yoked  to  a  cart  to  draw 
a  load  into  Cirencester,  and  after  he  had  accomplished  this  task,  he 
was  to  have  the  benefit  of  medical  advice.  I  saw  the  horse  about 
six  in  the  evening,  he  was  then  very  tympanitic,  had  a  very  dejected 
appearance,  pulse  small  and  rapid,  breathing  accelerated,  and  seemed 
suffering  pain.  I  administered  of  the  sp.  ammon.  aromat.  ^  i,  and 
this  was  afterwards  succeeded  by  the  administration  of  a  ball  con- 
taining seven  drachms  of  aloes,  but  the  pain  and  other  symptoms 
continued  unabated.  Injections  of  tepid  water  were  administered 
five  or  six  times  with  Gamgee's  enema  funnel ;  and,  by  watching  the 
effect  produced,  I  was  led  to  conclude  that  the  horse  had  an  intestinal 
obstruction.  Every  one  who  has  used  this  instrument  must  have 
noticed  that  bubbles  of  gas  pass  up  through  the  fluid  contained  in  the 
enema  funnel  before  it  all  has  entered  the  intestines.  When  the  fluid 
is  expelled,  foecal  matter  and  flatus  are  simultaneously  ejected.  In  this 
case,  however,  this  was  not  the  case ;  no  bubbles  of  gas  escaped  through 
the  fluid  in  the  funnel ;  the  horse  strained  so  much,  that  very  litde 
fluid  entered  his  intestines,  and  that  which  did  enter,  when  ejected, 
was  unaccompanied  by  either  foeces  or  flatus.  ¥tQiXi  MJckRSfc  <^'aec^^«- 
Vol*  I— 2fo.  7JI.— JTjsw  Sebibs.    Jult  1S65.  ^^ 


336  CALCULI  IN  THE  INTESTINES  OF  A  MILLEfi'S  HOESE. 

tions,  I  am  justified  in  concluding  that  the  enema  funnel  places  us  in 
a  very  favourable  position  for  diagnosing  intestinal  obstruction,  an  ad- 
vantage which  we  do  not  possess  when  using  the  ordinary  injection 
syringe.  The  horse  received  a  dose  of  anodyne  medicine,  as  the  per- 
sistent suffering  which  he  endured  made  him  alternately  lie  down  and 
get  up,  and  sometimes  extend  himself  on  his  side,  but  nothing  could 
relieve  him,  and  it  was  evident  that  the  very  tympanitic  state  of  his 
stomach  and  intestines  formed  a  serious  hindrance  to  the  proper  ex- 
pansion of  the  lungs.  His  breathing  was  rapid,  and  characterised  by 
a  sighing  sort  of  sound ;  a  cold,  clammy  sweat  broke  out  on  the  neck 
and  face,  and  death  then  ensued  in  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  The 
horse  died  at  eleven  o'clock,  about  five  hours  after  he  had  been  sub- 
jected to  treatment. 

I  made  a  post-mortem  examination  next  day,  and,  tSiough  I  had 
but  little  time  to  spare,  I  found  that  the  stomach  was  fiJled  with 
bran,  the  intestines  were  distended  with  gas,  and  the  spleen  was 
enlarged  to  about  twice  its  normal  size.  What  attracted  my  observa- 
tion, however,  immediately,  was  the  empty  state  of  the  rectum,  and 
the  gut  was  empty  until  about  two  feet  from  the  terminal  part  of  the 
floating  colon,  in  which  a  triangular  shaped  calculus  was  firmly  im- 
pacted, so  as  completely  to  obstruct  the  passage  of  either  fluid  or 
solid  materials.  This  calculus  had  evidently  been  firmly  grasped  by 
the  muscular  coat  of  the  intestines.  As  it  could  not  well  be  moved 
from  its  situation  by  pushing,  I  cut  through  the  portion  of  intestine 
which  surrounded  it ;  the  portion  of  intestine  in  contact  with  the 
calculus  had  a  dark  purplish  colour.  I  then  separated  the  mucous, 
muscular,  and  peritoneal  coats  from  each  other.  The  mucous  coat 
was  covered  with  purplish  patches,  but  the  whole  of  the  muscular 
coat  presented  a  purple  colour ;  the  peritoneal  coat  was  not  dis- 
coloured. 

It  is  interesting,  in  a  physiological  point  of  view,  to  notice  that 
the  impaction  of  the  calculus  produced  such  nervous  excitement  as 
completely  to  arrest  gastric  digestion,  and  that  it  also  caused  an 
immense  quantity  of  gas  to  be  generated,  and  thus  distended  the  in- 
testines so  much  as  ultimately  to  cause  death.  It  is  also  interesting  to 
notice  that  the  discolouration  was  limited  to  the  portion  of  intestine 
in  contact  with  the  calculus.  There  were  no  signs  of  inflammation,  as 
the  discolouration  must  be  regarded  as  a  physical  rather  than  a  vital 
effect.  The  absence  of  what  1  may  term  ordinary  symptoms  indicates 
intestinal  obstruction ;  this  part  of  the  subject,  however,  has  been 
referred  to  in  speaking  of  the  enema  funnel. 

Another  calculus,  also  of  a  pyramilial  form,  was  situated  about  two 
feet  in  front  of  the  other  one.  The  one  which  caused  the  obstruction 
weighed  three  pounds,  one  ounce,  and  the  other  one  weighed  two 
pounds,  six  ounces^  and  a-half. 


VETERINAEY  EECOBDS.  337 

Veterinary  Records. — Poisoning  of  Pigs  by  Antimony. 
By  G.  Aematage,  M.E.C.V.S. 

Antimony  in  the  form  of  native  sulphuret  is  used  largely  in  em- 
pyrical  practice,  in  the  treatment  of  the  diseases  of  the  lower  animals, 
forming  the  miraculous  alterative  powders  of  almost  every  groom. 
When  mixed  with  other  agents,  as  sulphur  and  nitre,  and  uncom- 
bined  in  most  instances,  it  forms  the  sheet  anchor  of  the  pig  keeper. 
No  matter  whether  the  pig  has  a  "bit  of  cold,"  "  off  his  meat,"  "get- 
ting too  fat,"  "not  getting  fat  enough,"  or  what  the  ailment  is,  anti- 
mony is  the  remedy ;  and  after  a  glance  at  the  numerous  uses  to 
which  this  agent  is  so  persistently  applied,  and  the  doses  in  which  it 
is  given,  one  feels  surprised  that,  imder  such  an  indiscriminate  system, 
the  losses  are  not  infinitely  much  greater. 

Many  deaths  have,  however,  occurred  which,  I  have  had  no  doubt, 
were  occasioned  by  this  kind  of  treatment ;  but  the  owners  have  not 
thought  it  worth  the  trouble  to  search  for  the  truth  of  the  matter.  lu 
the  case  under  consideration,  doubtless,  a  similar  state  of  things  would 
have  resulted,  but  for  a  feud  which  existed  between  the  owner  and  his 
neighbour  rendering  it  a  matter  of  necessity  that  an  investigation 
should  be  made,  in  order  to  clear  up  the  doubts  and  suspicions  of 
foul  play  which  were  entertained  by  the  former.  Otherwise,  the 
death  of  the  animals  would  have  been  looked  upon  as  a  circumstance 
of  ordinary  character  only. 

The  owner  of  two  pigs,  who,  by  a  process  of  quibbling,  was  in 
illegal  possession  of  some  land,  charged  a  second  individual  (the 
rightful  owner)  with  causing  their  death,  assigning  that,  as  he  was 
endeavouring  to  recover  possession,  poison  had  been  maliciously 
thrown  by  him  to  the  animals  as  they  roamed  over  the  ground. 
The  latter  person  resented  the  foul  charge,  and  to  clear  himself  of 
the  imputation,  called  in  Mr  Dudgeon,  M.R.C.V.S.,  Sunderland,  to 
make  a  post-mortem  examination,  on  the  15th  of  April  last.  The 
carcasses  were  taken  up  from  a  hole  in  which  they  had  been  buried 
a  few  days,  and  carefully  examined.  The  stomach,  in  both  cases, 
was  gorged  with  food,  the  mucous  membrane  of  which  gave  un- 
mistakable indications  of  intense  inflammation  having  been  going  on, 
the  process  extending  to  the  whole  of  the  small  intestines.  The  large 
intestines  were  free,  and  also  the  viscera  of  the  chest. 

Of  their  previous  history,  all  that  could  be  learned  was,  that  on  the 
Tuesday  evening  previous,  their  usual  food  had  been  supplied,  and  on 
the  following  morning  the  animals  were  found  exhibiting  all  the  in- 
dications of  severe  abdominal  pain,  with  powerful  but  unsuccessful 
eflforts  to  vomit. 

No  purgation  was  observed.  The  poor  creatures  continued  in  this 
condition  for  some  time,  one  dying  at  11  P.M.,  and  the  other  about 
two  o'clock  on  the  following  morning. 

They  were  reported  to  be  in  perfect  health,  prior  to  Tuesday 
evening,  and  the  owner  stoutly  denies  having  adioixii'aX^i^ftL  ^ss^  \si^- 


838  VETEBINAEY  EECOEDS. 

cine  whatever,  the  length  of  time  which  elapsed  between  their  death 
and  the  post-mcyrtem  examination  admitting  of  a  removal  of  all 
supplies  from  the  pig  troughs,  &c.,  baffling  inquiries  in  that  par- 
ticular. 

The  accused  person  denied  all  knowledge  of  the  afiair,  he  pro- 
tested his  innocence,  and  utter  absence  of  all  motive  and  design  on 
his  part ;  and  requested  Mr  Dudgeon  to  get  the  stomach  and  con- 
tents examined,  in  order  to  prove  the  existence  or  non-existence  of 
any  poison.  Having  had  the  particulars  of  the  unfortunate  occur- 
rence detailed  to  me,  and,  on  seeing  the  organs,  expressed  my  convic- 
tion that  some  mineral  poison  had  caused  death,  an  opinion  which 
was  fully  shared  also  by  my  friend  Mr  C.  Hunting,  M.R.C.V.S.,  who 
examined  them  on  the  same  day,  the  stomachs,  with  their  ingesta  and 
small  intestines,  were  handed  over  to  me  on  the  17th  by  Mr  Dudgeon, 
with  a  request  that  I  should  make  an  analysis,  in  order  to  confirm 
the  suspicions  which  existed. 

A  portion  of  the  ingesta,  which  were  rolled  up  into  a  large  mass, 
consisting  of  barley  meal,  with  potato  peelings,  &c.,  was  first  taken 
and  mixed  with  cold  distilled  water,  broken  down,  allowed  to  stand 
for  some  time,  and  afterwards  decanted ;  when  a  large  quantity  of  a 
black  glistening  powder  was  discovered  at  the  bottom  of  the  flask, 
which,  when  carefully  dried,  had  all  the  characteristics  of  rather 
coarsely  powdered  sulphuret  of  antimony,  the  larger  grains  of  which 
were  needle-shaped,  with  shining  facets. 

A  small  portion  heated  in  a  narrow  test-tube  gave  rise  to  white 
fumes,  and  coated  the  sides  with  an  orange-coloured  deposit ;  the 
greater  portion,  however,  was  unaltered. 

Another  portion  was  boiled  in  dilute  hydrochloric  and  tartaric 
acids,  and  a  stream  of  sulphuretted  hydrogen  gas  driven  through  it, 
when  a  copious  yellow  precipitate  was  thrown  down.  This  was 
washed  and  filtered  and  divided  into  two  portions.  This  precipitate 
was  considerably  paler  than  the  natural  sulphide  of  antimony,  owing 
to  the  presence  of  organic  matters  being  mixed  with  the  powder.  It, 
however,  gradually  grew  darker,  and  within  a  few  hours  was  perfectly 
characteristic,  exhibiting  the  orange  colour  of  the  sulphide. 

Ist  Portion. — Hydrochloric  acid  added  gave  off  the  sulphide  of 
hydrogen,  and  dissolved  the  precipitate,  the  solution  divided  into  two 
portions,  a,  b. 

a.  Distilled  water  added  drop  by  drop  gave  a  white  precipitate. 

6.  A  stream  of  sulphide  of  hydrogen  reproduced  the  orange  preci- 
pitate. 

2nd  Portion, — ^Also  dissolved  in  hot  hydrochloric  acid,  to  which 
was  added  water  till  the  solution  ceased  to  give  a  white  precipitate. 
This  was  collected,  washed,  filtered,  and  driei  and  afterwards  boiled 
with  bitartrate  of  potass.  The  resulting  solution  of  emetic  tartar 
was  divided  into  two  portions,  a  and  6. 

a.  Distilled  water  was  added  to  this  portion,  to  render  it  very 
dilate,  to  which  was  added  a  few  drops  of  the  per-chloride  of  iron. 


VETEEINARY  EECOEDS.  339 

when  a  copious  yellow  precipitate  fell,  the  basic  chlorides  of  antimony 
and  iron. 

6.  A  concentrated  solution  gave  with  the  same  agent  a  yellow 
colour  only. 

Separate  portions  of  the  stomach  and  small  intestines,  with  their 
ingesta,  were  also  submitted  to  processes  of  a  similar  character,  in 
order  to  reduce  from  them  the  metallic  poison,  when  the  results  from 
the  tests  applied  were  equally  as  decisive.  In  addition,  Marsh's  test 
by  nascent  hydrogen  was  employed,  the  black  stains  produced  upon 
the  porcelain  being  soluble  in  a  solution  of  sulphide  of  ammonium, 
but  unaltered  by  a  solution  of  chloride  of  lime. 

In  the  first  instance,  I  dissolved  about  half  a  drachm  of  the  black 
powder  collected  from  the  ingesta  in  hot  hydrochloric  acid,  forming  a 
reddish  brown  solution,  which  was  divided  into  separate  portions. 
To  the  first,  caustic  potass  was  added,  which  gave  a  white  precipitate; 
and  to  the  second,  ammonia :  this  threw  down  an  orange  brown  pre- 
cipitate, which  should  have  been  white,  but  for  the  presence  of  iron, 
which,  I  believe,  is  frequently  found  associated  with  the  sulphide  of 
.antimony,  the  red  oxide  of  the  former  being  mixed  up  with  the  pre- 
cipitate. 

In  order  to  prove  this  more  fully,  the  whole  of  the  solution  from 
which  antimony  had  been  separated  by  sulphide  of  hydrogen  were 
then  separately  tested  for  iron ;  sulphide  of  ammonium  giving  a  black 
precipitate,  sulphide  of  hydrogen  a  yellow,  ferrocyanide  of  potassium 
deep  blue,  ferridcyanide  of  potassium  brown  solution,  sulphocyanide 
of  potassium  the  peculiar  and  beautiful  blood-red  solution. 

The  quantity  of  the  sulphide  of  antimony  could  not  have  been  less 
than  two  or  three  ounces  in  each  stomach,  judging  from  the  black 
colour  of  the  ingesta  and  thick  mucous  which  covered  the  lining 
membrane  of  the  stomach,  and  I  should  think  had  been  given  with 
the  food.  This  view  appears  reasonable,  when  the  fact  is  considered 
that  the  contents  of  the  small  intestines  collected,  even  at  the  ex- 
tremity of  the  inflamed  portions,  gave  distinct  traces  of  antimony. 
The  amount  and  quality  of  the  food  consumed  also  appears  to  have 
had  some  effect  in  delaying  the  action  of  the  minerals,  for  the  greater 
portion  occupying  the  stomach  was  rolled  into  a  mass,  and  contained 
the  major  portion  of  the  poison.  Had  the  stomach  been  supplied  with 
sloppy  food  instead  of  meal,  such  a  quantity  of  antimony  could  not 
have  been  taken  in,  from  its  specific  gravity  causing  it  to  remain  at 
the  bottom  of  the  pig  trough ;  and,  were  it  otherwise,  the  animals 
having  taken  the  same  quantity  with  their  food,  I  am  under  the  im- 
pression death  would  have  ensued  much  sooner. 

From  all  diligent  inquiries  instituted  by  Mr  Dudgeon,  nothing  can 
be  learned  which  favours  the  supposition  that  antimony  was  within 
reach  of  the  pigs;  and  how  they  obtained  it  is  a  complete  mystery. 
The  ovmer  avers  he  never  administered  to  them  medicines  of  any 
kind ;  and  on  the  part  of  the  accused  it  seems  improbable  that  he 
would  give,  what  he  had  no  other  cause  to  bd\<es^  ^^a\sKi^»^\ss^^ 


840  EHEUMATISM  IN  A  COW  AND  IN  A  GELDING. 

medicine,  to  effect  the  destruction  of  two  pigs;  nor  would  he  have  so 
readily  sought  the  aid  of  Mr  Dudgeon  and  courted  an  inquiry  which 
might  terminate  sadly  against  his  character  and  interests. 


Rheumatism  in  a  Cow  and  in  a  Gelding, 

TO  PROFESSOR  GAMGEB. 

My  dear  Sir, — The  observations  made  by  you,  and  which  appear  in 
your  Journal  ifor  this  month,  remind  me  of  some  cases  which  occurred 
in  my  practice,  two  of  which,  perhaps,  you  will  permit  me  to  make  a 
few  brief  observations  upon. 

The  first  was  that  of  a  cow  three  years  old,  said  to  be  in  a  bad 
state.  This  animal  was  visited  by  me — a  distance  of  two  miles  or  so 
from  my  own  residence — and  the  following  symptoms  were  present : — 
The  first  noticed  was  the  strange  expression  of  her  eyes.  She  looked 
like  an  animal  suffering  from  great  excitement,  almost  amounting  to 
madness ;  secondly,  she  was  constipated  in  the  bowels,  partial  sup- 
pression of  urine,  pulse  accelerated,  respiration  hurried,  but  indicat- 
ing this  change  from  the  usual  course  of  things  as  being  referable  to 
a  derangement  of  the  digestive  organs  only.  I  have  many  times 
found  blindness  accompany  affections  of  these  organs,  as  well  as 
those  affections  of  the  more  vital  part  of  the  organism — the  heart. 

I  proceeded  to  administer  a  cathartic,  which  in  due  course  had  the 
desired  effect,  when,  on  my  visit  made  the  day  following,  I  found  the 
patient  suffering  from  what  I  considered  rheumatism  in  the  off  fore 
leg.  Hot-water  dressings  were  applied  to  the  limb,  and  in  a  few  hours 
the  lameness  disappeared,  but  to  attack  the  near  hind  limb.  The 
succeeding  day  the  near  fore  limb  became  affected,  and  in  turn  the 
off  hind,  until  all  had  suffered.  The  treatment  occupied  about  a 
week  from  the  beginning  to  the  end,  when  the  animal  was  restored 
to  health.     This  was  a  peculiar  case  to  look  at. 

The  second  case  was  a  black  gelding,  six  years  old ;  he  had  been 
driven  a  distance  of  twenty-four  miles  in  one  day,  and  in  a  day  or  two 
afterwards  he  was  found  stiff  in  both  front  legs.  The  animal  was 
brought  to  the  infirmary,  and  carefully  examined  by  me.  I  could 
discover  nothing  to  lead  me  to  infer  the  disease  was  other  than  one 
of  rheumatism.  He  was  drenched  with  an  alkaline  solution  of  aloes> 
combined  with  a  small  portion  of  anamonia,  and  he  became  well  in  a 
day  or  two.  Shortly  after  he  was  again  attacked  so  as  to  be  scarcely 
able  to  walk  to  the  establishment.  ,  He  was  a  second  time  placed 
under  treatment  and  recovered  in  a  iFew  days,  about  a  fortnight.  He 
continued  as  long  as  I  knew  him  to  remain  free  from  disease  in  the 
limbs, — ^viz.,  but  a  few  months  only,  as  he  was  sold.  I  have  at  all 
times  been  very  sceptical  in  believing  our  patients  suffer  so  much 
from  diseases  of  this  kind  as  some  persons  imagine.  That  they  do 
suffer  I  make  no  doubt ;  but  I  am  of  opinion  many  of  the  so-called 


FEACTUBES  OF  A  NAVICTJLAE  BONE.  311 

attacks  of  rheumatism  might  have  received  other  names,  had  the 
cases  been  properly  understood.  In  my  practice  I  have  met  with 
such  cases, — viz.,  where  they  have  been  supposed  to  be  of  a  rheu- 
matic nature,  merely  from  the  fact  that  the  examiners  were  not  able 
to  diagnose  the  disease. 

I  have  always  thought  the  term  rheumatism  a  most  convenient  one> 
and  well  calculated  to  shield  us  from  the  hard  hitting  we  may  some- 
times meet  with  when  we  are  unable  to  show  the  precise  spot — where 
lameness  exists — to  our  employers.  There  are  scores  of  instances 
when  horses  are  lame  from  some  cause  or  other,  and  that  cause  can* 
not  be  demonstrated  to  the  i^winitiated,  as  there  are  not  present  those 
symptoms  which  wiU  serve  as  our  guide.  To  fully  understand  such 
cases,  it  is  absolutely  necessary  we  make  ourselves  acquainted  with 
the  function  as  well  as  the  structure  of  parts,  or,  in  other  words,  to 
thoroughly  understand  action,  I  have  succeeded  in  diagnosing  cases 
of  occult  lameness  where  some  other  practitioners  have  failed  to  do 
so,  simply  from  the  fact  of  turning  especial  attention  to  function  of 
parts.  I  have  several  specimens  in  my  possession  which  tend  to 
prove  my  assertion. 

The  observations  upon  rheumatism  made  by  Mr  Owles  and  your* 
self  are  very  interesting,  and  naturally  lead  one  to  reflection.— 
Believe  me  to  remain  faithfully  yours,  R.  H.  Dyeb. 

P.S. — I  am  glad  to  inform  you  there  is  every  prospect  of  being 
able  to  form  a  P.  V.  M.  Association  for  these  counties  in  the  West 
of  England  as  well  as  part  of  South  Wales.  Mr  Bodington  of  Car- 
diff is  very  zealous  in  the  cause ;  he  is  stirring  up  the  brothers  of  our 
order  in  his  district.  ^I  have  no  doubt  we  shall  have  a  good  meeting, 
as  it  is  intended  to  assemble  at  Plymouth  duriog  the  visit  of  the 
'' Royal/'  RH.  D. 

Torquay,  June  2, 1865. 


Fractures  of  a  Navicular  Bone,  following  on  protracted  and  a  pro- 
gressive diseased  condition  of  the  same,  with  altered  condition  of 
the  Pedal  Bone,  By  Joseph  Gamgee,  Sen.,  Professor  in  the  New 
Veterinary  College. 

To  the  Editor  of  the  Ediriburgh  Veterinary  Review, 

Aldebshott,  Zd  June  1865. 
Sir, — ^The  remarks  in  your  journal  for  this  month  by  Professor 
Gamgee,  sen.,  on  my  letter  of  the  5th  May,  entitle  me  to  expect  the 
opportunity  of  replying  to  such  of  them  as  relate  to  the  subject.  I 
shall  not  occupy  much  of  your  space,  as  I  do  not  intend  to  follow  the 
professor  from  the  point,  although  he  appears  determined  not  to 
adhere  to  it.    I  shall  content  myself  with  directing  attention  to  the 


342  FEACTUEBS  OP  A  NAVICULAR  BONE. 

extraordinary  mode  of  reasoning  he  must  have  called  to  his  aid  when 
the  professor  discovered  that  the  history  of  the  case  given  in  my  last 
letter  gives  a  new  aspect  to  it.  I  am  curious  to  know  how  he  arrived 
at  this  new  aspect  from  reading  my  letter,  in  which,  after  describing 
the  horse  as  fresh,  and  showing  no  symptoms  of  being  infirm,  &c., 
up  to  June  1862, 1  stated  in  the  21st  line, — "  This  horse  was  affected 
in  June  1862  with  sudden  and  permanent  lameness,  as  previously 
stated ;"  mark  this,  previously  stated.  Notwithstanding  this  plain 
English,  Professor  Gamgee  in  his  remarks  states,  "  It  now  turns  out 
that  instead  of  the  case  being  one  of  sudden  transition  from  complete 
soundness  to  incurable  lameness,"  &c.  I  ask,  what  does  he  mean  ? 
If  sudden  and  permanent  lameness  in  this  case  be  not  a  sudden 
transition  from  complete  soundness  to  incurable  lameness,  what  is  it? 
Have  the  words  in  my  letter — sudden  and  permanent — ^no  meaning 
to  the  professor.  Again,  acting  under  the  influence  of  preconceived 
ideas,  he  persists  in  misunderstanding  my  previous  letter,  and  claims 
diseased  fetlocks  as  diseased  feet,  because,  as  he  tells  us  now,  "  Fetlocks 
I  regard  as  regions  of  the  feet."  Now,  I  have  not  the  least  objection 
to  his  so  regarding  them,  provided  he  does  not  also  regard  navicular 
disease  and  rheumatic  inflammation  of  the  fetlocks  as  identical 
diseases  in  the  case  in  question,  and  also  endeavour  to  make  it 
appear  that  where  I  write  of  diseased  fetlocks,  I  am  speaking  of  feet 
This  animal  had  rheumatism  of  the  fetlocks,  and  navicular  disease  in 
one  foot,  at  one  and  the  same  time,  i,e.,  in  the  autumn  and  winter  of 
1862.  Professor  Gamgee  says,  "  In  the  account  of  the  case  referred 
to,  I  can  see  nothing  to  indicate  the  presence  of  rheumatism."  The 
symptoms  of  rheumatism  as  a  sequel  to  influenza  are  neither  obscure, 
nor  very  unusual.  I  saw  some  four  or  five  cases  during  the  winter 
of  1862-63.  The  professor  failing  to  credit  my  statement  cannot  affect 
its  truth,  or  alter  the  fact  that  this  horse  had  unmistakable  rheumatism. 
His  other  remarks,  being  so  wide  of  the  question,  need  no  comment 
I  will  only  add,  that  this  horse  had  done  no  work  for  three  months 
before  he  was  killed,  so,  if  the  fractures  occurred  only  a  few  days  pre- 
viously, as  the  professor  states,  work  could  not  have  been  the  cause  of 
them. — I  have  the  honour  to  be,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

Alfred  J.  Owle^, 
Veterinary  Surgeon,  Gen.  Staff. 


Aldebshott,  5^  June  1865. 
Sib, — As  a  postscript  to  my  letter  of  the  3d  inst,  replying  to  the 
charge  Professor  Gamgee,  sen.,  makes  upon  me,  of  changing  the 
aspect  of  the  case  which  I  sent  to  your  journal  for  May,  I  will  now 
send  you  one  instance  of  the  professor's  self-contradiction,  to  show 
the  incorrectness  of  his  reasoning,  and  the  value  to  be  attached  to  his 
deductions.  In  his  remarks  on  my  first  communication,  the  professor 
says,  alluding  to  the  rheumatism  in  the  fetlocks,  "  I  believe  the  swollen 
state  of  the  pasterns  was  due  to  the  fractured  and  complicated  con- 


ON  THE  MODES  OF  AWAEDING  PBIZES  TO  "  HOESE-SHOEES ."     343 

dition  of  the  bones  and  tissues  below." — (See  Edinburgh  Veterinary 
Review  for  May.)  And  in  his  remarks  on  my  second  communication, 
he  says,  "  The  fractures  occurred  only  a  few  days  before  death."  The 
condition  of  the  fetlocks,  i.e.,  rheumatism,  existed  in  1862,  (as  I  have 
before  stated,)  and  death  took  place  in  January  1865,  more  than  two 
years  subsequently ;  so,  according  to  the  professor's  reasoning,  the 
fractures  of  the  navicular  bone  in  1865  produced  the  diseased  condi- 
tion of  the  fetlocks  in  1862.  It  is  upon  such  reasoning  as  this  the 
professor  scruples  not  to  question  my  diagnosis.  Surely  such  writing 
as  this  requires  no  comment;  but  as  I  am  accused  of  changing  the 
aspect  of  my  case,  you  will  do  me  the  justice  of  publishing  this,  to- 
gether with  my  letter,  as  I  have  a  right  to  show  the  public,  through 
the  same  journal,  upon  what  premises  Professor  Gamgee  arrives  at  his 
remarkable  conclusions. — I  have  the  honour  to  be,  sir,  your  obedient 
servant,  Alpbed  J.  Owles, 

Veterinary  Surgeon,  Gen.  Staff. 


On  the  Modes  in  vogue  of  Awarding  Prizes  at  Agricultural  Asso- 
ciations to  "  Horse-Shoers."    By  Joseph  Gamgee,  sen. 

Passive  inactivity  is  not  a  desirable  state  to  be  in,  either  for  societies 
or  individuals  ;  worse  still,  however,  is  misdirected  meddling. 

It  is  impossible  to  deny,  with  truth,  the  lamentably  unsatisfactory 
state  of  the  art  of  horse-shoeing  throughout  this  kingdom ;  and  it  is 
discouraging  to  see,  as  is  the  fact,  that  for  many  years  past  the  faults 
of  commission  have  produced  more  positively  injurious  effects  than 
those  of  omission  had  ever  done,  so  far,  at  least,  as  the  state  of  matters 
can  be  ascertained  now. 

Failing  to  devise  a  rational  system  of  horse-shoeing,  and  neglecting 
to  follow  the  methods  pursued  in  other  countries,  the  subject  has  been 
treated  in  England  as  quite  an  open  question.  Jack  was  as  good  as 
his  master ;  amateurs  and  adventurers  tried  their  hands  ;  while  con- 
fusion became  more  and  more  confounded.  Within  the  last  seven  years, 
what  have,  by  courtesy,  been  called  "  prizes  to  horse-shoers,'*  have 
been  set  on  foot  in  some  localities ;  conspicuous,  in  particular,  has 
been  "  The  West  of  England  Agricultural  Society."  And  to  show 
the  position  in  which  the  horse-shoer  is  placed,  and  the  exhibition 
made  of  the  art  of  farriery,  the  following  paragraph,  taken  from  a 
London  weekly  sporting  paper,  is  produced.  The  passage  quoted  is 
given,  assumedly,  on  authority : — 

"  Bath  and  West  op  England  Agricultural  Society. — A  novelty  in  Wednes- 
day's proceedings  (as  the  competitive  sheep-shearing  was  on  Monday)  was  the  horse- 
shoeing at  portable  forges,  and  as  it  is  unfortunately  true  that  nine  out  of  ten  cases 
of  foot  lameness  arise  from  bad  shoeing,  the  Society  has  done  weU  in  thus  attracting 
public  interest  to  the  question.  When  wUl  the  village  smith  understand  that,  instead 
of  paring  and  rasping  a  horse's  foot  to  fit  a  shoe,  the  iron  shoe  should  be  made  to  fit 
the  foot,  with  an  equable  bearing  all  round  from  heel  to  heel,  just  as  he  likes  a  leathas 
shoe  to  sustain  and  accommodate  his  own  sole  mth  qua  «a<i  QiQrmi<(^\\>\   ^'^IV^^'w^ 


344?     ON  THE  MODES  OF  AWABDING  PBIZES  TO  "  HOESK-SHOEBa" 

he  admit  that  an  elastic  hoof  requires  the  placing  of  the  nails  so  that  the  inner  heel 
may  expand  under  weight !  The  trial  was  conducted  as  follows  :— The  smiths  drew 
lots  for  the  number  of  the  forge,  the  number  of  the  horses,  and  the  foot  to  be  shod. 
Each  man  then  made  his  shoe  and  the  requisite  number  of  nails,  the  time  occupied 
being  from  twenty  to  thirty  minutes ;  and  after  inspection  by  the  judges  the  ^oes 
were  fitted  and  nailed  on,  the  time  occupied  by  each  man  being  noted.  The  principal 
points  of  the  performance  consist  of  the  time  taken  to  construct  the  shoe,  the  level 
form  of  the  shoe,  the  situation  of  the  holes  and  what  is  called  the  fullering,  the  pro- 
per and  even-seating  of  the  shoe,  the  preparation  of  the  foot,  the  fitting  of  the  shoe, 
the  nailing  on,  and  the  time  occupied  in  each  of  the  several  operations." 

The  above  shows,  better  than  any  words  of  mine  can  convey,  the 
degraded  state  in  which  this  important  art  is  at  the  present  time — 
an  art  second  to  few,  if  any,  for  the  breadth  of  its  application,  equally 
important  in  its  operation,  and  difficult  of  acquisition.  The  craft  of 
farriery  has  all  the  attributes,  if  it  were  properly  cultivated,  of  a 
science  and  an  art ;  and  yet  here  we  have  the  disgusting  spectacle 
of  seeing  the  sheep-shearer  and  horse-shoer  placed  in  the  same  cate- 
gory, exhibiting  their  physical  powers,  respectively,  at  clipping,  nail- 
making,  hammering,  and  paring;  and  if  perchance  there  had  been 
a  prize  for  pork-butchers,  then  there  would  have  been  additionally — 
sticking. 

In  no  other  country  in  Europe  could  such  a  proclamation  be  found, 
in  proof  of  a  wide-spread  ignorance  on  that  important  subject — 
horse-shoeing — ^lamentably  illustrative  of  the  state  of  matters. 

Instead  of  a  well-founded  system  for  the  instruction  of  farriers, 
here  we  have  the  patronising  display  of  doling  out  some  £10  be- 
tween a  number  of  men,  coming  from  distant  places,  to  perform 
certain  acts  according  to  prescribed  procedure,  dictated  in  the  absence 
of  rational  guidance,  and  without  practical  rules  on  the  subject ;  all 
has  to  be  tested,  not  by  manner,  but  by  time.  Poor  horses !  and  oh ! 
for  the  honour  of  veterinary  medicine !  Napoleon  le  Grand  called 
the  English  a  nation  of  shopkeepers.  I  don't  Jmow  for  why ;  but  if 
an  agricultural  society  of  France  were  to  treat  the  question  of  horse- 
shoeing in  the  way  we  see  it  carried  out  in  England,  with  an  evident 
catering  for  approval,  their  standard  would  soon  be  lowered. 

These  "  prizes  for  horse-shoers ''  serve  for  a  display,  and  to  see  a 
few  poor  men  working  and  sweating,  in  the  absence  of  anything  to 
raise  their  minds  to  the  real  worth  and  the  important  nature  of 
their  calling.  The  trifle  gained  by  the  two  or  three  most  successful, 
after  the  exhilaration  of  the  evening,  may  perchance  suffice  to  buy 
the  wife  a  gown,  and  the  children  a  pair  or  two  of  shoes ;  while 
the  poor  man  himself,  left  in  ignorance,  becomes  puffed  up  as  the 
best  horse-shoer  of  his  neighbourhood.  So  much  for  best ;  if  they  only 
knew  the  standard,  the  relative  position  would  not  be  coveted. 

Enough  of  alternately  leading  and  driving  of  the  English  horse- 
shoer  from  one  series  of  errors  to  another.  Let  these  men  be  in- 
structed, and  they  are  as  capable  and  as  willing  as  other  men  of  being 
taught  to  think ;  but,  misguided  as  they  have  been,  the  men  and  their 
calling  are  lowered  in  the  eyes  of  the  world. 

It  would  be  a  reasonable  service  if  the  men  and  their  directors 


STATISTICS  OP  LIVE  STOCK  AND  DEAD  MEAT.  345 

were  made  to  change  places;  no  man  can  instruct  another  in  a 
branch  of  knowledge  he  never  learnt  himself.  When  will  English- 
men be  led  to  understand  that  the  feet  are  to  horses  what  brains  and 
hands  together  are  to  man — everything? 


Statistics  of  Live  Stock  and  Dead  Meat  for  Consumption  in  the 
Metropolis.    By  Robert  Herbert. 

{From  the  Journal  of  the  Royal  Agricultural  Society,) 

Although  the  Metropolitan  Cattle  Market  was  extensively  supplied 
with  most  breeds  of  beasts  during  the  last  six  months  of  1864,  there 
was  a  great  deficiency  in  the  weight  of  meat  disposed  of — indeeil, 
fully  half  of  the  stock  on  ofier  was  beneath  the  middle  quality.  The 
severe  drought  experienced  during  the  summer  months,  and  the 
consequent  want  of  grass,  and  the  serious  deficiency  in  the  turnip- 
crop  over  the  whole  of  our  grazing  districts,  compelled  the  graziers 
to  purchase  large  additional  quantities  of  linseed  and  cake,  and  had 
great  influence  upon  prices.  At  one  period  really  prime  Scots  and 
crosses  produced  as  much  as  6s.  per  8  lbs. ;  and  even  the  more  general 
range  in  their  value  was  5s.  6d.  and  5s.  8d.  per  8  lbs.  These  high  rates 
fully  justified  our  anticipations.  From  the  circumstance  that  beasts 
have  fattened  slowly  during  the  last  three  or  four  months,  and  that  the 
numbers  in  the  stalls  in  our  leading  counties  are  very  moderate  for 
the  time  of  year,  it  is  evident  that  there  is  little  or  no  prospect  of  any 
important  decline  in  current  rates  between  this  and  the  close  of  the 
Norfolk  "  season.''  During  the  six  months  only  60,350  beasts  arrived 
in  the  Metropolitan  Market  from  Lincolnshire,  Leicestershire,  and 
Northamptonshire,  against  66,510  head  in  1863,  and  74,570  in  1862. 
The  deficiency  in  the  arrivals  from  the  above  districts  was  not  con- 
fined to  numbers  only,  since  fully  one-third  of  them  were  only  fit  for 
second  and  third  class  consumption.  From  the  eastern  districts  an 
increased  number  of  beasts  was  reported  ;  but  the  comparative  excess 
in  the  supply  arose  solely  from  many  of  the  graziers  being  compelled 
to  dispose  of  a  portion  of  their  stock  much  earlier  than  usual  Other 
parts  of  England  furnished  a  very  middling  show  of  stock,  both  as  to 
number  and  quality.  From  Scotland,  however,  the  arrivals  were  a 
full  average,  and  in  wonderfully  fine  condition ;  indeed,  scarcely  an 
inferior  bullock  arrived  from  that  quarter.  The  drought  in  Scotland 
was  much  less  severely  felt  than  in  England  ;  the  turnip  and  potato 
crops  have  turned  out  well,  and  of  good  quality  ;  and  stock  generally 
has  fattened  quite  as  rapidly  as  in  the  most  favoured  seasons.  Ireland 
furnished  only  7079  beasts,  against  11,280  in  1863,  and  ]  4,820  in 
1862.  As  the  Irish  stock  has  shown  no  improvement^  sales  have 
progressed  slowly,  at  moderate  rates. 
The  annexed  return  shows  the  quarters  from  \irh&\i^^  ^Xl^  ^^:^ 


346 


STATISTICS  OF  LIVE  STOCK  AND  DEAD  MEAT 


plies  of  beasts  were  derived  in  the  last  six  months  of  the  last  fiye 
years: — 

DISTRICT  BULLOCK  ABEIVALS. 


LMt  half  of  year. 

Northern 
Districts. 

Eastern 
Districts. 

Other  parts  of 
England. 

Scotland. 

InUnd. 

1860 
1861 
1862 
1863 
1864 

66,140 
71,450 
74,570 
66,510 
60,350 

9500 
2500 
5050 
3850 
8400 

20,500 
9,700 
19,620 
21,250 
19,400 

1161 
4586 
3307 
3213 
3625 

7,852 
14,340 
14,820 
11,280 

7,079 

This  is  certainly  a  most  unsatisfactory  statement  as  a  whola  The 
consumption  in  London  is  increasing  every  year ;  prices  have  con- 
tinued to  improve ;  and  even  the  excessive  importations  from  the 
Continent  have  failed  to  affect  the  value  of  English  stock.  The  ques- 
tion, therefore,  of  an  adequate  supply  of  food  has  become  a  serious 
one,  more  especially  as  the  foreign  arrivals,  with  very  few  exceptions, 
are  still  very  deficient  in  quality.  The  foreign  sheep  have  shown 
very  little  improvement,  although  some  few  of  them  have  sold  as  high 
as  78s.  and  even  80s.  each.  They  still  continue,  however,  to  carry  a 
quantity  of  internal  fat.  Foreign  calves,  which  now  form  three- 
fourths  of  the  supplies,  have  sold  steadily;  and  fair  prices  have  been 
made  for  pigs,  although  the  importations  exceeded  all  previous  years. 
The  arrivals  into  London  were  shipped  from  the  undermentioned 
ports : — 


IMPORTS  OF  FOREIGN  STOCK  INTO    LONDON 
MONTHS  OF  1864. 


DURING  THB  LAST   SIX 


From 

Beasts. 

[Sheep. 

Lambs. 

CalTes. 

Pigs. 

Amsterdam 

872 

1,473 

2 

61 



Antwerp    . 

122 

32 

— 

764 

869 

Boulogne  . 

152 

15 

— 

175 

4,676 

Bremen     . 

6,386 

1,890 

172 

1 



Cadiz 

139 

— 

— 

— 



Calais 

— 

— 

60 

88 

1,433 

Dordt 

2,990 

15,467 

8,333 

61 

18 

Dunkirk    . 

127 

— 

— 

157 

2,579 

Gibraltar  . 

605 

— 

— 

— 



Hamburg  . 

1,829 

25,406 

154 

44 

3,415 

Harlingen 

9,900 

26,912 

1,491 

2,437 

10,324 

Havre 

1 

— 

— 

— 



Lyston 
Medemblik 

20 

— 

— 





2,393 

80,628 

1 

228 

4 

Nieu  Dieppe      . 

249 

2,140 

— 

258 

S 

Oporto 

392 

— 

— 

— 

— 

Ostend      . 

632 

603 

31 

515 

576 

Rotterdam 

22,198 

92,849 

8,177 

12,021 

7,403 

Tonning    . 

28,898 

29,342 

3,043 

3 

— 

Vigo. 

687 

— 

— 

— 

— 

Total  . 

76,992 

226,657 

11,464 

16,793 

30,803 

FOE  CONSUMPTION  IN  THE  METBOPOLIS. 


347 


Here  we  have  a  total  supply  from  abroad  of  no  less  than  362,709 
head,  an  increase  of  23,630  head  on  1863.  It  will  be  perceived  that 
nearly  29,000  beasts  were  shipped  from  Tonning,  but  of  this  large 
number  about  20,000  were  only  fit  for  grazing  purposes.  Rotterdam 
comes  next  in  importance.  The  Dutch  stock,  however,  was  very  in- 
ferior in  quality  to  that  imported  in  1862  and  1863.  The  same  re- 
mark may  be  applied  to  the  arrivals  from  most  other  quarters  ;  con- 
sequently, the  addition  to  our  supply  of  animal  food  was  compara- 
tively smalL  Rather  a  large  business  has  been  passing  in  foreign  pigs. 
For  the  most  part  they  have  arrived  in  fair  condition,  but  the  prices 
realised  for  them  have  been  very  low,  viz.,  from  3s.  8d.  to  4s.  2d.  per 
8  lbs.  The  imports  of  foreign  stock  into  the  United  Kingdom  during 
the  last  six  months  of  the  undermentioned  years  were: — 

IMPOETS  INTO  THE  UNITED  KINGDOM. 


Last  half  of  year. 

Beasts. 

Sheep 
and  Lambs. 

CalTes. 

Piga. 

1863 
1862 
1861 
1860 

61,435 
57,356 
59.049 
59,817 

241,209 
250,140 
266,249 
243,804 

17,497 
19,610 
19,715 
19,594 

18,936 
17,279 
25,919 
21,510 

The  aggregate  supplies  of  each  kind  of  stock  exhibited  in  the  great 
Metropolitan  Cattle  Market  in  the  last  six  months  were : — 

Head. 

Beasts 177,944 

Cows 3,221 

Sheep  and  lambs 769,814 

Calves 17,967 

Pigs 19,306 

In  the  four  previous  seasons,  ending  with  1863,  the  show  of  stock 
was  as  follows ; — 

TOTAL  SUPPLIES  OF  STOCK  EXHIBITED. 


Last  half  of  jear. 

Beasts. 

Cows.' 

Sheep 
and  Lambs. 

CalTes. 

Pigs. 

1860 
1861 
1862 
1863 

145,420 
149,750 
169,450 
168,232 

3015 
3187 
3148 
3127 

762,740 
774,260 
759,671 
761,070 

15,766 
12,441 
12,579 
14,822 

15,470 
20,116 
18,220 
17,550 

The  lowest  average  value  of  inferior  beasts  in  1864  was  3s.  6d. ;  of 
middling  stock,  4s.  6d. ;  and  prime,  6s.  6d.  per  8  lbs.  The  heavy 
arrivals  from  the  Continent  prevented  any  rise  of  moment  in  the 
former  quotation ;  but  in  the  latter  there  was  an  advance  of  6d.  per 
8  lbs.  Sheep  were  the  turn  dearer.  Lambs  sold  at  from  5s.  6d.  to 
8s. ;  calves,  4s.  to  5s.  lOd. ;  and  pigs,  3s.  6d.  to  5s.  per  8  lbs.,  to  sink 
the  offaL  The  following  selection  from  the  six  months*  averages  will 
illustrate  the  recent  rise  in  prices : — 


346 


STATISTICS  OF  LIVE  STOCK  AND  DEAD  MEAT 


plies  of  beasts  were  derived  in  the  last  six  months  of  the  last  five 
years: — 

DISTBICT  BULLOCK  AEEIVALS. 


Last  half  of  year. 

Northern 
Districts. 

Eastern 
Districts. 

Other  parts  of 
England. 

Bootland. 

InlaDd. 

1860 
1861 
1862 
1863 
1864 

66,140 
71,450 
74,570 
66,510 
60,350 

9500 
2500 
6050 
3850 
8400 

20,500 
9,700 
19,620 
21,250 
19,400 

1151 
4586 
3307 
3213 
3625 

7,852 
14,340 
14,820 
11,280 

7,079 

This  is  certainly  a  most  unsatisfactory  statement  as  a  whola  The 
consumption  in  London  is  increasing  every  year ;  prices  have  con- 
tinued to  improve ;  and  even  the  excessive  importations  from  the 
Continent  have  failed  to  affect  the  value  of  English  stock.  The  ques- 
tion, therefore,  of  an  adequate  supply  of  food  has  become  a  serious 
one,  more  especially  as  the  foreign  arrivals,  with  very  few  exceptions, 
are  still  very  deficient  in  quality.  The  foreign  sheep  have  shown 
very  little  improvement,  although  some  few  of  them  have  sold  as  high 
as  78s.  and  even  80s.  each.  They  still  continue,  however,  to  carry  a 
quantity  of  internal  fat.  Foreign  calves,  which  now  form  three- 
fourths  of  the  supplies,  have  sold  steadily;  and  fair  prices  have  been 
made  for  pigs,  although  the  importations  exceeded  all  previous  years. 
The  arrivals  into  London  were  shipped  from  the  undermentioned 
ports : — 


IMPORTS  OP  FOREIGN  STOCK  INTO    LONDON 
MONTHS  OP  1864. 


DURING  THE  LAST   SIX 


Prom 

Beasts. 

[Sheep. 

Lambs. 

CalTes. 

Pigs. 

Amsterdam 

872 

1,473 

2 

61 



Antwerp     . 

122 

32 

— 

764 

869 

Boulogne  . 

152 

16 

— 

176 

4,676 

Bremen     . 

6,386 

1,890 

172 

1 

Cadiz 

139 

— 

— 

— 



Calais 

— 

60 

88 

1,433 

Dordt 

2,990 

15,467 

3,333 

61 

18 

Dunkirk    . 

127 

— 

167 

2,579 

Gibraltar   . 

605 



— 

— 

Hamburg  . 

1,829 

25,406 

154 

44 

3,415 

Harlingen 

9,900 

26,912 

1,491 

2,437 

10,324 

Havre 

1 

— 

— 





Lyston 

20 

— 

— 

— 



Medemblik 

2,393 

80,628 

1 

228 

4 

Nieu  Dieppe 

249 

2,140 

— 

268 

S 

Oporto 

892 

— 

— 

— 



Ostend       . 

632 

603 

31 

616 

675 

Rotterdam 

22,198 

92,849 

3,177 

12,021 

7,403 

Tonning    . 

28,898 

29,342 

3,043 

8 



Vigo. 

687 

— 

— 

— 

— 

Total  . 

• 

76,992 

226,667 

11,464 

16,793 

30,803 

FOE  CONSUMPTION  IN  THE  METROPOLIS. 


347 


Here  we  have  a  total  supply  from  abroad  of  no  less  than  362,709 
head,  an  increase  of  23,630  head  on  1863.  It  will  be  perceived  that 
nearly  29,000  beasts  were  shipped  from  Tonning,  but  of  this  large 
number  about  20,000  were  only  fit  for  grazing  purposes.  Rotterdam 
comes  next  in  importance.  The  Dutch  stock,  however,  was  very  in- 
ferior in  quality  to  that  imported  in  1862  and  1863.  The  same  re- 
mark may  be  applied  to  the  arrivals  from  most  other  quarters  ;  con- 
sequently, the  addition  to  our  supply  of  animal  food  was  compara- 
tively small  Rather  a  large  business  has  been  passing  in  foreign  pigs. 
For  the  most  part  they  have  arrived  in  fair  condition,  but  the  prices 
realised  for  them  have  been  very  low,  viz.,  from  3s.  8d.  to  4s.  2d.  per 
8  lbs.  The  imports  of  foreign  stock  into  the  United  Kingdom  during 
the  last  six  months  of  the  undermentioned  years  were: — 

IMPOETS  INTO  THE  UNITED  KINGDOM. 


Last  half  of  year. 

Beasts. 

Sheep 
and  Lambs. 

CalTes. 

Pigs. 

1863 
1862 
1861 
1860 

61,435 
57,356 
59,049 
59,817 

241,209 
250,140 
266,249 
243,804 

17,497 
19,610 
19,715 
19,594 

18,936 
17,279 
25,919 
21,510 

The  aggregate  supplies  of  each  kind  of  stock  exhibited  in  the  great 
Metropolitan  Cattle  Market  in  the  last  six  months  were : — 

Head. 

Beasts 177,944 

Cows 3,221 

Sheep  and  lamba 769,814 ' 

Calves 17,967 

Pigs 19,306 

In  the  four  previous  seasons,  ending  with  1863,  the  show  of  stock 
was  as  follows : — 

TOTAL  SUPPLIES  OP  STOCK  EXHIBITED. 


Last  half  of  year. 

Beasts. 

Cows.' 

Sheep 
and  Lambs. 

Calves. 

Pigs. 

1860 
1861 
1862 
1863 

145,420 
149,750 
159,450 
168,232 

3016 
3187 
3148 
3127 

762,740 
774,260 
759,671 
761,070 

15,766 
12,441 
12,579 
14,822 

15,470 
20,116 
18,220 
17,550 

The  lowest  average  value  of  inferior  beasts  in  1864  was  3s.  6d. ;  of 
middling  stock,  4s.  6d. ;  and  prime,  6s.  6d.  per  8  lbs.  The  heavy 
arrivals  from  the  Continent  prevented  any  rise  of  moment  in  the 
former  quotation ;  but  in  the  latter  there  was  an  advance  of  6d.  per 
8  lbs.  Sheep  were  the  turn  dearer.  Lambs  sold  at  from  5s.  6d.  to 
8s. ;  calves,  4s.  to  5s.  lOd. ;  and  pigs,  3s.  6d.  to  5s.  per  8  lbs.,  to  sink 
the  offal.  The  following  selection  from  the  six  months'  averages  will 
illustrate  the  recent  rise  in  prices : — 


346 


STATISTICS  OF  LIVE  STOCK  AND  DEAD  MEAT 


plies  of  beasts  were  derived  in  the  last  six  months  of  the  last  five 
years: — 

DISTRICT  BULLOCK  ABEIVALS. 


LMthalfofjear. 

Northern 
Districts. 

Eastern 
Districts. 

Other  parts  of 
England. 

SooUand. 

Inlud. 

1860 
1861 

1862        . 
1863 
1864 

66,140 
71,450 
74,570 
66,510 
60,350 

9500 
2500 
5050 
3850 

8400 

20,500 
9,700 
19,620 
21,250 
19,400 

1151 
4586 
8307 
3213 
3625 

7,852 
14,840 
14,820 
11,280 

7,079 

This  is  certainly  a  most  unsatisfactory  statement  as  a  whola  The 
consumption  in  London  is  increasing  every  year ;  prices  have  con- 
tinued to  improve  ;  and  even  the  excessive  importations  from  the 
Continent  have  failed  to  affect  the  value  of  English  stock.  The  ques- 
tion, therefore,  of  an  adequate  supply  of  food  has  become  a  serious 
one,  more  especially  as  the  foreijjn  arrivals,  with  very  few  exceptions, 
are  still  very  deficient  in  quality.  The  jforeign  sheep  have  shown 
very  little  improvement,  although  some  few  of  them  have  sold  as  high 
as  78s.  and  even  SOs.  each.  They  still  continue,  however,  to  carry  a 
quantity  of  internal  fat.  Foreign  calves,  which  now  form  thi^ 
fourths  of  the  supplies,  have  sold  steadily;  and  fair  prices  have  been 
made  for  pigs,  although  the  importations  exceeded  all  previous  years. 
The  arrivals  into  London  were  shipped  from  the  undermentioned 
ports : — 


IMPORTS  OF  FOREIGN  STOCK  INTO    LONDON 
MONTHS  OF  1864. 


DURING  THE  LAST   SIX 


Prom 

Beasts. 

;Sheep. 

Lambs. 

CalTes. 

Kg*. 

Amsterdam 

372 

1,473 

2 

61 



Antwerp    . 

122 

32 

— 

764 

869 

Boulogne  . 

152 

16 

— 

176 

4,676 

Bremen     . 

6,386 

1,890 

172 

1 

Cadiz 

139 

— 

— 

— 



Calais 

— 

— 

60 

88 

1,433 

Dordt 

2,990 

15,467 

3,333 

61 

18 

Dunkirk    . 

127 

— 

— 

167 

2,579 

Gibraltar  . 

605 

— 

— 

— 

Hamburg  . 

1,829 

25,406 

164 

44 

3,416 

Harlingen 

9,900 

26,912 

1,491 

2,437 

10,324 

Havre 

1 

— 

— 





Lyston 

20 

— 

— 

— 



Medemblik 

2,393 

30,628 

1 

228 

4 

Nieu  Dieppe 

249 

2,140 

— 

268 

8 

Oporto 

392 

— 

— 

— 

— 

Ostend       . 

632 

603 

31 

616 

676 

Rotterdam 

22,198 

92,849 

3,177 

12,021 

7,403 

Tonning    . 

28,898 

29,342 

3,043 

8 



Vigo. 

587 

— 

— 

— 

— 

Total  . 

• 

76,992 

226,667 

11,464 

16,793 

30,803 

FOB  CONSUMPTION  IN  THE  METROPOLIS. 


347 


Here  we  have  a  total  supply  from  abroad  of  no  less  than  362,709 
head,  an  increase  of  23,630  head  on  1863.  It  will  be  perceived  that 
nearly  29,000  beasts  were  shipped  from  Tonning,  but  of  this  large 
number  about  20,000  were  only  fit  for  grazing  purposes.  Rotterdam 
comes  next  in  importance.  The  Dutch  stock,  however,  was  very  in- 
ferior in  quality  to  that  imported  in  1862  and  1863.  The  same  re- 
mark may  be  applied  to  the  arrivals  from  most  other  quarters  ;  con- 
sequently, the  addition  to  our  supply  of  animal  food  was  compara- 
tively smalL  Rather  a  large  business  has  been  passing  in  foreign  pigs. 
For  the  most  part  they  have  arrived  in  fair  condition,  but  the  prices 
realised  for  them  have  been  very  low,  viz.,  from  3s.  8d.  to  4s.  2d.  per 
8  lbs.  The  imports  of  foreign  stock  into  the  United  Kingdom  during 
the  last  six  months  of  the  undermentioned  years  were : — 

IMPOETS  INTO  THE  UNITED  KINGDOM. 


Last  half  of  year. 

Beasts. 

Sheep 
and  Lambs. 

Calves. 

Piga. 

1863 
1862 
1861 
1860 

61,435 
57,356 
59,049 
59,817 

241,209 
250,140 
266,249 
243,804 

17,497 
19,610 
19,715 
19,594 

18,936 
17,279 
25,919 
21,610 

The  aggregate  supplies  of  each  kind  of  stock  exhibited  in  the  great 
Metropolitan  Cattle  Market  in  the  last  six  months  were : — 

Head. 

Beasts 177,944 

Cows 3,221 

Sheep  and  lambs 769,814' 

Calves 17,967 

Pigs 19,306 

In  the  four  previous  seasons,  ending  with  1863,  the  show  of  stock 
was  as  follows : — 

TOTAL  SUPPLIES  OF  STOCK  EXHIBITED. 


Last  half  of  year. 

Beasts. 

Cows.' 

Sheep 
and  Lambs. 

Calves. 

Pigs. 

1860 
1861 
1862 
1863 

145,420 
149,750 
169,450 
168,232 

3015 
3187 
8148 
3127 

762,740 
774,260 
759,671 
761,070 

15,766 
12,441 
12,579 
14,822 

15,470 
20,116 
18,220 
17,560 

The  lowest  average  value  of  inferior  beasts  in  1864  was  3s.  6d. ;  of 
middling  stock,  4s.  6d. ;  and  prime,  6s.  6d.  per  8  lbs.  The  heavy 
arrivals  from  the  Continent  prevented  any  rise  of  moment  in  the 
former  quotation ;  but  in  the  latter  there  was  an  advance  of  6d.  per 
8  lbs.  Sheep  were  the  turn  dearer.  Lambs  sold  at  from  5s.  6d.  to 
8s. ;  calves,  4s.  to  5s.  lOd. ;  and  pigs,  3s.  6d.  to  5s.  per  8  lbs.,  to  sink 
the  offaL  The  following  selection  from  the  six  months'  averages  will 
illustrate  the  recent  rise  in  prices : — 


346 


STATISTICS  OF  LIVE  STOCK  AND  DEAD  IfEAT 


plies  of  beasts  were  derived  in  the  last  six  months  of  the  last  five 
years: — 

DISTRICT  BULLOCK  ABEIVALS. 


Last  half  of  jear. 

Northern 
Districts. 

Eastern 
Districts. 

Other  parts  of 
England. 

Scotland. 

Ireland. 

1860 
1861 
1862 
1863 
1864 

66,140 
71,450 
74,570 
66,510 
60,350 

9500 
2500 
5050 
3850 
8400 

20,500 
9,700 
19,620 
21,250 
19,400 

1151 
4586 
3307 
8213 
3625 

7,862 
14,340 
14,820 
11,280 

7,079 

This  is  certainly  a  most  imsatisfactory  statement  as  a  whole.  The 
consumption  in  London  is  increasing  every  year ;  prices  have  con- 
tinued to  improve ;  and  even  the  excessive  importations  from  the 
Continent  have  failed  to  affect  the  value  of  English  stocL  The  ques- 
tion, therefore,  of  an  adequate  supply  of  food  has  become  a  serious 
one,  more  especially  as  the  foreign  arrivals,  with  very  few  exceptions, 
are  still  very  deficient  in  quality.  The  iforeign  sheep  have  shown 
very  little  improvement,  although  some  few  of  them  have  sold  as  high 
as  78s.  and  even  80s.  each.  They  still  continue,  however,  to  carry  a 
quantity  of  internal  fat.  Foreign  calves,  which  now  form  three- 
fourths  of  the  supplies,  have  sold  steadily;  and  fair  prices  have  been 
made  for  pigs,  although  the  importations  exceeded  all  previous  years. 
The  arrivals  into  London  were  shipped  from  the  undermentioned 
ports: — 


IMPORTS  OF  FOREIGN  STOCK  INTO    LONDON 
MONTHS  OF  1864. 


DURING  THB  LAST   SIX 


From 

Beasts. 

[Sheep. 

Lambs. 

Calves. 

Pigs. 

Amsterdam 

372 

1,473 

2 

61 



Antwerp     . 

122 

32 

— 

764 

869 

Boulogne  . 

152 

16 

— 

175 

4,676 

Bremen     . 

6,386 

1,890 

172 

1 

— 

Cadiz 

139 

— 

— 

— 



CalaU 

— 

60 

88 

1,433 

Dordt 

2,990 

15,467 

3,333 

61 

18 

Dunkirk    . 

127 

— 

— 

167 

2,579 

Gibraltar   . 

605 

— 

— 

— 



Hamburg  . 

1,829 

26,406 

154 

44 

3,416 

Harlingen 

9,900 

26,912 

1,491 

2,437 

10,824 

Havre 

1 

— 

— 

— 

— 

Lyston 
Medemblik 

20 

— 

— 





2,393 

30,628 

1 

228 

4 

Nieu  Dieppe 

249 

2,140 

— 

268 

S 

Oporto 

392 

— 

— 

— 



Ofitend       . 

632 

603 

31 

616 

576 

Rotterdam 

22,198 

92,849 

3,177 

12,021 

7,403 

Tonning    . 

28,898 

29,342 

3,043 

3 

— 

Vigo. 

687 

— 

— 

— 

— 

Total  . 

• 

76,992 

226,667 

11,464 

16,793 

30,803 

FOE  CONSUMPTION  IN  THE  METROPOLIS. 


347 


Here  we  have  a  total  supply  from  abroad  of  no  less  than  362,709 
head,  an  increase  of  23,630  head  on  1863.  It  will  be  perceived  that 
nearly  29,000  beasts  were  shipped  from  Tonning,  but  of  this  large 
number  about  20,000  were  only  fit  for  grazing  purposes.  Rotterdam 
comes  next  in  importance.  The  Dutch  stock,  however,  was  very  in- 
ferior in  quality  to  that  imported  in  1862  and  1863.  The  same  re- 
mark may  be  applied  to  the  arrivals  from  most  other  quarters  ;  con- 
sequently, the  addition  to  our  supply  of  animal  food  was  compara- 
tively smalL  Rather  a  large  business  has  been  passing  in  foreign  pigs. 
For  the  most  part  they  have  arrived  in  fair  condition,  but  the  prices 
realised  for  them  have  been  very  low,  viz.,  from  3s.  8d.  to  4s.  2d.  per 
8  lbs.  The  imports  of  foreign  stock  into  the  United  Kingdom  during 
the  last  six  months  of  the  undermentioned  years  were: — 

IMPOETS  INTO  THE  UNITED  KINGDOM. 


Last  half  of  year. 

Beasts. 

Sheep 
and  Lambs. 

CalTcs. 

Pigs. 

1863 
1862 
1861 
1860 

61,435 
57,356 
59.049 
59,817 

241,209 
250,140 
266,249 
243,804 

17,497 
19,610 
19,715 
19,594 

18,936 
17,279 
25,919 
21,510 

The  aggregate  supplies  of  each  kind  of  stock  exhibited  in  the  great 
Metropolitan  Cattle  Market  in  the  last  six  months  were : — 

Head. 

Beasts 177,944 

Cows 3,221 

Sheep  and  lambs 769,814 

Calves 17,967 

Pigs 19,306 

In  the  four  previous  seasons,  ending  with  1863,  the  show  of  stock 
was  as  follows ; — 

TOTAL  SUPPLIES  OP  STOCK  EXHIBITED. 


Last  half  of  year. 

Beasts. 

Cows.' 

Bheep 
and  Lambs. 

Calves. 

Pigs. 

1860 
1861 
1862 
1863 

145,420 
149,750 
159,450 
168,232 

3015 
3187 
3148 
3127 

762,740 
774,260 
759,671 
761,070 

15,766 
12,441 
12,579 
14,822 

15,470 
20,116 
18,220 
17,550 

The  lowest  average  value  of  inferior  beasts  in  1864  was  3s.  6d. ;  of 
middling  stock,  4s.  6d. ;  and  prime,  6s.  6d.  per  8  lbs.  The  heavy 
arrivals  from  the  Continent  prevented  any  rise  of  moment  in  the 
former  quotation ;  but  in  the  latter  there  was  an  advance  of  6d.  per 
8  lbs.  Sheep  were  the  turn  dearer.  Lambs  sold  at  from  5s.  6d.  to 
8s. ;  calves,  4s.  to  5s.  lOd. ;  and  pigs,  3s.  6d.  to  5s.  per  8  lbs.,  to  sink 
the  offal.  The  following  selection  from  the  six  months'  averages  will 
illustrate  the  recent  rise  in  prices : — 


348 


STATISTICS  OF  LIVE  STOCK  AND  DEAD  MEAT. 


AVERAGE  PRICES  OF  BEEP  AND  MUTTON. 

Per  8  lbs.,  to  sink  the  o&L 

Beef. 


I860. 

1861. 

1862. 

1868. 

18M. 

s.    d. 
Inferior                        .28 
Middling      .        .        .40 
Prime  .                        .54 

«.  d, 
8    0 

4  0 

5  0 

*.   d. 

3  2 

4  0 
4  10 

8,    d, 

3  4 

4  2 

5  0 

«.   d, 

3  6 

4  6 

5  6 

Mutton. 

I860. 

186L 

1862.      i      1863. 

1864. 

Inferior 

Middling      . 

Prime  .... 

s.    d. 

3  2 

4  6 

5  10 

9.    d. 

3  2 

4  6 

5  8 

8.    d. 

3  8 

4  8 

5  6 

8.   d. 

4  0 

5  0 
5  10 

8.    d. 

4  2 

5  2 
5  10 

Although  the  supply  of  rough  fat  has  been  very  moderate,  the 
demand  for  it  has  been  heavy  at  2s.  l^d.  and  2s.  2d.  per  8  lbs.  The 
great  falling  off  in  the  exports  of  tallow  from  St  Petersburg,  a^  well 
as  from  Australia,  the  Cape,  &c.,  has  had  very  little  influence  upon 
the  value  of  fat.  That  article  has  consequently  ceased  to  be  of  much 
profit  to  the  butchers. 

Fair  average  supplies  of  meat  have  been  on  sale  in  Newgate  and 
Leadenhall  markets.  Generally  speaking  the  trade  has  ruled  steady, 
at  comparatively  high  rates.  Beef  has  realised  2s.  lOd.  to  5s.;  mut- 
ton, 3s.  6d.  to  6s. ;  lanib,  5s.  to  7s.  4d. ;  veal,  3s.  8d.  to  5s.  4d. ;  pork, 
3s.  4d.  to  5s.  per  8  lbs.  by  the  carcase. 

Letters  from  Holland  and  Germany  state  that  unusually  heavy 
shipments  of  stock  will  be  made  to  England  in  1865.  The  want  of 
adequate  supplies  of  food  in  both  countries  does  not  favour  the  im- 
pression entertained  in  some  quarters,  that  the  supplies  will  reach  us 
in  improved  condition.  It  may,  therefore,  be  safely  assumed  that  we 
shall  have  high  rates  for  both  beasts  and  sheep  for  several  months. 
The  few  shorn  sheep  disposed  of  in  the  metropolis  have  sold  at  Is.  2d. 
per  8  lbs.  below  those  in  the  wool.  This  wide  difference  must  be 
attributed  to  the  scarcity  of*  wool  in  the  country,  notwithstanding 
that  the  arrivals  from  our  colonies  and  foreign  parts  in  1864  were  on 
a  very  extensive  scale.     The  three  years'  importations  were : — 


1863 
Bales 

1863 
Bales 

1864 
Bales 

Colonial 
Foreign 

.    845,605 
.    222,063 

375,010 
220,316 

430,395 
240,512 

Total 


.    567,668  595,326  670,907 

The  exports  to  the  Continent  were  only  moderate,  consequently 
tJie  bulk  of  the  importations  passed  into  consumption  in  this  comi- 


NUTRITIVE  VALUE  OF  PALM-NUT-KEENEL  MEAL  AIH)  CAKE.     349 

try.  It  may  be  remarked,  however,  that,  whilst  foreign  and  colonial 
wools  have  receded  in  value,  owing  to  the  high  rates  prevalent  in  the 
discount  market,  English  qualities  have  been  on  the  advance,  with 
more  than  usual  activity  in  the  demand.  The  quotations  for  home- 
grown wool  in  the  metropolis  at  the  close  of  the  last  two  years  were : — 

1863.  1864. 

Per  lb.  Per  lb. 

Fleeces: —  *.  d.         s,  d.  «.  d,         s.  d. 

South  Down  hoggetta     .        .        .        .     1  lOj  to  1  Hi  2    0    to  2    H 

Half-bred  hoggetts         .        .        .         .20to2    0|  25to26 

Kent  fleeces 1  11    to  1  II4  2    2    to  2    2J 

South  Down  ewes  and  wethers  .18    to  19  lllto20 

Leicester  ditto 1    94  to  1  10^  2    1    to  2    2  | 

Sorts:— 

Clothing  picklock  .        .        .        .     1     94  to  1  10  2    0    to  2    04 

Prime  and  picklock       .        .        .        .     1    8j  to  1     9  1  10    to  1  lo} 

Choice 17tol8  19tol9i 

Super 1    6    to  1    64  1     6    to  1    6J 

Combing : — 

Wether  matching 1  11    to  1  11|  2    11  to  2    2 

Picklock 19tol9|  20to2    0j 

Common 1    5    to  1    6  1    8    to  1  10 

Hog  matching 2    04  to  2    1^  2    2    to  2    S 

Picklock  matching        .        .        .        .    1     84  to  1    9  2    0    to  2    2 

Super         ditto 1    54  to  1    64  1    8    to  1  10 

The  high  prices  still  demanded  for  cotton  are  calculated  to  give 

considerable  support  to  the  value  of  wool,  even  though  the  present 

year's  clip  may  turn  out  equal  to  that  of  last  season. 


On  the  Composition  and  Nutritive  Value  of  Palm-N'ut'Kernel  Meal 
and  Cake.    By  Dr  Augustus  Voelcker. 

{From  the  Journal  of  the  Royal  Agricultural  Society,) 

This,  comparatively  speaking,  new  feeding-material  is  the  residue 
obtained  on  submitting  to  strong  pressure  the  oleaginous  kernels  of 
the  palm-nut.  These  kernels  are  encased  in  a  thick  brown  shell  of 
woody  matter,  and  this  is  surrounded  by  a  deep  orange-coloured  pulp, 
from  which  the  palm-oil  of  commerce  is  produced  by  gentle  pressure. 

The  bulk  of  palm-nut  kernels,  which  is  nearly  white,  is  covered  by 
a  thin  brownish  layer  of  woody  fibre,  and  in  consequence  of  which 
palm-nut  meal  has  a  light  brown  or  dirt-coloured  appearance. 

The  size  of  these  kernels  varies  from  that  of  .a  hazel-nut  to  that  of 
a  small  pigeon-egg;  they  are  very  hard,  nearly  inodorous,  rather  insipid 
to  the  taste,  and  very  rich  in  fatty  matters,  possessing  the  consistency 
of  butter,  and  the  useful  property  of  not  readily  turning  rancid.  The 
extraction  of  the  fatty  matters  necessitates  the  reduction  of  the 
kernels  into  a  tolerably  fine  powder,  and  the  application  of  powerful 
crushing  machinery  and  gentle  heat.  Notwithstanding  these  means^ 
the  cake  or  meal  left  in  the  presses  contains  usually  a  larger  propor- 
tion of  fat  than  is  found  in  Unseed,  rape,  and  most  other  kinds  of  oil- 
cakes. 


350  COMPOSITION  AND  NT7TBITIVE  VALUE  OF 

I  first  became  acquainted  with  this  meal  in  the  spring  of  1861, 
when  a  sample  was  sent  to  me  for  analysis  by  Messrs  Alexander 
Smith  &  Co.,  Kent  Street  Oil-mills,  Liverpool 
The  analysis  furnished  the  following  results  : — 

Moisture 7*49 

Fatty  matters 26*67 

♦Albuminous  compounds  (flesh-forming  matters)      .        .        16 75 
Starch,  m^icilage,  sugar  and  digestible  fibre     .        .        .        87*89 

Woody  fibre  (cellulose) 8*40 

Mineral  matters  (a^) 8'90 

100-00 
^Containing  nitrogen 2*62 

It  appears  from  these  results, — 

1.  That  this  meal  was  very  rich  in  ready-made-  fat.  In  the  best 
Unseed-cake  the  percentage  of  oil  rarely  amounts  to  12  per  cent.,  and 
10  per  cent,  may  be  taken  as  a  fair  average.  The  palm-kernel  meal 
analysed  by  me  thus  contained  more  than  twice  as  much  fatty  matter, 
and  theoretically  is  much  superior  to  oil-cake  as  a  direct  supplier  of  fat. 

2.  The  proportion  of  flesh-forming  (nitrogenous)  matters  is  folly 
as  large  as  in  the  best  barley-meal,  but  much  less  than  in  linseed,  rape, 
or  cotton-cake  ;  nor  is  it  equal  to  that  found  in  peas,  lentils,  and  other 
leguminous  seeds. 

3.  The  amount  of  indigestible  woody  fibre  is  but  small 

4.  It  contains  about  as  much  mineral  matter  as  cereal  grains,  and 
thus  is  not  particularly  noted  for  bone-producing  qualities. 

From  these  remarks  it  may  be  gathered  that  palm-nut-kernel  meal 
is  not  so  well  adapted  for  the  rearing  of  young  stock  as  for  fattening 
animals,  and  that  it  surpasses  almost  all  other  articles  of  food  in  its 
theoretical  value  as  a  fat-producer.  The  proximate  composition  of 
articles  of  food  unquestionably  affords  useful  indications  of  their 
properties;  but  such  indications  are  insuflScient  to  determine  with 
certainty  the  real  nutritive  value  of  food.  Analysis  may  point  out 
the  existence  of  a  large  amount  of  oil  or  fat  in  a  substance,  but  it 
does  not  decide  whether  these  matters,  as  in  the  castor-oil  beans  or 
croton  beans,  possess  medicinal  properties,  or  whether,  like  linseed  or 
rape-oil,  they  are  available  in  the  animal  economy  for  the  production 
of  fat.  On  these  and  other  points  that  readily  suggest  themselves  to 
feeders  of  stock  desirous  of  using  a  hitherto  imtried  food,  practical 
experience  has  to  be  appealed  to  for  a  final  decision.  Fully  impressed 
with  the  propriety  of  submitting  palm-nut  meal  to  a  sufficiently  deci- 
sive experimental  test  before  giving  a  definite  opinion  of  its  econo- 
mical value,  I  procured  a  supply  from  Messrs  Smith,  which  I  placed 
in  the  hands  of  Mr  Coleman,  the  late  manager  of  the  farm  attached 
to  the  Eoyal  Agricultural  College,  Cirencester.  I  expected  in  the 
course  of  three  or  four  months  to  have  reported  on  the  result ;  how- 
ever, more  than  a  year  elapsed  before  the  feeding  experiments  could 
be  said  to  have  been  fairly  concluded. 

Well-fed  animals,  liberally  supplied  with  succulent,  sweet  roots, 
gooA.  linseed-cake,  hay,  and  other  palatable  food,  it  is  well  known,  do 


PALM-NUT-KEENEL  MEAL  AND  CAKE. 


351 


not  relish  a  change,  if  the  substituted  food  happens  to  be  less  pala- 
table than  that  to  which  they  have  been  accustomed.  Palm-nut  meal 
is  certainly  not  so  nice  to  the  taste  as  linseed-cake  or  swedes  and 
hay;  some  difficulty  consequently  was  experienced  in  inducing 
animals  to  eat  it,  and  neither  the  cow-man  nor  the  person  in  charge 
of  the  pigs  possessed  the  requisite  patience  to  give  the  meal  a  fair 
trial,  and  both  declared  it  to  be  little  better  than  sawdust.  After 
repeated  attempts  to  overcome  the  prejudice  of  the  cow  and  pig-man, 
the  meal  was  consigned  to  the  granary,  where  it  remained  for  nearly 
ten  months.  By  that  time  the  store  of  oil-cake  was  almost  consumed, 
the  supply  of  roots  ran  short,  and  the  price  of  all  feeding  materials 
was  very  high.  Under  these  circumstances  an  application  for  a  fresh 
supply  of  oil-cake  for  the  use  of  the  sheep  was  not  very  favourably 
received  by  Mr  Coleman,  who  gave  the  shepherd  liberty  to  us  3  the 
despised  palm-nut  meal.  Probably  somewhat  stinted  in  food,  the 
sheep  took  to  the  palm-meal  at  once,  and  after  a  few  days  ate  it  up 
greedily,  and,  what  is  more,  throve  upon  it  remarkably  well  All  who 
had  seen  the  sheep  before  they  had  received  palm-nut  meal,  and  after 
they  were  fed  upon  it  for  only  a  short  time,  were  unanimous  in  attach- 
ing a  very  high  value  to  this  meal  The  shepherd,  indeed,  soon 
learned  to  prefer  it  to  the  best  linseed-cake,  and  had  the  satisfaction 
of  getting  the  first  prize  for  fat  sheep  at  the  Gloucestershire  Agricul- 
tural Society's  Show. 

The  success  in  the  sheep-feed  paved  the  way  to  a  more  favourable 
reception  of  the  palm-nut  meal  than  it  received  on  the  outset  from 
the  part  of  our  cow-man,  who  now  found  that  3  to  4  lbs,  a  day  not 
only  increased  the  quantity  of  milk,  but  likewise  greatly  enriched  its 
quality.  I  need  hardly  say  that,  in  consequence  of  this  favourable 
experience,  large  quantities  of  palm-nut  meal  were  subsequently  con- 
sumed on  the  College-farm. 

By  degrees  this  meal  found  its  way  amongst  agriculturists ;  and  all 
who  have  given  it  a  fair  trial  speak  in  the  highest  terms  of  its  fat 
and  milk-producing  properties. 

During  the  last  year  a  good  many  samples  were  sent  to  me  for 
examination  from  various  parts  of  the  country.  The  following  table 
shows  the  composition  of  six  samples  of 


PALM-NUT-KBRNEL  MEAL. 


No.  1. 

No.  2. 

No.  3. 

No.  4. 

No.  5. 

No.  6. 

Moisture 
Fatty  matters 
•Albuminous  compounds  ) 
(flesh-forming  matters) 
Mucilage,  starch,  sugar, 
and  digestible  fibre       ) 
Woody  fibre  (cellulose) 
Mineral  matters  (ash)  . 

*  Containing  nitrogen    » 

7-49 
26-57 

15-75 

37-89 

8-40 
3  90 

6-91 
26-60 

14-93 

31-20 

16-13 
4-33 

6-69 
23-92 

15-25 

40-62 

10-40 
3-12 

7-52 
22-68 

16-75 

3214 

17-49 
3.42 

7-02 
19-95 

17-01 

33-76 

18-70 
3-56 

7-21 
22-79 

15-66 

36-24 

14-90 
330 

100-00 
2'52 

10000 
2-39 

10000 

100-00 

10000 

100-00 

Vol.  I. -No.  V/r_V 

l,'\V    >4l.-|ITl.-s 

I            JlMV 

■\SlRPi 

^v:. 

352 


COMPOSITION  AND  NUTRITIVE  VALUE  OP 


It  will  be  seen  that  all  six  samples  are  very  rich  in  fatty  matter, 
which  accounts  for  the  marked  effect  which  the  meal  has  upon  the 
production  of  a  rich  milk ;  moreover,  the  fatty  matter  has  about  the 
same  consistency  as  butter,  and  hardly  any  smell,  which  probably 
explains  why  a  good  tasting  and  sufficiently  hard  butter  is  produced 
from  the  mUk  of  cows  fed  upon  it. 

The  two  first-mentioned  samples  contained  no  less  than  26^  per 
cent.,  and  the  other  four  from  20  to  24  per  cent  of  ready-made  fat. 

This  is  a  very  large  percentage  of  the  most  valuable  of  all  food- 
constituents  in  an  economical  point  of  view.  If  it  be  borne  in  mind 
that  one  part  of  ready-made  fat  or  oil  is  equivalent  to  2^  parts  of 
starch,  and  that  good  wheat  or  barley  seldom  contains  more  than  60 
to  65  per  cent,  of  starch  and  analogous  heat  and  fat-producing  con- 
stituents, the  superiority  of  palm-meal  as  a  fattening  food  will  clearly 
be  recognised. 

Taking  24  per  cent,  as  thiB  average  portion  of  fat,  and  multiplying 
this  by  24,  we  obtain  60  per  cent,  as  the  starch-equivalent  for  the  fat 
in  palm-kernel  meaL  Add  to  this  35  per  cent,  in  round  numbers  of 
other  heat  and  fat-giving  matters,  siich  as  sugar,  gum,  mucilage,  &c., 
and  we  shall  get  that  which  is  equivalent  to  95  per  cent,  of  fat-pro- 
ducers against  65  in  wheat  or  barley. 

Neither  is  this  meal  deficient  in  flesh-forming  matters ;  and  although 
for  young  growing  stock  the  admixture  in  an  equal  proportion  of 
beans,  peas,  or  other  leguminous  food  rich  in  nitrogenous  matters,  is 
advisable,  for  fattening  stock  the  15  or  16  per  cent,  of  flesh-forming 
matters  occurring  in  palm-meal  are  quite  sufficient  for  carrying  on 
the  fattening  process  successfully. 

At  the  present  time  palm-nut  meal  sells  at  £6  a  ton,  in  quantities 
of  2  tons  and  upwards,  delivered  at  Liverpool,  or  at  £6,  1 7s.  per  ton 
or  upwards  delivered  by  rail  in  London,  and  is  produced  in  England, 
as  far  as  I  know,  only  by  Messrs  Alexander  Smith  &  Co.,  Kent  Street 
Oil-Mills,  Liverpool 

All  the  samples  of  foreign  palm-kernel  meal  and  cake  which  I  had 
occasion  to  analyse  I  found  greatly  inferior  to  the  Liverpool  meal,  as 
will  appear  from  the  following  analysis,  showing  the 

COMPOSITION  OF  FOBEIGN  (HAMBDRO)  PALM-NUT  CAKE  AND  MEAL. 


Cake. 


No.  1.       No.  2. 


Meal. 


No.  1.      No.  2. 


Moisture 

Fatty  matters 

•Albuminous  matters  (flesh-forming  sub-) 

stances) j 

Mucilage,  starch,  sugar,  and  digestible) 

fibre j" 

Woody  fibre  (cellulose) 
Mineral  matters  (ash) 


1291 
9-48 

18-25 

3916 

16-90 
3-30 


8-84 
11-27 

17-93 

40-79 

16-85 
4-32 


10-77 
13-79 

13-75 

42-67 

15-17 
8-85 


10-84 
12-49 

1406 

43-56 

15-32 
3-73 


/  *Con  tsdning  nitrogen 


10000 
2-92 


100-00 
2-87 


100-00 
2-20 


100-00 
2-25 


PALM-NUT-KBUNEL  MEAL  AND  CAKE.  353 

The  chief  difference  between  the  English-made  and  imported 
samples  of  palm-nut  meal  consists  in  the  very' much  larger  propor- 
tion of  fatty  matter  that  occurs  in  the  former  samples. 

Foreign  palm-nut  meal  sells  at  a  lower  price  than  English,  but  will 
generally  be  found  the  dearer  of  the  two  if  the  quality  be  duly  taken 
into  account.  The  Hamburg  meal  has  lately  been  the  subject  of  feed- 
ing experiments  in  Germany,  by  Professor  Stockhard,  of  Tharandt, 
who  gives  a  most  favourable  report  of  its  fattening  properties.  This 
distinguished  agricultural  chemist  also  speaks  highly  of  it  as  a  food 
for  milch  cows. 

The  experience  of  English  and  continental  feeders  thus  confirms 
the  opinion  which  I  first  expressed  on  the  strength  of  an  analysis 
with  some  degree  of  difiidence,  and  leaves  no  doubt  of  the  fact  that 
in  palm-kernel  meal  we  possess  a  most  valuable  and  economical  addi- 
tion to  the  list  of  feeding-stuffs. 

11  Salisbury  Square,  Fleet  Street,  E.G. 


%\t  f  (terinarg  ^eWefa  anir  Stockkitrs'  loornal 


CONSIDERATIONS  ON  THE  RELATIVE  CAPABILITIES  OP 
ENGLAND  AND  FRANCE  FOR  PRODUCING  HORSES 
OF  HIGH  MERIT. 

The  speed  and  stoutness  displayed  by  French-brecJ  blood  horses  of 
late,  has  dispelled  the  long-cherished  notions  entertained,  that  the 
English  race-horse,  greyhound,  bulldog,  and  gamecock,  lose  respec- 
tively their  characteristic  courage  and  enduring  stamiija  when  taken 
from  the  British  soil  to  contii^ental  climes. 

These  ideas,  when  tested,  are  found  to  belong  to  the  same  stock  as 
that  formerly  inculcated  among  schoolboys,  of  an  Englishman  being 
equal,  in  combat,  to  three  Frenchmen.  It  was  not  until  the  present 
year  that  the  really  high  form  of  race-horses  of  Fjrench  produce  be- 
came recognised;  though  some  palpable  demonstrations  had  been 
furnished  in  the  appearance,  on  the  English  turf,  of  La  Tocques, 
Fille  de  I'Air,  Dollar,  &c.  Still,  since  one  swallow  does  not  make  a 
summer,  neither  does  one,  nor  a  few,  exceptionally  good  horses  prove 
that  the  relative  positions  of  the  two  nations  for  horse-producing 
celebrity  has  become  of  a  sudden  changed. 

Facts  become  more  reliable  as  they  recur  at  intervening  periods, 
the  attribute  of  accident 'vanishes  by  repetition,  and  people  pre- 
pare to  entertain  the  notion  of  causes,  and  of  necessity  their  relation 
to  effects  become  manifest  with  time. 

Gladiateur  is  only  a  brilliant  repetition  of  the  high-class  race- 
horses which  France — to  her  honour,  a,nd  for  England's  instruction — 
IS  sending  to  compete  against  those  of  our  justly  long-renowned, 
first  among  horse-producing  nations.  Not  the  least  important 
fact  to  be  noticed  is,  that  when  the  French  produce  a  fast  horse,  it  is 
usually  a  stayer,  not  only  technically  so  gpeaking,  but  a  stayer  on  the 
turf  for  two  or  three  years  at  least,  before  losing  his  speed.  Fille  de 
TAir  has  been  for  three  successive  seasons  the  best  among  her  sex  of 
her  age;  and  at  the  beginning  of  the  present  season  she  proved  her- 


RELATIVE  CAPABILITIES,  ETC.  355 

self  to  be  the  best  four-year-old  at  Newmarket,  amongst  both  colts  ' 
and  fillies. 

The  much  ado  about  this  year's  Derby  recalls  to  mind  that  the 
lessons  of  last  year  were  not  effective.  The  superior  style  of  the  French 
filly,  winner  of  the  Oaks  at  Epsom,  the  Newmarket  Oaks,  and  New- 
market Derby  also, — besides,  Dollar  being  the  best  four-year-old  horse 
in  England,  and  Gladiateur,  the  best  two-year-old  colt, — altogether 
these  created  very  little  notice  compared  to  the  great  achievements 
of  Blair  Athol. 

The  victory  of  Vermont  over  the  English  Derby  winner  created 
but  a  three-days'  surprise,  and  was  then  left  to  subside  as  if  the 
feat  had  never  happened.  Blair  Athol  returned,  and  by  beating 
Ely  and  others  at  Ascot,  showed  his  Derby  form  was  not  lost,  and  it 
was  agreed  that  the  race  for  the  "Grand  Prix  de  Paris  "  was  "  a  fluke," 
that  the  English  horse  had  been  hurried  from  Epsom  to  France,  and 
could  not  have  been  right  at  the  Paris  meeting. 

As  our  object  in  referring  to  this  event  of  the  past  is  to  establish 
the  truth,  we  will  see  how  the  matter  stands,- — and,  firstly,  what 
evidence  is  there  of  the  race  for  the  Grand  Prix  at  Paris,  in  1864, 
being  a  "fluke?"  In  the  first  place,  we  admit  the  risk  of  moving 
horses  to  long  distances  shortly  previous  to  the  time  appointed  to 
run  an  important  race ;  but  race-horses  are  so  accustomed  to  travel 
by  rail,  that  they  are  less  disturbed  than  ordinary  horses;  it  is  of 
everyday  occurrence  to  travel  them  by  rail  from  one  meeting  to 
another,  which  ordeal  they  sustain  with  apparent  impunity.  That 
Blair  Athol  reached  Paris  safely  from  Epsom,  after  his  Derby  con- 
gest, was  never  put  in  question  until  he  was  defeated,  and  to  show 
that  there  was  no  foundation  for  that  excuse,  several  collateral  facts 
may  be  adduced.  Firstly,  Fille  de  TAir,  who  had  also  travelled  to 
Paris  after  her  Oaks  victory,  ran  in  the  race  for  the  Grand  Prix,  and 
was  beaten  by  the  Derby  horse  about  as  far  as  good  judges  might 
have  expected  she  would  have  been.  While  to  prove  the  correctness 
of  her  form,  the  Oaks  mare  beat  the  winner  of  the  French  Derby  and 
Baronello,  two  known  good  horses,  in  the  same  race.  Immediately 
after  the  great  race  at  Paris,  both  Blair  Athol  and  Fille  de  TAir  were 
hurried  back  to  England,  both  ran,  and  proved  victorious  at  Ascot 
— the  former  beating  one  of  the  best  and  most  reliable  of  his  Derby 
competitors,  Ely,  thereby  proving  that  Blair  Athol  had  not  lost  form, 
even  by  the  journey  from  Paris  subsequently  to  his  running  there  a 
much  more  severe  race  than  he  had  encountered  at  Epsom.    However^ 


356  RELATIVE  CAPABILITIES  OF  ENGLAND  AND  FRANCE 

it  is  well  known,  and  would  have  required  no  repeating  had  it  not 
been  so  soon  forgotten,  that  as  the  racing  season  passed  on,  and  the 
St  Leger  stakes  were  won  by  the  Derby  winner,  the  victories  only 
were  remembered,  and  the  important  defeat  was  left  to  subside  as  if 
it  had  never  happened.  But,  as  has  been  said,  facts  repeat  themselves. 
We  have  the  Paris  form  which  Vermont  displayed  in  June,  repeated 
at  Baden  in  September,  where,  over  a  two-and-a-quarter-mile  course, 
he  beat  Fille  de  TAir,  and  that  excellent  horse  Dollar,  with  several 
others. 

That  Blair  Athol  proved  himself  to  be  the  best  three-year-old  in 
England  by  winning  all  his  home  engagements,  including  both  Derby 
and  St  Leger,  in  no  degree  militates  against  the  established  fact, 
that  he  met  with  a  better  horse  than  himself  in  France. 

In  the  present  year,  France  fully  sustains  her  superiority  in  the 
form  of  her  horses  on  the  turf,  as  shown  both  at  home  and  in  Eng- 
land, though  we  out-do  them  so  incomparably  for  numbers.  Three 
French  horses  have,  up  to  this  date,  middle  of  June,  proved  them- 
selves to  be  the  best  of  their  respective  ages  amongst  the  horses  in 
England  with  which  they  have  competed ;  these,  it  need  hardly  be 
said,  are  the  five-year- old  Dollar,  the  four-year-old  Fille  de  TAir,  and 
the  three-year-old  Gladiateur,  with,  moreover,  a  two-year-old  (Young 
Monarque)  threatening. 

There  is  an  old  saying,  that  facts  are  stubborn  things ;  yet  the  task 
of  explaining  them  away  in  the  question  before  us  is  pretty  generally 
and  most  industriously  taken  up.  For  our  own  part,  we  accept  the 
proof  as  it  stands,  and  proceed  to  the  question  of  causes.  Some  have, 
been  so  industrious  as  to  discover  in  France  a  climate  more  congenial 
to  the  horse  than  that  of  England.  An  incident  may  be  referred  to, 
which,  by  comparison,  may  help  to  illustrate  this  subject  On  paying 
a  visit  to  a  friend  recently,  we  saw  lying  on  his  table  a  gold  medal, 
awarded  by  the  French  Emperor  for  the  finest  specimen  of  grapes 
exhibited  at  the  last  International  Exhibition  at  Paris.  The  grapes 
for  which  the  prize  was  awarded  were  grown  in  Scotland,  and  with 
which  none  of  French  production  could  compare.  Now,  what  would 
be  said  if,  taking  this  well-established  fact,  men  hastily  made  a 
partial  analysis  of  it,  drew  false  conclusions,  and  acted  according 
to  this  new  hypothesis  about  the  climate  of  France  being  accountable 
for  the  superiority  of  their  horses  ?  They  might  say  that  Scotland 
is  the  country  pre-eminently  favoured  for  the  growth  of  grapes  ;  and 
so  determining,  the  vine-clad  hills  of  France  might  be  reduced  to  grass 


FOR  PRODUCINQ  HORSES  OF  HIGH  MERIT.  357 

fields,  while  the  process  of  stubbing  up  the  heaths  and  planting  the 
Lammermoors  with  vines  should  follow  as  the  sequel. 

Better  reasoners  would  look  into  the  matter,  when  it  would  come 
out  in  proof  that  in  horse-production  and  grape-growing,  special 
talents  are  essential,  and  to  their  industrious  application  is  due  the 
good  results  in  both  cases.  The  truth  that  men  prize  most  the  things 
they  have  not,  and  omit  to  cultivate  those  within  command,  is  here 
made  clear. 

While  the  soil  and  climate  of  Old  England  are  burdened  with  the 
hlame  of  the  defeat  of  our  race-horses,  writers  take  care  to  concede 
nothing  to  French  skill  and  good  management.  Their  horses,  it  is 
said,  are  all  the  produce  of  English  stock;  they  are  attended  by 
English  grooms,  and  ridden  by  English  jockeys.  The  very  fact  that 
foreigners  employ  Englishmen,  precisely  where  their  talents  are  ac- 
knowledged to  be  in  advance,  speaks  volumes  for  their  sagacity 
and  unprejudiced  good  feeling  towards  us.  That  man,  however,  would 
show  utter  want  of  knowledge  of  French  generalship  who  supposed 
that  any  of  their  own  resources  were  abandoned  through  their  avail- 
ing themselves  of  the  English  groom  and  jockey. 

Then  with  regard  to  their  horses  being  of  English  stock.  Proof 
again  of  good  judgment:  there  are  no  horses  in  the  world  like  the 
English,  and  no  country  in  Europe  so  favourable  for  their  production. 
But  how  is  it  that  the  French  improve  on  our  stock  ?  It  is  said  that 
they  buy  many  of  England's  best  horses.  Granted,  but  hardly  any  of 
these  have  left  England  before  they  had  served  several  seasons,  and 
some  were  getting  to  be  old  horses  when  they  left.  And  as  for  the 
brood  mares  they  import  from  us,  they  form  a  mere  fractional  part  of 
what  can  well  be  spared.  There  is  really  no  want  of  excellent  thorough- 
bred mares  in  England ;  and  only  knowledge  and  means  are  required  in 
order,  within  a  short  space  of  time,  to  procure  a  collection.  The  Baron 
and  Wormsley  are  almost  the  only  two  horses  that  we  remember  to  have 
been  exported  to  France  soon  after  their  career  as  stallions  was  begun, 
and  their  exportation  was  regretted,  through  the  goodness  their  stock 
early  displayed.  Ion  was  an  old  horse  when  he  was  exported,  just 
before  Wild  Dayrell  won  the  Derby  and  Lanercost  had  filled  the  country 
with  mares,  and  left  several  of  his  sons  to  succeed  him,  while  the 
Flying  Dutchman  had  begun  to  be  looked  down  upon,  was  said 
not  to  impart  stoutness  to  his  stock,  and  we  heard  talk  of  his  slack 
loin  and  calf  knees,  while  we  never  could  succeed  in  discovering  either. 
However,  either  French  climate,  or  French  treatment,  has  answered 


358  RELATIVE  CAPABILITIES,  ETC. 

well,  for  the  Dutchman  has  sent  a  better  son  across  the  channel  to  beut 
our  horses,  than  any  he  produced  while  he  stayed  at  home,  numerous 
though  his  winning  progeny  were. 

The  main  question  to  be  dealt  with,  to  account  for  the  superiority 
of  their  small  number  of  blood  horses,  resolves  itself  into  one  on  man- 
agement. The  thing  wanted  is  a  well  developed  sound  horse,  and, 
having  him,  to  understand  how  to  keep  him  sound.  On  these  the 
French  are  most  successful.  Whether  they  treat  their  race-horses 
worse  than  they  do  their  common  horses,  as  tending  to  their  state  of 
soundness,  we  can  only  speak  with  some  reserve ;  judging,  however, 
from  results,  we  are  led  to  believe  that  they  have  not  abandoned  the 
good  parts  of  their  horse  management  while  engrafting  English  accom- 
plishments so  happily;  while  looking  at  home,  we  are  prepared  to  say 
that  the  management,  as  it  affects  the  state  of  soundness,  or  rather,  as 
it  tends  to  engender  unsoundness  of  race-horses,  requires  thorough 
and  systematic  reform. 

There  is  one  mistake  which  it  seems  to  us  that  the  London  sporting 
journalists  are  making,  in  their  taking  a  view  of  the  great  race  at 
Paris.  On  Saturday  the  10th,  we  find  the  following  in  BelVs  Life : 
— "  The  Grand  Prix  de  Paris. — Up  to  the  present  moment  there  seems 
every  probability  that  the  field  will  merely  comprise  the  winners. of 
the  English  and  French  Derbys — Gladiateur  and  Gontran.  This 
uninteresting  state  of  affairs  must  show  the  authorities  that  some 
alterations  are  required  in  the  conditions,  and  we  should  recommend 
for  the  future  that  the  winners  of  the  English  Derby  and  the  French 
should  both  carry  penalties  of  7  lb." 

Some  other  journals  make  similar  remarks ;  the  inconsistency  of 
which  is  manifest,  when  it  is  considered  that  up  to  the  present  time 
no  English-bred  horse — winner  of  the  Derby — ^has  yet  won  the  Grand 
Prix  at  Paris.  Nor  has  the  French  Derby  winner  succeeded  in  carry- 
ing off  that  prize. 

The  circumstance  which  has  happened  this  year,  of  a  French-bred 
horse  winning  the  English  Derby,  and  then  going  over  and  beating 
the  French  Derby  winner  for  the  Grand  Prize,  is  one  that  probably 
will  not  soon  be  repeated.  That  horse  and  his  management  must 
command  the  admiration  of  all  turf  amateurs;  the  result,  we  maintain*, 
calls  for  no  interference  with  the  established  regulations  of  the  race  as 
regards  penalties.  The  distance  run  is  of  itself  quite  sufficient  to 
alter  the  chances  in  the  race,  as  has  been  made  clear  in  each  of  the 
three  years  since  its  establishment. 


GLADIATEUR  A  TYPICAL  HORSE.  359 

One  change,  if  by  representation  and  solicitation  it  could  be 
brought  about,  would  be  gratefully  acknowledged  by  the  English, 
viz.,  fixing  of  the  race  for  the  "  Grand  Prix  de  Paris"  for  the  Satur- 
day or  Monday,  instead  of  Sunday  as  hitherto.  The  meeting  extends 
over  two  days,  and  it  would  be  a  gracious  act  on  the  part  of  the 
Emperor,  if  his  Majesty  were  to  decide  that,  in  future,  the  grand 
event  should  come  off  on  a  week  day.  The  English,  the  ladies  in 
particular,  would  no  doubt  join  in  great  numbers  with  such  alteration 
of  the  programme  at  the  Paris  meeting  in  June.  To  those  who  may 
be  called  the  working  men  in  the  business — trainers  and  jockeys, 
they  being  nearly  all  English — ^the  change  would  be  a  boon.  Any 
other  alterations  of  time,  with  a  view  to  suit  our  horses,  must  fail 
to  please  all  parties, — so  close  together  do  the  great  meetings  come 
about  that  time  ;  and  it  would  be  as  impolitic  to  try  to  enable  any  one 
horse  to  win  three  of  the  greatest  races  of  the  year  within  a  week, 
as  it  would  be  to  impede  the  winner  of  one  of  them  by  penalty  from 
becoming  the  winner  of  a  second  or  third. 

The  Emperor  of  the  French  right  imperially  gave  what  had  been 
loudly  called  for,  a  great  prize,  for  which  the  horses  are  made  to  run 
over  a  long  distance  to  test  jiheir  stamina.  The  throwing  it  open  to 
all  the  world,  on  equal  terms,  is  most  liberal.  As  the  distance  of  the 
Grand  Prix  course  (that  of  the  French  Derby)  is  about  three  furlongs 
more  than  the  course  for  the  Epsom  Derby,  and  at  least  one  furlong 
more  than  the  St  Leger  course,  it  remains  to  be  seen  how  often  the 
same  horse  will  carry  off  any  one  of  the  three  shorter  distance  races, 
and  then  additionally  win  the  mile  and  seven  furlongs  Paris  prize. 
The  French  have  now  won  their  own  grand  stakes  twice  out  of  three 
times ;  and,  judging  from  the  stoutness  of  their  horses,  they  bid  well 
for  contesting  closely  with  all  comers.  And  "  Good  luck  to  the  best 
horse,  whencesoever  he  comes,"  is  our  motto. 


GLADIATEUR  A  TYPICAL  HORSE. 

On  the  3d  of  June,  BelVs  Life  gave  the  following  description  of  the 
French  race-horse  Gladiateur : — "  He  stands  nearly  ]  6  hands  1  inch 
high,  his  body  runs  rather  light  towards  the  flanks,  has  a  very  deep 
girth,  and,  like  his  sire,  Monarque,  he  is  slack  behind  the  saddle,  and 
high  in  the  rump  ;  his  hips  are  very  wide,  but  his  hocks  and  knees 
are  very  high  from  the  ground,*' 


360  GLADIATEUR  A  TYPICAL  HORSE. 

The  latter  part  of  the  last  sentence  calls  for  remark  from  us,  as  it 
is  several  years  since  attention  was  first  directed  to  the  fact  in  the 
pages  of  this  periodical,  that  length  of  the  component  structures, 
which  make  up  the  fore  and  hind  limbs  of  the  horse,  from  the  knee 
and  hock  inclusive,  to  the  ground,  determine,  other  essential  con- 
ditions being  equal,  the  degree  of  speed  and  enduring  power  of  the 
animal 

No  pains  have  been  spared  on  our  part  to  make  the  matter  clear. 
Phenomena  have  been  shown,  and  the  subject  treated  variously,  and 
published  in  several  sporting  journals,  besides  many  times  treated 
on  in  the  Edinburgh  Veterinary  Review, 

It  never  once  occurred  to  us  that  a  horse  would  have  to  be  brought 
from  the  continent  to  win  the  Derby,  before  men's  eyes  became  open 
to  truths  that  a  child  might  see.  If,  however,  the  effect  of  Gladia- 
teur's  proved  superiority  to  all  our  best  horses,  which  he  met  at 
Newmarket  and  Epsom,  leads  to  due  appreciation  of  perfect  construc- 
tion, instead  of  relying  on  false  notions;  the  hundred  thousand  pounds 
said  to  have  gone  from  this  to  the  other  side  of  the  Channel  with  the 
horse,  need  not  be  regretted.  Such  a  sum  would  do  but  little  towards 
covering  the  loss  in  horses  which  the  making  out  of  a  few  important 
truths  would  save. 

Philosophers  tell  us  that  language  is  the  key  to  science,  but  surely 
the  question  cuts  two  ways ;  and  that  understanding  imparts  mean- 
ing, light,  and  life  to  language ;  while  nothing  tends  to  hinder  the 
progress  of  knowledge  so  much  as  dominant  erroneous  descriptions, 
which  are  perpetually  taking  people  the  wrong  way. 

We  knew  that  it  was  only  a  question  of  time,  when  the  millions 
would  be  relieved  from  reading  reports  of  horses  and  studs  thus : — 
Stands  16-2,  on  very  short  legs ;  has  a  back  barely  affording  space 
for  the  saddle,  gaskins  well  let  down,  hocks  close  to  the  ground,  and 
there  is  but  just  room  to  span  the  fore  leg  between  the  knee  and 
fetlock.  That  is  the  stuff  served  to  English  readers.  How  it  must 
perplex  translators,  especially  critics  on  common  sense ! 

All  this  is  changed  now.  It  is  no  mere  expounder  of  the  physio- 
logy of  progression,  but  the  leading  London  sporting  weekly  paper, 
which  has  told  the  world  that  the  last  Derby  winner  has  "  his  hocks 
and  knees  very  high  from  the  ground.'*  The  same  authority  will  ren- 
der public  service  by  naming  those  winners  of  the  Derby,  Oaks,  and 
St  Leger  who  he  believes  had  their  hocks  and  knees  near  the  ground. 
Meanwhile  we  assert,  that  no  horse  ever  did,  or  can,  win  any  one  of 


THE  ALBERT  VETERINARY  COLLEGE.  3G1 

these,  or  other  great  race  where  the  best  of  English  blood-horses  run, 
whose  knees  and  hocks  lack  in  wonted  distance  from  the  ground. 
There  is  no  form  or  component  part  in  the  construction  of  the  horse 
that  can  compensate  for  length  in  the  regions  referred  to.  Contrast 
often  proves  effectual  in  bringing  home  conviction,  even  when  differ- 
ence is  sought  to  be  shown,  and  is  not  found. 

However,  since  Gladiateur  ranks  among  the  large-sized  of  Derby 
winners,  and  for  all  that  has  been  shown  to  the  contrary,  he  may  be 
one  of  the  fastest  and  stoutest  horses  that  ever  won  that  race,  it  is  to 
the  same  extent  consistent  and  probable  that  his  hocks  and  knees  are 
about  as  high  from  the  ground  as  the  same  parts  of  any  one  of  the 
most  renowned  horses  of  past  years. 


THE  ALBERT  VETERINARY  COLLEGE  (LIMITED.) 

The  advertising  columns  of  the  daily  and  agricultural  papers  have 
widely  disseminated  the  information,  that  a  company  is  being  formed 
for  the  purchase  and  transfer  of  the  New  Veterinary  College  from 
Edinburgh  to  London.  Our  readers  may,  perhaps,  think  that  a  state- 
ment on  the  subject  should  have  appeared  first  in  these  pages. 
The  explanation  we  have  to  give  is,  that  as  the  formation  of  the 
London  company  was  entirely  independent  of  ourselves,  and  we  had 
only  agreed  to  transfer  on  certain  conditions  being  accepted  by  a 
body  of  gentlemen  in  London,  it  would  have  been  premature  for  us 
to  have  said  a  word  until  the  transfer  could  be  regarded  as  almost  an 
accomplished  fact.  From  the  hostile  attitude  and  malicious  insinua- 
tions of  those  who  preach  more  than  practise  on  the  great  subject  of 
professional  union,  it  appears  necessary  that  we  should  state  briefly 
how  the  present  movement  has  been  brought  about.  As  far  back  as 
1862,  when  we  were  engaged  in  a  government  inquiry,  it  was  sug- 
gested to  UJ5  by  eminent  men  in  London  that  an  effort  should  be  made 
to  remove  the  New  Veterinary  College  from  Edinburgh  to  London. 
We  strenuously  opposed  the  idea.  In  the  month  of  May  ]  863  the 
proposal  was  renewed;  and  in  1864,  after  personal  inquiries  and 
experience  of  the  working  of  the  New  Veterinary  College  by  a 
gentleman  resident  in  London,  an  offer  was  made  which  we  felt 
bound  at  all  events  to  consider.  The  patrons  of  the  New  Veter- 
inary College  were  informed  of  the  proposals,  and  however  much 
they  might  regret  the  transfer  of  the  institutioiv,  tJaerj  ^"a.^  >2fii'a^  ^^ 


362  THE  ALBERT  VETERINARY  COLLEGE. 

work  so  vigorously  carried  on  during  the  past  eight  years  in  Edin- 
burgh, would  prosper  to  an  extent  not  to  be  equalled  in  any  sphere 
of  action  more  limited  than  that  of  the  metropolis. 

The  vigorous  manner  in  which  the  project  was  worked  at  in  Lon- 
don soon  placed  it  in  so  hopeful  and  desirable  a  position,  that  terms 
were  oflFered,  which,  in  the  interest  of  our  college,  of  its  professors,  its 
students,  and  the  cause  for  which  we  had  worked,  could  not  be  refused. 
We  had  not  directly  or  indirectly  sought  the  opportunity  for  such  a 
transfer.  We  were  thrice  solicited,  and  at  last  acceded  to  the  pro- 
posal, simply  because  refusal  would  have  been  folly. 

Under  the  circumstances,  we  may  perhaps  be  excused  if  we  pass  in 
review  some  of  the  leading  points  in  the  history  of  the  New  Veteri- 
nary College.  It  was  established  in  1857,  for  the  purpose  of  im- 
proving the  state  of  Veterinary  education  in  this  country.  The  object 
was  not  to  begin,  as  the  old  Colleges  did,  with  one  Professor  giving 
three  or  four  lectures  a  week,  and  then,  after  twenty  or  thirty  years' 
existence,  doing  something  more;  but,  on  the  contrary,  to  start  with 
as  good  a  staff  of  teachers  as  could  be  procured,  and  with  other  means 
of  teaching  in  accordance  with  the  requirements  of  the  day.  The 
diflficulties  we  had  to  encounter  were  enormous,  and  not  the  least 
were  those  set  in  our  way  by  the  old  Colleges,  who  opposed,  to  the 
best  of  their  ability,  the  granting  of  the  Royal  sign-manual  in  our 
behalf.  That  opposition  we  broke  through,  and  with  what  effect  is 
well  known  to  the  Royal  College  of  Veterinary  Surgeons,  and  espe- 
cially to  its  treasurer,  who  has  since  been  able  to  calculate  on  large 
annual  remittances  from  Edinburgh.  The  first  efforts  in  the  New 
College  were  directed  to  training  teachers ;  and  aided,  as  we  were,  by 
able  colleagues,  our  success  in  that  direction  has,  in  relation  to  time, 
certainly  been  greater  than  that  of  the  older  institutions.  Young  men 
of  ability  were  not  allowed  to  work  without  proper  guides  and  assist- 
ance as  elsewhere,  but  help  was  freely  tendered  to  all  who  could  and 
would  help  themselves.  We  can  appeal  with  confidence  to  the  exami- 
ners of  the  Royal  College  of  Veterinary  Surgeons  as  to  the  ever-im- 
proving character  of  the  students  they  have  examined.  What  other 
Veterinary  College  in  this  country  has  ever  afforded  enterprising  young 
men  the  advantages  in  the  shape  of  pecuniary  aid  which  the  New 
College  has  given  them  ?  Scholarships  of  £25  and  £50  a-year  have 
been  common  rewards ;  and  the  result  has  been  the  training  of  high- 
class  men,  who  would  do  honour  to  any  educational  institution  in  the 
country. 


THE  ALBERT  VETEEINAEY  COLLEGE.  363 

There  are  other  ways  in  which  we  can  demonstrate  that  we  have 
steadily  held  in  view  and  successfully  promoted  the  objects  for  which 
the  College  was  established.  The  volumes  of  this  Journal,  the  *'  Ve- 
terinarian's Vade  Mecum/'  the  "General  and  Descriptive  Anatomy 
of  the  Domestic  Animals,"  and  the  "  Domestic  Animals  in  Health  and 
Disease,"  afford  direct  evidence  of  attempts  which,  we  venture  to 
think,  have  not  been  unsuccessful  in  improving  the  state  of  Veterinary 
literature.  Every  one  of  the  treatises  published  has  met  with  an 
excellent  reception,  and  no  less  than  7500  copies  of  the  first  part  of 
our  "  Domestic  Animals  in  Health  and  Disease  "  have  been  already 
sold,  and  every  succeeding  part  is  moving  off  in  proportion.  It  is 
needless  here  to  refer  to  the  numerous  articles  published  in  medical 
and  other  periodicals,  to  the  inquiries  as  to  the  health  of  stock  in  the 
country,  official  reports,  &c.  We  challenge  comparison  with  the  old 
institutions  in  the  amount  and  quality  of  the  work  done,  notwith- 
standing that  the  New  College  has  existed  only  eight  years,  and  the 
St  Pancras  Institution  since  1791. 

Those  that  win  may  laugh.  We  can  afford  to  deal  more  tenderly 
with  the  editors  of  The  Veterinarian  than  they  seem  disposed  to 
deal  with  us.  They  have  vomited  forth  venom  which  must  re-act  on 
themselves  ;  and  this  is  proved  by  the  kind  letters  we  have  received, 
expressing  the  great  disgust  with  which  an  article  in  last  month's 
Veterinarian  has  been  read  by  old  pupils  of  the  London  College, 
who  can  now  appreciate  the  sincerity  of  those  who  are  never  tired  of 
crying  out,  "  Vis  unita  fortior," 


361  BOYAL  COLLEGE  OF  VETEfilKABY  SUBOEONS. 

EOYAL  COLLEGE  OF  VETERINARY  SURGEONS. 

SPECLAIi  MEETING  OP  THE  COUNCIL,  HELD  MAY  30. 

Present — Professors  Spooner,  Simonds,  Vamell,  and  Gamgee; 
Messrs  Broad,  Brown,  Cartledge,  Coates,  Dickens,  Greaves,  Harpley, 
Harrison,  Hunt,  Lawson,  Mavor,  Moon,  Pritchard,  Robinson,  Silves- 
ter, Wilkinson,  and  Withers. 

It  was  moved  by  Mr  Wilkinson,  and  seconded  by  Mr  Lawson, 
"  That  R.  Le  Hunt,  Esq.,  the  late  president,  take  the  chair." — Carried. 

The  minutes  of  the  preceding  meeting  were  read  and  confirmed. 

The  election  of  a  president  for  the  ensuing  year  was  then  proceeded 
with,  when  it  was  moved  by  Mr  Robinson,  and  seconded  by  Mr 
Mavor,  "  That  Professor  Vamell  be  elected  president." 

On  the  ballot  being  taken.  Professor  Varnell  was  declared  unani- 
mously elected. 

Professor  Vamell  having  taken  the  chair,  returned  thanks  for  the 
honour  of  his  election. 

It  was  moved  by  Mr  Silvester,  and  seconded  by  Professor  Gamgee, 
"  That  a  vote  of  thanks  be  given  to  the  late  president,  Mr  Hunt,  for 
the  very  able  and  courteous  manner  in  which  he  had  discharged  the 
duties  of  his  oflSce  during  the  past  year." — Carried. 

Mr  Hunt  returned  thanks,  and  at  the  same  time  handed  to  the 
president  the  oflScial  key  of  the  Royal  Charter  and  College  Seal 

The  election  of  six  vice-presidents  was  then  proceeded  with.  The 
following  gentlemen  were  proposed : — Mr  C.  Hunting,  by  Mr  Cart- 
ledge  ;  Mr  Robert  Lucas,  by  Mr  Lawson  ;  Mr  W.  Burley,  by  Mr  Sil- 
vester ;  Mr  W.  Field,  jua,  by  Mr  Robinson ;  Mr  W.  Thacker,  by  Mr 
Harrison ;  Mr  Jas.  Broad,  by  Mr  Wilkinson ;  Mr  Jas.  Rose,  by  Pro- 
fessor Simonds ;  Mr  W.  Wheatley,  by  Mr  Pritchard ;  Mr  J.  Barf  ord, 
by  Mr  Dickens. 

The  result  of  the  ballot  was,  for  Mr  Burley,  19;  Mr  Lucas,  17; 
Mr  W.  Field,  jun.,  17 ;  Mr  Thacker,  16 ;  Mr  Hunting,  14 ;  Mr  Rose, 
11 ;  Mr  Broad,  8 ;  Mr  Wheatley,  6  ;  and  Mr  Barf  ord,  5. 

Whereupon  Messrs  Burley,  Lucas,  Field,  Thacker,  Hunting,  and 
Rose  were  declared  duly  elected. 

The  election  of  a  treasurer,  in  the  place  of  the  late  Mr  E.«Braby, 
was  next  proceeded  with. 

It  was  moved  by  Mr  Wilkinson,  and  seconded  by  Mr  Lawson, 
"  That  Mr  S.  H.  Withers  be  elected  treasurer.'' 

On  the  ballot  being  taken,  Mr  Withers  was  declared  to  be  duly 
elected. 


EOYAL  COLLEGE  OP  VETERINARY  SURGEONS.  365 

It  was  moved  by  Professor  Siinonds,  and  seconded  by  Mr  Cart- 
ledge,  "  That  Mr  Coates  be  re-elected  secretary  and  registrar/' 

On  the  ballot  being  taken,  Mr  Coates  was  declared  to  be  unani- 
mously elected. 

Previous  to  the  termination  of  the  meeting,  it  was  moved  by  Mr 
Dickens,  and  seconded  by  Mr  Silvester,  "  That  a  letter  of  condolence 
be  forwarded  by  the  secretary  to  the  family  of  the  late  Mr  E.  Braby, 
who  had  so  ably  officiated  as  treasurer,  and  won  for  himself  the  esteem 
and  friendship  of  every  member  of  the  Council." — Carried. 

By  order  of  the  Council, 

Wm.  Henry  Coates,  Secretary. 


36G  REMARKS  OK  A  HEBPETIC  EPIZOOTIC  AFFECTION. 

FEBISCOFE. 


Remarks  on  a  Common  Herpetic  Epizootic  Affection^  and  on  its  Alleged  Frequen 
Transmission  to  the  Human  Subject,  By  Dr  William  Fbazeb,  Lecturer  on  Materia 
Medica  to  the  Carmichael  School  of  Medicine,  &c.* 

Early  in  March  I  was  requested  to  attend  a  little  child,  about  four  years  of  age,  who 
had  contracted  an  eruption  of  the  skin  from  playing  with  a  calf  wlulst  visiting  at  a 
farm-house  on  the  borders  of  Eildare  and  County  Wioklow.  I  was  informed  that 
the  rash  had  been  much  worse,  but  was  now  improving  under  the  use  of  a  mixture  of 
linseed  oil  and  castor  oil  applied  topically,  in  fact  the  same  treatment  which  had  been 
successfully  employed  with  the  diseased  calf.  I  found  a  well-developed  and  charac- 
teristic patch  of  herpes  circinatus  or  ordinary  ringworm  occupying  the  upper  and 
back  part  of  the  fore-arm  and  elbow,  fully  three  inches  in  length,  and  above  one  and 
a  half  inch  wide,  healing  in  its  centre,  but  surrounded  by  a  pale  pink  erythematous 
border  that  had  passed  into  the  chronic  stage  and  was  throwing  off  small  scales,  and 
ceasing  to  spread.  A  few  days'  treatment  with  very  dilute  ointment  of  red  iodide  of 
mercury  perfectly  removed  all  trace  of  the  disease  in  the  same  manner  that  I  have 
known  it  invariably  to  succeed  in  ordinary  cases  of  this  herpetic  affection.  As  my 
acquaintance  with  cutaneous  maladies  occurring  in  animals  was  limited,  my  interest 
was  much  excited  by  the  information  I  received  as  to  the  frequent  appearance  of  this 
contagious  herpetic  eruption  in  calves,  and  its  alleged  transmission  to  the  human 
race,  which  was  said  to  be  common  and  notorious.  I  therefore  sought  for  some  more 
information,  and  think  that  the  results  of  my  inquiries  may  possibly  interest  others 
in  the  profession.  Should  our  country  friends,  who  must  know  far  more  of  this 
subject  than  those  whose  daily  life  is  restricted  to  a  town,  be  able  to  throw  additional 
light  upon  the  matter,  they  may  be  assured  that,  for  one,  I  shall  feel  most  grateful 
for  their  correction  or  confirmation  of  what  I  state. 

So  far  as  the  history  of  the  present  case  goes,  the  source  of  the  disease  appears  to 
be  ascertained  beyond  the  smallest  doubt.  The  farm  where  it  occurred  is  one  of  the 
best  conducted  in  Ireland,  and  is  celebrated  for  the  high  character  of  the  stock.  For 
months  previous  no  herpes  whatever  had  existed  amongst  their  own  cattle;  the 
calves,  two  in  number,  which  were  infected  with  the  herpes  were  fresh  purchases  of 
high  bred  and  expensive  animals ;  both  had  the  disease  in  a  well  marked  stage  on 
their  face  and  neck,  which  was  immediately  recognised ;  they  were  purchased  whilst 
the  child  was  on  a  visit,  and  it  was  continually,  from  that  time,  in  the  habit  of  play- 
ing with  them  and  of  feeding  them ;  its  arm  soon  became  attacked ;  and  previous 
experience  had  taught  the  family  that  the  cause  of  the  infection  was  the  rash  upon 
the  animals  which  they  knew  to  be  contagious,  spreading  alike  to  men  and  cattle  who 
came  in  contact  with  it,  and,  as  they  informed  me,  when  neglected,  it  would  cause 
"  very  sore  spots  "  on  the  face,  beard,  and  limbs  of  those  who  were  its  recipients. 
The  ordinary  remedy  they  were  in  the  habit  of  applying  on  the  farm  was  mercurial 
ointment,  though  of  late  they  have  tried  the  mixture  of  linseed  oil  and  castor  oil,  as 
they  considered,  with  success.  The  ringworm  appears  always  to  show  upon  newly 
purchased  animals  ;  and,  though  it  is  liable  to  extend  through  their  own  stock,  the 
impression  seemed  to  be  that  it  was  invariably  propagated  by  direct  contagion,  and 
never  originated  spontaneously. 

The  inquiries  which  I  have  made  in  different  quarters  would  induce  me  to  believe 
that  epizootic  herpes  must  be  very  unequally  distributed  ;  it  has  extensively  prevailed 
in  some  localities  like  an  epidemic  ;  others,  as  certain  parts  of  Wicklow  and  County 
Dublin,  were  reported  to  me  as  being  perfectly  free  from  its  presence  ;  but  this  in- 
teresting question  would  demand  far  more  research  than  I  have  been  able  to  enter 
upon  as  yet  In  the  Counties  of  Cavan  and  of  Monaghan  it  seems  to  have  been  of 
common  occurrence  and  generally  recognised ;  I  therefore  append  two  reports  relating 
to  parts  of  these  counties  which  were  written  by  pupils  and  personal  friends  of  mine. 
I  have  every  confidence  in  the  strict  accuracy  and  powers  of  observation  of  these 
gentlemen,  who  were  neither  of  them  aware  that  the  other  was  engaged  in  writing  on 
the  subject  or  of  my  own  special  interest  in  it.  I  merely  inquired  from  each  sepa- 
rately, did  they  know  anything  about  the  occurrence  of  ringworm  or  herpes  in  calves 

*  From  the  Dublin  Quarterly  .roumai  of  Medical  Science,  May  1865. 


EINGWOBM  IN  CATTLE.  367 

and  its  usual  treatment,  and,  if  so,  to  write  for  me  a  brief  account  of  the  disease  as 
it  had  fallen  under  their  notice,  and,  particularly,  did  they  think  it  liable  to  attack 
human  beings? 


Observations  on  Ringworm  in  Cattle.    By  Mr  Patbick  Brady,  as  he  has  observed 
the  disease  in  County  Cavan, 

Ringworm  chiefly  occurs  in  calves  and  young  cattle,  but  is  not  unfrequently  seen 
in  the  cow.  It  is  noticed  most  frequently  during  the  spring  months  and  in  the 
early  part  of  summer.  It  forms  round  spreading  patches,  reaching  from  less 
than  an  inch  to  two  or  three  inches  across,  smooth  in  the  centre  and  rougher 
round  the  border ;  they  continue  to  extend  for  some  time,  then  dry  up,  and  finally 
the  spot  appears  covered  with  a  crust  of  scales,  thickest  outside ;  the  hair  covering 
the  part  attacked  falls  off,  leaving  the  skin  bare,  and  so  produces  much  dir- 
figuration.  The  favourite  situation  of  the  eruption  is  about  the  eyes,  the  roots  o 
the  ears,  and  on  the  neck,  but  it  may  also  occur  upon  the  body  and  over  the  limbs. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  that  it  is  highly  infectious,  as  when  a  cow  or  a  calf  havir  g 
the  disease  is  brought  amongst  others  that  are  not  affected  by  it,  the  eruption  speedily 
appears  amongst  tbem,  perhaps  in  consequence  of  their  rubbing  themselves  against 
the  same  post  as  the  infected  animal. 

Man  is  not  without  danger  of  being  infected  either.  Herds,  milkmaids,  and 
children  that  are  in  the  habit  of  playing  with  calves,  are  most  frequently  attacked. 
When  the  rash  appears  on  the  human  subject,  it  is  very  difficult  to  manage.  I  have 
seen  it  most  often  on  the  head  and  arms ;  it  may  also  occupy  the  face,  and  is  par- 
ticularly troublesome  when  it  gets  into  the  beard;  sometimes  it  appears  on  the 
trunk  of  the  body,  though  far  less  frequently  than  on  the  hands,  arms,  or  face. 
In  man  the  eruption  is  very  similar  to  what  we  observe  in  the  calf :  it  comes  out  as 
a  reddish-coloured  spreading  round  spot,  which  may  extend  until  it  forms  a  patch 
like  a  "  fairy  ring "  of  considerable  size ;  its  course  is  very  chronic ;  often  the  part 
gets  inflamed,  throws  out  a  crust,  and  cracks  if  neglected,  forming  fissures  ;  at  other 
times  the  crust  dries,  and  appears  as  a  mass  of  scales. 

Treatment  in  Man. — In  some  cases  I  saw  the  liq.  plumbi.  subacei  used  with 
success ;  compound  tincture  of  iodine  is  another  local  application,  which  I  also  saw 
used  with  good  results.  When  very  obstinate,  the  part  is  brushed  over  twice  in  the 
day  with  strong  acetic  acid,  and  artificial  Harrowgate  water  given  internally.  I 
scarcely  ever  have  known  this  to  fail  in  curing  the  disease. 

Treatment  in  Cattle. — For  cattle  the  only  treatment  I  ever  saw  used  was  some 
irritating  ointment.  The  best  appeared  to  be  a  preparation  of  corrosive  sublimate 
made  from  bichloride  of  mercury,  twelve  grains;  lard,  one  ounce;  powdered  white 
hellebore,  sixty  grains. — Mix. 


Ringworm  in  Cattle.    Notes  by  Mr  James  Whitla,  as  he  has  observed  it  in  County 

Monaghan. 

In  some  parts  of  the  country  the  practice  is  followed,  to  a  limited  extent,  of 
buying  up,  at  a  very  cheap  rate,  numbers  of  calves  from  four  to  eight  or  nine 
months  old,  about  the  middle  and  end  of  autumn,  and  placing  them  through 
the  winter  to  graze,  in  large  batches,  on  very  poor  grass  land.  Towards  the  end  of 
the  winter  they  are  generally  sold  off  to  other  proprietors  to  be  fattened  for  the 
butcher,  army  contractor,  &c.  The  state  in  which  they  come  off  their  winter  quar- 
ters is  in  the  majority  of  cases  most  miserable ;  they  are  almost  completely  devoid 
of  flesh,  drooped,  listless,  and  bearing  evident  marks  of  starvation ;  they  are  totally 
deniided  of  hair  round  their  eyes,  and  large  patches  over  the  body  in  the  same  con- 
dition, nearly  all  the  patches  being  of  a  circular  form.  Such  a  state  is  easily  altered 
by  a  little  better  care,  and  the  due  admixture  of  salt  with  their  fodder.  I  wish  to 
draw  your  attention  to  this,  because  it  is  a  condition  of  things  very  often  con- 
founded with  genuine  ringworm  in  cattle,  but  it  must  be  looked  on  as  altogether 
different.  Still,  this  much  is  certain,  that  all  cattle  in  such  bad  condition  as  I  have 
described  are  vastly  more  liable  to  outbreaks  of  true  ringworm  than  those  which 
are  housed  during  the  winter,  well  fed,  and  in  good  condition  when  they  are  plsKied. 
out  for  grazing  in  spring. 

Vol.  I.— Jv'o.  yiI.--NEW  Series.    July  1865.  'i^^ 


368  RINGWORM  IN  CATTLE. 

Ringworm  in  cows  or  calves  commences  with  a  single  spot,  which  after  a  few  daje 
develops  itself  into  a  small,  ring-like,  scaly  eruption,  growing  larger  by  additions  to 
its  outer  circumference,  so  that  it  increases  in  a  manner  perfectly  similar  to  **  fairy- 
rings  "  in  a  meadow ;  at  the  same  time  the  hairs  fall  out,  and  the  interior,  losing  its 
scales,  appears  comparatively  smooth.  If  the  first  spot  of  the  eruption  happens  to 
be  seated  on  a  part  of  the  animal  within  reach  of  being  licked  by  the  tongue  or  lips, 
other  spots  are  speedily  produced  over  different  parts  of  the  body ;  and  in  the  course 
of  a  week  or  ten  days  may  be  seen  reaching  from  the  size  of  a  fourpenny  piece  to  that 
of  a  ring  of  two  or  three  inches  in  diameter.  At  the  same  time  the  animal  fails  in 
flesh,  its  milk  is  diminished,  and  its  aspect  is  truly  pitiable ;  the  irritation  and  itch- 
ing of  the  several  spots  keep  it  in  a  state  of  continual  motion — licking,  twitching, 
and  scraping  with  the  hoof.  I  cannot  doubt  that  this  eruption  is  capable  of  being 
widely  and  rapidly  disseminated  by  contact  alone,  for  during  the  second  year  of  my 
apprenticeship  in  the  North,  I  had  abundant  evidence  of  the  fact —whole  tracts  of 
country,  let  in  grazing,  becoming  annoyed  with  the  pest  of  ringworm,  owing  to  the 
introduction  of  one  infected  animal  from  a  different  locality. 

That  ringworm  is  constantly  transmitted  to  the  human  subject  admits  of  no  doubt, 
for  during  the  first  prevalence  of  the  disease  in  the  cattle  the  animals  suflfering  from 
it  were  somewhat  too  closely,  and  at  the  same  time  carelessly,  examined  by  their 
owners,  servants,  and  others.  The  consequence  was  that  it  soon  became  nearly  as 
common  amongst  the  people  themselves  as  with  the  cattle,  first  appearing  as  a  rash 
upon  the  most  exposed  parts,  the  back  of  the  hands,  the  face,  or  neck,  and  if  un- 
checked, spreading  from  these  to  other  parts  of  the  body,  irrespective  of  position. 

At  this  distance  of  time  (some  four  years)  I  cannot,  unaided  by  notes,  describe 
minutely  any  particular  cases,  but  they  were  numerous,  and  the  eruption  presented 
identical  features  both  in  men  and  animals.  However,  I  remember  one  man  who 
was  attacked  in  a  very  severe  manner,  and  his  case  is  the  more  worthy  of  being  cited, 
as  the  people  in  his  neighbourhood  were  convinced  that  he  died  from  the  disease 
communicated,  as  all  knew,  by  the  cattle.  He  was  manager  and  caretaker  on  a  farm 
held  by  a  widow ;  the  cows,  calves,  and,  I  believe,  bullocks  under  his  charge,  had  been 
affected  with  ringworm  for  some  time.  On  the  recommendation  of  a  locally-cele- 
brated "  medicine  man,"  he  applied  to  the  cattle  strong  mercurial  ointment,  rubbing 
it  several  times  in  the  day  to  the  spots  of  eruption.  In  a  short  time  the  rash  ap- 
peared on  his  hands,  face,  neck,  and  arms,  several  developing  themselves  in  a  very 
severe  manner  about  the  jaw  and  the  angles  of  the  mouth.  Having  found  his  blue 
ointment  so  successful  with  the  cattle,  he  commenced  its  free  application  to  all  the 
spots  on  himself,  regardless  of  situation,  appearance,  or  condition,  and  in  a  short 
time  had  banished  most  of  them,  but  so  severely  salivated  himself,  that  he  died  in 
about  a  fortnight.  Such  a  case  occurring  in  the  neighbourhood  of  a  country  town 
naturally  caused  a  panic,  and  led  to  a  more  careful  and  better  advised  mode  of  treat- 
ment, before  which  the  disease  gradually  gave  way.  This  consisted  in  the  use  of 
iodated  sulphur  ointment,  varying  in  strength  from  five  to  forty  grains  of  sulphur 
iodatum,  mixed  with  simple  cerate,  one  ounce.  The  same  treatment  invariably 
proved  successful  when  tried  with  those  persons  who  had  been  infected  from  the 
cattle,  occasionally  using  mild  astringent  ointments  where  they  appeared  to  be  indi- 
cated, such  as  unguentum  zinci  and  unguentum  calaminae. 

The  different  forms  of  epizootic  eruptive  disease  have  not  as  yet  received  from  the 
medical  profession  the  attention  that  they  would  appear  to  deserve;  they  are  either 
totally  ignored  or  passed  over  in  the  most  superficial  manner  in  all  our  numerous 
treatises  on  cutaneous  medicine,  nor  do  the  usual  veterinary  manuals  greatly  aid  our 
study  of  them  ;  their  descriptions  of  skin  diseases  are  often  loose  and  worthless,  and 
their  pathology  and  practice  most  defective.  In  one  of  the  latest  of  these  publica- 
tions, which  may  be  taken  as  representing  the  state  of  our  literature  in  the  present 
day  relating  to  bovine  maladies,  herpes  in  cattle  is  described  with  some  approach  to 
accuracy ;  we  have  also  a  clear  statement  of  its  decidedly  contagious  nature,  and  of 
its  liability  to  infect  either  animals  or  man — I  allude  to  the  recent  work  of  Mr  J.  R. 
Dobson — "  The  Ox,  His  Diseases,  and  their  Treatment,  London,  1864.  Published  by 
Messrs  Longman  and  Co.,"  from  which  the  following  extract  is  taken : — 

"  Ringworm,  although  a  disease  almost  unnoticed  by  veterinary  authors,  is  by  no 
means  rare  in  young  stock,  and  is  occasionally  found  inolder  animals.  Debility  and 
poverty  seem  to  be  the  great  predisposing  causes.  It  is,  in  fact,  a  disease  of  deranged 
nutrition,  or,  to  use  common  parlance,  of  '  poorness  of  blood.' 

**  Ringworm  is,  in  the  author's  experience,  a  very  contagious  disease,  although  this 
20  denied  by  yeij  eminent  medical  authors.    In  fact,  in  two  well-marked  inBtanoes, 


BLACK  QUAETEE  IN  CATTLE.  369 

the  author  has  witnessed  its  transference  from  the  horse  to  man,  and  more  frequently 
from  the  ox  to  the  horse.  Although  the  name  ringworm  might  lead  the  non-medical 
observer  to  suppose  it  owing  to  some  living  parasite,  it  is  not  so.  The  disease  is  cen- 
tred in  and  owing  to  an  affection  of  the  skin  itself. 

"  Several  varieties  of  the  disease  are  described  by  medical  authors,  but  probably  the 
ox  is  not  liable  to  more  than  one — at  all  events,  a  description  of  the  more  common 
affection  will  suffice  for  all  practical  purposes. 

"The  symptoms  of  ringworm  are  the  appearance  of  a  number  of  round  scabby 
patches,  about  the  size  of  half-a-crown,  which,  when  peeled  off  with  the  finger,  ex- 
hibit a  rawish  surface  underneath,  discharging  a  yellowish  exudation,  which,  when 
dry,  forms  the  scab  above  alluded  to.  Occasionally  one  or  more  of  these  rings  run 
together,  and  form  a  patch  of  some  magnitude,  although  a  welMefined  ring  may 
always  be  seen.  They  are  usually  found  about  the  head  and  neck,  the  back  and 
thighs ;  but,  surrounding  the  eyes,  they  are  often  found  in  great  numbers,  giving  a 
most  unsightly  appearance  to  the  animaL 

**  The  treatment  should  commence  by  a  careful  attention  to  the  diet,  and  an  exhi- 
bition of  more  generous  food.  Medical  alteratives  may,  too,  be  administered— as, 
flour  of  sulphur,  one  ounce,  black  sulphuret  of  antimony,  half  ounce,  in  one  powder, 
which  may  be  given  daily.  With  regard  to  local  treatment,  the  mange  liniment  may 
be  applied— oil  of  tar,  oil  of  turpentine,  linseed  oil,  equal  parts,  rub  well  into  the 
skin  every  other  day ;  or  one  of  the  two  following  applications — tincture  of  iodine, 
painted  on  with  a  camel-hair  brush  after  the  scab  has  been  removed,  or  lunar  caustic, 
twenty  grains,  distilled  water,  one  ounce,  to  be  well  rubbed  in  with  a  small  tooth 
brush.  These  may  be  alternated  with  the  solution  of  bichloride  of  mercury,  the 
ointment  of  hellebore,  or  any  of  the  stronger  acids.  Cleanliness  in  this,  as  in  all 
other  skin  diseases,  is  essential." 

Although  the  list  of  our  systematic  treatises  afford  us  so  limited  and  defective  a 
description  of  this  important  eruption,  yet  it  has  not  been  altogether  overlooked  by 
Continental  authorities,  and  I  would  particularly  refer  to  a  paper  by  M.  Gerlach^ 
Professor  at  the  Royal  Yeterinary  School  of  Berlin,  which  contains  much  more 
definite  views  respecting  the  nature  and  character  of  epizootic  herpes.  The  essay  is 
briefly  reported  in  the  valuable  periodical  edited  by  Mr  Gamgee,  The  Edinburgh 
Veterinary  Review,  Vol.  II.,  for  1859-60.  M.  Gerlach  gives  an  admirable  description 
of  the  eruption,  its  appearance  and  progress,  and  satisfactorily  identifies  it  with  herpes 
circinatus,  (the  tinea  circinata  of  writers,  when  it  occurs  in  the  parts  covered  with 
hair  of  human  beings,)  for  he  procured  from  its  crusts  the  same  parasitic  vegetative 
growth  (trichophyton  tonsurans)  which  is  present  in  that  disease.  He  further  effected 
its  transmission  to  oxen,  horses,  and  dogs,  but  failed  to  induce  it  in  sheep  or  pigs. 
He  inoculated  his  own  arm,  and  also  some  of  his  pupils,  with  the  crusts  taken  from 
oxen,  and  in  every  instance  a  patch  of  herpes  circinatus  was  developed,  the  crusts  of 
which  *'  contained  the  vegetable  parasite  observed  in  the  dartres  of  the  ox."  M. 
Gerlach's  paper  enumerates  several  authentic  cases  of  the  transmission  of  the  disease 
to  human  beings  from  animals,  derived  from  French  and  German  sources,  which  it  is 
unnecessary  to  particularise,  as  the  abstract  of  his  essay  is  easily  accessible.  I  have 
not  as  yet  had  any  opportunity  of  examining  the  microscopic  appearance  of  the 
disease  in  the  calf,  but  I  obtained  some  hairs  which  were  taken  from  the  vicinity  of 
the  affected  part  in  a  calf  from  the  County  Cavan,  and  around  th6ir  bulbs  I  got  distinct 
proof  of  the  presence  of  a  parasitic  cryptogam  that  was  apparently  identical  with 
trichophyton,  but  in  too  imperfect  a  condition  for  me  to  figure  it.  As  for  the  child, 
when  I  was  consulted,  the  eruption  was  already  disposed  to  heal,  and  therefore  un- 
favourable for  microscopic  observation. 


BLACK  QUARTER  IN  CATTLE. 

(From  the  Scottish  Farmer,) 

Thb  blood  diseases  known  as  black  quarter  and  splenic  apoplexy  are  among  the  most 
troublesome  with  which  the  farmer  has  to  do.  When  his  cattle  are  in  the  most  satis- 
factory and  thriving  condition — when  they  are  rapidly  recovering  that  state  of  re- 
pletion of  which  some  debilitating  influences  have  deprived  them — and  when  the 
owner's  hopes  of  them  are  at  their  highest,  then  it  is  that  this  dire  enemy  stalks  into 
his  fold,  and  in  a  few  days,  or  even  hours,  the  very  cream  of  his  stock  is  destroyed. 
Kone  the  less  are  these  diseases  to  be  dreaded,  and  theix  ooc^siT^iyt^  Y^-rA^^JGi^cD^ 


370  BLACK  QUABTEE  IN  CATTLE. 

that  they  can  in  certain  drcnmstances  be  commnnicated  by  the  blood  of  the  animal 
a£fected  to  others  of  the  same  and  also  of  different  species,  not  even  excepting  man 
himself. 

The  symptoms  of  black  quarter  are  too  familiar  to  demand  any  lengthened  descrip- 
tion. The  dull,  listless  appearance  of  the  patient,  as  it  stands  with  arched  back  apart 
from  its  companions ;  its  disinclination  to  move,  and  stiff  gait  when  made  to  do  so ; 
the  hag^uxi  countenance,  bloodshot  lustreless  eyes,  dry  muzzle,  hot  mouth,  homsy 
and  skin  generally ;  the  full,  quick  pulse,  the  accelerated  and  moaning  respiration, 
and  the  extreme  tenderness  on  pressure  of  the  back  and  loins,  as  well  as  of  other 
parts  where  the  characteristic  swelling  is  about  to  be  developed,  though  it  may  not 
yet  have  done  so,  conveys  at  once  to  the  mind  of  any  one  who  has  seen  the  disc»ue 
the  idea  of  its  presence.  Besides  these,  there  may  generally  be  noticed  other  symptoms, 
such  as  forcible  beating  of  the  heart,  the  impulse  of  which  may  be  felt  behind  the 
left  elbow,  the  drivelling  of  saliva  from  the  protruding  tongue,  and  the  escape  of 
blood  from  the  nose.  One  of  the  most  characteristic  features  is  the  crepitating  noise, 
like  that  produced  by  crushing  a  piece  of  paper  in  the  hand,  when  the  skin  is  pressed 
in  the  region  of  the  back  and  on  the  sides.  This  is  due  to  the  presence  of  gas  in  the 
connective  tissues  beneath  the  skin,  and  may  be  noticed  before  the  peculiar  swelling 
of  the  disease  is  observable.  These  local  swellings  are,  however,  usually  present  when 
the  animal  is  first  observed  ill,  and  on  pressure  they  give  forth  the  same  crepitating 
sound  as  above  referred  to.  The  tumours  are  often  situated  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
some  joint  of  a  fore  or  hind  limb,  and  hence  the  name  of  joint  felon  and  quarter  Ul, 
though  they  are  also  met  with  in  other  parts  of  the  body.  They  are  situated  in  the 
connective  tissues  beneath  the  skin,  especially  where  that  is  loose  and  abundant,  in 
the  vicinity  of  lymphatic  glands,  and  in  the  substance  of  the  muscles.  The  tumours 
rapidly  increase  in  size,  cover  a  great  extent  of  surface,  the  skin  covering  them  is 
tense,  and,  if  white  and  not  too  thickly  covered  by  skin,  appears  dark  red  or  purple. 
If  these  tumours  are  cut  into  when  well  developed,  the  operation  elicits  no  pain,  and 
there  escapes  a  bloody  fluid  of  a  tarry  consistency  and  a  djEirk  red  hue,  mixed  more  or 
less  abundantly  with  gas ;  it  flows  with  a  bubbling  noise,  and  collects  as  a  frothy  mass 
around  the  wound.  Kound  the  margins  of  the  tumour  the  liquid  escaping  from  the 
incisions  is  not  blood,  but  a  yellow  serous  fluid  with  which  the  tissues  are  infiltrated. 
The  textures  which  become  the  seat  of  the  engorgement  become  rapidly  gangrenous, 
and  if  the  animal  survive  long  enough,  inflammation  is  set  up  in  those  immediately 
surrounding  them.  Coincidently  with  the  appearance  of  the  tumours,  the  general 
symptoms  become  modified,  the  pulse  becomes  small,  weak,  and  irregular,  the  consti- 
tutional weakness  increases,  and  the  urine  and  faeces  are  tinged  with  blood.  The 
surface  of  the  tumour  is  colder  than  the  surrounding  skin,  indicating  the  low  state  of 
its  vitality  and  the  approach  of  death  in  the  part. 

The  tumours  appear  to  consist  essentially  in  extravasation  of  blood  into  the  tissues, 
mixed  up  with  and  surrounded  by  a  serous  infiltration.  They  do  not  always  exist  in 
situations  where  their  presence  can  be  ascertained,  but  are,  on  the  contrary,  at  times 
met  with  in  the  muscles  beneath  the  backbone,  in  the  region  of  the  loins,  and  in  in- 
ternal organs,  particularly  the  small  intestines  and  other  parts  of  the  alimentary  canal. 

The  local  lesions  are  not  always  commensurate  with  the  rapidly  fatal  progress  of 
the  disease :  this  last  character  must  accordingly  find  its  cause  rather  in  the  alteied 
constitution  of  the  blood  generally,  and  the  influence  of  this  on  the  system  at  large. 

The  blood  is  profoundly  altered,  but  varies  in  its  character  according  to  the  virulence 
of  the  disease  and  the  stage  it  has  reached.  In  mild  cases,  in  which  alone  recovery 
can  be  expected,  and  toward  the  onset  of  the  disease,  the  blood  has  more  of  a  natural 
appearance,  but  looks  muddy,  is  fluid,  and  does  not  coagulate  with  the  natural  firm- 
ness, nor  does  it  become  so  bright  red  when  in  contact  with  the  air.  In  bad  cases  it  has 
a  thick,  treacly  appearance,  has  a  dark  red  colour,  even  when  drawn  from  the  arteries, 
and  does  not  coagulate  on  exposure  to  the  air ;  or  if  otherwise,  it  forms  only  a  very 
thin  gelatinous  mass  from  which  the  serum  never  separates,  and  which  is  broken  up 
and  restored  to  the  condition  of  a  tarry  liquid  by  a  slight  agitation.  The  red  globules 
are  greatly  increased  in  number,  and  many  of  them  have  lost  their  regular  discoid 
forms,  and  present  irregular  notched  or  crenated  edges.  Davaine  has  also  found  in 
the  blood  of  animals  affected  with  the  analogous  disease  splenic  apoplexy,  minute 
moving  organisms,  bacteridiaj  a  kind  of  vibrio;  and  his  observations  are  strengthened 
by  Dr  Crisp,  who  found  similar  bodies,  but  considered  them  simple  acicular  crystals. 
Virchow  and  others  have  noticed  the  presence  of  the  vibrio  in  the  blood  in  this  class 
.of  diseases,  and  accordingly  a  strong  probability  exists  that  they  are  present  in  the 
vhole  order,  and  that  they  are  even  essential  to  their  existence. 


BLACK  QUARTER  IN  CATTLE.  37 1 

The  lessened  coagulability  of  the  blood  depends  on  the  great  diminution  of  the 
fibrine,  which,  according  to  Clement,  is  reduced  by  more  than  two -thirds  of  its 
normal  amount.  The  proportion  will  doubtless  vary  in  different  cases;  and  from 
various  causes,  the  principal  of  which  is  the  rapid  decomposition  which  such  blood 
undergoes  on  exposure,  no  very  accurate  results  can  be  expected  from  chemical  in- 
vestigation. 

Since  death,  in  the  majority  of  cases  of  black  quarter,  takes  place  in  from  six  to 
twenty- four  hours  after  the  onset,  the  chances  of  cure  are  slight,  and  attention  is 
accordingly  demanded  rather  to  the  means  of  prevention.  In  considering  these,  it  is 
evident  that  were  we  conscious  of  the  ultimate  exciting  cause  of  the  disease,  we  might 
possibly  be  in  a  position  to  remove  this  source  of  danger,  and  thus  strike  at  the  root 
of  the  malady.  Davaine*s  theory  of  the  bacteridia,  were  it  indisputable,  would  be  the 
first  step,  and  might  lead  to  the  discovery  of  their  origin,  and  to  the  means  of  their 
exclusion  from  the  animal  system.  Facts,  indeed,  strongly  favour  this  theory.  The 
bacteria  not  only  exist  in  the  blood  of  the  affected  ox,  but  also  in  the  malignant 
vesicle  which  is  developed  in  the  human  subject  by  inoculation  with  the  former,  and 
reinoculation  of  animals  with  the  dried  scab  of  the  malignant  pustule  causes  the 
development  in  these  of  the  primary  affection,  and  the  production  in  their  blood  of 
numerous  bacteridia.  It  is  acknowledged  on  all  hands,  that  though  the  disease  does 
not  appear  communicable  by  the  simple  contact  with  diseased  animals,  yet  it  is 
always  capable  of  being  transmitted  b}'  inoculation.  Hence,  a  little  indiscretion 
may  lead  to  dangerous  results  to  attendants,  or  to  other  animals.  No  one  with 
wounds  on  his  hands  should  venture  to  touch  the  blood  or  textures  of  an  animal  in 
this  condition.  Some  curious  instances  of  contamination  by  inoculation  have  come 
under  our  notice.  In  one  case,  a  number  of  young  cattle,  recently  put  to  grass  and 
rapidly  thriving,  were  bled  in  succession  because  one  of  their  number  had  been 
attacked  by  black  quarter.  Unfortunately,  the  operator,  ignorant  of  any  reason  to 
dread  the  result,  bled  the  sick  animal  first,  and  immediately  proceeded  with  the 
others.  The  consequence  was,  thi.t  seven  more  died  the  same  evening,  the  tumours 
having  been  rapidly  developed  on  the  neck  and  chest,  spreading  from  the  phlebotomy 
wound  as  a  centre.  In  another  instance,  a  shepherd  skinned  a  bullock  that  had  died 
the  same  morning  of  black  quarter,  and  later  in  the  day  castrated  several  litters  of 
pigs.  Although  he  had  washed  his  hands,  and  taken  a  turn  among  his  sheep  in  the 
interval,  the  result  was  that  all  the  pigs  operated  on  died.  The  potency  of  the 
poison  does  not  seem  destructible  by  the  digestive  fluid,  since  pigs  and  dogs  par- 
taking of  the  fresh  blood,  or  other  parts  of  affected  animals,  are  seized  with  violent 
sickness,  vomiting  and  purging,  and  in  many  cases  die. 

It  is  not,  however,  certain  whether  the  bacteria  is  the  primary  and  essential  cause 
of  the  disease,  or  whether  they  are  only  an  accidental,  though  it  may  be  constant, 
condition  of  its  existence.  Whatever  the  character  of  the  virus,  the  researches  of 
Davaine  establish  that  it  is  capable  of  propagating  the  disease  even  after  it  has  been 
dried ;  and  if  so,  one  can  easily  conceive  of  their  being  carried  by  the  atmosphere. 
Propagation  by  particles  carried  in  this  way  has  not,  however,  been  made  out. 

In  this  state  of  uncertainty  regarding  the  real  character  of  the  morbid  agent^  it  is 
satisfactory  to  know  that  there  are  certain  conditions  essential  to  its  development  in 
the  animal  system,  and  that  by  a  careful  avoidance  of  these  its  occurrence  may  be 
prevented,  or  at  all  events  it  may  be  kept  within  very  narrow  limits. 

Among  these  secondary  or  predisposing  causes,  the  principal  are  the  conditions  of 
soil,  the  weather,  and  the  influence  of  diet. 

Black  quarter  was  formerly  quite  common  in  districts  where  at  the  present  day  it 
is  unknown.  These,  however,  instead  of  being  more  or  less  marshy,  are  now  well 
drained  and  perfectly  free  from  stagnation  of  aqueous  and  decomposing  vegetable 
matter.  The  affection  prevails  annually  on  some  retentive  undrained  clays,  and  in 
marshy  soil,  so  much  so  that  in  certain  districts  cattle  cannot  be  left  on  the  low  damp 
lands  in  spring  and  autumn,  when  it  most  prevails,  without  extreme  risk  of  suffering 
from  it  Removal  to  higher  and  dry  pasture  usually  prevents  ita  development 
Much  may  in  this  case  depend  on  the  greater  richness  of  the  food ;  but  independently 
of  this,  it  is  undoubted  that  drying  of  the  land  exerts  a  prophylactic  influence ;  and 
in  many  instances  drainage  alone,  without  any  decrease  in  the  produce,  has  entirely 
checked  the  disease.  At  the  same  time,  cattle,  even  in  early  life,  when  they  are  more 
susceptible,  have  been  kept  on  such  damp  pastures  adjacent  to  and  in  conditions 
apparently  exactly  similar  to  those  suffering  from  the  affection,  and  have  not  con- 
tracted it  in  consequence.  While,  then,  such  lands  are  favourable  to  its  development^ 
they  do  not  seem  capable  of  inducing  it  of  themselves,  not  ^o  ^Vkfc^  ^\i^^"«  ^^&K:^>skS. 


372  CATTLE  DISEASE  IN  ORKNEY. 

eyen  to  ita  production,  as  the  malady  is  met  with  where  no  each  conditionB  aiv 
found. 

The  state  of  the  weather  often  appears  to  have  considerable  effect.  Many  outbreaks 
take  place  in  close,  warm,  foggy  weather,  a  condition  fayourable  to  the  development 
of  many  of  the  lower  forms  of  life,  and  which  might  be  held  to  support  the  bacte- 
ridia  theory ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  the  malady  will  appear  late  in  the  season,  and 
during  the  night,  when  the  frost  has  been  operating  on  the  animal  system.  These 
conditions  are,  however,  equally  unfavourable  to  exercise,  and  to  elimination  of 
material  from  the  body  by  the  sweat  and  other  secretions ;  and  if  the  patient  is  at 
the  same  time  full  fed  and  rapidly  thriving,  the  plethora  is  intensified^  and  the 
disease  is  thus  indirectly  fostered. 

Diet  has  always  been  held  to  occupy  a  primary  position  in  the  development  of  this 
disease  in  animals  in  vigorous  health.  Attempts  have  been  made  to  trace  the  origin 
of  black  quarter  to  parasitic  productions  on  the  fodder,  and  as  many  as  twenty  dif- 
ferent cryptogamous  growths  have  been  mentioned  by  different  authors  as  the  prob- 
able deleterious  agents.  No  importance  is,  however,  attached  to  such  agents,  and 
the  experimental  use  of  fodder  so  affected  in  the  feeding  of  animals  for  months  at  a 
time  failed  to  produce  any  such  affections.  The  real  danger  consists  in  the  abi^nd- 
ance  of  nutrieut  materials  which  the  alimentary  matters  contain.  It  is  the  profui^ItMi 
of  nutriment,  and  not  the  deficiency  that  kills.  To  this  must,  however,  be  joined  a 
vigorous  constitution,  capable  of  the  ready  digestion  and  assimilation  of  these,  or 
they  will  necessarily  rest  inactive.  Most  animals  may  be  kept  at  the  highest  pitch 
of  health  even  when  growing,  by  keeping  them  constantly  improving,  and  avoiding 
all  sudden  changes. 

These  conditions  are  very  generally  known,  and  yet  we  meet  with  breeders  so 
blind  to  their  interests  as  to  allow  their  animals  to  fall  off  in  condition  at  one 
season  of  the  year,  and  endeavour  to  make  up  the  leeway  by  extra  feeding  at  another. 
In  Aberdeenshire  this  is  a  common  practice.  Store  cattle  are  sustained  during  the 
winter  months  on  little  else  than  straw  and  water ;  but  for  a  few  weeks  in  spring 
they  receive  a  liberal  allowance  of  cake  to  make  them  up  for  the  grass,  which  has  the 
result  of  inducing  suddenly  a  dangerous  plethora,  and  many  fall  victims  to  diseases 
of  this  class.  In  seasons  such  as  the  present,  in  which  the  animals  have  been  un- 
usually debilitated  by  the  extreme  prevalence  of  the  foot  and  mouth  disease,  the  ordi- 
nary conditions  are  aggravated,  and,  costeris  paribus,  the  cases  are  numerically  in- 
creased.   Steady  progress  is  the  great  secret. 

Some  have  questioned  the  statement  that  the  most  plethoric  animal  is  on  this 
account  most  strongly  predisposed,  but  we  believe  chiefly  on  the  ground  that  the 
best  animals  are  not  always  the  first  to  be  attacked.  In  considering  this  question, 
it  is  essential  to  bear  in  mind  that  fat  is  not  plethora,  and  that  the  most  oheas  sub- 
jects often  really  contain  less  of  the  nutrient  constituents  of  the  blood  than  thinner 
and  more  active  animals  that  take  a  proportionately  larger  share  of  food,  and,  it  may 
be,  are  growing  faster.  The  most  belligerent  of  the  herd  may  thus  be  the  first 
attacked,  though  he  be  by  no  means  the  fattest. 

Bemedial  measures,  such  as  setons  and  purgatives,  are  occasionally  employed  to 
counteract  the  undue  development  of  plethora.  Of  these  two  the  se1x>ns  are  deserv- 
edly the  most  extensively  employed.  Many  herds  are  regularly  treated  in  this  way 
with  the  greatest  success.  They  act  by  establishing  a  drain  on  the  system  which  in- 
terferes with  the  rapid  development  of  a  dangerous  plethora.  It  must  be  added, 
however,  that  they  are  not  infallible.  Healthy  systems  will  accommodate  themselves 
to  this  as  to  any  other  drain,  and  by  and  by  blood  will  be  produced  in  correspond- 
ingly increased  amount,  so  that  the  effect  is  ultimately  lost.  To  employ  setons 
rationally,  they  should  only  be  allowed  to  remain  in  one  or  two  months  during  the 
season,  at  which  the  animals  are  especially  obnoxious  to  the  affection,  and  ought  to 
be  removed  before  the  system  has  become  habituated  to  their  action.  Purgatives 
and  diuretics,  used  weekly  during  the  season  of  special  susceptibility,  have  been 
found  to  exert  a  similarly  beneficial  effect. 


CATTLE  DISEASE  IN  ORKNEY. 


Ths  Orcadian  of  Tuesday  says  reports  have  been  current  for  a  few  weeks  back  of  the 
prevalence  of  disease  to  an  alarming  extent  among  the  cattle  in  that  quarter,  bat 
that  these  reports  have  been  very  much  exaggerated.   "  It  is  true  (says  the  Orcadian) 


CATTLE  DISEASE  IN  ORKNEY.  373 

that  a  considerable  number  of  cattle  have  suffered  more  or  less  severely  from  the 
disease,  but  few  fatal  cases  have  occurred.  Every  means  are  taken  to  prevent  the 
spreading  of  the  disease,  and,  so  far  as  we  have  reports  from  the  various  parts  of  the 
main  island,  it  is  on  the  decline.  We  understand  that  the  Aberdeen,  Leith,  and 
Clyde  Shipping  Company  have  taken  the  precaution  to  have  the  Prince  Consort 
thoroughly  cleaned  and  disinfected,  and  that  they  have  employed  Mr  Teviotdale, 
V.S.,  to  inspect  all  the  cattle  shipped  in  their  vessel  from  Orkney." 

The  disease  referred  to,  as  appears  from  a  lengthened  paper  on  the  subject  by  the 
fore-mentioned  veterinary  surgeon,  is  of  the  epizootic  kind,  supposed  to  be  of  conti- 
nental origin,  and  to  have  been  first  observed  in  Britain  about  the  year  1839.  Mr 
Teviotdale  says  :-^ 

'*  It  was  brought  from  Ireland  in  a  herd  of  cattle  in  the  autumn  of  1840,  to  a  farm 
in  Kincardineshire,  at  which  period  I  was  a  veterinary  practitioner  in  that  locality, 
and  had  the  Irish  invalids  under  my  professional  charge.  At  that  period  the  occur- 
rence produced  considerable  alarm  and  much  excitement,  none  being  acquainted  with 
the  specific  characteristics  of  the  disease,  or  qualified  to  form  satisfactory  cohclusiona 
as  to  its  consequences.  Under  the  circumstances,  many  unfounded  and  exaggerated 
reports  were  widely  circulated  regarding  its  contaminating  influence  and  morbific 
efl'ects ;  while  many  ridiculous,  if  not  absurd,  nostrums  were  recommended  as  well  as 
adopted  for  its  prevention  and  cure.  Its  peregrinations  were  often  very  mysterious 
and  obscure ;  a^er  hovering  about  in  one  locality  for  a  period  of  more  or  less  dura- 
tion, it  would  suddenly  disappear  and  reappear  in  another,  varying  from  two  to  ten 
or  twelve  miles  distant.  It  often  returned  to  the  same  place  in  six  or  twelve  months, 
affecting  the  animals  that  escaped  its  first  visitation.  Herds  of  cattle  and  flocks  of 
sheep  were  often  affected  where  it  seemed  very  improbable  that  the  contaminating 
poison  could  have  been  directly  transmitted  from  the  diseased  to  the  healthy  animals. 
It  frequently  disappeared  in  a  locality  without  any  known  remedy  being  applied,  re- 
appearing in  another  without  any  apparent  cause.  Its  mysterious  movements  seem 
to  have  been  circumscribed  to  the  southern  counties  for  the  period  of  six  or  seven 
years;  for  it  did  not  appear  north  of  the  Dee  until  1846,  or  early  in  1847,  when  it 
became  so  prevalent  in  the  eastern  division  of  Aberdeenshire  that  few  weeks  past 
but  the  disease  came  under  my  observation  in  all  its  various  types  and  characteristics. 
In  Aberdeenshire  this  epizootic,  in  1849,  became  considerably  eclipsed  hj  pleura 
pneumonia,  equally  obscure  in  its  origin  and  peregrinations,  and  powerful  in  trans* 
mitting  its  contaminating  influence,  and  in  its  consequences  still  more  morbific  and 
destructive. 

"  A  disease  similar  to  the  present  epizootic  is  reported  to  have  been  transmitted 
from  the  south  to  Orkney  some  ten  or  twelve  years  previous  to  this  period,  but  at 
that  time  it  only  affected  the  cattle  on  one  farm,  when  it  disappeared.  The  report 
is  probably  correct,  but  I  had  not  observed  any  type  of  the  disease  in  this  county  for 
the  last  seven  years  until  the  middle  of  last  month.  Since  that  time  it  has  been 
very  prevalent  in  Kirkwall  and  its  vicinity.  Some  of  the  animals  have  been  only 
affected  with  a  mild  and  very  manageable  type  of  the  disease — others  by  a  more  dan- 
gerous type,  and  protracted  illness  ;  while  some  cases  have  been  fatal." 

Without  expressing  any  decided  opinion  as  to  how  the  disease  came  to  be  im- 
ported into  the  Orkneys — whether  directly  with  animals  from  the  south,  or  by  con- 
tagion wafted  across  the  Pentland  Firth— Mr  Teviotdale  goes  on  to  the  conclusion 
that  it  has  rather  increased  than  abated  in  its  virulence  since  its  first  appearance  in 
this  country.  He  says  that,  under  ordinary  circumstances,  although  this  disease  is 
more  manageable  and  easier  subdued  than  some  others,  yet  it  is  the  most  contagious 
he  has  ever  seen.  In  all  his  experience  of  it,  he  had  never  known  a  diseased  animal 
come  in  communication  with  healthy  stock  (either  sheep  or  cattle)  but  all  at  no  dis- 
tant time  became  affected. 

"  The  causes  of  the  disease  may  be  often  obscure,  but  the  symptoms  generally  can 
be  readily  detected  by  those  who  have  closely  observed  its  general  characteristics. 
The  affected  animals  first  appear  a  little  stiff"  about  the  joints  and  tender  about  the 
feet,  sometimes  lifting  and  shaking  them  as  if  they  had  been  pricked,  or  if  some- 
thing were  pinching  them,  and  they  are  very  unwilling  to  travel.  Perhaps  by  next 
day  they  will  be  cowering  down,  the  spine  curved  upwards,  the  feet  kept  far  in  below 
the  belly,  and,  if  standing,  will  be  chopping  with  the  mouth  and  lips,  as  if  endea- 
vouring to  expel  something  from  the  mouth.  The  lips  will  appear  thick  and  tumi- 
fied,  while  more  or  less  white  foam  or  saliva  will  be  observed  about  the  lips  and 
mouth.  By  examining  the  pulse,  more  or  less  fever  will  be  apparent,  and  a  slight 
trembling  motion  through  the  whole  frame.    By  opening  Ik^  m^viXJsi^'Oe^^^JM^^  ^\ 


37*  TYPHUS  IN  PIGS. 

the  disease,  its  internal  surface  will  be  found  much  inflamed,  and  most  likely  the 
skin  removed  or  removing  from  the  upper  gum  and  the  tongue,  and  sometimes  the 
same  will  be  the  case  with  the  nose  and  lower  lip.  If  the  feet  be  examined,  the  hoofs 
will  be  found  partially  removed,  the  remainder  loose,  and  the  whole  division  between 
the  hoofs  often  raw  and  tender.  In  some  violent  cases  the  horns  will  be  disengaged 
from  the  skin  at  their  roots,  and  the  hoofs  loose  from  the  back  part  to  half-way  for- 
ward to  the  point  of  the  toe,  the  eyes  and  the  nose  often  besmeared  with  white  glu- 
tinous matter,  and  the  animal  will  often  stand  shivering,  while  the  general  appear- 
ance is  haggard  and  much  broken  down. 

'*  In  sheep,  the  disease  often  afiecta  the  eyes,  lips,  and  feci  In  violent  cases  they 
will  be  for  some  days  blind.  Swine  get  very  lame,  not  willing  to  move,  and  complain 
much.  Poultry  are  also  sometimes  afiected,  and  continue  very  lame  for  a  few  day& 
I  have  not  seen  either  dogs  or  horses  afiected  with  any  type  of  this  disease. 

'*  The  treatment  of  animals  under  this  disease  requires  to  be  regulated  and  modi- 
fied so  as  to  be  applicable  to  the  existing  circumstances.  No  formal  modes  will  be 
suitable  to  the  wants  and  peculiarities  of  individual  cases.  However,  under  all  cir- 
cumstances, when  the  disease  is  observed,  be  careful  to  keep  the  animal  comfortable. 
Bleeding  is  only  necessary  when  the  animal  is  full  in  condition,  and  the  fever  appa- 
rently high.  Laxative  and  fever  medicines  will  be  required,  and  are  best  adapted  to 
modify  the  violence  of  the  disease.  The  mouth,  nose,  and  lips  should  be  kept  clean,  and 
at  least  three  times  a-day  be  gargled  with  an  astringent  lotion.  The  feet  also  should 
be  washed  and  kept  clean,  and  in  very  bad  cases  enveloped  in  cloth  and  kept  damp 
with  cold  water  until  such  time  as  the  inflammatory  action  subsides.  The  feet,  after 
being  cleaned,  require  to  be  well  besmeared  with  ointment,  or  common  fish  or  seal 
oil.  In  cases  where  they  are  raw  and  tender  between  the  hoofs,  a  slight  application 
of  the  chloride  of  antimony  will  facilitate  the  healthy  action.  Soft  meat,  linseed,  oil- 
cake, or  oatmeal  gruel,  should  be  given  if  required.  The  treatment  of  cdieep  is  simi- 
lar, only  it  requires  to  be  modified  to  circumstances. 

"  This  disease,  though  troublesome,  is  not  deadly.  Of  late,  however,  I  have  met 
with  a  few  cases  that  proved  fatal.  In  neglected  animals  the  feet  are  sometimes  much 
destroyed.  Milking  cows,  work  oxen,  and  fat  cattle,  seem  to  be  more  severely  afiected 
than  young  animals  in  moderate  condition.  The  disease,  in  general,  will  run  its 
course,  and  health  be  restored,  in  ten  or  twelve  days ;  while  in  violent  and  protracted 
cases  this  will  take  three  weeks." 

[The  malady  appears  to  be  nothing  more  nor  less,  judging  from  Mr  Teviotdale*s 
description,  than  an  aggravated  form  of  the  well-known  foot-and-mouth  disease.] 


TYPHUS  IN  PIGS. 
Frwn,  the  Scottish  Farmer, 


Wb  remember  once  hearing  an  old  woman  remark,  that  "sows  just  required  as  much 
care  and  attention  as  bodies,"  and  the  truth  of  the  observation  is  confirmed  by  the 
experience  of  all  the  largest  and  most  successful  breeders  of  pigs  in  the  kingdom. 
Without  cleanliness  and  comfort  the  human  species  cannot  thrive :  it  is  rendered 
more  liable  to  all  kinds  of  disorders ;  and  kept  in  dirty  styes,  with  little  room  and  bad 
ventilation,  and  fed  out  of  filthy  troughs,  swine  languish,  or,  at  the  best,  take  on  fat 
much  less  rapidly,  and  are  more  likely  to  fall  a  prey  to  the  first  epidemic  reaching 
them,  than  if  they  had  met  with  kind  and  liberal  treatment.  The  occasion  for  the 
remark  we  have  quoted  above  was  the  attack  of  a  pig  by  measles,  and  the  person  who 
made  it,  was  kindly  treating  **  grumphy  "  to  a  cup  of  strong  tea,  in  the  hope  that  it 
might  have  a  curative  effect.  There  are  other  diseases  than  measles,  however,  to  which 
"  sows  '*  as  well  as  **  bodies  "  are  subject,  and  one  of  the  last  discovered  of  these  is 
typhus.  This  malady  formed  the  subject  of  a  lecture  last  week,  by  Dr  Budd  of  Clifton, 
to  the  Members  of  the  Royal  Agricultural  Society  of  England.  The  doctor  stated 
that  his  attention  had  first  been  directed  to  the  matter  by  Professor  Gamgee,  of  the 
New  Veterinary  College,  Edinburgh,  who  wrote  to  him  concerning  an  outbreak  of 
this  nature  last  August,  and  sent  him  one  of  the  porcine  victims  for  examination. 
He  found  in  the  intestinal  canal  similar  ulcerations  to  those  existing  in  human 
patients  dying  from  typhoid  fever.  Dr  Budd  heard  nothing  more  of  the  disease  for 
several  months  afterwards,  when  it  was  intimated  to  him  that  ten  pigs  belonging  to 
the  Clifton  Main  Workhouse  were  afiected  with  Intestinal  fever.    He  went  over  and 


TYPHUS  IN  PIGS.  37o 

saw  them,  and  visited  them  from  day  to  day  until  they  all  died.  With  regard  to  the 
disease  in  the  living  animal,  Dr  Budd  says  : — 

"  I  could  not  give  you  a  better  idea  of  it  than  by  saying  that  it  is  the  exact  counterpart 
of  typhoid  fever  in  man.  The  phenomena  are  very  nearly  alike.  There  are  one  or 
two  points  of  difference  to  which  1  shall  presently  refer;  but  they  resemble  one 
another  very^closely,  only  that  this  disorder  in  the  pig  appears  to  be  more  rapid  in  its 
course,  and  more  deadly — killing,  in  fact,  in  a  much  shorter  time.  The  earliest  death 
occurred  on  the  fourth  day  from  the  observation  of  the  first  symptoms ;  but  probably 
that  was  not  the  fourth  day  of  the  disorder.  The  others  died  at  various  periods  of 
the  disorder,  ranging  from  the  8th  to  the  10th,  12th,  16th,  and  the  longest  survivor 
lingered  until  the  20th  day.  The  outbreak  lasted  in  the  whole  about  six  weeks,  which 
it  is  probably  important  to  observe.  I  have  said  that  the  symptoms  resembled  in  a 
general  way  those  of  typhoid  fever  in  man.  The  pig  began  to  droop,  and  shivered  more 
or  less  very  distinctly,  suddenly  became  very  prostrate,  lost  its  appetite,  got  thirsty,  and 
seemed  very  unwilling  to  be  disturbed.  The  master  of  the  workhouse  said  he  believed 
that  in  the  first  stage  of  the  disorder  these  pigs  suffered  from  headache  ;  and  though 
this  seems  to  be  a  curious  statement,  I  have  no  doubt  that  it  was  a  correct  one.  For 
in  studying  two  of  them  at  that  stage  of  the  disorder,  one  could  hardly  fail,  from 
their  heavy  look,  the  fixed  way  in  which  they  held  their  heads,  and  the  resistance 
they  offered  to  their  heads  being  disturbed,  to  come  to  the  conclusion  that  they  were 
Buffering  from  headache.  These  various  symptoms  were  generally  attended  by 
diarrhoea,  which,  from  the  first,  was  more  or  less  profuse.  The  discharges  were  at 
first  of  a  light  yellow,  and  strikingly  resembled  the  light  cherry  yellow  discharges 
that  belong  to  typhoid  fever  in  man.  As  the  disease  advanced,  various  modifications 
in  the  colour  of  the  evacuations  ensued.  They  became  more  or  less  of  a  dark  green, 
and  towards  the  end  in  many  cases  of  a  deep  chocolate  or  dirty  red  colour,  which 
tinge  arose  from  the  occurrence  of  haemorrhage  in  the  intestinal  ulcerations.  There 
was  another  symptom,  and  it  is  important  in  a  disease  like  this,  where  investigations 
are  new,  to  fix  upon  outward  signs  that  may  lead  to  early  recognition.  I  do  not 
know  on  what  day,  but  apparently  it  was  the  second,  third,  or  fourth  day,  the  skin  of 
the  pig,  between  and  around  the  ears,  became  of  a  red  colour,  passing  into  various 
shades  of  purple  or  violet.  In  the  latter  stages  of  the  disorder  there  is  another  cir- 
cumstance which  appears  to  be  more  or  less  a  characteristic  of  it.  Many  of  these  pigs 
became  paralysed  in  their  hinder  extremities,  and  so  weak  as  not  to  be  able  to  stand. 
The  evacuations  became  involuntary ;  the  weakness  gradually  increased ;  and  the 
animal  sank.    Such  are  the  symptoms  during  life.'' 

When  dead,  the  only  characteristic  change  in  the  body  is  the  ulceration  of  the  in- 
testinal canal.  The  disease,  it  would  appear,  from  all  the  information  as  yet  obtained 
concerning  it,  is  violently  contagious,  but  peculiar  to  the  pig.  Instances  have  occur- 
red where  all  the  pigs  in  the  farmyard  were  carried  off,  and  yet  no  harm  befell  the 
men  constantly  working  about,  or  to  cattle  going  among  them.  For  many  years 
isolated  cases  of  the  disease  appears  to  have  been  known  to  pig-dealers,  but  within 
the  last  two  or  three  years  it  has  changed  its  sporadic  to  an  epidemic  form ;  and  Dr 
Budd  states,  on  the  authority  of  men  who  should  be  well-informed  in  the  matter,  that 
within  the  last  eighteen  months  from  ten  to  fifteen  thousand  pigs  have  died  through 
this  disorder  in  the  south  and  south-west  of  England. 

With  a  view  to  stop  the  ravages  of  this  disease  as  much  as  possible,  Dr  Budd  makes 
the  following  suggestions : — 

First,  Try  to  recognise  the  disorder  in  its  earliest  stages. 

Second,  Separate  the  sick  from  the  uninfected  without  the  least  delay. 

Third,  And  this  is  fundamental  to  my  mind,  because  when  once  this  disorder  enters 
a  farmyard  it  goes  through  all  the  swine  in  the  place— immediately  slaughter  the 
affected  animals. 

Fourth,  All  these  precautions  will  be  in  vain  if  you  do  not  destroy  the  infectious 
discharge  from  the  intestines  of  the  diseased  pigs. 

You  may  separate  the  sick  from  the  uninfected,  but  if  in  dry  weather  you  turn 
your  healthy  pigs  at  the  end  of  two  or  three  weeks  into  the  sty  or  the  yard  where  the 
others  had  been  ill,  you  will  find  the  disorder  break  out  anew. 

Although  we  have  not  in  Scotland  suffered  so  much  from  this  calamitous  fever  as 
pig-breeders  in  England,  there  have  nevertheless,  as  Professor  Gamgee  pointed  out, 
been  many  deaths ;  and  all  suggestions  calculated  to  reduce  the  loss  of  animal  food, 
now  that  beef  and  mutton  are  so  high  in  price,  should  be  carefully  considered  by 
farmers.  If  they  shoidd  prove  of  value,  their  adoption^  besides  being  profitable  to 
vgnculturists,  will  be  a  boon  to  the  general  public. 


376  SALT  FOR  CATTLK. 


SALT  FOR  CATTLE. 

A  CORRESPONDENT,  signing  himself  "H.  P.  B.,"  supplies  the  following  to  the  Albany 
Country  Gentleman : — 

The  price  of  salt  having  considerably  advanced,  with  all  other  necessary  ariiclea, 
has  led  some  farmers  in  the  west  to  make  the  experiment  of  withholding  salt  alto- 
gether from  their  farm  animals.  The  subject  has  led  to  considerable  discussion  in 
the  papers  in  some  quarters,  whether  salt  is  or  is  not  really  essential  to  the  animal 
economy ;  some  arguing  that  neither  men  nor  animals  can  long  exist  and  maintain 
any  degree  of  tolerable  health  without  the  use  of  salt.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  as- 
serted that  in  some  parts  of  the  world  salt  is  used  neither  by  the  human  race  nor  by 
dumb  animals.  In  stating  this  latter  proposition,  if  it  could  be  proved  that  the  defi- 
ciency is  not  made  up  indirectly  in  some  other  form  in  the  food  consumed,  it  might 
appear  conclusive  that  salt  is  not  essential  to  the  health  of  animals.  The  farmers 
along  the  entire  length  of  the  south  side  of  Long  Island  never  have  occasion  to  feed 
salt  to  their  stock,  and  I  presume  it  is  the  case  over  the  whole  width  of  the  island, 
and  yet  all  stock  get  a  full  supply.  The  winds  from  the  sea  sweep  over  the  lands^ 
loaded  with  saline  particles,  in  the  form  of  fine  spray,  which  finds  lodgment  upon  the 
herbage,  and  everything  with  which  it  comes  in  contact.  During  a  severe  storm  I 
have  seen  it,  seven  miles  from  the  ocean,  lodge  upon  the  windows,  and  when  dry 
form  visible  crystals  of  salt.  From  this  source  the  cattle  and  sheep  obtain  so  large  a 
supply  of  salt  that  they  seldom  or  never  manifest  any  disposition  to  seek  it  in  any 
other  form.  It  is  asserted  by  those  who  have  investigated  the  subject,  that  generally 
along  the  sea-coast  for  100  or  more  miles  in  the  interior,  that  analysis  shows  that 
soda  is  the  prevailing  alkali  in  the  soil ;  while  still  farther  in  the  interior,  along  the 
same  range,  potash  prevails  in  the  absence  of  soda.  It  is  inferred  that  the  soda  is 
deposited  by  the  winds  from  the  ocean,  loaded  with  salt  ^ray. 

It  is  stated  that  in  Brazil,  Uraguay,  and  the  Argentine  Confederation,  where  im- 
mense numbers  of  cattle,  horses,  and  sheep  are  reared,  that  salt  is  never  supplied  to 
them  by  the  farmers.  I  think  that  on  investigation  it  would  be  found  that  nature 
has  supplied  salt,  or  its  equivalent,  through  natural  sources  from  the  soil,  rendering 
a  supply  in  any  other  form  unnecessary. 

It  is  well  known  that  blood  contains  a  large  percentage  of  salt,  and  salt  is  given  off 
from  the  system  through  all  of  the  excretory  organs,  the  skin,  kidneys,  &c.,  in  con- 
siderable quantities  daily ;  hence  the  supply  must  be  maintained  or  the  animal  must 
languish.  Among  some  nations  it  is  asserted  that  criminals  are  condemned  to  sub- 
sist without  salt  as  a  punishment  for  their  crimes ;  the  privation  is  represented  aa 
most  tormenting. 

In  all  Europe,  from  time  immemorial  salt  has  been  largely  supplied  to  domestic 
animals,  and  it  is  claimed  by  some  of  the  most  profound  writers  in  those  countries 
that  animals  cannot  be  maintained  in  a  state  of  health  without  it. 

In  the  Memoirs  of  the  Royal  Academy  of  Sciences  at  Paris,  are  several  papers 
showing  the  great  advantages  of  salt,  both  as  a  manure  and  for  cattle.  It  is  here 
asserted  that  salt  given  with  the  food  of  cattle  augments  its  nourishment.  That  in 
proportion  to  the  quantity  of  salt  eaten  by  cattle,  the  effects  of  the  augmentation 
are  perceived.  That  no  ill  consequences  follow  its  use  when  given  without  stint.  It 
is  said  these  propositions  are  supported  by  unquestionable  evidence,  and  the  trials  of 
many  persons. 

Crau,  in  the  jurisdiction  of  Aries,  in  the  county  of  Provence,  France,  has  an  extent 
of  six  leagues  by  three,  the  whole  surface  of  which  is  covered  with  small  rough  stones, 
and  not  a  tree  or  bush  to  be  seen  upon  the  whole  district,  except  a  few  scattered  on 
the  border,  yet  on  this  apparently  barren  spot,  by  the  free  use  of  salt,  more  numer- 
ous flocks  of  sheep  are  bred  and  reared  than  upon  any  other  common  of  equal  ex- 
tent in  the  kingdom ;  and  what  is  not  less  remarkable,  the  sheep  are  healthier,  hardier, 
and  endure  the  severity  of  the  winter  with  less  loss,  though  they  have  fewer  aheep- 
cotes  for  covering  than  those  bred  in  more  luxuriant  pastures,  and  that  have  the 
advantage  of  convenient  shelter.  Add  to  this  that  the  wool  of  the  flocks  bred 
and  brought  up  in  the  Crau  is  not  only  the  finest,  but  bears  the  highest  price  of  any 
in  France.  It  is  concluded  that  these  surprising  effects  are  consequent  upon  tiiie  nn* 
limited  use  of  salt. 

It  is  further  stated  that  it  has  been  satisfactorily  proved  by  trial  in  certain  districts 
in  France,  tb&t  herds  on  the  same  iann  haiVQ  b^^n.  «eparated  into  two  lots^  giving 


FITS  IN  DOGS.  377 

one-half  a  fall  supply  of  salt,  and  giying  none  to  the  other  half.  In  less  than  a 
month  there  is  a  marked  difference  in  the  appearance  of  the  animals,  in  the  sleekness 
of  their  coats,  in  their  growth,  and  in  their  strength  and  firmness  of  labour ;  and 
these  effects  are  produced  with  little  more  than  half  of  the  food  consumed  by  the 
cattle  to  whom  the  salt  is  given. 

In  Spain,  where  the  finest  wool  in  the  world  is  produced,  large  quantities  of  salt 
are  given  to  the  sheep,  to  which  is  attributed,  in  a  great  measure,  the  cause  of  the 
fineness  of  the  wool. 

In  England  a  thousand  sheep  consume  at  the  rate  of  a  ton  of  salt  annually.  It  is 
supposed  to  destroy  the  fasciola  hepatica,  or  fluke  worm;  It  is  said  that  1,000,000 
tons  of  salt  are  given  to  animals  in  England  annually,  which  would  seem  almost 
incredible. 

Cato,  150  years  before  Christ,  recommends  salt  for  cattle,  hay,  straw,  &c.,  as  also 
does  Virgil.  In  Germany  and  Spain  it  has  been  esteemed  essential  for  sheep  from 
the  earliest  history  of  those  countries.  In  1^76,  Conrad  Heresbach  commends  it  as 
being  a  certain  prevention  of  the  "murrain  or  rotte." 

Independent  of  all  the  evidences  that  I  have  here  cited,  going  to  prove  that  salt  it 
designed  as  an  essential  condiment,  both  for  the  human  and  brute  creation,  we  have 
the  unerring  instinct  of  animals  to  show  the  demands  of  nature  for  this  substance.  In 
all  parts  of  the  world  where  salt  mines  or  springs  are  found,  there  wild  animals  con- 
gregate, from  hundreds  of  miles  distant,  to  get  a  supply  of  salt.  In  our  own  country, 
the  Big  Bone  Licks  of  Kentucky  are  noted  for  their  having  been  the  resort  of  all 
kinds  of  wild  animals  for  the  purpose  of  licking  the  water  that  issues  from  the  salt 
springs  of  that  locality.  Numerous  other  licks  in  the  various  parts  of  the  same  state 
show  similar  evidences  of  their  having  been  the  resort  of  wild  beasts.  Deep-worn 
paths  leading  to  the  springs  are  even  now,  at  this  day,  to  be  seen,  where  innumerable 
herds  of  bul&lo  rushed  down  the  declivities  in  pursuit  of  salt 


FITS  IN  DOGS. 
(From  the  Seottiah  Farmer.) 

Kensington,  June  17, 1863. 
Sir, — But  yesternight  I  was  the  envied  possessor  of  a  little  canine  prodigy — a  Skye 
terrier  of  such  minute  dimensions,  of  such  an  amiable  and  affectionate  disposition, 
and  of  such  intelligence  and  sagacity,  that  all  hearts  were  charmed  with  him.  I  say 
nothing  about  his  beauty,  for  besides  that  that  is  at  all  times  a  question  of  taste,  it 
was  a  disputed  point  in  our  household  whether  he  was  good-looking  or  not — one 
party  maintaining  that  he  was  the  ugliest  little  creature  ever  seen,  the  other  that  he 
was  the  most  beautiful,  the  truth  perhaps  being  that  his  beauty  consisted  in  his  ugli- 
ness. 

Punch  has  a  cartoon,  in  which  a  sporting  gentleman,  with  the  peculiar  flattened 
and  bridgeless  nose  which  poor  Leech  has  taught  us  to  accept  as  the  type  of  the  class 
with  pugilistic  propensities,  exclaims,  "  I  had  ought  to  be  a  happy  cove,  for  I  've  got 
a  wife  as  can  thrash  any  man  of  her  weight,  and  I  've  got  a  child  of  two  years  and 
a  'arf  as  can  eat  two  pounds  o'  beef-steak  at  a  sitting,  let  alone  owning  the  smallest 
black  and  tan  tarrier  in  the  world."  Not  valuing  the  two  former  possessions,  their 
absence  did  not  detract  from  the  portion  of  happiness  which,  according  to  this  autho- 
rity, ought  to  have  been  my  lot  as  the  possessor  of  the  minim  which  we  called  "  Jip.*' 

To-day  I  am  desolate;  both  Jip  and  the  happiness  on  him  dependent  have  disap- 
peared ;  and  I  wish  to  know  from  your  skill  whether  there  was  anything  in  my  con- 
duct, in  the  "  trying  circumstances"  under  which  I  have  lost  him,  which  helped  on 
the  catastrophe,  and  whether  I  was  guilty  of  sins  of  omission  or  commission — in  a 
word,  whether  I  have  to  thank  myself  or  not  for  his  loss. 

As  there  are  thousands  upon  thousands  who  are  in  my  case  of  yesterday — that  is, 
possessed  of  some  cherished  little  pet  of  a  dog  just  emerging  from  puppy  hood ;  and 
not  fewer  who,  at  any  time,  may  be  in  my  case  of  to-day — that  is,  mourning  its  loss, 
I  am  sure  you  will  not  find  your  pains  thrown  away  if  you  unmuzzle  your  wisdom, 
and  impart  to  us  some  knowledge  on  the  subject,  even  although  to  you  and  to  a  por- 
tion of  your  readers  it  may  be  a  twice-told  tale. 

Jip  was  teethi^ ;  his  milk  teeth  were  dropping  out,  and  his  permanent  teeth  com- 
ing in. 


378  FITS  IN  DOGS. 

Jip  had  a  fit,  more  of  delirium  than  convulsions,  about  six  weeks  ago,  and  had 
never  been  quite  himself  since.  He  used  regularly  to  come  up  to  my  bed-chamber 
in  the  morning ;  but  latterly  I  have  missed  the  patter  of  his  little  feet^  and  the  whine 
for  admission  at  the  door.  He  became  fond  of  lying  dosing  at  the  fire,  although 
he  always  brightened  up  and  became  frantically  happy  at  the  prospect  of  being 
taken  out.  Still  it  was  obvious  that  there  was  something  the  matter  with  him.  I 
not  unfrequently  noticed,  as  he  lay  on  the  hearth-rug,  that  his  hind  leg  and  flank 
had  a  trifling  twitch — not  a  convulsion,  but  something  that  way  tending.  As  my 
little  girl  expressed  it,  "  his  hind  leg  had  the  hiccup." 

A  confused  mixture  of  ideas,  gathered  from  long-forgotten  sources,  about  distem- 
per, tape-worms,  and  teething  convulsions,  took  possession  of  my  mind,  and  I  got 
out  the  castor-oil  bottle  and  **  administered"  a  dose.  This  was  after  the  first  fit,  and 
I  thought  put  him  all  right  again  ;  but  only  for  a  short  time.  I  then  gave  him  an- 
other ;  and  a  third  only  a  couple  of  days  ago.  But  I  am  bound  to  say  that  I  believe 
the  process  of  "  administration,"  at  least  this  time,  did  him  more  harm  than  the 
medicine  did  good ;  for  Jip,  being  an  intelligent  dog,  remembered  the  previous  ad- 
ministrations, and  it  was  only  after  a  protracted  struggle  that  the  nauseous  dose,  or 
Buch  portion  of  it  as  was  not  spilt,  was  at  last— I  shall  not  say  emptied  down  his 
throat—  but  emptied  out  of  the  bottle. 

Poor  little  fellow,  he  looked  very  shrunk  and  spiritless  all  yesterday  and  the  day 
before,  and  was  quite  sensible  that  he  was  poorly  when  I  took  him  up  in  my  arms, 
and  fondling  him,  said,  "  Are  you  not  well,  Jippy  ?"  "  Whimper,"  says  Jip,  in  the 
lowest  and  most  plaintive  tone.  "  Have  you  got  a  headache,  Jippy  ?"  another  plain- 
tive whimper.  It  said  as  plainly  as  ever  a  dog  spoke,  *'  Yes,  I  am  not  well,  and  am 
very  sorry  for  myself,  and  much  obliged  for  your  sympathy."  It  is  diflicult  to 
refrain  from  dwelling  on  his  many  attractive  ways;  but  I  must  get  on  with  my  tale. 

Last  night  I  took  my  hat  and  staff  for  an  evening  stroll,  my  custom  always  in 
the  afternoon.  Jip  accompanied  me,  rejoicing  in  short  eflervescences  of  deUght. 
We  took  our  way  to  Kensington  Gardens,  and  strolled  along  the  round  pond.  Jip, 
of  his  own  accord,  paddled  about  a  little  in  the  shallow  parts.  The  doing  so  seemed 
to  impart  fresh  life  and  vigour  to  his  little  frame,  and  he  distinguished  himself  by 
his  romps  and  fun  for  a  little  while  ;  but  by  and  by  all  at  once  he  turned  over  on  his 
Bide,  and  was  seized  with  violent  convulsions,  which  gradually  became  fainter,  until 
his  eyes  turned  back  in  his  head.  I  thought  he  was  about  to  die,  and  taking  him  up, 
plunged  him  over  head  and  ears  in  the  water.  The  shock  seemed  to  revive  him,  and 
a  bystander  prompting  me  to  repeat  the  operation,  I  did  so.  I  don't  think  that  did 
him  any  good.  When  he  revived  from  the  first  shock  I  wish  I  had  at  once  carried  him 
home.  His  mouth  was  now  full  of  large  bells  of  foam,  not  unlike  what  I  have  seen 
in  a  dog  really  mad ;  but  he  so  far  recovered  as  to  be  able  to  stagger  into  the  water 
again  by  himself,  into  which  he  went  until  all  but  his  head  was  covered.  There  he 
remained,  breathing  rapidly,  and  apparently  very  unsteady.  I  feared  that  the  fit 
would  return,  and  he  would  tumble  over  on  his  side,  and  waded  in  to  lift  him  out ; 
but  he  growled  and  snapped  most  viciously  as  I  approached,  and  backed  into  deeper 
water,  and  presently  turning  round,  swam  away  for  the  centre.  He  soon  turned, 
however,  and  as  I  came  back  to  shore  he  resumed  his  place  within  his  depth,  but 
covered  up  to  the  neck.  All  efforts  to  entice  him  out  were  vain.  His  eyes  had 
wholly  changed  their  appearance ;  even  their  very  colour  was  not  the  same.  He  ob- 
viously did  not  know  me.  All  my  cheepings,  my  "  good  dog's,"  and  "  come,  Jippy's," 
were  thrown  away,  and  any  attempts  to  get  hold  of  him  were  met  by  fierce  growl- 
ing and  vicious  snapping,  and  if  persisted  in,  by  his  backing  into  deeper  water. 

Meantime  the  night  drew  on ;  the  circle  of  sympathising  spectators  which  had  at 
first  honoured  me  with  their  countenance  and  support  had  gradually  diminished  until 
I  was  left  alone.  The  keeper's  cry  of  "  all  come  out,"  had  ceased  to  resound  through 
the  trees,  and  one  of  them  came  up  to  warn  me  that  I  must  leave,  as  the  gates  would 
be  immediately  locked.  He  kindly  waited  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  joining  his  efforts 
to  mine  to  induce  the  little  animal  to  come  out ;  but  at  last  there  was  no  alternative 
— go  I  must.  To  the  last  I  bent  my  eyes  on  Jip.  There  he  stuck ;  and  the  last 
view  I  had  of  him  was  his  little  black  head  just  visible  above  the  water  on  the  far 
side  of  the  pond. 

Of  course  all  sorts  of  injunctions  were  given  to  the  keepers  to  look  out  for  him  the 

first  thing  this  morning,  and  to  make  sure,  I  was  there  early  myself ;  but  as  yet  no 

trace  has  been  found  of  him.    For  my  part,  I  expected  to  see  his  little  body  floating 

on  the  surface  of  the  pond,  or  lying  at  its  bottom.    This  has  not  been  realised.    He 

212119^  hAve  come  out^  and  if  recoYeTed,\iaa^asAeT«^  v^^^,qt  Vve^n picked  up  by  some 


THE  NEW  VETEEINAEr  COLLEGE.  379 

"dog-finder.**  If  not  recovered,  he  may  haye  crept  into  some  ontK)f-the-way  comer 
to  die,  where  his  dead  body  may  not  be  found  until  we  **  nose  it*'  as  we  go"  up  the 
nearest  walk. 

Will  you  favour  us  with  your  remarks  upon  this  case,  and  your  advice  to  others 
who  may  be  similarly  circumstanced. 

I  should  add,  that  with  every  desire  to  confine  this  dog  to  a  vegetable  diet,  we  have 
found  it  impossible  to  do  so  without  absolutely  starving  the  beast.  It  was  sent  up 
to  me  from  Scotland  in  the  steamboat,  and  I  am  apt  to  suppose  that  it  acquired,  on 
the  short  voyage,  a  predilection  for  meat ;  at  any  rate,  it  would  eat  nothing  here  but 
meat,  except  under  the  strongest  pressure.  I  am  ashamed  to  think  of  the  quantity 
of  good  porridge  and  bread  that  has  been  wasted  in  trying  to  keep  it  upon  a  vege- 
table  diet.— 1  am,  &C.,  M. 

[Jip  is  a  victim  of  one  of  those  nervous  diseases  incident  to  puppyhood.  Tape 
and  other  worms,  as  our  correspondent  evidently  understands,  are  common  causes  of 
convulsions  in  dogs ;  but  though  young  dogs  are  especially  obnoxious  to  these,  so 
careful  an  observer  as  "  M  '*  would  assuredly  have  noticed  his  puppy  was  passing 
worms,  or  drawing  itself  along  the  ground  with  its  fore-limbs,  had  these  been  present 
in  any  number.  Teething  and  costiveness  will  each  at  times  produce  fits  in  the 
puppy,  and  from  the  description  given,  it  seems  highly  probable  that  in  the  instance 
before  us  they  were  partly  due  to  both  of  these  causes.  We  are  perpetually  having 
brought  to  us  favourite  dogs  suffering  from  over-feeding,  costiveness,  and  one  or 
other  of  a  variety  of  disorders  thereon  depending,  and  in  many  cases  the  best  treat- 
ment is  a  little  wholesome  starvation  and  moderate  exercise.  Jip  appears  to  have 
been  living  on  the  most  nourishing  and  stimulating  diet,  and  has  been  by  no  means 
over-exercised,  conditions  which,  in  such  animals,  so  constantly  result  in  digestive 
derangement  and  nervous  affections.  Add  to  this  the  vascular  excitement  about  the 
head,  and  the  nervous  irritability  attendant  on  the  irruption  of  the  permanent  teeth, 
and  in  our  opinion  there  is  reason  enough  for  the  convulsions.  The  twitching  of  the 
hind-leg — St  Vittis*  dance — was  due,  in  all  probability,  to  some  structural  change  in 
the  nervous  centres  consequent  on  the  earlier  fit,  and  the  same  change  would  furnish 
a  strong  predisposition  to  the  accession  of  the  later  ones. 

A  vegetable  diet  is  no  doubt  unnatural  to  the  dog,  but  in  the  case  of  a  favourite 
everything  is  artificial,  and  it  is  generally  found  that  restriction,  in  part  at  least,  to 
a  vegetable  diet  is  more  conducive  to  health.  With  a  little  wholesome  constraint, 
this  can  usually  be  effected,  though,  if  fed  several  times  a  day,  and  especially  if 
allowed  to  share  with  his  master  in  his  regular  meals,  it  may  be  acknowledged  im- 
possible. By  attention  to  this,  to  giving  a  moderate  amount  of  exercise  in  the  open 
air,  and  by  observing  that  the  various  functions,  and  particularly  those  of  the  diges- 
tive organs,  were  kept  in  an  active  condition,  the  fits  might  possibly  have  been- 
averted,  and  the  favourite  saved. 

When  a  fit  has  come  on,  we  have  seen  good  effects  from  the  application  of  cold 
water  to  the  head,  and  the  administration  of  a  diffusible  stimulant,  such  as  two  tea- 
spoonfuls  of  sulphuric  ether  in  a  glass  of  water  as  an  injection.  Even  after  coming 
out  of  the  fit,  the  rapid  breathing  interferes  for  sometime  with  the  administration  of 
anything  by  the  mouth.  It  is  well,  too,  to  secure  the  dog,  by  a  cord  round  the  neck 
or  otherwise,  from  running  away  and  getting  lost,  as  Jip  unfortunately  was.  The 
after-treatment  should  consist  of  a  dose  of  physic,  a  spare  diet,  principally  vegetable, 
and  regular  exercise,  during  which  he  may  be  led  with  a  chain,  to  avoid  all  causes  of 
excitement.  Dogs  in  this  condition,  that  may  have  been  free  from  fits  for  a  length 
of  time,  very  often  have  an  attack  from  the  sudden  joy  and  excitement  on  again 
meeting  their  master.  With  care  they  will  often  recover,  though  it  may  be  necessary 
after  a  time  to  give  a  course  of  quinia  or  other  vegetable  tonic,  or  even  to  employ 
strychnia  or  nitrate  of  silver  to  counteract  any  remaining  functional  derangement  o| 
the  nervous  system.] — Ed. 


THE  NEW  VETERINARY  COLLEGE. 
(From  the  Scottish  Farmer,) 
It  is  now  formally  announced  that  a  company  has  been  formed  to  transfer  to  London 
the  New  Veterinary  College  of  Edinburgh.    From  all  we  can  learn,  it  is  upwards  of 
two  years  since  Professor  Gamgee  was  solicited  to  remove  to  London.    With  a  sure 
position  here,  and  a  college  of  his  own  foandation  rapidly  riam^  \w  '^\^^<i^  ^36:^^>^^V<^ 


380  EXCHEQUER  COURT: 

did  not  feel  disposed  to  listen  to  the  request ;  and  it  has  heen  only  after  protracted 
negotiations,  and  the  offer  of  terms  that  could  not  well  be  refused,  that  Professor 
Qamgee  has  agreed  to  remove  southwards  with  his  staff  of  teachers,  and  all  that  can 
be  transplanted,  for  a  college  in  Belgravia. 

Two  causes  seem  to  have  especially  influenced  the  movement :  the  first  was  the 
want  of  an  infirmary  of  the  highest  class  for  the  west  end  of  London,  where  it  is 
natural  to  suppose  that  hundreds  of  animals  will  speedily  throng  such  a  place  in  a 
wide  district  where  the  houses  of  the  wealthy  are  increasing  in  number  with  marvel- 
lous rapidity.  The  second  cause  has  been  the  reputation  acquired  by  the  Principal  of 
the  New  Veterinary  College  as  a  teacher  of  his  profession.  The  medical  world  of 
London  has  long  been  alive  to  the  fact,  that  within  the  walls  of  the  New  Veterinary 
College  the  science  of  comparative  pathology  was  acquiring  a  development  such  as  it 
had  failed  to  attain  elsewhere,  and  the  active  influence  of  the  medical  profession  first 
led  to  the  proposal  made  to  Mr  Gamgee. 

We  are  in  a  position  to  state  that  no  one  connected  with  the  New  Veterinary  Col- 
lege ever  sought  or  encouraged,  directly  or  indirectly,  any  such  proposals ;  and  until 
very  recently  it  was  believed  that  the  transfer  could  not  be  secured.  Now  that 
arrangements  seem  to  be  attaining  maturity,  we  have  no  hesitation  in  declaring  that 
one  of  the  most  useful  institutions  of  this  city  is  passing  from  us.  Established  against 
the  violent  opposition  of  a  strong  party,  it  has  gained  ground,  and  attracted  attention 
to  matters  of  great  moment  in  relation  to  public  health,  notwithstanding  the  sys- 
tematic attempts  made  by  various  parties  to  smother  discussion  on  that  most  unplea- 
sant topic,  the  traffic  in  diseased  animals. 

The  Directors  of  the  Highland  and  Agricultural  Society,  the  old  Veterinary  Col- 
leges of  England  and  Scotland,  and  many  influential  individuals,  combined  at  first  to 
put  down  the  new  institution.  It  struggled  manfully,  and  defeated  them  all,  until  at 
last  the  attention  bestowed  by  Government  on  Professor  Gamgee's  researches  gave 
the  New  Veterinary  College  a  status  such  as  no  similar  institution  has  perhaps  ever 
held  in  this  country.  The  manner  in  which  the  small-pox  outbreak  was  arrested  in 
Wiltshire,  the  publication  of  an  official  report  on  the  diseases  of  animals  in  relation 
to  the  supply  of  human  food,  and  the  inauguration  at  Hamburg  of  the  first  Inter- 
national Congress  of  European  Veterinarians,  have  contributed  much  to  strengthen 
Professor  Gamgee's  reputation.  No  one  can  deny  that  the  battles  he  has  fought,  at 
first  against  fearful  odds,  have  been  won.  Edinburgh  citizens  know  this,  and  are 
grateful  to  him  for  it.  There  are  those  who  speak  of  the  present  transfer  as  an  indi- 
cation of  the  decline  and  fall  of  the  New  College.  We  are  usually  inclined  to  look 
on  a  removal  from  Edinburgh  to  London  in  the  light  of  promotion,  and  not  of  retro- 
gression ;  and  the  rumours  set  afloat  by  the  party  inimical  to  Professor  Gamgee,  and 
especially  by  the  Ijondon  Veterinary  College,  have  no  foundation  in  truth.  When 
we  consider  the  manner  in  which  large  sums  have  been  spent  in  encouraging  young 
men  to  work  long  and  hard  at  their  profession,  the  labour  and  the  outlay  devoted  to 
the  improvement  of  our  veterinary  literature,  the  liberality  with  which  museums, 
libraries,  &c.,  for  students  have  been  formed  and  enlarged,  it  is  not  a  little  surprising 
that,  unaided  by  Government  and  agricultural  societies,  the  New  Veterinary  College 
should  have  held  its  ground,  and  year  by  year  taken  deeper  and  deeper  root.  We  are 
not  astonished  that  the  London  College  should  dread  such  a  rival  as  the  New  Veteri- 
nary College,  though  we  must  confess  there  is  room  for  surprise  at  the  attitude 
assumed  by  the  Professors  who  edit  the  Veterinarian,  the  tone  of  the  article  which 
appeai-ed  in  the  last  number  being,  to  say  the  least,  unmanly,  and  scarcely  to  be 
expected  from  gentlemen  following  a  liberal  profession.  Such  attacks  can  recoil 
only  on  the  authors ;  and  we  can  inform  them,  that  had  the  New  College  "  come  to 
grief,"  as  they  insinuate,  there  are  hundreds  of  public-spirited  men  in  Scotland  who 
would  have  averted  the  disaster,  and  saved  from  such  a  calamity  so  excellent  an 
institution. 


EXCHEQUER  COURT.— WEDNESDAY,  MAY  31. 

TATLOB  V.  HAHMAB. 

[Before  Mr  Baron  Pigott  and  a  Common  Jury.] 

This  was  an  action  brought  to  recover  the  sum  of  £19  on  the  warranty  of  a  hone. 
Mr  Karslake,  Q.C.,  and  Mr  T.  Salter,  were  for  the  plaintiff 
Mr  Hawkins,  Q^C,  and  Mr.  Wills,  were  for  the  defendant. 
The  abort  fACta,  as  abridged  iiom  couda^'a  o^^^xdu^  atatement,  were^tbe  plaintiff 


EXCHEQUER  COURT.  381 

was  the  owner  of  the  Deep  Carr  Mills  and  Moorside  Farm,  a  few  miles  from  Sheffield. 
That,  wanting  a  cart  horse,  he  sent  his  general  managing  man  to  a  neighbouring  fair, 
in  January  last,  to  purchase  such  an  animal  as  he  required  On  arriving  at  the  fair, 
Messrs  Dyson  and  Brier  (the  parties  sent)  saw  the  horse  in  question,  the  property  of 
Mr  Harmar,  who  asked  the  sum  of  £40.  Dyson  examined  the  animal,  and  found  a 
lump  behind  one  of  the  ears,  which  he  thought  was  the  "  poll  evil."  He  inquired  of 
Harmer  about  it,  who  assuring  him  it  was  not  so,  and  that  he  was  ready  to  give  a 
written  warranty,  Mr  Dyson  effected  the  purchase  for  the  plaintiff  on  the  condition  of 
£1  off.  The  horse  was  taken  to  the  farm  and  in  due  course  lightly  worked,  when  it 
was  found  he  hung  his  head,  and  gave  all  the  signs  of  poll  evil.  A  correspondence 
ensued  between  the  parties ;  the  defendant  declined  receiving  the  animal  back  on  the 
ground  alleged,  asserting  there  was  no  disease  of  the  kind ;  and  hence  the  present 
action  for  the  difference,  the  plaintiff  having  sold  the  horse  for  £21. 

Mr  Wm.  Brier,  sworn  and  examined,  deposed  he  resided  near  Deep  Carr,  and  was  the 
manager  of  the  Deep  Carr  Mills.  That  on  the  25th  of  January  was  at  a  fair  at  Chester- 
field, and  saw  a  bay  horse  of  Mr  Harmar's  in  the  Market  Place.  Witness  liked  the 
horse,  and  asked  Harmar  whether  he  would  warrant  him  sound.  He  said  he  would  to 
him,  but  not  to  a  dealer.  The  price  was  40  guineas.  Dyson  examined  the  horse  and  said, 
*'  There  was  a  lump  on  the  off  side  of  the  head."  Harmar  said  he  would  warrant  him 
sound ;  and  he  gave  a  written  warranty  and  £1  off.  They  then  had  a  glass  or  two,  and 
witness  went  home  by  the  railway,  and  the  horse  was  taken  to  Deep  Carr.  Got  home  that 
night,  and  the  next  morning  saw  the  horse  at  the  Mills.  Shortly  after,  the  man  in  charge 
of  him  said  he  hung  his  head,  and  he  did  not  like  the  appearance  of  the  animal.  Wit- 
ness saw  him  in  the  yard,  the  horse  was  examined  by  Dyson,  and  there  was  a  lump 
on  the  off  side  of  the  head.  Called  upon  Mr  Turner,  a  veterinary  surgeon  of 
Sheffield,  the  following  day,  the  22d  of  February,  and  it  was  pronounced  to  be  the 
poll  evil.  Mr  Harmar  came  with  another  gentleman  to  look  at  the  animal  at  Deep 
Carr. 

Mr.  Hawkins :  It  may  save  some  trouble  if  I  mention  the  gentleman's  name  was 
Martin,  and  he  is  a  veterinary  surgeon. 

Examination  continued  :  They  said  he  might  have  hurt  his  head  by  the  baulk  in 
the  stable,  or  been  beaten  over  the  head.  The  horse  was  ultimately  sold,  as  they  did 
not  choose  to  apply  iodine  or  other  expensive  or  long  remedies. 

In  cross-examination  by  Mr  Hawkins,  witness  said  :  The  plaintiff  is  an  attorney. 
There  was  an  offer  made  by  Mr  Cutts  to  refer  the  whole  matter  to  a  veterinary  sur- 
geon.   Mr  Taylor  told  him  that  was  so. 

Baron  Pigott  here  inquired  if  the  question  was,  whether  the  horse  had  the  poll 
evil? 

Mr  Hawkins :  Yes ;  that  is  the  question. 

Baron  Pigott :  I  should  have  thought  a  veterinary  surgeon  as  well  able  to  decide 
the  question  as  a  jury  or  I. 

Mr  Hawkins :  And  I  will  leave  it  to  any  competent  veterinary  surgeon.  The  horse 
is  here,  and  they  may  go  and  look  at  him. 

Baron  Pigott :  Have  any  of  you  gentlemen  (to  the  jury)  ever  seen  a  horse  with  poll 
evil? 

Several  jurymen  here  said,  "  No.** 

Baron  Pigott :  And  I  never  saw  but  one. 

Mr  Karslake  declined  to  accede  to  the  proposition  to  refer,  as  he  did  not  know 
what  had  been  done  to  the  animal  since  it  was  out  of  their  power. 

Cross-examination  continued :  Did  not  know  much  about  poll  disease,  except  that 
it  was  an  abscess  that  produced  it.  Did  not  examine  him  as  Mr  Harmar  said  he 
would  warrant  him  sound.  Left  it  to  Mr  Dyson  to  examine  him.  The  man  in  charge 
of  him  said  he  would  shy  when  he  came  near  him.  Harmar  said  he  had  probably 
been  beaten  about  the  head.  The  man  denied  he  had  ill-treated  him.  Applied  his 
finger  to  the  lump,  it  was  a  small  lump,  and  the  horse  winced  a  little  when  he  pressed 
it.    Did  not  find  any  heat  in  it. 

On  re-examination  nothing  particular  transpired,  and  the  Court  then  adjourned 
until  ten  o'clock  the  next  morning. 

Thubsday,  June  1. 
George  Dyson,  examined  by  Mr  Salter,  said  he  was  a  farmer,  living  at  Thurgelay. 
On  the  25th  January  he  was  at  Chesterfield  with  Mr  Brier.    While  he  was  with  Mr 
Brier  and  Mr  Harmar  in  the  yard  of  the  Angel  Inn,  he  saw  a  bay  horse.    He  ob- 
served a  lamp  on  the  top  of  lus  head,  and  called  Mr  Bnei'fk  ^A^auXKssiv  V^  '^.  ^^^ 


382  EXCHEQUEE  COURT. 

Harman  said  he  would  warrant  the  horse  all  right  and  sound ;  upon  that  Mr  Brier 
purchased  the  horse.  Early  in  March  he  saw  the  horse  at  Moorside.  The  lump  on 
the  head  still  remained.    It  was  about  the  same  size  as  before. 

Cross-examined  by  Mr  Wills  :  On  the  5th  of  March  he  did  not  look  at  the  horse's 
mouth,  and  could  not  say  whether  it  was  sore.  He  had  not  said  to  the  defendant 
when  Mr  Brier  was  buying  the  horse,  "  Why,  here  is  a  lump."  He  did  not  think 
much  of  it. 

John  Eay,  examined  by  Mr  Karslake,  Q.C. :  Lived  at  Moorside,  and  was  a  farm 
servant.  He  fetched  the  horse  from  Deep  Carr  Mills  to  Moorside,  and  put  him  in  a 
loose  box  at  Moorside.  The  weather  beiug  stormy,  the  horse  was  not  washed  till  a 
fortnight  and  a  day  after,  when  it  was  taken  along  with  two  others  to  Deep  Carr 
Mills.  He  observed  that  the  horse  held  his  nose  out  and  his  head  on  one  side  going 
and  coming  back.  When  he  returned  home,  and  was  put  into  the  loose  box,  he  did 
not  eat  very  well.  Since  that  the  horse  had  been  taken  out,  and  had  conducted  him- 
self in  the  same  manner.  The  horse  getting  worse,  Mr  Turner  came  and  examined 
it,  and  gave  instructions  that  the  horse  was  not  to  be  washed. 

Cross-examined  by  Mr  Wills :  He  had  never  struck  the  horse.  When  the  horse 
was  in  the  loose  box  he  had  no  halter.  The  harness  that  was  used  had  previously 
belonged  to  a  larger  horse. 

Thomas  Stevenson,  a  corn  miller,  living  at  Moorside,  was  present  when  Mr  Har- 
mar  and  Mr  Martin  examined  the  horse.  They  each  took  hold  of  the  horse  by  an 
ear  and  examined  the  head.  Mr  Martin  gave  Mr  Harmar  a  nudge,  and  they  after- 
wards cross-examined  Paddock,  a  man  who  was  in  the  stable,  with  respect  to  the  horse 
in  all  shapes  and  forms. 

Cross-examined  by  Mr  Wills :  He  supplied  Mr  Taylor  with  corn.  He  did  not  hear 
Paddock  say  that  a  man  had  struck  the  horse.  ^Lr  Martin  said  several  times,  "  Ob, 
he  has  been  struck  with  a  fork ; "  but  the  man  said  he  did  not  know  anything 
about  it. 

Septimus  Edward  Turner,  examined  by  Mr  Karslake,  said  that  he  was  a  veterinary 
surgeon  living  at  Sheffield.  He  had  examined  the  horse  upon  the  request  of  Mr 
Brier  at  Deep  Carr  Mills.  He  found  an  enlargement  on  the  otf  side  of  the  head,  the 
seat  of  the  poll  evil.  The  poll  evil  is  an  enlargement  of  the  head.  H  a  horse  was 
washed  while  it  had  the  poll  evil,  it  would  probably  kill  him.  Subsequently  he  saw 
the  horse  again,  when  the  horse  presented  the  same  symptoms ;  he  also  examined 
the  stable,  and  he  did  not  believe  from  the  appearance  the  stable  presented  that  the 
horse  could  have  struck  himself,  and  so  caused  the  injury. 

Cross-examined  by  Mr  Wills :  U  a  horse  was  washed  while  it  had  the  poll  evil,  it 
would  not  be  proper  treatment  You  can  tell  afterwards  by  examination  whether  a 
horse  has  had  the  poll  evil  or  not. 

Charles  Taylor,  examined  by  Mr  Karslake  :  A  veterinary  surgeon  of  Nottingham, 
confirmed  the  evidence  of  the  previous  witness,  and  also  stated  that  poll  evil  was  most 
frequently  caused  by  external  injury. 

Mr  Wills,  in  opening  the  case  for  the  defendant,  stated  that  he  would  be  able  to 
prove  that  at  the  time  this  horse  was  sold  it  was  in  a  perfectly  sound  and  healthy 
state.  The  jury  would  have  positive  evidence  laid  before  them  from  the  most  emi- 
nent veterinary  surgeons,  that  so  far  from  this  horse  having  suffered  from  poll  evil,  it 
never  had  had  the  poll  evil  at  all.  The  learned  counsel  believed  that  even  the  plaintiff's 
witnesses  had  failed  to  make  out  a  case  against  his  client ;  but  in  order  that  no  doubt 
might  remain  on  their  minds,  he  would  place  before  them  the  most  reliable  evidence 
as  to  his  state  before  and  after  the  sale ;  and  he  should  then  ask  them  for  a  verdict 
for  Mr  Harmar. 

Mr  AVm.  Harmer,  examined  by  Mr  Wells :  A  farmer,  living  at  Calow,  near  Chester- 
field, said  that  he  was  defendant  in  the  action,  and  had  worked  the  colt  that  was  the 
subject  of  the  action  from  the  time  he  was  about  a  year  and  a  half  old  till  he  was 
sold.  There  was  nothing  the  matter  with  him  when  he  was  sold.  It  was  not  true 
that  Mr  Dyson  had  called  his  attention  to  a  swelling  at  the  back  of  the  horse's  head 
— it  was  perfect  untruth.  He  received  a  letter  on  the  25th  February  stating  that  the 
horse  was  not  quite  right.  The  25th  February  was  on  a  Saturday ;  and  on  the  next 
day  he  and  Mr  Martin  went  over  to  Moorside  farm  to  see  the  horse.  When  he  got 
there  he  went  straight  to  the  horse's  head  because  his  attention  had  been  called  to 
that  by  the  letter.  He  did  not  nudge  Mr  Martin,  nor  did  Mr  Martin  observe  that 
the  lump  was  no  bigger.  He  could  not  swear  that  there  was  any  enlargement  on  the 
head  at  all.  There  was  a  good  deal  of  hair  on  the  horse,  and  the  hair  was  all  ruffled 
up.     It  appeared  as  though  it  had  been  pushed  by  the  fingers  into  a  tuft ;  but  as  to. 


EXCHEQUEE  COURT.  383 

any  enlargement,  he  could  not  see  any  difference  on  the  one  side  from  the  other. 
The  first  thing  that  he  noticed  was  his  month,  which  made  him  observe  to  Mr  Martin 
that  if  he  had  not  got  the  poll  evil  he  had  been  punished  sufficiently  to  hare  had  it. 
The  mouth  was  raw  on  the  top,  and  there  were  symptoms  left  of  it  then.  The  man 
in  the  stable  said  that  the  fellows  who  worked  with  him  had  thrashed  the  horse  with 
a  fork  shaft.  On  the  10th  March  the  horse  was  sold  by  auction,  and  a  friend  of  his 
bought  the  horse  by  his  direction,  and  it  was  removed  to  the  defendant's  farm.  The 
horse  had  never  been  attended  to  since  the  sale^  and  had  been  set  to  work  imme- 
diately he  reached  the  farm. 

Cross-examined :  He  never  asked  any  questions  of  Mr  Martin  respecting  the  horse 
before  he  was  set  to  work,  but  after  that  Mr  Martin  examined  him^  the  horse  worked 
at  general  farm  work. 

James  Martin,  veterinary  surgeon,  Chesterfield,  stated  he  had  seen  the  horse  the 
day  before  the  sale,  and  upon  examination  he  found  the  horse  perfectly  sound.  There 
waa  nothing  the  matter  with  the  head,  knowing  very  well  what  cart-horses  were  sub- 
ject to.  About  a  month  after  he  again  examined  the  horse  and  found  the  mouth 
very  raw  on  each  side.  There  might  have  been  a  little  irritation  of  the  skin  on  the 
top  of  the  head,  but  it  was  scarcely  perceptible.  Mr  Harmar  said  that  he  had  re- 
ceivied  a  letter  respecting  the  horse  in  which  poll  evil  was  mentioned,  and  the  witness 
took  particular  care  to  examine  the  horse  with  regard  to  that,  but  there  was  not  the 
slightest  symptom  of  poll  evil. 

Cross-examined  by  Mr  Earslake,  Q.C. :  There  was  a  little  rubbing  of  the  hair  on  the 
top  of  the  horse's  head,  that  was  all. 

Whittaker,  a  labourer  in  the  employment  of  Mr  Hamar,  said  that  he  had  had 

the  care  of  the  horse  up  to  within  a  fortnight  of  the^time  of  the  sale.  He  had  taken 
the  horse  to  the  sale,  and  the  horse  was  perfectly  sound.  He  saw  the  horse  after  it 
came  back  from  the  second  sale,  and  it  had  been  put  to  work  at  once,  and  sinee  that 
time  had  been  worked  regularly. 

Cross-examined :  There  is  not  a  better  horse  for  work  on  the  fann.  The  horse 
holds  his  head  up  particularly  high.  He  is  a  good  honest  horse.  The  witness  ceased 
to  take  care  of  the  horse  a  fortnight  before  the  sale,  because  he  had  left  Mr  Harmafs 
employment. 

Mr  Herbert  Johnson,  examined,  said  that  he  was  a  dealer  in  horses,  and  had  seen 
the  horse  the  day  before  the  sale.  He  was  taken  with  the  horse,  and  offered  £36  for 
him. 

John  Meakin,  examined,  stated  that  he  was  a  dealer  in  horses,  and  had  seen  the 
colt  the  day  before  the  Chesterfield  fair.    He  also  had  made  a  bid  of  £36. 

Cross-examined  :  He  saw  the  horse  at  Mr  Harmar's  house. 
^  Mr  John  Johnson  said  that  he  was  a  dealer  in  horses,  and  had  known  the  oolt  ever 
since  it  was  a  foal.    The  day  before  the  sale  he  had'  examined  the  colt.    He  had  exa- 
mined the  head  particularly,  and  there  certainly  were  not  any  symptoms  of  poll  evil. 

Charles  Bean,  examined  :  Was  in  Mr  Harmar's  employ  a  fortnight  before  the  sale 
of  the  horse.  Whittaker  too):  the  horse  to  the  lair,  and  witness  attended  to  the 
other  horses.  Tip  to  the  time  he  parted  with  him  there  was  nothing  the  matter  with 
the  horse.  He  came  back  to  the  farm  early  in  March,  and  since  that  time  had  been 
worked  regularly. 

Cross-examined  :  He  has  worked  harder  than  the  other  two  horses.  He  was  ]i)igger 
and  stronger,  and  so  they  gave  him  more  to  do. 

Mr  Henry  Rangeley,  examined,  deposed  that  he  was  a  colliery  proprietor,  and  also 
a  manufacturer  of  pig  iron.    He  had  given  twenty  guineas  for  the  colt 

Mr  R.  Reynolds  stated  that  he  was  a  veterinary  surgeon,  and  had  examined  the 
horse,  and  found  no  symptom  of  poll  eviL  He  would  not  have  the  slightest  difficulty 
in  discovering  whether  the  horse  had  ever  suffered  from  that  disease. 

Mr  Mavor  and  Professor  Spooner  of  the  Veterinary  College,  London,  also  gave 
evidence,  strongly  confirming  the  evidence  of  Mr  Reynolds. 

Mr  Baron  Pigott,  in  summing  up  the  case  to  the  jury,  said  the  only  question  was 
whether  the  horse  was  sound  on  the  26th  of  January,  when  it  was  sold  to  the  plaintiff. 
It  was  admitted  that  the  horse  was  warranted,  and  therefore  no  question  could  arise 
upon  that.  If  they  believed  the  evidence  of  the  surgeons  who  had  been  called  for  the 
defendants,  and  had  stated  that  no  symptom  of  poll  evil  could  be  discovered,  they 
would  probably  think  that  the  horse  had  received  a  blow  after  the  sale,  and  that  it 
was  perfectly  sound  when  sold  by  defendant.  If  so,  they  must  return  a  verdict  for 
the  defendant. 

The  jury  immediately  returned  a  verdict  for  the  deie\idv(i\>. 
Vol.  L-2fa  YII-New  SiEiES,    J\jlt1S65,  *i^^ 


384  ON  STOCKING  LAND. 

ON   STOCKING   LAND. 

BT  THB  BEV.  J.  L.  BBEBETON. 

(From  JoumaZ  of  Royal  Agricultural  Society  of  England.) 
Mt  deab  Mb  FbbbE) — In  complying  with  your  request  that  I  would  send  yon  some 
account  of  my  farm,  I  must  ask  you  to  make  allowance  for  the  unprofessional  cha- 
^racter  of  my  statement.  It  is,  however,  to  the  best  of  my  knowledge,  corre<^;  and 
the  valuations  have  been  revised  and  approved  by  men  of  experience  and  repute  as 
practical  farmers.  Though  I  do  not  profess  to  be  an  adept  in  the  art  of  farming,  I 
nave  for  some  years  followed  it  as  a  pursuit  of  much  interest ;  and  if  I  have  not  rea- 
lised a  profit  equivalent  to  the  cost  and  trpuble  bestowed,  I  think  I  have  learnt  some 
of  the  conditions  under  which  farming  in  England  may  be  hopefully  carried  on,  as 
not  only  a  pleasant  but  a  remunerative  occupation.  An  opinion  seems  now  to  be 
fapidly  spreading  through  England,  that  the  plants  which  the  farmer  grows  will  not 
yield  him  so  much  profit  as  the  animals  he  feeds.  Whilst  free  trade  and  cheapened 
transport  have  greatly  affected  the  value  of  com,  animal  productions — such  as  fresh 
pieat,  milk,  butter,  aiid  wool — coijimand  a  sale  that  justifies  the  use  of  even  the  more 
costly  grain  ii^  providing  ibhem.  The  moist  climate  of  North  Devon  had  led  me  for 
some  years  to  anticipate  this  opinion,  and  to  think  that  my  neighbours  were  wrong 
in  making  com  the  principal  object  of  their  industrious  efforts ;  a  gradual  impo- 
verishment of  themselves  and  their  land  seemed  to  me  too  probable  a  result  from 
persisting  in  their  system.  I  was  aware  how  much,  in  my  native  county  of  Norfolk, 
under  the  four-course  system,  the  growth  of  corn  had  been  increased  by  interposing  a 
large  growth  of  food  for  stock,  and  how  this  multiplication  of  the  stock  had  been  still 
further  promoted  by  the  purchase  of  food  grown  elsewhere,  especially  oil-cake.  But 
I  believed  that  the  time  was  coming  when,  even  in  Norfolk,  the  stock  would  be  found 
to  be  most  remunerative,  and  that,  consequently,  the  fanner  would  only  grow  com  so 
far  as  it  harmonises  with  the  profitable  keeping  of  stock.  Under  such  management 
much  valuable  manure  would  be  made,  which  would  indefinitely  increase  the  produc- 
tive powers  of  the  land;  and  (unless  prices  changed)  the  increased  production,  whe- 
ther ripened  into  straw  or  used  in  a  green  state,  would  still  further  increase  the 
amount  of  the  stock  reared  or  fed.  But  under  these  circumstances  a  total  change 
would  take  place  in  the  relations  of  capital  and  land.  Hitherto  the  question  has 
been.  How  many  acres  can  be  most  profitably  cultivated  by  a  limited  capital  ?  Hence- 
forth it  will  rather  be.  How  much  capital  can  be  profitably  expended  on  a  limited  area  ? 

I  have  no  doubt  that  these  and  similar  questions  have  suggested  themselves  to  you 
and  many  others,  ^or  myself,  they  have  gnided  my  course  for  the  last  few  years, 
and  have  led  to  the  following  result,  which,  if  you  think  it  of  any  value,  you' are  very 
welcome  to  publish. 

My  glebe  consists  of  abo|it  thirty  acres  of  grass-land,  which  used  to  let  at  a  rent  of 
£55.  I  have  farmed  it  for  some  years  in  connexion  with  various  parcels  of  land 
which  I  have  temporarily  rented  in  the  neighbourhood.  The  general  result  has  been, 
that  from  keeping  an  extra  quantity  of  stock,  and  particularly  from  folding  sheep 
with  com  upon  my  grass,  its  value  has  been  considerably  increased.  It  would  be 
perhaps  a  fair  account  of  previous  improvement  to  value  its  gross  rent  for  the  present 
^ear  at  about  £3  per  acre,  or  £100.  In  order  to  make  myself  as  free  as  possible  of 
tillage  farming,  I  have  for  some  time  used  sea-sand  instead  of  straw  as  bedding  for 
cattle.  I  have  also  used  a  compound  meal  (the  ingredients  of  which  I  subjoin)  as 
the  principal  accessory  to  the  grass  and  hay.  The  turnips  I  have  purchased  were  all 
used  for  the  sheep ;  none  for  the  bullocks  and  horses.  The  oats  and  straw  bought 
were  for  the  stables.  My  practice  has  been  to  charge  the  T^hole  cost  (including  labour) 
of  the  stables  to  the  farm,  and  to  credit  the  farm  with  12s.  per  week  for  every  horse 
used  for  riding  or  carriage.  In  order  to  increase  my  hay-crop,  I  hired  some  other 
grass-land,  the  rent  for  which  is  included  in  the  charge  for  fodder. 

SUUement  of  Farm  Accounts  on  the  Olebe,  West  Bucldand,  from  October  1, 1863,  to 

October  1, 1864, 
A.  Cost  of  Stock. 
By  Valuation  October  1863  :— 

BuUochs, 
2  Kerry  cows  in  calf  .        .        .      £16    0    0 

4DevonB 40    0    0 

8  Yearlings        .        .        .        .  •      .        19  10    0 

1  Calf 3    0    0 

Carry  iotvard, £78  10    0 


ON  STOCKING  LAND. 


385 


2  Brood-mares 

2  Cobs,  4  and  5  years 

2  Carriage-ponies 

1  4-year-old  filly 

3  3-year-old  fillies 

2  2-year-old  (colt  and  filly) 
2  Yearling  colts 

5  Sundry  ponies 


45  Ewes,  at  59s. 
32  Old  ewes,  at  50s.     . 
41  Ewe-lambs,  at  358. 
40  Ram-lambs,  at  60s. 
3  Bams,  at  100s. 


By  Purchase  during  the  year  :- 
7  Dairy  cows  and  4  calves 


Brought  forward, 

Horses, 

.      £62 

0 

0 

66 

0 

0 

40 

0 

0 

25 

0 

0 

76 

0 

0 

30 

0 

0 

20 

0 

0 

.        37 

0 

0 

Sheep, 

.    £132  15 

0 

80 

0 

0 

71  15 

0 

.      120 

0 

0 

15 

0 

0 

£78  10    0 


350     0    0 


Bullocks, 


419  10    0 


£113    2    ^ 


Horses, 


I  Pony 12    0    0 


4  Kentish  ewes,  at  40s. 
77  DcTon  Nott.  ewes,  at  49s. 
80  "  50s. 

30  "  57s. 

1  Cotswold  ram,  at  £25. 

1  Lincoln         "         25. 

1  "  "  hired  £30. 

Journeys  and  expenses  for  rams 
£12 


Sheep, 


574    8    0 


B.  Expenditure  durino  the  Year. 

Rent  and  taxes £100    0    0 

Labour 251    6  10 

Manures : — 

Sea-sand  for  bedding  .        .        .        £57  17  11 
Other  manures    .        .        .        .  26  16    0 

84  13  li 

Purchased  Pood  :— 

Hay  by  valuation,  Oct  1863       .        £90    0    0 
Cattle-food  .        .        .        .        300    0    0 

Roots 100    0    0 

Straw,  oats,  and  hired  keep         .        167    4    7 

657    4    7 

Tradesmen's  bills 36    6    9 

£1129  12    1 

Hay  and  turnips  in  stock,  Oct.  Ist^  1864,  by  )  o^.    ^    ^ 

valuation J  sjuo    u    u 


£848    0    0 


699    5    6 
£1547    5    0 


824  12    1 


386 


ON  STOCKING  LAND. 


C.  Sales  aito  Valuation. 


Sales  :- 

Bullocks. 

4  Bullocks  and<l  calf 

£77  17 

6 

Milk  at  lid.  per  gallon       .^ 

140    1 

0 

Horses, 

Brood-mare  and  2  cobs 

.      £130    0 

0 

2  Ponies      .... 

17    0 

0 

Keep  of  3  stable-horses,  at  12s 
per  week 

•j.           96  12 
Sheep, 

0 

31  Bams  by  auction    . 

.     £184  17 

6 

64  Draft  ewes     . 

149  19 

6 

Sheep  killed  for  the  house  . 

21     3 

0 

Valuation : — 

Bullocks, 

12  Cows,  1  yearling  and  4  calves 

Horses, 

1  Brood-mare 

£25 

2  Carriage-ponies 

30 

1  5-year-old  mare 

35 

3  4-year-old  mares 

150 

2  3  year  old     " 

50 

3  2-year-old     " 

40 

4  sundry  ponies  . 

47 

£217  18    6 


243  12    0 


856    0    0 


£193  16    0 


£817  10    6 


377    0    0 


210  Ewes,  at  63s. 
21  Fat  sheep,  at  50s. 
37  Ewe  lambs,  at  45s. 
82  Ram     "     at  80s. 

1  Cotawold  ram,  £25. 

1  Lincoln      "     £25. 

4  "  New  Devon"  rams,  £20. 

Wool  £160. 


Sheep, 


1144  15    0 


1715 

11 

0 

£2533 

1 

6 

£2583     1 
2371  17 

6 
7 

£161 

8  11 

Farm — Creditor 
"    —Debtor. 

Balance 


Showing  a  profi^t  of  £161,  8b.  lid.,  in  addition  to  the  manure,  which  is  valued  at 

"not  less  than  £200." 

I  am  aware  that  the  above  statement  is  open  to  many  challenges;  but  being  an 
accurate  ^account  of  transactions  recorded  and  classified  for  my  own  satisfaction,  and 
not  for  publication,  it  may  perhaps  be  the  most  suggestive  form  in  which  to  put 
before  your  readers  the  gross  result  of  farming  on  the  principle  of  purchasing  com, 
&c.,  to  feed  stock.  1  will  add  a  few  explanations  in  anticipation  of  some  of  the 
queries  that  may  be  raised. 

The  Valuations. — The  first  of  these  was  made  by  myself  and  my  bailifiT  towards 
the  end  of  1863.  It  was  afterwards  revised,  item  by  item,  by  the  late  Mr  Oeorge 
Burden  of  Kerscott,  who  was  esteemed  as  one  of  the  best  farmers,  and  I  must  add, 
in  memory  of  his  recent  death,  one  of  the  best  men  in  North  Devon.  The  second 
valuation  was  made  by  Mr  Mortimore  of  Warkleigh,  whose  judgment  and  experience 
both  as  a  farmer  and  valuer  are  recognised  with  great  confidence  throughoat  the 
district     The  standard  of  the  two  v&lmtionA  \a  not,  I  believe,  veiy  diferent    I 


ON  STOCKING  LAND.  387 

mean  that  the  excess  of  the  later  valaation  is  not  to  be  attributed  to  any  exceptional 
rise  in  prices,  but  to  the  increased  value  of  the  animals  themselves,  owing,  in  the 
sheep,  to  careful  drafting,  and,  in  horses,  sheep,  and  bullocks,  to  the  growth  of  young 
stock,  and  to  their  generally  improved  condition,  in  consequence  of  the  liberal  ex* 
penditure  on  food  and  attendance.  4 

The  Ldbour. — This  item  will  appear  less  exceptionally  high  if  viewed  in  reference 
to  the  capital  rather  than  the  acreage  with  which  it  is  connected.  It  represents  the 
whole  expense  of  supervision,  attendance  on  the  stock,  cartage  of  manure,  haymak* 
ing,  &c.  I  have,  it  is  true,  paid  higher  wages  than  the  neighbourhood,  but  have,  I 
think,  had  a  proportionate  return  of  cheerful  work.  In  attendance  upon  stock,  it  is 
of  course  possible  to  reduce  the  cost  of  labour  very  much  by  organisation  and  regu* 
larity.  In  this  I  acknowlege  that  I  see  how  very  great  improvement  might  be  made 
on  my  farm ;  but  I  have  been  much  occupied  in  other  matters  myself,  and  the  im- 
portance of  these  things  is  not  always  perceived,  and  very  seldom  enforced  by  subor- 
dinates. It  is  the  cqachman  only  who  is  likely  to  see  that  all  the  harness  is  tuyusted 
to  the  team.  The  uninterrupted  attention  required  to  ensure  economy  either  in  a 
small  or  large  farm,  is  generally  the  secret  of  the  real  farmer's  success  and  the  ama- 
teur's failures ;  in  my  own  case,  if  I  do  not  quite  acknowledge  failure,  I  can  see  daily  ^ 
that  my  af&irs  might  have  been  much  more  economically  managed ;  but  *my  only 
means  of  controlling  waste  has  been  a  steady  adherence  to  certain  principles.  I 
have  thought  that  the  true  economy  of  labour  was  to  be  found,  not  in  lower  wages, 
but  in  a  higher  quality  of  workmen. 

The  following  analysis  of  my  labour-bills  may  give  some  explanation  of  the 
amount  incurred : — 

!  Stables,  (approximately,)   .    .  £36  \ 
BuuocW  :  : : :  :  :  :  if  ^issis" 
Steam-engine,  hay  and  manure,  64  ) 

Supervision,        40    0    0 

Horse  labour,  (hired,) 43  12    9 

Sand. — Passing  to  the  next  item  of  expenditure,  the  principal  manure  purchased 
has  been  sea-sand.  This  has  been  used  as  bedding  for  bullocks,  horses,  and  sheep, 
instead  of  straw.  It  cost  me  6s.  8d.  per  ton,  as  I  have  to  draw  it  eight  miles. 
Speaking  roughly,  I  think  that,  for  bedding  purposes,  the  ton  of  sand  goes  as  far  as 
the  ton  of  straw,  while  the  latter  costs  me  30s.  per  ton.  Except  in  the  stables,  I  do 
not  like  to  see  any  straw  used  for  litter,  though  it  has  not  been  easy  to  break 
through  the  feeling  of  the  attendants  that  the  comfort  of  the  animals  required  its 
use.  The  economy,  however,  of  converting  straw  into  food  instead  of  litter  seems  so 
great,  that  I  have  persevered  in  the  use  of  the  sand ;  and  I  think  my  bailiff  and  men 
would  generally  now  give  it  the  preference.  The  effect  of  the  manure  has  been  very 
striking :  in  the  last  very  dry  summer,  22  acres  yielded  fully  45  tons  of  hay ;  the 
quick  action  of  the  sand  manure  has  been  noticed  much  by  the  neighbouring  far- 
mers ;  it  has  also  been  found  that  the  sheep  can  be  pastured  upon  the  ground  very 
much  sooner  after  the  sand  than  after  straw  manure.  This  distinction  may  de- 
pend upon  the  salt  which  it  contains.  The  remarkable  healthiness  of  my  stock,  in 
spite  of  the  number  kept  to  the  acre,  may  perhaps  be  attributed  to  the  free  use  of 
this  sand,  though  something  is  due  to  the  high  situation  on  the  borders  of  Exmoor, 
and  much  to  the  healthy  action  of  the  slaty  subsoil. 

QiiantUy  of  Stock  to  the  Acre. — The  balance-sheet  does  not  of  itself  explain  the 
number  of  stock  kept  on  the  30  acres,  because  it  does  not  give  the  dates  of  all  the 
purchases,  or  the  quantity  of  extra  land,  the  temporary  hire  of  which  is  included  in 
the  general  charge  for  purchased  food.  But  I  think  I  can  say  with  certainty  that 
the  average  number  of  sheep  kept  during  the  year  upon  the  30  acres  has  been  150. 
For  a  few  weeks  there  were  less  than  this  number,  in  order  to  favour  the  hay-crop ; 
but  after  the  hay  season  there  were,  for  some  weeks,  as  many  as  300  on  the  glebe. 

As  a  general  rule,  the  ewes  ihave  a  range  of  about  6  acres  to  80  head.  During  the 
winter  they  have  chaff,  turnips,  and  a  little  meal.  The  present  allowance  (the  highest 
in  the  year)  is,  for  80  ewes  on  the  glebe — 

8.    d. 

Jib.  of  meal  each,  at  IJd.  .        .        .        4    2a  day. 
ton  of  roots,  14  lbs.  a-piece,  at  12s.,  .        6    0    „ 
90  lbs  of  chaff,  (J  hay,  at  £4, 10s.,     )         «    a 
i  straw,  at  30s.,)  .        .         J         3    o    „      . 

\Z    ^  «  ^^  tk  ^«s  lot  w2si«Hi^« 


388  ON  STOCKING  LAND. 

Another  lot  of  ewes  in  better  condition,  and  having  a  better  range  of  pasture,  artf 
receiving  only  J  lb.  and  5  lbs.  of  roots,  without  any  chafif.  Daring  the  summer 
months  the  ewes  graze  in  l^rge  folds,  frequently  changed,  so  as  to  allow  the  grass  to 
freshen  behind  them.  According  to  the  weather,  they  will  lie  in  the  same  plot  from 
six  days  to  three  weeks.  My  oWn  judgment  is,  that  by  constantly  interchanging  the 
fold  and  the  scythe,  the  necessary  range,  even  of  breeding-ewes,  may  be  very  much 
lessened.  In  wet  weather,  we  have  trouble  with  their  feet  if  they  are  allowed  to  tread 
the  ground  overmuch.  But  I  am  gradually  forming  yards  to  be  asphalted,  in  which 
I  propose  to  have  them  always  fed  in  very  wet  weather,  allowing  them  the  open  pas- 
ture at  other  times.  I  think  the  scythe  or  mowing-machine  should  be  constantly  at 
work;  during  the  past  year  I  was  cutting  grass  with  the  machine  from  the  bc^- 
ning  of  May  to  the  middle  of  November.  In  the  spring  and  autumn  the  mown  grass 
has  been  further  cut  into  chaff,  with  straw  for  the  bullocks  and  horses;  but  the  &eep 
have  had  it  carried  to  their  troughs  fresh  cut. 

The  70  lambs  were  with  their  mothers  to  the  beginning  of  June ;  I  then  hired  a 
piece  of  clover  for  them  for  one  month.  On  the  first  of  July  they  came  back  to  the 
glebe,  and  have  ever  since  been  upon  it  in  two  pens,  88  ewes  and  32  rams.  Since 
the  first  of  July,  the  ewe  lambs  have  been  over  about  10  acres  of  ground,  in  part 
twice,  (t£ie  scythe  intervening,)  in  folds  of  |  to  |  of  an  acre :  the  ram  lambs  have 
been  kept  rather  closer.  The  ewe  lambs  had  about  ^Ib.  of  meal  each  &om  June  to 
October,  then  Jib.,  and  since  Christmas  ^Ib.,  the  maximum  allowed  to  ewes.  The 
rams  began  with  the  same  quantity,  but  were  pushed  forward  more  quickly,  and  from 
October  to  the  present  time  have  been  getting  rather  more  than  1  lb.  each.  On  the 
day  I  write,  (January  21,)  I  have  ascertained  that  the  following  are  the  actual  allow- 
ances:— 

82  ram  hogs  : —  s.    d, 

5  cwts.  of  roots,  at  12s.       .        .        .3    0  a  day. 

36  lbs.  meal,  at  IJd 8    9" 

15  lbs.  chaff 0    6" 

7    3  or  2id.  per  sheep  a  day. 
37  ewe  hogs : —  «.    d, 

5  cwts.  of  roots 3    0a  day. 

18  lbs.  meal 1  IO4    " 

15  lbs.  chaff.        .        .        .        .        .06" 

5    4^  or  IJd.  per  sheep  a  day. 
Attendance  on — 
80  ewes. 
32  ram  hogs. 
37  ewe  hogs. 

149  sheep.    One  man's  wages,  12s.  a  week,  or  Id.  a  week  per  sheep. 
These  allowances  represent  the  highest  cost  of  keep  during  the  year;  and  I  find 
that  they  correspond  very  nearly  with  the  allowance  at  the  corresponding  period  of 
last  year.    The  bullocks  are  having  10  lbs.  of  the  mixed  food,  and  the  horses  4  lbs., 
with  hay  and  straw  chaff,  but  no  roots. 

The  following  memorandum  of  the  consumption  of  food  on  the  14th  of  Oc- 
tober will  represent  very  nearly  the  average  consumption  of  meal  in  the  year : — 

lbs. 

20  fatting  ewes 28 

82  ram  lambs 36 

88  ewe  lambs 12 

6  bullocks 60 

2  ditto 9 

5  horses 20 

— 166 
Milk, — The  charge  for  milk,  lid.  per  gallon,  is  I  am  told  higher  than  the  arerage 
price  of  new  milk.  I  have  found  that  in  buying  or  selling  new  milk  in  small 
quantities  in  this  village,  the  price  has  been  generally  3d.  a  quart ;  but  as  the  greater 
part  was  used  or  converted  into  butter  in  my  own  family,  and  the  skim-milk  con- 
sumed by  lambs,  colts,  &c.,  was  charged  to  the  farm  at  3d.  a  gallon,  the  price  of  lid. 
majrperhapB  be  higher  than  the  average,  and  so  represent  on  my  balance  sheet  an 
onreaaonable  profit    But  if  bo,  it  expVaina  i^a^M. 


ON  STOCKING  LAND.  389 

» 

The  cows  have  generally  been  bought  fresh-calved,  and  mUked  so  long  as  their 
milk  seemed  to  pay  for  their  food,  and  then  fatted.  We  have  thought  that,  fed  upon 
meal,  they  lay  on  more  fat  while  milking  than  when  fed  on  roots.  In  one  case  I 
fatted  a  cow  and  some  sheep  on  meal  and  water  alone,  but  without  very  accurately 
noting  the  comparative  cost.  The  cow,  however,  was  considered  to  have  done  re- 
markably well,  and  the  beef  was  unusually  juicy.  Her  allowance  was  12  IbsC  of  food, 
with  water  ad  libitum.  I  mean  to  repeat  this  experiment,  and  have  ordered  two  cows 
just  dry  to  be  put  on  the  same  allowance ;  their  cost  would  be  16d.  per  day,  besides 
attendance.  My  bailiff  thinks  they  require  a  small  quantity  of  chaff  in  addition  to 
the  meal,  in  order  to  assist  them  in  raising  the  cud ;  but  not  for  the  sake  of  bulk, 
which  is  sufficiently  supplied  by  water — as  nutriment  is  by  the  various  ingredients  of 
the  meal. 

JRoote.— The  turnips  purchased  during  the  year  have  cost  about  12s.  6d.  per  ton, 
and  about  150  tons  have  been  consumed  on  the  glebe.  This  quantity  had  been 
thought  by  my  bailiff  necessary  both  for  the  ewes,  and  more  especially  for  the  rams 
he  was  preparing  for  sale,  but  I  think  that  the  same  money  expended  in  meal  would 
have  gone  further :  I  have  not,  however,  wished  to  depart  too  abruptly  from  the 
track  of  experience ;  though  it  is  clear  that  the  circumstances  of  the  case  are  so 
altered  by  the  relative  cheapness  of  corn  and  dearness  of  cattle  that  the  cautious  ob- 
servers of  precedents  may  be  more  likely  to  mislead  than  the  more  adventurous. 

Thus  much  I  think  I  can  assert  as  to  the  result  of  some  persevering  experiments 
in  the  new  direction : — 

1.  That  it  is  quite  possible  to  feed  animals  on  purchased  food  alone. 

2.  That  a  mixture  of  the  common  grains  and  pulse, — e.g.,  linseed,  pease,  beans, 
wheat,  &C.,  may  be  made  for  £10  per  ton,  which  will  fatten  any  animal. 

3.  That  the  addition  of  seasoning  (apiseed  and  fenugreek  are  those  that  I  have 
used  for  five  years)  at  an  additional  cost  of  £1  per  ton,  appears  to  pay  well  in  the 
Added  relish  and  the  improved  condition  of  the  animals. 

4.  That  doubling  the  quantity  of  linseed,  though  raising  the  price,  probably  gives 
quite  a  proportionate  increase  to  the  value  of  the  mixture. 

5.  That  by  the  use  of  this  meal  the  farmer  may  fearlessly  increase  his  stock  with- 
out adding  to  his  acres;  and  yet,  by  that  increase  of  stock,  must  greatly  increase  the 
productiveness  of  his  farm.  This  consideration  both  suggested  and  replied  to  the 
following  exclamation  of  a  neighbouring  famjer  :  **Mr  Brereton,  if  you'm  doing  all 
this  on  30  acres,  1  'm  thinking  what  *s  to  become  of  the  landlords.'* 

6.  That  the  use  of  sea-sand  as  bedding  will  enable  the  farmer  either  to  dispense 
with  straw,  or  to  use  it  more  profitably  as  food  ;  and  that  besides  possessing,  accord- 
ing to  its  quality,  manurial  properties,  the  sand  acts  as  a  purifier  of  the  land,  and  seems 
to  allow  of  a  closer  herding  of  stock  than  might  be  otherwise  safe. 

7.  That  sheep  may  be  folded  on  grass  with  great  advantage,  if  some  shelter  and  dry 
treading  is  provided  in  adjacent  yards  during  excessively  wet  weather ;  but  the  bul- 
locks and  horses  do  best  in  yards  and  sheds,  the  grass  grown  after  the  fold  being  cut 
by  the  scythe  and  carried  to  them. 

The  success  of  such  stock-farming  as  I  have  advocated  must  evidently  turn  upon 
the  acquirement  of  good  judgment  in  the  selection  of  stock — a  faculty  which  will 
henceforth  assume  increased  importance  in  the  training  of  the  young  farmer.  I 
should  like  therefore  to  append  to  this  statement  a  few  words  on  the  subject  of  agri- 
cultural education,  in  which  you  know  I  am  much  interested.  Without  for  one 
moment  wishing  to  decide  the  question,  adhuc  8vb  jtidice,  of  the  advantage  of  com- 
bining special  learning  with  general — of  preparing  a  boy  at  once  for  the  duties  of 
manhood  and  for  those  of  his  own  calling — I  cannot  help  protesting  against  the  sum- 
mary manner  in  which  this  question  is  sometimes  disposed  of.  On  the  one  hand  we 
have  men  of  high  authority  pronouncing  it  as  a  dictum,  if  not  an  axiom,  that  only 
general  education  can  be  given  by  teachers  in  public  institutions ;  but  that  special 
education  (except  in  the  case  of  the  learned  professions)  must  be  "  picked  up  "  in 
actual  life.  On  the  other  hand,  the  requirements  of  this  actual  life  are  deemed  so 
urgent,  that  others  are  disposed  to  force  youths  into  it  before  they  can  possibly  have 
obtained  anything  like  a  complete  general  education.  If  a  plan  can  be  suggested 
whereby  the  preparation  for  business  could  be  combined  for  a  year  or  two  with  the 
general  education,  surely  the  advocates  of  the  latter  ought  to  encourage  it.  But  it  is 
said  that  special  education,  except  in  contact  with  actual  business,  is  often  found  to 
be  delusive  and  mischievous.  Why  not  then  maintain  or  even  enforce  that  contact  ? 
By  actual  business  is  meant  profit  and  loss  in  bond  fide  transactions.  There  is,  at 
least,  as  much  to  be  learnt  by  losing  as  by  winning,  and  it  ia  cornxxLOtJl^  ^K^^'Ood^  ^ 


390  OBITUABT. 

man  must  bum  his  fingers  who  would  learn  to  handle  the  difficulties  of  life  success- 
fully. It  is  not  necessary,  therefore,  that  a  farm  or  a  workshop  should  pay  in  order 
to  be  instructive,  but  it  is  necessary  that  profit  should  be  aimed  at,  and  the  causes  of 
fkilure  be  honestly  ascertained  and  publicly  avowed.  If  live  stock  are  at  present  the 
principal  source  of  profit  and  loss  to  the  farmer,  it  is  clear  that  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  its  value  is  a  most  important  part  of  his  training.  This  value  varies,  1st,  with  the 
age,  development,  and  quality  of  the  animal ;  2d,  with  the  state  of  the  market.  It 
is  one  thing  to  know  what  the  current  price  of  meat  or  wool  is,  and  this  is  in  our 
days  easily  ascertained  without  any  actual  intercourse  with  a  market ;  it  is  another 
thing  to  know  what,  according  to  this  market  price,  is  the  value  at  any  time  of  several 
animals,  singly  or  in  lots. 

That  this  knowledge  may  be  better  learned  upon  a  farm  stocked  and  conducted  for 
the  purpose  of  giving  this  instruction,  than  picked  up  in  actual  life  even  under  favour- 
able circumstances,  seems  to  me,  at  least,  a  reasonable  anticipation,  till  it  shall  have 
been  disproved  by  experience.  I  am,  therefore,  taking  into  consideration  how  this 
element  of  instruction  may  best  be  introduced  into  our  proposed  county  college,  which 
will  aim  at  teaching  so  much  of  farming  as  a  youth  just  over  sixteen  years  of  age  may 
learn  without  giving  up  his  general  studies. 

There  can,  I  think,  be  no  greater  difficulty  about  exercising  a  class  of  young  men 
in  estimating  the  weight  of  animals,  than  in  training  a  squad  of  riflemen  to  judge 
distances,  if  the  purchase  of  lean  stock  and  the  public  sale  of  fat  stock  be  part  of 
Uie  system  pursued,  it  will  not  be  hard  further  to  exercise  the  judgment  as  to  the 
capabilities  of  animals,  and  these  two  considerations — weight  and  capabilities — deter- 
mine value.  Apart  from  the  superior  judgment  of  the  experienced  instructor,  esti- 
mates of  value  would  be  tested  by  actual  purchases  and  sales,  and  would  be  verified 
to  a  considerable  extent  by  the  weigh-bridge,  and  the  measuring-tape,  when  placed  in 
skilful  hands. 

Appropriate  prizes  may  be  given,  so  as  to  excite  the  spirit  of  emulation  as  far  as  is 
desirable ;  or  even  forms  of  sweepstakes  might  be  devised,  which  would  give  to  each 
student  a  keener  interest  in  a  particular  animal,  and  bring  him  directly  into  contact 
with  profit  or  loss  dependent  on  judgment  in  stock.  Thus  in  one  branch  of  his  prac- 
tical education,  which  is  of  grtet  and  growing  importance,  the  agricultural  student^ 
while  still  at  college,  might  obtain  valuable  training,  and  one  of  the  objections  of 
practical  men  to  general  education,  as  being  a  disqualification  for  special  business, 
might  be  lessened.  At  least  that  contempt  for  trade,  or  shame  of  shop,  which  I 
think  the  public-school  education  in  England  has  too  much  promoted,  might  be 
broken  through  if  a  knowledge  of  some  of  the  arts  and  sciences  necessary  to  an 
honest  livelihood  were  combined  with  those  that  are  essential  to  an  honourable  life. 
— I  am,  yours  truly,  J.  L.  Bbebxton. 


OBinrABT. 

We  have  to  record  the  death  of  Mr  Francis  C!ottbbbl,  Royal  Artillery ;  his  diploma 
bears  date  May  14, 1851. 

Also  of  Mr  Adah  Hampson,  M.RC.S.,  Bolton-leMoors;  his  diploma  bears  date 
May  23, 1850. 

Also,  recently,  Mr  Gavin  Clabke,  Limerick;  his  diploma  dated  August  11, 1847. 

Mr  Edwasd  DARLi^aTON,  Armagh ;  his  diploma  dated  May  19, 1852. 

And  Mr  James  Bogebson,  Garstang ;  whose  diploma  bears  date  January  22, 1827. 


■ALLAimriitK,  BOBIB.TB,  AMD  CO.,  FBUITKSS,  ICDIKBVROH. 


THE  VETEEINART  EEVIEW 


^tathabotntXB*  ^anxxiKl 


OSIOINAL    COMHUNICATIONS   AND    CASES. 


Observations  on  the  Constituent  Bones  of  the  Horse's  Knee,  with 
Practical  Deductions  on  the  Economy  of  that  Region  of  the 
Limb,    By  Joseph  Gamgee,  Sen. 

That  there  should  be  any  uncertainty  or  difference  of  opinion  amongst 
anatomists  as  to  the  number  of  bones  which  enter  into  the  formation 
of  the  perfectly-constructed  knee  of  the  horse,  is  a  proposition  which 
few  will  be  prepared  to  see  submitted  for  solution. 

Every  good  judge  of  the  horse  knows  that  one  characteristic  feature 
of  a  good  wearing  limb  is  a  well-pronounced  construction  of  the 
knee;  nor  does  that  perfection  ever  exist  abstractedly,  but  as  the 
centre  point  of  a  symmetrically  formed  and  powerful  limb. 

I  will  not  enter  at  length  on  what  every  anatomist  knows,  to  show 
that  the  region,  which  by  imiversal  consent  has  been  called  the  knee, 
bears  no  analogy  in  the  horse  to  the  joint  of  the  same  name  in  man. 
But  anatomically  and  physiologically  regarded,  the  wrist  of  man  and 
the  knee  of  the  horse  and  other  quadrupeds  are  the  same.  Details 
would  be  superfluous  here  to  show  the  special  differences  between  the 
connexions  and  actions  of  the  human  hand  on  the  "  carpus,"  and  the 
relative  phenomena  as  they  are  observed  in  the  horse,  &c.  SufBce  it 
to  say,  that  in  all  the  leading  features,  physiologically  considered,  the 
similarity  is  remarkable. 

The  father  amongst  British  anatomists  of  the  horse,  "  Stubbs," 
gives  i/he  names  of  the  bones  of  the  knee  after  the  nomenclature 
which  had  already  been  adopted  by  human  anatomists,  in  their 
description  of  the  several  bones  composing  the  wrist  of  man.  Stubbs 
says,  that  instead  of  eight  bones,  as  in  man,  the  horse's  Imee  has 
only  seven ;  and  that  it  is  the  ''  trapezium,"  or  inner  bone  of  the  radial 
order,  that  is  wanting  in  that  animal. 

Mr  Blaine,  again,  says,  "  The  carpus  or  knee  is  composed  of  seven 
bones." 

Mr  Perceval  adds:  "The  carpus  is  composed  of  seven  bones; 
but  in  some  instances  an  eighth  has  been  found;  the  situation  of 
which  is  behind  the  trapezoid  bone ;  its  form  is  orbicular  or  pea- 
shaped.    Use  not  apparent." 

Vol.  I.— 2fa  VIIL^New  Sbeibs.    Atjotjbt  iae5.  "^^^ 


3d2 


BONES  OF  THE  HORSE'S  KNEE. 


In  their  "  General  and  Descriptive  Anatomy  of  the  Domestic  Ani- 
mals/* by  Messrs  John  Gamgee  and  James  Law,  is  to  be  found  the 
following: — "The  trapezium,  when  present,  which  is  generally  the 
case  in  old  horses,  is  a  small  rounded  bone,  placed  at  the  posterior 
internal  part  of  the  range,  and  imbedded  in  the  internal  lateral 
ligamenti  immediately  above  the  head  of  the  small  metacarpal  bone. 
We  have  seen  it  provided  with  two  facets,  one  for  the  metacarpal 
bone,  the  other  for  the  trapezoid,'*  (Dr  Monastier.) 

In  this  work  referred  to,  published  in  1861,  is  found  an  ad- 
vance upon  the  descriptions  of  former  authors.  Some  details,  not 
before  noticed,  are  given.  The  general  presence,  though  occasional 
absence,  of  the  "  trapezium "'  bone,  and  its  articulations  with  other 
bones,  are  the  most  important  observations  made,  to  be  regarded  as 
first  instalments  of  correctly  described  phenomena,  bearing  on  the 
questions  mooted  by  Mr  Perceval,  about  the  little  bone  which  he 
speaks  of,  but  does  not  state  to  have  seen  himself. 

My  own  part  of  the  investigation  began  where  the  above  authorities 
left  the  subject,  at  a  time  when  I  was  deeply  interested  in  tracing 
out  the  functions  of  the  foot,  by  first  making  myself  acquainted 
with  the  new  aspects  which  I  was  acquiring,  of  every  structure 
from  the  sole  of  the  hoof  upwards,  and  vice  versd,  then  by  making 
out  the  blending  of  functions,  so  that  systems  become  apparent,  re- 
solvable again  into  local  phenomena.  In  proceeding,  I  adopted  my 
usual  plan  of  dismissing  all  hearsay  learning,  as  well  as  notions,  im- 
bibed without  sufficient  labour  having  been  devoted  to  the  object  of 
inquiry.  Dissections  of  the  knees  of  horses,  and  of  every  region  of 
the  limb,  for  the  special  object,  was  the  means  I  adopted. 

The  following  illustration  represents  the  bone  in  its  fullest  develop- 
ment : — 

The  trapezium  bone,  of  the  off  knee  of 
a  horse,  from  which  this  drawing  was 
taken,  is  of  the  form  and  dimensions  as 
follows  : — Shape  oblong,  slightly  flattened, 
its  inner  surface  irregularly  concave,  with 
a  facet  for  articulation,  corresponding  to 
one  on  the  trapezoid  bone,  against  which 
it  abuts ;  the  outer  or  backward  surface  is 
convex.  The  bone  is  obtuse  at  both  ends, 
has  least  thickness  at  the  centre,  is  every- 
where on  its  surface  adapted  for  the  attach- 
ment of  the  ligament,  and  resembles,  in 
its  general  exterior  aspects,  the  patella  of 
smaller  animals,  such  as  that  of  the  dog  or 
hare. 

It  measures  in  its  long  axis  11-1 6ths  of  an 
inch;  its  breadth  over  the  centre  is  7-16ths; 
and  the  thickness  through  the  middle  of  its 
flattened  aspect  is  4-12ths  of  an  inch. 


BONES  OF  THE  HOBSE'S  EINEE.  393 

Position, — The  bone  is  invested  by  a  short  massive  ligament,  which 
is  strongly  attached  to  the  head  of  the  splint  bone  and  outer  posterior 
surface  of  the  scaphoid,  the  innermost  and  largest  of  the  upper  range 
of  carpal  bones.  The  trapezoid  intervenes,  an<i  is  the  bone  on  which 
the  scaphoid  revolves  ;  therefore,  as  the  ligament  bridges  over  a- con- 
cavity in  the  space  from  one  prominent  point  to  another,  the  trapezium 
bone  forms  a  point  d*appui  by  virtue  of  the  static  function  of  the 
trapezoid ;  hence  a  fulcrum  is  derived,  greatly  augmenting  the  energy 
of  the  lateral  ligament. 

When  I  had  made  out  the  use  of  the  trapezium  bone,  I  began,  after 
making  dissections  on  several  different  subjects,  to  question  the  accu- 
racy of  the  reports,  of  its  ever  being  absent,  finding  excuse  for  the  over- 
sight, in  the  fact  that,  being  a  sessamoid  bone,  it  is  not  held  in,  con- 
nectedly, like  the  other  bones  of  the  joint,  but  is  placed  behind  the 
inner  of  the  lower  row,  imbedded  in  the  strong  lit^ament  described ; 
the  bone  itself  escaping  the  notice  of  any  but  the  expert  dissecter; 
and  whenever  recourse  has  been  had  to  means  for  obtaining  the 
separate  bones  of  the  knee,  either  by  boiling  or  maceration,  until  the 
soft  parts  have  been  detached,  the  trapezium  may  have  passed  un- 
observed, with  its  ligament. 

Continuing  my  researches,  however,  it  was  not  long  before  I  came 
to  subjects,  in  the  construction  of  whose  knees  the  trapezium  bones 
formed  no  part;  and  this  led  me  to  pause,  examine,  and  proceed 
further  on  in  my  course  of  research.  Up  to  this  point  I  had  dissected 
the  legs  of  horses  indiscriminately  as  I  found  them  ;  but  now  I  made 
choice  of  those  well-formed  and  of  the  opposite — viz.,  of  weak, 
lame,  and  defective  animals.  Several  of  those  I  observed  in  couples, 
and  also  learned  the  history  of  some  of  the  horses,  and  I  soon 
established  the  proof,  as  I  had  anticipated,  from  the  knowledge  I  had 
acquired  of  the  office  of  the  "  trapezium,"  that  it  was  present  in  all 
the  well-constructed,  strong  knees,  and  absent  in  most  of  those  of 
horses  whose  forelegs  were  bent  at  the  knee,  the  lame  and  weak, 
which  had  been  of  little  worth.  Several  such  specimens  were  labelled 
as  they  came  to  hand,  and  are  placed  amongst  my  own  collection  in 
the  New  Veterinary  College  Museum,  where  they  are  available  for 
demonstration  and  comparative  study.  Besides  establishing,  or 
rather  confirming,  the  fact  of  the  trapezium  bone  being  present  in 
some  subjects  and  absent  in  others,  I  discovered  that  in  intermediate 
cases  it  is  present  in  various  degrees  of  development. 

In  reply,  by  anticipation,  to  the  question  :  To  what  use  can  the 
knowledge  of  the  before- related  phenomena  be  applied  ? 

Though  in  the  present  instance  I  can  give  the  answer,  I  beg  on 
principle  to  state,  that  it  is  never  absolutely  incumbent  on  the 
observer  of  facts  and  things,  to  discover  their  exact  and  general 
adaptation  for  given  purposes.  These  remarks  apply  especially  to 
students,  who,  in  our  profession,  are  apt  to  omit  to  prosecute  re- 
searches and  accumulate  details,  which,  when  in  order,  constitute  the 
separate  links  out  of  which  substantial  chains,  01  sjBX^iika  ^t^iofvwA^^ 


394  BONES  OF  THE  HOBSE'S  KNEE. 

The  chemist  works  on,  discovers,  and  resolves  bodies  into  their 
elements.  The  astronomer  watches,  both  in  the  calm  and  the  stormy 
.  night,  ready  to  observe  anything ;  and  so  we  might  go  on  enume- 
rating how  inquiring  minds  penetrate  into  natural  phenomena  and 
natural  laws,  without  any  preconceived  notion  of  the  exact  kind  and 
extent  of  use  these  researches  may  prove  to  be  of  to  mankind. 

My  observations  go,  then,  to  establish  the  fact,  that  in  the  perfectly- 
constructed  knee  of  the  horse  there  are  eight  bones,  the  same  number 
as  compose  the  wrist  of  man ;  and  that  where  the  "  trapezium  "  bone 
is  wanting,  the  horse  is  weak,  and  relatively  of  lower  value  than  if  it 
were  present. 

In  speaking  of  the  horse's  knee,  according  to  custom  we  say  the 
knee-joint ;  inadequate  not  to  say  erroneous  description  this,  because 
the  region  spoken  of  comprises  a  series  of  distinct  joints,  into  the 
formation  of  which  twelve  bones  enter,  including  two  shaft  bones,  the 
radius  and  large  metacarpal  bone. 

Examination  of  these  bones,  individually  and  in  groups,  is  the 
proper  way  to  proceed  in  the  investigation  into  the  functions  of  the 
foot,  so  important  to  be  known,  and  by  no  less  systematic  niethod  to 
be  adequately  learned. 

The  four  carpal  bones  of  the  upper  or  radial  order  are  powerfully 
effective  in  all  action — their  economy  is  of  the  dynamic,  in  contradis- 
tinction to  the  lower  range  of  bones,  including  the  trapezium,  all  of 
which  are  static  in  their  assigned  functions ;  equally  so  are  the  two 
fiplint  bones,  situated  immediately  behind  and  below  the  lower  carpal 
bones. 

To  realise  thoroughly  a  knowledge  of  the  functions  of  the  horse's 
knee,  attention  should  be  devoted  to  the  distal  extremity  of  the  limb, 
which,  from  the  knee  downwards,  is  demonstrably  composed  of  three 
regions. 

As  further  observations  are  carried  on  by  a  multitude  of  workers, 
though  the  trapezium  bone  cannot  be  defined  in  the  living  animal,  its 
presence  or  absence  may  be  known  by  the  formation  of  the  knee, 
whereby  selection,  or  rejection,  and  the  estimation  of  the  value  of 
the  animal  may  be  determined  on ;  but  where,  perhaps,  the  know- 
ledge here  sought  to  be  established  will  be  of  the  most  direct  and 
extensive  use,  is  in  the  choice  and  rejection  of  parent  horse  stock  to 
breed  from. 

Probably  no  known  defect  common  to  horses,  or  any  disease  to 
which  they  are  liable,  would  so  certainly  be  inherited  by  the  offspring 
from  sire  or  dam,  as  deviations  in  construction  like  that  under  con- 
templation. 

Though  it  is  good  policy  to  adhere  to  the  plan,  as  far  as  possible, 
of  using  sound  stock,  yet  in  horses  both  sire  and  dam  have  often  been 
subjected  to  such  obvious  causes  of  imperfect  development  and  de- 
terioration, that  under  normal  conditions,  and  in  the  performance  of 
ordinary  work,  no  infirmities  would  have  appeared.  These  remarks 
iold  good  in  a  large  propoition  oi  (ias^a  of  lameness,  where,  like  the 


HEALTH  OF  STOCK  EETURNS.  395 

soldier  returning  from  many  battles  whose  scars  will  only  impart 
honour  to  his  offspring,  so  we  find  it  with  horses,  the  victims  of 
severe  ordeals. 

Very  different  is  the  case  where  such  an  anomaly  as  the  hereditary 
want  of  a  part  is  engendered.  There  like  will  be  almost  sure  to  beget 
like  in  many  of  the  produce.  The  phenomena  is  of  a  kind  like  that  of 
breeding  from  the  bovine  species,  or  sheep  with  varied  length  of  horns, 
or  the  absence  of  horns ;  again,  as  to  colours  of  animals.  In  fact, 
man  can,  with  knowledge,  exert  great  influence  over  the  construction, 
features,  and  usefulness  of  domestic  animals ;  a  fact  so  generally  ad- 
mitted that  it  were  needless  to  urge  attention  to  it  more  persistently. 


HEALTH  OF  STOCK  EETUKNS  FOR  1864 

ENGLAND. 

Bedpordshiee. — T.  Broivn,  Wing,  near  Leighton  Buzzard. — 
Diseases  among  horses  and  cattle  have  been  much  less  prevalent  than 
usual.  Animals  affected  with  pleuro-pneumonia  and  other  contagious 
diseases  are,  by  general  consent,  excluded  from  the  markets,  and  such 
maladies  are  rare.  Black  quarter,  splenic  apoplexy,  and  parturient 
fever,  have  occurred  to  a  slight  extent.  Indigestion,  with  tympanitis, 
was  very  prevalent  about  Michaelmas,  as  was  believed,  in  consequence 
of  bad  water,  there  having  been  a  great  scarcity  all  summer.  Oph- 
thalmia was  common  in  February  among  sheep  and  lambs  exposed  to 
cold  winds.  Thousands  of  pigs  had  died  within  a  radius  of  ten  miles, 
presenting  the  following  symptoms : — loathing  of  food,  prostration 
of  strength,  staggering  gait,  and  constipation  on  the  first  day,  suc- 
ceeded on  the  second  by  diarrhoea.  The  pigs  die  in  a  few  days,  and 
present  red  blotches  on  the  lungs,  liver,  and  mesentery,  and  marks  of 
extensive  inflammation  of  the  bowels. 

Chester. — Walter  Lewis,  Crewe, — "Pleuro-pneumonia  has  not 
been  so  prevalent  or  fatal  as  in  some  previous  years.  It  appeared  on 
five  or  six  farms.  On  three  of  these,  its  presence,  I  believe,  was  due 
to  the  introduction  of  cattle — ^black  and  white  heifers — said  to  have 
been  imported  from  Holland.  In  two  of  these  cases,  the  Dutch  cattle 
(so  called)  were  bought  at  fairs  about  June,  and  remained  apparently 
healthy  till  about  the  beginning  of  November,  when  pleuro-pneumonia 
appeared  almost  simultaneously  on  the  two  farms,  though  some  ten 
miles  apart.  Two  heifers  died  on  one  farm,  and  three  on  the  other. 
I  inoculated  the  remainder,  and  have  not  heard  of  any  cases  having 
since  occurred."  Foot  and  mouth  disease  prevailed  among  the  cattle 
and  pigs  on  three  or  four  farms.  Affections  of  the  respiratory  organs 
have  not  exceeded  the  average,  but  colic  and  enteritis  have  beeiL  \siQ»^^ 


396  HEALTH  OF  STOCE!  BETURNS. 

than  usually  common.  Black  quarter  has  prevailed  to  a  slight  extent, 
but  splenic  apoplexy  has  not  been  met  with.  Parturient  fever  was 
infrequent.  Ophthalmia  attacked  four  cattle  at  once  on  the  same 
farm.  Sheep  have  been  healthy,  but  many  pigs  have  died,  presenting 
symptoms  of  quick  breathing,  loss  of  power  in  the  limbs,  and  dis- 
coloration of  the  body. 

Cornwall. — Edward  Hire,  Penzance. — Contagious  diseases  in- 
frequent. Three  or  four  cases  of  glanders,  Pleuro-pneumonia  has 
been  unknown  for  six  years,  though  cattle  are  frequently  imported 
from  Spain.  Epizootic  aphtha  was  imported  in  1859,  and  extended 
considerably  for  a  time.  Diseases  of  the  respii^atory  organs  are  fre- 
quent, especially  pleurisy ;  but,  as  a  rule,  are  not  fatal.  Those  of  the 
digestive  organs  are  common,  particularly  colic,  from  horses  taking 
draughts  of  cold  water  coming  from  the  mines.  Enteritis  is  often 
fatal.  Black  quarter,  dropping  after  calving,  and  red  water,  were 
occasionally  met  with,  and  diarrhoea  in  calves  was  very  prevalent. 

Cumberland. — Henry  Thomson,  Aspatria. — Contagious  diseases 
not  prevalent,  with  the  exception  of  epizootic  aphtha,  which  occurred 
extensively  among  cattle  and  sheep.  Hydrophobia  occurred  in  about 
a  dozen  dogs  and  pigs,  as  the  result  of  the  bites  of  a  single  rabid  dog. 
Black  quarter  was  exceedingly  common  among  yearling  stirks,  and 
splenic  apoplexy  attacked  half  a  dozen  animals  on  badly  drained 
land,  proving  fatal  in  all  cases  but  one,  in  from  four  to  six  hours.  The 
last  case  recovered.  Eed  water  in  cattle  was  very  prevalent  on  the 
same  kind  of  land  as  splenic  apoplexy — "in  my  opinion  these  two 
diseases  are  very  analogous  to  each  other."  Parturient  fever  was  very 
common  in  spring  duiing  the  prevalence  of  east  winds.  Influenza 
and  other  diseases  of  the  respiratory  organs  common,  also  constipa- 
tion and  colic.  Wind  very  prevalent  among  horses.  Diarrhoea  made 
great  havoc  among  yearling  stirks,  appearing  equally  on  all  lands. 
The  cattle  attacked. are  such  as  have  been  left  night  and  day  in  the 
fields  since  they  were  six  months,  and  the  post-mortem  examination 
reveals  the  presence  of  enormous  numbers  of  flukes  in  the  liver.  Con- 
stipation is  very  prevalent  among  high  bred  cattle ;  laminitis  occurs 
from  feeding  cattle  on  raw  potatoes ;  and  stomach  staggers  in  young 
cattle  was  prevalent  during  July  and  August  The  young  cattle  sufftr 
from  diarrhoea,  lose  flesh,  and  in  some  cases  die  from  shedding  their 
temporary  teeth.  Measles  has  been  very  prevalent  in  pigs.  Kot  has 
occurred  to  a  limited  extent  among  sheep ;  in  the  previous  year 
(1863)  it  was  very  destructive. 

Derbyshire. — T,  Shenton,  jBaA:eM?eK.— Pleuro-pneumonia  and  epi- 
zootic aphtha  have  been  much  less  prevalent  than  usual.    "This  I  attri- 
bute to  the  farmer  being  more  cautious  in  the  purchase  of  Irish  and  other 
stock,  that  have  brought  it  into  this  neighbourhood  before.'*    One  case 
of  glanders  occurred.     Affections  o£  the  respiratory  organs  were  below 


HEALTH  OP  STOCK  RETUENS.  397 

^he  average  of  previous  years,  and  disorders  of  the  digestive  organs 
considerably  above  the  usual.  Periodic  ophthalmia  is  rare  in  the 
district  Black  quarter  prevailed  extensively  in  autumn.  There  was 
little  parturient  fever,  but  much  red  water  among  cattle,  the  latter 
being  attributed  to  the  dry  summer,  which  had  rendered  the  natural 
grasses  more  indigestible.  Many  lambs  perished  from  filaria  in  the 
bronchia.  Many  were  saved  by  the  early  administration  of  turpen- 
tine and  tincture  of  assafoetida. 

R.  PoyseVy  Workswortk — No  cases  of  pleuro-pneumonia  have 
come  under  my  care  ;  but  I  believe  I  am  correct  in  saying  that  about 
thirty  head  of  cattle  have  been  lost  or  destroyed  on  one  farm  within 
four  miles  of  Worksworth.  Scab  has  occurred  among  the  sheep  on 
one  farm,  and  several  have  been  killed  by  the  nostrums  employed  for 
the  destruction  of  the  insect.  Pleuro-pneumonia  was  very  frequent 
among  horses.  In  January  there  were  "  many  cases  of  what  is  termed 
'influenza,'  when  there  is  great  exhaustion,  debility,  and  impli- 
cation of  every  organ  in  the  body,  but  especially  of  the  mucous  mem- 
branes; discharges  from  the  eyes  and  nose,  the  former  completely 
closed  by  oedematous  tumefaction.  The  legs  in  every  case  are  swollen 
to  an  enormous  extent,  bowels  constipated,  fseces  fetid,  covered  with 
mucus,  and  sometimes  streaked  with  blood;  the  breathing  and  pulse ^ 
quick,  the  latter  being  small  and  hard,  and  the  extremities  and 
general  integument  cold."  They  recover  well  under  judicious  treat- 
ment. Enteritis,  colic,  and  impaction  have  been  common.  Black 
quarter  existed  to  a  limited  extent.  Ophthalmia  in  cattle  was  pre- 
valent in  the  latter  part  of  summer  and  early  autumn  ;  it  was  not 
treated,  and  the  general  result  was,  the  loss  of  the  eyesight  on  one  or 
both  sides.     Generally,  one  only  is  affected. 

Devonshire. — Robert  Dyer,  Torquay. — Pleuro-pneumonia  was 
extensively  prevalent  in  the  district  during  the  summer  and  autumn. 
The  majority  of  cases  proved  fatal  Some  of  them  were  ushered  in 
by  attacks  of  indigestion,  accompanied  with  hoove  ;  these  cases  would 
appear  to  recover,  but  soon  proclaim  themselves  true  cases  of  pleuro- 
pneumonia. All  of  them,  I  believe,  were  produced  by  contagion.  In 
one  field  the  disease  was  rife,  and  many  died.  Cows  in  the  adjoining 
field  were  not  attacked  for  many  weeks  after  the  disease  had  disap- 
peared from  the  other  field.  Bronchitis  and  pneumonia  occurred 
among  horses  to  a  limited  extent,  and  during  the  latter  part  of  1864 
inflammatory  sore  throat  prevailed  extensively;  but  all  the  cases 
recovered  in  from  ten  days  to  a  fortnight.  Chronic  cough  is  common 
among  horses.  ASections  of  the  digestive  organs  have  been  of  fre- 
quent occurrence,  but  not  fatal.  Ophthalmia  was  seen  chiefly  in 
Irish  horses,  and  speedily  terminated  in  blindness.  Lamenesses  are 
common,  owing  to  the  hilly  character  of  the  neighbourhood.  Red 
water  in  cows  was  frequent,  but  was  usually  relieved  in  a  day  or  two. 
Calves  sufiered  considerably  from  diarrhoea. 

William    MiUer,  Bradninch,   CttMomptou. -- ?V<eva^-^Ti^^Msi<ssj^^ 


398  HEALTH  OP  STOCK  RETURNS. 

rarely  visits  the  neighbourhood,  the  cattle  being  home-bred.  When 
it  does  appear  it  is  in  isolated  cases,  and  does  not  spread  from  farm 
to  farm.  Every  case  that  I  have  seen  or  heard  of  has  been  traced  to 
cattle  from  a  distance.  No  epizootic  aphtha.  Scab  in  sheep  is 
common,  leading  often  to  litigation  and  recovery  of  damages  for  the 
contamination  of  stock.  Diseases  of  the  respiratory  organs  have  been 
more  prevo-lent  during  the  latter  part  of  December  and  first  two 
weeks  of  January,  than  they  have  been  for  many  years.  They  were 
mild,  and  in  no  case  terminated  fatally.  Black  quarter  was  very 
fatal  to  calves  nine  months  old  during  the  months  of  December  and 
January.  The  mortality  among  rearing  calves  is  always  very  great ; 
death  sweeps  them  off  under  all  sorts  of  conditions.  One  year  a 
farmer  loses  nearly  all  his  calves  ;  while,  under  the  same  treatment, 
he  may  escape  for  several  years  without  any  deaths.  Red  water  in 
cattle  was  very  prevalent  during  the  spring  of  1864,  but  never 
proved  fatal.  Diarrhoea  in  calves  was  less  prevalent  and  more 
amenable  to  treatment  than  in  previous  years. 

Dorsetshire. — A,  E.  Barrister,  Bridport, — Pleuro-pneumonia 
has  appeared  in  only  one  dairy  of  fifty-eight  cows,  on  a  farm  where 
it  wa&  never  seen  before,  where  there  has  been  no  stock  imported  for 
several  years,  no  cases  for  several  months  within  several  miles  of  the 
place,  and  no  public  road  through  or  near  the  farm.  Two  of  the 
cows  died  two  days  after  I  was  called  in.  Thirty  others  were  slightly 
afiected,  showing  the  mucous  crepitating  rale;  but  none  of  these  died. 
The  fifty-six  remaining  cows  were  dosed  every  four  hours  for  three 
successive  days  with  fiax  and  gruel,  and  an  ounce  and  a  half  each  of 
sweet  spirits  of  nitre  and  oil  of  turpentine.  Those  affected  were  well 
blistered  with  mustard.  Sheep  suffered  extensively  from  epizootic 
aphtha,  remaining  lame  for  months,  and  becoming  greatly  emaciated. 
Met  with  ten  cases  of  pleurisy,  and  twenty  of  pneumonia — four  of 
which  proved  fatal.  Influenza  prevailed  extensively.  Indigestion, 
gripes,  and  enteritis  common.  Met  with  twenty  cases  of  periodic 
ophthalmia.  Black  quarter  existed  to  a  limited  extent.  Fifty  cases 
of  red  water  occurred,  five  (treated  by  farriers)  proved  fatal.  Saw 
three  cases  of  parturient  fever.  Several  flocks  of  sheep,  and  about 
twenty  young  cattle,  suffered  from  ophthalmia.  Diarrhoea  in  calves 
is  very  destructive ;  but  the  farmers  never  seek  veterinary  advice  for 
them.  Sheep  have  suffered  from  inflammation  after  lambing.  While 
treating  some  cows  for  epizootic  aphtha,  "  I  put  nitrate  of  potass  into 
a  cistern  for  them  to  drink,  and  wash  their  mouths.  In  order  to  test 
the  strength  of  the  fluid,  I  incautiously  dipped  my  finger  into  the 
fluid,  and  put  it  into  my  mouth.  A  day  or  two  after  this,  my  mouth 
became  fearfully  vesicated;  and  the  vesicles  underwent  similar  changes 
to  those  of  the  cows,  &c.  I  had  not  the  least  hesitation  in  pronounc- 
ing my  complaint  to  be  eczema  epizootica." 

JDUBHAM. — Robert  Ball,  Stocfctou-ou-Tees»— A.  great  many  cattle. 


HEALTH  OF  STOCK  RETURNS.  399 

both  fat  and  lean,  have  suffered  from  pleuro-pneumonia.  Though 
the  cattle,  as  a  rule,  are  hurried  off  to  the  slaughterer,  thus  in  part 
concealing  the  prevalence  of  the  disease,  yet  great  numbers  have  come 
under  my  notice.  The  result  is  not  only  loss  to  the  farmer,  but  the 
plentiful  supply  of  food  unfit  for  human  consumption.  I  believe  the 
disease  to  originate  chiefly  in  contagion ;  and  this  affection,  as  well 
as  foot-and-mouth  disease,  and  scab,  has  been  very  prevalent  in  the 
Stockton:  and  Darlington  markets.  At  least  50  per  cent,  of  the  lean 
cattle  shown  at  these  places  have  been  affected  with  epizootic  aphtha. 
This  last  disease  has  not  only  been  very  prevalent,  but  has  assumed 
a  worse  type  than  of  late  years.  It  chiefly  affected  the  feet.  Deaths 
have  been  numerous,  and  large  numbers  have  been  slaughtered  for 
human  food  when  in  a  most  unfit  condition.  It  leads  to  a  great  loss ' 
of  condition,  of  time,  and  of  money.  In  many  cases  I  have  known 
farmers  feed  farm  beasts,  and  lose  considerably  in  consequence, 
rather  than  run  the  risk  of  bringing  this  disease  to  their  sound  and 
perhaps  nearly  fat  animals.  Diseases  of  the  respiratory  and  digestive 
organs  have  been  about  an  average.  Black  quarter  was  abundant,  and 
the  carcases  were  sometimes  used  for  food.  Many  deaths  from  par- 
turient fever,  and  the  carcases  were  often  dressed  for  sale.  Red 
water  was  below,  and  diarrhoea  in  calves  about,  the  average.  Sheep 
suffered  from  foot-rot,  and  pigs  from  measles. 

Essex. — Clement  H.  Hurrel,  Southminster,  near  Maldon. — ^Very 
few  cases  of  pleuro-pneumonia  have  been  met  with.  Epizootic 
aphtha  greatly  less  than  in  the  preceding  year.  Markets  generally 
pretty  free  from  these  diseases.  Diseases  of  the  respiratory  and 
digestive  organs  have  been  very  frequent.  Disorder  of  the  liver  pre- 
dominated. Periodic  ophthalmia  was  very  common.  Black  quarter 
was  more  prevalent  than  for  many  years  before ;  generally  attack- 
ing young  stock  both  in  the  uplands  and  the  marshes.  Splenic 
apoplexy  was  very  uncommon.  I  have  seen  three  or  four  beasts 
that  died  suddenly  with  symptoms  like  those  of  this  disease  in  every 
respect ;  but,  on  examination  after  death,  the  spleens  appeared  healthy. 
Parturient  fever  existed  to  a  limited  extent.  Diarrhoea  in  calves  was 
rather  frequent,  they  being  purchased  from  other  counties  when  very 
young,  and  subjected  to  long  abstinence,  change  of  milk,  &c.  Pigs 
suffered  considerably  from  affections  of  the  respiratory  organs. 

Hampshire. — Charles  Smith  Oreen,  Alton. — Very  little  pleuro- 
pneumonia or  epizootic  aphtha.  Influenza  of  the  laryngeal  type, 
with  parotidean  and  submaxillary  abscesses,  was  very  prevalent  among 
horses.  It  was  rarely  fatal,  and  generally  terminated  favourably  in 
the  course  of  a  fortnight.  In  some  cases  there  was  ophthalmia, 
while  others  were  followed  by  laminitis,  which  did  not,  however,  leave 
untoward  results.  There  were  four  cases  of  parturient  fever  in  cattle, 
and  red  water  was  at  once  less  prevalent  and  fatal  than  in  the  pre- 
vious year.    Sheep  have  suffered  from  foot-tot.,  aiA^\%^\i«N^^^'^^^^ 


400  HEALTH  OF  STOCK  RETURNS. 

in  large  nambers  from  a  fatal  disease ;  but,  as  I  have  not  seen  it,  I 
cannot  tell  its  nature. 

Hertford. — T.  0,  Webb,  Bishop-Stratford, — One  case  of  glanders 
occurred  during  the  year.  About  twenty  cases  of  pleuro-pneumonia ; 
the  best  were  sent  to  the  butcher,  and  the  others  were  treated  gene- 
rally with  success.  When  a  farmer  bought  ten  or  twenty  at  a  fair, 
one  or  two  would  fall  ill,  and  the  others  go  on  satisfactorily.  Epi- 
zootic aphtha  is  treated  with  chalk  and  gruel  by  the  farmers  them- 
selves. Bronchitis  was  prevalent  among  farm  horses  in  the  spring  ; 
they  were  treated  successfully  by  blistering,  and  giving  calomel, 
ammonia,  and  sweet  spirits  of  nitre.  In  two  cases  the  tracheotomy 
tube  had  to  be  employed.  One  horse  with  ossified  lar3mgeal  cartilages 
worked  with  the  tube  for  twelve  months.  Constipation  was  common 
in  horses  during  the  last  four  months  of  the  year,  from  feeding  on 
bran,  straw,  and  other  indigestible  food.  The  cases  were  all  success- 
fully treated  with  aloes,  calomel,  opium,  and  aconite.  Had  three 
cases  of  scarlatina  in  farm  horses,  which  all  recovered.  They  got 
calolnel,  sweet  spirits  of  nitre,  acetate  of  ammonia,  and,  when  the 
bowels  became  costive,  oil.  If  cows  are  attacked  by  parturient  fever, 
the  owners  have  them  slaughtered  at  once. 

Alfred  Prudaines,  Great  Berkhamstead. — Epizootic  aphtha  has 
not  been  so  frequent  or  severe  as  in  former  years.  Diseases  of  the 
respiratory  organs  were  very  prevalent  during  autumn  and  winter, 
generally  in  the  form  of  epidemic  influenza.  Afiections  of  the  diges- 
tive organs  have  been  very  frequent  since  hay  time,  the  hay  being 
scarce  and  much  straw,  &c.,  used  instead.  Purpura  haemorrhagica  is 
rare  and  seen  only  as  the  sequel  of  some  other  debilitating  disease. 
Black  quarter  and  diarrhoea  in  calves  existed  to  a  limited  extent. 
Parturient  fever  was  less  prevalent  than  usual.  Amongst  pigs  an 
epidemic  and  highly  infectious  enteric  fever  has  been  extremely  fatal, 
destroying,  in' many  instances,  from  fifty  to  eighty  per  cent.  It  is  most 
fatal  in  young  pigs.  All  treatment  appears  almost  futile  when  it 
rages ;  and  although  very  infectious,  there  is  clearly  some  other  mode 
of  its  spreading.  Its  symptoms  are  varied  as  such  fevers  usually  are, 
but  I  agree  with  the  name  given  it,  because  it  most  frequently  attacks 
the  bowels.  In  other  instances  it  seizes  the  lungs  or  the  brain,  and 
not  unfrequently  it  breaks  out  on  the  skin. 

Thomas  R.  Scruby,  Royston, — Markets  small  and  generally  very 
healthy.  Epizootic  aphtha  was  met  with  occasionally  in  cattle  brought 
from  fairs.  Affections  of  the  respiratory  organs  in  horses  have  been 
very  prevalent  for  the  last  six  months,  but  by  no  means  fatal.  Bowel 
diseases  un  frequent.  A  few  cases  of  ophthalmia  among  horses. 
Dropping  after  calving  occurred  in  six  cows,  two  died,  the  others 
seemed  chiefly  affected  with  paralysis  of  the  hind  extremities.  A 
great  many  pigs  died  at  the  commencement  of  the  year,  but  I  did  not 
see  any.  Lambing — some  places  good,  at  others  unsatisfactory ;  one 
farmer  lost  from  ninety  to  a  \i\mdied  Iwnb^  \  but  as  he  was  not  one 
ofzny  clients,  I  did  not  see  them* 


HEALTH  OF  STOCE!  BETUBNS.  401 

Huntingdon. — B.  Gamer,  St  Ives. — ^Pleuro-pneumonia  has  come 
less  under  my  notice  than  last  year.  It  is  mostly  Irish  beasts  that 
suffer,  and  it  generally  ends  in  death.  Epizootic  disease  has  been 
very  prevalent.  The  markets  usually  contain  diseased  animals.  I 
believe  I  have  had  epizootic  aphtha  myself  several  times  while  attend- 
ing cattle.  Influenza  has  prevailed.  Diseases  of  the  digestive  organs 
have  been  comparatively  few.  Horses  have  suffered  to  a  limited  ex- 
tent from  ophthalmia.  Black  quarter  is  generally  very  fatal.  Cases 
of  dropping  after  calving,  ophthalmia  in  cattle,  and  diarrhoea,  have 
been  met  with,  but  in  no  great  numbers. 

Kent. — Charles  Cfhurchouse,  Maidstone, — Isolated  caSes  of  glanders 
and  farcy,  and  6f  pleuro-pneumonia  were  met  with,  the  latter  gene- 
rally confined  to  Irish  and  other  cattle  that  have  been  driven  through 
the  country.  It  seldom  extends  from  these.  Epizootic  aphtha  was 
prevalent  in  the  early  part  of  the  year,  halving  been  brought  by  ani- 
mals exposed  at  fairs.  Horses  have  suffered  little  from  diseases  of 
the  respiratory  or  digestive  organs.  Influenza  has  prevailed,  but  was 
not  fatal,  except  when  the  system  was  debilitated.  It  affected  chiefly 
the  eyes,  the  mucous  membranes  of  the  bowels,  and  the  muscular 
system.  In  that  form  affecting  the  eyes,  there  was  extensive  effusion 
into  the  anterior  chamber;  but  they  generally  recovered.  A  few 
cases' of  splenic  apoplexy  occurred,  due  to  high  feeding  and  want  of 
exercise.     Several  fatal  cases  of  parturient  fever. 

F.  R,  Ingersohy  Lewisham. — About  half-a-dozen  cases  of  glanders. 
One  case  of  rabies  in  a  dog.  Pleuro-pneumonia  was  very  prevalent 
in  the  large  dairies  where  they  are  constantly  purchasing  cattle.  It 
is  chiefly  brought  with  the  Dutch  cattle ;  it  is  no  uncommon  thing 
for  a  farmer  to  buy  ten  or  twelve  Dutch  beasts,  and  in  less  than  a 
week  all  of  them  will  be  affected  with  pleuro-pneumonia.  Foot  and 
mouth  disease  has  prevailed  to  a  very  large  extent,  both  in  cattle  and 
pigs :  scarcely  a  farm  escaped.  A  boy  employed  on  one  of  the  farms, 
suffered  severely  with  the  disease.  Scab  in  sheep  existed  to  a  slight 
extent.  Influenza  was  very  general  in  horses.  Diseases  of  tiie  diges- 
tive organs  few.  A  few  cases  of  periodic  ophtbabnia.  Only  two 
cases  of  black  quarter.  Several  instances  of  dropping  after  calving. 
Diarrhoea  in  calves  rather  prevalent.  Eot  in  sheep  existed  to  some 
extent. 

jR.  Fletcher,  Rochester. — Very  few  cases  of  contagious  diseases ; 
two  of  pleuro-pneumonia,  and  twelve  of  foot  and  mouth  disease.  I 
never  hear  of  any  being  taken  into  market  in  this  part  of  the  county. 
Diseases  of  the  respiratory  organs  were  few  in  number.  Distension 
of  the  stomach  was  frequent.  One  case  only  of  ophthalmia.  The 
cows  in  this  district  are  very  highly  fed,  and  many  die  from  parturi- 
ent fever. 

George  Fordham,  Willeshorough. — Three  cases  of  pleuro-pneumonia 
occurred  among  a  stock  of  thirty-seven  fat  animals.     They  had  been 
bought  in  the  London  market  when  calves,  bw\»  \Xi<et^\yi.^\i^^'^  '^^ 
disease  on  adjoining  farms  or  elsewhere  in  my  "5ia.^\A.efe>  «a^T^^  ^Xft^«^ 


402  HEALTH  OF  STOCK  BETUBNS. 

had  been  bought  in  on  the  farm  for  many  months  before  the  out- 
break. A  few  cases  of  epizootic  aphtha  in  Irish  and  Welsh  beasts 
that  had  been  drifted.  Influenza  was  very  common,  and  in  young 
horses  strangles.  Disease  affecting  the  whole  alimentary  canal  has 
been  very  common.  It  assumed,  in  many  cases,  an  epidemic  charac- 
ter, and  was  associated  with  low  fever  and  prostration  of  the  vital 
powers.  Ophthalmia  occasionally  seen.  Parturient  fever  common. 
Diarrhoea  occasionally  among  calves  artificially  reared.  Great  mor- 
tality from  parasites  in  lambs  during  the  winter  months.  Many  ewes 
died  a  few  days  before  the  completion  of  gestation,  with  symptoms  of 
apoplexy  and  loss  of  motive  power — the  majority  of  them  having 
twins,  and  several  three  lambs.  Several  deaths  from  heaving  pains. 
Abortion  was  common  among  ewes. 

Lancaster. — E,  Lawton,  Ashton-under-Lyne.  —  Some  cases  of 
hydrophobia.  Pleuro-pneumonia  less  than  in  1863:  generally  sup- 
posed to  be  got  by  market  cattle  ;  are  always  disposed  of  when  de- 
tected. Influenza'  was  very  prevalent,  showing  itself  by  quick  pulse 
and  breathing,  shivering  fits,  loss  of  appetite,  and  great  prostration. 
Generally  yielded  to  proper  treatment.  The  ordinary  amount  of 
diseases  of  the  digestive  organs. 

Joseph  Welsby,  Prescot,  Liverpool — Two  cases  of  glanders  in  horses 
and  six  of  rabies  in  dogs.  Pleuro-pneumonia  extensively  prevalent ; 
but  I  am  rarely  called  to  treat  them.  By  the  adoption  of  preventa- 
tive measures  the  number  sent  into  the  market  diseased  can  usually 
be  restricted  to  ten  per  cent.  Epizootic  aphtha  prevailed  ex- 
tensively during  the  past  year,  having  been  brought  by  pigs  from 
Ireland.  I  have  had  it  on  two  occasions  during  the  year.  It  af- 
fected the  parts  between  the  fingers  and  the  mouth ;  on  one  occasion 
I  had  to  live  on  liquids  for  two  days.  Several  farm-servants  had  it 
very  severely.  Diseases  of  the  respiratory  and  digestive  organs  were 
below  the  average.  Two  or  three  cases  of  periodic  ophthalmia. 
Black  quarter  scarce.  Parturient  fever  very  unusually  .  prevalent 
Few  cases  of  red  water,  and  no  cases  of  ophthalmia  in  cattle  except 
from  hearsay.  The  general  state  of  the  markets  is  such  that  people 
are  afraid  to  buy  in  them. 

Leicester — Edward  Oanton,  Loughborough. — There  was  a  great 
number  of  cases  of  pleuro-pneumonia  among  Irish  and  Dutch  cattle ; 
but  there  were  few  among  home-bred  beasts.  Epizootic  aphtha  ex- 
isted in  a  mild  form  during  the  summer.  Scab  in  sheep  was  less 
prevalent  than  in  the  previous  year.  Many  animals  were  exhibited  in 
the  markets  afiected  with  those  two  last  diseases.  Diseases  of  the 
digestive  organs  were  numerous,  but  not  fatal  during  the  winter. 
Diseases  of  the  digestive  organs  were  also  abundant  Black  quarter 
raged  extensively  during  the  last  few  months  of  the  year.  Two  cases 
of  splenic  apoplexy.     Parturient  fever  and  red  water  less  than  usually 

frequent    Many  calves  died  fxom  dvairhcea.    Sheep  also  suflfered 

from  diaxrbodSii,  and  pigs  from.  pleuxo-^ivevjiiiQm^, 


HEALTH  OP  STOCK  RETUENS.  403 

Lincolnshire. — Charles  J.  Whitworth, — Have  had  several  out- 
breaks of  pleuro-pileuinonia.  Scab  in  sheep  was  never  so  prevalent 
in  Lincolnshire  before.  Influenza,  with  low  fever,  was  very  prevalent ; 
there  was  no  discharge  from  the  nose,  but  intense  fever.  A  few  cases 
of  black  quarter,  though  the  country  generally  is  well  drained.  Several 
instances  of  parturient  fever.  On  one  farm  several  cows  dropped  pre- 
viously to  calving,  and  suffered  from  paralysis.  We  treated  success- 
fully by  nursing  and  stimulants,  and,  after  calving,  nervine  tonics. 
We  have  treated  several  flocks  of  lambs  for  strongylus  filaria  in  the  . 
bronchia. 

Mr  A.  H,  Santy,  Market  Deeping, — ^Pleuro-pneumonia  was  less  fre- 
quent than  in  1863.  If  taken  in  time  they  usually  got  better  under  the 
use  of  creosote,  setons,  and  blisters,  with  good  living  generally.  When 
an  outbreak  takes  place  I  always  seton  the  whole  herd  with  advan- 
tage. Epizootic  aphtha  and  scab  have  been  less  prevalent  than  usuaL 
Influenza  was  very  rife  among  horses  during  the  early  part  of  the 
year.  Obstinate  cases  of  constipation  were  common.  Black  quarter 
occurred  extensively  in  calves,  and  parturient  fever  in  cows.  Two 
cases  of  red  water,  and  two  of  ophthalmia  in  cattle.  Diarrhoea  in 
calves  existed  to  a  limited  extent. 

M,  HeySy  Brigg. — Pleuro-pneumonia  was  extensively  prevalent, 
but  in  a  milder  form  than  is  common.  Epizootic  aphtha,  sometimes 
accompanied  by  paralysis,  sometimes  simple  aphtha.  Scab  has  been 
very  prevalent  among  sheep.  Diseases  of  the  respiratory  organs  have 
been  common,  and  especially  influenza.  Many  cases  of  disorders  of 
the  digestive  organs  last  year  were  accompanied  by  paralysis.  Occa- 
sional cases  of  black  quarter  and  splenic  apoplexy.  Cows  suffered 
extensively  from  parturient  fever  and  red  water ;  the  latter  bring  dis- 
ease of  the  digestive  organs.  Diarrhoea  existed  extensively  among 
calves.  Besides  scab,  sheep  suffered. from  foot-rot,  diarrhoea,  and  a 
uterine  affection  •  before  lambing.  Pigs  had  measles  and  disease  of 
the  digestive  organs,  with  paralysis.  Many  people  have  suffered 
from  a  mild  form  of  aphtha. 

B.  W,  Dohson, — ^No  case  of  rabies  in  the  district  for  the  past  twelve 
years.  At  that  time  several  hundreds  of  sheep  suffered  in  one  dis- 
trict, having  been  bitten  by  mad  dogs.  Only  isolated  cases  of  pleuro- 
pneumonia, and  almost  exclusively  among  newly-purchased  animals. 
Epizootic  aphtha  was  more  general  during  the  early  part  of  the  year 
1864?  than  any  previous  year  since  its  first  appearance.  It  attacked 
sheep  and  pigs  extensively,  as  well  as  cattle.  I  have  seen  several 
shepherds  and  their  helpers  suffer  from  the  mouth  disease.  Their 
tongues  and  lips  bear  the  closest  resemblance  to  the  appearances  wit- 
nessed in  the  lower  animals.  Scab  more  prevalent  than  for  many 
years.  Scarcely  a  farm  is  free  from  it.  Most  of  the  farms  have 
either  public  or  occupation  roads  through  them.  Affections  of  the 
respiratory  organs  existed  to  a  limited  extent.  In  the  early  part  of 
the  year  there  were  a  few  cases  of  influenza,  but  in  no  unusual  form. 
During  summer  and  autumn  catarrhs.  Diseases  ol  tVi%  ^^'&^2^^ 
organs  decided]/  diminished  in  number,  lioia  Xk*^  tdlq^^  ^wKt-^^^a?^ 


404  HEALTH  OF  STOCK  BETUBK& 

of  oil' cake,  which  acts  as  a  correcter  of  imperfect  digestion.  Black 
quarter  above  an  average,  attacking  young  beasts,  from  six  to  fifteen 
months  old,  piincipally.  I  never  saw  a  single  beast  recover  in  ray 
thirty  years*  practice.  During  January  and  February  I  had  twenty- 
five  cases  of  splenic  apoplexy,  belonging  to  one  client,  but  never  saw 
one  alive,  as  they  were  taken  ill  and  died  before  any  one  noticed 
them.  They  all  occurred  on  one  occupation,  where  the  yards  are 
placed  near  the  sea,  and  with  a  northern  exposure,  and  but  little 
shelter.  The  cattle  were  well  fed,  laid  dry,  and  well  cared  for  in 
every  respect.  They  had  been  purchased  the  previous  September  at 
a  fair  only  eight  miles  distant.  Tlie  shepherd  had  two  healthy  four- 
year-old  "  cots "  die  from  the  same  character  of  disease,  but  more 
localised,  and  they  lived  only  a  few  hours  after  being  noticed.  I  had 
only  one  case  of  parturient  fever.  I  never  knew  this  disease  take  on 
an  endemic  form  in  this  neighbourhood.  Red  water  is  almost  un- 
known, and  ophthalmia  did  not  assume  an  endemic  character.  Diar- 
rhoea in  calves  less  prevalent  than  usual 

Middlesex. — F,  C.  Bouller,  Plumstead,  London. — I  have  only 
heard  of  one  case  of  hydrophobia  in  the  dog  during  the  past  year.. 
Several  other  dogs  were  bitten,  but  were  immediately  destroyed.  A 
boy  was  bitten  on  the  face,  and  died  from  the  effects  of  the  bite 
shortly  after.  Three  or  four  cases  of  epizootic  aphtha,  which  were  of 
a  mild  form,  and  terminated  favourably.  During  the  latter  part  of 
the  year  bronchitis  and  influenza  were  very  prevalent  among  horses, 
the  latter  assuming  an  asthenic  form,  and  proving  fatal  in  a  great 
number  of  cases.  Diseases  of  the  digestive  organs  in  the  horse  have 
been  less  prevalent  than  usual.  In  the  spring  an  affection  of  the  eye 
was  very  prevalent,  which,  from  its  character,  appeared  due  to  some 
atmospheric  influence.  It  was  confined  to  the  mars^hy  districts,  and 
in  many  cases  the  only  treatment  required  was  the  removal  of  the 
affected  animals  to  hill  pastura  In  this  district  few  cattle  or  sheep 
are  kept,  and  consequently  such  diseases  as  pleuro-pneumonia,  black 
quarter,  and  splenic  apoplexy  are  rarely  seen.  Horses  were  compara- 
tively healthy  until  November,  when  influenza  broke  out.  Its  most 
prominent  symptom  was  great  debility,  and  generally  terminated 
fatally  in  from  two  to  four  days,  if  not  properly  treated  in  the  early 
stage.  It  seemed  to  attack  the  better  class  of  horses,  and  those  in 
good  condition.  In  one  yard  where  twenty-four  horses  were  kept,  some 
for  carriage  purposes,  and  others  for  jobbing  work,  the  carriage 
horses,  which  were  in  good  condition,  and  kept  in  the  best  ventilated 
stables,  suffered  from  the  disease  in  its  most  acute  form ;  whilst  the 
jobbing  horses,  in  low  condition,  and  kept  in  worse  stables,  were  com- 
paratively free. 

Norfolk:. — J.  D.  Overed,  Blofield, — Pleuro-pneumonia  in  cattle 
has  been  less  prevalent  than  in  former  years.  The  majority  of  cases 
have  occurred  singly^  and  of  a  very  mild  nature.    At  least  fifty  per  cent. 


HEALTH  OF  STOCK  RETUBNS.  405 

of  the  affected  animals  have  recovered.  In  only  two  instances  has  the 
disease  simulated  an  outbreak.  The  first  occurred  among  a  lot  of 
short-horned  bullocks.  Several  cases  followed  each  other  in  rapid 
succession,  and  the  remainder  of  the  animals  were  sold  to  the  butcher. 
The  second  outbreak  occurred  in  November,  among  some  small  Dutch 
heifers,  of  which  three  were  attacked.  They  were  placed  under  treat- 
ment, and  recovered.  The  other  case  terminated  fatally  in  two  days. 
Foot  and  mouth  disease  has  been  very  common  am6ng  cattle ;  but 
as  it  generally  yields  in  a  few  days  to  good  nursing,  the  aid  of  a 
veterinary  surgeon  is  seldom  required.  Several  cases  of  a  very  severe 
nature  have  occurred  in  my  practice  during  the  past  year.  In  one  in- 
stance the  hoofs  dropped  off,  and  large  abscesses  formed  in  the  mouth 
and  pharynx.  This  case  terminated  fatally.  Diseases  of  the  diges- 
tive organs  have  been  rather  prevalent  among  horses,  due  mostly  to 
improper  feeding.  Three  or  four  cases  of  black  quarter  in  young 
cattle — all  terminating  fatally.  Eed  water  in  cattle  common,  but  the 
great  majority  of  caSes  have  recovered.  Sheep  have  been  compara- 
tively healthy  during  the  past  year.  Pneumonia  and  purpura  haemor- 
rhagica  have  been  very  prevalent  among  pigs.  We  often  see  cattle 
suffering  from  epizootic  aphtha  and  pleuro-pneumonia  exposed  for  sale 
in  our  public  markets.     Scabby  sheep  rarely  seen. 

Northampton.  — Jacob  Dawson,  Kettering. — Pleuro-pneumonia 
in  cattle  has  been  very  prevalent  in  this  district  during  the  past  year, 
appearing  mostly  among  bullocks  bought  at  fairs,  but  in  many  in- 
stances only  one  or  two  cases  have  occurred  in  a  stock,  owing  to  the 
segregation  of  the  affected  animals,  and.  the  adoption  of  other  pre- 
ventive measures.  Veterinary  surgeons  are  seldom  called  upon  to 
treat  this  disease,  but  I  have  found  the  use  of  salines  in  the  early 
stage,  followed  up  by  the  administration  of  vegetable  and  ferruginous 
tonics,  prove  very  beneficial.  There  can  be  no  doubt  of  the  contagious 
nature  of  pleuro-pneumonia ;  and  I  am  convinced  that  proper  market 
and  railway  regulations,  along  with  other  sanitary  improvements, 
would  do  much  to  rid  the  country  of  this  disease.  Foot-and-mouth  dis- 
ease prevails  to  a  great  extent  in  this  district,  but  as  it  generally  yields 
to  good  nursing  in  a  few  days  the  veterinary  surgeon  is  seldom  called 
in  to  treat  such  cases.  Scab  in  sheep  very  common  during  the  sum- 
mer and  autumn,  treated  in  most  cases  with  mercurial  ointment.  In 
the  spring  a  large  proportion  of  the  farm  horses  in  this  district  were 
affected  with  a  very  malignant  form  of  fever,  (scarlatina.)  The  dis- 
ease was  most  virulent  on  its  first  appeai'ance,  but  afterwards 
assumed  a  milder  form,  and  ultimately  disappeared  ;  only  a  few  cases 
proved  fatal.  Constipation,  accompanied  with  colicky  pains,  very  com- 
mon among  horses  during  the  summer.  On  several  farms  black 
quarter  proved  very  destructive  among  young  cattle  in  the  autumn, 
but  in  most  cases  setons  in  the  dewlap,  and  the  periodical  use  of 
saline  diuretics,  check  the  spread  of  the  disease.  No  cases  of  splenic 
apoplexy,  and  parturient  fever  less  prevalent  than  usual    TV^^b^To^r 


406  HEALTH  OP  STOCK  RETURNS. 

cipal  diseases  I  have  observed  in  sheep  have  been  hoose  in  Iambs, 
black-quarter  and  red-water.  Pigs  have  suffered  chiefly  from  epi- 
zootic aphtha  and  measles.  Cattle  affected  with  foot  and  mouth 
disease,  pleuro-pneumonia,  and  other  contagious  diseases,  are  ex- 
posed for  sale  in  our  public  markets ;  and  sheep  suffering  from  scab 
are  often  sold  as  perfectly  sound.  Sheep  suffer  in  large  numbers 
from  the  effects  of  mercurial  ointment  appHed  externally ;  many  cases 
of  this  kind  have  come  under  my  notice.  The  animals  die  suddenly 
as  if  suffering  from  a  malignant  blood  disease,  post-mortem  appear- 
ances similar  to  those  of  black  quarter.  Mr  Dawson  adds,  he  has 
known  one  shepherd  suffer  twice  from  epizootic  aphtha,  after  attend- 
ing animals  affected  with  this  disease. 

JohnParton,  Berry,  Northampton, — Influenza,  pleurisy,  and  pneu- 
monia, very  prevalent  among  horses  during  the  month  of  December ; 
about  the  average  number  of  cases  of  diseases  of  the  digestive  organs 
in  horses.  Hoose  in  calves  has  been  very  common,  in  most  cases  com- 
plicated with  obstinate  diarrhoea.  The  most  common  diseases  of  sheep 
are  diarrhoea  in  ewes.  Hoose  and  diarrhoea  in  lambs ;  and  in  many 
cases  sheep  suffer  from  the  application  of  mercurial  ointment  in  the 
treatment  of  scab.  Pneumonia  has  in  many  cases  proved  fatal 
among  pigs. 

Nottingham. — W,  Cope,  Newark — Glanders  and  farcy  in  horses 
very  much  on  the  increase,  more  especially  among  post  and  boat  horses. 
A  few  cases  of  pleuro-pneumonia  in  cattle,  the  result  of  contagion. 
Epizootic  aphtha  very  prevalent  among  dairy  stock  and  young  cattle, 
due  to  contagion.  Scab  in  sheep  prevalent.  Black  quarter  in  cattle 
has  prevailed  to  a  considerable  extent,  and  in  every  case  proved  fatal. 
Parturient  fever  very  common,  owing  to  dairy  stock  being  always  kept 
in  high  condition.  Diarrhoea  in  calves  very  common  during  the  spring 
months,  in  many  instances  terminating  fatally.  Diseases  of  the  respi- 
ratory organs  in  horses  very  prevalent;  and  owing  to  improper 
feeding,  diseases  of  the  digestive  organs  were  also  very  common. 
Cattle  affected  with  pleuro-pneumonia  are  seldom  exposed  for  sale  in 
the  market  here,  but  we  frequently  meet  with  cases  of  foot-and-mouth 
disease,  both  in  cattle  and  sheep,  in  our  public  fairs.  Scabby  sheep 
often  sold  as  sound.  I  have  often  seen  men  suffer  from  eruptions 
on  the  hands  while  attending  to  animals  affected  with  epizootic 
aphtha. 

Thomas  Newton,  Worksop. — I  have  only  seen  three  cases  of  pleuro- 
pneumonia in  cattle  during  the  past  year,  two  of  which  recovered. 
The  whole  of  these  cases  seemed  to  originate  spontaneously ;  so  far  as 
I  could  learn,  none  of  these  animals  had  been  brought  in  contact 
with  other  cattle.  Foot-and-mouth  disease  has  been  very  prevalent 
among  cattle ;  and  a  few  cases  of  this  disease  have  occurred  in  pigs 
in  this  district  during  the  year.  I  have  only  had  two  cases  of  splenic 
apoplexy,  and  three  of  parturient  fever,  for  the  last  twelve  months. 
Diarrhoea  and  hoose  in  calves  have  been  very  prevalent.    Among 


HEALTH  OP  STOCK  RETURNS.  407 

horses  cases  of  influenza  and  bronchitis  were  very  common,  but  com- 
paratively few  cases  of  diseases  of  the  digestive  organs  occurred.  In 
the  autumn  large  numbers  of  sheep  and  lambs  were  affected  with 
diarrhoea.  Animals  exposed  for  sale  in  our  public  markets  have  been 
very  free  of  contagious  diseases  throughout  the  whole  year. 

It.  S.  Wilson,  OUeston. — Glanders  and  farcy  in  horses  are  rarely 
seen  in  this  district,  and  no  cases  of  pleuro-pneumonia  in  cattle  have 
been  seen  for  the  last  two  or  three  years.  I  am  constantly  seeing 
cases  of  foot-and-mouth  disease  in  cattle,  sheep,  and  pigs ;  in  fact, 
this  district  never  seems  to  be  thoroughly  free  of  this  disease.  Scab 
in  sheep  is  by  no  means  uncommon,  but  farmers  always  try  to  keep 
an  outbreak  of  this  disease  as  secret  as  possible.  Purpura  hsemor- 
rhagica  and  periodic  ophthalmia  in  horses  very  uncommon,  but  dis- 
eases of  the  respiratory  and  digestive  organs  prevail  to  a  great  extent. 
Splenic  apoplexy  rarely  seen,  and  the  number  of  cases  of  black 
quarter  and  red  water  in  cattle  are  decreasing  yearly,  owing  to  the 
improvement  of  the  land  and  better  management  of  stock.  Parturient 
fever  very  common,  but  in  most  cases  I  believe  it  is  the  result  of  im- 
proper management,  and  change  of  food  about  the  time  of  calving. 
I  have  never  been- called  to  a  ease  where  I  could  not  discover  some 
change  of  diet.  Bran  mashes  given  to  cows  not  accustomed  to 
them  often  cause  the  disease,  but  where  cows  are  kept  on  rather  a 
short  allowance  of  their  ordinary  food  few  if  any  cases  occur.  Diar- 
rhoea in  calves  very  prevalent,  and  for  the  past  two  years  I  have  seen 
a  great  many  calves  suffering  from  paralysis  of  motion  in  the  posterior 
extremities,  sensation  normal,  but  the  animals  are  unable  to  get  up  ; 
in  such  cases  I  administer  oil,  and  put  a  smart  blister  over  the  loins, 
after  which  they  usually  recover  in  the  course  of  three  weeks  or  a 
month.  I  have  often  heard  persons  attending  animals  afifected  with 
epizootic  aphtha  complain  of  suffering  from  the  disease,  but  I  have  not 
seen  a  case  of  this  kind  myself. 

Oxford. — W,  Bennett,  Banbury, — Four  cases  of  farcy  in  horses 
have  been  brought  under  my  notice  during  the  past  year,  but  I  have 
not  seen  a  single  case  of  glanders.  Pleuro-pneumonia  in  cattle  occa- 
sionally breaks  out  in  this  district  as  the  result  of  contagion,  but  it 
has  not  prevailed  to  any  extent  in  my  practice  for  several  yeais. 
Epizootic  aphtha  very  prevalent;  black  quarter,  twelve  cases;  red 
water  in  cattle,  about  twenty  cases;  diarrhoea  in  calves  common. 
Influenza  and  diseases  of  the  respiratory  organs  in  horses  have  pie- 
vailed  to  a  greater  extent  than  usual ;  diseases  of  the  digestive  organs 
rather  below  the  average.  Among  sheep  the  principal  diseases  have 
been  scab  and  rot ;  and  among  pigs  splenic  apoplexy  has  been  very 
prevalent. 

Shropshire. — diaries  Dayas,  Longnor, — ^Two  cases  of  glanders 
in  horses.     Pleuro-pneumonia  in  cattle  has  not  been  prevalent  in  this 
district  during  the  past  year;  but  epizootic  aphtha*  's^rj  ^wjassiss^^ 
VoL.I.-^o.  VIII.— IfEwSERiBa.    August  1S05.  '^^ 


408  HEALTH  OP  STOCK  LETUKN3. 

mostly  of  a  mild  nature,  and  many  of  the  affected  animals  recovered 
without  any  medical  treatment.  Scab  in  sheep  has  not  been  so  pre- 
valent as  in  former  years.  In  spring,  diseases  of  the  digestive  organs 
in  horses  prevailed  to  a  great  extent,  and  in  many  cases  proved  fatal; 
throughout  the  whole  year  cases  of  influenza  have  been  very  common. 
Black  quarter  has  raged  a  good  deal,  one-year-old  cattle  suffering 
most;  some  herds  of  yearlings  have  been  reduced  60  or  70  per 
cent,  from  this  disease  alone.  Fewer  cases  of  splenic  apoplexy  than 
in  former  years ;  parturient  fever  never  prevails  to  any  extent  in  this 
district;  and  we  have  been  nearly  free  of  red  water  in  cattle  last 
year.  Ophthalmia  in  cattle  has  been  very  prevalent,  assuming  the 
form  of  an  epidemic.  Most  of  the  animals  have  recovered,  but  in 
some  cases  permanent  blindness  has  been  the  result.  Animals  ex- 
posed for  sale  in  our  public  markets  during  the  past  year  have  been 
in  general  healthy.  A  few  cases  of  foot-and-mouth  disease  were  to 
be  seen,  but  so  far  as  I  am  aware  neither  cattle  affected  with  pleuro- 
pneumonia, nor  scabby  sheep,  have  ever  appeared  in  any  of  our  mar- 
kets or  fairs. 

Somerset. — W.  Evans y  Ilminster, — Pleuro-pneumonia  in  cattle 
has  not  prevailed  to  any  extent  in  this  district  for  the  last  three  or 
four  years.  I  have  met  with  a  good  many  cases  of  foot-and-mouth 
disease  during  the  past  year.  Diseases  of  the  digestive  organs  have 
been  most  common  among  horses  ;  in  many  instances  caused  by  large 
quantities  of  dry  indigestible  food.  About  the  average  number  of 
cases  of  diseases  of  the  respiratory  organs. 

0,  S.  Whitmore,  Langport, — Pleuro-pneumonia  in  cattle  a  few 
cases  ;  loss  about  3  per  cent. ;  foot-and-mouth  disease  was  very  pre- 
valent among  cattle  in  the  month  of  February ;  both  pleuro-pneu- 
monia and  epizootic  aphtha  are,  in  my  opinion,  due  to  atmospheric 
influence.  Cases  of  indigestion  in  horses  caused  by  hard  dry  indi- 
gestible food  were  very  common,  and  during  the  months  of  Septem- 
ber and  October  gastritis  and  tympanitis  prevailed  to  the  extent  of 
20  per  cent.  Ophthalmia  and  pneumonia  in  horses  about  10  per 
cent.  Black  quarter  has  been  rather  prevalent,  parturient  fever 
about  5  per  cent.,  and  red  water  in  cattle  10  per  cent.  In  July, 
August,  and  September,  cattle  suffered  a  good  deal  from  an  affection 
of  the  eye,  which  appeared  at  flrst  like  a  small  speck  on  the  cornea, 
gradually  increasing  in  size,  and  granulations  or  fungi  of  a  red  colour 
and  spongy  nature,  growing  from  the  centre  of  the  cornea,  often  pre- 
senting the  appearance  of  an  ulcer.  Rot  in  sheep  is  very  common  in 
our  low  pasture  grounds,  and  foot-rot  often  troublesome.  In  many 
of  our  low  pasture  grounds,  rot  is  very  common  both  in  cattle  and  sheep, 
and  foot-rot  in  sheep  as  high  as  30  per  cent.  I  have  never  seen  ani- 
mals suffering  from  contagious  diseases  exposed  for  sale  in  our  public 
markets. 

SuEEEY. — W.  F.  Cross,  Durham  House,  Battersea, — Several  cases 


HEALTH  OF  STOCK  EETURNS.  409 

of  glanders  in  horses,  but  very  few  of  farcy.  This  district  has  been 
free  from  foot-and-mouth  disease  during  the  past  year,  and  we  had 
comparatively  few  cases  of  pleuro-pneumonia  in  cattle.  Horses  have 
been  tolerably  free  from  diseases  of  the  digestive  organs  ;  but  diseases 
of  the  respiratory  organs  have  been  very  prevalent  among  draught 
horses.  Several  hundreds  of  pigs  have  died  in  this  district,  present- 
ing the  following  symptoms  : — -loss  of  appetite,  panting,  sitting  on 
their  haunches,  and  in  some  cases  rapid  inflammation  of  the  fore  arms, 
and  red  patches  on  various  parts  of  the  body.  Post-mortem  appear- 
ances— abscesses  of  the  lungs  and  liver,  in  some  cases  the  intestines 
very  much  inflamed.  I  and  my  assistant  were  daily  engaged  mak- 
ing post-mortem  examinations  of  these  pigs,  and  about  the  fifth  day 
we  both  observed  red  patches,  similar  to  those  on  the  pigs,  appearing 
on  our  hands  and  arms ;  we  consulted  a  medical  man,  who  confirmed 
our  suspicions,  that  it  was  caused  by  our  handling  the  diseased  car- 
cases ;  we  discontinued  the  post-mortem  examination,  and  the  erup- 
tion disappeared.  I  am  of  opinion  that  the  flesh  of  animals  sufiering 
from  disease,  should  never  be  sold  as  human  food,  and  proper  veteri- 
nary inspectors  should  be  appointed  to  prevent  such  trafiic. 

Sussex. — Vincent  Vine,  Lewes, — Pleuro-pneumonia  in  cattle  has 
not  been  prevalent  during  the  past  year,  it  has  mostly  afiected  ani- 
mals in  Icvv  condition  bought  at  fairs.  Some  dases  of  spontaneous 
origin  on  one  farm  where  twenty-three  cows  are  kept ;  the  first  case 
occurred  August  17th,  the  second  case  September  6th,  and  third 
case  October  27th.  These  cows  had  all  been  bred  and  kept  on  the 
farm,  no  fresh  stock  had  been  bought,  and  no  cases  of  pleuro-pneu- 
monia had  been  observed  in  the  neighbourhood.  After  the  first  case 
occurred  I  recommended  change  of  pasture,  and  in  addition  oil-cake 
and  bran,  and  the  whole  herd  to  go  through  a  regular  course  of 
medicine — a  plan  I  have  never  known  to  fail  in  arresting  the  pro- 
gress of  the  disease.  I  believe  pleuro-pneumonia  often  lies  lurking 
in  the  system  for  months,  ready  to  break  out  when  the  animal  is  ex- 
posed to  any  exciting  cause,  such  as  heat,  cold,  wet,  short  rations,  or 
bad  food.  Few  cases  of  foot-and-mouth  disease  compared  with  for- 
mer years,  and  scab  in  sheep  almost  unknown  in  this  part  of  the 
country.  Diseases  of  the  respiratory  organs  in  horses  have  been 
very  prevalent,  more  especially  catarrh  and  pneumonia ;  diseases  of. 
the  digestive  organs  rather  above  the  average  number  of  cases. 
Black  quarter  prevails  to  a  great  extent  in  this  neighbourhood,  but  I 
am  generally  successful  in  arresting  its  progress  by  a  change  of  diet 
and  a  little  medicine  to  bring  about  a  healthy  condition  of  the  blood. 
Ophthalmia  in  cattle  was  very  prevalent  during  the  summer  months, 
and  in  the  autumn  many  calves  were  afiected  with  diarrhoea.  Cases  of 
parturient  fever  far  more  common  than  usual.  In  our  markets  stock 
are  generally  healthy,  but  occasionally  a  few  cases  of  pleuro-pneumonia 
and  foot-and-mouth  disease  may  be  seen. 


412  HEALTH  OF  STOCK  RETURNS. 

Last  spring  pigs  suffered  from  a  most  fatal  affection,  as  I  believe,  of 
the  throat.  Some  seemed  well  in  the  morning,  and  in  the  evening 
were  found  dead ;  others  coughed  and  pined  away,  dying  in  three  or 
four  days ;  in  these  cases  the  skin  had  a  pinkish  hue,  and  if  the 
animals  lived  for  about  a  week  the  integument  was  covered  with 
scabs.  I  have  also  met  recently  with  rickets  in  pigs ;  the  joints  were 
swollen,  and  some  of  them  ulcerating.  A  farmer  in  the  district  lost 
four  calves  rather  suddenly  from  eating  new  burnt  oat  sheaves  cut  up 
.  with  the  straw-cutter.  The  six  were  left  well  at  night,  and  the  fol- 
lowing morning  three  were  found  dead.  The  other  three  appeared 
healthy  ;  but  one  took  ill  at  ten  A.M.,  and  died  ere  my  arrival  The 
other  two  were  ill,  but  recovered  under  appropriate  treatment.  In 
the  one  that  died  the  rumen  was  loaded  with  indigested  food ;  the 
omasum  impacted ;  and  the  rectum  congested.  These  animals  fed 
exclusively  on  the  cut  oat  sheaves. 

William  Dowthwaite,  Jun.,  Beverley. — One  case  of  glanders. 
About  four  months  ago  a  man  died  in  Beverley  from  hydrophobia, 
caused  by  the  bite  of  a  dog ;  but  I  have  seen  no  cases  of  rabies. 
There  were  several  cases  of  pleuro-pneumonia  during  the  summer  of 
1864.  Since  then  there  has  been  very  little.  I  have  not  seen  a  case 
of  this  contagious  disease  for  three  months.  All  the  cases  I  have 
seen  could  always  be  clearly  proved  to  result  from  contagion.  Epi- 
zootic aphtha  raged  to  a  great  extent  during  the  summer  of  18(34, 
especially  in  the  common  pastures  belonging  to  the  freemen  of  Beverley. 
Animals  coming  from  all  parts  are  turned  into  these  pastures  without 
any  veterinary  inspection.  Scab  in  «heep  seems  increasing  to  a  large 
extent.  I  saw  many  cases  in  18C4,  and  still  keep  hearing  of  new 
ones.  Influenza  was  prevalent  among  horses  during  the  latter  part 
of  1864,  and  seems  increasing  at  present,  (February.)  Diseases  of  the 
digestive  organs  have  been  unusually  frequent,  chiefly,  I  believe,  from 
the  horses  having  too  much  cut  meat.  A  few  cases  of  periodic  oph- 
thalmia occurred  during  the  last  six  months.  Many  fine  young 
cattle  died  from  black  quarter  during  the  autumn  of  1864.  A  great 
many  good  cows  died  (as  usual  in  the  district)  from  parturient  fever. 
I  have  only  seen  two  cases  of  red  water  for  the  last  six  months  ;  it  is 
not  prevalent  in  this  district.  Sheep  have  suffered  from  ophthalmia 
for  the  last  six  months.  Diarrhoea  existed  to  some  extent  among 
calves.  Very  little  diseased  stock  has  been  shown  in  our  markets  if 
we  except  epizootic  aphtha. 

Sam.  Francis  Fallding,  Southgate, — There  have  been  few  cases 
of  pleuro-pneumonia  in  my  neighbourhood ;  I  only  attended  six,  of 
which  four  recovered.  Much  epizootic  aphtha  among  cattle  and 
pigs  ;  but  the  veterinary  surgeon  is  never  consulted  concerning  them. 
This  is  the  only  disease  that  has  been  seen  to  any  extent  in  our 
markets.  Affections  of  the  respiratory  organs  were  not  prevalent 
during  1864  ;  but  during  the  past  and  present  months,  (January  and 
Pebruary,)  there  have  been  many  cases  (in  Wakefield)  of  influenza,  or, 
&8  Professor  Varnell  calls  it,  biMoua  feNet.    Colic  and  obstruction  of 


HEALTH  OF  STOCK  EETURNS.  413 

the  bowels  were  frequently  seen  in  horses.  I  had  one  caise  of  purpura 
hsemorrhagica,  which  died  twelve  hours  after  I  was  called  in.  I  had 
no  cases  of  black  quarter  during  1864 ;  but  it  has  broken  out  this 
month,  (February ;)  it  has.  broken  out  at  two  farms  in  the  neighbour- 
hood. One  person  lost  three,  of  the  respective  ages  of  five,  eight,  and 
sixteen  months  ;  and  a  fourth,  a  two-year-old  hetfer,  six  months  gone 
in  calf.  The  other  farmer  only  lost  a  six-months-old  calf.  There 
occurred  a  great  number  of  cases  of  parturient  fever,  of  which  about 
one  in  four  recovered. 

J.  Home,  Barnsley, — I  have  met  with  a  number  of  isolated  cases 
of  pleuro -pneumonia  among  herds  of  from  ten  to  twenty.  In  one  or 
two  cases  five  or  six  have  been  lost,  and  in  one  instance  sixteen.  In 
all  the  cases  I  traced  the  cattle  had  been  bought  at  market,  and 
many  of  them  had  been  brought  from  different  parts  of  the  country 
by  railway.  The  general  result  was  death.  Epizootic  aphtha  has 
prevailed  among  cattle  and  pigs  to  a  very  great  extent.  In  many 
cases  it  was  brought  by  Irish  pigs  imported  by  way  of  Liverpool. 
Scab  in  sheep  has  existed  largely  during  the  whole  year.  The  foot 
and  mouth  disease,  and  scab,  have  been  almost  the  only  diseases  seen 
in  our  markets.  Diseases  of  the  respiratory  organs  have  been 
moderately  prevalent ;  those  of  the  digestive  organs  much  less  so.  A 
few  cases  of  ophthalmia  was  seen  in  horses.  I  saw  a  few  cases  of 
black  quarter  and  parturient  fever.  Had  only  two  cases  of  red  water, 
and  a  few  of  ophthalmia  and  diarrhoea  in  calves.  I  had  also  several 
cases  of  filaria  in  the  bronchia  of  calves.  Sheep  have  died  to  some 
extent  from  bronchitis  and  pneumonia ;  and  pigs  have  perished  in 
great  numbers  from  some  chest  affection,  the  nature  of  which  I  am 
not  fully  acquainted  with. 

Edward  Hoyland,  Barnsley, — I  saw  many  cases  of  glanders  in 
the  end  of  1863,  caused  by  contagion ;  none  in  1864.  Pleuro^ 
pneumonia  prevailed  to  a  large  extent  among  lean  cattle  imported 
from  Hamburgh.  Foot-and-mouth  disease  was  very  rife  among 
cattle,  sheep,  and  pigs,  the  cause  being  principally  contagion.  A  few 
cases  of  scab  occurred  on  one  farm.  Contagious  diseases  seem  to  be 
chiefly  due  to  lean  foreign  stock  which  are  brought  in  large  numbers 
into  our  markets  and  are  extensively  carried  in  railway  trucks. 
Many  of  these  show  no  sign  of  disease  until  they  have  been  in  the 
owner's  possession  for  two  or  three  weeks,  when  pleuro-pneumonia 
breaks  out  among  them.  I  know  a  case  in  which  a  gentleman 
suffered  from  epizootic  aphtha  obtained  by  inoculation  while  draw- 
ing the  teats  of  a  cow  suffering  from  the  disease.  The  virus  entered 
through  some  sores  on  the  hand.  Diseases  of  the  respiratory  organs 
have  been  less  prevalent  than  usual  among  horses — the  principal  were 
influenza  and  catarrh.  Affections  of  the  digestive  organs  were 
common  among  agricultural  horses,  being  brought  about  chiefly  by 
innutritions  and  bad  food,  such  as  chopped  wheat  straw,  &c.  Black 
quarter  prevailed  to  a  great  extent,  and  was  very  fatal  during  the  last 
three  months  of  1864.     A  few  cases  of  splenic  a^jo^ilfc-x^j  <^^^^is:^<^\. 


414j  influenza  in  the  horse. 

Parturient  fever  has  been  less  frequent  than  in  previous  years,  as  the 
farmers  do  not  keep  over  the  first  two  or  three  calvings,  but  feed  them 
for  market.  Some  cases  of  red  water  occur  in  the  winter  months 
when  cattle  are  on  turnips.  Pigs  suffered  largely  from  measles.  One 
farmer  lost  upwards  of  fifty  young  pigs  from  this  disease.  The 
health  of  stock  is  at  present  much  better  than  I  have  known  it  for 
some  years. 


A  Paper  upon  "  Influenza  in  the  Horse''  read  before  the  Lancashire 
Veterinary  Medical  Association  in  the  Royal  Institution,  Man- 
chester ;  also  before  the  Yorkshire  Veterinary  Medical  Society  at 
Harrogate.    By  Mr  Thomas  Greaves,  M.K.C.V.S. 

Mr  President  and  Gentlemen, — I  have  no  desire  to  conceal  the 
fact  that  I  feel  flattered  in  being  permitted  to  be  the  first  veterinary 
surgeon  who  has  ever  delivered  an  address  upon  veterinary  science  in 
this  noble  building :  nay,  the  honour  thus  conferred  upon  me  creates 
within  me  a  pardonable  pride  when  I  see  before  me  so  large  a  body 
of  enlightened,  intelligent,  and  scientific  men,  who  are  my  fellow  prac- 
titioners in  this  my  native  town.  It  is  at  the  express  desire  of  our 
•worthy  President  that  I  appear  before  you  on  this  auspicious  occa- 
sion ;  and  however  much  we  may  regret  that  the  task  has  not  fallen 
to  the  lot  of  some  other  member  who  could  have  handled  this  most 
interesting  and  important  subject  more  ably  than  I  can  do — some 
one  who  could  have  imported  new  thoughts,  new  and  original  ideas 
into  it,  penetrated  it  with  a  new  light,  th^  keen  scorching  light  of 
science,  and  by  these  means  rendered  this  paper  more  interesting, 
useful,  and  valuable — I  say,  however  much  this  is  to  be  regretted,  I 
can  assure  you,  if  an  anxious  desire,  coupled  with  a  faithful  exercise 
of  my  humble  abilities,  can  render  this  paper  worthy  of  this  great 
occasion,  or  worthy  of  your  kind  approbation,  then  on  these  grounds 
I  have  a  clear  title  to  success. 

I  shall  now  bring  before  your  notice  the  subject  we  are  called 
together  to-night  to  consider — viz.,  *'  Influenaa  in  the  Horse,"  and  in 
doing  so,  for  the  sake  of  order,  I  shall  divide  it  into  three  parts — ^viz., 
the  Cause,  Nature,  and  Treatment. 

\st.  The  Cause  of  Influenza, — The  pestilence  which  walketh  in 
darkness  is  no  fijction.  Both  sacred  and  profane  writers  give 
ample  proof  that,  from  the  very  earliest  times  down  to  the 
present  age,  man  has  been  periodically  startled  by  its  silent,  in- 
visible, mysterious,  and  awful  ravages.  I  can  conceive  of  no 
calamity  more  appalling  to  contemplate  than  that  of  whole  dis- 
tricts devastated,  and  multitudes  of  human  beings  swept  off  in 
a  few  hours,  or  a  few  days,  by  some  invisible  but  irresistible 
agency.     Well  might  the  ancients  in  their  terror  attribute  it  to  a 


INFLUENZA  IN  THE  HOESB.  415 

destroying  angel ;  but  its  destructive  influence  has  not  been  confined 
to  man.  Animals  have  been  from  time  to  time  swept  off  in  great 
multitudes.  The  cause,  or  causes,  appeared  at  the  time  inscrutable  ; 
but  in  all  probability  they  were  one  and  the  same  agency,  and  their 
degree  of  virulence  was  dependent  upon  certain  modified  circum- 
stances. Notwithstanding,  whatever  may  be  said  to  the  contrary,  a 
mystery  overhangs  every  epizootic  disease,  giving  rise  to  vague  and 
contradictory  notions  in  reference  to  its  precise  cause.  Now,  upon 
this  point,  as  well  as  upon  the  point  of  the  nature  and  treatment  of 
influenza,  it  will  be  observed,  as  we  proceed,  that  I  have  dared  to  step 
out  from  the  beaten  tract  of  routine,  and  have  dared  to  advance  some 
new  theories.  I  am  not  abandoning  the  cause  of  science  and  progress 
by  uttering  these  sentiments.  I  believe  the  question  to  be  a  question 
between  progress  and  retrogression,  and  the  issue  we  have  to  try  is  of 
enormous  importance.  In  the  first  place — it  is  quite  safe  to  conclude 
that  this  distemper  which  has  ravaged  the  whole  of  England  and  the 
Continent  of  Europe  during  the  last  winter,  emanates  from  atmo- 
spheric causes  acting  directly  upon  the  organic  system  of  nerves ;  but 
what  the  precise  nature  of  that  cause  is,  our  finest  tests  in  science  has 
as  yet  failed  to  detect.  The  conclusions  that  I  have  come  to  are  as 
follows : — in  the  first  place,  that  that  state ^of  the  system  which  we  are 
in  the  habit  of  designating  *' influenza,"  is  not  of  itself  a  disease  at 
all,  it  is  simply  a  sequence,  or  a  particular  condition  of  the  constitu- 
tion in  which  there  is  an  absence  of  the  requisite  quantity  of  nervous 
energy,  deranging  the  vital  principle,  inciting  irritability.  And, 
secondly,  that  the  system  does  not  become  affected  through  the 
medium  of  respiration,  but  through  the  medium  of  the  skin.  I  can- 
not bring  my  mind  to  believe  that  epizootics  of  this  nature  are  depend- 
ent upon  some  disproportion  of  oxygen  in  the  air,  or  to  the  presence 
of  sulphuretted  hydrogen,  or  ozone,  nor  yet  to  any  organic  or  inor- 
ganic morbific  matter  in  the  air.  I  should  rather  attribute  it  to 
some  change  or  modification  in  the  magnetical  or  electrical  state  of 
the  atmosphere  altering  its  relations  to  the  living  body.  I  will  give 
you  my  reasons  for  these  conclusions  :  if  the  epizootic  was  propagated 
through  the  medium  of  respiration  the  tissues  which  had  come  first 
in  contact  with  the  poison  or  iiTitant  in  its  unspent  or  undiluted  form 
would,  as  a  matter  of  course,  suffer  the  most.  If  a  horse  or  a  man 
takes  an  irritant  poison  of  which  he  dies,  what  do  we  find  ?  Why, 
intense  inflammation  of  the  mucous  membrane  of  the  stomach  and 
bowels.  If  a  horse  or  man  is  half  suffocated  in  the  fumes  or  dense 
smoke  of  a  fire  so  that  in  a  few  days  he  dies,  what  do  we  find  ?  Why, 
intense  inflammation  of  the  mucous  membrane  of  the  air  passages  and 
congestion  of  the  lungs ;  in  either  case,  we  find  that  the  very  tissues 
which  have  come  into  direct  actual  contact  with  the  irritant  are  most 
severely  affected,  so  should  we  find  it  to  be  the  case  in  influenza  if  it 
was  caused  by  some  irritant,  or  morbific  poison  in  the  air.  But  what 
does  post-mortem  examinations  of  true  influenza  cases  prove  to  us  ? 
They  show  us  unmistakably  it  is  not  so ;  that  fixxa  dfeY\^i;aXa  \!£i'^\s^\»s^^ 


416  INFLUENZA  IN  THE  HOBSK 

in  the  air  cells  is  nearly  always  perfectly  free  from  disease ;  frequently 
we  find  these  tissues  in  a  state  the  very  reverse  of  congestion,  in- 
flammation, or  tumefaction ;  they  are  of  a  lighter  colour,  are  less  in 
weight  and  less  in  bulk  than  when  in  health,  and  even  in  those  cases 
where  we  have  hydrothorax  or  hydrops  pericardii,  this  has  not  been 
preceded  by  the  slightest  inflammatory  action,  it  has  exhaled  out  of  / 
the  surfaces  and  not  exuded.  I  look  upon  these  facts  as  almost,  if 
not  quite  proof  positive  that  it  is  not  attributable  to  a  morbific 
poison  or  to  a  putrescence  in  the  atmosphere. 

The  true  cause  of  "  influenza  "  must  be  looked  for  in  the  "  peculiar 
condition  of  the  atmosphere  and  the  favourable  state  of  the  skin  and 
coat  in  the  animal  himself."  I  consider  that  the  primary  cause  of 
this  epizootic  is  a  deficiency  of  electricity  in  the  atmosphere  during 
the  whole  of  the  period  the  distemper  is  prevalent,  and  that  during 
the  time  that  that  deficiency  exists  an  insensible  influence  is  exerted 
upon  all  animals,  and  the  degree  that  they  are  aflected  is  in  propor- 
tion to  their  susceptibility  and  favourable  conditions.  The  effects 
produced  are,  in  the  first  place,  felt  in  the  nervous  system ;  and, 
secondarily,  upon  the  vascular  system.  The  manner  in  which  it 
affects  the  system  is  by  robbing  it  of  a  certain  quantity  of  animal 
electricity  in  order  to  effect  an  equilibrium,  a  {peculiar  sensation  in 
many  respects  simulating.  A  chill  is  experienced  whilst  this  ab- 
stracting process  is  going  on,  a  creeping  sensation  is  immediately 
felt  in  every  part,  the  horse  experiences  a  pricking,  uneasy  sensa- 
tion, frequently  attended  with  rigor,  the  system  being  in  a  perfectly 
passive  state  during  this  time.  I  consider  the  abstraction  of  the 
invigorating  principle  is  not  confined  to  the  solids  but  the  vital 
fluids  also ;  there  is  a  loss  of  animal  heat,  the  skin  is  cold,  and  if  it 
is  permitted  to  go  on  radiating  the  whole  system  soon  becomes 
thoroughly  affected,  and  the  vital  powers  are  thrown  prostrate,  par- 
taking somewhat  of  a  state  of  torpidity.  It  must  not  be  forgotten 
that  the  skin  is  a  perfect  network  of  nervous  filaments,  and  that 
these  nervous  filaments  have  both  direct  and  indirect  connexion  with 
all  the  nervous  centres,  and  through  them  with  every  vital  organ  in 
the  body ;  that  there  exists  between  them  the  most  perfect  sympathy  ; 
no  scientific  instrument  however  delicate  is  more  susceptible,  or  is  a 
more  certain  indicator.  I  will  give  you  an  example  to  show  that 
the  skin  is  an  agent  of  vital  importance — if  I  drop  a  small  quantity  of 
spirit  upon  a  mouse  I  can  soon  deprive  it  of  life,  the  evaporation 
robs  the  surface  of  the  skin  of  heat,  and  the  vital  organs  radiate  the 
nervous  energy  so  rapidly  that  the  functions  of  life  in  six  minutes 
cease  altogether ;  again,  if  I  cover  completely  the  skin  of  a  dog  or  a 
cat  with  a  thick  covering  of  varnish,  so  as  to  isolate  the  living  body 
from  the  atmosphere,  so  as  to  completely  intercept  the  passage  of 
electricity,  the  vital  or  nerve  force  in  the  system  soon  becomes  spent 
and  exhausted,  and  the  functions  of  vitality  cannot  be  continued.  I 
look  upon  this  as  a  proof  that  the  radiation  of  heat  alone  is  not  flie 
cause  of  death  in  the  former  instance,  but  that  it  is  referable  to  the 


INFLUENZA  IN  THE  HOESE.  417 

abstraction  of  vital  principle,  and  in  the  latter  experiment  the  vital 
principle  existing  in  the  living  body  has  become  consumed  or  ex- 
hausted, and  incapable  of  being  replenished.  This  great  fact  must 
be  steadily  borne  in  mind,  that  every  minute  the  animal  is  living, 
every  minute  he  is  dying,  every  minute  he  is  breathing,  every  minute 
there  is  an  exhaustion  of  a  certain  amount  of  vital  force,  which  if 
not  recruited  must  end  in  dissolution.  My  own  experience  has 
proved  to  me  that  influenza  is  not  dependent  upon  the  low  tempera- 
ture of  the  air ;  if  cold  weather  was  of  itself  an  exciting  cause,  we 
should  always  find  the  greatest  number  of  fresh  cases  on  the  day 
or  the  day  after  an  intensely  cold  day  and  night,  whereas  we  do  not 
find  that  to  be  the  case.  I  find  nearly  as  many  fresh  cases  during 
the  prevalence  of  beautiful,  fine,  dry,  warm  weather,  a  clear,  crisp 
atmosphere,  as  in  a  wet,  dull,  murky  atmosphere — I  mean  during  the 
whole  time  the  epizootic  is  prevalent.  A  long  continuance  of  east 
winds  may  possibly  contribute  some  of  the  conditions  necessary  to 
its  development;  but  of  this  I  am  persuaded,  whenever  epizootic 
disease  is  prevalent  the  mystery  is  dependent  upon  some  invisible 
subtle  agency  operating  from  without,  and  exists  in  the  atmosphere ; 
as  Mr  Youatt  said  thirty  years  ago,  "  It  is  a  vast,  a  noble  field  for 
future  research,  it  will  immortalise  him  who  traverses  successfully  all 
its  paths,  but  at  present  it  is  an  undiscovered  country  in  which  we 
should  be  cautious  not  to  bewilder  ourselves.'' 

I  do  not  wish  to  convey  to  you  the  idea  that  the  whole  force  of 
the  attack  is  instantaneous ;  what  I  want  you  clearly  to  understand, 
supposing  an  animal  in  perfect  health,  in  tip-top  condition,  surrounded 
and  pressed  upon  by  an  atmosphere  which  is  in  this  peculiar  state, 
the  rapidity  and  intensity  of  the  attack  will  be  dependent  upon  the 
state  of  the  skin  and  coat  of  such  animal  As  to  it  acting  as  a  good 
conductor  or  a  nonconductor,  if  the  animal  has  a  thick  coat,  or  is 
clothed  too  much,  inducing  a  damp  state  of  the  coat,  and  whilst  in 
this  state  permitted  to  stand  starving  in  a  cold  stable,  or  outside  in 
the  open  air,  that^  is  the  precise  time  the  mischief  takes  place. 
There  is  no  process  of  incubation  in  this  afiection.  If  all  the  condi- 
tions are  favourable  to  radiation  his  system  can  contract  the  affection 
suddenly,  and  become  infected  to  a  degree  entitling  it  to  the  term 
influenza  in  five  minutes ;  but  if  the  conditions  are  not  so  favourable, 
it  will  require  twenty  or  thirty  minutes'  exposure  to  the  same  trying 
circumstances  to  produce  the  same  effects,  and  in  some  less  suscep- 
tible animals  they  may  tolerate  the  influence  for  several  days.  I  am 
decidedly  of  opinion  there  are  numbers  of  horses  that  are  not  at  all 
susceptible  to  the  influence,  and  even  those  that  are  susceptible  after 
they  have  passed  through  it,  with  very  rare  exceptions,  enjoy  an  im- 
munity from  it ;  it  would  appear  the  constitution  has  become  inured 
or  accommodated  to  it,  for  they  shaU  grow  and  enjoy  perfect  health 
after,  and  this  too  in  the  same  atmosphere ;  not,  as  may  be  imagined, 
that  the  influence  in  the  atmosphere  has  spent  itself,  because  that  is 
not  the  case ;  that  the  influence  is  still  existing  ixi  ^\i^  mSj^^x^^s^^ 


418  INFLUENZA  IN  THE  HOESB. 

by  numbers  of  fresh  cases  being  attacked  in  other  places  in  the  same 
town  ;  but  in  length  of  time  it  would  appear  an  equilibrium  is  estab- 
lished, and  it  is  no  longer  a  noxious  element,  for  the  whole  family 
of  horses  become  systematised  or  climatised.  Horses  occupying  the 
most  healthy  and  best  ventilated  stables  are  equally  liable  to  contract 
the  complaint ;  but  there  is  this  in  it,  with  them  it  is  less  malignant 
and  less  fatal  In  this  city  my  experience  of  it  ran  a  period  of  about 
six  months,  from  beginning  of  November  to  May. 

I  wish  to  call  your  attention  to  the  fact,  that  at  other  times  the 
animals  may  experience  a  chill,  and  have  a  check  of  perspiration,  and 
the  result  will  be  an  ordinary  catarrhal  affection — ^viz.,  sore  throat, 
sore  cough,  nasal  discharge,  &c.,  &c.,  but  when  this  subtle  agency 
exists  in  the  air,  and  is  exerting  itself,  another  phenomenon  is  wit- 
nessed of  entirely  different  nature,  of  essentially  typhoid  tendencies, 
the  distinguishing  mark  or  effect  of  which  is  an  unusual,  peculiar, 
and  general  weakness,  a  most  susceptible  system,  and  the  small,  feeble 
■  character  of  the  pulse. 

Contagion  and  Infection. — Is  this  one  of  the  causes  of  this  epi- 
zootic ?  My  experiences  have  led  me  to  the  conclusion  that  it  is  not 
I  have  seen  much  of  this  distemper,  and  have  watched  it  closely,  but 
up  to  the  present  time  I  have  not  observed  one  single  clear  instance 
of  an  affected  animal  communicating  the  distemper  to  a  healthy  one. 
My  own  horses  have,  during  every  day  for  the  last  six  months^  passed 
close  by,  even  smelling  nose  to  nose  with  some  of  the  most  inveterate 
and  malignant  cases;  they  are  frequently  put  into  the  very  stalls 
amongst  sick  horses,  and  to  all  appearance  they  have  never  had  for 
one  moment  a  vestige  of  the  complaint  upon  them.  I  must  remind 
you  that  contagion,  strictly  speaking,  implies,  as  you  know,  the 
capability  of  certain  diseases  being  produced  by  actual  contact  of  the 
healthy  animal  with  some  part  of  the  one  labouring  under  the 
disease,  and  not  through  the  medium  of  the  atmosphere; -on  the 
other  hand,  infection  is  the  word  used  to  denote  the  propagation  of 
maladies  through  the  medium  of  the  air,  which  becomes  charged 
with  the  contaminating  principle  given  off  in  the  form  of  exhalations 
from  the  diseased  animal,  and  which  excites  the  like  disease  in  those 
animals  that  are  subjected  to  its  influence,  they  being  predisposed  to 
take  on  the  malady. 

2d  The  Nature  of  Influenza, — Most  influenzas  have  been  noted  for 
affecting  severely  the  mucous  membranes  of  the  air  passages,  but  in 
this  present  epizootic,  with  only  rare  exceptions,  nothing  has  occurred 
of  the  kind  that  has  attracted  notice  ;  their  phases  may  vary  in  several 
points  of  detail,  but  they  have  all  many  points  in  common.  I  hold 
in  my  hand  a  treatise  on  "  Influenza  in  the  Horse,"  written  by  Mr 
W.  C.  Spooner,  of  Southampton,  in  1837;  it  contains  not  only  his 
own  views,  but  also  an  ably  written  essay  upon  the  same  subject  by 
Professor  Sewell.  A  very  valuable  discussion  ensued,  in  which  we 
have  the  opinions  of  Professor  Spooner,  Messrs  Field,  Turner,  Youatt, 


INFLUENZA  IN  THE  HORSE.  419 

Dickins,  Braby,  Cheetham,  Sibbald,  and  Ainslie.  This  treatise  con- 
tains also  the  opinions  of  Stewart,  Wm.  Percival,  Karkeek,  and 
others.  I  have  carefully  perused  the  whole  of  these  valuable  opinions, 
also  the  practical  papers  written  upon  the  same  subject  by  Professor 
Barlow,  and  Finlay  Dun,  in  the  Veterinarian  for  1853,  as  well  as  Mr 
Bloag,  Mr  Aimatage,  and  many  others.  I  have  perused  them  for  the 
purpose  of  gleaning  knowledge,  and  rendering  these  pages  more 
worthy  of  your  approval.  I  find  Professor  Sewell,  Karkeek,  and 
some  other  eminent  men,  attribute  "  influenza  "  to  a  meteoric  or  vol- 
canic origin ;  many  of  them  view  it  as  inflammatory  in  its  nature, 
but  since  that  period  times  have  changed :  men's  views  upon  this 
and  many  other  diseases  have  undergone  important  changes,  and  a 
change  has  also  taken  place  in  the  type  of  disease ;  we  very  rarely 
now-a-days  see  a  clear  and  well-defined  case  of  local  inflammation. 
In  the  present  day  the  constitution  of  neither  man  nor  animal  can 
tolerate  the  old-fashioned,  heroic,  coercive  treatment  which  was  for- 
merly employed.  Enlightened  and  scientific  men  have  discovered 
that  in  the  present  day  a  milder  plan  of  treatment  is  more  success- 
ful, it  being  more  in  accordance  with  the  altered  conditions.  I  speak 
this  to  the  honour  of  our  friends  Mr  William  Haycock  and  Mr  E. 
A.  Friend,  since  they  were  of  the  very  first  who  discerned  and  had 
enough  moral  courage  to  propagate  this  great  truth.  For  the  sake  of 
clearness  of  description  I  shall  divide  this  subject  into  two  classes — 
viz.,  Influenza,  and  Complicated  Influenza. 

Influenza. — This  is  an  Italian  word,  and  means  influence.  Its  pri- 
mary action  is  direct  upon  the  nervous  system;  and,  secondarily,  upon 
the  vascular  system.  The  animal  appears  to  be  suddenly  deprived  of  the 
requisite  quantity  of  vigour  or  vital  stimulus  necessary  for  the  due 
performance  of  the  vital  actions.  I  am  of  opinion  that  the  whole 
system  sufiers  alike;  not  only  the  vital  organs — ^viz.,  the  brain,  heart, 
lungs,  liver,  &c.,  but  every  living  tissue  in  the  whole  frame  is  defi- 
cient in  nerve  force  or  animal  electricity.  The  first  observable  symp- 
toms are  cold  skin,  loss  of  appetite,  dulness,  listlessness,  pulse  small, 
feeble,  becoming  quicker  and  quicker,  ranging  from  60  to  80, — in 
some  cases  getting  up  to  100  beats  in  the  minute, — breathing  not 
always  disturbed,  a  pricking  uneasiness  in  the  legs  and  feet,  an  ex- 
citable, susceptible  state  of  the  bowels,  voiding  fseces  frequently, 
which  are  soft  and  scanty.  In  some  few  cases  we  have  spontane- 
ous diarrhoea.  These  symptoms  are  followed  by  swollen  eyelids, 
weeping, — in  some  severe  cases,  efiusion  of  lymph  into  the  chambers 
of  the  eye.  The  mouth  is  not  particularly  hot,  neither  are  the  mem- 
branes highly  injected.  There  is  more  or  less  swelling  in  the  legs 
about  the  fetlocks.  This  is  accompanied  with  a  morbid  capillary 
action  generally.  It  assumes  and  proceeds  in  a  uniform  course,  and 
not  by  natural  and  distinct  stages.  I  feel  no  doubt  many  of  these 
cases  experience  headache  to  a  very  great  extent.  In  some  of  my 
patients,  for  months  after  the  attack,  symptoms  approaching  to 
megrims  have  hung  about  him,  rendering  him  completely  \is^<^^^\ 


420  INFLUENZA  IN  THE  HORSE. 

having  occasional  fits,  if  backed,  or  his  head  raised  suddenly,  he 
would  stagger  and  f^ — no  doubt  resulting  from  a  thickening  of 
the  membranes  of  the  brain,  meningitis,  Or  effusion  into  the  vent- 
ricles. I  have  had  three  such  eases  ;  bleeding,  laxatives,  alteratives, 
and  vegetable  and  mineral  tonics  were  tried  without  any  improve- 
ment whatever ;  but  by  the  employment  of  long  setons,  two  over  the 
front  of  the  head  and  two  behind  the  poll,  for  three  or  four  weeks, 
completely  restored  them  in  each  case.  The  organ  which  suffers 
chiefly  is  the  central  organ  of  circulation,  the  heart ;  but  it  is  the 
result  of  a  state  of  things  the  very  antipodes  of  congestion  or  inflam- 
mation. It  is  affected  mechanically,  not  from  diseased  actions  ;  it  is 
deprived  of  its  wonted  vigour ;  it  is  unable  to  empty  itself,  in  its 
systolic  and  diastolic  action.  A  portion  of  blood  remains  in  the 
ventricles ;  the  heart  is  feebly  but  irritably  labouring,  agitating  and 
beating  upon  the  same  charge  of  blood  over  and  over  again.  The 
fibrin  of  the  blood  attaches  itself  to  the  tricuspid  and  bicuspid  valves 
and  their  chords,  as  well  as  the  chorded  tendinea  and  cortina  tendi- 
nea,  by  which  the  passages  are,  to  a  certain  extent,  choked  at  each 
involuntary  contraction  of  the  ventricles.  An  escape  of  blood  back 
into  the  ventricle  takes  place.  This  state  of  the  central  pump  will 
account  for  the  diminished,  if  not  suspended  vis  a  tergo,  or  force 
from  behind ;  and  hence  the  small,  feeble,  almost  bloodless  pulse. 
For  further  particulars  on  this  point,  I  beg  to  refer  you  to  my  paper 
in  the  Veterinarian  for  last  March.  Since  I  wrote  that  paper  I 
have  been  kindly  informed  that  Professor  Dick  discerned  and  de- 
scribed the  same  fact  twenty  years  ago.  I  was  perfectly  unaware  of 
this  at  the  time  I  wrote.  There  is  also  another  symptom,  which,  in 
some  cases,  occur  to  a  most  remarkable  degree.  My  friend,  Mr 
Haycock,  reminded  me  not  to  omit  notice  of  this  symptom.  I 
allude  to  the  great  irregularity  or  intermittency  of  the  pulse.  I  have 
observed  it  in  some  cases  so  great,  that  there  has  been  a  total  omis- 
sion of  pidsation  for  five  or  six  seconds ;  and  this  occurrence  will  be 
repeated  three  or  four  times  in  every  minute.  This  peculiarity  will 
exist  all  through  his  illness,  and,  in  some  cases,  for  months  after  his 
recovery.  I  do  not  attribute  any  very  great  importance  to  this.  It 
is  an  exceedingly  interesting  coincidence  to  notice  and  to  contem- 
plate. I  always  view  it  as  a  favourable  omen.  I  consider  it  result- 
ing from  nervous  debility ;  and  I  am  more  than  half  inclined  to  be- 
lieve that  in  every  case  where  there  is  an  intermittent  pulse  there 
exists  a  clot  of  blood  in  the  heart.  How  often  do  we  find  horses 
affected  with  influenza  dying  rather  unexpectedly.  What  is  the 
explanation  of  it  ?  Post-mortem  examination  shows  that  there  was 
neither  active  nor  chronic  disease  in  any  of  the  vital  organs  to  cause 
death,  nor  yet  rupture.  Of  the  human  being  it  would  be  said  he 
died  of  spasm  of  the  valves  of  the  heart.  I  have  no  doubt,  in  every 
such  death,  life  passes  away  in  the  tranquil  sleep  of  death,  through 
the  medium  of  sinking  and  syncope.  In  some  few  cases  it  woidd 
appear  that  the  whole  virulence  of  the  disease  concentrates  itself  in 


INFLUENZA  IN  THE  HORSE.  421 

some  local  superficial  parts — the  leg,  or  between  the  lower  maxillary 
bone  ;  deep,  sloughing  ulcers  occur,  and  even  in  a  vital  organ,  assum- 
ing a  putrescent  character,  as  if  death  of  the  parts  had  taken  place. 
These  cases  generally  do  badly.  There  is  not  a  suflSciency  of  vitality 
to  see  them  through  it.  Whenever  the  animal  begins  to  lie  down,  I 
find  that  generally  a  favourable  sign.  As  they  are  recovering,  they 
generally  lie  down  a  good  deal.  Some  lie  down  from  the  first  seve- 
ral times  a-day,  as  if  they  experienced  abdominal  pains.  I  have 
generally  found  those  cases  that  have  swelled  most  about  their  eyes 
have  got  on  most  favourably. 

Symptoms  of  Complicated  Influenza, — By  this  term  I  mean 
horses  with  some  previous  disease  upon  them  becoming  attacked 
with  the  distemper,  or  else,  whilst  suffering  under  an  attack  of  influ- 
enza, it  assumes  a  malignant,  subacute  form,  locating  itself  in  some 
vital  organ.  In  either  case  they  are  dangerous,  and  will  be  found 
most  difficult  cases  to  treat.  They  are  intractable,  and  often  running 
on  to  tuberculous  lungs  or  effusion.  Some  of  them  are  not  bad  to 
diagnose.  There  are  cases  where  the  pulse  and  breathing  is  kept 
up  by  debility  solely.  These  can  be  discriminated,  and  must  not  be 
mistaken  for  complicated  cases,  which  the  more  alarming  symptoms 
keep  up  longer.  An  unusually  foul,  clammy  mouth,  offensive  odour, 
dirty  yellow  buccal  membrane  and  conjunctiva ;  you  cannot  by  any 
means  produce  and  maintain  healthy  reaction.  The  bowels  are 
sluggish,  the  faeces  dry,  hard,  and  coated,  the  secretions  generally 
suspended.  The  diseased  organ  will  feel  the  full  force  of  the  defi- 
ciency of  animal  electricity,  and  the  result  in  most  such  cases  is  that 
the  parenchyma  of  the  organ  yields  to  the  putrid  stage,  and  death,  in 
seven  or  ten  days,  closes  the  scene. 

We  will  now  examine  this  question  from  another  point  of  view ; 
for  I  am  anxious  to  make  the  fullest  investigation  into  the  nature  of 
influenza.  Let  us  follow  our  patient  to  the  knacker's  yard,  and  there 
make  a  careful  post-mortem  examination  of  the  dead  body,  and  what 
do  we  find,?  In  complicated  cases  we  meet  with  a  great  variety  of 
disorganisations  and  lesions,  most  extensive,  dreadful  alterations  of 
structure,  generally  in  the  lungs,  effusion  of  lymph  outside  the  peri- 
cardium and  fibrinous  attachments  of  the  pleura ;  but  in  simple  in- 
fluenza it  is  perfectly  immaterial  whether  the  subject  is  an  old  horse 
or  a  young  horse  ;  whether  he  be  in  a  state  of  high,  fleshy  condi- 
tion, or  in  a  low,  lean  condition.  If  he  has  died  of  influenza  there 
will  be  no  trace  whatever  of  disease  in  any  vital  organ  obvious  to 
the  anatomist ;  but  there  will  be  found  one  leading  feature  invariably 
present — ^viz.,  a  soft,  flabby,  pulpy  condition  of  all  the  muscular 
structures  throughout  the  body  and  the  whole  of  the  vital  organs. 
These  tissues  are  blanched,  and  of  a  pale  clay  colour,  as  if  the  whole 
system  had  been  blighted,  blasted.  The  fire  of  vitality  has  burnt 
out,  leaving  a  white  ash  only.  It  would  appear  that  the  arterial 
blood  had  lost  its  vermilion  colour.  But  to  elucidate  what  I  mean, 
and  to  render  my  views  more  clear  to  you,  I  will  illustrate  it  by  t^o 


422  INFLUENZA  IN  THE  HORSE. 

examples.  I  have  spoken  of  nerve  force.  Now,  we*  all  know  that  a 
palsied  limb  is  consequent  upon  either  complete  or  partial  loss  of 
nervous  power.  Now,  if  a  ^jos^mo^-tem  examination  be  made  of  a 
limb  recently  palsied,  it  is  found  that  the  flesh  is  soft,  flabby,  and 
pulpy,  and  of  a  pale  clay  colour — exactly  the  same  state  as  we  find 
in  cases  that  have  died  of  influenza.  Again,  if  we  examine  a  body 
that  has  been  killed  by  lightning :  Now,  it  has  been  my  lot  to  make 
SL post-mortem  examination  of  three  subjects;  one  of  them  a  horse; 
the  other  two  were  cows.  They  had  died  instantaneously  in  the 
field.  Being  previously  in  perfect  health,  I  examined  them  with  the 
utmost  care,  but  could  not  detect  the  faintest  trace  of  disease  any- 
where. There  was  the  same  soft,  flabby,  pulpy  state  of  the  flesh, 
and  which  was  of  a  pale  clay  colour  in  every  case,  exactly  the  same 
as  found  in  influenza  subjects.  At  difierent  points  of  the  body  the 
hair  or  coat  was  singed,  and  a  strong  smell  of  burnt  hair  existed.  The 
skin  at  these  points  was  black,  as  if  it  had  been  bruised  in  these  spots. 
The  electric  fluid  had,  no  doubt,  passed  in  or  out  at  these  points. 
But  to  call  this  peculiar  condition  of  the  muscular  structures  disease 
is,  I  maintain,  a  fallacy,  as  nmch  so  as  if  I  were  to  take  you  to  yoijder 
butcher's  shop,  show  you  that  white  veal,  and  tell  you  its  very  white- 
ness was  dependent  upon  diseased  action.  This  is  the  general  condi- 
tion of  the  muscular  structures,  of  however  recent  and  short  duration. 
I  contend  that,  being  struck  down  by  lightning  and  being  attacked 
by  influenza  is  precisely  one  and  the  same  thing  in  nature.  The 
same  vital  element  is  abstracted  in  the  one  case  as  is  abstracted  in 
the  other.  I  feel  no  doubt  whatever  that  those  cases  struck  by  light- 
ning are  instantaneously  and  completely  deprived  of  animal  electri- 
city, and  the  function  of  vitality  ceases  at  once.  Influenza  is  only  a 
modified  form  of  this  very  phenomenon.  The  one  is  instantaneous 
and  complete;  the  other  is  gradual,  imperceptible,  and  incomplete, 
fortunately  afibrding  an  opportunity,  at  this  important  and  critical 
juncture,  for  the  prudent  surgeon  to  step  in,  and  by  the  employment  of 
wise  and  well-considered  treatment,  to  fan  the  flickering  flame  of  life ; 
to  steady  it  until  nature  rallies,  reaction  is  established,  a  life  is  saved. 

Sd,  The  Treatment  of  Complicated  Influenza. — ^In  a  practical  point 
of  view,  this  question  demands  from  us  a  more  careful  consideration 
than  any  other.  I  entreat  you  to  favour  me  with  your  serious  and 
particular  attention  as  we  approach  this  division  of  my  subject.  The 
very  life  of  our  patient  depends  upon  our  correct  diagnosis.  There 
are  many  cases  that  require  all  the  practical  ability  and  enlightened 
judgment  we  can  exercise  to  clearly  comprehend  them.  The  young 
or  over-confident  practitioner  may  think  difierently ;  but  experience 
and  close  observation  will  show  him  how  greatly  he  has  erred.  How 
much  I  wish  I  was  endowed  with  a  stronger  intelligence,  that  would 
enable  me  to  clear  away  all  the  mists  that  surrounds  this  part  of  my 
subject.  In  a  former  part  of  this  paper,  I  have  endeavoured  to  lay 
down  some  landmarks  as  distinctive  symptoms,  to  guide  us  in  form- 


INFLUENZA  IN  THE  HOESE.  423 

ing  an  opinion.  To  correctly  understand  nature's  processes  is  in- 
finitely more  difficult  than  the  action  of  human  machinery.  I  will 
presume  that  we  have  decided  in*  our  own  minds  that  our  patient  is 
one  that  comes  under  the  denomination  "complicated  influenza;" 
that  is,  the  influenza  has  located  itself  in  some  vital  organ,  and  has 
assumed  a  subacute  malignant  type.  Now  comes  the  question,  What 
is  the  best  treatment  to  be  adopted  ?  I  ask  you — every  member  in 
this  room — for  your  best  advice.  I  contend  it  is  the  duty  of  every 
one  of  you  to  impart  the  most  useful  information  to  his  fellow-mem- 
ber. Let  us  make  the  inquiry,  first,  Is  venesection,  or  vesication, 
indicated  ?  The  impression  upon  my  own  mind  is  that  they  are  not. 
The  conclusions  I  have  formed  during  a  pretty  extensive  experience 
— a  life  spent  amongst  large  plethoric  horses — is  that  nature  will 
not  tolerate  coercion ;  that  she  can  repair  damages  much  better  than 
we  can  do ;  she  does  it  in  less  time,  and  does  it,  too,  more  effectually; 
that  vital  force  has  a  greater  curative  power  than  any  of  my  remedies 
possesses ;  what  she  does,  she  does  it  spontaneously,  if  we  will  only 
give  her  fair  play. 

Bleeding. — My  experience  has  satisfied  me  that  it  is  dangerous  to 
bleed  in  these  cases,  even  if  done  cautiously.  If  it  does  not  entail 
fatal  consequences,  we  have  a  protracted  convalesence ;  but  upon  this 
point,  I  invite  your  opinions. 

Cawnter-irritation,—!  will  take  it  for  granted  that  no  one  will 
advocate  severe  blisters  extensively  to  the  throat  and  sides  in  these 
cases.  But  in  condemning  blisters,  I  must  give  a  reason  for  so  do- 
ing. In  the  first  place,  I  create  a  supplemental  or  additional  inflam- 
mation— doubling  the  constitutional  disturbance,  driving  the  blood 
with  increased  fury  through  the  system,  especially  through  the  dis- 
eased organ,  helping  to  exhaust  it  and  break  down  its  structure — 
thus  contributing  irreparable  damage.  I  am,  in  fact,  stirring  up  the 
very  embers  I  am  so  anxious  to  extinguish.  Hence  the  mischief,  and 
why  I  contend  it  is  a  most  reprehensible  practice ;  but  besides  this, 
we  have  the  serious  sympathetic  disturbance  from  the  absorption  of 
the  fly.  But  as  to  the  stimulating  efiects  of  a  mustard  application, 
employed  in  moderation,  to  the  throat  and  sides,  in  some  cases,  at  a 
certain  stage,  I  am  convinced  it  is  attended  with  most  beneficial 
results.  It  appears  to  rouse  the  dormant  energies  of  nature,  and 
disperses  the  tendencies  to  congestion.  Then  comes  the  question. 
What  is  the  best  time  to  apply  it  ? — at  the  earliest  moment,  or  the 
next  day? — how  frequent? — is  it  most  advantageous  to  apply  the 
hot-water  rug  over  the  sides  before  or  after  the  mustard  ?  These  are 
questions  that  I  invite  you  to  assist  me  in  answering  and  correctly 
deciding.  My  friend,  Mr  Lawson,  informs  me  his  success  in  these 
kind  of  cases  is  greater  when  he  employs  mustard  more  generally, 
and  applies  it  in  the  early  stage.  The  other  day  I  saw  a  horse  in  Mr 
Mavor*s  place,  London.  They  had  applied  a  mixture  of  mustard 
and  linseed-meal,  spread  upon  flannel,  and  then  laid  it  upon  the 
clipped  sides.  This  was  done  within  half  an  hour  ttoxsi  ViS&  ^'^ 
Vol.  I.— Xo.  VIII.— New  Series.    August  \S65.  'i^'^ 


424  INFLUENZA  IN  THE  HOESB. 

comiDg  into  the  place.  Mr  Mavor  informed  me  this  was  their 
regular  custom  when  they  suspected  the  disease  locating  itself  in 
the  chest.  He  also  spoke  very  highly  of  the  steam-bath  to  the 
sides;  this,  I  think,  cannot  be  too  highly  valued  in  this  kind  of 
cases.  Sulphate  of  magnesia  is  very  lughly  extolled  by  many 
eminent  practitioners,  in  4  oz.  doses  twice  a-day,  as  a  febrifuge, 
alterative,  and  purifier. 

SetoTis,  Rowels, — If  we  insert  a  rowel  or  a  seton  in  these  kind  of 
cases,  we  shall  find  that  they  will  not  suppurate  kindly ;  an  angry, 
unhealthy  inflammation  is  set  up,  causing  much  mischief  from  sym- 
pathetic fever,  and  this  is  followed  by  deep  and  extensive  sloughings. 
Occasionally  it  has  been  found  necessary,  not  only  to  take  out  the 
seton  or  rowel,  but  to  soothe  the  parts  by  fomentation,  scarification, 
&c. ;  and  instances  are  not  uncommon  in  which  the  very  life  of  the 
animal  has  been  sacrificed  by  their  injudicious  use. 

Therajjeutics. — My  mode  of  procedure  is  very  similar  to  the  plan 
I  adopt  in  simple  influenza  :  keep  my  patient's  head  tied  to  the  open 
door  day  and  night ;  administer  stimulants  and  tonics.  I  have  heard 
iodide  of  potassium,  also  chlorate  of  potass,  extolled,  but  I  cannot 
speak  of  its  utility.  Upon  this  subject  I  invite  you  to  give  me  your 
opinions.  Diuretic  medicines  have  undoubtedly  considerable  power 
in  removing  cedema  and  other  deposits,  but  they  have  no  power  in 
resisting  or  arresting  the  process  of  efiusion  and  exudation;  yea, 
contradictory  as  it  may  appear  to  many  of  you,  I  am  inclined  to  the 
opinion  that,  if  the  real  truth  could  be  fully  known,  it  would  be 
found  that  eff*usion  is  actually  facilitated  during  the  action  of  diuretic 
medicines.  This  we  do  know,  that  during  the  action  of  cathartic 
medicine — ^which  is  abstracting  the  watery  parts  of  the  blood  by  way 
of  the  bowels,  the  same  as  a  diuretic  does  by  way  of  the  kidneys — 
that  during  the  cathartic  action  the  process  of  effusion  goes  on  more 
rapidly.  Now,  it  has  frequently  occurred  in  my  experience,  that  a 
patient  shall  rally  up  to  a  given  point,  and  then  become  stationary 
for  several  days,  the  pulse  standing  at  60,  72,  or  80.  The  symptoms, 
taken  altogether,  do  not  indicate  that  my  patient  is  progressing  or 
yet  retrograding,  but  still  neither  the  accelerated  breathing  nor  pulse 
settles  at  all.  In  a  few  cases  this  is  purely  referable  to  weakness ; 
but  if  the  secretions  and  mucous  membranes  are  unsatisfactory,  this 
is  an  ugly  symptom.  In  all  such  cases  it  may  be  taken  for  granted 
that  the  disease  is  drifting  onwards,  making  insidious  advances,  is 
steadily  on  the  increase.  In  this  stage  the  bowels  are  always  slug- 
gish and  unsatisfactory.  Now,  vrithout  for  one  moment  underrating 
the  importance  of  attending  to  this  point,  it  is  of  the  utmost  conse- 
quence to  act  judiciously,  for  an  error  made  now  fhrows  all  the 
chances  against  him.  Two  drachms  of  aloes,  or  eight  ounces  of  oil, 
given  now,  especially  if  the  stomach  and  bowels  are,  comparatively 
speaking,  empty,  is  suflScient  to  kill  the  largest  and  best  horse  alive ; 
the  aloes  get  into  the  system,  and  act  as  a  deadly  poison,  or  else  their 
action  is  followed  by  constipatvoiv.    I  rely  upon  enemas,  frequent 


INFLUENZA  IN  THE  HOESE.  425 

draughts  of  cold  water ;  and,  if  he  is  eating  moderately,  I  may  give 
1  drachm  of  aloes,  or  J  drachm  of  calomel,  or  2  oz.  linseed  oil ;  this 
will  often  be  found  quite  sufficient  for  all  purposes.  Under  such 
circumstances  we  can  make  no  progress  until  the  bowels  are  corrected. 
I  frequently  make  a  change  in  my  tactics — perhaps  other  practi- 
tioners do  the  same — ^but  I  wish  to  call  your  attention  to  this  point 
particularly.  I  have  found  the  pulse  getting  quicker  and  quicker 
daily,  in  the  face  of  camphor,  belladonna,  and  other  sedative  medi- 
cines, given  twice  or  four  times  a-day ;  but  upon  me  discontinuing 
this  plan  of  treatment,  and  administering  stimulants  and  cordials,  the 
pulse  has  at  once  commenced  receding,  and  has  continued  to  do  so  ' 
until  my  patient  has  entirely  recovered  But  after  all,  it  is  a  fact, 
and  will  continue  to  be  a  fact,  that  a  great  number  of  these  kind  of 
cases  die  whatever  you  do;  and  when  we  discuss  this  question,  it 
would  be  well  if  gentlemen  would  not  let  the  idea  that  the  admission 
of  a  few  unsuccessful  cases  implies  a  discredit,  and  instead  of  which 
he  gives  his  unvarying  success  as  an  excuse  for  not  knowing  what 
post-mortefn  investigation  discloses,  this  sensitiveness  operates  preju- 
dicially to  the  success  of  these  associations,  and  is  inimical  to  the 
cause  of  truth.  I  frankly  admit  I  have  had  numbers  of  dead  ones — 
some  placed  under  my  care  in  the  last  stage,  others  at  the  earliest 
moment — but  to  all  I  exercise  my  best  judgment,  and  employ  what 
I  conceive  to  be  the  best  remedies.  I  repeat,  these  discussions!  should 
lead  us  to  adopt  the  most  successful  treatment.  Although  it  is  very 
encouraging  to  prove  by  statistics  that  the  rate  of  mortality  is  often 
in  a  proportionate  ratio  to  the  proper  sanitary  regulations ;  still,  how- 
ever perfect  that  may  be  conducted,  it  must  never  be  forgotten  that 
neither  man  nor  horse  was  intended  to  be  a  permanent  sojourner 
here,  but  was  bom  to  die. 

3d,  The  Treatment  of  Influenza. — I  now  approach  the  most  in- 
teresting division  of  my  subject.  If  the  horse  is  observed  just  as  he 
is  in  the  act  of  contracting  the  epizootic,  and  when  in  this  incipient 
stage  proper  remedies  are  at  once  employed,  it  will  be  found  that  it 
is  only  an  ephemeral  disturbance.  In  such  a  case  I  am  very  fond  of 
administering  a  pint  of  warm  ale,  with  a  table-spoonful  of  powdered 
ginger,  and  the  same  quantity  of  powdered  anniseed.  The  effect 
produced  is  so  satisfactory  in  nearly  every  case,  that  it  would  appear 
to  be  the  very  stimulant  required  at  the  time.  Any  diffusable  stimu- 
lant that  acts  as  an  excitant — even  brisk  exercise,  or  considerable 
friction  on  the  skin — is  of  great  benefit.  Get  the  skin  thoroughly 
warm,  supply  him  with  cool  fresh  air,  and  you  have  a  reaction  imme- 
diately established ;  the  progress  of  the  affection  is  arrested ;  the 
system  seems  to  assume  altered  electrical  conditions.  I  do  not  say 
that  this  plan  neutralises  the  invisible  influence  which  is  exerting 
itself  from  without,  but  I  contend  it  excites  and  maintains  an  artifi- 
cial spirit  and  vitality,  which  enables  the  system  to  withstand  the 
shock  it  has  sustained  in  the  loss  of  electricity,  until  the  process  of 
equilibrium  or  systematising  is  being  completifed,    li  ^Q\£L^'Wxx.s»\ias^^ 


426  INFLUENZA  IN  THE  HOESE. 

elapsed,  and  the  vascular  system  has  become  involved,  I  administer 
spirit,  nitrous  ether  and  tincture  pimento,  1  oz.  each,  in  4  oz.  warm 
water,  eveiy  six  hours ;  or  spirit  nitrous  ether  and  sig.  ammonia  ace- 
tatus.  Keep  his  head  tied  to  the  open  door.  The  legs  and  feet, 
generally  speaking,  are  hot  and  tender,  they  will  keep  themselves 
warm,  and .  the  simple  pressure  of  a  bandage  will  produce  pain ;  it 
will  be  found  that  there  is  only  an  occasional  case  that  requires 
bandages.  Always  take  care  to  regulate  the  quantity  of  clothing  to 
the  state  of  heat  of  the  skin.  You  may  produce  very  great  mischief 
by  smothering  the  skin  with  too  much  clothing :  you  will  increase 
the  fever,  and  cause  your  patient  to  commence  blowing.  I  am  con- 
vinced there  are  some  circumstances  in  which  our  patient  cannot 
tolerate  diaphoreosis.  In  most  cases  I  remove  all  the  shoes ;  if  my 
patient  has  pumiced  feet,  of  course  I  do  not  do  so  in  his  case.  If  the 
pain  in  his  legs  is  considerable,  I  may  put  them  in  warm  water,  use 
arnica  lotion,  and  even  poultice  the  feet.  In  the  worst  cases  I  have 
found  great  relief  afforded  by  putting  on  patten  shoes,  and  thus  rais- 
ing the  heels  of  the  feet.  There  are  some  cases  that  do  better  with 
carbonate  of  ammonia  and  pulb.  ginger,  3ij  each,  every  six  hours. 
It  is  necessary  to  watch  its  effect ;  and  it  must  be  discontinued  after 
a  certain  point  is  gained.  After  a  few  doses,  we  shall  perceive  that 
the  salivary  glands  have  become  acted  upon,  and  I  have  no  doubt  the 
glandular  system  generally  throughout  the  body  is  more  or  less  stimu- 
lated by  it.  It  is  a  beautiful  stimulant  to  the  nerves  of  the  stomach 
and  the  chest ;  it  does  not  nauseate,  but  will  produce  a  nice  pultace- 
ous  state  of  the  bowels,  and  cleanses  all  the  membranes.  If  continued 
too  long,  or  given  in  too  large  doses,  it  will  produce  purging.  I 
verily  believe  we  can  accomplish  everything  by  it  that  we  can  accom- 
plish by  calomel,  excepting  nausea  and  salivation.  Where  the  fever 
runs  very  high,  pulse  88  or  92,  I  may  give  the  extract  of  belladonna, 
1  drachm,  twice  a-day.  I  never  give  my  medicine  in  the  form  of  drink, 
if  there  is  any  soreness  of  the  throat — it  is  a  most  reprehensible 
practice.  In  most  of  these  cases  it  is  advisable  to  give  an  enema 
twice  a-day.  In  some  <5ases  of  unusually  thick  coats  I  have  had  my 
patient  clipped,  with  almost  magical  beneficial  effects.  As  to  diet,  I 
give  cold  water  to  drink,  one  quart  every  hour;  or  he  may  have  bran-tea, 
hay-tea,  Knseed-tea,  rock  salt  left  in  his  manger,  malt  mashas,  Swede 
turnips,  carrots,  oat-straw,  with  the  oats  in  it,  and  plenty  of  wild 
mint  in  it,  fresh  grass,  &c.,  or  a  little  sweet  hay.  I  do  all  I  can  to 
keep  my  patient  taking  a  little  food. 

It  will  be  gathered  from  what  I  have  advanced,  that  in  a  vast 
majority  of  successful  cases,  it  is  to  the  secret  processes  of  nature,  in 
my  opinion,  and  not  so  much  to  the  action  of  medicine,  that  the 
credit  belonged.  And  as  I  view  the  beautiful  theory  of  health  and 
disease,  this  conclusion  is  irresistibly  forced  upon  me,  that  man,  in 
his  short-sightedness,  his  vanity,  and  selfishness,  has  never  suflSciently 
comprehended  and  appreciated  that  great  fundamental  truth,  that 
Nature  is  ever  a  wise  economist — that  she  does  all  things  well 


LAMENESS  OF  A  HORSE.  427 


References  to  Mr  Owles's  Letters,  with  additional  Remarks  on  his 
Case  o/Lammess  of  a  Horse.    By  Joseph  Gaihgee,  Sen. 

Having  said  all  that  I  deem  it  really  necessary  to  say  about  Mr 
Owles's  case,  I  should  have  let  the  discussion  close  with  his  letter  of 
the  5th  of  June,  published  in  the  Edinburgh  Veterinary  Reviem  for 
the  current  month,  but  for  the  possibility  which  wotild  have  been 
incurred,  of  my  silence  being  construed  into  consent,  and  veterinary 
science  prejudiced  by  the  compromise. 

It  does  not  appear  to  me,  from  the  tenor  of  Mr  Owles's  last  two 
letters,  what  he  requires  me  to  say,  or  do ;  I  will  therefore  return  to 
the  origin  of  the  correspondence,  and  reconsider  his  first  letter,  which 
accompanied  the  morbid  specimen,  as  he  said,  for  my  "inspection 
and  use." 

Meanwhile,  I  beg  to  explain  that  at  the  latter  end  of  April,  when 
I  had  written  my  remarks  on  the  case,  I  was  called  on  a  professional 
mission  to  England,  and,  not  having  had  the  opportunity  to  revise  my 
notes,  some  mistakes  escaped  notice,  especially  in  the  last  paragraph,  in 
the  second  line  of  which,  instead  of  "fractured"  "  protracted"  was  the 
word  intended  to  express  my  meaning.  Thus,  instead  of  rheumatism 
being  the  cause  of  the  swollen  pasterns,  I  believe  that  that  condition 
was  due  to  protracted  injury  to  the  bones  and  tissues  below ;  and 
that  in  all  probability,  at  the  latter  stage  of  the  case,  purulent  infection 
of  the  blood  set  in,  as  a  consequence  of  those  fractures,  and  the  un- 
healthy state  of  the  navicular  bone,  which  I  discovered  and  described. 

As  the  letters,  replies,  and  rejoinders  on  the  matter  have  to  a  great 
extent  confused  the  whole  bearing  of  the  case,  by  mixing  up  with  it 
much  that  is  irrelevant  and  foreign,  it  may  be  well  to  requote  Mr 
Owles's  own  words,  which  show,  that  it  was  to  myself  that  the 
specimen  and  account  of  it  was  sent,  from  Aldershott,  on  the  7th  of 
April — all  of  which  was  given  in  the  May  number  of  the  Review. 

Mr  Owles  says,  in  his  letter  addressed  to  the  Editor — 

"  In  a  letter  which  you  published  in  your  journal  for  May  1864, 
commenting  on  Professor  Gamgee,  senior's,  paper,  which  appeared  in 
the  previous  number,  on  '  Chronic  Lameness  of  Horses,'  I  stated  with 
regard  to  navicular  disease,  that  /  do  not  eocpect  to  find  ulceration  of 
the  hone  internally  as  the  cause  or  first  condition  of  the  disease;  to 
which  letter  Professor  Gamgee  appended  some  remarks,  and  also  in- 
vited investigation,  with  the  view  of  dispersing  the  fallacy  of  old 
notions.  I  therefore  trust  to  be  excused  if  I  briefly  revert  to  the  sub- 
ject. I  have  despatched  a  navicular  bone,  with  the  portion  of  the 
flexor  tendon  which  passes  under  it,  to  the  professor's  address, /or  his 
inspection  and  use/' 

Mr  Owles  continues:  "In  the  specimen  sent,  the  tendon  at  the 
surface  next  the  bone  presents  the  appearance  of  having  been  gnawed 
by  mice ;  and  was,  I  doubt  not,  the  part  first  afiected,  which,  when 
sprained,  having  some  fibres  ruptured,  as  this  t^wAssvi  V'a.^,  ^^"s.  *vri 


428  LAMENESS  OF  A  HOBSE. 

my  mind  the  reason  why  this  disease  proves  so  incurable A 

horse  may  be  sound  one  day,  with  a  foot  apparently  healthy,  and  the 
next  day  lame  from  navicularithetis,  never  again  to  be  sound ;  such, 
in  fact,  was  the  case  with  the  one  from  which  the  specimen  was 
obtained"  Having  read  the  foregoing,  and  recognised  the  morbid 
character  of  the  specimen  sent  me,  I  perceived  that  no  enviable  task 
devolved  on  me ;  as  it  was  quite  evident  that  the  sender  knew  no- 
thing of  the  pathological  character  of  the  bone  and  piece  of  tendon 
sent. 

The  account  given  of  the  case  so  ill  accorded  with  what  I  was 
beholding  with  my  own  eyes,  that  I  wrote  and  asked  Mr  Owles  for 
more  parts  of  the  diseased  foot,  and,  if  attainable,  of  both  fore  feet ;  I 
also  submitted  a  series  of  questions,  and  afterwards  received  the  pedal 
bone  of  the  foot  to  which  the  navicular  bone  and  small  piece  of  tendon 
sent  me,  belonged ;  and  the  answers  to  my  questions  related  "  that 

the  horse  was  rising  eight  years Had  known  him  for  about 

three  years  before  his  death  in  January ;  he  had  fair  action,  but  not 
high ;  he  had  never  been  lame  during  the  time  I  knew  him  previously, 
and  was  not  infirm.  The  cause  of  the  lameness  is  not  known ;  it  was 
sudden." 

After  I  had  received,  in  accordance  with  my  request,  these  addi- 
tional details,  I  again  wrote,  submitting  to  Mr  Owles  that  his  last 
account  of  the  case  did  not  agree  with  the  first,  which  said  that  the 
subject  was  that  of  "  a  horse  sound  one  day  and  lame  the  next,  never 
again  to  be  sound."  By  Mr  Owles's  first  letter,  I  was  asked  to  look 
at  an  accompanying  specimen,  which  had  given  rise  to  sudden,  and, 
it  was  inferable,  recently  occurring  lameness ;  recent,  unless  the  writer 
holds  the  notion  that  structures  undergo  no  change,  though  injury  and 
suffering  be  kept  up  from  June  1862  till  January  1865  ;  therefore, 
when  I  read  his  second  letter,  and  found  that  some  dawn  of  the  cor- 
rect light  was  being  thrown  on  the  matter,  I  asked  Mr  Owles  to  re- 
consider the  subject,  and  whether  he  would  have  me  send  his  letters 
back  that  he  might  correct  them;  stating  at  the  same  time  that, 
though  I  would,  make  comments  on  the  case,  he  should  furnish  the 
history  of  it.  To  these  hints  Mr  Owles  replied  shortly :  "  The  horse 
had  never  been  lame  since  I  knew  him  previous  to  June  1862,  when 
the  foot  lameness  commenced,  and  I  did  not  see  the  case  till  two 
weeks  after  the  attack." 

From  the  morbid  specimens  I  found  that  a  case  of  chronic,  compli- 
cated disease  of  the  foot  was  presented  to  me,  bearing  evidence  of 
progressive  changes  in  the  form  and  constituent  character  of  the  two 
bones,  phenomena  of  prevalent  occurrence,  as  I  had  shown  in  my 
paper  in  April  1864.  The  fractures  of  the  bone,  too,  which  Mr 
Owles  in  his  hurry,  or  through  some  other  cause,  had  omitted  to  see, 
were  amongst  the  sequences  of  protracted  and  unrelieved  foot  disor- 
ders, to  which,  in  several  of  my  published  papers,  I  have  drawn  atten- 
tion ;  therefore,  though  I  saw  at  once  that  Mr  Owles  had  placed 
himself  in  the  position  of  the  piper,  who  went  to  a  place  to  hiss  and 


LAMENESS  OF  A  HOESE.  429 

came  away  hissed,  yet^I  gave  to  the  case  all  the  attention  which 
the  time  at  my  disposal  admitted  of. 

As  other  calls  on  my  time  will  prevent  me  from  returning  im- 
mediately to  the  further  discussion  of  this  subject,  I  will  briefly 
notice  some  passages  of  Mr  Owles's  letters,  published  and  partly 
referred  to  in  the  June  and  July  numbers  of  the  Review. 

In  his  letter  of  May  5,  page  300  of  the  Review,  the  writer  says, 
'*  Up  to  the  time  of  his  becoming  lame,  in  June  1862,  when  he  was 
only  five  years  old,  he  had  free  action,  and  showed  no  symptoms  of 

being  infirm And  had  only  just  finished  his  training."    For 

training,  I  read  breaking,  as  it  is  not  shown  that  the  horse  had  been 
prepared  to  race. 

Mr  Owles  then  asks — "  Did  the  fractures  occur  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  disease,  in  June  1862,  or  subsequently  to  that  date?" 
I  have  already  emphatically  answered  this  question  by  stating,  most 
assuredly,  within  a  few  days  only,  of  the  horse's  death. 

But  Mr  Owles  anticipated  my  answer  by  supplying  one  for  himself, 
and  says  again,  "  This  horse  was  affected  in  June  1862  with  sudden 
and  permanent  lameness,*'  [why  permanent  ?  all  states  are  so  until  the 
causes  are  removed,  and  restorative  measures  adopted ;]  "  therefore,  I 
think  the  fractures  and  other  diseased  conditions  ....  resulted 
consequently  upon  the  injury  which  produced  the  lameness  at  that 
time." 

I  need  scarcely  apologise  for  my  own  simplicity  in  not  rightly 
estimating  the  actual  state  of  knowledge  on  veterinary  pathology.  It 
had  never,  I  confess,  entered  my  mind  that  any  man  who  had  made 
the  animal  economy  his  study,  could  have  entertained  the  notion  of 
the  conditions  in  which  I  found  the  specimens  to  have  remained  in 
statu  quo  for  two  years  and  eight  months.  Though  I  assigned 
a  few  days  as  the  utmost  that  could  have  elapsed,  from  the  time  the 
navicular  bone  gave  way  to  that  when  death  took  place  spontaneously, 
or  otherwise,  still  with  that  limit  I  allow  that  the  extent  and  rapidity 
of  change  was  influenced  by  the  way  the  horse  was  managed.  If 
kept  tranquil  and  soothed,  changes  for  the  worse  would  be  relatively 
slow,  even  if  the  conditions  were  not  improved;  whereas,  if  the 
slightest  exertions  were  given  to  the  foot,  or  feet,  the  parts  would  be 
torn  up,  with  a  rapidity  proportionate  to  the  violence  used.  Under 
these  various  aspects,  and  without  seeing  more  of  the  horse  than  the 
two  diseased  bones,  one  of  them  fractured,  I  should  pronounce  that, 
to  the  best  of  my  belief,  the  navicular  bone  had  been  broken  at  least 
ten  days  before  the  horse  died,  and  not  over  thirty. 

In  the  sound  state  of  a  horse's  limb,  I  believe  it  would  be  impossi- 
ble for  him  to  fracture  the  navicular  bone  by  the  exertion  of  his 
innate  force  ;  but  when  diseased,  and  after  two  or  three  years  pro- 
gressive wasting  and  change  of  structures,  it  is  not  possible  to  say 
how  little  exertion  might  not  do  it.  Pain  is  the  monitor  which  pre- 
vents the  more  frequent  occurrence  of  fracture  in  that  bone  than 
takes  place;  though  it  is  of  much  more  common  occurrence  ^k^iao^ 


430  LAMENESS  OF  A  HORSE. 

has  been  known.  Mr  Owles's  horse  not  having^  worked  in  the 
knacker's  cart,  or  otherwise,  would  not  bias  my  opinion  ;  because 
a  stroke  of  the  whip,  with  the  effect  of  making  the  horse  spring 
suddenly  from  a  lying  posture,  would  be  quite  enough  to  cause  the 
breaking-up  of  a  diseased  and  fragile  bone. 

I  regret  my  inability  to  accept  Mr  Owles's  challenge  to  go  into 
the  difficult  question  of  rheumatism.  I  would  moreover  do  so 
if  I  understood  that  we  veterinarians  could  throw  light  on  that  sub- 
ject by  means  of  chemical  analysis,  microscopic  observations,  and 
practical  experience  devoted  to  the  horse  in  the  way  Dr  Garrod 
and  other  physicians  have  prosecuted  their  researches  in  men.  In  the 
meantime,  I  am  of  Mr  Dyer's  opinion,  who  says — "  I  have  always 
thought  the  term  rheumatism  a  most  convenient  one,  and  well  calcu- 
lated to  shield  us  from  the  hard  hitting  we  may  sometimes  meet 
with,  when  we  are  unable  to  show  the  precise  spot  where  pain  exists." 

In  conclusion,  while  I  am  opposed  to  the  custom  of  assigning  fictiti- 
ous names  to  unknown  diseased  states  of  horses,  I  in  no  way  desire 
to  check  investigation  or  of  giving  new  descriptions ;  but  I  wish  to 
see  distinction  drawn  between  words  and  things.  Tell  men  that  these 
are  the  same,  cram  them  with  words,  parrot-like,  and  they  will  seek 
no  more. 


€\t  fetmnarg  |l(&ttfo  pKr  Siuhbrn^  lowrnal 


THE  ALBERT  VETERINARY  COLLEGE 

With  the  issue  of  this  number  of  the  Review  the  period  of  our 
editorial  career  in  Edinburgh  will  close.  Out  labours  must  be 
continued  in  the  south.  The  transference  of  the  New  Veterin- 
ary College  to  London,  under  the  highest  auspices,  is  no  longer 
amongst  the  things  probable,  but  amongst  those  finally  decided 
on,  and  to  be  instantly  carried  out.  All  that  remains  to  be  done 
is  matter  of  detail,  requiring  but  few  days  for  its  completion,  and 
this  journal  must  henceforth  record  the  events  connected  with  our 
institution  as  it  grows  and  thrives  in  the  metropolis.  A  veterinary 
periodical,  no  less  than  a  veterinary  college,  must  be  viewed  as 
national  in  character,  and  destined  to  disseminate  its  influence  even 
beyond  the  British  isles.  It  is  therefore  not  of  much  importance  that 
it  should  date  from  one  city  in  preference  to  another,  and  our  readers 
will  doubtless  welcome  its  monthly  delivery  from  the  south  as  much 
as  from  the  north.  We  shall  strive,  at  all  events,  to  secure  this  by 
aiming  at  progress,  and  not  adopting  the  retrograde  policy  of  those 
who  preach  and  do  not  practise — who  only  chatter  about  union,  and 
go  so  far  as  to  cut  oflf  their  noses  to  spite  their  faces.  We  have  too 
much  respect  for  our  profession  to  believe  that  its  members  can  be 
led  by  mere  clap-trap  and  empty  words.  It  is  work  of  the  best  and 
most  enduring  kind,  the  increase  and  difiusion  of  sound  knowledge, 
the  inspiration  of  a  sound  and  rational  enthusiasm,  with  its  inevitable 
attendant  esprit  de  corps,  which  can  alone  serve  us;  and  without  pro- 
fessing unbounded  love  for  all,  we  hope  to  strengthen  the  party  with 
which  we  have  identified  ourselves.  What  that  party  is,  the  reader  of 
the  Review  must  know.  We  have  worked  steadily  with  those  who 
have  had  some  spirit  of  independence,  who  have  advocated  and  fos- 
tered the  reunion  of  our  divided  body  into  one,  and  who  cannot 
defend  the  sordid  and  selfish  conduct  of  men  who  would  sacrifice 
every  one  and  everything  for  their  own  purposes.    "^^  ^w&s^^  ^^i::t- 


432  THE  ALBERT  YETEBINABf  COLLEGE. 

selves  to  be  in  open  and  determined  antagonism  to  those  whose  deeds 
and  words  are  not  such  as  to  elevate  our  calling  in  the  estimation  of 
mankind,  and  who  throw  dust  in  the  eyes  of  the  simple  by  empty 
dreary  articles  on  anything  but  useful  practical  subjects. 

So  much  for  our  policy  as  journalists.  Our  duty  in  connexion 
with  the  Albert  Veterinary  College  is,  so  far  as  we  understand  it,  to 
further  by  all  means  in  our  power  the  cause  of  veterinary  education. 
That  this  has  been  done  for  the  past  is  testified  by  work  done,  and  by  the 
character  of  the  stafif  with  which  we  are  associated  in  London.  That 
staff  is  numerically  larger  than  that  of  any  similar  institution  in  this 
country,  and  we  do  not  consider  that  there  is  a  single  individual  included 
on  it  who  requires  words  of  commendation  from  us.  Our  colleagues 
are  known  already  as  sound  teachers,  and  as  men  whose  sole  desire  is  to 
benefit  the  students  that  assemble  around  them.  Preparations  on  a 
large  scale  have  been  made  to  render  the  winter  session  of  1865-66 
a  memorable  one,  and  we  have  every  confidence  in  all  efforts  being 
duly  appreciated  by  those  for  whose  direct  benefit  they  have  been 
mada  One  thing  is  certain,  that  all  that  has  yet  been  done,  and  all 
that  has  been  planned  for  early  execution,  is  on  a  scale  to  place  the 
Albert  College  in  a  position  second  to  none  amongst  the  veterinary 
institutions  of  Europe.  This  is  undoubtedly  not  more  than  should 
be  expected  in  the  largest  city  of  the  world,  where  all  grows,  where 
resources  are  infinite,  and  all  is  progressing,  save,  as  yet,  the  humble 
institutions  devoted  to  veterinary  science,  which  cannot  be  regarded 
by  any  unprejudiced  person  as  at  all  such  as  they  should  be  in  the 
United  Kingdom.  It  is  to  fill  a  gap  that  we  were  asked  to  move 
southwards.  The  desires  of  many  have  now  been  fulfilled,  and  future 
success  cannot  be  regarded  as  a  mere  visionary  probability.  When 
an  institution  most  needed  starts  under  the  highest  patronage,  with 
an  adequate  amount  of  capital,  and  a  strong  body  of  men  experienced 
in  their  work,  there  can  be  little  doubt  of  the  result.-  Our  motto 
henceforth  implies  something  more  than  the  one  of  the  Royal  College. 
The  words  engraved  on  our  seal  and  banner  are  pregnant  of  meanings 
though  they  form  the  brief  sentence — 

"  SCIENTIA  ET  InDUSTRLA." 


ROYA]   COLLEGE  OF  VETERINAEY  SURGEONS.  433 

ROYAL  COLLEGE  OF  VETERINARY  SURGEONS. 

QUARTERLY  MEETING  OF  THE  COUNCIL. — ^HELD  JULY   5,   1865. 

Present: — The  president,  Professor  Spooner  ;  Messrs  Broad, 
Brown,  Barley,  Field,  Hunting,  Lawson,  Lucas,  Moon,  Robinson, 
Silvester,  Wilkinson,  Withers,  and  the  secretary. 

The  minutes  of  the  preceding  meeting  were  read  and  confirmed. 

The  election  of  a  member  of  council  in  the  room  of  Mr  E.  Braby, 
deceased,  was  then  proceeded  with. 

Mr  Lawson  begged  to  propose  Mr  James  Broad,  of  Paddington,  as 
a  member  of  council. 

On  the  ballot  being  taken,  Mr  Broad  was  declared  to  be  duly 
elected. 

Communications  were  read  from  the  several  gentlemen  who  had 
accepted  the  oflSce  of  vice-presidents,  to  which  they  had  been 
elected  at  a  former  meeting  of  the  council.  Mr  Burley  also  acknow- 
ledged the  honour  of  his  election  orally. 

A  letter,  addressed  to  the  president,  was  then  read  which  had  been 
received  from  Sir  G.  Grey,  enclosing  a  copy  of  a  note  addressed  by 
the  Austrian  ambassador,  and  also  a  copy  of  the  programme  of  the 
Veterinary  Congress  to  be  held,  in  August  next,  at  Vienna,  in  which 
a  hope  was  expressed  that  Her  Majesty's  Government  would  appoint 
delegates  to  represent  this  country,  and  that  Sir  George  Grey  be 
informed  whether  the  Royal  College  of  Veterinary  Surgeons  wish  to 
send  a  representative  to  the  Congress. 

After  considerable  discussion,  it  was  moved  by  Mr  Robinson,  and 
seconded  by  Mr  Silvester — "  That  the  Royal  College  of  Veterinary 
Surgeons  have  no  wish  to  send  a  delegate  to  the  Congress  at  Vienna." 

It  was  then  moved  as  an  amendment  by  Mr  Hunt,  and  seconded 
by  Mr  Broad — "That  the  secretary  be  requested  to  communicate 
with  Sir  George  Grey,  stating  the  willingness  of  the  council  to  nomi- 
nate gentlemen  fitted  to  act  as  a  deputation  to  the  Veterinary  Con- 
gress to  be  held  at  Vienna,  provided  that  Government  determine 
upon  being  represented." 

The  original  motion,  having  been  put  from  the  chair,  was  nega- 
tived, and  the  amended  resolution  carried. 

A  letter  was  also  read  by  the  secretary  which  he  had  received 
from  the  solicitor  to  the  estate  of  the  late  Captain  Randall,  of  Lower 
Tooting,  Surrey,  who  had  bequeathed  unto  the  "Royal  Veterinary 
College,  London,  the  sum  of  one  thousand  pounds  consols,"  desiring 
to  be  informed  whether  the  corporate  body  made  any  claim  to  this 
bequest. 

After  some  discussion  on  the  subject,  and  a  letter  of  explanation 
had  been  read  by  Professor  Spooner  in  reference  to  the  legatee,  it 
was  moved  by  Mr  Brown,  and  seconded  by  Mr  Moon — "  That  the 
secretary  write  to  the  solicitor,  informing  him  that  the  co\l\srXL  <5k^ 


434  ROYAL  COLLEGE  OF  VETEEINAEY  SUKGEONS. 

the  corporate  body  do  not  put  in  any  claim  to  the  bequest  of  Captain 
Eandall  to  the  Royal  Veterinary  College." 

An  amendment  was  then  proposed  by  Mr  Withers,  and  seconded 
by  Mr  Wilkinson — "  That  the  solicitor  to  the  College  be  consulted 
as  to  the  legacy  left  by  Captain  Randall  to  the  Royal  Veterinary  Col- 
lege, London." 

The  amendment,  having  been  put  by  the  president,  was  negatived, 
and  the  original  motion  carried. 

The  secretary  reported,  that  at  the  several  meetings  of  the  Court 
of  Examiners  held  in  London,  thirty-three  members  were  admitted 
from  the  Royal  Veterinary  College,  and  nine  rejected.  That  twenty- 
nine  members  were  admitted  from  the  veterinary  colleges,  Edinburgh 
and  Glasgow,  and  eight  rejected.*  The  names  of  the  members 
admitted  were  read,  those  who  were  rejected,  and  also  the  names  of 
the  examiners  and  ex  officio  members  who  were  present. 

The  registrar  reported  the  following  deaths: — ^viz.,  Mr  William 
M*Kenna,  of  Belfast;  diploma  dated  January  6,  18S5.  Mr  Ed- 
ward Braby,  a  member  of  the  council,  and  treasurer  of  the  Royal 
College  of  Veterinary  Surgeons,  London  ;  diploma  dated  August  6, 
1833.  Mr  William  Henry  Webb,  of  Thurlow,  Suffolk ;  diploma 
dated  June  1, 1842.  Mr  George  Kirkham,  of  West  Derby  ;  diploma 
dated  April  21,  1843.  Mr  Francis  Cotterell,  Royal  Artillery ;  diplo- 
ma dated  May  14,  1851.  Mr  Adam  Hampson,  M.R.C.S.,  of  Bolton- 
le-Moors;  diploma  dated  May  23,  1850.  Also,  recently,  Mr  Gavin 
Clarke,  of  Limerick  ;  diploma  dated  August  11,  1847.  Mr  Edward 
Darlington,  of  Armagh ;  diploma  dated  May  19,  1852.  Mr  James 
Rogerson,  of  Garstang;  diploma  dated  January  22,  1827.  Mr  John 
Hopkins,  of  Mildenhall,  Suffolk ;  diploma  dated  May  2,  1861 ;  and 
Mr  John  Lythe,  half-pay,  Ordnance ;  diploma  dated  October  8,  1 805. 

The  letters  of  correspondence  in  connexion  with  the  secretary  of 
the  Scotch  Section  of  the  Court  of  Examiners  were  then  read. 

It  was  moved  by  Mr  Wilkinson,  and  seconded  by  Professor 
Spooner — "  That  the  secretary  of  the  Scotch  Board  be  requested  to 
furnish  the  council  with  the  names  of  the  pupils  holding  the  High- 
land and  Agricultural  Society's  certificate,  who  had  presented  them- 
selves at  the  recent  examinations,  and  had  been  rejected  by  the  Scotch 
Section  of  the  Court  of  Examiners."     Carried. 

The  secretary  laid  on  the  table  a  work  on  Parasitic  Diseases,  by 
Professor  Simonds ;  also  the  last  edition  of  a  Toxocological  Chart,  by 

*  In  the  above  report  it  appears  that  from  the  Eoyal  Veterinary  College,  St  Pan- 
eras,  out  of  fortj^-two  students  examined,  nine  were  rejected ;  and  that,  the  three 
veterinary  schools  in  Scotland  altogether,  including  three  old  practitioners,  fur- 
nished to  the  board  thirty-seven  candidates,  which,  according  to  the  course  pursued 
with  the  London  College,  by  analysis,  stand  thus  : — From  Professor  Dick's  College, 
fourteen  students,  of  which  nine  were  passed  and  five  rejected.  Old  practitioners, 
formerly  pupils  at  the  same  college,  three  candidates — all  passed.  From  the  New 
Veterinary  College,  Edinburgh,  fifteen  candidates — fourteen  passed  and  one  rejected. 
From  the  Glasgow  Veterinary  College,  five  candidates—three  passed  and  two  were 
rejected.-— Ed, 


ROYAL  COLLEGE  OF  VETERINAKY  SURGEONS.  435 

Professor  Morton,  both  of  which  were  presented  to  the  library  of  the 
College. 

It  was  moved  by  Mr  Wilkinson,  and  seconded  by  Mr  Moon — 
"  That  the  thanks  of  the  meeting  be  given  to  those  gentlemen  for 
their  kind  contributions/'     Carried. 

A  letter  was  read,  which  had  been  received  from  Professor,  Morton, 
thanking  the  council  for  the  confidence  placed  in  him  in  reference  to 
the  specimens  of  drugs  which  he  had  laid  before  the  students  at  the  late 
examinations.  He  was  glad  to  learn  that  the  plan  had  also  met  with 
the  approval  of  the  members  of  the  Examining  Board  to  which  he 
was  attached.  He  now  begged,  to  present  to  the  Koyal  College  of 
Veterinary  Surgeons  those  specimens  as  a  nucleus  for  a  collection  of 
articles  of  the  materia  medio%  expressing  a  desire  that  a  fitting  place 
be  appropriated  for  their  reception,  that  they  be  put  in  suitable 
bottles,  and  placed  on  shelves,  with  enclosed  glass  doors,  in  the  library. 

It  was  moved  by  Professor  Spooner,  and  seconded  by  Mr  Wilkin- 
son— "  That  the  thanks  of  the  meeting  be  awarded  to  Professor  Mor- 
ton for  his  liberal  contribution — that  a  suitable  place  be  made  for 
the  reception  of  the  drugs  as  suggested,  and  thiat  Professor  Mor- 
ton's letter  be  entered  on  the  minutes."     Carried. 

It  was  moved  by  Professor  Spooner,  and  seconded  by  Mr  Wilkin- 
son— "  That  a  book,  entitled  *  Oliphant's  Law  of  Horses,*  be  pur- 
chased, as  a  work  of  reference,  for  the  use  of  the  library,"     Carried. 

A  letter  was  then  read  from  Mr  Bushman,  veterinary  surgeon  in 
the  United  States'  Government  service  at  Giesboro',  Washington,  who 
had  unfortunately  lost  his  diploma,  and  now  applied  for  a  duplicate. 
He  informed  the  council  that  he  had  advertised,  and  offered  large 
rewards  for  its  recovery,  but  without  success. 

After  some  little  discussion,  it  was  moved  by  Professor  Spooner, 
and  seconded  by  Mr  Lawson — "  That  a  similar  certificate  be  granted 
to  Mr  Bushman  as  had  been  previously  given  to  a  Mr  Hickman,  who 
lost  his  diploma  during  the  Indian  Mutiny,  and  that  it  set  forth  that 
Mr  Bushman  is  a  member  of  the  Koyal  CoUege  of  Veterinary  Sur- 
geons."    Carried. 

The  secretary  laid  upon  the  table  three  portraits  of  Professors 
Morton,  Varnell,  and  William  Eobinson,  Esq.,  which  had  been  pre- 
sented to  the  council  by  Messrs  Harding  &  Co.,  artists  and  pub- 
lishers, Southampton  Street,  Strand. 

It  was  moved  by  Mr  Wilkinson,  and  seconded  by  Mr  Coates — 
"  That  the  thanks  of  the  councU  be  conveyed  to  Messrs  Harding  & 
Co.  for  the  same."     Carried. 

The  report  from  the  Finance  Committee,  and  the  quarterly  balance 
sheet  of  the  treasurer's  accounts,  was  submitted.  The  current  ex- 
penses for  the  quarter  amounted  to  .£'64,  3s.  5d.,  which  they  recom- 
mend should  be  discharged. 

It  was  moved  by  Professor  Spooner,  and  seconded  by  Mr  Eobin- 
son— "  That  the  report  and  the  treasurer's  quarterly  balance  sheet 
be  received  and  adopted." 


436  MISCELLANEA. 

Cheques  were  ordered  to  be  drawn  for  the  current  ejqienses. 

The  reappointment  of  committees  for  the  year  was  then  proceeded 
with. 

The  Finance  Committee  to  consist  of  Professor  Simonds,  Messrs 
Wilkinson,  Moon,  Harpley,  Harrison,  and  Field.  The  House  Com- 
mittee to  consist  of  Professor  Spooner,  Messrs  Mavor,  Withers,  and 
Harrison.  The  Parliamentary  Committee  to  consist  of  Professor 
Vamell,  Messrs  Ernes,  Mavor,  Moon,  Harpley,  Harrison,  and  Lecker. 

By  order  of  the  council. 

Wm.  H.  Coates,  Secretary. 


MISCELLANEA. 

(Commented  on  by  Joseph  Gamgee,  Sen.) 

Under  the  above  designation  our  contemporary  adopts  a  second-hand 
paragraph,  as  the  medium  of  a  gratuitous  announcement  of  the 
approaching  transfer  of  the  New  Veterinary  College  from  Edinburgh 
to  London.  And  but  for  indulgence  on  the  part  of  the  editors  in  the 
use  of  untruthful  phraseology,  and  the  absence  of  rational  sense  in 
the  attempt,  we  might  follow  the  example  of  the  late  Mr  Hunt,  M.P., 
of  Reform  days'  renown,  who  sent  a  parcel  of  his  best  blacking  to  an- 
other Hon.  M.P.,  because  that  gentleman  had  spontaneously  proclaimed 
to  the  House  the  line  of  business  he  (Mr  Hunt)  followed ;  and  we  are 
similarly  disposed  not  to  let  a  turn  done  go  unrequited. 

The  editors  of  the  Veterinarian  adopt  the  following : — "  A  few 
years  back  another  Veterinary  College  was  started  in  Edinburgh, 
and  with  so  much  success  that  this  is  now  coming  to  London,"  Then, 
in  a  round-about  way,  the  writers  allude  to  a  report,  real  or  imagined, 
that  the  late  President  of  the  Royal  College  of  Veterinary  Surgeons 
was  contemplating  giving  the  weight  of  his  prestige  to  the  younger 
and  more  advancing  institution ;  in  doing  which,  say  they,  it  would 
be  "  cutting  off  the  branch  upon  which  he  was  sitting.  It  was  simply 
idle  to  say  that  these  two  schools  would  not  be  antagonistic.  We 
might  as  well  have  two  Royal  Colleges  of  Surgeons." 

Before  I  attempt  to  show  these  writers,  who,  to  use  their  own 
words,  "  appear  to  have  been  rivalling  the  mole-eyed  woodman,"  I 
may  tell  them  that  I  shall  not  suppose  them  so  destitute  of  common 
sense  as  the  passages  to  which  references  are  made  would  indicate ; 
I  have,  therefore,  only  one  other  alternative  to  fall  back  upon, — that 
of  regarding  their  misdirections  as  wittingly  given.  *'  We  might  as 
well  have  two  Royal  Colleges  of  Surgeons."  But  are  the  Royal  Col- 
leges of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  places  where  medicine  and  surgery 
are  taught  ?  or  are  they  not  the  governing  institutions  for  the  two 
chief  divisions  of  the  medical  professions?     And  are  not  all  the 


MISCELLANEA.  437 

medical  schools  of  London,  and  throughout  England,  tributaries  to 
those  centres  of  honour,  to  which  all  must  go  to  be  examined,  and  to 
have  their  status  assigned,  before  they  can  enter  an  ennobling  profes- 
sion ?  And  "  these  two  schools "  stand  in  the  same  relation  to  the 
Royal  College  of  Veterinary  Surgeons  in  Red  Lion  Square,  as,  pro- 
bably, two  hundred  medical  schools,  spread  over  the  kingdom,  stand 
towards  the  examining  boards  in  medicine  and  surgery.  About  the 
"  branch  upon  which  the  president  was  sitting,"  I  beg  to  refer  to  a 
less  generally  known  circumstance  than  the  well  understood  facts  just 
alluded  to — viz.,  that  but  for  the  New  Veterinary  College,  and  the 
unceasing  perseverance  of  Mr  John  Gamgee,  the  Royal  College  of  . 
Veterinary  Surgeons  would  have  afforded  but  a  very  slender  branch  for 
any  president,  at  this  time,  to  sit  on — hardly  a  twig,  in  all  probability 
— when  it  is  taken  into  account  that,  ten  years  ago,  England  had  one 
Royal  College  of  Veterinary  Surgeons,  and  only  one  Royal  Veterinary 
School  to  supply  its  examining  board  with  students  for  examination — 
and  that  one  school  held  the  Royal  College  of  the  profession  subor- 
dinate— the  latter  depending  for  resources,  and  the  former  threatened 
to  cut  them  off.  The  professors  of  the  school  all  presided  at  the 
council  board  of  the  college,  and  therefore  ruled  by  outvoting  and 
threatening ;  while  the  one  Royal  College  and  the  one  insubordinate 
school  resembled  an  army  composed  of  one  commanding  officer,  and 
one  lame,  ill-disciplined  soldier. 

Through  the  originator  of  the  New  Veterinary  College  entirely, 
our  Royal  College  of  Veterinary  Surgeons  has  become  comparatively 
flourishing ;  its  resources  have  probably  been  doubled  within  the  last 
eight  years,  with  brighter  prospects  opening ;  and  four  schools  now 
send  pupils  to  the  Examining  Board  of  the  Royal  College  of  Veteri- 
nary Surgeons,  where  something  like  discipline  prevails.  Thus  there 
is  not  one  "  branch  "  only  for  "  the  mole-eyed  woodman  to  sit  upon/' 
but  there  are  four  branches,  and  all  tributaries  to  the  system. 

A  word  for  the  older  of  our  schools,  to  which  we  turn  with  a 
veneration  something  akin  to  that  of  the  dog  for  the  kennel,  where 
little  had  been  conferred  to  touch  the  senses  deeper  than  the  in- 
stinctive. The  Old  College  has  always  thriven  on  quick  returns'; 
fresh  pupils,  with  accompanjdng  fees,  to  pass  quickly,  keep  the  secret, 
and  ask  no  questions — such  has  been  its  motto.  Illiberality,  jealousy, 
and  despotism  have  been  the  ruling  characteristics  from  its  early 
history — imparting  little,  and  insolent  when  asked  for  more ;  con- 
sistent only  in  persecutions,  where  independent  thought  seeks  its 
useful  application. 

As  one  item  of  positive  evidence  is  more  to  the  purpose  than  any 
number  of  words,  I  will  adduce  a  specimen,  one  of  many,  to  show  the 
way  things  are  managed  at  St  Pancras. 

Ten  years  ago  the  following  note  and  resolution  came  into  my 
hand,  and,*  though  not  addressed  to  myself,  being  very  deeply  con- 
cerned, I  kept  it,  thinking  that  posterity  might  learn  something  of  the 
history  of  the  time  out  of  it.    The  individual  to  whom  the  note  was 


438  MISCELLANEA. 

addressed  had  then  recently  visited  some  of  the  principal  veterinary 
schools  on  the  Continent  of  Europe,  at  each  and  all  of  which  the 
utmost  courtesy  was  shown.  Their  museums  were  opened,  dissecting 
rooms,  chemical  laboratories,  and  every  facility  were  aflforded  to  enrich 
the  mind,  besides  affording  material  for  note-books  and  drawing-port- 
folios. On  his  return  to  London,  having  had  access  to  the  British 
and  Hunterian  Museums,  the  desire  was  evinced  to  take  some  draw- 
ings from  the  specimens  in  the  Museum  of  the  St  Pancras  Veterinary 
College,  to  which  all  of  us  had  in  time  past  contributed,  and  where 
specimens  had  been  many  years  accumulating,  with  no  opportunity 
aflforded  to  make  them  of  use.  When  application  was  made,  the 
answer  returned  was  the  following : — 

Jidy  27,  1855. 

Dear  Sir, — I  beg  to  inform  you  that  your  application,  as  made  to  me  by  your  note 
of  the  18th  inst.,  for  permission  to  take  drawings  from  the  specimens  in  the  museum 
of  the  Royal  Veterinary  College,  was  laid  before  the  meeting  of  the  governors  of  the 
college,  held  on  Friday,  the  20th  inst.,  when  a  resolution  was  passed  with  regard  to 
it,  which  resolution  was  confirmed  by  an  adjourned  meeting  of  the  goyemors,  held 
on  Thursday,  the  26th  inst,  and  of  which  I  herewith  take  leare  to  transmit  to  you  a 
copy. — I  am,  dear  Sir,  very  faithfully  yours, 

Charles  Spooneb,  Principal  and  Secretary. 

To  Mr  John  Gamgee. 


Copy  of  Resolution. 
"  Eesolved,  that  Mr  John  Gamgee's  application  for  permission  to  take  drawingB 
from  the  specimens  in  the  museum  of  the  coUege  cannot  be  complied  with." 

I  need  not  say  that  appeal  to  the  governors  is  the  subterfuge  com- 
monly resorted  to  by  which  refusal  is  enforced.  How  many  governors 
there  are  amongst  the  noblemen  and  gentlemen  of  England  who  would 
recognise  any  share  of  their  own  in  the  above  or  any  analogous  act,  I 
will  not  pretend  to  state — few,  if  any,  no  doubt. 

These  principals  would  hunt  a  young,  striving  man  down,  so  long 
as  they  were  protected  by  governors,  until  their  disreputable  end  was 
attained.  Happily,  however,  new  vigour  and  new  resources  sustained 
the  man  determined  to  work  for  good.  If  it  were  not  so,  there  would 
be  danger  of  the  work  of  a  family  being  destroyed,  by  principals 
cloaked  under  false  colours. 


CATTLE  DISEASE  PKEVENTION.  439 

PEEISCOPE. 


ON  CATTLE  DISEASE  PREVENTIOK 

When  Youatt  commenced  to  attract  the  attention  of  farmers  and  yeterinarians  to 
the  importance  of  cultivating  cattle  pathology,  he  little  thought  that,  within  a  dozen 
years  of  his  first  attempts,  the  whole  country  would  be  alarmed  by  the  appearance  Of 
the  murrains  which  originally  impressed  the  people  of  the  Continent  with  the  value 
of  veterinary  science.  The  large  sums  x)f  money  annually  devoted  by  Continental 
states  to  the  support  of  veterinary  schools,  and  the  maintenance  of  strong  bodies  of 
veterinarians,  are  not.  regarded  as  ill-spent,  though  in  London  even  the  two  hundred 
a  year  voted  annually  by  the  Royal  Agricultural  Society  is  looked  upon  somewhat  in 
the  light  of  a  superfluity.  It  is  indeed  useless  denying  that  very  vague  and  primi- 
tive notions  have  been  held  here  regarding  the  duties  of  veterinarians,  and  farmers 
are  disposed  to  believe  that  they  can  usually  do  best  without  them.  A  sick  ox  or  a 
sick  sheep  ill  affords  a  doctor's  bill ;  and,  so  far  as  the  ailments  of  individual  animals 
are  concerned,  it  is  often  more  economical  to  trust  to  nature,  or  to  bury,  than  to  pay 
for  a  cure.  So  much  has  this  truth  impressed  itself  on  the  agricultural  mind  in  the 
United  Kingdom,  that  veterinarians  can  only  live  where  horses  abound ;  and  the 
appearance  in  this  country  of  the  foot-and-mouth  disease  and  pleuropneumonia  has 
tended  rather  to  banish  professional  men  from  farmyards'  than  otherwise.  We  are 
not  astonished.  Circumstances  have  rendered  farmers  cautious ;  and  while  on  the 
one  hand  they  have  used  their  best  endeavours  to  keep  clear  of  disease,  they  have, 
on  the  appearance  of  any  deadly  complaint,  sought  the  most  expeditious  way  of  get- 
ting rid  of  the  stock,  and  thus  secured  the  most  certain  method  of  keeping  the  secret. 
With  a  rate  of  mortality  which  is  always  three,  four,  and  five  times  greater  than  it 
used  to  be  thirty  years  ago,  we  hear  no  grumbling.  Farming  and  the  cattle  trade 
have  adapted  themselves  to  the  present  conditions,  and  every  one  seems  to  act  on  the 
adage,  that ''  the  less  said  the  soonest  mended." 

A  cry,  however,  is  being  raised,  that  calves  are  not  to  be  had.  Lean  stock  is  so 
dear,  that  in  many  districts  it  is  difficult  to  farm  remuneratively.  Beef  is  at  an 
enormous  price,  and  not  only  are  the  people  complaining,  but  the  butchers  declare, 
and  often  with  great  justice,  that  their  profits  are  seriously  curtailed.  All  this  is  re- 
cognised as  constituting  an  evil,  the  remedy  for  which  cannot  be  discovered.  The 
importations  of  stock  are  increasing.  The  Danish  government  and  Scandinavian 
Agricultural  Societies  are  no  longer  content  to  put  up  with  the  small  profits  allowed 
them  by  the  German  Jews,  who  have  been  extensive  purchasers  in  Jutland,  Zealand, 
and  elsewhere  for  the  London  market ;  and  every  effort  is  being  made  to  increase  the 
direct  supply  of-  stock  for  the  United  Blingdom  from  most  of  the  fertile  pastures  of 
the  northern  parts  of  the  European  continent.  Until  recently,  it  appeared  as  if  the 
foreign  trade  could  not  acquire  a  development  at  all  proportionate  to  our  wants. 
The  present  season  has  somewhat  altered  the  aspect  of  affairs,  though  we  still  fail, 
and  must  for  long  fail,  to  obtain  from  foreign  lands  the  quality  of  beef  which  our 
own  farmers  can  manufacture.  Higher  and  higher  prices,  with  greater  scarcity  of 
stock,  must  continue  to  rule,  and  there  is  a  prospect  of  farmers  at  all  events  listening 
to  rational  measures  for  their  relief.  Better  late  than  never.  If  they  have  turned  a 
deaf  ear  in  times  past  to  those  who  have  advocated  the  protection  of  the  lives  of  their 
animals,  it  is  probable  that  they  will  now  earnestly  discuss  all  reasonable  proposals ; 
and  it  is  with  a  view  to  encourage  this  desirable  change  that  we  venture  on  this  oc- 
casion to  draw  their  attention  to  some  points  of  very  considerable  importance. 

To  strike  at  the  root  of  the  evil  above  referred  to,  we  may  state  that  there  has  been 
a  strange  disregard  of  the  course  of  events  in  our  breeding  districts.  Grazing  and 
stall-feeding  have  been  so  much  safer  and  more  profitable  than  keeping  dairies  and 
rearing  calves,  that  wherever  practicable  they  have  been  prosecuted  with  energy.  It 
has  not  been  the  business  of  individual  farmers  to  think  of  the  future  supply  of  stock 
for  such  purposes.  In  some  districts  they  have  been  tempted  with  stores  from  Hol- 
land ;  but  farmers  in  the  border  counties  have  had  occasion  to  repent  such  trials ;  and 
we  are  acquainted  with  various  parts  of  Scotland  to  which  Irish  cattle  have  been 
trucked  this  season,  where  more  than  could  be  fattened  were  at  one  time  reared.  We 
require  more  home-bred  stock — more  cows  and  more  calves  from  a  restricted  breeding 
ground. 

Vol.  L—No.  VIIL—New  Series.    Aiiq\3ST  1S^5.  *^^ 


440  CATTLE  DISEASE  PREVENTION. 

However  difficult  the  solution  of  this  problem  may  appear  to  some,  we  unhesitat- 
ingly affirm  that  intelligent  action  may  yet  do  much  for  the  farmer  and  the  British 
public  in  this  matter.  With  a  view  to  indicate  this,  we  may  for  the  time  confine  our 
remarks  to  three  points  of  importance — 

I.  The  Trade  in  Cows. 
II.  The  Trade  and  Transport  of  Calves. 

III.  The  scope  for  combining  Breeding  and  Feeding  on  farms  to  a  greater  extent 
than  for  the  past. 

I.  The  Trade  in  Cows — No  reliable  statistics  are  at  our  disposal  to  prove  incon- 
trovertibly  the  rapid  rate  at  which  the  cows  of  this  country  are  annually  decreasing, 
from  the  constant  enormous  mortality  in  town  dairies.  It  is  acknowledged  by  all 
that  reckless  mismanagement  leads  to  the  rapid  destruction  of  animals  tied  up  for 
the  production  of  milk  in  large  cities.  The  misunderstanding  on  the  subject,  fatal 
to  salutary  reform,  has  arisen  from  the  diseases  of  animals  being  ill  understood,  and 
that  many-headed  monster  contagion  having  been  ignored.  Sbme  persons  have  at- 
tacked the  system  of  feeding  town  cows — which  might  be  better,  and  could  be  infi- 
nitely worse ;  others  have  spoken  of  the  animals  not  being  permitted  to  take  exer- 
cise ;  and  however  paradoxical  it  may  appear,  a  town  dairy  cow  is  much  safer  and 
healthier,  less  liable  to  accidents  and  disease,  if  kept  tied  up  by  the  neck  for  six 
months  at  a  time,  than  if  driven  about  as  the  cows  are  in  Newcastle,  Dublin,  and 
other  cities,  where  freemen  enjoy  the  privileges  of  common  pasture.  Pictures  have 
been  frequently  drawn  of  dark  cellars,  too  low  for  a  man  to  stand  up  in,  deprived  of 
any  inlets  or  outlets  for  pure  or  foul  air,  in  which  the  animals  can  only  be  seen  by 
gaslight,  and  where,  on  inspection,  four  or  five  cows  are  found  to  be  consuming  less 
atmosphere  than  one  would  require.  All  this  is  very  true,  and  nothing  has  been  lost 
on  the  intelligent  medical  officers  of  London,  who  have  succeeded  in  registering  the 
4airics,  excluding  them  altogether  from  certain  parishes,  and  attending  to  the  purity, 
cleanliness,  and  ventilation  of  all  under  their  control.  The  paving,  drainage,  white- 
washing, and  daily  flushing,  have  not,  however,  affected  the  progress  of  pleuro-pneu- 
monia.  There  has  been  no  diminution  of  disease  as  a  rule.  It  is  raging  now,  as  it 
has  done  more  or  less  for  twenty  years  past ;  and  so  long  as  it  continues,  so  long  as 
the  town-dairy  system  remains  as  it  is,  we  must  have  the  country  drained  of  the  ani- 
mals it  so  much  needs  for  keeping  up  the  home  supply  of  animsd  food. 

There  are  those  who  believe  that  which  is  not  the  fact — viz.,  that  the  country  sup- 
ply of  milk  for  large  towns  is  restricting  the  number  of  town  cOwfeeders,  and  that 
the  wants  of  large  cities  can  be  fully  met  by  dairy  farmers.  Admitting  that  a  very 
large  quantity  of  the  milk  needed  by  the  towns  can  readily  be  forwarded  from  a  dis- 
tance by  rail,  it  is  a  well-known  fact  that  the  town  cows  cannot  be  dispensed  with.  A 
retailer  of  milk  in  the  city  of  London  will  pay  2f  d.  per  quart  wholesale  for  milk  sup- 
plied by  a  neighbouring  dairyman,  whereas  he  less  willingly  allows  2d.  per  quart  only 
for  the  country  milk.  This  may  appear  strange ;  but  it  is  easily  explained  when  we 
know  that  to  secure  the  proper  carriage  of  the  milk  and  for  the  sake  of  profit,  the 
country  dairyman  keeps  the  morning's  milk  for  the  afternoon's  despatch,  and  the 
evening's  milk  till  next  morning,  so  that  much  of  the  cream  is  removed  and  made 
into  fresh  butter,  which  is  readily  sold  at  a  high  price  in  all  large  towns.  The  town 
dairyman  cannot  trouble  himself  with  butter-making,  and  sells  his  milk  as  it  comes 
from  the  cow,  adding,  it  is  true,  some  water,  if  he  disposes  of  it  directly  to  the  con- 
sumer. There  are  so  many  advantages,  which  we  need  not  now  discuss,  in  having  an 
adequate  town-dairy  supply  of  milk  that  we  should  turn  our  attention  to  altering 
those  conditions  which  lead  to  the  regular  wholesale  destruction  of  the  fine  cows 
purchased  by  the  cowfeeders. 

That  our  readers  may  form  some  idea  of  the  extent  to  which  our  breeding  districts 
have  been  drained  for  town  purposes,  we  may  mention  that  cows  which  were  sold 
twenty  years  ago  for  £10  or  £12,  realise  now  from  £18  to  £20.  It  is  no  unusual 
thing  for  a  dairyman  to  give  £25  and  £30  for  a  cross  shorthomed  cow— and  in  spite 
of  these  prices  the  animals  cannot  be  had.     They  are  rapidly  diminishing. 

It  is  admitted  that  the  number  of  cows  kept  in  many  large  towns — and  we  may 
take  as  good  examples  London  and  Edinburgh — has  not  increased  much  during  the 
past  twenty  years.  The  number,  however,  annually  purchased  in  aijy  single  to¥m  is 
double  and  treble  what  it  used  to  be  prior  to  1840.  We  perfectly  remember  seeing 
animals  in  the  London  sheds  that  had  been  one,  two,  and  three  years  in  the  haAds  of 
town  dairymen,  on  whose  farms  they  were  kept  for  a  couple  of  months  prior  to  calv- 
122^;  but  now  the  majority  oi  tlieEe  anm^  ^^  %>oV^  ^\&Qaaed  to  the  batcher  within 


CATTLE  DISEASi;  PREVEN(riON.  441 

five  montlis  of  entering  the  dairy.  The  town  dairyman  has  learned  that  a  short- 
horned  cow  leaves  an  enormous  profit  if  she  only  lives  four  or  five  months  after 
calving,  and  he  knows  that  his  predecessors  in  the  trade  erred  in  keeping  the  animals 
on  as  long  as  they  did  ;  but  he  does  not  consider  how  best  to  economise  the  scanty 
quantity  of  stock  this  country  can  supply.  He  goes  on  buying  and  killing  twice  and 
thrice  as  fast  as  his  ancestors,  quite  regardless  of  all  consequences. 

Formerly  the  dairy  districts  spared  for  the  towns  the  old  cows  which  had  to  make 
room  for  the  young  ones;  but  now  the  lean  animal,  with  well-defined  cheek  and 
facial  bones,  well-ringed  horns,  and  a  dropped  udder,  is  not  to  be  seen.  ^  Heifers  with 
their  first  calf  are  being  bought  up  greedily ;  and  good  fat  cows,  with  their  second 
or  third  calf,  are,  as  a  rule,  delivercfd  to  the  town  cowfeeders.  Can  we  then  won- 
der that  cows  are  getting  scarce  ?  If  we  could  only  prolong  the  average  life  of  the 
town-dairy  cow  from  six  to  nine  months,  th€; saving,  to  the  country  would  be  enor- 
mous ;  and  greater  would  be  the  saving  if  we  could  adopt  a  system  whereby  animals 
milked  from  five  to  six  months  after  calving  in  a  town  could  be  returned  in  calf  to 
the  country.  That  this  is  practicable  and  profitable  we  hope  ^t  some  future  time  to 
show.  For  the  moment,  we  are  desirous  only  of  indicating  that  the  wholesale  de- 
struction of  cows  in  large  towns  is  incompatible  with  an  increase  in  the  breeding 
stock  of  the  country.  Any  sceptic  on  this  point  can  easily  be  enlightened  by  a  com- 
municative cow-desder  or  intelligent  town  dairyman.  * 

II.  The  Trade  in  and  Transport  of  Calves. — Presuming  that  we  have  shown  that 
there  is  scope  for  the  exercise  of  economy  in  relation  to  the  lives  of  our  cows,  we  be- 
lieve we  can  even  more  successfully  demonstrate  that  the  interests  of  the  farmer  and 
of  the  people  demand  a  radical  change  in  the  manner  in  which  calves  are  used. 

We  do  not  fall  in  with  the  cry  that  indigestible  veal  should  be  banished  from 
butchers*  stalls,  both  by  the  advice  of  the  Faculty  and  the  strong  arm  of  the  law. 
British  veal,  if  we  except  the  flesh  of  the  "  slink  calf  "  or  "  staggering  bob,"  has  been  a 
rarity  which  gold  has  usually  failed  to  purchase  of  late.  The  greatest  consumption 
of  well-fed  veal  in  this  country  takes  place  in  the  metropolis;  and  whereas  formerly 
the  farmers  of  the  counties  of  Middlesex,  Surrey,  Essex,  Cambridge,  Lincoln,  &c., 
supplied  their  fatted  calves  at  remunerative  prices,  the  London  veal  trade  is  now  gone 
entirely  into  the  hands  of  the  foreign  trader.  From  Antwerp  and  other  parts  many 
fine  calves  are  imported;  and  animals  that  have  never  tasted  milk  or  food  of  any 
kind  cannot  well  compete  with  them. 

The  treatment  of  calves  in  this  country  is  often  cruel,  revolting,  and  recklessly 
extravagant.  Thousands  of  them  are  bom  where  they  cannot  be  reared,  either  in 
country  dairy  districts  or  in  large  towns.  They  are  not  permitted  to  suckle  their 
mother.  Thousands  of  them  die  within  a  few  hours  of  being  bom,  and  a  far  larger 
number  during  the  first  week  or  two  of  their  existence,  from  mismanagement  in 
feeding.  One  great  cause  tending  to  encourage  this  state  of  matters  is  the  ready 
sale  found  for  a  dead  calf  with  its  throat  cut,  whether  it  has  bled  or  not.  We  be- 
lieve that  the  proper  and  humane  treatment  of  calves  would  be  greatly  encouraged, 
and  their  number  enormously  increased,  if  a  law  were  passed  that  no  such  animal 
could  be  sold  as  human  food  unless  it  had  been  fed  or  suckled  for  at  least  six  weeks. 
This  is  the  law  in  many  parts  of  the  Continent ;  it  works  well,  and  should  be  tried 
here.  One  effect  of  such  legislation  would  be  securing  for  the  farmer  an  opportunity 
of  purchasing  far  more  calves  at  a  month  old  than  he  can  get  now. 

The  practice  in  town  dairies  is  to  give  the  calf  the  first  milking  of  its  mother  and 
then  dispose  of  it  at  once.  Dealers  will  give  30s.  and  36s.  for  newly-dropped  short- 
horn calves.  We  have  known  farmers  in  Aberdeenshire  this  season  give  £3  and 
£3,  10s.  for  newly-born  calves  in  good  condition  in  Aberdeen,  and  they  had  then  to 
pay  for  their  carriage  home.  The  mortality  has  in  some  parts  been  enormous,  and 
it  is  hard  to  tell  what  a  stock  of  calves  may  not  cost  at  present  rates.  It  is  singular 
that,  notwithstanding  the  regular  outcry  as  to  the  deficient  supply  of  calves,  and  the 
frightful  mortality  amongst  them,  nothing  is  done  to  remedy  the  state  of  matters. 
As  a  rule,  the  deaJers  who  bUy  up  in  the  towns  in  England  send  the  calves  by  rail  to 
their  destination.  Thousands  of  these  young  animals  travel,  crowded  in  cattle- 
trucks,  for  from  twenty-four  to  fifty-six  hours  without  food,  and  having  perhaps 
tasted  milk  once,  if  at  all,  after  birth.  As  the  trucks  are  shunted  and  stopped,  the 
little  things  roll  over  each  other,  the  weaker  succumb,  and  are  trampled  on  by  the 
stronger.  Two  or  three  huddle  up  together,  and  one  of  them  may  be  so  squeezed  as 
to  die  of  suffocation  or  internal  injury.  No  one  cares,  The  dealer  cuts  the  dead, 
one's  throat  at  the  station,  and  the  butcher  pays  from  1Q5l  Vi  £\  ^XatXy^^  Vwl  N^»  \s^- 


442  "  BEEAKIi^G  DOWN." 

stead  of  the  fanner  getting  it  at  a  better  price.  These  are  looked  upon  as  the  rielcB 
of  trade ;  and  the  demand  for  calves  has  been  so  great  of  late  years,  that  many  have 
succeeded,  in  spite  of  the  cruelty,  to  make  money  at  it. 

The  calves  which  survive  the  railway  journeys  often  die  in  very  large  numbers 
after  having  been  delivered  to  the  farmer.  The  starved  creatures  distend  their 
stomachs  with  any  quantity  of  milk  they  can  get  at.  The  digestive  powers  of  the 
alimentary  canal  having  been  destroyed,  diarrhoea  sets  in,  and  death  soon  follows. 

If  the  Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to  Animals  would  lend  its  influence 
to  put  down  cruelty  to  calves,  it  would  do  more  good  than  by  offering  prizes  for  the 
painless  extinction  of  the  life  of  vermin.  Prizes  might  be  offered  for  the  best  rail- 
way truck  for  calves — and  we  do  not  see  why  such  a  conveyance  should  not  have  an 
apparatus  permitting  every  calf  to  suck  milk  from  an  artificial  teat  several  times 
daily.  The  arrangement  could  be  easily  carried  out,  and  the  expense  of  feeding  the 
calves  on  the  journey  would  be  amply  counterbalanced  by  the  improved  condition  in 
which  the  animals  would  arrive. 

'  On  questions  of  this  kind  the  interests  of  the  country  should  be  considered  before 
those  of  individuals.  Not  fifty  per  cent,  of  the  calves  dropped  in  the  United  King- 
dom ever  live  beyond  the  first  fortnight  of  their  existence.  No  one  can  dispute  this 
fact ;  and  with  scarcity  of  stock  threatening  us  at  present,  it  behoves  all  to  offer 
suggestions,  and  work  to  discover  a  remedy.  Now,  the  town  cowfeeder  grudges  a 
single  meal  of  milk  to  a  calf.  He  should  be  looked  after,  and  made  to  understand 
that  animals  are  not  to  be  starved,  and  that  rice  water,  hay-tea,  baked  flour  and 
water  are  better  than  no  food  at  all  for  the  young  animals  he  wishes  to  get  rid  of. 
The  calf-dcalcrs  specially  need  looking  after  as  well  as  the  railway  companies ;  and 
so  far  as  the  farmers  are  concerned,  it  is  undoubtedly  necessary  widely  to  dissemi- 
nate knowledge  regarding  the  very  simple  treatment  required  for  the  prevention  and 
cure  of  the  intestinal  disorders  so  fatal  to  young  animals. 

III.  The  scope  for  combining  Breeding  and  Feeding  on  farms  to  a  greater  ex- 
tent than  for  the  past. — In  the  present  state  of  affairs  the  less  the  farmer  has  to  enter 
live-stock  markets  the  better.  So  many  have  suffered  from  the  purchase  of  a  single 
animal  which  has  carried  disease  home,  that  greater  caution  is  now  exercised  than 
formerly  in  mixing  strange  animals  with  a  clean  stock.  But  altogether  apart  from 
the  danger  of  infection,  the  question  to  solve  is,  how  to  produce  on  the  land  that 
which  must  otherwise  be  purchased  at  a  very  high  price  elsewhere.  There  are  farms 
where  the  breeding  of  stock  would  not  pay,  or  at  all  events  feeding  would  pay  so 
much  better  that  no  one  would  think  of  breedings;  nevertheless  we  have  seen  much 
done  under  extraordinary  circumstances  with  a  little  management.  There  are  many 
grazing  and  mixed  farms  where,  in  addition  to  two  or  three  year  olds,  a  certain 
number  of  year  old  queys  can  be  kept,  put  to  the  bull,  and  at  two  years  old  or  up- 
wards each  gives  birth  to  a  calf,  which  it  has  to  suckle.  These  queys,  after  rearing 
their  calves  on  ^ood  keep,  can  be  fattened  in  another  year ;  and  we  believe  that,  in 
addition  to  the  advantage  of  having  young  home-bred  stock  needing  little  addition 
every  year,  the  queys  at  three  years  old  will  pay  better  than,  or  quite  as  well — al- 
ways including  the  price  of  the  calves — as  bullocks  kept  over  the  same  period  of 
time.  In  times  past  this  might  not  have  been  the  case,  but  when  a  good  sound  calf 
may  cost  nearly  a  five-pound  note  very  shortly  after  birth,  it  is  easy  to  understand 
that  breeding,  under  the  circumstances  above  mentioned,  may  be  very  advantageous. 

In  relation  to  the  subject  of  cattle  disease  prevention,  it  is  evident  that  the  com- 
bination of  breeding  and  feeding  would  obviate  the  unfortunate  results  of  the  ill- 
treatment  to  which  bought  calves  are  subjected ;  and  from  having  to  buy  a  very 
limited  number  of  young  animals  to  make  up  his  full  complement  of  stock,  the 
farmer  could  avoid  large  fairs  and  markets,  where  diseases  are  often  contracted. 


"BREAKING  DOWN." 

(From  the  Sporting  Times.) 

Sir, — ^In  the  remarks  subjoined  to  the  letter  by  "  A  Vet"  in  your  current  issue,  you 
say,  "  Mr  Gamgee  denies  that  such  a  thing  as  breaking  down  ever  occurs."  Thoi^  I 
have  often  intruded  myself  on  the  public  within  the  last  three  or  four  years,  for  the 
purpose  of  exposing  what  I  conceive  to  be  fallacies  commonly  entertained  on  the  con- 
struction  of  the  fore  and  hind  limba  oi  \.\it  \iot^^,  t\x^ix  true  functions  and  the  way  an 


"  BEEAKING  DOWN."  443 

which  injuries  occur,  which  go  under  the  general  denomination  of  "breaking  down," 
with  your  permission  I  will  now  make  the  Sporting  Times  the  medium  of  a  few  addi- 
tional remarks,  with  the  view  of  affording  explanations. 

The  questions  involved  are  perhaps  of  too  technical  a  nature  to  admit  of  the  non- 
anatomical  reader  determining  for  himself,  though,  with  the  parts  at  hand  to  show, 
no  one  fails  to  see  the  true  state  of  the  matter.  Readers  may  say,  then  why  have  not 
the  whole  veterinary  profession  understood  it  ?  I  do  not  feel  called  upon  to  answer 
that  question,  the  time  has  not  yet  come,  it  seems,  for  thorough  discussion.  Of 
course  these  remarks  do  not  apply  to  those  gentlemen  whom  I  had  the  honour  to  aid 
in  their  course  of  instruction  at  the  New  Veterinary  College ;  nor  do  1  mean  to 
include  personal  friends,  though  I  am  aware  that  some  members,  between  whom  and 
myself  there  is  no  want  of  mutual  esteem,  who,  not  having  access  to  other  means  of 
demonstration  than  my  published  statements,  show  reluctance  in  accepting  my  views 
on  the  construction  of  the  regions  referred  to.  Some  have  said,  "No  doubt  alK 
Gamgee  says  is  correct,  still  to  give  up  all  that  we  have  learned  in  our  early  days  is, 
in  fact,  like  the  giving  up  of  our  bread  and  cheese."  It  would  therefore  appear,"  that 
it  is  not  through  any  omission  of  mine  that  discordance  on  the  subject  exists.  A 
little  more  time  would  seem  to  be  required  before  it  will  be  convenient  to  change 
opinions.  You  will,  I  have  no  doubt,  see  various  papers  of  mine,  besides  any 
which  may  have  been  sent  to  the  Sporting  Times  on  these  questions.  I  shall  not 
recapitulate  what  I  have  said  already,  it  would  exceed  the  time  at  command  to  fur- 
nish an  essay  on  the  anatomy  and  physiology  of  the  limbs  of  the  horse  as  each  new 
form  of  question  arises;  in  justification  of  myself  in  the  meanwhile,  I  may  state  that 
as  many  gentlemen  as  have  asked  me  for  explanations,  I  have,  aided  by  my  anatomi- 
cal specimens  at  h^nd,  satisfactorily  explained,  in  so  far  as  half  an  hour's  demon- 
stration can  effect  that  object.  On  "breaking  down"  you  very  aptly  say,  "The 
term,  though  a  convenient  one,  is  certainly  too  elastic  in  its  application."  Well  said 
this !  Before  I  published  a  line  about  "  breaking  down,"  I  had  worked  much,  and 
written  to  some  extent,  as  well  as  demonstrated  in  the  lecture -room,  to  prove  that 
much  of  what  has  been  called  the  anatomy  of  the  foot  is  defective.  Such  I  vouch  to 
be  the  case,  viewing  the  parts  in  their  physical  aspect,  but  it  is  only  when  we  come 
to  what  is  called  the  physiology,  that  the  absurd  notions  which  have  prevailed  crowd 
before  us. 

On  one  occasion,  when  a  horse  was  said  to  have  "broken  down"— had  sprung  his 
suspensory  ligament,  I  said  the  thing  was  impossible.  I  beg  it  to  be  borne  in  mind, 
that  I  had  already  published  my  conviction  of  there  being  no  such  structure  as 
assumed,  elastic,  suspensory  ligament;  that  in  fact  there  was  no  elongating  and 
alternate  contractile  property  belonging  to  the  broad  pliable  band  placed  behind  the 
shank  bones,  and  that  the  use  of  that  band  was  of  a  totally  different  kind  to  that 
attributed  to  it  by  anatomists  of  the  horse.  I  proved  that  the  ligament  suspends  no 
part,  neither  does  it  sustain  any  downward  bearing,  that  in  fact  the  injuries  called 
"  breaking  down,"  and  injuries  there  are,  are  due  to  other  causes  and  actions  alto- 
gether different  to  those  generally  supposed.  I  have  entered  into  these  explanations 
to  show  the  various  means  I  have  employed  to  establish  a  true  state  of  knowledge  of 
the  component  parts  of  the  limbs  of  the  horse,  their  actions,  and  incidental  derange- 
ments. No  sentence  uttered  by  me  at  any  time  is  to  be  taken  as  explanatory  of  this 
important  matter,  which  it  is  impossible  to  treat  thoroughly  by  mere  words.  I  con- 
sider that  I  have  done  my  part  thus  far,  to  the  utmost  of  my  humble  means,  and  shall 
continue  my  course  as  hitherto,  still  I  cannot  by  anticipation  meet  objections,  and 
therefore  shall  await  them.  Though  my  professional  brethren  may  take  a  long  time 
to  think  over  the  matter  before  they  speak  pro  or  cony  spontaneous  recognition  of  my 
efforts  have  come  to  me  from  men  on  whose  opinions  I  place  the  highest  value. 
Amongst  these  Professor  Owen,  whose  good  opinion  more  than  compensates  for  a 
host  of  surface  observers.  The  same  may  be  said  of  the  approving  sentiments  ex- 
pressed by  the  Hon.  Admiral  Rous.  And,  lastly,  may  I  be  allowed  to  refer  to  a  pas- 
sage in  a  letter  which  you.  Sir,  did  me  the  honour  to  address  me  more  than  a  year 
ago  ?    Your  letter,  now  before  me,  runs  thus : — 

"  Carshalton,  Surrey,  April  30, 1864. 

"  Sir, — I  was  much  interested  by  your  letter  in  last  Saturday's  Sporting  Gazette  on 
the  subject  of  *  Breaking  Down.'  1  know  nothing  whatever  of  veterinary  surgery, 
but  it  has  always  struck  me  as  somewhat  extraordinary  that  there  should  be  a 
suspensory  ligament ;  but  as  everybody  much  better  informed  than  I  pretend  to  be 
used  the  term,  I  took  it  for  granted  that  they  were  correct,  and  that  in.  tha  ^xia.\«vc:^ 
of  the  horse  there  were  structures  which  *  were  ne^jei  Ai^^mX.  Qi  va.  tsi^^  ^^J»k^^'%ss's^s^ 


444  THE  TOOT  PLANT  OF  NEW  ZEALAND. 

We  hear  in  human  anatomy  of  the  Buspensory  ligament  of  the  liver,  but  the  only  sus- 
pensory ligament  I  know  of  is  the  hangman's  noose  1  Suspension,  so  far  as  I  know, 
is  no  part  of  the  duty  of  ligament** 

I  need  not  say  that  I  attributed  due  importance  to  the  clear  insight  exhibited  in 
the  above  quoted  letter,  and  I  still  hope  that  with  such  capabilities  for  discerning 
right  and  excluding  error,  that  you  will  lend  your  powerful  aid  in  the  establishment 
of  truth. — I  am,  Sir,  your  obedient  servant,  Joseph  Gamosi.  ' 

Now  Veterinary  College,  Edinburgh,  June  19, 1865. 


O;^  THE  TOOT  PLANT  AND  POISON  OP  NEW  ZEALAND.* 

By  W.  Lauder  Lindsay,  M.D.,  F.R.S.  Edin.,  Honorary  Fellow  of  the  Philosophical 
Institute  of  Canterbury,  New  Zealand,  &c.,  &c 

§   1.  INTRODUCTION. 

A.  Destructiveness  to  Flocks  and  Herds. — In  the  course  of  a  tour  through  the 
New  Zealand  provinces  during  the  latter  part  of  1861  and  earlier  months  of  1862, 1 
was  everywhere  struck  by  the  abundant  evidences  of  the  devastation  produced  among 
flocks  and  herds  from  their  feeding  on  the  "  toot "  plant,  one  of  the  most  widely- 
distributed  and  familiar  indigenous  shrubs  of  the  country.  One  settler  friend  told 
me  of  his  having  lost  by  "  tooling"  250  sheep;  another,  80  to  100  sheep  of  a  flock  of 
400 ;  a  third,  7  of  16  bullocks;  a  fourth,  6  of  24  cattle;  a  fifth,  24  cattle;  a  sixth,  6 
of  8  cattle — each  of  these  instances  in  a  single  night  Another  flockmaster  lost  400 
sheep  out  of  a  flock  of  2000,  25  being  frequently  dead  of  a  night.  In'  other  words^ 
he  seemed  a  fortunate  farmer  or  runholder  who  had  not  lost  more  than  25  per  cent, 
or  one-fourth  of  his  stock,  from  toot-poisoning ;  while  in  some  instances  the  losses 
were  so  high  as  75  per  cent,  or  three- fourths.  Some  of  the  colonists  had  suflfered  so 
severely  from  losses  of  bullocks  by  toot-poisoning,  that  they  were  at  the  trouble  and 
expense  of  attaching  a  boy  to  each  of  their  bullock-teams,  solely  for  the  purpose  of 
preventing  these  animals  feeding  on  this  pest  of  the  colony.  Such  incidents  I  found 
were  of  daily  occurrence.  I  met  few  settlers  who  had  not  had  at  some  period  occasion 
from  this  cause  to  mourn  the  loss  of  sheep  or  bullocks — the  former  sometimes  by  the 
hundred,  the  latter  by  the  dozen. 

The  illustrious  Cook,  one  of  New  Zealand's  earliest  and  truest  benefactors,  fre. 
quently  bewails  in  piteous  or  pathetic  language  the  losses  caused  among  the  animalg 

*  TKe  details  given  in  this  paper  were  mostly  collected  on  the  spot,  in  the  form  of  notes  of  the 
oral  evidence  of  various  of  the  oldest  settlers  of  Otago  in  the  middle,  and  Auckland  in  the 
northern,  island — authorities  on  whose  veracity  and  intelligence  1  could  thoroughly  rely.  My 
informants  belonged  to  all  classes  of  colonists,  and  were  very  numerous.  Their  evidence  was 
frequently  very  conflicting,  and  sometimes  apparently  irreconcilable ;  the  different  results  said 
to  be  producible  on  animals  by  "toot"  in  the  northern  and  middle  islands  being  particularly 
striking. 

In  Otago  my  information  was  chiefly  derived  from  the  following  gentlemen,  to  all  of  whom  my 
acknowledgments  are  due  for  every  species  of  colonial  courtesy,  and  all  of  whom  I  am  proud  to 
regard  as  friends  in  the  best  sense  of  the  term : — 

1.  William  Martin,  Esq.,  of  Fairfield,  Saddlehill,  then  Member  of  the  L^slative  Council  of 
Otago— one  of  the  "Old  Identity,"  or  original  settlers  when  Otago  was  colonised,  (1847-8,)  who 
was,  at  one  period  of  his  experience  as  a  pioneer  settler,  himself  "  tooted." 

2.  John  Shaw,  Esq.,  of  Finegand,  on  the  Clutha,  also  at  one  time  a  Member  of  the  Legislative 
Coimcil  of  Otago,  and  one  of  its  earliest  colonists. 

8.  The  Rev.  William  Will,  East  Taeri  Manse,  one  of  the  first  settled  ministers  (of  the  Froe 
Church  of  Scotland)  in  Otago. 

4.  John  Cargill,  Esq.,  of  Greenisland,  Member  of  the  General  Assembly  of  New  Zealand,  and  of 
the  Legislative  Council  of  Otago,  another  of  the  pioneer  settlers,  and  son  of  Captain  Cargill,  founder 
and  first  Superintendent  (or  Governor)  of  the  Province. 

Of  North  Island  settlers,  my  acknowledjfments  are  chiefly  due  to — 

1.  F.  E.  Manning,  Esq.,  of  Uo^ianga,  Auckland,  a  "Pakeha  Maori"  of  over  thirty  years*  stand- 
ing :  the  first  local  author  of  any  note ;  whose  historical  works  on  New  Zealand  are  equally  well 
known  at  home  and  in  the  colony.  Mr  Manning  took  the  trouble  to  commit  his  evidence,  which 
is  in  various  imjwrtant  particulars  exceptional  or  peculiar,  to  writing.    (Janiiary  18,  1868.) 

2.  Captain  Charles  Blewitt,  65th  Regiment,  of  Wanganui,  (now  in  the  field  in  front  of  the  xfibd 
J^Iaoris,)  who  was  my  fellow-passenger  home  from  Auckland  in  1862,  and  from  whom,  in  the 
course  of  a  protracted  voyage,  I  acquired  a  large  amount  of  valuable  information  on  New  Zealand 
natural  history. 

3.  Robert  Stewart^  Esq.,  Member  of  the  Provincial  Council  of  Auckland  for  the  Bafflflii 
dutricU. 


THE  TOOT  PLANT  OF  NEW  ZEALAND.  445 

he  endeavoured  to  introduce  and  naturalise  by  their  eating  what,  I  doubt  not,  was 
"  toot."  Speaking,  for  instance,  of  Queen  Charlotte's  Sound,  in  May  1773,  he  says — 
"  The  ewe  and  ram  I  had  with  so  much  care  and  trouble  brought  to  this  place  were 
both  found  dead,  occasioned,  as  was  supposed,  by  eating  some  poisonous  plant.  .  .  . 
Thus  my  hope  of  stocking  thi&  country  with  a  breed  of  sheep  was  blasted  in  a 
moment." 

Referring  to  the  same  locality  in  November  1773,  and  to  two  goats  which  he  had 
previously  put  ashore,  he  remarks—"  I  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  the  ram  soon  after 
our  arrival  here  in  a  manner  we  could  hardly  account  for.  .  .  .  They  seemed  to 
thrive  very  well.  At  last  the  ram  was  taken  with  fits  bordering  on  madness.  We 
were  at  a  loss  to  tell  whether  it  was  occasioned  by  anything  he  had  eaten  or  by  being 
stung  with  nettles,*  which  were  in  plenty  about  the  place ;  but  supposed  it  to  be  the 
latter,  and  therefore  did  not  take  the  care  of  him  we  ought  to  have  done.  One 
night  ...  he  was  seized  with  one  of  these  fits,  and  ran  headlong  into  the  sea ;  but 
soon  came  out  again,  and  seemed  quite  easy.  Presently  after  he  was  seized  with 
another  tit,  and  ran  along  the  beach  .  .  .  and  was  never  seen  more.  .  .  .  We  sup- 
posed he  had  run  into  the  sea  a  second  time,  and  been  drowned.  .  .  .  Thus  every 
method  I  have  taken  to  stock  this  country  with  sheep  and  goats  has  proved  in- 
efiectual." 

This  toot-poisoning  is  undoubtedly  a  source  of  great  loss  to  the  settlers,  who  are 
mainly  dependent  on  their  flocks  and  herds — on  which,  indeed,  the  ultimate  pros- 
perity of  the  New  Zealand  provinces  virtually  or  mainly  depends.  In  every  part  of 
New  Zealand  I  visited  I  found  concurrent  testimony  as  to  the  ravages  of  toot.  The 
cdlonists  were  unanimous  in  their  assertion  that  there  could  scarcely  be  a  greater 
boon  conferred  upon  them— short  of  a  final  settlement  of  the  native  questio  vexcUa 
— a  greater  barrier  to  their  material  prosperity  removed,  than  by  determining  the 
nature  of,  and  remedy  for,  the  toot  poison.  So  fatal  was  toot,  during  the  period  of 
my  visit  to  Otago,  to  the  dray-bullocks  employed  on  the  road  between  Dunedin  and 
the  Tuapeka  gold-field,  that  the  local  government  gave  instructions  to  the  provincial 
surgeon  to  insert  a  standing  advertisement  in  the  public  prints,  warning  settlers,  and 
especially  new  comers,  of  its  abundance,  its  attractiveness  to  cattle,  and  its  dangerous 
properties :  indicating  the  characters  of  the  plant,  and  instructing  them  how  to  pro- 
tect themselves  and  their  flocks  and  herds  from  its  poisonous  action.  The  aim  of 
the  government,  however,  could  not  be  carried  into  effect  in  consequence  of  the  very 
deficient  and  unsatisfactory  knowledge  of  the  natural  history  of  the  plant  then  in 
existence  in  the  colony. 

I  have  every  reason  to  suspect  the  existence  of  a  similarly  deficient  or  unsatisfac- 
tory knowledge  of  its  natural  history  at  homef — if,  indeed,  the  plant  is  at  all  gene- 
rally known  as  a  poisonous  one.  This  conviction  or  suspicion  led  me  carefully  to 
take  on  the  spot  notes  of  evidence  on  the  action  of  the  plant  on  man,  as  well  as  on 
the  lower  animals,  with  a  view  to  bring  the  subject  under  the  notice  of  toxicologists, 
chemists,  botanists,  and  other  scientific  men  likely  to  be  interested  therein  at  home. 
All  that  I  am  in  a  position  to  do  in  this  memoir  is  to  summarise  the  results  of  my 
observations  and  inquiries  in  New  Zealand,  so  as  simply  to  introduce  the  subject, 
and  lead  to  its  full  investigation  by  competent  scientific  authorities.  Dr  Murray 
Thomson,  of  Edinburgh,  now  Professor  of  Experimental  Science  in  the  Government 
College  at  Roorkee,  Bengal,  undertook,  in  1862,  a  chemical  investigation  of  the 
specimens  I  collected  and  brought  home  for  analysis,  with  a  view  to  obtain  some 
accurate  and  reliable  information  on  the  nature  of  the  poison,  the  laws  of  its  action 
on  the  animal  system,  and  the  character  of  its  appropriate  antidote.  His  researches 
were  partly  defeated,  and  were  finally  put  a  stop  to  by  his  translation  to  India  in 
1863. 

B.  Accidents  to  Man. — Scarcely  subordinate  in  importance  to  its  poisonous  action 
on  sheep  and  cattle  is  its  toxic  influence  on  the  human  subject.  I  am  not  aware  of 
any  well  authenticated  case  in  which  the  eating  of  toot-berries  has  proved  fatal  in  the 
adult,  though  the  consequences  otherwise  have  been  serious  enough ;  but  there  are  a 
few  cases  on  record  of  fatal  results  in  children,  generally  from  eating  the  tempting 
berries,  which  hang  in  rich  racemes  on  the  shrub ;  though  sometimes  also  from  eat- 

*  The  commonest  indigenous  nettle  of  Otago,  Urtica  ferox,  Forst.,  is  a  bush  well  deserving  its 
name,  abundantly  furnished  with  very  large,  conspicuous,  bottle-shaped  stinging  hairs  or  glands, 
sometimes  a  quarter  of  an  inch  long — the  -pskm  of  the  sting  lasting  in  man  four  c&ys. 

t  I  have  at  least  failed  to  find  any  account  of  it  in  our  public  libraries,  while  the  most  eminent 
of  our  toxicologists  have  expressed  or  avowed  their  entire  ignorance  of  the  existence  of  the  plant 
or  its  poisonous  action. 


416  THE  TOOT  PLANT  OF  NEW  ZEALAND. 

ing  other  parts  of  the  plant.  Dr  Thomson  refers  to  the  death  of  several  children  as 
well  as  cattle,  in  the  North  Island,  from  eating  tutu  berries.  He  may  be  correct  as 
to  the  children,  but  I  t-uspect  he  is  in  error  as  to  cattle  having  been  poisoned  by  eat- 
ing the  berries.  While  I  resided  in  Dunedin  an  inquest  was  held  on  a  fatal  case  in 
one  of  two  children,  from  eating  the  young  shoots  of  the  plant.  In  another  case — a 
girl — a  nervous  irritability  of  a  distressing  kind  was  attributed  to  her  having  been 
poisoned  by  toot  several  years  previously — with  what  truth,  however,  there  were  no 
data  for  forming  a  proper  judgment.  These  toot-poisonings  were  much  more  com- 
mon at  an  earlier  stage  of  colonisation,  when  the  poisonous  properties  of  the  plant 
were  comparatively  unknown;  and  now  they  are  mostly  confined  to  the  freshly- 
arrived  immigrants,  who,  however,  in  these  days  of  gold  digging,  form  a  very  large 
proportion  of  the  population,  especially  in  Otago,  to  which  province  my  remarks 
principally  refer. 

§   2.    BOTANICAL  CHAEACTERS  OP  PLANT. 

The  toot,  or  tutu  plant,  is  a  Coriaria,  the  C.  ruscifolia,  Linn.  (C.  Sarmentosa, 
Forst.)  The  plant  is  variously  designated  by  Maoris  and  settlers  in  different  parts  of 
the  New  Zealand  islands ;  and  this  of  itself  indicates  to  a  certain  extent  how  fami- 
liar is  the  plant,  and  how  widely  and  abundantly  distributed.  The  designation  I 
have  given  above,  however,  appeared  to  me  the  most  general,  comprehensive,  or 
popular  one.  The  genus  Coriaria,  which  is  a  small  one,  confined,  so  far  as  we  at 
present  know,  to  New  Zealand,  America,  (from  Mexico  to  Chili,)  Southern  Europe, 
India,  (the  Himalayas,)  and  Japan,  if  not  belonging  to  a  subdivision  of  the  Ochnaceae, 
represents  a  separate  natural  order  closely  allied  thereto,  and  to  the  Kutacese.  But 
the  most  distinguished  botanists  arc  at  issue  as  to  its  precise  place  and  alliances  in 
the  vegetable  system. 

In  1862  I  examined,  with  the  following  results,  all  the  specimens  and  species  of 
the  genus  Coriaria,  contained  in  the 

1.  Hookerian  Herbarium,  Kew ; 

2.  Benthamian  Herbarium,  Kew ;  aivd 

3.  Herbarium  of  the  University  of  Edinburgh. 

I.  C.  ruscifolia,  L.— Specimens  labelled  New  Zealand,  and  collected  by  Drs  Hookers 
and  Sinclair,  and  Rev.  Mr  Colenso,  are  precisely  the  Otago  "toot:"  South  Chili, 
Reynolds,  and  various  other  Chili  specimens  from  the  Paris  Herbarium,  also  resemble 
the  Otago  plant;  as  do  generally  the  South  American  specimens  of  this  species. 
Chiloe,  Captain  King,  near  rivers  in  the  province  of  Voldivia.  JJnvirons  of  Con- 
cep5ion.  Chili,  1855  :  Ph.  Germain  :  leaves  more  acuminate  than  in  majority  of  Otago 
specimens ;  Concepjion,  Cumming.  Raoul  Island  and  Kermadec  Islands,  tfuly  1845 ; 
John  MacGillivray,  "Voyage  of  H.M.S.  IleraM;"  Bot.  No.  977.  Sub.  nom.  C. 
Cunninghamii :  Bay  of  Islandis :  the  larger-leaved  form  of  my  Otago  plant.  (  Hookerian 
Herb.) 

New  Zealand,  Dr  Hooker,  1842  :  includes  two  specimens — one  with  a  broad  ovate 
leaf,  like  the  majority  of  the  Otago  plants ;  the  other,  with  a  greatly  smaller  leaf,  in- 
termediate between  the  typical  size  in  C.  ruscifolia  and  that  in  C.  thymifolia  ;  the 
shape,  as  well  as  the  size  of  the  leaf  varying  in  the  same  plant,  being  ovate  towards 
the  base  of  a  branchlet,  and  becoming  ellipsoid,  and  finally  lanceolate,  as  we  approach 
its  apex.  Sub  nom.  C.  sarmentosa,  Forst,  New  Zealand,  Sir  W.  J.  Hooker,  1838,  has 
long  acuminate  leaves,  and  long  slender  racemes  like  the  Himalayan  C.  Nepalensis. 
Near  Concep5ion,  Chili,  H.  Cumming,  1831  :  Chili,  Bridges;  quite  the  Otago  plant, 
though  the  leaves  are  somewhat  more  acuminate. — (Bentham.  Herb.) 

Concep9ion :  Leaf  like  that  of  the  Otago  plant ;  long,  elegant,  slender  racemes. 
Valdivia  :  sub  nom.  C.  sarmentosa.  North  Island,  New  Zealand,  Dr  Sinclair :  "  Tu- 
pakihi,"  in  the  vernacular;  exactly  the  Otago  plant;  like  South  American  speci- 
mens, has  long,  elegant,  slender  racemes. — (Edin.  Herb.) 

{To  be  continued.) 


BALLANTYNE,  ROBEUTlS,  AND  C.0.>  PRINTERS,  KDIKBURGIL 


THE  VETERINARY  REVIEW 


St0jck0foitjers'  ^anxnuL 


OBIOINAL    COMMUNICATIONS   AND    CASES. 


Additional  Observations  on  the  Component  Structures  of  the  Foot  of 
the  Horse,  and  its  Economy.    By  Joseph  Gamgee,  sen. 

The  first  part  of  the  following  paper  is  a  reprint  of  a  letter  which  I 
addressed  to  the  editor  of  the  Sporting  Times,  in  explanation,  after 
a  notice  by  the  learned  editor,  of  my  paper  on  the  component  bones 
of  the  horse's  knee. 

In  proceeding  to  enlarge  on  the  subject  commenced  last  month,  I 
have  thought  well  to  retain  the  following,  it  being  not  only  pertinent 
to  the  past  and  that  which  is  to  follow,  but  is,  I  think,  all  the  more 
worthy  of  preservation,  owing  to  the  embodiment  of  the  remarks  of 
the  acute  critic : — 

Sir, — In  the  critical  remarks  which  you  hare  done  me  the  honour  to  make  in  your 
current  issue,  on  my  paper  in  the  Veterinai't/  Beview  for  this  month,  relating  to  **  The 
Constituent  Bones  of  the  Horse's  Knee,"  you  have  incidentally  alluded  to  questions 
foreign  to  the  matter  before  the  reader ;  and,  as  it  appears  to  me,  in  a  way  partial, 
and  not  tending  to  a  direct  or  early  solution  of  any  question  whatever.  You  will 
therefore,  1  trust,  allow  me  ^pace  for  another  attempt  to  set  the  question  referred  to 
in  a  more  intelligible  aspect,  than  in  my  essays  and  letters  hitherto  published,  I  seem 
to  have  succeeded  in  doing. 

You  say  that  I  have  "  denied  the  possibility  of  roaring  existing  as  an  Infirmity  of 
racehorses,"  and  "  denied  the  existence  of  a  suspensory  ligament  in  the  leg  of  a  horse, 
and  therefore  the  impossibility  of  its  giving  way  when  a  horse  '  breaks  down.' " 

Taking  up  these  questions  in  their  order,  I  will  try  to  establish  an  understanding 
of  what  I  have  denied,  and  hold  to  be  inconsistent  with  truth,  and  what  I  have  not 
only  never  denied,  but  expatiated  on,  as  really  important  phenomena  to  be  studied. 
I  have  not  said  that  racehorses  are  not  liable  to  become  roarers;  but  have  said,  and 
again  repeat,  that  roarers  can  never  be  racehorses,  according  to  the  right  sense  of  that 
phrase ;  in  other  words,  I  maintain  that  when  a  racehorse,  in  the  course  of  his  turf 
career,  becomes  afflicted  with  the  confirmed  affection  of  roaring,  that  he  thencefor- 
ward ceases  to  be  a  racehorse  of  normal  capabilities. 

Reference  could  be  made  to  instances  of  controversy,  in  which  professional  men, 
and  others  experienced  in  horses,  have  sided,  in  emitting  the  declaration  that  horses, 
lame  of  their  fore-feet,  may  still  be  clever  hunters,  and  even  perform  successfully  on 
the  turf.  I  hope  that  there  is  no  need  of  my  reminding  yourself  and  readers,  that  I 
dissent  from  the  employment  of  lame  horses  for  such  exceptional  performances ;  and 
regard  the  serious  discussion  of  the  question,  though  necessary,  as  notions  prevail,  as 
the  reverse  of  creditable  to  my  country,  and  inconsistent  with  horse-loving  and 
humane  professions. 

Roarers  and  lame  horses  may  Serve  gambling  ends,  but  neve^  i\valT>3Jfe^\ss)A  <aJl  ^s^^"v\». 
Vol.  L—Jfo.  IX.— I^EW  Semes.    Septkjibeu  \^Q5.  '^^ 


448  STRUCTURES  OF  THE  FOOT  OF  THE  HORSK 

Either  may  meet  horses  similarly  or  otherwise  infirm,  horses  innately  their  inferiors,  or 
handicapped  to  l)alance  chances;  and  if  a  race  be  so  won,  I  am  at  a  loss  to  see  cause  for 
congratulation,  while,  as  a  rule,  the  egg  will  cost  more  than  it  is  worth.  Roaring,  like 
other  infirmities,  exists  in  various  degrees  ;  in  one  the  powers  of  the  animal  may  be 
but  little  affected,  in  another  greatly ;  and  he  may  not  be  worth  the  cost  of  a  month's 
keep.  I  hardly  know  that  time  is  sufficiently  well  spent  in  dwelling  on  this  subject, 
since  it  appears  that  the  turf  public  has  made  up  its  mind  not  to  trust  to  "  roarers.'^ 
The  questions  inquired  after,  generally  relate  to  verifying,  intensity,  Ac.  No  longer 
ago  than  at  the  beginning  of  the  present  year,  betting  men  were  starUed  by  weekly 
fluctuations  of  the  odds  against  Liddington  and  Chattanooga;  the  questions  mooted 
in  either  ease  had  reference  as  to  their  being  roarers  or  not. 

On  the  second  proposition  which  you  have  introduced — "  He  has  denied  the  exist- 
ence of  the  suspensory  ligament," — let  me  ij^in  say  at  starting,  that  instead  of  de- 
nying the  existence  of  the  structure  which  goes  by  that  name,  I  only  deny  the 
attributes  which  have  been,  without  due  investigation  or  any  reason  whatever,  given 
to  it.  I  am  afraid  that  I  cannot  go  into  the  question  again  here  at  sufficient  length 
to  clear  up  the  matter ;  the  subject  is  of  so  purely  a  technical  character,  that  few  of 
the  readers  of  a  sporting  paper  can  discuss  it,  while  for  yourself  you  know  where  to 
find  my  views  more  extensively  set  forth.  I  must,  however,  acknowledge  my  appre- 
ciation of  the  influence  you  may  exert  on  the  progress  of  veterinary  science,  and  in 
your  notice  of  my  last  paper,  you  have,  I  think,  rightly  put  these  matters  before  the 
jury— the  public— where  you  say  of  me,  "  In  this  we  contend  that  he  must  be  taken 
to  be  in  the  right  until  the  opposite  has  been  proved ;  and  no  one  has  yet  come  for- 
ward to  split  a  lance  with  him.  This  is  not  creditable  to  the  veterinary  profession. 
Apathy,  the  sure  forerunner  and  invariable  companion  of  ignorance,  is,  we  fear,  the 
besetting  sin  of  the  'horsey  mind.'  At  present  Mr  Gamgee  is  master  of  the  situa- 
tion." It  may  be  said  that  a  series  of  most  important  questions,  bearing  on  the 
anatomical  constniction  of  the  horse's  limbs,  the  use  of  parts,  and  the  action  of  the 
whole,  which  have  not  received  correct  solution  by  men  of  past  times,  or,  which  is 
equally  worthy  of  note,  if  the  knowledge  ever  was  correctly  developed,  it  has  been 
lost  and  forgotten  before  our  generation  came.  Such,  I  say,  being  the  case,  it  must 
not  be  expected  that  the  proper  knowledge  can  be  established  and  popularised  in  a 
mere  bluster ;  the  requirement  involves  labour,  step-by-step  work,  due  appreciation 
of  the  importance  of  it,  and  love  for  investigation  into  natural  phenomena, — these 
must  all  be  brought  to  the  field  of  action  before  us. 

In  your  criticism  you  have  coupled  two  distinct  questions,  "suspensory  ligament" 
and  "  breaking  down."  Let  me,  however  inadequately,  make  the  attempt  to  correct 
popular  notions  so  far  as  to  set  thinking  minds  in  a  right  direction.  The  notions 
I  am  combating  by  the  force  of  truth  are  not  old — the  phrase  "suspensory  ligament" 
is  not  to  be  found,  so  far  as  I  have  discovered,  in  any  veterinary  work  of  seventy-five 
years'  standing.  The  great  master,  Stubbs,  and  continental  anatomists  of  the  last 
century,  make  use  of  no  such  words  in  reference  to  the  structure  here  referred  to.  It 
would  avail  little  to  relate  the  views  I  entertain  on  the  mechanism  of  the  limb  audits 
functions,  unless  something  was  said  or  already  understood  of  what  my  predecessors 
and  contemporaries  have  taught,  written,  and  done  on  the  matter.  It  is  not  one  or 
two  phenomena  only,  about  which  I  take  exception,  but  a  series;  prove  one  to  be 
wrong,  and  all  will  in  due  course  be  found  wrong.  Conversely,  when  one  phenomena 
is  correctly  seen,  all  the  rest  should  be  worked  out  until  the  harmony  of  the  whole  is 
comprehended.  This  combination  of  ligaments  arising  at  the  knee,  forms  essentially 
the  key  structure  to  an  insight  into  a  system  of  functions,  the  understanding  of 
which  makes  the  mind  of  the  possessor  as  superior  in  knowledge  of  the  horse  as  that 
of  the  astronomer  over  the  uninformed  sailor  or  shepherd  in  physical  science.  In 
describing  these  ligaments,  which  in  their  connexions  extend  from  the  knee  and 
hock  to  the  last  bone  in  the  foot,  and  attach  to  every  intervening  bone  in  their 
course,  I  show  that  their  whole  office  is  of  a  purely  static  kind,  as  much  so  as  is 
that  of  the  bones  these  bands  accompany  in  a  vertical  course,  modified  to  parts  in 
varied  degrees  of  obliquity.  These  pliable  bands,  and  the  rigid  bones  which  support 
positions,  combine  to  multiply  strength,  the  source  of  action.  The  one  structure, 
ligament,  is  no  more  capable  of  being  stretched  or  elongated  in  the  way  implied,  by 
the  attribute  of  elasticity,  than  the  other,  bone.  In  the  above  description  aU  is 
changed,  and  with  it  much  more,  from  the  teaching  hitherto  in  vogue. 

Though  I  have  quoted  authorities — and  reference  to  every  modem  book  which  treats 
on  the  subject  will  testify  the  same — I  will  adduce  a  passage  from  one  of  the  orthodox 
teachers  of  the  first  half  of  thia  centxirj  •.- 


STEUCTUKES  OF  THE  FOOT  OF  THE  HORSE.         449 

"  But  what  becomes  of  the  weight  imposed  upon  the  sesamoids  [pastern] ;  they 
have  no  bones  below  to  transmit  it  to  ?  They  are  in  a  somewhat  similar  situation 
[precisely  so]  to  the  splint-bones  ;  they  call  upon  their  attaching  bands — their  liga- 
ments— to  support  them  under  the  load,  and  their  ligaments  do  so  by  yielding — they 
being  elastic — so  loug  as  force  is  operating ;  and  the  instant  it  is  not,  they,  through 
their  elasticity,  again  recover  their  short  lengths,  and  so  raise  their  sesamoid  bones 
into  their  places.  This  descent  and  ascent  of  the  sesamoids  is  not  to  be  compared 
with  that  imperceptible  and  disputed  motion  of  the  splint-bones ;  on  the  contrarj^  it 
is  a  demonstrable  and  beautiful  descending  and  ascending  operation — a  playing  down 
and  up,  after  the  manner  of  a  spring  of  most  elastic  and  exquisite  workmanship."  * 

The  above  is  reliable  as  showing  the  prevailing  notions  which  veterinary  teachers 
have  sent  forth,  the  late  writer  being,*!  have  no  hesitation  in  stating,  the  most  re- 
liable authority  on  the  actual  state  of  the  art  in  England  of  our  time.  It  affords  me 
relief  however  to  state,  that  the  narrator  was  not  the  author,  but  the  expounder  of 
doctrines  as  he  found  them. 

I  shall  not  trespass  longer  now  to  speak  about  "breaking  down."  Readers,  seeing 
the  wide  difference  that  subsists  between  my  views  and  those  with  whom  I  differ,  on 
the  conformation  and  functions  of  the  limbs  of  the  horse,  will  allow  that  there  must 
be  corresponding  latitude  between  us,  when  we  come  to  regard  the  way  injuries  happen, 
and  treat  on  the  means  of  prevention  and  cure. — I  am.  Sir,  &c. 

[Jack  o'Lantern,  Hesper,  Livingstone,  Warrior,  Longbow,  Devil  among  the  Tailors, 
and  many  other  horses,  have  been  confirmed  roarers,  and  some  of  them  possessed  the 
infirmity  in  a  very  marked  degree,  and  yet  have  won  under  heavy  weights.  Longbow 
could  carry  an  immense  weight,  and  win  in  first-class  company ;  and  he  was  perhaps 
one  of  the  worst  roarers  ever  heard. — Ed.  Sporting  Thifies.] 

The  above  few  instances,  to  which  I  allow  more  might  be  added, 
tend  to  establish  the  truth  of  my  position,  instead  of  weakening  it. 

The  term  roarer  is  too  vague  for  close  reasoning  or  to  sustain  an 
argument  on;  and  any  case  like  that  of  Longbow  would  require 
special  investigation,  in  order  that  all  the  phenomena  connected  with  it 
miti^ht  be  understood. 

Though  racing  affords  the  most  reliable  test,  not  only  to  prove  the 
powers  of  sound  horses  but  to  measure  the  influencing  effects  of  some 
infirmities,  it  is,  notwithstanding,  well  to  enlarge  the  field  of  inquiry, 
and  when  speaking  of  any  disease,  both  causes  and  effects  may  be 
best  seen  by  taking  a  broad  survey  over  subjects.  The  large  sized 
English  coach-horses,  as  a  class,  furnish  more  bad  roarers  than  any 
other  that  I  know  of;  and  all  who  deal  in  them  know  the  fact,  and  of 
its  importance  in  estimating  their  commercial  value  and  usefulness. 

In  the  following  resum^,  after  making  some  brief  references  to  the 
structure  and  functions  of  the  knee  and  hock  joints,  considered  as 
distinct  regions  of  the  fore  and  hind  limbs,  and  thence  pursuing  my 
remarks  on  the  metacarpal  and  metatarsal  regions,  I  shall  devote  the 
time  and  space  at  my  disposal  in  attempting  to  establish  some  new 
views  on  the  construction  and  functions  of  the  digital  regions,  (the 
foot  proper.)  In  this  I  shall  blend  in  my  views,  as  I  shall  attempt 
in  my  description,  an  aspect  of  formation  and  functions — the  only 
way  by  which  I  believe  interest  can  be  excited  or  sustained  on  such 
a  subject. 

Ne;xt  to  the  solid  structures — ^viz.,  the  bones,  their  individual,  rela- 
tive,'and  combined  action — ^and  those  ligamentous  bands  which  act 
with  them;  with  the  nail,  or  hoof,  and  the  yielding,  though  none  the 

*  "  Peicival  on  the  Form  imd  Action  oi  \^z  Hoysq'^    \jovw'\ow,\$i5jSi, 


450  STRUCTURES  OF  THE  FOOT  OF  THE  HORSE. 

less  powerful  structures ;  the  cartilages,  planta  bands,  and  frog,  will 
all  be  taken  under  our  cognisance. 

After  devoting  more  time  and  labour  than  probably  contemporaries 
and  readers  will  give  me  credit  for,  in  my  researches  on  animal  locomo- 
tion, and  finding  that  the  only  way  by  which  I  could  bring  my  mind 
to  a  comprehensive  view  of  the  subject  was,  after  mastering  many  im- 
portant details,  in  which  process  exclusion  of  attributes,  and  inclu- 
sion of  functions  seen,  was  carried  on;  I  learnt  that  the  only  ultimate 
complete  view  could  be  comprehended  by  taking  in  a  rapid  glance, 
every  action  over  the  latitude  of  structures,  from  the  termination  of 
the  shaft  bones  at  the  knee  and  hock,  to  the  part  which  forms  the 
point  of  resistance  on  the  ground. 

The  carpal  bones,  as  we  saw  by  the  description  given  in  my  last 
paper,  being  divided,  as  is  well  known,  into  two  rows,  or  orders,  are 
endowed  with  very  distinct  functions.  The  three  upper  bones  sup- 
port the  radius,  and  act  with  it ;  the  fourth  bone,  the  piseform,  acts 
partly  with  these,  and  partly  under  the  direct  influence  of  muscles 
whose  tendons  are  inserted  into  it.  The  radius,  acting  with  these 
four  bones  at  its  termination,  is  the  most  considerable  shaft  of  the 
limb.  The  other  four  bones  of  the  knee  belong,  in  their  oflBces,  to  the 
metacarpal  region,  and  these  are  essentially  in  their  office  static,  in 
contradistinction  to  the  carpal  bones  of  the  upper  order  just  noticed, 
which  are  dynamic  or  movers  in  their  functions.  The  lower  order  of 
carpal  bones  are  closely  adapted  to  the  heads  of  the  metacarpal,  with 
irregularly  flattened  undulating  surfaces  between  them ;  their  edges  in 
that  aspect  appear  sharp,  showing  that  adaptation,  strength,  and  limited 
motion,  is  the  attribute  of  the  lower  one  of  the  three  joints  of  the  car- 
pus ;  but  looking  at  the  upper  surface  of  the  three  bones  in  the  lower 
range,  which  articulate  with  the  three  above,  we  find  the  upper  surface 
irregularly  rounded,  adapted  to  socket  concavities  in  the  order  above, 
by  which  extensive  motion  and  great  strength  in  combination  is  pro- 
vided. Tlie  whole  power  of  the  fore  limb  is  represented  by  the  force 
exerted  through  the  great  shaft,  the  radius,  and  its  range  of  carpal 
annexations  on  to  the  lower  carpal,  metacarpal,  and  digital  bones. 

The  hock — the  parallel  joint  of  the  hind  limb  to  the  knee,  in  the 
fore — requires  to  be  also  carefully  dissected  and  studied,  on  account 
of  its  wonderful  mechanism  and  functions. 

This  joint,  like  every  part  of  the  hind  limbs  of  the  horse,  is  more  cor- 
rectly understood  than  the  corresponding  parts  of  the  fore  limbs ;  and 
the  fact — for  as  such  I  regard  it — may  be  accounted  for  in  two  ways. 
Firstly,  the  hock  bears  so  close  analogy  to  the  human  ankle  that  com- 
parative anatomists,  who  understand  the  latter,  could  not  fail  to  see 
correctly  into  the  formation  and  functions  of  the  former.  Then  the 
similarity  of  conformation  and  functions  of  the  lower  or  posterior 
extremities  of  all  the  Mammalian  tribes  bears  so  much  resemblance, 
that  not  only  does  extended  study  and  exact  knowledge  confirm  these 
statements,  but  it  is  also  true  that  popular  notions  are  established 
accordingly. 


STRUCTURES  OF  THE  FOOT  OF  THE  HORSE.         451 

Very  different  is  the  case  respecting  the  fore  limbs.  Not  only  does 
there  seem  to  be  great  difference  between  the  hand  of  man  and  the 
foot  of  a  horse,  but  few  see  much  resemblance  between  that  region 
in  the  latter,  and  the  corresponding  one  in  other  quadrupeds. 

These  great  apparent  differences  may  be  reduced  to  their  littleness, 
and  shown  to  be  mere  atoms  in  the  scale,  by  extension  of  labour  and 
study  on  the  whole  subject. 

With  regard  to  the  limbs  of  the  horse,  relative  to  their  assigned 
functions,  the  adage  that  "  the  strength  of  a  chain  is  in  proportion  to 
its  weakest  link/'  applies. 

Looking  at  the  fore  and  hind  limbs,  as  anatomists,  we  perceive 
that  at  and  about  the  knee  and  hock  regions,  some  great  and 
powerful  structures  terminate.  The  tendinous  end  of  great  muscles 
are  inserted  into  the  projecting piseform  bone  at  the  back  of  the  knee; 
and  in  the  hind,  equally  powerful  muscles  act  on  the  point  of  the  hock; 
the  OS  calcis — where  again  these  structures  terminate  by  insertion — 
other  tendons,  appendages  to  the  muscles  concerned  in  locomotion, 
terminate  over  the  upper  heads  of  carpal  and  tarsal  bones,  until  we 
trace  down  to  the  last  phalange,  where  we  find  only  one  flexor  and  one 
extensor  muscle  represented  by  their  respective  tendons  inserted  into 
the  pedal  bone. 

I  submitted  this  suggestive  question,  in  a  paper  which  I  pub- 
lished in  the  Veterinary  Review,  three  years  ago ;  but  evidently 
did  not  set  the  phenomena  in  a  proper  light,  from  the  fact  of  no 
notice  of  so  important  a  subject  being  elicited.  I  will,  therefore,  try 
again. 

I  have  over  and  over  again  shown  that  the  splint  bones,  by  their 
inverted  tapering  shape,  giving  advantageous  hold  for  ligamentary 
structures,  are  all  powerful  in  conjunction  with  the  carpal,  tarsal, 
and  shank  bones.  That  between  these  inverted  pyramidal  bones, 
and  arising  from  the  bones  composing  the  respective  joints,  and  the 
heads  of  the  shank  bones,  is  a  system  of  ligaments  which  in  both 
limbs  arise  as  a  double  structure.  One  of  those  branches  has  re- 
ceived the  funny,  if  not  absurd  name,  of  the  elastic  suspensory 
ligament ;  the  other,  the  uppermost  branch  which  arises  from  behind 
the  knee  and  hock  bones,  by  which  it  is  acted  on  in  their  motion,  has 
been  almost  ignored,  so  much  so  that  neither  name  nor  use  has  been 
assigned  it,  rational  or  erroneous. 

This  upper  branch  of  the  common  ligament,  which  divides  from 
the  lower,  soon  after  their  origin,  blends  with  the  two  flexor  tendons 
of  the  foot,  and  for  all  intents  and  purposes  these  three  structures 
are  one,  bearing  the  force  of  muscular  action  which  the  wonderfully 
constructed  shafts  impose  on  them.  These  two  tendons,  and  the 
ligament  of  similar  substance,  form  one  powerful  rope,  not  inaptly 
called  the  back  sinew ;  it  passes  over  the  projecting  pair  of  sessa- 
moids,  which  are  furnished  with  a  groove,  where  a  smooth  synovial 
capsule  lubricates  the  passage,  and  one  of  the  two  tendoua,  Y^'c&vraw^^ 
the  other  within  its  expansion,  becomes  maet\^  \xlX.o  "Ctka  ^<5x^^«r^ 


452  STBUCTUBES  OP  THE  FOOT  OF  THE  HOESE. 

bone  ;  while  the  long  perforous  tendon  goes  down  the  bottom  of  the 
last,  the  pedal  bone.  Meanwhile,  the  upper  branch  of  the  great  liga- 
ment we  started  with,  has  become  so  blended  with  the  fibrous  of  the 
two  tendons,  as  not  to  be  distinguishable  where  they  become  con- 
densed in  texture  at  the  pastern  joint. 

The  under  and  greater  branch,  from  the  knee,  passes  down,  closely 
connected  with  the  shank  bone,  between  which  there  is  a  bed  or 
padding  of  areolar  and  adipose  tissure,  to  prevent  any  asperities  of 
the  bone  affecting  the  ligament  under  exertion. 

I  shall  not  now  dwell  on  many  morbid  phenomena  which  I  find 
frequently  present,  and  which,  in  some  cases,  help  greatly  to  elucidate 
normal  functions. 

The  pair  of  sessamoid  bones  are  connected  in  their  central  line  ver- 
tically by  fibrous  tissue,  which,  by  its  pliability,  allows  a  slight  degree 
of  adapting  lateral  motion ;  while  by  their  strong  connecting  liga- 
ments attaching  to  the  lower  extremities  of  the  cannon  and  head  of 
the  pastern  bones,  effectually  complete  the  closing  up  of  that  joint, 
and  extend  the  range  of  surface  for  the  cannon  bone  to  revolve  on. 

The  great  carpal  ligament,  or  tarsal  ligament,  as  we  may  call  it,  in 
the  hind  limb,  divides  again  into  two  equal  branches,  about  two-thirds 
of  the  distance  from  the  knee  to  the  pastern  joint,  which  branches  are 
strongly  inserted  into  the  upper  and  lateral  aspects  of  each  sessamoid 
bone,  where  a  portion  of  the  substance  being  expended,  the  remain- 
der passes  obliquely  downwards  over  the  pastern  bone,  where  it 
blends  with  the  lower  extremity  of  the  extensor  pedis,  tendon,  the 
whole  constituting  a  broad  ligamentous  stay,  which  is  inserted  into 
the  anterior  elevation  of  the  pedal  bone,  and  where,  obviously,  the 
whole  forms  the  main  stay  in  arresting  the  anterior  part  of  the  foot, 
in  action.  This,  tiie  undermost  branch  of  the  great  ligament,  obtains 
four  distinct  advantageous  holds  on  the  bones  below.  One  in  each 
sessamoid,  and  two  laterally  and  anteriorly  into  the  pedal  bone ;  while 
those  of  the  upper  branch,  whose  fibres  we  have  seen  merged  with 
those  of  the  two  tendons,  have  descended  with  them  behind  the  pas- 
tern, to  be  inserted  one  into  the  coronary  bone,  and  the  other  into  the 
strong  arch  of  the  pedal  bone. 

Now,  about  the  sessamoids,  which  are  said  "  to  play  down  and  up." 
Those  we  find  are  strongly  fastened  down  to  the  pastern  bone  by 
means  of  two  broad  ligaments,  which  occupy  the  whole  of  the  pos- 
terior surface  of  that  strong  bone,  capacious  for  attachments  externally, 
and  for  articulating  purposes  at  both  extremities.  The  strength  of 
the  attachment  afforded  to  the  sessamoid  on  to  the  pastern  bones, 
inferiorly,  is  demonstratedly  equal  to  any  power  acting  on  them  which 
can  be  traced  from  above. 

I  thus  see  how  to  account  for  every  atom  of  texture  and  strength, 
representing  all  the  force  that  the  animal  machinery  above  can  gene- 
rate and  multiply.  But  as  yet  I  have  only  half  done  my  task,  and  if 
I  were  to  stop  here  I  should  have  proved  nothing  at  all. 

I  iave  shown  that  one  o?  \Ja6  \.^o  ^\^^\>  \fcTL«\syaa^  passing  'down 
behind  the  shank-bone  in  tVie  ioie  axA\i\\A\\\x^^>^^^\i^\^\»s^;^ 


STRUCTUEES  OF  THE  FOOT  OF  THE  HORSE.  453 

been  inserted  into  tlie  upper  head  of  the  small  pastern  bone.  And 
what  of  that  ?  Surely,  says  the  old  school,  when  so  much  power  has 
been  traced  to  within  an  inch  or  two  of  the  bottom  of  the  foot,  and 
only  two  bones  exist  beneath  the  interruption,  enough  has  been  exhi- 
bited to  account  for  all  the  power  and  action  displayed.  Not  so,  how- 
ever; we  might  as  well  have  had  the  connexion  cut  off  at  the  knee 
and  hock,  as  for  it  to  stop  short  two  inches  from  the  bases  of  sup- 
port. I  accordingly  find  a  new  system  of  structures  representing, 
if  not  multiplied  power,  at  least  an  equivalent  for  the  change  now 
discovered. 

I  begin  now  to  investigate  from  below,  where  I  find  a  coalescence 
of  beautiful  construction,  not  to  be  exceeded,  as  far  as  the  human 
mind  can  estimate,  by  any  of  Nature's  works  in  animal  mechanism. 
As  the  engineer  shifts  his  wheels  and  axles,  thereby  gaining  force 
specially  directed — ^he  following  nature — so  we  see  how  in  this  ter- 
minal region  of  the  horse's  limb  a  change  of  mechanism  is  given. 
And  with  what  effect?  In  our  new  aspect  the  pastern  bone  has 
become  the  lever  power  in  the  region  to  which  our  attention  is  now 
directed,  and  the  first  pair  of  ligaments,  which  I  shall  again  notice,  have 
several  times  already  been  described  by  me,  and  illustrated  by  a  draw- 
ing, which  was  reproduced  in  this  Review  in  May  last.  From  each 
extremity  of  the  navicular  bone  runs  obliquely  forward  over  the  coro- 
nary bone  a  strong  ligament,  which  attaches  to  roughened  surfaces  over 
either  lower  condyle  of  the  pastern  bone.  Further,  a  broad  expanse 
of  ligament  occupies  the  space  between  the  two  posterior  extremities 
of  the  pedal  bone,  which  has  its  strongest  attaching  points  inserted  into 
the  inner  aspect  of  both  extremities  of  that  bonfe,  contiguous  to  the 
basilar  processes,  and  passing  upwards  gives  off  bands,  which  become 
the  connecting  ligaments  between  the  pedal  and  pasteni  bones  ; 
having  their  attachment  on  the  posterior  outer  surface  of  the  pastern 
bone,  from  a  little  below  its  head  down  one-third  of  its  length. 
These  structures  and  their  connexions,  which  diligent  dissection  and 
individual  research  alone  can  realise  into  an  acquaintance  of,  make 
up  the  more  essential  parts  of  the  resisting  lever  power  of  both  fore 
and  hind  limbs. 

I  have  not  yet  done  with  the  question,  nor  indeed  have  I  much 
more  than  touched  on  the  most  characteristic  phenomena  to  which 
all  the  rest  are  subordinate.  The  frog,  regarded  as  a  tendon,  or,  if 
that  term  be  inadmissible,  as  a  ligament,  is  a  structure  about  which 
much  has  been  written,  and  controversies  have  been  kept  up,  without 
anything  being  elicited  to  show  its  true  character,  either  anatomically 
or  physiologically;  occupies,  as  is  known,  the  chief  space  posteriorly 
at  the  bottom  of  the  foot.  The  frog,  instead  of  being,  as  it  has  been 
called,  "  the  fatty  frog,"  is  a  strong  band  of  inextensible  ligamentous 
fibres ;  accumulated  into  an  oblong  ridge,  which  is  strongly  inserted 
into  the  centre,  taking  a  transverse  line,  of  the  coffin-bone  in  its 
planta  arcL  A  strong  lateral  ligament,  on  either  side,  is  ^ly^\!L  ^^ 
from  the  frog,  which  blends  with  t\ie  mos\.  e-cmsv^^-^i^JS^^  ^\rv.^gvs^% 
points  of  the  perforans  tendon ;  t\iese  uivvlfe^  ot^  vaa^xX^^  ^-v^.  S^^ 


454         STRUCTUBES  OF  THE  FOOT  OP  THE  HOBSE. 

inner  aspects  of  the  extremities  of  the  pedal  bone  and  the  carti- 
lages. The  perforans  tendon  then,  expanded  out  anteriorly,  forms 
the  joint  capsule,  where,  spread  like  a  fan,  it  is  inserted  into  the 
margin  of  a  concavity  of  the  pedal  bone.  Between  the  perforans 
tendon  and  the  frog  is  stretched  across,  from  one  lateral  wing  of  the 
pedal  bone  to  the  other,  the  ligamentous  web  already  referred  to,  so 
that,  although  the  frog  passes  over  the  expanse  of  the  perforans  tendon, 
it  does  not  press  on  it ;  each  is  distinct  and  free  in  its  action,  there 
being  an  interposition  of  loose  fibrous  tissue. 

The  frog  is  divided  posteriorly,  having  a  concavity,  or  "  the  cleft," 
in  the  middle  line.  The  lateral  ridges  are  made  up  of  ligamentous 
bands  which  blend  posteriorly  with  the  lateral  cartilages.  This  de- 
scription, however,  is  more  correct  when  the  order  of  narration  and 
investigation  is  reversed.  Thus  the  frog  should  be  viewed  as  a  tendon 
or  non-extensible,  but  very  pliable  structure,  appended  to  the  carti- 
lages which,  turning  round,  merge  into  'a  more  adapting  struc- 
ture, has  its  point  of  fixity  in  the  concave  centre  at  the  bottom  of 
the  pedal  bone.  Bounded  by  the  cartilages  laterally,  with  which 
there  is  a  systematic  and  strongly  interwoven  connexion,  consists  a 
double  cushion,  made  up  of  ligament,  yellow  elastic  tissue,  inter- 
spersed with  adipose  membrane.  These  various  parts  are  intimately 
blended  in  their  substance,  and  equally  so  vrill  the  functions  of  the 
whole  be  found  to  harmonise. 

As  has  been  observed,  the  strong  ligaments  taking  hold  on  the 
whole  lower  aspect  of  the  bony  and  cartilaginous  structures,  are  con- 
nected to  the  pastern  bone  as  their  shaft ;  as  is  also  the  frog  with  the 
lateral  cartilaginous,  connected  by  ligaments  which  are  attached  to 
the  pastern  bone,  contiguous  to  the  line  of  insertion  of  those  described. 
I  have  never  before  written  on  these  wonderful  phenomena,  nor  had  I 
suflBciently  elaborated  the  scheme  before  an  advanced  period  of  last 
session,  and  I  am  in  the  midst  of  questions,  too  great  in  their  importance 
to  be  treated  incidentally  at  the  end  of  a  monthly  contribution  ;  yet 
they  were  too  important  to  be  left  longer  vrtthout  giving  others  the 
benefit  of  the  views,  so  that  an  increased  number  of  observers  may 
be  put  on  the  scent. 

Before  I  speak,  in  conclusion,  on  the  action  of  the  horse,  to  describe 
how  the  various  structures  noticed  obey,  I  will,  in  a  cursory  way,  throw 
out  a  few  further  remarks. 

The  structures  on  which  I  have  imperfectly  touched,  are  those  more 
powerful,  and  without  which  no  action  could  take  place ;  yet  there  lies 
another  system  of  important  structures,  whose  functions,  individually, 
are  less  obvious,  and  yet  in  the  aggregate  make  up  in  an  equally  essen- 
tial way  the  whole  effective  limb  of  the  horse. 

The  fetlock — or  I  would  say  the  f ootlock  pad — ^is  a  centre  in  the  limb 
of  the  horse  regretably  neglected  by  anatomists.  Through  strong 
fascia  there  is  exactly  sustained  connexion  between  the  knee  and  this 
said  pad,  which  pad  is  made  up  of  very  similar  structures  to  the  frog, — 
ligaments,  elastic  and  fatty  tiasvie,  mt\i  «sv  ^jw^umuktion  of  cuticle,  or 


STRUCTURES  OP  THE  FOOT  OF  THE  HOBSE.         455 

a  mass  of  horn,  covering  the  true  skin,  around  which  is  given  a  tuft 
of  hair,  more  or  less  abundant,  according  to  climate  and  breed  of 
horses.  I  shall  say  nothing  now  about  the  barbarous  custom  of 
cutting  off  alike  the  hair  and  horn,  both  most  essentially  necessary  to 
be  left. 

The  position  and  action  of  the  pastern  pad  is  regulated  by  liga- 
mentary  bands,  of  which  it  is  to  a  great  extent  made  up,  interwoven 
as  they  are  with  the  true  skin.  Posteriorly,  in  a  median  line  with 
the  joint,  is  the  ergot,  the  homy  substance,  of  the  shape  of  an  acorn, 
which  is  surrounded  by  a  tuft  of  long  hair.  The  ergot  is  a  superficial 
structure,  and  like  the  coronary  band  and  homy  frog,  is  a  production 
from,  or  rather  an  amplification  of,  the  common  cuticle.  The  pastern 
pad,  with  the  ergot  and  tuft,  are  designed  for  important  functions; 
altogether,  they  serve  the  same  ends  as  the  two  small  claws  do  in 
cloven-footed  animals.  The  hair,  when  left  in  its  natural  state,  as  it 
always  should  be,  is  the  best  defence  against  commonly  occurring 
skin  affections  of  the  legs. 

Of  the  important  part  the  skin  plays  in  the  functions  of  the  pedal 
extremity  of  the  horse,  I  have  not  time  to  dwell ;  suflSce  it  here  to 
say,  that  these  are  considerable,  and  insufficiently  appreciated. 

The  hoof,  a  most  important  constituent  part  of  the  foot,  must  be 
passed  over  now  with  mere  reference,  as  it  has  been  several  times  de- 
scribed in  the  Review,  and  its  economy  fully  discussed  at  page  193, 
vol.  for  1863. 

The  action  of  the  horse.  Though  I  have,  in  several  papers,  treated 
on  this  subject,  it  is  so  important  that  I  have  kept  constantly  working 
at  it,  and  find  it  necessary  to  return  to  the  discussion.  Indeed,  until 
the  details  on  the  locomotive  functions  are  intelligibly  set  forth  and 
generally  known,  there  will  be  continual  controversy  on  these  ques- 
tions which  should  be  plain  to  all. 

If  we  turn  attention  to  the  fleetest  of  animals,  taking  two  of 
difierent  species,  we  may  see  how  leverage  constraction  economises 
muscular  exertion,  and  with  what  obvious  effect. 

The  apparently  slender  shanked  deer;  and  the  perfectly  formed 
blood-foal,  of  about  six  weeks  old — are  worthy  of  contemplation.  They 
exhibit  respectively  a  development  of  parts,  and  an  arrangement  of 
leverage  power,  by  their  lengthened  carpal  and  digital  regions. 
The  great  speed,  with  relative  little  muscular  force  exerted,  which 
these  animals  can  display,  is  marvellous.  With  small  short  feet, 
their  long  and  advantageously- placed  pastern  and  shank-bones,  afford 
the  most  perfect  system  of  leverage  anywhere  to  be  witnessed  in  the 
range  of  animal  mechanics.  The  foal,  at  that  tender  age,  will  display 
a  degree  of  velocity  nearly  approaching  that  of  the  full-grown  horse 
of  its  breed.  Such  economy  is  due  to  length  of  leverage,  relative  to 
the  weight  of  the  body  to  be  moved. 

Though  those  slender  animals  astonish  us  for  effect,  locomotion 
may  be  best  studied  in  heavy  horses.  Few  people  can  be  induced 
to  see  and  leara  from  objects  which  are  daUy  ^^'^'c^  ^^^  ^1^*  "^^e^ 


45G  STRUCTURES  OP  THE  FOOT  Ov  THE  HORSE. 

walking,  horses  and  dogs  moving  constantly  before  us,  excite  no 
inquiry ;  but  a  horse-gallop  on  a  racecourse  may  elicit  some  atten- 
tion ;  and  so  may  horses  drawing  steadily  up  an  incline,  with  a 
load  behind  them  that  requires  all  their  force  in  action  to  keep  it 
moving. 

In  both  cases  the  action  ffoing  on  is  essentially  alike ;  only  one 
horse  is  extending  his  limbs  to  the  fullest  allowable  range,  while  the 
other  takes  necessarily  short  steps.  Looking  at  the  horses  drawing 
slowly  these  heavy  loads,  we  begin  at  length  to  analyse  their  move- 
ments ;  and  the  mind,  assuming  that  the  mechanism  of  the  parts  is 
known,  and  that  those  phenomena  are  being  reflected  on,  can  follow 
from  the  slow  to  faster  paces,  and  from  one  degree  of  velocity  to 
another,  with  a  perfect  understanding.  Let  us  try  and  follow  the  ex- 
ample of  advertising  teachers,  who  pretend  to  make  musicians  and 
teach  a  language,  or  the  art  of  writing  in  six  lessons — assuming 
the  plan  to  be  good — we  take  no  responsibility  for  the  result,  as  to 
liow  long  each  separate  lesson  may  require  to  be  worked  at — but 
merely  adopt  the  plan. 

As  the  horse  drawing  a  load  makes  his  first  effort  to  move  it,  he 
raises  one  fore  foot,  the  knee  of  which  is  bent,  and  the  arm  extended 
forward.  The  other  fore  foot  is  planted  before  the  body,  and  is,  as 
well  as  both  hind  feet,  acted  on  by  the  shafts  with  the  design  of  draw- 
ing and  propelling  the  body  forward,  and  the  load  behind  it  as  well 
The  first  fore  foot  lifted  is  held  up  until  the  body  moves,  and  if  no 
movement  be  accomplished,  the  foot  is  reimplanted  in  its  former  place ; 
taking  the  normal  case  when  power  overcomes  the  resistance,  the  body 
moves,  and  the  foot  is  implanted,  the  instant  before  which  occurrence 
the  opposite  or  diagonal  hind  is  lifted,  and  is  moving  under  the  body 
past  the  centre  of  gravity,  when  the  other  fore  is  lifted,  and  the  hind 
alights  contiguous  'to  the  place  from  which  the  fore  has  moved ;  next 
the  other  hind  foot  is  raised  and  carried  forward  in  like  manner,  when 
its  parallel  fore  moves,  as  the  hind  passes  the  centre  of  gravity,  to  give 
place  for  its  alightment. 

This  completes  the  movement  in  the  walk.  One  fore  foot  at  a  time 
is  extended  before  the  body,  and  its  diagonal  hind  immediately  succeeds 
and  is  carried  under  the  body,  and  in  every  move  there  are  three  feet 
resting  on  the  ground,  with  one  extended  and  being  carried  forward 
with  the  moving  body ;  further,  the  phenomenon  of  there  being 
three  feet  on  the  ground  and  one  relaxed  and  elevated,  is  sub- 
ject to  the  exception  that  in  each  movement  of  the  fore  feet  there  is 
an  instant  when  neither  parallel  fore  and  hind  foot  bear  on  the 
ground,  viz.,  each  fore  foot  is  lifted  just  as  its  parallel  hind  is  coming 
to  take  its  place ;  and  in  all  cases  of  free-moving-horses  the  hind  foot 
falls  several  inches  before  the  place  whence  the  fore  moved.  This 
balance  is  disturbed  by  heavy  weight  being  attached  to  the  horse, 
when,  as  shown,  the  body  moves  slowly,  and  each  step  is  accordingly 
short,  and  the  hind  foot  stops  relatively  short  of  I'eaching  the  im- 
print  left  by  its  parallel  fore. 


STBUCTURES  OF  THE  FOOT  OF  THE  HORSE.         457 

Passing  over  the  trot  for  the  present,  I  will,  secondly,  consider  the 
gallop,  and  take  a  racehorse,  and  an  open  training-ground,  for  my 
sphere  of  observation.  Cantering  and  galloping  as  they  are  spoken 
of  in  the  technical  phraseology  of  the  turf,  mean  the  same  thing. 
The  only  difference  consists  in  the  degrees  of  energy  called  forth,  and 
the  speed  that  is  carried  on.  The  canter  of  the  riding  school  is  a 
distinct  and  artificial  pace.  Without  taking  account  of  degrees  of 
velocity,  I  treat  the  gallop  of  the  blood-horse  in  training  and  in  the 
race  as  one  and  the  same,  in  order  of  position  of  the  limbs  and 
sequence  of  movement.  In  the  gallop,  the  horse  lifting  his  near 
hind  foot  exerts  his  powers  on  the  other  three,  the  body  moves, 
and  the  near  fore  foot  is  raised  as  its  parallel  hind  passes  the  centre 
of  gravity;  when  in  turn  the  off  hind  is  moved,  the  near  fore 
having  in  the  instant  alighted,  and  while  it  is  passing  the  line  of 
gravity  its  parallel  fore  likewise  obeys  the  law  and  moves.  These 
actions  are  made  intelligible,  only  as  they  are  seen  under  actual 
occurrence.  Unless  the  constant  and  rapid  movement  of  the  body  is 
taken  into  account,  the  distance  between  the  different  steps,  and  that 
between  where  each  foot  moves  from  and  where  it  alights,  must 
remain  a  puzzle,  to  solve  which,  inextricable  difiiculties  have  been 
hitherto  encountered. 

As  I  showed  by  a  drawing  in  my  prize  essay,  published  in  the 
Eoyal  Agricultural  Society's  Transactions ;  in  good  and  well-trained 
gallopers,  there  is  about  an  equal  distance  between  the  imprint  of  their 
feet  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  the  gallop,  while  the  same  degree 
of  speed  is  kept  up.  Principle  and  not  details  is  what  I  am  contem- 
plating now.  The  locomotive  powers — ^viz.,  the  limbs — act  in  diagonal 
lines,  the  action  of  the  fore  limbs  always  preceding  in  the  movement. 

Each  fore  foot  is  moved  at  the  instant  when  its  parallel  hind  has 
passed  the  line  of  gravity,  to  be  implanted  anterior  to  the  place  where 
the  fore  moved  from,  to  an  extent  governed  by  the  energy  em- 
ployed, and  the  velocity  the  body  has  acquired. 

The  limbs  of  the  horse,  placed  by  wonderful  physical  contrivance 
between  the  body  of  the  animal  and  the  ground,  act  on  both.  I  will 
try  to  describe  one  of  these  phenomona,  and  defer,  or  pass  with  brief 
reference  over  the  other. 

The  fore  foot,  we  say,  is  extended  before  the  body,  and  the  hind 
carried  under  it,  (no  matter  what  the  pace,  the  faster  it  is,  the  greater 
the  degxee.)  When  the  fore  foot  is  planted  on  the  ground,  it  constitutes 
a  fixed  lever,  from  the  knee  joint  inclusive,  to  its  bearing,  or  the  point 
of  resistance.  No  muscle,  flexor,  or  extensor,  is  directly  acting  on  the 
foot  until  its  position  becomes  changed,  and  the  burden  which  presses 
has  passed  over  it.  When  that  foot  was  implanted,  the  lever  was  in 
an  oblique  direction,  with  the  foot  forward ;  but  through  the  action  of 
the  radius  on  the  lever  extremity,  it  is  raised  and  passes  the  vertical 
line,  wheu'it  is  set  free,  and  its  small  but  adequate  muscles  flex,  and 
then  extend  it  again,  while  the  body  is  moving  throu^t  fe^^<ift.^  Vs^ 
virtue  of  the  force  exertedby  the  ot\\^T  Wraba. 


458  HEALTH  OF  STOCK  RETURNa 

While  the  fore  foot  is  perfoming  the  functions  described,  tlie  hind 
limb  is  acting  as  a  lever  of  another  kind.  Placed  in  an  oblique  line, 
from  the  point  of  the  hock  to  that  of  the  foot,  and  passed  far  beyond 
the  centre  of  gravity,  the  limb  forms  a  lever  in  the  position,  with  the 
properties  of  the  crow-bar,  and  following  the  action  in  each  instance 
of  its  diagonal  fore,  raises  and  propels  the  body. 

I  regret  the  necessity,  and  feel  almost  ashamed  to  dismiss,  for  the 
present,  so  momentous  a  subject  with  such  inadequate  treatment  of  it 


HEALTH  OF  STOCK  RETUENS  FOR  1864. 

SCOTLAND. 

Aberdeenshire. —  W,  Adam,  Banchory-Teman.  —  Pleuro-pneu- 
monia  in  cattle  has  almost  disappeared  in  this  district.  Several  years  ago 
it  was  very  prevalent,  and  in  badly  ventilated  byres  proved  very  fatal 
This  disease  can  in  most  cases  be  traced  to  contagion,  and  generally 
appears  on  farms  soon  after  fresh  stock  have  been  bought,  but  at  times 
it  seems  to  originate  spontaneously  on  farms  where  no  cattle  have  been 
bought  in  for  months  previous  to  its  outbreak. 

Foot-and-mouth  disease  has  prevailed  to  a  very  great  extent  during 
the  past  year,  but  when  the  animals  were  properly  attended  to  none 
of  the  cases  proved  fatal.  Black  quarter  is  very  common  in  this  dis- 
trict among  young  cattle,  and  invariably  proves  fatal.  Animals  in 
low  condition  removed  from  poor  pastures  to  a  more  generous  diet 
are  most  liable  to  this  disease. 

Parturient  fever  seldom  seen ;  but  red  water  common,  and  very 
often  fatal,  more  especially  when  cows  are  ill  kept,  and  fed  on  turnips 
and  straw ;  but  I  have  never  seen  a  case  when  animals  were  supplied 
with  oil-cake  as  well  as  turnips.  Diarrhoea  in  calves  very  prevalent^ 
often  fatal,  and  seems  almost  of  a  contagious  nature.  Diseases  of  the 
digestive  organs  in  horses  very  common  in  autumn,  when  the  animals 
are  fed  with  new  grain  and  damp  straw.  Bronchitis  father  common 
among  horses  during  the  winter  and  spring  months.  Animals  suffer- 
ing from  contagious  diseases  are  seldom,  if  ever,  exposed  for  sale  in 
our  markets,  and  farmers  are  very  careful  in  buying  in  fresh  stock. 

Oeorge  Robertson,  Ellon. — There  have  been  no  cases  of  contagious 
pleuro-pneumonia  in  cattle  in  this  part  of  the  county  for  several 
years;  but  during  the  past  year  foot-and-mouth  disease  has  been 
very  prevalent  among  cattle.  Black  quarter  w^as  more  prevalent  among 
young  stock  during  the  spring  and  summer  of  1864  than  it  has  been 
for  several  years.  Splenic  apoplexy  unknown  in  this  locality.  Seve- 
ral cases  of  parturient  apoplexy  occurred  in  the  months  of  June  and 
July ;  but  in  such  cases  the  veterinary  surgeon  is  seldom  called  in. 
The  animals  are  often  killed,  and  sent  to  the  London  market.  Par- 
turient  red  water  in  cows  ptevaiVeA.  lo  ^.  tcim^  ^^^\fe\  ^iLteut  than 


HEALTH  OF  STOCK  EETURNS.  459 

usual,  owing  to  the  great  abundance  of  turnips.  Diarrhoea  in  calves 
was  very  common  in  spring,  but  when  properly  treated  this  disease 
seldom  proves  fatal.  Among  horses  the  principal  diseases  I  have 
met  with  have  been  catarrh,  colic,  and  indigestion.  The  diseases  of 
sheep  and  pigs  seldom  come  under  the  veterinarian's  notice,  the  for- 
mer being  attended  to  by  shepherds;  and  when  anything  is  seen  amiss 
with  the  latter,  they  are  generally  killed,  and  sent  to  the  London 
market.  During  the  spring  months  rheumatism  was  very  prevalent 
among  young  stock ;  and  in  one  case  I  saw,  the  tendons  of  the  gas- 
trocnemii  muscles  gave  way,  and  the  point  of  the  os  calcis  protruded 
through  the  skin.  Cases  of  abortion  in  cows  were  very  common  in 
autumn.  In  some  of  our  local  markets  English  cattle,  suffering  from 
foot-and-mouth  disease,  have  been  exposed  for  sale,  and  have  com- 
municated the  disease  to  healthy  stock  coming  in  contact  with  them. 
I  have  heard  of  two  cases  where  people  attending  to  cattle  affected 
with  epizootic  aphtha  have  suffered  from  the  disease. 

W,  Ironside,  Glofrickfordy  Ellon. — Foot-and-mouth  disease  very 
prevalent,  brought  into  the  district  by  English  or  Irish  cattle  exposed 
for  sale  in  our  markets.  Black  quarter  very  common  among  young 
stock,  and  in  most  cases  fatal.  Setons  in  the  dewlap  seem  to  have  a 
very  beneficial  effect  in  preventing  this  disease,  A  few  cases  of  par- 
turient fever  have  been  seen  during  the  past  year.  Red  water  has  • 
been  rather  prevalent,  but  in  most  cases  the  animals  recovered.  Diar- 
rhoea in  calves  very  prevalent  during  the  spring,  and  tenninated 
fatally  in  a  large  proportion  of  cases.  Horses  have,  as  a  rule,  been 
pretty  healthy.  The  principal  diseases  I  saw  during  the  winter  were 
colic  and  indigestion. 

W.  Burton,  Harthill,  Keig. — Foot-and-mouth  disease  very  pre- 
valent, owing  to  English  cattle  suffering  from  it  being  exposed  for  sale 
in  our  public  markets.  Black  quarter  among  young  stock  rather  com- 
mon, and  invariably  fatal.  There  have  been  rather  fewer  cases  of 
parturient  fever  than  usual ;  but  rather  more  than  the  average  num- 
ber of  cases  of  red  water  in  cows  after  calving.  Diarrhoea  in  calves 
prevailed  to  a  great  extent,  and  proved  fatal  in  a  good  few  cases. 
Horses  have  suffered  chiefly  from  diseases  of  the  digestive  organs. 

Tf.  M,  Reidy  Leochel-Cushnie. — Glanders  and  farcy  in  horses  a  few 
cases,  not  very  common.  Pleuro-peunwnia  in  cattle  has  not  been  seen 
in  this  district  during  the  year  1864,  and  I  have  only  met  with  a  few 
cases  of  foot-and-mouth  disease  in  cattle.  Black  quarter  rather  more 
prevalent  than  in  former  years.  Cases  of  splenic  apoplexy  often  occur 
when  the  thermometer  is  very  low,  but  with  a  change  of  temperature 
many  of  the  affected  animals  recover.  Eed  water  in  cows  was  very 
prevalent,  and  in  a  great  many  cases  great  prostration  and  debility 
were  marked  symptoms  of  the  disease.  Diarrhoea  in  calves  often 
proves  very  troublesome  in  this  district,  and  a  large  proportion  of 
the  cases  terminate  fatally.  Among  horses  diseases  of  the  respira- 
tory organs  have  been  less  prevalent  than  usual ;  diseases  of  the  di- 
gestive organs,  such  as  colic,  &c.,  more  comvuoii.    'IV'^  xOkWsX*  ^^-vsssssss^ 


463  HEALTH  OF  STOCK  LETUKN3. 

disease  among  sheep  in  this  district  is  braxy  or  black  quarter.  Scab 
is  seldom  seen,  being  to  a  large  extent  prevented  by  repeated  washing. 
A.  Keith,  Stnchen. — Outbreaks  of  pleuro-pneumonia  in  cattle  1 
have  in  all  cases  readily  traced  to  contagion,  and  treated  the  disease 
as  such  with  great  success  in  some  instances.  As  many  as  90  per 
cent,  of  the  cases  recovered.  I  find  that  isolation  of  the  affected  ani- 
mals, with  rational  treatment  and  good  nursing,  often  puts  a  stop  to 
the  disease,  or  modifies  it,  so  that  the  fresh  cases  are  of  a  less  vimlent 
form.  Foot-and-mouth  disease  not  so  prevalent  as  in  1863,  owing, 
no  doubt,  to  the  care  taken  in  buying  animals  from  the  south  mar- 
kets. This  disease  is  very  troublesome  to  the  farmer,  but  seldom 
proves  fatal.  The  number  of  ca:ies  of  quarter-ill  are  decreasing  yearly, 
care  being  taken  of  young  stock,  so  as  not  to  let  them  down  in  con- 
dition. I  believe  the  best  method  of  prevention  for  this  disease  is 
to  keep  the  animals  well,  and  have  them  steadily  progressing  towards 
fattening,  or  to  take  their  place  in  the  herd.  Parturient  fever  is 
usually  most  common,  and  proves  most  fatal  soon  after  cows  go  to 
grass.  Cases  occurring  before  this  season  seldom  prove  fatal  Red 
water  has  been  more  prevalent  among  cows  than  for  the  last  ten 
years.  If  occurring  within  ten  or  twelve  days  "after  calving,  the  dis- 
ease is  often  very  severe,  and  in  many  such  cases  terminates  fatally. 
Cases  that  have  been  neglected  for  a  day  or  two,  and  the  bowels  con- 
stipated, seldom  recover,  but  otherwise  it  is  rather  a  mild  disease. 
Tlie  cases  of  diarrhoea  in  calves  are  yearly  on  the  increase,  and  dur- 
ing last  year  I  am  sure  as  many  as  95  per  cent,  of  the  young  calves 
in  this  district  suffered  from  the  disease.  I  treat  all  such  cases  with 
the  common  Gregory's  powder,  reduce  the  quality,  but  not  the  quan- 
tity, of  their  food ;  that  is,  give  half  milk,  half  water,  until  I  see  evi- 
dence of  the  stomach  recovering.  Among  horses  I  met  with  many 
cases  of  catarrh  and  sore  throat  in  the  end  of  the  year,  and  a  few 
cases  of  typhoid  pneumonia  and  influenza.  The  end  of  the  season 
was  remarkable  for  the  number  of  cases  of  diseases  of  the  digestive 
organs  in  horses,  attendant  on  teething.  An  epidemic  diarrhoea  pre- 
vailed for  eight  or  ten  days  in  the  month  of  August.  Cases  of  colic 
and  indigestion  less  prevalent  than  formerly,  owing  to  horses  being 
more  carefully  fed.  The  principal  diseases  sheep  have  suffered  from 
in  this  locality  during  the  past  year  have  been  mammitis  in  ewes 
and  scab.  Farmers  bringing  stock  home  affected  with  the  foot-and- 
mouth  disease  are  perfectly  aware  of  its  contagious  nature,  and  have 
never  to  my  knowledge  offered  such  for  sale  in  any  of  our  public 
markets. 

Ayrshire. — R,  Mackie,  Loudon  Cottage,  Galston. — ^Pleuro-pneu- 
monia in  cattle  has  twice  made  its  appearance  in  this  district,  and  on 
both  occasions  raged  for  nearly  two  years.  It  seems  very  doubtful 
at  times  how  the  disease  originates  ;  in  some  cases  it  can  be  readily 
traced  to  contagion,  breaking  out  after  fresh  importations  of  stock ; 
in  other  cases,  parties  bave  no  i'i^^\io^  \Jci^  4\s«asft  ori^nated  among 


HEALTH  OF  STOCK  RETURNS.  46 1 

their  stock.  I  believe  that  this  disease  may  lie  lurking  in  the  system 
for  months  before  it  shows  itself,  and  I  have  often  observed  that 
neighbouring  farmers  suffer  from  it  the  following  year.  When  pleuro- 
pneumonia breaks  out  among  dairy  cows,  they  generally  abort  if  they 
have  reached  the  fifth  month  of  pregnancy.  On  an  average  one- 
third  of  the  cases  prove  fatal,  and  with  the  exception  of  careful 
nursing  and  isolation  of  the  affected  animals,  all  treatment  has  proved 
useless.  Inoculation  has  not  been  tried  in  this  district  to  my  know- 
ledge. Foot-and-mouth  disease  often  spreads  all  over  the  district, 
and  often  proves  very  troublesome,  more  especially  among  milch  cows, 
the  teats  and  udder  being  affected,  and  the  secretion  of  milk  almost 
entirely  suspended.  During  the  months  of  March  and  April,  black 
quarter  was  rather  prevalent  among  young  stock,  and  about  five  per 
cent.  died.  A  small  quantity  of  oil-cake  given  to  each  animal  daily 
during  the  winter,  acts  very  beneficially  as  a  preventative  for  this 
disease.  The  loss  of  cows  from  parturient  fever  is  often  considerable  ; 
the  animals  generally  affected  are  cows  that  have  been  well  fed,  and 
in  high  condition.  Most  of  the  cases  recover  in  the  months  of  March, 
April,  and  May  ;  but  in  June  and  July,  when  cows  are  at  grass,  this 
disease  almost  invariably  proves  fatal  Milking  before  calving,  blood- 
letting, &c.,  have  been  tried  as  preventatives ;  in  some  cases  the  former 
proves  beneficial,  but  in  all  cases  the  latter  is  dangerous,  and  reduces 
the  strength  of  the  animal  at  a  time  when  the  chief  object  is  to  keep 
it  up  if  possible.  Every  year  a  few  cases  of  diarrhoea  in  calves  are 
seen.  The  popular  cures  for  this  disease  are  tea,  rennet,  or  laudanum. 
A  good  few  cases  die  from  being  neglected  and  not  properly  treated 
in  time.  Red-water  is  unknown  in  this  part  of  the  country,  and  we 
do  not  see  one  case  of  ophthalmia  in  a  hundred  animals.  The  animals 
exposed  for  sale  in  our  public  markets  are  generally  healthy ;  excep- 
tional cases  of  animals  suffering  from  contagious  diseases  may  be  seen, 
but  such  are  very  rare. 

W,  Irmie,  Girvan. — Pleuro-pneumonia  has  only  been  seen  on  one 
farm  in  this  neighbourhood  during  the  past  year.  The  cause  of  the 
disease  was  not  very  satisfactorily  made  out.  The  owner  had  a  grass 
park,  rented  some  twenty  miles  from  home,  in  which  a  number  of 
young  cattle  were  grazed.  These  first  showed  symptoms  of  the 
disease,  and  from  them  the  contagion  spread  among  the  dairy  cows, 
a  good  number  of  which  died.  Foot-and-mouth  disease  has  been 
very  prevalent,  due  in  all  cases  to  contagion  from  animals  being  ex- 
posed in  markets,  or  travelled  in  railway  trucks.  Cattle,  sheep,  and 
pigs  have  all  suffered  from  the  disease.  The  most  prevalent  diseases 
of  the  respiratory  organs  in  horses  were  influenza  and  pleurisy. 
Diseases  of  the  digestive  organs  in  horses  less  prevalent  than  usual, 
owing  to  a  better  system  of  feeding.  During  the  year  I  have  seen 
one  case  of  purpura  hemorrhagica,  and  two  of  periodic  ophthalmia 
in  horses.  I  have  only  seen  one  case  of  black  quarter,  and  two  of 
splenic  apoplexy  during  the  past  year.  Parturient  fever  has  pre- 
vailed to  a  limited  extent  among  well  kept  convs».    "8sfc,^-^^XRxSs»  'cJs^kcl 


4G2  HEALTH  OF  STOCK  RETURNS. 

very  prevalent  after  calving,  and  on  some  pastures  a  few  cases  were 
seen  last  summer.  Ophthalmia  was  very  prevalent  among  sheep  in 
the  autumn,  and  cases  of  sturdy  and  braxy  were  rather  common. 
Pigs  suffered  chiefly  from  affections  of  the  respiratory  organs.  Last 
season  a  large  proportion  of  the  calves  suffered  from  diarrhoea^  which 
proved  fatal  in  many  instances.  In  our  local  markets  we  have  only 
home-bred  stock  exposed  for  sale,  and  therefore  cases  of  contagious 
diseases  are  seldom  if  ever  seen.  Any  outbreak  of  such  diseases  can  be 
readily  traced  to  animals  purchased  in  large  markets,  such  as  Falkirk 
Tryst. 

Berwick. — /.  H,  Colder,  Swinton  Eall,  Coldstream. — I  have 
heard  of  no  cases  of  pleuro-pneumonia  or  foot-and-mouth  disease  in 
this  neighbourhood  during  1864.  Sickness  in  hoggs  was  very  pre- 
valent when  they  were  first  put  on  turnips,  from  7th  October  until 
17th  December,  and  a  good  many  of  the  cases  terminated  fatally.  I 
lost  19  out  of  a  flock  of  300.  In  the  spring  and  early  part  of  the 
summer  of  1864,  I  saw  many  lots  of  cattle  suffering  from  foot-and- 
mouth  disease  exposed  for  sale  in  public  markets,  but  heard  of  no 
serious  or  fatal  results. 

R.  Watson,  Coldstream, — Pleuro-pneumonia  in  cattle  prevailed  to 
a  considerable  extent,  traceable  in  the  majority  of  cases  to  direct  con- 
tagion. It  principally  originated  among  foreign  or  Dutch  cattle 
brought  into  the  district.  Foot-and-mouth  disease  has  not  prevailed 
to  any  great  extent.  Among  horses,  diseases  of  the  respiratory  organs 
rather  above  the  average ;  many  of  the  cases  severe,  but  the  mortality 
very  trifling.  Affections  of  the  digestive  organs  in  horses  numerous. 
I  have  seen  very  little  of  quarter-ill,  and  only  a  few  cases  of  splenic 
apoplexy  in  situations  where  it  prevailed  previously.  Parturient 
fever,  a  few  cases,  and  several  cases  of  red-water  in  milch  cows  during 
the  months  of  March  and  April.  Cases  of  diarrhoea  in  calves  very 
common.  There  was  a  considerable  mortality  amongst  pigs  from 
enteric  fever  and  pneumonia.  Cattle  were  shown  in  our  autumn 
markets  in  rather  poor  condition.  Several — more  especially  among 
the  foreign  cattle  labouring  under  the  incubative  stage  of  pleuro- 
pneumonia— lots  have  been  bought  by  farmers,  and  when  pleuro- 
pneumonia broke  out,  they  at  once  sent  them  into  the  market  and 
re-sold  them ;  and  thus  our  markets  are  a  fertile  source  for  the  pro- 
pagation of  contagious  diseases. 

Caithness. — George  Brown,  Wick — There  have  been  no  cases  of 
pleuro-pneumonia  in  this  county  for  a  number  of  years,  and  I  have 
heard  of  no  cases  of  foot-and-mouth  disease  during  the  past  year. 
Colds  and  influenza  rather  prevalent  among  horses,  but  none  of  the 
cases  have  proved  fatal  so  far  as  I  know.  There  have  been  about 
the  average  number  of  cases  of  diarrhoea  in  calves,  and  cases  of 
quarter-ill  among  young  stock  rather  below  the  average.  During  the 
year  1864*,  the  losses  among  sUecp  have  been  very  small  compared 


HEALTH  OF  STOCK  RETURNS.  463 

with  former  years.  A  few  cases  of  inflammation  of  the  stomach  and 
bowels  among  hogg%  on  turnips,  but  not  much  oyer  one-half  of  what  we 
usually  see.  Scab  is  not  at  all  prevalent  among  the  sheep  here  ;  there 
may  be  a  few  cases  occasionally  in  badly  managed  flocks.  Through- 
out the  year  stock  have  been  very  healthy,  and  I  have  seen  no  animals 
labouring  under  contagious  diseases  exposed  for  sale  in  our  public 
markets. 

Dumfries. — Robert  Borland,  Closehurn. — Pleuro-pneumonia  has 
only  appeared  to  my  knowledge  in  one  instance,  among  a  lot  of  fat 
cattle,  where  nothing  of  its  origin  was  positively  known.  Foot-and- 
mouth  disease  prevailed  to  a  considerable  extent  last  autumn  among 
cattle ;  and  on  my  own  farm,  the  disease  appeared  among  a  lot  of 
cattle  I  bought  at  Newcastle  fair.  A  good  many  deaths  occurred 
among  hill  sheep  last  spring,  from  scouring,  brought  on  by  the  severe 
weather.  Pigs  died  in  large  numbers,  from  a  kind  of  convulsive  fits, 
accompanied  with  loss  of  power  in  the  limbs. 

Charles  Graike,  Lochmahen, — During  the  year  1864,  stock  have 
been  remarkably  healthy  in  this  district.  I  have  not  heard  of  a  single 
case  of  pleuro-pneumonia  in  cattle,  and  foot-and-mouth  disease  has 
not  prevailed  to  any  great  extent.  Among  horses  there  has  been 
about  the  average  number  of  cases  of  colds  and  coughs,  &c. ;  affec- 
tions of  the  digestive  organs  trifling.  About  the  latter  end  of  1863, 
and  beginning  of  1 864,  quarter-ill  appeared  among  my  young  stock 
to  an  alarming  extent.  I  lost  three  two-year-old  Ayrshire  queys,  and 
had  other  ten  or  twelve  affected,  all  of  which  recovered.  Among 
sheep  the  most  prevalent  diseases  were  foot-and-mouth  disease,  foot  rot, 
and  scab,  and  on  several  farms  considerable  loss  was  sustained  in  the 
autumn  from  inflammation  both  in  hoggs  and  ewes  when  put  on 
turnips.  There  has  been  a  great  mortality  among  pigs  in  the  winter 
from  inflammation  of  the  lungs  and  cramp  in  the  legs.  Our  markets 
have  been  pretty  free  of  contagious  diseases,  with  the  exception  of  an 
occasional  case  of  foot-and-mouth  disease,  and  scab  in  sheep.  Epizootic 
aphtha  is  chiefly  brought  into  our  district  from  the  Lothian  markets 
and  English  fairs,  in  October  and  the  latter  end  of  the  year. 

W,  A,  Jeffrey,  Braehead. — Contagious  diseases  prevailed  to  a  very 
limited  extent  in  this  district  during  the  year  1864.  I  only  heard  of 
one  outbreak  of  pleuro-pneumonia,  of  a  mild  form,  among  a  lot  of 
cattle  brought  into  the  district  from  a  distance.  Foot-and-mouth 
disease  has  been  solely  confined  to  cattle  and  sheep,  which  were 
brought  from  distant  markets,  such  as  Falkirk.  A  considerable  num- 
ber of  horses  were  affected  with  diseases  of  the  respiratory  organs 
during  the  autumn,  when  the  weather  was  changeable.  Sheep  have 
been  remarkably  healthy,  except  a  few  lots  bought  in  distant  fairs 
affected  with  foot-and-mouth  disease,  and  scab,  in  a  few  cases,  where 
sheep  were  brought  from  the  north. 

Edinburgh. — J.  H.  Coates,  Penicuik — Foot-and-moxLtiv  ^aa^asafc 
Vol.  I.—No.  IX— New  Sbbibs.    SEFmiBKa  \^^5,  "^^ 


470  LETTER  TO  THE  EDITOR. 


LETTER  TO  THE  EDITOR 

To  the  Editor  of  the  "  Veterinary  Review.** 

Aldkbshott,  15th  August  1865. 

Sir, — Agreeing  with  Professor  Joseph  Gamgee  as  to  the  necessity  of  guarding  against 
being  misunderstood,  and  feeling  that  his  remarks  in  consequence  of  my  two  last 
letters,  only  tend  to  mystify  what  is  very  plain,  viz.,  that  which  I  have  written,  and 
am  prepared  to  abide  by,  although  I  object  to  be  held  responsible  for  the  inferences 
the  Professor  chooses  to  deduce  from  them ;  therefore  I  must  again  claim  the  right  of 
reply  to  his  remarks,  in  your  journal  of  the  present  month,  to  set  forth  what  1  have 
written.  The  Professor  says  he  does  not  know  what  I  require  of  him.  I  will  there- 
fore repeat  the  questions  I  put  in  my  letter  of  April  7th,  as  1  am  still  waiting  for  his 
answers  to  them.  1st,  "  Did  he  ever  find  true  ulceration  internally  with  a  sound 
articular  surface  ?  *'  2d,  *'  If  it  commences  internally,  how  is  it  that  the  ulceration 
does  not  show  itself  on  the  anterior  articular  surface  of  the  navicular  bone?*'  And, 
"Why  does  not  the  wasting  of  the  coffin-bone  lead  also  to  ulceration  externally?" 
Again,  Professor  Gamj^ee  says  that  the  history  given  by  me  does  not  accord  with  the 
first  account  of  the  case,  where  I  said,  "  the  horse  was  sound  one  day  and  lame  the 
next,  never  again  to  be  sound ;"  and  in  the  history  (which  was  given  in  reply  to 
stated  questions  from  him),  I  wrote,  '*  He  had  never  been  lame  previous  to  the  foot 
lameness  which  commenced  in  June  1862,  and  was  sudden."  This  statement  I  repeated 
in  the  letter  of  the  5th  May.  I  ask  the  Professor  these,  to  show  in  whcU  the  discrep- 
ancy consists,  as  I  have  constantly  and  on  every  occasion  repeated  my  first  statement, 
viz.,  that  the  lameness  was  sudden  and  permanent  Professor  Gamgee  asks,  "  Why 
permanent?"  1  need  not  answer  that  question,  I  merely  related  the  fact.  Further, 
he  says,  "  the  account  given  of  the  case  by  me  ill  accorded  with  the  parts  sent"  The 
whole  of  the  account  that  I  gave  of  these  parts  is  contained  in  the  following  words : 
"  The  specimen  illustrates  the  disease  as  I  believe  it  really  exists  in  the  majority  of 
cases,  viz.,  primarily  in  the  flexor  tendon  as  it  passes  the  navicular  bone."  And  further 
on  I  said,  ''  The  tendon  at  the  surface  next  the  bone  presents  the  appearance  of  hav- 
ing been  gnawed  by  mice,  and  was,  I  doubt  not,  the  part  first  aflfected."  This  rough 
appearance  1  attributed  to  "  ruptured  fibres  from  a  sprain."  I  now  ask.  Did  the  ten- 
don present  this  rough  appearance  ? — several  saw  it  who  thought  it  did,  and  people 
will  believe  what  they  see.  Were  any  of  the  fibres  ruptured  ?  if  so,  the  parts  accorded, 
fully  with  my  account  of  them ;  and  as  the  Professor  has  the  piece  of  tendon,  he  can 
examine  it;  hitherto  he  has  not  described  its  state.  I  am  quite  aware  that  the  state 
of  the  synovial  membrane  lining  the  tendon  can  give  no  information,  and  would  be 
afiected  as  a  consequence,  whether  the  disease  commenced  in  the  bone  or  in  the  ten- 
don. I  have  from  the  first  endeavoured  to  obtain  information  on  the  first  stage  of  the 
disease — its  nature  and  seat.  Professor  Gamgee  has  been  writing  of  the  subsequent. 
changes  in  the  parts,  and  assumes,  because  I  ignore  all  efiects  in  the  discussion 
till  1  have  first  considered  the  cause,  i.e.,  the  first  stage  of  the  disease,  that  I  must, 
consequently  be  ignorant  of  them.  Upon  the  same  principle,  I  might  conclude  that  he 
is  ignorant  of  the  first  stage,  as  hitherto  he  has  written  of  efiects  only.  The  Pro- 
fessor thinks  a  sound  navicular  bone  could  not  be  fractured  from  a  sprain.  I  quite  agree 
with  him;  hence  1  wrote  on  5th  May,  **  Fractures  at  the  seat  of  attachment  of  liga- 
ments are  unusual  in  bones  previously  free  from  change  of  structure."  The  Pro- 
fessor agrees  with  Mr  Dyer,  who  has  always  thought  the  term  rheumatism  a  most 
convenient  one.  I  also  agree  with  these  gentlemen  when  the  term  js  applied  to  such 
cases  as  that  in  a  black  gelding,  which  Mr  Dyer  records  in  your  journal  under  that 
head. — I  am,  &c., 

ALFRED  J.  OWLES, 
Veterinary  Surgeon,  General  Staj£ 

After  careful  perusal  of  Staff  Veterinary  Surgeon  Owles'  note  of 
the  15th  irisb.,  Professor  Gamgee,  sen.,  sees  no  reason  for  modifying,, 
^n  any  way,  his  former  statements. 

New  Veterinary  College, 
August  25,  UQ5, 


C|e  Wrinarg  glelikfe  anb  BtothkmB  lournal 


THE  FRENCH  HORSES. 

In  another  place  we  give  a  letter,  headed  as  above,  addressed  to  "  the 
editor  of  the  Sportsman/'  from  which  journal  it  is  taken ;  and  while 
we  endorse  every  sentence  the  writer  says,  the  fact  may  be  referred  to 
without  detracting  from  our  cordial  welcome  of  this  additional— of 
our  having,  for  several  years  past,  tried  to  draw  attention  to  the  same 
subject.  That  there  has  been  need  of  reform  in  stud  management, 
and  indeed  in  horse  management  in  general,  has  not  only  been  known 
to  us,  but  has  been  expatiated  on  and  published  ;  and  that  much  of 
what  was  defective  in  England  has  been  shown  to  have  been  "  better 
managed  in  France."  In  the  number  of  this  new  Review  for  the  past 
July,  in  an  article  headed  "  The  Relative  Capabilities  of  England  and 
France  for  Producing  Horses  of  High  Merit,"  much  of  the  same  course 
of  argument  was  used  as  is  embodied  with  statement  in  the  letter 
before  us. 

"  An  Englishman  in  Paris "'  shows  himself  to  be  master  of  his  sub- 
ject. His  statements,  dated  as  they  are  from  the  scene  of  his  observa- 
tions, are  valuable  just  now  to  his  countrymen  at  home. 

It  was  reported  that  the  Emperor  of  the  French,  in  congratulating 
Count  de  Lagrange,  the  other  day  said,  "You  have  done  immense  ser- 
vice for  the  turf  in  France/*  Not  doubting  the  accuracy  of  the  opinion 
expressed  by  the  great  ruler,  we  are  inclined  to  believe  that — if  the  true 
state  of  the  matter  could  be  dispassionately  gone  into,  with  a  view  to 
ascertain  how  little  faults  had  crept  into  English  practice,  until  they 
have  become  great  errors,  and  we  could  condescend  to  learn  some- 
thinsr  from  the  French  in  such  cases  —  the  crisis  at  which  matters 
have  arrived  may  prove  of  mutual  benefit  to  English  and  French  turf 
men,  and  to  horse  owners  in  general 

No  less  a  preponderance  of  evidence,  than  has  been  furnished  in 
Gladiateur*s  case,  could  have  turned  the  scale  of  opinioxx.^  ort  ^^^soc 


472  THE  FEEKCH  HORSES. 

arrested  the  thoughts  of  the  horse-loving  public  of  England,  to  con- 
template the  fact  of  the  superiority  of  our  neighbours'  race-horses. 
Other  horses,  which  had  shown  their  superiority  to  any  of  their  age 
which  England  could  send  to  compete  against  them,  failed  to  elicit 
any  outspoken  opinion  beyond  some  expressions  on  the  question  of 
age, — questions,  we  are  glad  to  see,  so  well  disposed  of  by  "An 
Englishman  in  Paris." 

Uow  long  Englisli  noblemen  and  gentlemen  will  take  a  pride  in 
giving  almost  as  much  money  for  a  yearling  colt  as  would  buy  a 
small  estate,  and,  with  rare  exceptions,  only  to  incur  disappointment, 
remains  to  be  seen.  That  radical  errors  have  existed  in  English  horse 
management,  which  have  become  more  and  more  generalised,  is  a 
fact  susceptible  of  proo£  And  equally  susceptiUe  of  demonstration 
is  it,  that  where  we  have  been  most  at  fault  the  French  have  excelled. 

Some  of  these  questions  were  brought  to  notice  by  the  renowned 
sporting  writer,  Nimrod,  five  or  six  and  twenty  years  ago,  while  he 
was  sojourning  in  France.  Then  only  few  blood  horses  were  pro- 
duced in  France,  Lord  Henry  Seymour's  stud,  about  which  Nimrod 
wrote,  being  the  chief. 

We  shall  continue  to  look  for  more  of  the  kind  before  us  from  au 
anonymous  correspondent  of  the  Sportsman. 


THE  CATTLE  PLAGUE.  473 

THE  CATTLE  PLAGUE 

fo  the  Editor  of  the  "Daily  Telegraph." 

SiE, — Some  important  facts  are  communicated  to  us  daily  with 
regard  to  the  propagation  of  the  malignant  and  highly  contagious 
typhoid  fever,  which  is  raging  with  unabated  fury.  It  is  approaching 
some  of  the  finest  herds  in  the  country.  So  far  as  I  can  learn  the 
breeders  of  prize  stock  have  escaped  from  the  fact  that  they  breed  and 
do  not  buy.  One  of  the  choice  herds  of  the  South  of  England  has 
been  and  is  in  imminent  danger  from  the  purchase  of  oxen  on  the 
Essex  Marshes,  where  the  disease  has  been  rife  for  some  time.  The 
animals  were  taken  across  the  Thames  into  an  adjoining  county,  and 
seventeen  out  of  twenty-two  condemned  and  buried;  the  others 
slaughtered  as  not  yet  eflfected,  and  therefore  fit  for  the  butcher. 
The  town  of  Nottingham  has  had  its  case.  A  man  purchased  two 
cows  a  few  days  back  at  Ashbourne,  in  Derbyshire.  Derby  cows 
are  proverbial  for  carrying  about  disease  from  the  great  centres 
of  traflSc  to  the  farmers  who  invest  in  them.  One  of  the  cows 
jought  at  Ashbourne  was  left  at  Beeston ;  the  other  taken  to  Not- 
ingham,  where  she  calved,  fell  ill  on  the  morning  of  Tuesday,  died 
n  the  evening,  was  dissected  early  yesterday,  and  manifested  all  the 
signs  of  the  plague.  Nine  distinct  dairies  are  infected  in  Edinburgh. 
And,  as  usual,  a  sick  cow  trucked  in  Edinburgh  was  detected  with 
the  disease  in  the  Glasgow  market,  so  that  we  may  hear  more  of  the 
Scotch  outbreaks.  Indeed,  information  has  reached  us  of  the  disease 
existing  in  Dumfriesshire,  but  there  is  some  doubt  on  this  point.  So 
long  as  we  hear  of  infected,  or  probably  infected,  cattle  being  dissemi- 
nated in  large  numbers  from  the  great  markets  over  the  country,  we 
must  have  the  propagation  of  the  malady.  For  the  welfare  of  this 
country  it  is  deeply  to  be  regretted  that  our  Government  cannot  deal 
with  this  question  as  Continental  authorities  do.  I  regret  to  say  some 
of  our  neighbours  laugh  at  our  expense.  They  see  us  helpless  owing 
to  the  wretched  state  of  our  laws  on  the  subject,  and  they  are  not  a 
little  amused  at  the  theories  of  spontaneous  development  of  the  disease 
which  some  still  advocate.  The  French  Emperor  has  sent  over  Pro- 
fessor Bouley,  who  is  still  in  this  country,  and  who  telegraphed  on 
his  first  arrival,  about  ten  days  ago,  that  the  ports  of  France  should 
be  instantly  closed  to  British  cattle.  This  has  been  done,  and  we  may 
depend  upon  it  the  French  people  will  not  suffer  as  we  now  must. 
Warnings  here  are  alone  calculated  to  bring  those  who  utter  them  for 
a  time  into  ridicule  and  disrepute.  I  speak  from  experience.  In  1863 
I  wrote  on  this  subject  to  the  Times  on  several  occasions,  and  it  would 
be  easy  to  occupy  two  or  three  columns  of  your  paper  with  what  I 
then  commimicated  to  that  and  other  journals.  In  justice  to  myself, 
I  shall  make  one  quotation,  and  one  only,  from  a  letter  dated  the  10th 
of  November  1863,  and  which  was  published  in  the  Time^.  1^^^^ — 
"  If  we  are  receiving  Spanish  cattle  m\^T^  ?ai^  ^xvftiStfsiiVi  ^^^^^^^ 


474  THE  CATILE  PLAGUK 

is  to  prevent  a  fast  and  suitably-built  steamer  landing  at  a  British 
port  cattle  shipped  at  Memel  or  Libau?  Cattle  are  very  cheap  in 
Bussia,  and  the  Russians  are  turning  their  attention  to  the  manage- 
ment of  stock.  If  we  do  not  husband  our  resources  in  the  way  of 
producing  and  fattening  animals  in  the  British  isles,  we  must  depend 
more  and  more  on  the  produce  of  Eastern  plague -breeding  plains,  and 
we  may  find  ourselves  at  no  distant  period  much  worse  off  for  animal 
food  than  we  are  at  present,  notwithstanding  every  facility  being 
afforded  for  free  trade  in  stock.  Dearly-bought  experience  has  de- 
monstrated to  the  Austrians^  Prussians,  French,  and  others,  that  the 
importation  of  cattle  requires  constant  supervision.  Your  own  corres- 
pondents have  this  year  furnished  valuable  information  concerning  the 
cattle  plague  as  it  spread  through  Turkey  across  the  Adriatic  and  into, 
the  Eoman  States.  The  area  over  which  this  fearful  malady  has  ex- 
tended of  late  has  been  far  wider  than  usual,  and  it  has  been  found 
essential  on  many  occasions  to  enforce  a  strict  quarantine,  and  other- 
wise to  interfere  with  the  trade  in  cattle.  For  the  safety  of  British, 
stock,  and  for  the  instruction  of  British  stockowners  in  general,  infor- 
mation concerning  the  health  of  animals  in  different  countries  should 
be  published  periodically ;  and  it  would  be  easy  to  devise  a  system  of 
showing  the  diseased  and  the  healthy  regions  of  Europe  in  maps, 
which  any  cattle-dealer  should  consult.  On  such  maps  the  course  in 
which  plagues  spread,  and  perhaps  even  the  extent  and  direction  of 
the  cattle  traflSc,  could  be  indicated.  In  a  short  time  such  a  mass  of 
information  would  be  collected  as  to  show  how  we  should  act  to  en- 
courage the  trade  in  healthy  animals,  and  effectually  to  guard  against 
the  traffic  in  diseased  ones.'' 

Had  the  system  I  recommended  in  1863  been  carried  out,  we 
should  have  been  placed  on  our  guard  with  regard  to  the  north- 
western portions  of  Eussia  as  early  as  last  November,  and  we  might 
thereby  have  had  a  chance  of  escape. 

I  promised  in  my  last  to  make  a  statement  as  to  the  measures 
adopted  abroad.  There  are  some  very  important  rules  laid  down 
which  might  be  beneficially  adopted  in  this  country.  The  conceal- 
ment on  the  part  of  a  stockowner  of  the  fact  that  the  plague  has  at- 
tacked his  cattle  is.  rendered  penal,  and  the  non-observance  of  regula- 
tions subjects  the  owner  of  animals  to  fine  and  imprisonment  from 
one  to  six  months.  On  the  declaration  being  made  that  the  disease 
has  appeared  in  any  shed  or  on  any  farm,  an  official  inspection  is 
made  to  ascertain  that  it  is  the  plague  which  has  appeared.  The  in- 
fected district  is  then  closed  for  the  introduction  or  exit  of  stock  and 
the  holding  of  markets,  and  a  check  is  even  placed  on  the  movement 
of  people.  Wherever  the  sick  animals  have  been  seen,  both  sick  and 
healthy  are  killed.  Butchers  are  engaged  to  dress  the  carcases,  and 
those  that  can  be  eaten  are  disposed  of,  the  others  are  buried  five  or 
six  feet  below  ground,  and  disinfected  with  chlorinated  lime.  The 
thorough  cleansing  of  the  stables  in  which  cattle  have  been  diseased 
is  conducted  with  the  greatest  "px^c.^.u^^Qw,  ^\l\  xssjAsat  suijervision. 


THE  CATTLE  PLAGUE.  475 

Charcoal  and  lime  are  used  on  the  ground,  and  boards  over  this  on 
which  the  animals  lie  ;  all  the  woodwork  is  renewed,  and  in  addition 
to  the  free  use  of  disinfectants,  the  walls  are  frequently  limewhited. 
The  antiseptics  which  have  been  regarded  as  of  greatest  value  are 
those  which  disengage  oxygen,  and  such  agents  are  most  freely  used. 
The  transport  of  cattle  occurs  in  vans  or  other  conveyances  under  the 
direct  supervision  of  a  competent  inspector.  Indeed  the  police  are 
made  to  accompany  suspected  animals  from  sheds  or  farms  to  slaughter- 
houses, and  when  animals  are  killed  on  a  farm  every  precaution  is 
taken  that  the  meat  is  directly  conveyed  to  a  butcher's  stall,  without 
danger  of  being  distributed  within  reach  of  live  stock  liable  to  take 
the  disease.  All  food,  litter,  utensils,  and  other  objects  which  have 
been  touched  or  in  close  proximity  to  diseased  cattle,  are  burned  or 
disinfected.  Any  fresh  animal  brought  into  an  infected  district  or 
shed  must  be  shown  to  the  inspector,  even  if  only  introduced  to  be 
slaughtered.  If,  however,  it  is  intended  to  be  kept,  it  must  be  kept 
quite  separate  from  other  stock,  otherwise  a  severe  penalty  is  incurred. 
Cattle  smuggled  into  an  infected  district  are  confiscated.  Wherever 
the  disease  appears  a  man  is  to  be  employed  for  the  immediate  super- 
vision of  the  animals,  and  is  to  be  engaged  in  no  other  duty  what- 
ever. He  is  to  keep  the  sick  under  lock  and  key.  No  market  can  be 
held  within  three  miles'  distance  of  an  infected  farm.  Diseased  ani- 
mals cannot  be  turned  out  into  fields,  commons,  or  other  public  places. 
Whenever  suspected  animals  have  to  be  removed  any  distance  they 
cannot  be  travelled  on  the  road,  but  are  removed  in  railway  trucks 
under  careful  supervision,  f  nd  every  precaution  is  taken  m  disinfect- 
ing the  cattle  trucks  by  means  of  water  and  chlorinated  lime.  The 
purchase  of  dairy  stock  for  the  dairies  of  large  towns  occurs  under 
special  inspection,  and  the  inspecting  officer  has  to  keep  a  ledger 
showing  the  names  and  residences  of  buyer  and  seller,  and  all  newly 
bought  cows  have  to  be  kept  separate  for  a  period  of  not  less  than 
ten  days. 

The  treatment  of  such  animals  is  discountenanced  as  much  as 
possible ;  and  this  is  found  of  great  service  in  exterminating  the  dis- 
order. There  are  special  points  which  should  be  referred  to  in  con- 
nexion with  cattle  importation,  veterinary  inspection,  and  the  duties 
of  magistrates ;  but  these  I  must  leave  for  another  time.  There  are 
important  differences  in  the  laws  of  different  countries ;  but  it  is 
recognised  everywhere  that  the  early  slaughter  of  diseased  and  in- 
fected animals,  their  careful  removal,  alive  or  dead,  and  the  most 
effectual  purification  of  all  objects  or  places  with  which  such  animals 
have  come  in  contact,  constitute  the  basis  of  legislation. 

The  report  of  my  speech  at  the  Mansion  House  yesterday  is  calcu- 
lated to  mislead  the  public,  and  I  trust,  thererefore,  you  may  afford 
space  for  the  following  corrections. 

My  comments  on  the  Order  in  Council  specially  referred  to  the 
fact  that  in  the  absence  of  proper  powers — ^which  the  Government 
had  tried  to  secure  last  year — certain  continental  \2Dkftas»3L^^  -^'isx^ 


476        PROFESSOR  BOULEY  ON  THE  CATTLE  PLAGUE. 

adopted  which  were  impracticable,  and  calculated  to  endanger  the 
lives  of  our  animals  to  a  serious  extent.  The  determination  to  pre- 
vent the  removal  of  diseased  cattle  from  any  shed  without  insisting 
on  the  slaughter,  or  provi(iing  for  the  separation  of  all  the  animals 
with  which  they  have  bee  a  in  contact,  cannot  fail  to  aggravate 
the  disease.  I  am  aware  that  Government  cannot  insist  on  snch 
slaughter  or  separation  without  an  indemnity,  but  surely  under  the 
circumstances,  and  especially  in  the  London  dairies,  it  is  easier  and 
safer  to  remove  and  separate  the  diseased  than  to  deal  with  the  in- 
fected herds.  I  cannot  understand  that  there  is  any  greater  di£Giculty 
in  removing  a  live  animal  in  a  van  than  a  dead  one. 

Eeferring  to  Continental  veterinarians,  I  said  that  some  of  their 
remarks  might  appear  interspersed  with  strange  ideas.  I  quite  agree 
with  the  Austrian  veterinarians  that  to  cure  is  in  this  case  to  kill, 
because  so  long  as  sick  and  convalescent  animals  are  kept  about,  the 
danger  of  propagating  the  malady  is  enormous.  Kill  by  all  means, 
and  if  you  can  compensate,  kill  all  that  have  been  near  a  contaminated 
animal.  I  was  not  of  opinion  that  £200,000  would  meet  the  require- 
ments in  London.  I  said  that  sum  might  be  spent  if  a  system  of 
mutual  insurance  was  not  adopted  in  addition  to  voluntary  subscrip- 
tions from  the  general  public.  No  such  sum  as  £200,000  is  likely  to 
be  raised,  in  my  opinion,  in  this  metropolis  at  present,  and  no  such 
sum  should  be  called  for.  I  regret  that  my  statements  were  misunder- 
stood. Twenty-five  years  ago  our  stock  was,  without  exception,  the 
healthiest  in  Europe.  It  is  now,  in  many  districts,  as  much  impreg- 
nated with  disease  as  any  in  the  world ;  and  all  this  we  owe  to  foreign 
importation  conducted  without  due  regard  to  the  interests  of  this 
country. — I  am,  sir,  yours,  &c., 

John  Gamgee, 
Principal  of  the  Albert  Veterinary  College. 


PEOFESSOR  BOULEY  ON  THE  CATTLE  PLAGUE. 

Edinbuboh,  25ih  August  1865. 
Sir, — If  there  is  a  question  in  veterinary  medicine  of  which  the 
solution  ought  at  the  present  day  to  be  complete  and  definite,  and 
one  which  leaves  no  longer  any  material  for  controversy  amongst 
competent  men,  it  is  that  of  the  orgin,  or,  so  to  speak,  the  home  of  this 
redoubtable  pest,  which  has  come  with  such  merciless  liberality  upon 
the  bovine  species  of  England.  For  long,  in  the  ignorance  that  ex- 
isted as  to  what  this  disease  was  in  itself,  and  whence  it  came,  its 
apparition  was  explained  by  invoking  the  influence  of  general  and 
common  causes — heat  and  cold,  dryness  and  humidity,  privations  of 
all  kinds,  suflTerings,  fatigue,  overcrowding,  accumulation  of  animal^ 
&c,  &c. — ^all  causes  which  are  far,  in  truth,  from  being  innocuous, 


PROFESSOR  BOULEY  ON  THE  CATTLE  PLAGUE.       477 

but  which  are  powerless  to  generate  the  contagious  malady  known  as 
the  Typhus  of  Homed  Cattle,  the  JRinderpest,  &c.  This  has  but 
one  home,  and  that  is  in  the  Steppes  of  Eastern  Europe  and  Asia. 
There  only  we  meet  with  the  conditions  of  its  spontaneous  genera- 
tion ;  it  is  there  that  its  germ  is  developed,  but  there  exclusively,  and 
nowhere  else,  however  bad  may  be  the  conditions  in  which  the  bovine 
species  can  be  kept 

This,  Mr  Editor,  is  a  truth  at  the  present  day  known  to  all  men 
who  have  studied  the  question  of  the  origin  of  the  typhus  upon  the 
historical  documents,  now  so  numerous,  which  treat  upon  this  ruin- 
ous malady ;  and  if  anything  can  astonish  us,  it  is  that  a  question  of 
this  nature  yet  gives  place  in  England  to  so  much  controversy. 

The  typhus  is  not  a  new  malady  in  Western  Europe.  It  has  visited 
us  too  often,  notably  in  connexion  with  the  transit  of  large  bodies 
of  men,  as  necessitated  by  wars,  and  which  imperatively  demanded 
the  simultaneous  removal  of  cattle — the  one  never  marching  without 
the  others ;  and  at  each  of  its  visits,  history  testifies  that  the  invasion  is 
to  be  attributed,  it  may  be  to  animals,  or  it  may  be  to  the  debris  of 
animals,  brought  from  Eastern  Europe. 

Those  who  do  not  wish  to  admit  the  exotic  nature  of  typhus,  in- 
voke, to  explain  its  outbreak,  the  influence  of  habitations,  faulty 
hygienic  conditions,  privations,  sufferings,  heat,  &c.  &c. ;  but  they  do 
not  reflect  that  these  causes  exist  at  all  times  and  in  all  countries, 
whilst  the  typhus  does  not  appear  but  on  extraordinary  occasions, 
and  afflicts  only  some  unfortunate  or  imprudent  countries.  If  the 
typhus  depended  on  the  bad  condition  of  the  byres  in  which  milk 
cows  are  kept,  it  ought  to  reign  perpetually. among  the  dairies  in 
Paris  and  its  suburbs,  where  the  unfortunate  beasts,  destined  to  the 
production  of  milk,  are  maintained  in  low,  humid,  suffocating  stables, 
without  light,  and  without  air.  Compared  to  the  cow-houses  of 
Paris,  those  of  London  are  Louvres ;  and  nevertheless  the  typhus 
does  not  break  out  in  those.  Since  the  inauspicious  days  of  1814 
and  1815  we  have  not  had  it  in  France,  and  it  is  110  years  since  it 
last  visited  England. 

Is  it  the  case  that  during  the  century  just  passed  the  cattle  of 
Great  Britain  have  not  suffered  from  heat,  have  not  been  kept  in 
unhealthy  buildings,  have  not  been  maltreated  by  travelling  or  on 
voyage — have  not,  in  short,  been  submitted  to  thousands  and  thou- 
sands of  causes  upon  which  it  is  argued  to  explain  the  actual  inva- 
sion of  this  malady  ?  And,  nevertheless,  a  whole  century  has  passed, 
and  ten  years  more  with  it,  without  the  typhus  appearing  to  have 
met  with  the  local  conditions  of  its  development  in  England. 

It  is  the  same  in  France,  in  Spain,  in  Italy,  and  in  Germany ; 
there  also  reign  those  causes,  general  and  common,  which  are  sup- 
posed capable  of  generating  the  typhus,  and,  notwithstanding,  it  does 
not  appear ;  and  when^it  shows  itself  it  is  when  commerce  or  war  have 
caused  the  removal  and  emigration  from  their  native  country  into 


478        PROFESSOR  BOULEY  ON  THE  CATTLE  PLAGUE. 

other  lands  of  animals  which  come  from  localities  mothers  of  the 
typhus. 

We  have  now  ceased  to  believe  that  this  malady  is  able  to  be  indi- 
genous. England,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  has  not  the  sad  fecundity 
which  has  been  attributed  to  her.  The  earth  of  her  green  pasturages 
does  not  conceal  within  it,  like  the  putrid  soil  of  the  Steppes,  a  germ 
of  death  for  the  animals  which  breathe  its  emanations.  Old  fhigland 
is,  and  will  remain,  the  favoured  mother  of  those  beautiful  bovine 
races  which  are  one  of  her  glories ;  but  on  the  condition  that  she 
knows  to  defend  herself  against  the  invasion  of  animals  of  the  Steppes, 
or  at  least  that  she  will  not  open  her  ports,  except  when  she  has  had 
testimony,  by  a  suflScient  quarantine,  that  they  are  clear  of  all  infec- 
tious principles. 

This  is  the  safety  of  England.  If  she  adopts  the  fatalistic  doctrine 
that  the  typhus,  to  the  infliction  of  which  she  is  now  subjected,  is  an 
indigenous  malady,  she  will  see  her  bovine  population  disappear,  as 
in  Egypt ;  but  this  doctrine  is  false — ^radicaUy  false ;  and  one  thing 
only  excuses  those  who  sustain  it  It  is,  that  they  speak  of  that 
which  they  do  not  know.  Yes ;  but  where  is  the  excuse  for  their 
speaking  ? 

The  real  truth,  that  against  which  all  the  errors  will  not  prevail,  from 
whomsoever  they  may  come,  or  by  whomsoever  they  may  be  sus- 
tained, is  this,  that  the  typhus,  which  has  fallen  like  a  curse  on  the 
flesh  of  horned  cattle,  has  been  imported  into  England  by  the  convoy 
from  the  Baltic,  and  that  it  is  spreading  by  virtue  of  its  contagious 
properties,  which  are  of  the  greatest  possible  potency.  If  England 
had  not  been  disarmed  by  her  laws,  it  had  been  possible  to  have 
arrested  its  march  by  energetic  measures  like  those  adopted  on  the 
Continent,  where  the  Austrian  and  Prussian  sentinels,  always  vigilant^ 
guard  Western  Europe,  and  protect  it  against  the  invasion  of  tlus 
Bussian  scourge.  But  in  England,  as  it  appears,  the  bovine  rcu^e  must 
perish  rather  than  a  principle.  The  maxim  is  sublime,  no  doubt, 
but  it  will  be  productive  of  very  great  disasters. — I  am,  &c. 

H.  BouLEY, 
Professor  in  the  Imperial  Veterinary  School  - 
of  Alf ort,  delegated  by  the  French  Govern- 
ment for  the  study  of  the  Contagious 
Typhus. 


THE  CATTLE  PLAGUE.  479 

PEEISCOPE. 


THE  CATTLE  PLAGUE. 

A  MEETING  of  Metropolitan  Cowkeepers  was  held  on  Monday,  the  Slst  July,  at  the 
Marylebone  Institution,  Edward  Street,  Portman  Square,  London,  for  the  purpose  of 
considering  what  measures  should  be  adopted  with  reference  to  the  prevailing  malady 
which  had  recently  been  imported  among  cattle  in  London. 

The  meeting,  which  was  largely  attended,  was  presided  over  by  J.  P.  Dexter, 
Chairman  of  the  London  Cowkeepers'  Agsociation. 

The  Chairman — Gentlemen,  I  feel  I  need  make  no  apology  for  having  taken  the 
liberty  Of  calling  you  together  on  the  present  occasion.  1  think  the  circumstances 
are  such  as  to  demand  that  some  effort  should,  at  least,  be  made  upon  our  own  part 
to  help  ourselves,  as  well  as  to  secure  that  sympathy  and  assistance  which  I  own,  if 
we  help  ourselves,  we  will  best  obtain.  I  have  called  you  together  in  consequence  of 
the  recently  introduced  disease  among  cattle,  termed — and  very  appropriately — the 
"  Cattle  PlagueJ*  Individually,  I  am  ignorant  altogether  of  its  character— an  ignor- 
ance which  I  hope  I  may  personally  retain,  and  in  which  I  hope  many  of  those  present 
share  ;  but  still  we  are  all  aware  that  that  ignorance  is  not  universal.  We  know  that 
some  in  London  have  already  very  severely  suffered  from  its  ravages.  We  know  that 
reports  have  reached  us  of  certain  individuals,  whose  names  I  shall  not  mention,  for 
their  sufferings  are  quite  sufficient,  without  proclaiming  them  throughout  the  length 
and  breadth  of  the  land,  having  lost  many  cattle  by  this  disease ;  and  what  has  been 
the  fate  of  one  to-day,  may  very  likely  be  the  fate  of  others  to-morrow.  There 
are  influences  at  work  which  will  probably  tend  to  extend  this  disease,  and  I  think  it 
becomes  us  as  tradesmen  having  a  large  personal  stake  in  the  matter,  and  also  a  great 
interest  in  the  country,  to  meet  together  for  the  purpose  of  seeing  if  anything,  and 
what,  can  be  done  to  prevent  the  advancement  of  so  fatal  a  disease.  Ton  are  aware 
that  for  the  last  quarter  of  a  century  the  cowkeepers  of  London  have  had  very  serious 
difficulties  to  contend  against.  About  the  commencement  of  that  period  and  since, 
we  have  suffered  from  what  is  ordinarily  called  the  lung  disease,  and  the  foot-and- 
mouth  complaint.  I  prefer  the  common  terms  by  which  these  diseases  are  best  known 
to  the  trade.  Now,  from  that  time  to  the  present,  we  have  been  scarcely  thoroughly 
free  from  that  disease ;  and  here  I  may  remark  that  that  which  has  no  doubt  been  a 
great  advantage  to  the  community  at  large,  has  been  a  very  great  disadvantage  to  us, 
inasmuch  as  both  these  diseases  from  which  we  have  suffered  so  severely,  have  been 
the  result  of  the  importation  of  cattle  from  foreign  countries.  However,  I  think  I 
may  say  that  both  those  diseases  have  been  materially  modified  of  late  years  by  the 
general  adoption — and  I  believe  the  adoption  is  general — of  preventive  measures. 
Pew  cases  now  occur  of  lung  diseases,  and  the  foot-and-mouth  complaint  is,  as  a  general 
rule,  of  a  much  milder  form  than  it  formerly  used  to  be.  However,  just  as  we  were 
beginning  to  congratulate  ourselves  upon  this  improved  state  of  things,  and  upon  the 
greater  chances  of  our  success,  another  disease  of  a  far  more  fatal  character  than 
either  of  those  I  have  mentioned  sprung  up  in  our  midst.  Wherever  it  has  mani- 
fested itself,  its  ravages  have  been  of  the  most  fatal  nature.  I  have  heard  of  instances 
in  which  all,  or  very  nearly  all,  the  stock  has  been  carried  off.  I  have  also  heard  that 
cattle  suffering  from  this  disease  have  been  exhibited  in  our  markets.  I  am  aware 
that  we  must  study  very  well  what  measures  we  should  adopt,  if  we  wish  to  act 
prudently  and  wisely.  The  Government,  you  know,  have  already  taken  the  step* 
which  they  deem  necessary.  They  have  issued  a  circular  requiring  every  one  of  us, 
as  circumstances  may  occur,  to  send  them  an  account  of  any  animals  we  may  have 
diseased.  Whether  that  will  be  a  sufficient  degree  of  protection  against  the  extension 
of  the  disease,  remains  to  be  proved.  But  I  think  that  in  the  meantime,  at  any  rate, 
we  should  do  wisely  to  take  the  matter  into  our  own  hands,  in  order  to  see  whether 
the  trade,  collectively,  cannot  help  themselves,  better  than  the  Government  can  help 
them,  or,  at  least,  whether  by  any  measures  of  our  own  we  can  so  co-operate  with  the 
Government  as  to  prevent  the  advancement  of  the  disease.  (Cheers.)  You  all  see  on 
this  platform,  and  perhaps  most  of  you  know,  Professor  Gamgee.  He  will  give  us  a 
full  account  of  this  disease,  which  he  has  made  the  subject  of  his  special  study, ^  and 
will  further  suggest  for  our  adoption  such  measures  as  he  thinks  advisable  to  mitigate 
and  prevent  the  extension  of  its  ravages.     (Cheers.) 

\  OL.  I.  -  ^  o.  IX.-— New  Seeies.    Skptbmbek  1%^5.  '^'^ 


480  THE  CATTLE  PLAGUE. 

Professor  Gamoeb,  who  then  came  forward,  was  rcceiyed  with  loud  cheers,  said — 
Whenever  a  great  evil  exists,  it  is  the  duty  of  all  whom  it  concerns  to  try  and  fathom 
its  origin  and  its  nature,  with  a  view  to  its  removal,  with  the  least  possible  loss  of 
time,  and  with  the  least  possible  sacrifice  in  various  ways.  You  have  been  informed, 
by  your  chairman,  that  this  meeting  has  been  convened  in  order  to  ascertain  what  can 
be  done  under  very  extraordinary  circumstances,  which,  I  must  say,  although  they 
had  been  foreseen,  unfortunately  we  are  entirely  unprepared  for.  (Hear,  hear.)  Yon 
know  that  owing  to  the  rapid  destruction  of  British  stock  for  many  years  past,  and 
the  growing  wants  of  the  community  by  increase  of  population,  there  has  been  a 
rapid  advance  in  the  number  of  cattle  imported ;  and  the  condition  of  the  stock  so 
imported,  especially  in  point  of  health,  has  not  materially  improved,  but  in  many 
respects  has  actually  deteriorated.  3o  obvious,  indeed,  has  been  the  state  of  stock  as  it 
came  from  the  Eastern  parts  of  Europe,  to  our  own  shores— so  apparent  was  it  that  many 
of  our  animals  must  sustain  injury  by  coming  in  contact  with  those  from  Poland, 
Hungary,  Austria,  and  Prussia — that  we  have  for  some  time  foreseen  the  sad  evil 
which  has  now  befallen  us,  and  against  which  some  very  radical  measures  must  be 
adopted  with  a  view  to  relieve  the  nation  from  any  serious  loss.  (Hear,  hear.)  The 
Russian  cattle  plague,  which  is  now  in  the  dairies  of  London,  is  one  of  those  purely 
contagious  disorders,  which  is  alone  communicated  by  contact — alone  communicated 
to  the  healthy  by  the  diseased.  It,  therefore,  never  could  have  come  here  except 
through  direct  communication  with  the  regions  where  the  disease  may  originate 
spontaneously — the  Western  parts  of  Europe,  beyond  the  Russian  frontier.  It  is  a 
fever;  it  is  called  typhus—the  contagious  typhus  of  caJtUe.  It  is  true  there  are  many 
synonyms ;  we  have  a  variety  of  appellations ;  but  the  term  that  has  received  the 
greatest  acceptance  amongst  scientific  men  generally,  as  indicating  most  accurately 
the  nature  of  the  disease,  is  that  of  the  contagious  typhus  of  cattle.  That  it  is  con- 
tagious typhus  the  cows  of  London  are  now  suffering  from,  there  can  be  no  doubt. 
This  point  is  established  by  those  who  have  seen  the  disease  elsewhere ;  and  within 
the  last  three  days  I  have  seen  a  number  of  cases,  and  made  several  dissections,  which 
have  satisfied  me  that  the  disease  is  amongst  us  at  the  present  moment.  One  feature 
of  the  malady  is  its  tendency  to  spread.  Wherever  there  is  contagious  matter,  it  can 
be  carried  away,  and  it  spreads  with  unerring  certainty,  affecting  cattle  of  all  ages 
and  both  sexes,  and  under  all  conditions,  whether  in  the  cowshed  or  in  the  open  field 
And  strange  to  say,  the  disease  is  peculiar  to  the  ox  tribe  ;  but  it  may  not  only  be 
communicated  directly  by  herds  of  cattle,  but  under  certain  circumstances  by  flocks 
of  sheep,  for  they  may  undoubtedly  carry  it  with  them  whether  they  be  affected  or 
not.  I  will  not  detain  you  by  going  into  any  general  remarks.  To-night  our  object 
is  a  special  one — to  aim  at  some  practical  result ;  and  if  you  will  allow  me,  I  will 
state  briefly  the  result  of  post-mortem  examinations  of  some  animals  that  have  died 
from  the  disease ;  then  I  will  mention  some  other  cases  of  the  disorder ;  and  lastly, 
I  will  allude  more  particularly  to  the  means  we  must  adopt,  if  we  wish  to  remove 
the  plague  from  this  land.  With  regard  to  the  symptoms  of  the  malady,  we  find 
that  within  six,  seven,  or  eight  days— sometimes  within  three  or  four — ^but  never 
beyond  ten  days,  after  the  introduction  of  a  newly  bought  animal,  the  disease 
appears— that  is  to  say,  an  animal  which  has  been  in  contact  with  one  affected 
with  this  Russian  plague.  I  repeat  that  the  signs  of  the  disease  always 
manifest  themselves  within  ten  days.  In  technical  language,  that  is  the  period 
of  incubation.  It  is  doubtful  whether  animals,  while  in  this  stage,  can 
communicate  the  disease,  though  it  is  asserted  that  animals  which  have  gone 
through  the  disease  once,  and  are  never  liable  to  a  second  attack,  may  carry  in  their 
skins,  or  the  surfaces  of  their  bodies,  poison  capable  of  contaminating  any  number 
of  herds  and  destroying  thousands  upon  thousands  of  heads  of  cattle.  When  afiected 
the  animal  gets  dull  and  prostrate,  has  a  drooping  head  and  closed  eyelids;  shivering 
fits  come  on ;  there  is  costiveness,  the  urine  is  of  a  high  colour,  the  eyes  red,  mouth 
hot,  and  the  thirst  intense.  These  are  the  premonitory  symptoms  which  unmistake- 
ably  indicate  that  the  animal  is  ill.  These  symptoms  are  in  no  sense  characteristic  of 
the  disease.  They  may  occur  under  other  circumstances,  and  in  any  fever,  but  when 
you  know  that  the  disease  is  in  the  country,  and  that  animals  are  being  cut  down  by  it^ 
when  the  slightest  sign  of  any  such  affections,  or  of  any  febrile  disease  arises,  it 
ought  not  to  be  disregarded.  Within  a  couple  of  days  at  the  outside,  you  will  find 
whether  the  malady  is  contagious  or  not.  The  symptoms  that  follow  are  violent 
tremblings,  peculiar  spasmodic  tremblings  of  the  muscles,  discharges  from  the  eyes 
and  nose,  abdominal  pains,  costiveness  and  diarrhoea,  and  sometimes  blood  tinges 
the  excrements.    The  suriace  oi  t\i^  \)o^i  \&  ^q\^,  \k^  1%^  are  cold,  and  the  ean  ue 


THE  CATTLE  PLAGUE.  481 

hot.  These  alterations  of  temperature  are  constantly  observed.  Then  there  are  vio- 
lent tremblings  and  twitchings,  and  a  tendency  to  convulsions  and  spasms.  The 
animal  has  a  dull,  listless,  stupid  look,  as  if  it  did  not  know  what  to  do.  There  is 
also  considerable  depression  and  loss  of  power  in  the  extremities.  We  find  that 
this,  the  second  stage,  lasts  between  two  and  three  days,  and  we  have  in  this  disease, 
as  in  other  fevers,  a  crisis,  a  period  when  there  occurs  some  remarkable  change  in  the 
condition  of  the  animal.  This  crisis  is  manifested  by  irruptions  in  the  body,  mouth, 
and  nose,  by  no  means  favourable  symptoms  but  rather  signs  of  obstructions  in  the 
whole  system,  and  of  a  great  increase  in  the  severity  of  the  disorder.  The  animal 
manifests  considerable  tenderness  and  a  disposition  to  weakness,  which  may  after- 
wards result  in  absolute  paralysis,  and  all  the  symptoms  of  ordinary  fever  are 
coupled  with  these  special  symptoms.  In  the  last  stage  there  is  evidence  of  serious 
blood  changes  manifested,  especially  through  the  nervous  system,  and  the  animal 
becomes  completely  paralysed  and  dies  in  convulsions.  I  do  not  wish  to  enter  into 
any  lengthy  technical  discussion  on  the  subject,  but  merely  to  convey  to  you  in  as 
few  wo^s  as  possible  the  nature  of  the  disease.  The  animals  are  speedily  reduced 
when  they  are  attacked  with  the  disorder ;  they  become  rapidly  emaciated,  their 
flanks  sinking  in,  and  with  these  signs  you  have  constantly  death.  In  some  cases 
death  occurs  in  two  or  three  days  ;  in  others,  in  a  week.  Some  even  do  not  occur 
for  three  or  four  weeks.  When  once  attacked  they  never  rally,  though  they  some- 
times afford  some  slight  hopes  of  recovery.  When  the  animal  is  examined  after 
death,  we  find  most  of  the  indications  of  typhoid  fever  in  man.  There  are  peculiar 
changes  in  the  bowels,  and  certain  glands  (the  agminated  glands)  undergo  an  altera- 
tion. But  there  is,  however,  this  broad  line  of  demarcation  between  typhoid  fever 
in  man  and  the  cattle  plague,  that  the  latter  is  essentially  a  pest  propagated  by  con- 
tagion, whereas  typhoid  fever  may  be  produced  by  local  causes,  such  as  defective 
sewerage,  which,  under  no  circumstances,  can  produce  this  disorder  in  cattle.  Changes 
also  occur  in  the  tissues  of  the  body  which  serve  to  distinguish  this  disease,  the 
cattle  plague,  from  the  fever  in  man,  and  they  are  these— that  instead  of  the  malady 
appearing  as  localised  in  the  bowels,  we  have  eruptions  upon  the  nose,  a  peculiar 
condition  of  the  membrane  lining  of  the  air  passages,  and  the  lining  of  the  mouth,  and 
it  seems  to  be  more  or  less  of  a  catarrhal  nature,  with  running  at  the  nose  and  running 
at  the  eyes.  The  discharge  is  very  peculiar.  It  must  not,  in  fact,  be  treated  as  a 
discharge  in  the  ordinary  sense  of  the  word,  because  every  drop  of  matter  that  falls 
from  any  part  of  the  body,  and  all  the  exhalations  from  the  skin,  are  charged  with  a 
specific  poison.  This  renders  the  discharge  so  peculiar  in  itself,  and  maies  it  like 
the  lymph  in  the  small  pox,  a  certain  means  of  propagating  the  disease.  In  this 
cattle  plague  the  tendency  of  nature  is  to  get  rid  of  the  poison,  which,  however,  as  a 
rule,  is  so  potent  that  it  destroys  life  without  any  chance,  on  our  part,  of  saving  it. 
Then,  we  observe  that  this  discharge  is  peculiar  in  its  physical  properties.  A  thick 
dense  gluey  matter  is  found  in  large  quantities  in  the  intestines,  and  very  often 
mixed  with  the  blood,  and  we  sometimes  see  it  oozing  out  of  the  different  mem- 
branes of  the  body,  nature  making  an  effort  to  get  rid  of  the  poison.  We  find  in 
this  disease  a  brown  coffee-coloured  material  of  a  foetid  nature  thrown  off,  and  in 
the  majority  of  cases  there  is  a  disposition  to  free  secretion,  and  not  only  the  dig- 
charges,  but  the  fumes  from  the  body  are  decidedly  contagious.  You  may  say,  "  If 
this  malady  is  so  fatal  and  so  easily  communicated,  how  is  it  that  we  have  never  had 
it  before."  Kow,  it  so  happens  that  we  had  the  disorder  among  our  cattle  last  cen- 
tury, when  our  ports  were  open  for  the  importation  of  cattle  from  abroad,  but  at  that 
period  the  importation  was  so  small  that  it  was  not  of  much  importance.  The 
disease  appeared  in  Holland,  and  came  over  to  this  country  and  caused  severe  losses. 
During  the  last  few  years  the  malady  has  been  raging  much  in  Europe.  During  the 
last  twenty  years  it  has  been  raging  more  or  less  in  Hungary,  Lower  Austria,  Mo- 
ravia, Bukowinia,  Silesia,  Bohemia,  and  other  places  too  far  westward  to  be  com- 
fortable to  the  more  westerly  parts  of  Europe.  Some  men  of  scientific  attainments 
were  sent  to  inquire  into  the  matter,  but  it  so  happened  that  the  disease  was  not  so 
ba«l  as  the  cattle  plague,  but  the  mouth  and  lung  disease,  and  in  this  way  we  were 
rather  heedless  of  what  followed.  It  was,  however,  clearly  foreseen  if  the  trade  with 
the  East  continued  and  increased,  it  would  be  impossible  to  avert  tha  introduction 
of  this  disorder  into  the  British  Isles.  It  entered  Italy  last  year,  and  appeared  in 
Smithfield  Market  this  year.  It  ravaged  the  stock  in  Poland,  and  the  Austrian 
dominions,  and  it  was  evident  that  its  chances  of  approach  here  were  many.  Ther^ 
were  circumstances  which  might  have  foretold  its  coming*,  ior  v(i%\aAv<t^,  ^^t^j^sw^;^ 
sending    cattle   here    must  have   known   tbal   it  &n^    oi  V)cL€ai  \(«t^   %5i^<^^<» 


482  THE  CATTLE  PLAGUE. 

or  had  been  in  contact  with  those  suffering  from  the  disease,  they  would 
in  all  probability  communicate  it  to  others,  and  they  ought  to  have  avoided  exporting 
them.  There  was,  however,  another  ground  for  hoping  that  the  disorder  would  not 
reach  us.  Owing  to  the  manifest  character  of  the  malady,  and  the  energy  of  the 
Austrian  and  Prussian  Governments  in  limiting  the  outbreak  to  those  places  in  whidi 
it  had  occurred,  we  trusted  that  we  might  hear  no  more  of  it.  We  have,  however, 
been  disabused  of  that  hope ;  and  some  years  ago  my  own  idea  was,  that  there  was  s 
great  probability  of  the  disease  coming  to  our  shores.  This  is  what  I  wrote  upon  the 
subject : — **  The  vigorous  measures  adopted  in  the  countries  bordering  on  Russia  to 
arrest  the  plague  effectually  prevent  its  spread ;  nevertheless,  European  wars,  which 
it  is  hoped  may  never  again  prove  as  general  as  during  the  last  century,  may  lead  to 
another  invasion  of  this  most  disastrous  epizootic."*  And  again,  "  If  Russia  became 
engaged  in  a  war  with  Prussia  or  Austria,  and  our  import  trade  continued  as  at 
present,  I  think  it  would  be  impossible  to  avoid  an  importation  of  this  terrible  dis- 
ease. We  must  not  forget  that  it  appeared  in  Turkey  and  in  the  Crimea  during  the 
Crimean  campaign.  Its  outbreaks  then  was  only  in  accordance  with  the  circum- 
stances under  which  similar  outbreaks  occurred  last  century,  as  well  as  this  one,  and 
similar  circumstances  endangering  this  country  still  more  may  again  recur.^f 
Now,  you  understand  that  there  can  be  no  doubt  of  the  disease  having  come  here. 
Herds  of  cattle  in  a  diseased  condition,  travelling  from  Hungary,  Austria,  Prussia, 
Wallachia,  and  other  parts,  have  come  to  our  markets  by  way  of  Yarmouth,  Lowe- 
stoft, and  various  other  parts  of  this  country ;  and  not  only  that,  but  they  have  in- 
fected the  very  ships  in  which  they  have  been  conveyed.  (Cheers.)  As  I  have  already 
said,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  disease  may  be  conveyed  indirectly,  but  there  is 
no  fear  of  its  being  conveyed  in  people's  clothes.  It  may  certainly  be  conveyed  in 
the  hides,  skins,  hoofs,  and  horns  of  cattle  that  have  died  from  it,  but  as  a  rule,  some 
more  definite  cause  operates  in  communicating  the  contagion  to  cattle.  Whole  herds 
of  cattle  may,  however,  become  affected  by  the  imperfect  way  in  which  ships  are 
washed,  and  the  very  dirty  state  in  which  the  cattle  trucks  on  railways  are  kepi 
(Hear,  hear.)  We  know  that  the  discharge  from  the  diseased  animals,  from  their 
eyes  and  noses  especially,  will  stick  in  any  quantity  about  places,  and  retain  its 
poison  even  when  in  a  dry  state.  And  in  cases  of  that  kind  the  result  is  precisely 
similar  to  what  would  occur  if  you  put  a  glandered  horse  into  a  stable.  You  have  the 
discharge  from  him  dropping  about  the  manger  and  walls ;  and  though  you  may  pat 
a  horse  in  the  same  stable  a  week  or  so  afterwards,  when  the  discharge  has  dried  up, 
that  discharge  will  still  retain  its  poison,  and  the  animal  may  be  seized  like  the  first 
In  this  way  the  disease  may  easily  be  propagated.  As  an  admirable  illustration  of 
the  manner  in  which  such  discharges  may  communicate  disease  over  a  long  period, 
I  may  mention  the  case  of  the  large  Irish  bacon  factors,  who  buy  300  or  400  pigs  at 
a  time,  and  when  one  lot  has  been  purchased  affected  with  the  foot-and-mouth  dis- 
eases, every  succeeding  herd  of  swine  placed  in  the  enclosures  destined  for  them  con- 
tract the  malady.  They  suffer  severely ;  and  at  all  times  of  the  day  and  night,  the 
people  are  obliged  to  cut  the  throat  of  first  one  and  then  another,  in  order  "  to  save 
their  bacon"  (Laughter.)  This  shows  how  disease  may  be  propagated ;  and  even 
the  poison  may  adhere  to  a  healthy  animal  which  is  never  attacked,  and  yet  by  it  be 
communicated  to  others.  It  is  a  consoling  circumstance,  that  whereas  we  might 
occasionally,  by  our  clothes,  communicate  the  disease  to  cattle,  though  I  do  not  think 
that  probable,  we  cannot  suffer  from  it  ourselves.  Were  we  to  add  to  the  ordinary 
terrors  of  the  cattle  trade  the  idea  of  its  being  communicated  to  man,  we  would  create 
a  panic  in  the  country  far  more  readily  than  it  seems  possible  to  create  one  at  the 
present  moment,  even  by  such  occurrences  as  those  now  under  consideration.  But 
whereas,  as  human  beings  we  are  not  directly  affected,  I  wish  to  impress  this  strongly 
upon  your  mind,  that  when  either  by  mismanagement  or  ignorance,  either  by  cir- 
cumstances evi table  or  inevitable,  the  available  amount  of  animal  food  is  going  on 
diminishing ;  and  people  are  obliged  to  eat  less  meat  themselves,  and  give  less  to 
their  children,  and  we  are  being  told  that  we  shall  have  to  turn  vegetarians — I  say 
that  when  this  happens,  you  have  an  independent  source  of  disease  in  man  of  the 
most  serious  character.  It  is  strange  that  after  an  extensive  outbreak  of  a  contagious 
cattle  disease,  as  for  instance  that  in  Egypt  in  ]  868,  an  outbreak  of  some  complaint 
or  another  usually  takes  place  among  men.    When  such  an  epidemic  among  the 

•  "  Dairy  Stock,"  page  139.    By  Professor  Gamgee. 

f  "Our  Domestic  Animals Vn  HeellVx  au^T^oaft^  ^c«^^ftA.    Bf  Professor  Qamgee.    Xdin* 
purgh  :  M'Lachlan  A  Stew&rt. 


THE  CATTLE  PLAGUE.  488 

people  occurred  ia  Ireland,  the  Registrar- General  seemed  to  think  that  the  atmo- 
spheric influence  had  operated  in  some  mysterious  manner ;  but  effect  follows  cause 
with  the  greatest  certainty.  If  you  get  a  disease  cutting  down  stock  and  bringing  it 
into  the  market,  at  one  moment  giving  a  superabundance  of  deteriorated  food,  and 
at  another  moment  diminishing  the  supply  of  food  for  the  people,  you  must  inevit- 
ably have  disease  introduced  among  men.  I  will  not  say  conta^ous  typhus,  but 
some  form  of  disease,  especially  if  the  malady  in  cattle  is  permitted  to  obtain  any 
vast  extension  in  the  country.  I  will  now  draw  your  attention  to  a  few  statistics 
with  regard  to  the  ravages  of  the  diseases  amongst  cattle  in  the  last  century  : — 

"  In  1745,  it  laid  Holland  waste  a  second  time.  More  than  200,000  cattle  now 
perished.  In  the  same  year  it  again  found  its  way  to  the  coast  of  Britain.  It  seems 
to  have  been  clearly  brought  to  us  from  Holland,  although  there  are  two  versions  of 
the  story.  Dr  Mortimer  says  that  it  was  imported  by  means  of  two  white  calves, 
which  a  farmer  at  Poplar  sent  for,  in  order  to  cross  his  own  breed ;  and  that  it  spread 
into  Berkshire  by  means  of  two  cows  that  were  brought  out  of  Essex.  The  other  ac- 
count is,  that  one  of  our  tanners  bought  a  parcel  of  distempered  hides  in  Zealand,  which 
were  forbidden  to  be  sold  there,  and  should  have  been  buried,  and  thus  he  trans- 
planted this  dreadful  disease  here.  *  Thus  by  one  man's  unlawful  gain,'  says  Mr 
Layard, '  if  by  this  way  it  was  conveyed,  the  ruin  of  many  graziers  and  farmers  was 
etlected.'  It  is  certain,  however,  that  the  pest  first  appeared  in  the  immediate 
neighbourhood  of  London,  and  on  the  Essex  side  of  the  river,  and  that  thence  it 
gradually  spread  through  Essex  and  Hertfordshire,  and  the  whole  of  the  kingdom. 

"  For  more  than  twelve  years  it  continued  to  lay  waste  the  country.  The  number 
of  beasts  that  were  actually  destroyed  by  it  was  not,  and  perhaps  could  not,  be  ascer- 
tained ;  but  in  the  third  year  of  the  plague,  when  the  Government  had  so  seriously 
taken  up  the  matter  as  to  order  that  every  beast  that  exhibited  the  slightest  mark  of 
infection  should  be  destroyed,  a  remuneration  being  made  to  the  owner,  no  fewer  than 
80,000  cattle  were  slaughtered,  besides  those  which  died  of  the  disease,  and  which 
formed,  according  to  the  narration  of  one  of  the  commissioners,  nearly  double  that 
number.  In  the  fourth  year  of  the  plague,  they  were  destroyed  at  the  rate  of  7000 
per  month,  until,  from  the  numerous  impositions  that  were  practised,  this  portion  of 
the  preventative  regulations  was  suspended. 

"  In  the  year  1747,  more  than  40,000  cattle  died  in  Nottinghamshire  and  Leicester- 
shire, and  in  Cheshire  30,000  died  in  about  half  a  year. 

*^  The  plague  wore  itself  out  in  the  course  of  ten  years  in  some  parts,  but  it  lasted 
for  more  than  thirty  in  others,  and  in  spite  of  the  wisest  counsels  proffered  by  the 
learned  of  all  Europe,  3,000,000  head  of  cattle  were  cleared  off.  Twenty  more  years 
passed  over,  and  cattle  breeders  prospered ;  they  accumulated  stock  to  feed  the  pesti- 
lence of  1770.  The  disease  which  Youatt  refers  to  as  appearing  in  France  in  1757  is 
not  the  contagious  typhus ;  it  spread  from  west  to  east,  instead  of  from  east  to  west, 
and  was  not  limited  to  the  ox.  In  1770  and  1771,  the  true  cattle  plague  again  entered 
Holland,  and  the  ravages  it  committed  are  described  as  terrible  in  the  extreme.  In 
1769  and  1770,  it  carried  off  98,000  animals  in  the  one  province  of  Frisia;  and  in  the 
south  of  Holland,  during  one  year,  115,665  head  of  cattle  met  with  the  same  fate. 
During  the  same  period,  and  in  the  north  of  Holland,  the  disease  attacked  225,881, 
of  which  162,276  perished,  so  that  the  total  loss  in  Holland  alone  during  one  year 
amounted  to  375,441. 

"From  Holland  the  disease  penetrated  Austria  and  French  Flanders,  reaching  Laon, 
and  only  the  provinces  of  Artois  and  Picardy,  where  11,000  animals  also  died. 
Paulet  says,  scarcely  had  Flanders  and  Picardy  repaired  the  loss  of  their  cattle,  when, 
in  1773,  the  murrain  manifested  itself  in  Hainault,  and  with  renewed  vigour  in 
Holland.  The  epizootic  destroyed  the  cattle  of  Flanders,  Picardy,  Soissons,  and 
Champagne,  but  the  loss,  says  Delafond,  was  not  estimated  at  this  period.  From 
the  year  1740,  the  southern  provinces  of  France,  stocked  with  cattle  as  at  the  present 
day,  were  spared  the  bovine  pest,  when  in  the  month  of  August  1774,  this  malady, 
which  was  devastating  Holland  and  Picardy,  broke  forth  on  the  borders  of  the  ocean 
at  Bayonne  and  its  environs,  and  almost  exterminated  the  cattle  of  many  French 
provinces.  The  number  of  animals  that  succumbed  was  150,000,  and  these  worth 
15,000,000  francs. 

•*  The  contagious  typhus  followed  Kapoleon  into  Italy  in  1793, 1794,  and  1795,  and 
Buniva  tells  us  that  in  three  years  Piedmont  lost  from  3,000,000  to  4,000,000  head 
of  cattle.  In  1796  it  broke  out  amongst  cattle  of  the  French  army's  escort  on  the  bor- 
ders of  the  Bhine,  and  as  it  was  not  looked  upon  as  contagious,  it  spread  with  fearful 
rapidity  to  all  the  horned  beasts  of  the  Lower  Rhine  provinoea.    U  ^xsLXfcx^^'^^J^^iKt- 


484!  THE  CATTLE  PLAGUE. 

land,  and  returned  into  France  by  Bui^ndy,  reaching  near  to  the  gates  of  Parii. 
Only  in  the  circle  of  the  Lower  Rhine  the  mortality  amounted  to  11,047,  aad  in  the 
twenty-seven  departments  of  France  to  which  it  spread,  130,000  animals  died,  and 
their  worth  in  money  amounted  to  12,000,000  francs."* 

Now,  we  are  really  on  the  brink  of  a  calamity  which  may  obtain  the  dimensions  of 
that  which  visited  this  country  in  1745.  It  is  impossible,  of  course,  to  ealeulate  what 
will  be  the  result.  You  may  depend  upon  it,  that  hundreds  of  thousands  of  pounds 
sterling  must  be  inevitably  lost,  because  we  are  thoroughly  unprepared  to  oope  with 
such  a  ])lague  as  this  in  the  United  Kingdom.  Before  I  proceed  to  show  you  what 
should  be  done,  allow  me  briefly  to  read  a  statement  as  to  how  far  the  outbreak  has 
extended  up  to  the  present  time : — 

"  The  first  appearance  of  the  malady,  so  far  as  it  can  be  at  present  traced,  dates 
back  to  June  27th,  when  six  cows  which  bad  been  purchased  on  the  19th  in  the 
Metropolitan  Cattle  Market,  were  seized  with  the  disease  in  Mrs  NichoU's  dairy,  15 
Park  Place,  Liverpool  Road,  Islington.  Circumstances  favoured  the  spread  of  the 
malady,  as,  although  the  six  cows  were  placed  in  a  quarantine  shed,  other  cows 
happen  to  have  been  in  the  same  place,  and  thus  the  malady  was  propagated— 115 
have  died. 

"  It  is  impossible  now  to  give  the  succeeding  outbreaks  in  order  of  time ;  and 
without  specially  namiug  the  cowkeepers,  I  may  mention  that  the  malady  has 
been  and  is  more  particularly  coufined  to  the  districts  of  Islington,  St  Pancras, 
Marylebone,  and  Paddington.  It  is  at  the  present  moment  raging  severely  in  Mary- 
lebone,  at  Kilburn,  Uendon,  Hampstead,  and  Sydenham,  and  also  it  is  said  at  Cheam, 
Surrey. 

**  Since  Saturday  I  have  received  information  directly  and  indirectly,  but  chiefly 
from  personal  inquiries,  concerning  twelve  distinct  outbreaks.  I  shall  state  the  par- 
ticulars in  the  order  in  which  I  have  gleaned  them. 

"  1.  The  first  shed  I  visited  was  in  Marylebone.  Forty-five  animals,  in  apparently 
the  most  perfect  health,  were  in  this  yard  on  Thursday  the  20th.  The  owner  had 
been  to  the  ^letropolitan  Cattle  Market  on  the  14th,  or  thereabouts,  and  was  shown 
some  cattle  labouring  under  the  disease.  He  approached  them  within  a  yud  or  two, 
but  feared  to  touch  them.  Within  a  week,  viz.,  on  Friday  the  2l8t,  he  noticed  some 
of  his  animals  sick,  and  saw  they  were  labouring  under  the  disease  he  had  witnessed 
in  the  market.  On  Saturday  he  began  to  get  rid  of  them,  and  sold  twenty-eight  by 
Tuesday  the  25th.  The  remainder  of  the  stock  was  turned  out  in  fields,  I  know  not 
where,  and  is  said  to  be  still  healthy. 

"  2.  A  cowkeeper  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of  the  last  one  had  luxteen  cows 
in  perfect  health,  and  lost  the  whole  in  a  fortnight. 

''3.  In  an  adjoining  street  a  third  dairyman  had  seventy  cows  distributed  in 
various  sheds,  besides  seventy  in  the  country.  A  cow  was  bought  in  the  Metropolitan 
Cattle  Market  on  the  10th  of  July,  and  on  the  16th  this  animal  showed  signs  of  the 
disease.  She  had  been  placed  in  a  shed  with  twenty-three  others.  Twelve  were  fat, 
and  were  sold  in  the  market  before  any  sickness  manifested  itself  on  them.  The 
other  twelve  were  seized,  including  the  newly -bought  one,  and  of  these  eight 
have  died  and  four  are  still  living,  but  not  all  likely  to  recover.  As  yet,  the  remain- 
ing stock  in  distant  sheds  is  in  perfect  health. 

**  4.  An  extensive  cowkeeper  with  a  choice  stock  of  seventy  cows,  purchased  t 
r  Dutch  beast  nearly  a  month  back.  Within  a  few  days  it  was  afl%»cted,  and  the 
seventy  animals  were  all  seized  within  a  fortnight.  1  saw  three  convalescent  on 
Saturday,  but  in  a  very  reduced  condition. 

"  5.  Near  Cumberland  Market  a  dairyman,  having  usually  between  forty  and  fifty 
cows,  lost  the  whole  within  three  weeks. 

''  6.  Another  dairyman  in  the  same  neighbourhood  has  the  disease  amongst  his 
stock  at  the  present  moment. 

"  7.  In  St  Pancras  a  dairyman  has  lost  ten  within  a  few  days. 

''  8.  A  cowkeeper  in  Camden  Town  had  a  stock  of  sixteen  cows  in  perfect  health 
in  the  early  part  of  this  month— they  all  died  in  a  fortnight  He  fumigated  and 
otherwise  disinfected  his  shed  and  bought  six  fresh  animals,  of  which  two  are  already 
dead. 

''  9.  Kedr  Willesdcn  a  dairyman  has  lost  sixty-five  animals  within  a  fortnight. 

"  10.  At  Kilburn,  one  dairy  has  been  and  is  suflTering  most  severely. 

"  11 .  Near  the  Edgeware  Road  I  saw  this  day  eight  diseased  animals,  some  in  a  fair 

•  "  Dairy  ftlotik;*  IP*  "^^^^   "^Ti  "Ct^jlwwK  Qam^ee. 


THE  CATTLE  PLAGUE.  485 

way  for  recovery.    They  were  the  remains  of  a  stock  numbering  eighteen  or  twenty, 
which  was  in  perfect  health  three  weeks  back. 

"  12.  An  extensive  dairyman  at  Hampstead  has  been  sending  diseased  cattle  to 
the  horse-slaughterers,  but  I  know  not  the  number.  The  same  has  occurred  from 
some  cattle  pens  near  Sydenham. 

"  Yesterday,  I  saw  several  animals  labouring  under  the  disease,  and  dissected 
part  of  three  at  Atcheler's. 

''It  appears  that,  during  the  last  thre«  weeks,  many  animals,  exceeding  probably 
fifty  a  week,  have  been  sent  to  Atcheler's,  until  the  place  was  so  full  of  them  that 
they  had  to  be  refused  admission.  They  have,  therefore,  been  taken  elsewhere,  and 
disposed  of  as  best  could  be  managed.  The  Metropolitan  Cattle  Market  has  certainly- 
had  in  it  infected  and  diseased  cattle  every  day  that  a  market  has  been  held  during 
the  month  of  July. 

**Few  persons  have  had  their  cattle  treated.  Some  have  been  encouraged  by 
success,  but  the  majority  dread  any  professional  or  Government  interference,  and 
consider  their  ruin  would  be  hastened  if  they  exposed  the  true  position  of  matters, 
and  submitted  to  the  enforcement  of  any  measures  yet  proposed.  There  is  a  total  dis- 
inclination to  replace  lost  stock,  and  some  are  resolved  not  to  buy  cows  again, — at 
all  events,  for  a  considerable  period  of  time. 

*'  The  malady  has  broken  out  in  various  parts  of  the  country,  but  as  yet  no 
accurate  information,  to  be  relied  upon,  has  been  obtained." 

Since  the  last  week  in  July,  about  2000  head  of  cattle  have  died  in  London  and  its 
neighbourhood.  You  may  say,  "  We  have  not  lost  any  such  number,"  but  upon  a  care- 
ful consideration  of  the  facts  I  have  already  ascertained,  and  considering  the  secrecy 
which  is  observed  by  persons  in  the  trade  with  regard  to  the  cattle  which  they  may 
have  had  seized  with  this  disorder,  and  also  the  great  jealousy  which  is  evinced  to 
Government  interference,  I  believe  I  am  within  the  mark  when  I  say  that  2000 
have  died  within  the  last  month.  The  Metropolitan  Cattle  Market  has  a  good  deal 
to  answer  for  with  regard  to  the  introduction  and  propagation  of  this  disease.  That  is 
a  fact  I  can  bear  witness  to  from  my  own  observation.  On  Sunday  I  visited  the  market, 
and  I  had  occasion  to  examine  some  diseased  animals,  and  I  also  witnessed  other 
animals  proceeding  to  the  market.  The  present  outbreak,  as  you  are  aware,  is  more 
or  less  confined  to  London.  It  has  already  appeared  in  the  parishes  of  Islington, 
Paddington,  St  Pancras,  and  Marylebone,  and  it  is  gradually  getting  over  the  water; 
it  is  also  getting  to  Hampstead  and  Hendon,  and,  in  fact,  spreading  all  round.  The 
circle  is  gradudly  enlarging.  This  is  inevitable,  because  there  is  ample  evidence  of 
diseased  cattle  having  been  sold  in  the  market,  and  getting  freely  into  the  trade. 
I  understand  it  has  been  seen  in  Yorkshire  and  VVarwickshire,  and  in  the  course  of  a 
few  days,  you  may  have  outbreaks  in  viarious  other  directions.  It  is  impossible  to 
calculate  what  the  loss  will  eventually  be,  but  the  calamity  is  a  truly  national  one,  by 
no  means  inferior  to  the  recent  cotton  famine.  The  point  for  our  consideration 
is.  How  shall  we  avert  the  impending  loss  ?  That  is  the  practical  question.  I  think  it 
is  quite  evident  from  the  past,  thoA  the  Oovernment  cannot  help  tu,  I  don't  know 
that  we  ought  to  be  sorry  for  it,  because  there  is  a  British  way  of  dealing  with  all  such 
difficulties.  When  there  is  anything  very  great  to  be  done  in  the  country,  it  is  done 
by  the  people — not  by  the  people  individually,  but  by  the  people  collectively.  It  is 
true  that  at  first  sight  we  find  ourselves  surrounded  by  apparently  enormous  diffi- 
culties,  and  there  is  a  disposition  amongst  us  to  try  and  rest  upon  some  prop  or 
another,  and,  that  being  so,  the  term  "  Government "  is  found  to  be  a  very  conve- 
nient  thing.  There  is  not  the  slightest  doubt  but  that  what  are  called  **  paternal 
Governments,"  have  done  their  duty  in  this  matter.  The  Emperor  Napoleon,  the 
Emperor  of  Austria,  and  the  King  of  Prussia,  concerning  whom  things  not  very  com- 
plimentary have  been  said  of  late,  have  an  organisation  which  enables  them  to  assist 
their  people.  Though,  however,  individuals  scattered  about  in  London  and  the  pro- 
vinces, cannot  help  themselves,  the  people  collectively  may  do  a  great  deal.  The 
Government  cannot  help  you  because  they  have  sought  for  certain  powers  to  enable 
them  to  control  the  spread  of  contagious  disorders  amongst  cattle,  and  those  powers 
have  not  been  granted  to  them.  That  is  really  at  the  bottom  of  the  whole  affiur. 
If  the  Government  had  had  ample  powers,  I  don't  mean  to  say  they  could  at  once 
have  done  marvels,  but  they  might  have  done  something.  However,  it  would  have 
been  utterly  useless  for  them  to  have  attempted  enforcing  any  act  which  at  present 
exists.  The  little  act  passed  in  1850  renders  the  Government  powerless.  When  it 
was  suggested  that  they  should  do  this,  and  that,  and  the  other,  the  legal  officers  of 
the  Crown  said  it  was  illegal    The  Government  have  no  law  auffiL^asra^*  isst  >asi&^s£««r 


486  THE  CATTLE  PLAGUE. 

pose,  and  without  it  they  are  perfectly  powerless  as  regards  assisting  us.  It  is 
true  that  they  have  got  plenty  of  money,  and  the  question  of  indemnity  may  arise ; 
but  when  the  cotton  famine  happened,  it  was  not  by  drawing  from  the  National 
Exchequer  that  we  met  the  difficulty ;  it  was  by  the  free  and  voluntary  effort  of  the 
people  at  large,  guided,  it  is  true,  by  information  collected  by  the  Qoyemment. 
Abroad  this  is  what  happens.  Wherever  a  disease  appears,  the  district  veterinary 
surgeon — who  is  paid  for  the  prevention  of  disease,  and  that  is  what  he  should  be  paid 
for,  for  we  cannot  afford  to  pay  for  treating  diseased  or  dying  cattle,  but  we  can, 
if  we  have  proper  organisation,  keep  disease  from  you.  That  has  been  my  doctrine  all 
along.  The  district  veterinary  surgeon  abroad,  I  repeat,  takes  the  proper  precautions  for 
the  instant  suppression  of  the  malady.  If  it  is  contagious,  he  surrounds  the  point 
and  prevents  any  cattle  going  beyond  it.  The  cattle  affected  are  killed,  and  the 
Government  pays  for  them,  and  pays  so  liberally  that  the  owner  voluntarily  gives 
information  at  once  as  to  the  state  of  his  stock ;  and  if  he  does  not  do  so  he  forfeits 
a  penalty  to  Government  The  premium  held  out  to  honest,  open  dealing  is  very 
large,  and  thus  it  is  that  the  disease  cannot  exist  in  Prussia  and  Austria  for  an  in- 
stant, without  being  instantly  known  and  instantly  dealt  with.  In  these  countries 
the  most  remarkable  activity  is  shown  in  preventing  the  progress  of  the  disease. 
They  usually  adopt  the  process  of  slaughter.  It  is  true  the  Russian  6k>yemment 
have  introduced  inoculation,  but  the  safest  practice  is  that  adopted  by  the  other 
countries  I  have  mentioned,  of  cutting  the  animal's  throat,  and  burying  its  body 
below  the  ground,  and  disinfecting  its  hide,  horns,  and  those  other  parts  which  it  may 
be  desirable  to  sell,  in  order  that  all  means  of  propagating  the  infection  may  be  de- 
stroyed. I  now  come  again  to  the  point— What  shall  we  do  ?  It  is  not  by  fining 
people,  and  threatening  others,  that  wc  can  bring  them  to  work  for  their  own  good 
and  the  good  of  others.  It  is  by  securing  the  hearty  and  warm  co-operation  of  all. 
I  believe  the  only  way  in  which  the  whole  thing  can  be  properly  dealt  with  ia  that 
adopted  on  the  outbreak  of  small  pox  among  sheep  in  1862.  On  that  occasion,  sheep 
were  affected  to  a  fearful  extent,  and  the  disorder  spread  rapidly.  I  was  engaged  by 
the  Privy  Council  to  make  inquiries  into  the  diseases  of  cattle,  in  relation  to  the 
supply  of  food.  I  went  to  Wiltshire,  where  the  disease  was  raging,  and  on  yiaiting 
Devizes,  I  found  that  the  people  interested  in  the  matter  were  frightened  of  each 
other — that  they  were  trying  to  smother  the  whole  thing,  while  the  disease  was 
rapidly  gaining  ground,  and  tending  to  increase  their  probable  losses.  I  informed 
them  that  it  was  not  by  secrecy,  by  deceit,  or  by  lying,  that  they  could  control  this 
national  calamity,  but  by  open,  above  board,  honest  and  plain  dealing— that  they 
ought  to  put  money  into  a  common  purse  to  pay  for  any  animals  which  died  from 
the  disease,  or  were  killed  in  consequence  of  their  being  affected  by  it,  and  to  enable 
them  to  be  buried  at  once.  Under  this  open  and  candid  system,  the  disease  was 
rapidly  dealt  with,  and  in  three  weeks  it  disappeared  from  the  North  Wiltshire 
Downs,  while  before  it  was  rapidly  propagating  itself,  and  daily  adding  to  the  num- 
ber of  its  victims.  The  proper  way  then  to  begin  is  for  the  trade  to  protect  itself, 
and  to  do  so  through  the  machinery  of  an  association,  having  in  view  the  prevention 
of  this  disorder  in  cattle.  Let  a  provisional  committee  l)e  appointed ;  let  it  meet  and 
consider  what  should  best  be  done;  let  it  keep  its  own  secrets,  and  let  it  be  entrusted 
with  the  secrets  of  the  trade.  You  can  surely  trust  yourselves.  Let  there  be  som^ 
qualified  and  well-known  person  employed  to  cope  with  the  difficulty,  according  to 
the  well-known  means  for  the  prevention  of  plagues.  I  wish  now  to  state  the  pro- 
position, whic'i  I  think  ought  to  be  submitted  to  your  consideration.    It  is  this— 

**  That  this  meeting  consider  it  absolutely  necessary  that  the  proprietors  of  cattle 
throughout  the  country  should  combine  for  their  mutual  protection ;  and  that  a 
society  should  be  formed,  entitled,  *  The  National  Association  for  the  Prevention  of 
Cattle  Diseases.*" 

I  believe  that  if  the  matter  is  worked  well,  funds  will  be  obtained  to  a  considerable 
amount  to  carry  out  the  project.  I  also  think  the  system  of  mutual  insurance  might 
be  adopted  at  an  early  perfod.  There  is  a  difficulty,  no  doubt,  as  to  this  subject,  be- 
cause people  are  so  selfish  that  they  will  not  pay  a  premium  untU  their  cattle  get  dis- 
eased ;  but  if  there  is  a  hearty  co-operation  throughout  the  country,  it  will  be  found 
that  the  proportionate  loss  over  the  whole  area  will  be  very  small,  and  a  system  of 
mutual  insurance  would  meet  the  case.  Another  matter  to  ascertain  is,  how  to  best 
supply  fresh  animals  for  those  which  have  been  destroyed,  and  with  a  little  yigomus 
action,  something  may  even  be  done  in  this  respect.  This  is  a  very  important  qaes- 
tion.  An  association  such  as  1  propose  eaiTVTVQt  become,  all  at  once,  a  commercial  one, . 
And  de&l  in  stock ;  but  it  is  possible  to  oVA&m  ix^m  ^^sXaaxi  ^>&\!n&v&  Vi^thy  atoek  io 


THE  CATTLE  PLAGUE.  487 

take  the  place  of  that  which  is  condemned  as  diseased.  The  difficulty  of  obtaining 
fresh  stock  will  not,  I  think,  be  so  serious  as  some  imagine,  especially  as  the  London 
season  is  now  nearly  over,  and  the  demand  upon  cowkeepers  by  the  public  will  not  be 
80  great.  My  proposition  is,  thai  the  many  shotUd  aid  the  few,  instead  of  people  fight- 
ing against  each  other.  (Cheers.)  It  may  be  said,  Why  have  you  not  found  a  cure 
for  this  disorder?  There  is  a  great  fallacy  in  connexion  with  all  these  diseases.  The 
public  want  at  once  a  specific  to  meet  the  case ;  but  it  so  happens  that  in  all  these 
instances  the  poison  gets  into  the  system  of  the  animal,  and  then  the  animal  is 
as  dead,  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  as  if  he  had  been  struck  by  a  pole-axe.  Pro- 
bably we  shall  never  discover  an  antidote  for  these  diseases.  If  a  man  takes 
arsenic,  or  any  other  mineral  poison,  we  can  at  once  apply  a  remedy ;  but  when 
this  animal  poison  gets  into  the  system  of  a  cow  or  other  animal,  we  cannot  extract 
it  nor  neutralise  it.  We  have  no  antidote  for  animal  poisons.  You  must  not  look 
upon  scientific  men  as  ignorant  if  they  cannot  discover  a  cure.  It  is  not  in  the  na- 
ture of  things  that  they  can  find  a  cure  ;  but  with  regard  to  prevention,  we  must 
adopt  means  whereby  diseased  animals  shall  be  kept  apart  from  healthy  stock,  and 
our  cattle  markets  freed  from  any  means  of  propagating  the  disorder.  Wherever  the 
disease  occurs,  there  must  be  thorough  disinfection,  and  every  efibrt  made  to  limit 
it  to  the  locality  in  which  it  has  appeared.  I  believe  if  the  association  is  formed,  it 
will  have  some  influence  upon  the  Government,  even  to  the  extent  of  something  be- 
ing granted  from  the  national  exchequer  for  losses  which  have  been  sustained,  while 
I  believe  that  subscriptions  will  come  in  from  every  part  of  the  country ;  but  this 
will  depend  upon  your  setting  an  example  yourselves  in  this  metropolis.  It  is  only 
by  energetic,  active,  and  straightforward  conduct  in  carrying  out  measures  of  self-help 
that  you  can  do  any  good  upon  this  subject.  You  all  remember  the  words  of  Oliver 
Cromwell,  "  Trust  in  God,  and  keep  your  powder  dry  ;  "  and  that  injunction  applies 
with  great  force  to  the  present  moment.  We  trust  to  Providence  to  help  us  in  this 
great  calamity ;  but  we  shall  best  entitle  ourselves  to  that  help,  and  to  the  sympathy, 
co-operation,  and  assistance  of  the  public,  by  trying,  in  the  first  instance,  to  help  our- 
selves.    (Cheers.) 

Mr  Delano  (Tottenham)  asked  if  a  diseased  cow  purchased  in  Smithfield  Market 
would  contaminate  healthy  cows  in  the  same  shed  ? 

Professor  Gamgee — In  several  cases  I  have  investigated,  cattle  purchased  in 
Smithfield  Market  have  conveyed  the  disease  to  others.  In  all  the  countries  where 
the  disease  has  appeared,  the  people  are  agreed  upon  this  point — that  it  is  a  purely 
contagious  disorder.  You  cannot  always  say  how  it  has  been  caught :  just  as  when  a 
man  is  attacked  with  small-pox,  he  is  unable  to  state  how  he  got  it,  but  medical 
men  will  tell  you  that  it  was  impossible  he  could  have  that  complaint  unless  he  caught 
it.  This  particular  disease  amongst  cows  never  came  here  until  after  this  extraordi- 
nary importation  of  cattle.  It  is  entirely  foreign ;  and  we  find  it  first  appearing  in 
the  metropolis,  where  the  importation  is  so  vast,  and  it  is  gradually  spreading  around. 

Mr  Delano — If  that  is  so,  one  great  check  will  be,  to  advise  cowkeepers  to  do  as  I 
have  done  myself.  1  won't  buy  any  cows  at  Smithfield,  and  I  won't  allow  a  Smith- 
field  cow  to  come  within  my  sheds  or  farm.  I  am  sorry,  however,  to  say,  that  many 
persons  in  my  neighbourhood  have  purchased  cows  there,  and  taken  them  down  into 
tjie  country.  God  only  knows  where  all  this  will  end.  If  the  disease  were  confined 
to  Smithfield,  there  need  be  less  apprehension ;  but  we  know  that  it  is  not  so.  I  have 
made  up  my  mind  not  to  have  a  cow  from  Smithfield  for  some  time  to  come.  My 
advice  to  cowkeepers,  who  have  bought  any  there  since  the  27th  June,  when  the  dis- 
ease first  appeared,  is,  that  they  should  get  them  out  of  their  sheds  at  once.  At 
present  I  have  not  had  the  disease  in  my  sheds,  nor  in  my  place  in  the  country  ;  but 
within  a  mile  of  me  it  has  afi^ected  a  stock,  and  I  think  that  can  be  traced  to  Smith- 
field  Market.  I  am  glad  to  hear  you  say  that  defective  drainage  does  not  promote 
the  disease;  but  a  great  improvement  has  taken  place  in  that  respect  during  the  last 
few  years.  It  is  true  that  the  mouth  and  lung  complaiikt  has  been  gradually  dis- 
appearing, but  up  to  the  present  time  we  have  discovered  no  remedy  for  it  but  the 
act  of  Providence.  Kow,  this  disease  is  not  so  bad  by  fifty  or  sixty  per  cent,  as  it  was 
a  few  years  ago.  You  say  that  this  new  disease  may  be  conveyed  in  people's  clothes. 
If  that  be  so,  and  the  Government  appoint  inspectors  to  go  into  the  various  sheds,  I 
fihall  close  my  doors  against  these  inspectors.  (Laughter.)  Do  you  think  I  shall 
allow  a  veterinary  man,  who  has  been  handling  diseased  cows,  to  come  into  my  shed 
and  contaminate  my  cows  ?  (Laughter.)  That  is  really  a  rather  serious  matter.  It 
is  stated  that  the  Government  have  already  appointed  several  in!S<^<:.\xsT%  \a  \\w^^^^ 
the  cow-sheds  in  the  metropolis  j  but  whetlier  Itvie  ox  hqX.  \  ^swvt^qV  «a.i«    ^^^  ^»»i 


488  THE  CATTLE  PLAGUE. 

effect  follows  cause.  Now,  we  cannot  tell  the  cause  in  this  instance.  In  1745  the 
difficulty  was  to  find  a  cure  for  the  disease  which  then  prevailed  among  cattle;  bat 
in  1747  the  Qovernmeut  came  forward  and  paid  the  losses  of  the  cowkeepers;  and  I 
think  in  the  present  case  they  have  a  ri«^ht  to  go  again  to  the  GoTemment.  Look  at 
the  serious  loss  they  are  sustaining.  Keally  the  Gh>vernment  ought  to  take  the  matter 
up.  Of  course,  if  any  plan  can  be  devised  for  arresting  the  eyil,  I  will  readily  fsll 
into  it.  You  say  we  are  totally  unprepared ;  but  what  preparation  could  we  have 
made?  What  can  a  man  do,  if  he  has  got  a  diseased  cow,  but  take  it  away;  unless 
he  kills  it,  aud  then  there  is  the  loss,  no  very  pleasant  thing :  but  I  suppose  that  must 
take  place.  This  is  a  very  serious  matter  indeed,  not  like  the  small-pox  amongst  the 
fiheep  in  Wiltshire,  which  was  confined  comparatively  within  a  very  narrow  compass. 
This  disease  is  not  limited  to  two  or  three  cow-sheds,  but  we  see  it  in  many;  and 
diseased  cattle  are  constantly  being  sold  at  Smithfield.  Tou  say  we  should  protect 
ourselves :  no  doubt  of  iL  But  tell  us  what  plan  we  can  adopt  Just  look  at  the 
loss  we  may  sustain  by  this  plague.  To-day  I  may  be  worth  a  thousand  pounds,  and 
to-morrow  have  nothing.  One  thousand  pounds  of  stock  is  soon  gone.  Tou  talk 
about  keeping  the  matter  secret  Why,  I  understand  the  Goyemment  have  sent  a 
circular  round  to  everybody.  A  person  told  me  to-day,  "  I  '11  take  no  more  milk,  and 
I  won't  eat  any  more  meat"  I  said, ''  You  may  do  that  for  two  or  three  months,  but 
not  longer."  I  really  do  not  know  what  secret  is  kept  The  whole  matter  has  gone 
about  from  place  to  place.  You  have  spoken  of  separating  diseased  from  the  healthy 
animals,  and  taking  separate  sheds  for  them.  That,  of  course,  is  possible,  but  only 
where  a  cowkeepcr  has  got  ground  for  the  purpose.  Personally  I  will  give  you  every 
assistance  I  can  for  the  preveution  of  this  disease,  but  1  am  really  fearful  of  ita  having 
gone  too  far  already. 

Professor  Gam6£E — When  I  said  the  country  was  perfectly  unprepared  to  deal  with 
this  disease,  I  had  in  mind  the  warnings  which  had  been  given  on  the  subject  Two 
years  ago  I  suggested  a  plan,  but  it  was  not  carried  out  1  knew  the  evil  Wka  coming, 
and  that  it  was  useless  closing  the  stable-door  after  the  steed  had  been  stolen;  but 
vested  interests  were  against  me.  What  I  wanted  was,  a  market  where  foreign  stock 
could  be  sold  as  soon  as  imported,  near  to  the  wharfs,  and  where  the  animris  could 
be  slaughtered ;  and  there  could  be  a  system  of  quarantine  if  necessary.  Inspectors 
might  also  be  appointed  to  examine  the  animals  on  their  arrival ;  and  at  last  we  must 
come  to  that  But  I  got  very  much  abused  for  my  proposaL  Had  my  suggestion 
been  adopted,  we  would  have  been  prepared  to  act  with  great  caution  against  this 
calamity;  but  we  are  not  prepared  now.  With  regard  to  the  observation  of  the 
gentleman  who  has  last  spoken,  I  beg  to  say,  that  though  I  quite  admit  that  it  is 
possible  for  the  disease  to  be  communicated  by  the  clothes  of  an  inspector,  we  know, 
from  the  experience  of  medical  men  attending  scarlet  fever  and  typhus  cases,  that, 
fortunately  for  them,  the  probability  of  propagating  the  disorder  is  infinitesimally 
small  With  regard  to  the  Government,  I  do  not  think  any  assistance  can  be  ex- 
pected from  them,  unless  the  calamity  attains  such  proportions  as  to  justify  them  in 
Eutting  their  hands  in  the  public  purse.  In  this  matter  a  good  deal  is  to  be  attri* 
uted  to  the  fault  of  the  cowkeepers  themselves.  When  the  bill  I  have  spoken  of 
was  before  Parliament,  the  trade  was  against  me.  Mr  Giblett,  Mr  Swan,  and  oUkers, 
every  one,  in  fact,  was  abusing  me  as  hard  as  he  could,  and  not  a  single  cowkeeper 
was  by  my  side.  The  persons  who  have  been  most  alive  to  their  interests  are  the 
cattle-dealers,  who  not  unnaturally  feel  for  their  pockets.  They  said,  **  We  dian't 
have  these '  foreign  markets  and  this  inspection,  because  they  will  diminish  our 
profits."  You  allowed  these  cattle-dealers  to  have  their  own  way,  and  nothing  was 
done. 

Mr  Bebby,  a  "  homoeopathic  veterinary  surgeon  "  of  Northampton,  said  be  had  felt 
it  his  duty  to  come  up  from  the  country  to  hear  what  Professor  Qamgee  had  to  say 
upon  the  subject  of  this  disease,  believing  he  was  desirous  of  doing  a  public  good, 
and  not  merely  of  strei^thening  his  professional  position.  Veterinary  surgery  was 
at  a  discount,  and  they  had  heard  that  evening  that  it  was  thoroughly  powerless  for 
the  cure  of  disease  by  the  use  of  medicines.  Under  these  circumstances,  why  should 
not  veterinary  surgeons  go  to  the  sister  profession,  and  ascertain  what  they  had  done 
in  similar  diseases  in  the  case  of  man.  He  was  himself  a  believer  in  homoeopathy,  and 
as  an  instance  of  its  success  he  spoke  of  the  efforts  of  Mr  Lord,  principal  veterinaiy 
surgeon  at  Canterbury  Cavalry  Depot,  in  the  application  of  that  system  to  a  disatie 
in  horses,  which  he  said  resembled  the  cattle  plague. 

Mr  BowBOV,  a  Wiltshire  iarmet,  boi^  ^^Umotvy  to  the  truth  of  what  ProfeMor 
Gungee  had  said  respecting  tUe  «ixia\\*^iK.  Vn  V^  V!L\&\)iT^.    h.  i«e»si>Q&  ^ziamaie  broke  out 


THE  CATTLE  PLAGUE.  489 

there  amongst  the  sheep,  but  every  one,  instead  of  concealing,  told  the  truth,  and  by 
co-operation  the  farmers  in  that  county  were  enabled  to  keep  the  disease  within  th<;ir 
own  boundaries.  The  result  was  just  as  Professor  Gamgee  had  stated,  namely,  that 
the  plague  was  arrested.  He  was  convinced  that  the  only  remedy  for  the  disease  that 
had  recently  broken  out  among  cows  was,  that  the  cowkeepers  of  London  should  re- 
main faithful  to  each  other,  and  that  there  should  be  a  common  purse  to  help  those 
who  had  suffered  severe  losses. 

Dr  Druitt,  president  of  the  Metropolitan  Officers  of  Health,  said  that  as  medical 
officer  of  St  George's,  Hanover  Square,  he  was  brought  largely  in  communication 
with  persons  engaged  in  this  trade,  and  he  could  bear  testimony  to  the  excellent 
manner  in  which  they  came  forward  to  improve  the  condition  of  their  sheds,  and 
to  keep  their  cattle  free  from  disease,  precautions  which  probably  were  as  much  for 
the  benefit  of  the  public  as  for  themselves.  As  one  of  the  guardians  of  the  public 
health,  he  affirmed  that  nothing  affected  that  health  so  much  as  a  deficiency  of  food. 
A  deficiency  in  meat,  milk,  butter,  and  cheese,  was  sure,  in  time,  to  bring  the  labour- 
ing population  into  a  low  state  of  health.  He  hoped  they  would  allow  him,  as  a  frag- 
ment of  the  public,  to  express  his  sympathy  with  the  class  who  composed  this  meet- 
ing in  respect  of  the  difficulties  under  which  they  were  labouring,  and  a  desire  to  make 
himself  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  facts  of  the  case,  in  order  that  he  might  give 
them  every  assistance  and  encouragement  that  he  could.  As  a  medical  man,  he 
begged  to  say  that  his  profession  looked  less  to  the  cure  of  these  fevers  in  a  human 
being,  and  much  more  to  their  prevention.  It  was  veiy  well  to  talk  about  there 
being  a  specific  against  scarlet  and  some  other  fevers,  but  when  men  had  them  they 
must  run  the  gauntlet  of  them.  The  resolution  which  he  wished  to  propose  was  to 
this  effect,  **  That  this  meeting  considers  it  absolutely  necessary  that  the  proprietors 
of  cattle  throughout  the  country  should  combine  together  for  their  mutual  protec- 
tion, and  that  a  society  be  formed  entitled,  '  The  National  Association  for  the  Pre- 
vention of  Cattle  Diseases.'  **  He  thought  that  this  resolution  was  founded  on  com- 
mon sense,  and  he  hoped  it  would  be  carried.  Their  great  object  should  be  to  pre- 
vent their  cattle  coming  in  contact  with  those  which  were  diseased.  They  were  very 
much  in  the  condition  of  a  man  who  kept  a  boarding-school.  Sad  experience  taught 
him  that  when  once  a  child  suffering  from  some  contagious  disorder  entered  a  school, 
many  of  his  schoolfellows  caught  it.  He  had  a  son  who  was  a  cadet  on  board  the 
training-ship  Britannia,  to  which  a  boy  happened  to  come  suffering  from  scarlet 
fever,  but  so  slightly  as  to  be  hardly  recognised.  The  result  was,  that  his  son  and 
scores  of  cadets  caught  the  complaint,  and  suffered  in  the  hospitals.  If  that  scarlet 
fever  had  not  been  imported  into  the  ship,  all  that  amount  of  illness  would  have  been 
avoided.  Remedies  were  good  in  their  way,  but  the  common  sense  of  the  world  had 
shown  the  best  way  was  to  prevent  disease.  With  regard  to  the  question  of  compen- 
sation, he  thought  that  if  they  began  by  helping  themselves,  there  was  no  class  more 
likely  to  gain  the  support  of  the  Legislature  and  the  public  at  large  than  they 
were. 

Mr  J.  Ibons,  of  Winkfield  Park,  Windsor,  a  dairy  farmer,  in  seconding  the  resolu- 
tion, mentioned  cases  in  his  neighbourhood  in  which  one  dairyman  had  lost  five,  and 
a  poor  woman,  three  cows,  and  said  that  as  the  disorder  was  rapidly  spreading,  it  was 
necessary  that  something  should  be  done  immediately.  He  especially  alluded  to  the 
danger  attendant  upon  the  sending  down  cattle  from  London  for  sale  at  the  auctions 
for  cattle  in  the  provinces. 

A  CowKEEPEB  said  he  happened  to  be  very  short  of  milk,  and  if  he  wanted  one  or 
two  more  cows  where  was  he  to  get  them  ?  Was  he  to  run  the  risk  of  going  to  Smith- 
field  Market  ?  And  if  he  bought  any  there,  was  he  to  mix  them  with  his  own  cattle  ? 
He  could  not  put  them  anywhere  else  except  with  his  own  stock,  and  if  he  did 
accommodate  them  elsewhere,  he  would  be  summoned  by  the  Government  for  keep- 
ing a  cow-shed  without  a  licence. 

Mr  BuBGE,  the  Medical  Officer  of  Health  for  the  Fulhayi  district,  said,  that  as  « 
public  officer  his  sympathy  was  with  the  meeting,  and  he  rose  to  support  the  resolu- 
tion, which  he  hoped  would  be  unanimously  carried.  There  was,  however,  one  point 
of  great  importance  which  he  thought  had  been  somewhat  overlooked — namely,  offer- 
ing some  suggestion  for  the  immediate  guidance  of  cowkeepers.  The  association 
proposed  could  not  be  completely  organised  in  a  day,  nor  perhaps  in  a  week,  nor  a 
month,  and  what  he  should  like  Professor  Gamgee  to  do  that  night  was  to  lay  down 
a  few  simple  rules  for  their  guidance  at  the  present  moment ;  such  as  regulations  as 
to  the  diet  of  cows,  the  temperature  of  cow-sheds,  &c.  With  regard  tft  VkR^XkW^^  Ss^x 
cow-sheds,  he  knew  that  the  magistratcB  of  the  Kenaan^ViOxi  ^^aXxvcX  XskJaA.  «^^^\»Nfc^  -^ 


490  THE  CATTLE  PLAGUE. 

sapplementary  day  for  granting  these  licences;  and  he  had  no  doabt,  that  on  proper 
representations  being  made  to  the  other  metropolitan  justices,  thej  would  not  hesitate 
to  adopt  the  same  course  in  the  present  great  emergency. 

Professor  Gamgek — It  is  impossible  for  me  to  speak  satisfiu^rilj  at  a  moment's 
notice  upon  some  of  the  points  to  which  my  attention  has  been  specially  directed.  It 
was  only  on  Saturday  morning  I  arrived  from  Edinburgh,  to  take  charge  of  a  veteri* 
nary  college,  which  has  now  been  established  at  the  west  of  London  ;  but  if  you  form 
this  association,  I  pledge  my  word  that  before  the  end  of  the  week  you  will  aU  hare 
printed  instructions  as  to  what  should  be  done  under  Tarious  circumstances. 

The  resolution  was  then  carried. 

The  Chairman  said  he  thought  the  way  in  which  the  resolution  had  been  adopted 
by  the  meeting,  would  be  an  indication  of  the  disposition  on  their  part  to  help  them- 
selves. 

Professor  Gamoee  said  that  the  college  which  he  was  about  to  open  would  be  a 
large  and  influential  one,  and  his  colleagues,  who  were  very  clever  fellows,  were 
ready  to  work  for  them.  It  would  be  necessary  to  appoint  a  provisional  committee, 
with  power  to  add  to  their  number,  and  he  should  like  to  know  if  any  gentlemen  in 
the  body  of  the  meeting  were  ready  to  act  upon  it  He  proposed  they  should  meet 
on  the  following  day,  and  he  promised  to  find  a  room  for  their  meeting  free  of  cost. 

A  person  in  the  body  of  the  meeting  suggested  that  the  Grovemment  should  be 
at  once  applied  to,  to  prevent  cattle  in  a  dUseased  state  from  leaving  Smithfield 
Market. 

A  Cow  KEEPER  said  he  thought  nothing  satisfactory  could  be  done  without  the 
assistance  of  the  Government. 

A  list  of  the  names  of  the  provisional  committee  having  been  read, 

Professor  Gamoee  said  his  professional  services  were  entirely  at  the  disposal  of  the 
meeting. 

After  some  further  discussion,  the  list  of  the  provisional  committee  waa  agreed  to. 

Colonel  Gardner— I  cannot  permit  the  meeting  to  be  dissolved  without  proposing 
a  vote  of  thanks  to  Professor  Gamgee  for  the  interest  he  has  taken  in  your  cause. 
His  name  is  well  known  in  relation  to  this  subject,  and  there  is  very  little  doubt  that 
of  all  men  in  the  country  he  will  be  the  most  useful  in  this  emergency.  Such  is  the 
opinion  I  have  of  Professor  Gamgee,  that  I  am  one  of  fifty  noblemen  and  gentlemen, 
resident  in  London,  who  have  banded  themselves  together  for  the  purpose  of  bringing 
him  and  his  very  able  stafi*  from  Edinburgh  to  the  metropolis.  In  a  few  weeks  time 
we  shall  have  opened,  in  temporary  premises  in  Queen  s  Koad,  Bayswater,  the  Albert 
Veterinary  College,  over  which  he  is  to  preside.  Professor  Gamgee  is  an  English- 
man, and  not  a  Scotchman,  and  he  is  much  better  here  than  in  Edinburgh.  As  one 
of  the  vice-presidents  of  this  college,  I  answer  for  it  that  it  will  do  everything  in  its 
power  to  try  and  eradicate  or  stop  the  progress  of  this  malady.  The  offices  of  the 
company  at  48  Pall  Mall  are  entirely  at  your  service. 

Some  one  in  the  body  of  the  hall  suggested  that  some  means  should  be  adopted  of 
meeting  the  expenditure  which  the  movers  in  this  matter  had  defrayed  out  of  their 
own  pockets. 

The  resolution  was  then  carried  unanimously. 

Professor  Gamoee,  in  returning  thanks,  again  promised  in  every  possible  way  to 
help  them  in  their  present  difficulties.  The  credit  of  calling  this  meeting  really  be- 
longed to  the  chairman,  Mr  Dexter,  who  was  an  honour  to  any  calling,  and  a  good 
representative  of  the  metropolitan  cowkeepers.  He  had  that  warm-heartedness  and 
that  intelligence  which  could  not  but  be  felt  and  admired  by  all  with  whom  he  came 
in  contact.  He  had  great  pleasure  in  moving  a  vote  of  thanks  to  Mr  Dexter,  for  the 
able  manner  in  which  he  had  presided  over  the  meeting.  There  was  no  doubt  that  a 
great  deal  could  be  done  to  mitigate  the  evil,  but  they  could  do  nothing  without  the 
sinews  of  war.  They  must  have  funds,  and  it  was  proposed  for  that  purpose  that 
every  member  of  the  association  should  begin  by  depositing  a  guinea.  They  must 
have  an  appeal  to  the  country,  and  stand  by  and  relieve  those  cowkeepers  who  were 
suffering.  He  had  no  doubt  they  would  all  agree  to  award  a  vote  of  thanks  to  their 
chairman. 

The  motion  having  been  seconded,  was  passed  nem,  con. 

The  Chairman,  in  acknowledging  the  compliment,  said  it  was  intended  to  have  a 
meeting  in  the  same  hall  that  night  week,  and  he  hoped  that  it  would  be  crowded. 

The  proceedings  then  terminated. 


THE  CATTLE  PLAGUE.  491 


THE  CATTLE  PLAGUE. 

[For  the  following  article  we  are  indebted  to  George  Armitage,  Esq.,  Secretary  to  the 
National  Association  for  the  Prevention  of  Cattle  Diseases,  London.] 

Exactly  one  hundred  and  eighteen  years  ago  the  cattle  of  this  country  were  de- 
stroyed by  disease  of  a  highly  contagious  character,  admitting  of  no  relief  from 
medical  treatment,  and  resisting  all  efforts  to  arrest  its  progress  until  the  losses 
amounted  to  near  30,000  per  month,  representing  in  money  value  many  millions 
sterling.  At  the  present  time  we  are  in  a  similar  position,  and,  doubtless,  ere  the 
plague  is  stayed,  the  losses,  direct  and  indirect,  will  not  fall  far  short  of  what  has 
actually  occurred  in  the  time  above  named.  That  such  will  inevitably  occur,  is  a 
reasonable  inference  to  be  drawn  from  a  review  of  the  state  of  aflFairs  in  connexion 
with  our  importation  of  foreign  stock  and  loose  method  of  admitting  cattle  of  all 
kinds  to  intermix  in  our  fairs  and  markets  throughout  the  kingdom.  Some  indi* 
viduals— doubtless  with  greater  zeal  for  establishing  strongly  cherished  opinions, 
than  for  testing  the  security  of  their  foundation — hurl  bitter  invectives  against  the 
public  for  allowing  such  a  state  of  things  to  exist,  when  in  reality,  not  only  are  the 
public  not  supposed  to  think  seriously  upon  such  a  matter,  by  reason  of  their  total 
ignorance  of  the  proceedings,  but  are  exonerated  from  such  condemnation  by  reason 
of  their  having  allowed  the  supervision  of  such  matters  to  others — those  who  are 
supposed  to  be  thoroughly  acquainted  with  all  the  details,  and  understood  to  be  able 
to  carry  them  out  to  the  advantage  of  the  community  at  large.  Faulty  management 
in  most  instances  is  the  forerunner  of  mischief,  and  what  is  more — such  increases  in 
direct  ratio  with  the  magnitude  of  the  undertaking,  results  are  brought  about  in- 
volving absolute  loss  of  the  most  serious  description,  for  which  a  remedy  is  pro- 
pounded as  incapable  as  it  is  irregular.  As  the  old  proverb  says,  "  'Tis  useless  to 
lock  the  stable,  when  the  steed  is  stolen ; "  in  this  instance  a  remedy  is  offered  at  a 
period  too  late  to  effect  any  impulse  against  the  scourge  of  a  direct  character.  While 
this  unsystematic  course  of  importation  of  diseased  cattle  is  allowed  to  proceed,  we 
may  expect  to  remain  in  continual  dread  of  the  outbreak  of  such  diseases  as  con- 
tagious typhus  or  Russian  cattle  plague— known  also  as  rinderpest — steppe — mur- 
rain— and  losedure  of  the  Germans.  In  the  introduction  of  foreign  stock  to  our 
markets,  particularly  when  animals  are  selected  from  countries  well  known  to  gene- 
rate these  pestilential  disorders,  we  can  scarcely  be  too  stringent ;  and  based  upon  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  their  origin,  nature,  period  of  incubation,  &c.,  &c.,  a  certain 
number  of  days  under  quarantine  should  be  strictly  enforced,  in  order  to  insure  that 
all  diseased  animals  shall  be  unmistakeably  found  and  removed  from  the  healthy 
ones ;  and  those  having  survived  the  period  prescribed,  allowed  to  proceed  to  mar- 
kets only  to  be  used  for  foreign  stock.  Diseased  animals  should  be  destroyed,  and 
immediately  buried  at  considerable  depth — quick  lime  being  thickly  spread  over 
their  bodies,  and  afterwards  closely  covered  with  soil ;  and  those  apparently  healthy, 
taken  from  a  number  in  which  others  have  become  affected — slaughtered  whilst  their 
flesh  is  not  unfit  for  human  food.  Hides,  hoofs,  horns,  hair,  &c.,  taken  from  diseased 
animals,  should  be  carefully  disinfected  before  removal.  Next  to  this  comes  a  care- 
ful inspection  of  all  animals ;  but  for  this  purpose,  hitherto  men  of  all  classes  have 
been  chosen  without  due  regard  to  their  knowledge  of  animals  and  their  diseases.  It 
is  thus  that  first  symptoms  are  overlooked  or  unrecognised.  In  the  hands  of  un- 
principled salesmen,  who  reap  a  harvest  at  such  times,  disease  is  spread  abroad  ;  and 
God  only  knows  the  end.  During  the  past  week  great  numbers  of  animals  have 
died,  and  through  the  efforts  of  the  National  Association  for  the  Prevention  of  Cattle 
Disease,  much  information  as  to  the  details  of  the  disease  and  its  ravages  have  been 
obtained,  which  has  led  to  many  valuable  suggestions  being  carried  out  as  a  means 
of  arresting  its  progress  after  its  appearance  among  stock.  The  principle  of  early 
segregation  has  produced  very  beneficial  results;  and  Dutch  cattle  known  to  he 
diseased  disposed  of  in  this  manner  have  sickened  and  died,  whilst  the  original  stock 
have  remained  unaffected.  In  the  present  national  calamity,  cattle-owners  should 
promptly  assist  in  a  means  of  mutual  protection.  The  inconveniences,  although 
heavily  felt  by  them,  are  in  nowise  of  less  consequence  to  the  public,  as  far  as  the 
supply  of  unwholesome  meat  and  milk  is  concerned,  and  while  thus  keenly  felt,  they 
would  do  well  to  co-operate  with  cattle-owners  in  order  to  effect,  not  only  for  the  pre- 
sent, but  also  prospectively,  a  preventative  of  the  occurrence  of  such  a  scourge  as  the 
present.  Local  Insurance  Societies  cannot  cope  with  such ;  it  is  only  oil  tViA  >g«vcLW^'Si 
of  national  co-operation  that  the  extenaive  macVAiiet^  t^^jo^^^Vi  \c^<5fc\»"Caft  «aiSK%^^^ 


492  THE  FRENCH  H0BSE3. 

can  be  put  in  motion.  Circulars,  &c.,  and  all  information  relating  to  the  treatment 
of  animals  are  now  being  freely  distributed  by  the  association,  and  persons  interested 
should  lose  no  time  in  communicating  all  information  of  tbe  outbreak  of  the  disease 
with  a  view  of  receiving  assistance  in  its  suppression. 

Thb  Cattle  Disease. — Professor  Qamgee  made  some  startling  statements  at  the 
Marylebone  Institute  one  evening  last  week.  A  meeting  of  London  cowkeepers  was 
there  held,  and  the  Professor  addressed  them  with  respect  to  a  disease  which  has 
broken  out  in  the  cow-houses  of  London.  In  many  cases  tbe  whole  of  the  stock  have 
been  carried  off;  in  others  most  of  the  animals  have  died,  or  have  had  to  be  killed  to 
prevent  the  disease  spreading.  Professor  Gamgee  says  it  is  the  Russian  cattle  plague, 
and  adds  that  the  infection  has  no  doubt  been  brought  to  this  country  by  some 
foreign  cattle.  He  declares  there  has  not  been  a  market  held  at  Islington  during 
the  month  of  July  at  whi  'h  diseased  cattle  have  not  been  sold.  He  does  not  believe 
the  disease  affects  human  beings.  To  prevent  the  recurrence  of  similar  plagues  he 
counsels  the  formation  of  a  Cattle  Disease  Prevention  Society,  which  shall  set  alomc 
with  the  Government  in  dealing  with  all  such  matters,  and  he  strongly  advises  that 
there  should  l>c  a  Bpecial  market  for  the  sale  of  foreign  cattle.  His  advice  as  to  the 
formation  of  a  society  was  at  once  taken. 


THE  FRENCH  HORSES. 
To  the  Editor  of  the  Sportsman, 
Sir,-  Will  you  allow  me  to  offer  a  few  remarks  on  a  subject  that  has  l^en  pretty 
well  ventilated  and  rather  freely  commented  on  by  your  more  ancient  contemporaries, 
and  grant  me  permission  to  explain  how  it  is  that  the  French  horses  are  improving 
and  ours  retrograding.  A  great  deal  has  been  written  and  remarks  made  not  at  all 
complimentary  to  Count  de  Lagrancre— remarks,  in  my  opinion,  both  unjnst,  ungra- 
cious, and  uncalled-for.  The  special  commissioner  of  one  paper  designates  the  French 
two-year-olds  as  old  ones,  forgetting,  when  he  does  so,  that  he  brands  that  most  re- 
spectable and  talented  body,  the  veterinarians  of  England,  a  set  of  stupid  dolts,  for 
they  must  be  both  stupid  and  ismorant  if  they  cannot  distinguish  a  two  from  a  three- 
year-old.  I  will  endeavour,  with  your  permission,  to  explain  how  it  is  that  the  Count's 
horses  display  higher  form  as  two-year  olds  than  ours.  In  the  first  place,  the  Count  is  a 
shrewd  man,  a  capital  judge,  and  no  nigarard ;  secondly,  he  breeds  not  for  «afo,  but  to  fiace 
his  young  stock,  which  are  not  reared  like  hothouse  plants,  but  allowed  to  roam  about 
until  September  or  October :  they  are  not  taken  up,  as  many  of  ours  are,  the  previous 
December  from  their  natural  element,  with  the  view  of  early  sale  in  the  spring,  as  fat 
and  as  sleek  as  oil-cake  and  barley-meal  can  make  them — such  food,  in  my  opinion, 
being  totally  unsuited  to  the  equine  race.  The  French  two-year-olds  don't  appear  on 
our  racecourses  with  feet  like  mules  or  donkeys,  and  shins  like  pipe-stoppers,  caused 
by  their  standing  on  the  hot  dung,  instead  of  what  nature  intended  for  them.  When 
the  proper  time  arrives  they  are  ready  to  go  into  work,  and  Jennings  has  only  one 
task  to  perform— viz.,  get  them  fit ;  whereas  the  majority  of  our  trainers  have  first  to 
get  rid  of  the  superabundant  fat  produced  by  the  oil-cake  and  barley-meal,  and  to 
replace  it  with  good  sound  flesh,  which  the  Count's  possess  when  they  arrive  at  their 
training  quarters.  I  ask  John  Scott,  a  Dawson,  or  a  Day,  is  there  anything  they  dis- 
like more  than  a  fat  ox  forced  yearling  ?  I  also  ask  the  same  competent  authorities 
whether  a  foal  or  a  yenrling  is  not  much  more  likely  to  engender  bone  and  muscle 
roaming  about  on  the  rich  plains  of  Normandy  than  shut  up  in  a  confined  box,  per- 
petually inhaling  the  same  atmosphere,  with  a  view  of  appearing  before  the  auctioneer 
early  in  the  spring  with  a  sleek  coat,  and  producing  a  large  average?  I  assert,  with- 
out fear  of  contradiction,  that  nine-tenths  of  the  horses  that  become  roarers  l)ecome 
so  from  this  early-produced  fat,  or,  more  properly  speaking,  blubber.  As  a  proof  of 
it,  there  is  not  one  roarer  in  France  to  every  fifty  in  England.  Again,  the  French 
young  ones  are  not  asked  to  race  before  they  scarcely  know  how  to  canter,  to  test 
their  merits  at  the  expense  of  their  poor  feet  and  constitution,  so  as  to  find  out  if  they 
are  worth  engaging ;  this,  in  my  opinion,  is  beinff  penny  wise  and  pound  foolish. 
Let  English  breeders  give  my  plan  a  trial,  eschew  oil-cake,  barley-meal,  and  such  like 
trash,  and  if  we  are  not  placed  in  our  original  position,  able  to  contend  against  all 
nations,  I  am  prepared  to  forfeit  more  than  it  is  at  present  convenient  to  pay ;  but 
as  security  I  will  effect  a  mortgage  on  my  Irish  estate,  which  is  in  the  parish  of 
Moomsh  county,  of  Bunmnadden  T^ioViii^ift,  QlCcywv^xv^VV^lt^Uwd. — I  am.  Sir.  yowr 
obedient  servant,  ^  ^^o^^asssMLKsa  t»^  «as^. 


THE  TOOT  PLANT  OF  NEW  ZEALAND.  493 

ON  THE  TOOT  PLANT  AND  POISON  OP  NEW  ZEALAND. 
{Continued  from  page  446.) 

IL — C.  thymifolia,  Humb. — The  majority  of  specimens  have  lanceolate,  acuminate 
leaves;  both  plant,  leaves,  and  racemes  being  smaller  than  in  the  preceding.  Some  of 
Colenso's  specimens  from  the  North  Island  of  New  Zealand  (no  precise  locality  given 
on  the  labels)  are  intermediate  in  size  of  plant  and  leaf  between  C.  ruscifolia  and  0. 
thymifolia.  Mount  Egmont,  Dieffenbach :  a  very  small  plant,  with  very  small  linear- 
lanceolate  leaves,  charact-eristically  named,  resembling  our  Thymus  serpyllum  in 
general  aspect,  though  it  is  usually  somewhat  taller.  This  and  other  forms  of  C. 
thymifolia  are  probably  referrible  to  the  0.  angustissima^Hook.  fil.  of  Dr  Hooker's 
*^  Handbook."  Milford  Sound,  Lyall :  a  tallish  plant,  with  linear-lanceolate  leaves 
and  largish  berries  on  a  sparse  raceme.  Nelson,  Bidwill ;  variously  labelled  vars.  of 
C.  sarmentosa  or  C.  thymifolia :  intermediate  between  the  C.  ruscifolia  and  C.  thymi- 
folia types.  Sub  nom.  C.  lanceolata :  Colenso  :  seems  more  referrible  to  C.  ruscifo- 
lia, and  is  an  intermediate  form  between  it  and  C.  thymifolia ;  pedicels  vary  in 
length,  occasionally  as  long  as  the  bracts,  sometimes  longer.  Mount  Hikurangi, 
Colenso,  1844  :  a  thyme-like  shrub  as  to  size  of  plant  and  leaves,  (C.  angustissima. 
Hooker  s  "  Handbook.")  Tongariro,  Bidwill :  a  larger  plant ;  leaves  sparee  and 
larger ;  racemes  sparingly  covered. 

Central  American  specimens ;  Mexico,  Hartweg :  whole  plant,  and  especially  in 
size  and  form  of  leaf,  approaches  C.  ruscifolia  :  a  somewhat  lax  shrub,  with  largish 
leaves.  Different  parts  of  Mexico,  Galeotti  and  Linden :  sometimes  with  densely- 
covered,  smallish  racemes.  Generally  speaking,  the  Central  American  specimens  of 
C.  thymifolia  have  leaves  much  more  resembling  those  of  Ruscus  aculeatus  than  C. 
ruscifolia  itself.  New  Granada,  Pichincho,  12,000  feet,  Hall:  a  dense  shrub,  with 
ovate  or  ovate-lanceolate  leaves,  and  small,  densely-covered  racemes.  Andes  of  Ecu- 
ador, Spruce,  1857-9  :  a  shrub  of  similar  character,  save  that  the  leaves  are  more 
acuminate  and  lanceolate.  Peru,  near  Huanaco,  Matthews :  sub  nom.  var.  micro- 
phylla  of  C.  ruscifolia.  Several  other  Peruvian  specimens  are  labelled  C.  phylicifo- 
lia,  and  are  all  apparently  referrible  to  C.  thymifolia.  New  Granada,  province  of 
Rio  Hache,  Sierra  Nevada,  10,000  feet,  L.  Schlimm's  voyage :  No.  808,  "  Flora  Neo- 
Granadina,"  Bogotina,  I.  F.  Holton,  Oct.  1852 :  leaves  more  lanceolate  and  acumi- 
nate, and  racemes  sparser  than  usual.  Caraccas,  J.  Linden,  April  1842;  Quito, 
Jameson;  Colombia,  Linden.— (Hooker.  Herb.) 

New  Zealand,  Dr  Hooker,  1842  :  intermediate  as  to  size  and  shape  of  leaf  between 
C.  ruscifolia  and  C.  thymifolia.  Sub  nom.  C.  myrifolia :  more  shrubby  and  Privet- 
like. Quito,  Spruce,  Aug.  1837  :  branchlets  densely  covered  with  small  ovate-lance- 
olate, acuminate  leaves :  racemes  also  closely  covered.  Santa  Martha,  Purdie : 
leaves  vary  greatly  in  shape  in  same  plant,  (as  is  frequently  the  case  with  the  species 
of  Coriaria :)  generally  small,  ovate,  oblong-ovate,  or  lanceolate,  and  mucronate. — 
(Bentham.  Herb.) 

Sub  nom.  C.  microphylla,  Peru,  Matthews:  in  fruit :  in  no  respect  differs  from  C. 
thymifolia  :  ten  feet  high  near  Huanaco.  Ecuador  Andes,  Spruce ;  quite  the  Peru- 
vian plant— (Edin.  Herb.) 

III.  C.  Nepalensis.  Wall.— In  general  has  a  close  resemblance  to  the  Otago  0. 
ruscifolia.  Sikkim,  alt.  5000  to  7000  feet:  Dr  Hooker.  Herbar.  Indie,  Hooker 
and  Thomson  ;  also  Lachen,alt.  10,000  to  11,000  feet;  and  Samdong,  alt.  11,500  feet, 
July  1849 ;  Chongtain,  alt  8000  feet,  May  1849.  Kumaon,  (Nynee  Tal,)  April, 
1844,  Thomson  :  more  shrubby  and  fibrous  than  usual.  Kapkot,  Kumaon,  alt.  3509 
feet :  Himalayan  Herb,  of  R.  Strachey  and  J.  E.  Winterbottom.  Bootan,  Griffith  : 
North-western  Himalaya,  alt  3000  to  6000  feet :  Thomson.  N.  W.  India,  Royle. 
Dhara'Dhoon :  Jacquemont's  "Voyage  to  the  East  Indies:'*  intermediate  between 
Privet-like  forms  and  Otago  large-leaved  forms  of  C.  ruscifolia  :  shrubby. — (Hooker. 
Herb.) 

Kumaon,  Wallich,  1832.  Himalaya;  alt  5000  to  8000  feet;  M.  P.  Edgeworth, 
1844  :  have  the  aspect  of  South  American  forms  of  C.  ruscifolia. — (Bentham.  Herb.) 

Kumaon  :  resembles  C.  myrtifolia,  save  as  to  size  of  leaf,  which  is  here  larger. — 
(Edin.  Herb.) 

IV.  C.  Japonica,  Asa  Gray.    Japan  :  Herbarium  of  the  U.S.  North  Pacific  Explor- 
ing Expedition  under  Commanders  Ringgold  and  Rodgers,  1853-6 :  bears  a  close 
resemblance  to  the  New  Zealand  C.  ruscifolia  in  the  size  of  the  plants  le&v«&^«i^  ' 
berries ;  leftves  more  acuminate ;  racemes  shorter. — (^YLooVwftt.^^x^.'^ 


491-  THE  TOOT  PLANT  OF  NEW  ZEALAND. 

y.  C.  my rti folia,  L.  Spain  :  Boissier  and  Renter,  "  Iter  Al^rienai-Hiapanicam/' 
Jnly  1849  :  somewhat  resembles  C.  Japonica  San  Roqne  and  Barcelona,  Boaigean^a 
Spanish- Pyrenees  HerUar.,  No.  487,  April  1847  :  a  woody,  dwarf.  Privet-like  shrub. 
Bequien  in  the  Cevennes.  Algeria,  May  1837  :  aUo  a  Priyet-like  ahmby  but  larger 
than  the  Pyrenees  specimens. — (Hooker.  Herb.) 

Perpignan :  leaf  lanceolate,  resembling  that  of  senna :  more  rigid  than  that  of 
the  New  Zealand  Coriarios.  Montpelier,  All  these  French  specimens  seem  distinct 
from  any  of  the  New  Zealand  species  of  Coriaria. — (Edin.  Herb.) 

From  the  foregoing  enumeration  and  comparison  it  would  appear  that — 

1.  All  the  species  of  Coriaria,  wherever  they  occur,  are  more  or  less  variable,  espe- 
cially as  to  the  size  of  the  plant,  leaf,  raceme,  and  berry :  the  leaf  varying  in  shape 
frequently  on  the  same  plant 

2.  The  three  New  Zealand  species  (if  these  really  are  separate  species)  are  pre-emi- 
nent above  others,  save  perhaps  those  of  South  America,  in  their  variability. 

3.  Several  Book-frpeciea  are  probably  only  synonyms,  or  represent  forms  or  varieties 
of  other  species.  Such  are  C.  sarmentosa,  C.  lanceolata,  C.  microphylla,  C.  Cunning- 
hamii,  C.  myrifolia,  C.  phylicifolia ;  and  such  also,  I  am  inclined  to  think,  are  the  C. 
thymifolia  and  C.  angudtissima  of  Dr  Hooker's  **  Handbook ;"  both  of  which,  with 
all  their  intermediate  forms,  I  would  refer  to  C.  ruscifolia. 

4.  Probably  some  of  the  more  typical  species,  representative  of  remotely  separated 
countries — such  as  the  C.  Nepalensis  of  the  Himalayas  and  C.  Japonica  of  Japan— 
may  yet  prove  identical  with,  or  at  least  forms  of,  the  older  and  better  known  species, 
such  as  C.  ruscifolia  or  C.  myrtifolia. 

5.  C.  ruscifolia,  as  at  present  defined,  appears  limited  to  New  Zealand  and  South 
Chili ;  but  C.  thymifolia  has  a  much  wider  geographical  range,  occurring  thronghout 
New  Zealand  as  well  as  in  America,  from  Mexico  to  Peru — ascending  the  equatorial 
Andes  to  12,000  feet. 

6.  The  species  or  forms  designated  in  Dr  Hooker's  "  Handbook''  C.  ruscifolia,  C. 
thymifolia,  and  C.  angustissima,  pass  into  each  other  by  gradations  equally  in  South 
America  and  New  Zealand. 

7.  Not  only  does  the  genus,  as  developed  in  New  Zealand,  deserve  and  demand 
the  attention  of  the  local  botanist ;  but  the  whole  genua,  wherever  its  species  are  dis- 
tributed, would  repay  a  critical  examination,  and  should  become  the  subject  of  a 
short  exhaustive  monograph  at  the  hands  of  some  competent  authority,  who  has  the 
necessary  access,  for  comparison,  to  large  suites  of  specimens  from  all  parts  of  tiie 
world,  and  from  every  variety  of  habitat. 

The  following  are  the  more  prominent  or  main  botanical  characters  of — 

1.  C.  ruscifolia  :  a  perennial  shrub,  generally  a  few  feet  high,  sometimes  attaining 
10-20  feet,  or  upwards,  and  even  assuming  the  form  and  dimensions  of  a  small  tree 
6-8  inches  in  diameter  ;  generally  forming  with  fern,  flax,  and  other  plants, "  scrub', 
on  open  ground ;  sometimes,  also,  growing  in  the  '*  bush,"  (forest)  Branches  angu-' 
lar;  leaves  generally  opposite,  entire,  1-3  inches  long,  sub-ovate,  acuminate,  snbees- 
sile.  Flower-racemes  8-12  inches  long,  drooping,  many-flowered,  pubescent,  axillary. 
Flowers  very  minute,  green,  and  inconspicuous.  Petals  become,  when  the  fruit  is  ripe, 
succulent  and  full  of  purple  juice,*  constituting  what  is  generally  called  by  settlers 
the  berry.  Fruit  consists  of  5  -8  small,  oblong  achenes,  or  carpels,  enclos^  in  the 
short,  triangular,  fleshy  petals. 

Dr  Hooker,  in  his  "  Handbook  of  the  New  Zealand  Flora,"  recently  issued,  enu- 
merates other  two  New  Zealand  species  of  Coriaria,  both  of  them  smallar  than  C. 
ruscifolia,  and  less  liable  to  be  eaten  in  any  of  their  parts — and  especially  their  seeds 
or  berries — by  man  or  animals.  Both,  apparently,  are  annuals ;  while  the  luger  C. 
ruscifolia  is,  as  already  stated,  a  perennial. 

2.  C.  thymifolia,  Humb.,  has  more  lanceolate  leaves,  4-1  inch  long ;  it  is  generally 
more  pubescent  than  C.  ruscifolia ;  is  sometimes  only  about  a  foot  high,  and  has 
shorter  racemes  and  smaller  flowers.  It  grows  in  dry  places,  and  ascends  to  5000 
feet 

8.  C.  angustissima,  Hook,  fil,  new  species,  is  a  small,  bright,  green  annual,  6-18 
inches  high,  with  the  habit  of  the  preceding  species,  save  that  the  branches  are  gli^ 
reus,  very  slender,  and  denser,  and  the  leaves  very  narrow,  linear-lanceolate,  about  { 
inch  long.    It  appears  mostly  to  afiect  subalpine  localities. 

■   •*Th6  juice  of  the  stem  and  branches  is  colourless ;  but  it  uniformly  produced  on  my 
after  a  little  exposure  to  the  air-— a  deep  purple  stain,  resembling  tliat  of  our  blaeberry. 


THE  TOOT  PLANT  OF  NEW  ZEALAND.  495 

My  conviction  is  strong  that  the  two  latter  are  mere  forms  of  the  first  species,  the 
differences  in  the  size  of  all  parts  of  the  plant  being  produced  by  the  differences  in 
habitat ;  the  smallest  forms,  as  a  general  rule,  occurring  at  the  greatest  elevations 
and  in  the  most  exposed,  driest  localities. 

§  3.  Seat  op  the  Poisolfbus  Principle. 

To  cattle  and  sheep  the  poisonous  part  of  the  plant  is  usually  the  young  shoot : 
this,  in  spring,  is  tender  and  stfccUlent,  and  resembles  otherwise  the  shoots  of  Aspa- 
ragus. 

My  friend,  Mr  Mannihg,  holds  opinions— as  to  the  parts  of  the  plants  which  are 
poisonous — so  far  exceptional  or  peculito,  that  I  prefer  giving  them  in  his  own 
words,  only  premising  that  his  remarks  apply  to  the  northern  districts  of  the  North 
Island— some  800  or  1000  miles  distant  from  Otago  : — 

"The  poison  is  silpposed  commonly,  by  Europeans,  to  exist  in  the  seeds  :  but  the 
natives  say  it  is  not  in  the  seeds,  but  in  a  very  fine  fur*  or  hairy,  reddish  excrescence, 
which  grows  on  the  stalk  close  to  where  the  berry  adheres  to  it;  and  that  it  is  this 
which,  when  tak«n  into  the  stomach,  has  the  poisonous  effect.  This  fur,  or  down  is  so 
fine  as  to  be  scarcely  visible  to  the  naked  eye ;  and  I  am  inclined  to  think  the  natives  are 
right  in  their  assertion,  for  many  kinds  of  birds  live  entirely  on  the  Tutu  berries 
when  in  season  ;  and  I  can  assure  you,  swallow  the  seeds  with  great  voracity.  The 
*  Tui,'  or  Blackbird,  (Prosthemadera  Novae  Zelandiae,)  I  have  kept  tame  and  fed  for 
months  on  nothing  else.  The  bird,  I  observed,  picked  the  berries  off  the  stalk  one 
by  one  and  swalfowed  them  whole,  or  at  least  seed  and  all,  leaving  the  stalk — to 
which  the  supposed  poisonous  fur  adheres — t)ehind.  This  stalk  is  a  small  lateral 
stalk  from  the  main  one  to  which  the  berry  adheres."  It  does  not  at  all  follow, 
however,  that  because  birds  are  unaffected,  the  seeds  are  innocuous.  The  illustrations 
cited  in  pp.  169,  170*,  1^1,  and  175,  of  substances  T^hich,  while  innocuous  to  certain 
animals,  become  deadly  poisons  to  certain  othei^,  sufficiently  show  the  fallacy  of  any 
such  line  of  argument. 

To  the  human  subject,  the  se^d  is  usually  the  corpus  delicti ;  though,  as  in  the 
case  of  the  inquest  aft  Dunedin  already  referred  to,  the  young  shoot  or  the  leaves  are 
occasionally  a  cause  of  poisoning  or  death  in  children  and  adults.  The  seeds  are 
contained  in  a  beautiful  dark  purple,  or  blackish,  berry,  (in  reality  consisting  of 
fleshy,  enlarged  petals,)  resembling  somewhat  the  blackberry — which  grows  in  clus- 
ters, (racemes,)  resembling  those  of  oui*  black  curraCnt.  It  is  a  very  tempting  fruit, 
the  succulent  portion  whereof  yields  a  juice,t  and  the  latter,  on  fermentation,  a  winej 
resembling  elderberry  wine,  which  are  great  favourites  equally  with  Maoris  and  set- 
tlers, and  which  are,  in  ordinary  quantities  at  least,  quite  harmless. 

*  Alluding  probably  to  the  pubesence  of  the  raceme  which  is  least  in  C.  ruscifolia,  and  greatet  t 
in  C.  thyTnifoIia. 

t  The  juice  of  the  berry  (fleshy  petals)  <Jf  a  closely  allied  species,  if  it  is  not  in  reality  a  mere 
variety  of  C.  ruscifolia,  (viz.,  C.  thymifolia.)  is,  under  the  name  of  "Chauci'*  used  as  ink  in  New 
Granada,  where  the  plant  is  hence  known  as  the  "  Ink  plant."  It  is  employed  without  admix- 
ture, its  colour  being  at  first  red,  but  becoming  in  a  few  houifs  black.  It  has  this  advantage  over 
ordinary  ink,  that  it  does  not  corrode  steel  pens. 

X  Dr  Seemann  says  that  the  Maoris  apply  the  term  *'  Eawa"  to  a  beverage  made  from  the  fruit 
of  Coriaria  myrtifofia,  Linn.:  their  "  TQpa-kShi,"  •*  TQtu,"  or  "  Ptlhou."  In  this  statement,  how- 
ever, he  has  apparently  committed  several  important  errors.  C.  myrtifolia  docs  not  occur  in  New 
Zealand  at  all,  imless,  indeed,  botanists  should  hereafter  agree  to  conjoin  it  with  C.  ruscifolia  as 
one  species.  The  latter  is  the  true  "  TQtu"  of  the  Maori.  Though  he  makes  a  wine  therefrom, 
there  is  no  evidence  it  is  called  •*  Kawa."  This  term,  or  rather  the  term  "  Kawakawa,"  is  applied 
in  New  Zealand  only  to  Piper  excelsum,  Forst,  (N.  O.  Piperacese,)  which  is  allied  to  the  **  ELava" 
or  "  Kawa  "  proper  of  the  South  Sea  Islands,  (MacJropiper  methysticum :  the  term  "  Kava  *'  pro- 
perly referring  to  its  thick  rhizome. )  Dr  Thomson  also  falls  into  some  confusion  on  the  subject 
of  "Kava,"  in  so  far  as  he  states  that  the  '•  Kava  "  plant  (Macropiper  methysticum)  grows  abun- 
dantly in  New  Zealand,  and  that  the  Maoris  have  "  forgotten  thd  art  of  extracting  [by  chewing] 
an  intoxicating  beverage  "  (a  narcotic)  £h)m  its  root :  a  practice  which  he  says  is  common  among 
Polynesians  in  more  tropical  islands.  He  appears  to  have  mistaken  the  common  North  Island  P. 
excelsum  for  the  Polynesian  ••  Kava"  proper.  Dieffenbach,  who  writes  sixteen  years  prior  to 
Thomson,  and  nineteen  prior  to  Seemann,  puts  the  matter  much  more  correctly  when  he  speaks 
of  the  New  Zealand  P.  excelsum  as  the  New  Zealand  *i  Representative  of  the  Piper  methysticum 
of  the  Sandwich  and  Tonga  Islands."  "Although  bearing  the  same  name,"  he  says,  "it  is  not 
used  by  the  New  Zealanders  to  make  an  intoxicating  drink  ;  its  leaves,  however,  form  a  good  and 
apparently  healthy  substitute  for  tea." 

Dr  Hooker  of  Kew,  the  highest  authority  on  the  New  Zealand  Flora,  writes  me  (Januaiy  81, 
1865)  in  reference  to  this  subject :  "  The  KaviEi  Pepper  is  certainly,  as  you  suppose,  the  Macro- 

Eiper  methysticum.  It  does  not  occur  in  New  Zealand,  though  very  near  the  P.  excelsum,  which 
I  also  a  micropiper  according  to  Miguel,  the  founder  of  the  genus.  My  own  idea,  and  that  of 
most  botanists,  is  that  Piper  should  be  kept  entire  as  a  most  natural  genus;  but  I  wo\s^xks£w 
speak  positively  without  going  into  the  whole  order." 

Vol.  I.— No.  IX.— New  Series.    September  1865.  2  "X^ 


406  THE  TOOT  PLANT  OF  NEW  ZEALAND. 

Mr  Manning  makes  a  qnalified  Btaiement  when  he  ntLj%,  *'  The  jnice  of  the  Tutu 
berry  is  not  poisonous,  and  when  pressed  from  the  berry  is  a  favonrite  drink  with 
both  natives  and  Europeans  who  have  got  accustomed  to  it.  In  Otago  the  settlen 
are  in  the  habit  of  squeezing  the  ripe  berries  in  a  pocket-handkerchief,  and  sipping 
the  juice,  which  exudes,  with  impunity.  Dr  Thomson  states  that,  prior  to  the  colo- 
nisation of  New  Zealand,  the  natives  used  the  juice  of  the  Tutu  berries  to  sweeten 
water ;  converting  it,  I  presume,  into  an  equivalent  to  the  French  eau  gucrie,  or  our 
lemonade ;  while  they  also  sweetened  and  coloured  with  it  the  jelly  of  certain  sea- 
weeds, after  the  manner  of  our  blanc  mange  et  hoc  genus  omne, 

§  4.  Its  Nature. 
It  is  probable  that  the  same  active  poisonous  principle,  recently  detected  in  C. 
myrtifolia  by  M.  Ribau,  and  named  by  him  Coria  myrtine,  may  also  be  the  active 
poison  of  the  New  Zealand  "  Toot."  This,  however,  has  yet  to  be  determined.  The 
experimental  efifects  of  this  substance  resemble  closely  the  poisonous  effects  on  men 
and  animals,  on  the  one  hand,  of  C.  myrtifolia,  and  on  the  other  of  G.  Buscifolia. 
In  M.  Ribau's  bands,  the  symptoms  of  poisoning  by  Coriamyrtine  in  dogs  and  lab* 
bits  were,  violent  movements  of  the  head,  communicated  to  all  the  limbs ;  clonic 
and  tetanic  convulsions,  returning  by  fits ;  contraction  of  the  pupils,  trismus,  foam- 
ing at  the  mouth,  and  at  last  asphyxia.  The  principal  post-mortem  appearances 
were  brownish  coagulated  blood  in  the  heart-cavities,  pulmonary  artery,  and  inferior 
vena  cava ;  brown  spots  on  the  lungs ;  and  hyperamia  of  the  cerebral  membranes. 
The  intestinal  mucous  membrane  and  muscuhu:  contractility,  however,  appeared  vn- 
affected. 

§  5.  Its  Physiological  Action. 

A.  On  Man. — In  action  the  Toot  plant  or  poison  is,  like  its  congener,  C.  myrtifolia* 
apparently  referable  to  that  section  of  Narcotico-irritants,  or  Narcotico-acrida,  whose 
action  is  exhibited  mainly  on  the  brain  and  spinal  cord ;  or  using  the  terms  of  another 
and  newer,  and  more  philosophical,  classification  of  poisons,  to  the  Gerebro-spinal 
section  of  Neurotic  poisons.  The  term  narcotico-irritant  is  not  strictly  correct  or 
applicable,  in  so  far  as  there  are  rarely,  if  ever,  symptoms  of  irritant  action;  the 
poison  apparently  being  a  pure  Neurotic,  affecting  primarily  and  chiefly  the  brain,  and 
secondarily  the  spinal  cord. 

In  man  the  symptoms  of  Toot-poisoning  may  be  shortly  stated  as,  generally,  gid- 
diness, stupor,  coma,  with  or  without  delirium  or  convulsions ;  but  the  details  diffec 
in  different  individuals.  Sometimes  there  are  symptoms  like  those  of  brain  fever; 
occasionally  the  delirium  resembles  that  of  alcoholic  intoxication,  or  delirium  tremens; 
at  other  times  it  rather  approximates  that  of  acute  mania,  being  marked  by  great 
muscular  excitement,  the  patient  requiring  restraint  of  the  most  powerfnl  kind — in 
some  instances,  the  assistance  of  several  strong  men  for  several  hours.  One  of  the 
characteristics  of  the  convalescent  stage  is  loss  of  memory,  with  or  without  a  vertigm- 
ous  condition. 

I  append,  as  illustrations,  reports  from  the  Otago  newspapers  of  one  or  two  fatal 
accidents  to  adults  or  children  from  eating  various  parts  of  the  Toot  plant : — 

"  We  regret  to  announce  the  death  of  a  child,  .  .  .  which  is  reported  to  have 
been  caused  by  his  eating  the  young  leaves  of  a  small  shrub  called  *  Toot,*  or  '  Tutu.* 
His  sister,  about  seven  years  of  age,  was  attacked  the  same  day,  and  for  a  connderaUe 
time  was  dangerously  ill.  Two  medical  men  were  in  attendance,  but  too  late  to  pre- 
serve life  in  the  younger  child.  The  shrub,  which  has  apparently  been  the  cause  of 
death,  is  fatal  not  only  to  man,  but  to  cattle  and  sheep,  being  more  deadly  at  some 
periods  than  at  others.  We  have  often  heard  of  the  injurious  effects  from  children 
and  grown-up  men  eating  the  ripe  berries,  but  do  not  remember  a  similar  instance  to 
the  present.  ...  We  would  caution  parents  not  to  allow  their  children  to  stray 
where  this  shrub  is  prevalent,  especially  in  the  low  and  shady  glens,  where  it  appears 
most  deadly  in  its  eftect8."~0togro  Witness,  Oct.  12,  1861. 

"A  fine  young  man,  on  his  way  to  the  diggings,  has  just  met  his  death  from  par- 
taking of  the  Tutu  plant.  He  was  camping  near  Wetherstone's,  when  he  took  some 
grass  in  his  mouth  and  ate  some  of  the  poisonous  plant  or  berry.  He  soon  complained 
of  illness ;  a  doctor  was  sent  for,  and  he  was  without  loss  of  time  conveyed  to  the 

hospital,  where  he  died  next  day He  had  just  arrived  from  Sydney. 

The  jury  appended  a  rider  to  their  verdict,  recommending  the  Government  to  publidi 
prominent  notices  in  the  newspapers  of  the  description  of  the  IHitu,  together  with  a 
warning  to  new  arrivals  not  to  partake  of  it.  Tutu  is  a  small  bush,  with  a  berry  like 
the  elder.    The  Maoris  express  an  agreeable  juice  from  the  berry,  but  carefnlly  avoid 


THE  TOOT  PLANT  OF  NEW  ZEALAND.  497 

the  seed,  which,  with  the  leaves  and  shoots,  produce  a  narcotic  eflfect,  frequently 
proving  fatal  to  both  men  and  cattle." — Otago  Daily  Times,  Nov.  15,  1862. 

The  same  case,  apparently,  is  also  thus  referred  to  in  the  "  Tuapeka  [Gk)ld  Field] 
Hospital  Report,"  (November  16,  1862.)  "  A  somewhat  strange  case  of  poisoning 
from  eating  the  leaves  of  the  Tutu  plant  was  admitted  into  the  hospital  last  week. 
From  what  I  can  learn,  the  person  poisoned  was  a  new  arrival,  unacquainted  with  the 
dangerous  properties  of  the  Tutu  plant ;  and  that,  while  waiting  for  his  mates  to  bring 
provisions  from  Wetherstone's,  he  had  eaten  a  iew  of  the  leaves.  Shortly  afterwards 
he  was  seized  with  severe  pains  in  the  bowels,  and  as  he  appeared  to  be  getting  worse, 
was  removed  to  the  hospital,  where  he  lingered  until  the  following  morning.  An  in- 
quest was  afterwards  held  on  the  body  ....  and  a  verdict  returned,  *  That  the 
deceased  had  died  from  eating  the  leaves  of  the  poisonous  Tutu  plant.* " — Otago  Daily 
Times,  Nov.  18,  1862. 

Mr  Manning  remarks,  "  The  sickness  occasioned  by  swallowing  the  Tutu  berry — as 
I  think,  with  the  small  stalk  adhering,  which  has  the  poisonous  fur — is  just  to  ^l\  ap- 
pearance the  same  as  an  attack  of  epilepsy.  If  a  certain  quantity  is  taken  into  the 
stomach,  certain  death  will  follow.  Some  French  sailors,  several  years  ago,  poisoned 
themselves  [about  twelve  men]  by  eating  the  Tutu  berry.  A  quick  recourse  to  the 
stomach-pump  saved  most  of  them ;  but  about  four,  I  think,  died." 

The  following  cases  will  suihce  to  illustrate  the  poisonous,  but  non-fatal  effects  of 
eating  the  tempting  and  luscious  berries,  including  the  seeds,  on  man : — 

Case  I.  Reported  to  me  by  my  friend,  Mr  Martin,  of  Saddlehill,  Otago,  who  was 
himself  the  sufferer. — He  had  on  many  previous  occasions  eaten  the  berries  in  larger 
quantity,  without  bad  effects.  On  the  present  occasion,  after  tea,  about  7  or  8  p.m.  of 
a  harvest  evening,  he  ate  about  half  a  pint  of  the  berries  of  old  plants ;  these  berries 
were  small  and  hard,  and  full  of  seeds.  No  sensible  effect  was  produced  until  next 
morning,  about  6  a.m.,  when  he  attempted  to  get  out  of  bed  and  dress  as  usual.  He 
got  on  his  clothes  partly,  but  suddenly  lost  all  consciousness  till  about  11  a.m.,  when 
he  awoke  to  find  himself  in  bed,  with  a  doctor  beside  him,  and  a  broth  plate,  half  full 
of  thick  blood,  within  view.  This  blood  had  just  been  drawn  from  his  temporal 
artery  by  a  penknife  incision,  it  having  refused  to  flow  from  a  vein  in  the  arm.  He 
was  conscious  for  a  minute  or  two,  but  almost  immediately  relapsed  into  stupor,  which 
continued  for  about  twenty-four  hours,  so  far  as  he  can  now  recollect.  When,  at 
length,  he  emerged  from  this  comatose  condition,  loss  of  memory  was  the  chief  or 
only  peculiarity  observable.  For  about  half  a  day  he  remained  in  a  semi-stupid  state, 
not  able  to  remember  where  he  was,  what  he  had  been  doing  for  the  previous  forty- 
eight  hours,  or  how  he  had  come  there.  He  felt,  indeed,  as  if  he  had  been  newly 
born  into  the  world,  and  was  overwhelmed  with  wonder  at  the  novelty  of  all  his  sur- 
roundings. In  the  course  of  another  half  day  he  gradually  passed  into  a  condition  of 
ordinary  mental  and  physical  activity,  and  there  were  no  subsequent  bad  effects. 
Throughout  his  illness  he  had  had  no  pain ;  there  had  beien  no  effect  on  the  bowels ; 
and  there  was  no  treatment  attempted  save  bleeding.  It  subsequently  transpired 
that,  after  his  seizure — that  is,  while  in  a  state  of  unconsciousness— he  must  have  de- 
scended an  ordinary  spar  ladder  leading  from  the  attic  to  the  ground  floor,  walked 
five  or  six  yards  along  an  embankment  leading  from  the  door  of  his  house,  and  fallen 
over  the  said  embankment,  a  height  of  seven  or  eight  feet,  before  he  was  found,  in  a 
state  of  coma,  by  the  friend  with  whom  he  resided.  His  friend  had  lost  no  time  in 
canTJng  him  again  upstairs,  putting  him  to  bed,  and  sending  for  a  doctor.  The  pro- 
bability here  is  that,  had  Mr  Martin  eaten  the  same  quantity  of  Toot  berries  under 
other  circumstances— before  instead  of  after  a  meal— and  more  especially  on  an  empty 
stomach,  while  the  nervous  system  was  depressed  and  weakened  by  fatigue  as  well  as 
hunger,  the  result  would  have  been  fatal.  He  knows  of  several  fellow  settlers  (adults) 
who  have  also  been  affected  by  eating  the  berry,  ripe  or  unripe  ;  but  the  symptoms 
differed  greatly  in  different  individuals.  Some  became  excited  or  violent :  they 
laughed  or  they  raved  outrageously,  or  their  conduct  was  simply  grotesque  in  the  ex< 
treme  :  the  results,  indeed,  closely  resembled  those  producible  by  "  laughing  gas  "  on 
the  students  of  a  chemical  class.  Others  appeared  as  if  under  the  influence  of  alco- 
holic intoxicants.  He  never  heard,  however,  of  any  settler  eating  the  young  shoots 
or  leaves  and  suffering  therefrom,  till  the  case  of  the  two  children  in  Dunedin  before- 
mentioned. 

Case  IL  Reported  by  the  Rev.   Mr  Will,  of  the  East  Taeri,  Otago,  in  ^qV^'^fc. 
house  the  following  occurrence  took  place. — Two  young  gentlemen  who  were  ^»:^* 


^%  THE  TOOT  PLANT  OF  NEW  ZEALAND. 

Mr  Mantling  makes  a  qualified  Btatement  when  he  says,  "The  jaice  of  tbe  Tstt 
l>erry  ih  not  |>oiflonouii,  and  when  pressed  from  the  berry  is  a  faTonrite  drink  litk 
lK>t!i  natives  and  Kuropcans  who  hare  got  accaatomed  to  it.  In  Otago  the  Bettten 
arc  iu  the  haliit  of  iu|ueczing  the  ripe  berries  in  a  pocket-handkerchief,  and  Ajff^ 
the  jiilctf.  whioh  exudes,  with  impunity.  Dr  Thomson  states  that,  prior  to  the  cob- 
niiiutiou  of  New  Zealand,  the  natives  used  the  juice  of  the  Tata  berries  to  iweeta 
water:  convortin^^  it,  I  presume,  into  an  equivalent  to  the  French  eau  aucrk,^^ 
Icinonudo;  while  they  aliio  sweetened  and  coloured  with  it  the  jelly  of  certain  ear 
weeds,  after  the  manlier  of  our  hlanc  mange  et  hoc  genus  omne. 

§  4.  Its  Nature. 
It  is  probable  that  the  same  active  poisonous  principle,  recently  detected  in  C 
myrtifulia  by  M.  Uil>au,  and  name<l  by  him  Coria  myrtme,  may  also  be  Uie  tctin 
ixiisun  of  the  New  Zealand  "  Toot"  This,  however,  has  yet  to  he  determined.  The 
experimental  eflfccts  of  this  substance  resemble  closely  the  poisonous  efiecta  on  Bta 
and  aniiJiaU,  on  the  one  hand,  of  C.  myrtifolia,  and  on  the  other  of  C.  BuflcifoliL 
In  M.  Ivibau'rt  hands,  the  symptoms  of  poisoning  by  Coriam3'rtine  in  dogs  andnb- 
bits  were,  violent  movements  of  the  head,  communicated  to  all  the  limbs;  donk 
and  tetanic  convulsions,  returning  by  fits;  contraction  of  the  pupils,  trismus,  te 
in^^  at  the  mouth,  and  at  last  asphyxia.  The  principal  poHt-mortem  appcannett 
were  brownish  coagulated  blood  in  the  heart-cavities,  pulmonary  artery,  and  inferioi 
vena  cava ;  brown  sjwts  on  the  lungs ;  and  hyperamia  of  the  cerebral  membnnes. 
The  intestinal  mucous  membrane  and  mosculu'  contractility,  howeyer,  appeared  hr- 
affected. 

§  5.  Ith  Phtsiological  Action. 
A.  On  3At?*.— Inaction  the  Toot  plant  or  poison  is,  like  its  congener,  C.  myrtifolii, 
apparently  referable  to  that  section  of  Narcotico-irritants,  or  Narcotico-acrids,  wh«e 
action  is  exhibited  mainly  on  the  brain  and  spinal  cord ;  or  using  the  terms  of  another 
and  newer,  and  more  philosophical,  classification  of  poisons,  to  the  Cerebro^piml 
section  of  Neurotic  poisons.  The  term  narcotico-irritant  is  not  strictly  correct  or 
applicable,  in  so  far  as  there  are  rarely,  if  ever,  symptoms  of  irritant  action;  tiw 
poison  ai)parcntly  l>eing  a  pure  Neurotic,  affecting  primarily  and  chiefly  the  brain,  and 
secondarily  the  spinal  cord. 

In  man  the  flvmptoms  of  Toot-poisoning  may  be  shortly  stated  as,  generally,  rid- 
dincss,  stupor,  coma,  with  or  without  delirium  or  conyulsions ;  but  the  details'  differ 
in  diflercnt  individuals.  Sometimes  there  are  symptoms  like  those  of  brain  fever; 
occasionally  the  delirium  resembles  that  of  alcoholic  intoxication,  or  delirium  tremens; 
at  other  times  it  rather  approximates  that  of  acute  mania,  being  marked  by  great 
muscular  excitement,  the  patient  requiring  restraint  of  the  most  powerful  kind— in 
some  instances,  the  assistance  of  several  strong  men  for  several  hours.  One  of  the 
characteristics  of  the  convalescent  stage  is  loss  of  memory,  with  or  without  a  vertigin- 
ous condition. 

I  append,  as  illustrations,  reports  from  the  Otago  newspapers  of  one  or  two  fatal 
accidents  to  adults  or  children  from  eating  various  parts  of  the  Toot  plant : — 

*'  We  regret  to  announce  the  death  of  a  child,  .  .  .  which  is  reported  to  have 
been  caused  by  his  eating  the  young  leaves  of  a  small  shrub  called  '  Toot,*  or  *  Tutu.' 
His  sister,  about  seven  years  of  age,  was  attacked  the  same  day,  and  for  a  consideraWe 
time  was  dangerously  ill.  Two  medical  men  were  in  attendance,  but  too  late  to  pre- 
serve life  in  the  younger  child.  The  shrub,  which  has  apparently  been  the  cause  of 
death,  is  fatal  not  only  to  man,  but  to  cattle  and  sheep,  being  more  deadly  at  some 
periods  than  at  others.  We  have  often  heard  of  the  injurious  eflTects  from  children 
and  grown-up  men  eating  the  ripe  berries,  but  do  not  remember  a  s^'milar  instance  to 
the  present.  .  .  .  We  would  caution  parents  not  to  allow  their  children  to  stray 
where  this  shrub  is  prevalent,  especially  in  the  low  and  shady  glens,  where  it  appeaii 
most  deadly  in  its  eflects."— Oto^/o  WitnesRy  Oct.  12,  1861. 

"  A  fine  young  man,  on  his  way  to  the  diggings,  has  just  met  his  death  from  par- 
taking of  the  Tutu  plant.  He  was  camping  near  Wetherstone*s,  when  he  took  some 
grass  in  his  mouth  and  ate  some  of  the  poisonous  plant  or  berry.  He  soon  complained 
of  illness ;  a  doctor  was  sent  for,  and  he  was  without  loss  of  time  conveyed  to  the 

hospital,  where  he  died  next  day He  had  just  arrived  from  Sydney. 

The  jurj'  appended  a  rider  to  their  verdict,  recommending  the  Government  to  publish 
prominent  notices  in  the  newspapers  of  the  description  of  the  IHitu,  together  with  a 
warning  to  new  arrivals  not  to  partake  of  it.  Tutu  is  a  small  bush,  with  a  berry  like 
the  elder.    The  Maoris  express  an  agreeable  juice  from  the  berry,  but  carefully  avoid 


U  THE  TOOT  PLANT  OF  NEW  ZEALAND.  497 

1^    the  seed,  which,  with  the  leaves  and  shoots,  produce  a  narcotic  eflfect,  frequently 
i: 


proving  fatal  to  both  men  and  cattle." — Otago  Daily  Times,  Nov.  15,  1862. 

The  same  case,  apparently,  is  also  thus  referred  to  in  the  "  Tuapeka  [Gk)ld  Field] 
Hospital  Report,"  (November  16,  1862.)    "  A  somewhat  strange  case  of  poisoning 
from  eating  the  leaves  of  the  Tutu  plant  was  admitted  into  the  hospital  last  week. 
J    From  what  I  can  learn,  the  person  poisoned  was  a  new  arrival,  unacquainted  with  the 
dangerous  properties  of  the  Tutu  plant ;  and  that,  while  waiting  for  his  mates  to  bring 

Erovisions  from  Wetherstone's,  he  had  eaten  a  few  of  the  leaves.  Shortly  afterwards 
6  was  seized  with  severe  pains  in  the  bowels,  and  as  he  appeared  to  be  getting  worse, 
was  removed  to  the  hospital,  where  he  lingered  until  the  following  morning.  An  in- 
quest was  afterwards  held  on  the  body  ....  and  a  verdict  returned,  *  That  the 
deceased  had  died  from  eating  the  leaves  of  the  poisonous  Tutu  plant.' " — Otago  Daily 
Times,  Nov.  18,  1862. 

Mr  Manning  remarks,  "  The  sickness  occasioned  by  swallowing  the  Tutu  berry — as 
I  think,  with  the  small  stalk  adhering,  w^hich  has  the  poisonous  fur — is  just  to  lil  ap- 
pearance the  same  as  an  attack  of  epilepsy.  If  a  certain  quantity  is  taken  into  the 
stomach,  certain  death  will  follow.  Some  French  sailors,  several  years  ago,  poisoned 
themselves  [about  twelve  men]  by  eating  the  Tutu  berry.  A  quick  recourse  to  the 
stomach-pump  saved  most  of  them ;  but  about  four,  I  think,  died." 

The  following  cases  will  suffice  to  illustrate  the  poisonous,  but  non-fatal  effects  of 
eating  the  tempting  and  luscious  berries,  including  the  seeds,  on  man  : — 

Case  I.  Reported  to  me  by  my  friend,  Mr  Martin,  of  Saddlehill,  Otago,  who  was 
himself  the  sufferer. — He  had  on  many  previous  occasions  eaten  the  berries  in  larger 
quantity,  without  bad  effects.  On  the  present  occasion,  after  tea,  about  7  or  8  p.m.  of 
a  harvest  evening,  he  ate  about  half  a  pint  of  the  berries  of  old  plants ;  these  berries 
were  small  and  hard,  and  full  of  seeds.  No  sensible  effect  was  produced  until  next 
morning,  about  6  a.m.,  when  he  attempted  to  get  out  of  bed  and  dress  as  usual.  He 
got  on  his  clothes  partly,  but  suddenly  lost  all  consciousness  till  about  11  a.m.,  when 
he  awoke  to  find  himself  in  bed,  with  a  doctor  beside  him,  and  a  broth  plate,  half  full 
of  thick  blood,  within  view.  This  blood  had  just  been  drawn  from  his  temporal 
artery  by  a  penknife  incision,  it  having  refused  to  flow  from  a  vein  in  the  arm.  He 
was  conscious  for  a  minute  or  two,  but  almost  immediately  relapsed  into  stupor,  which 
continued  for  about  twenty-fom*  hours,  so  far  as  he  can  now  recollect.  When,  at 
length,  he  emerged  from  this  comatose  condition,  loss  of  memory  was  the  chief  or 
hu\y  peculiarity  observable.  For  about  half  a  day  he  remained  in  a  semi-stupid  state, 
not  able  to  remember  where  he  was,  what  he  had  been  doing  for  the  previous  forty- 
eight  hours,  or  how  he  had  come  there.  He  felt,  indeed,  as  if  he  had  been  newly 
born  into  the  world,  and  was  overwhelmed  with  wonder  at  the  novelty  of  all  his  sur- 
roundings. In  the  course  of  another  half  day  he  gradually  passed  into  a  condition  of 
ordinary  mental  and  physical  activity,  and  there  were  no  subsequent  bad  effects. 
Throughout  his  illness  he  had  had  no  pain ;  there  had  been  no  effect  on  the  bowels ; 
and  there  was  no  treatment  attempted  save  bleeding.  It  subsequently  transpired 
that,  after  his  seizure — that  is,  while  in  a  state  of  unconsciousness—he  must  have  de- 
scended an  ordinary  spar  ladder  leading  from  the  attic  to  the  ground  floor,  walked 
five  or  six  yards  along  an  embankment  leading  from  the  door  of  his  house,  and  fallen 
over  the  said  embankment,  a  height  of  seven  or  eight  feet,  before  he  was  found,  in  a 
state  of  coma,  by  the  friend  with  whom  he  resided.  His  friend  had  lost  no  time  in 
carrying  him  again  upstairs,  putting  him  to  bed,  and  sending  for  a  doctor.  The  pro- 
bability here  is  that,  had  Mr  Martin  eaten  the  same  quantity  of  Toot  berries  under 
other  circumstances— before  instead  of  after  a  meal — and  more  especially  on  an  empty 
stomach,  while  the  nervous  system  was  depressed  and  weakened  by  fatigue  as  well  as 
hunger,  the  result  would  have  been  fatal.  He  knows  of  several  fellow  settlers  (adults) 
who  have  also  been  affected  by  eating  the  berry,  ripe  or  unripe ;  but  the  symptoms 
differed  greatly  in  different  individuals.  Some  became  excited  or  violent :  they 
laughed  or  they  raved  outrageously,  or  their  conduct  was  simply  grotesque  in  the  ex- 
treme :  the  results,  indeed,  closely  resembled  those  producible  by  "  laughing  gas  "  on 
the  students  of  a  chemical  class.  Others  appeared  as  if  under  the  influence  of  alco- 
holic intoxicants.  He  never  heard,  however,  of  any  settler  eating  the  young  shoots 
or  leaves  and  suffering  therefrom,  till  the  case  of  the  two  children  in  Dunedin  before- 
mentioned. 

Case  II.  Reported  by  the  Rev.  Mr  Will,  of  the  East  Taeri,  Otago,  in  whose 
house  the  following  occurrence  took  place. — Two  young  gentlemen  who  were  stay- 


500  THE  TOOT  PLAKT  OF  KEW  ZEALAND. 

but  the  settlers  recognise  a  poisonous  action  in  addition  to  the  mere  sadden  and 
mechanical  diutension. 

The  original  Otago  settlers,  before  they  had  acquired  sufficient  experience  to  entitle 
them  to  be  considered  competent  judges,  evidently  took  Mr  Maiming'B  view  as  to  the 
cause  of  the  death  of  animals  from  Toot.  I  find,  for  instance,  one  of  the  first  **  Pil- 
grim Fathers"  of  the  Church  in  Otago,  the  venerable  Rev.  Dr  Bums  of  Dunedin, 
thus  writing  from  Port  Chalmers  on  the  19th  of  April,  1848,  the  year  in  which  Otago 
was  first  colonised :  '*  The  Toot  plant/*  he  says,  "  is  greedily  fed  on  mnd  with  safety 
by  cattle  acclimated ;  but  on  cattle  newly  arrived,  and  especially  off  a  sea  voyage,  it 
acts  as  wet  clover  does  in  England,  the  animal  swells  and  dies."  It  may  happen,  in 
some  cases  at  least,  that  simple  gastric  distension — mere  over-feeding  with  focd  which 
swells  rapidly — is,  though  not  the  cause,  a  cause  of  death,  assisting  the  operation  of 
the  Toot- poison — the  cohamyrtine — or  other  essential  alkaloid.  At  all  events,  before 
disposing  of,  or  setting  aside  as  inoperative,  such  a  phenomenon  as  causative  of  death, 
we  must  remember  that  simple  distension  of  the  stomach  is  not  an  uncommon  cause 
of  sudden  death  both  in  man  and  animals. 

From  the  evidence  of  Mr  Manning  of  Hokianga,  it  would  appear  that  Toot-poisoning 
of  cattle,  sheep,  horses,  and  other  animals,  in  certain  parts  oi  the  North  Island^  is,  if 
not  unknown,  at  least  very  rare. 

"  Horses,"  says  he,  "  eat  of  the  Tutu  berry  wholesale— stalks  and  all — ^with  impu- 
nity. I  have  seen  them  devouring  the  Tutu  with  the  greatest  avidity,  and  I  have 
never  known  an  instance  of  a  horse  being  injured. 

''  I  do  not  know  an  instance  of  any  horned  cattle  eating  the  Tutu  berries.  Though 
I  have  hundreds  of  times  seen  cattle  in  the  Tutu  scrub,  when  the  berries  were  ripe,  I 
never  saw  them  eating  the  berries;  and,  if  they  do,  I  feel  sure  they  are  not  injured 
by  them.  No  cattle  are  ever  found  dead  here,  or  very  seldom,  at  the  time  the  Tutu 
berries  are  on  the  tree ;  or,  if  so,  the  death  can  be  accounted  for  in  another  way  than 
as  arising  from  the  berries. 

**  Cattle  are,  however,  sometimes  killed  in  whole  herds  by  eating  the  Tutu,  but  not 
the  berries.  As  the  berries  are  known  to  have  a  poisonous  efiect  on-  the  human  sub- 
ject, this  has,  I  think,  caused  the  idea  that  cattle  are  also  killed  by  the  berries.  This 
is,  I  believe,  a  misapprehension  to  be  explained  as  follows :  The  Tutu  bush  grows  in 
general  in  the  midst  of  thick  fern,  (Pteris  aquilina,  L.  var.  esculents,  Forst)  This 
fern  grows  from  four  to  seven  feet  high  in  many  places,  and  every  third  or  fourth 
year  becomes  dry,  and  either  catches  fire  accidentally,  or  is  set  fire  to,  to  dear  it  off. 
When  this  occurs,  the  Tutu  bushes  are  burnt  off  also  level  with  the  ground.  This 
happens  generally  in  the  summer  or  autumn.  During  the  next  spring  the  root  throws 
up  great  numbers  of  green,  sappy,  succulent  shoots,  which  grow  with  surprising 
rapidity,  and  exactly  resemble  gigantic  asparagus,  as  thick  as  a  man's  arm,  and  »x 
feet  long,  before  they  begin  to  have  the  consistency  of  wood.  These  shoots  are  of  a 
very  bright  green  colour,  and  are  so  watery  inside  as  to  have  barely  sufficient  con- 
sistency to  stand  upright.  The  least  touch  breaks  them  off  like  an  icicle.  Now,  the 
cattle  devour  these  shoots  with  the  greatest  greediness,  and  as  almost  a  matter  of 
course  die.  But  these  shoots  are  not,  properly  speaking,  poisonous;  in  moderate 
quantities  they  do  cattle  no  harm  at  all,  but  when  the  cattle  are  kill^,  which  they 
are  sometimes  in  whole  herds,  the  symptoms  are  exactly  the  same  as  those  arising  in 
Australia  from  eating  too  much  at  once  of  the  young  spring  gnBA,  or  in  England 
from  eating  green  clover.  In  fact,  the  cattle  are,  as  we  used  to  say  in  Tasmania, 
'  blown;'  I  don't  know  what  they  call  it  in  England.  The  same  rem^ies  as  used  in 
Tasmania  and  England  are  equally  efficacious  here,  though  seldom  used,  people  being 
very  careless,  and  in  general  letting  the  cattle  live  or  die,  as  the  case  may  turn  out. 

*'  I  have  never  known  either  sheep  or  pigs  to  receive  any  harm  from  the  Tutu 
berries,  or  from  any  part  of  the  plant.  Nor,  indeed,  have  I  ever  observed  that  sheep 
or  pigs  feed  on  it,  though  I  have  had  a  flock  of  sheep  and  great  numbers  of  pigs  run- 
ning amongst  groves  of  Tutu  for  twenty  years.  Certainly  I  have  never  lost  a  sheep 
or  pig  from  this  cause,  and  I  know  to  a  certainty  that  both  sheep,  pigs,  and  horses 
refuse  to  eat  the  green  shoots,  which  the  cattle  are  so  fond  of,  and  which  are  so  fatal 
to  them. 

"  To  the  best  of  my  belief  I  have  never  heard  an  authentic  instance  of  any  of  the 
inferior  animals,  large  or  small,  having  been  injured  by  eating  the  Tutu  berries^  or 
even  the  berries  with  the  supposed  poisonous  stalk  having  the  fur  I  have  mentioned ; 
though  it  is  no  doubt  quite  likely  that  they  might  be  poisoned  if  forced  to  eat  them 
eontrary  to  their  natural  instincts. 


a  THE  TOOT  PLANT  OF  NEW  ZEALAND.  497 

j^   the  seed,  which,  with  the  leaves  and  shoots,  produce  a  narcotic  eflfect,  frequently 
pj  proving  fatal  to  both  men  and  cattle." — Otago  Daily  Times,  Nov.  15,  1862. 
J.        The  same  case,  apparently,  is  also  thus  referred  to  in  the  "  Tuapeka  [Gold  Field] 
^    Hospital  Eeport,"  (November  16,  1862.)    **  A  somewhat  strange  case  of  poisoning 
from  eating  the  leaves  of  the  Tutu  plant  was  admitted  into  the  hospital  last  week. 
L    From  what  I  can  learn,  the  person  poisoned  was  a  new  arrival,  unacquainted  with  the 
dangerous  properties  of  the  Tutu  plant ;  and  that,  while  waiting  for  his  mates  to  bring 
provisions  from  Wetherstone's,  he  had  eaten  a  few  of  the  leaves.     Shortly  afterwards 
he  was  seized  with  severe  pains  in  the  bowels,  and  as  he  appeared  to  be  getting  worse, 
was  removed  to  the  hospital,  where  he  lingered  until  the  following  morning.    An  in- 
quest was  afterwards  held  on  the  body    ....     and  a  verdict  returned,  *  That  the 
.     deceased  had  died  from  eating  the  leaves  of  the  poisonous  Tutu  plant.' " — Otago  Daily 
Times,  Nov.  18,  1862. 

Mr  Manning  remarks,  "  The  sickness  occasioned  by  swallowing  the  Tutu  berry — as 
I  think,  with  the  small  stalk  adhering,  which  has  the  poisonous  fur — is  just  to  all  ap- 
pearance the  same  as  an  attack  of  epilepsy.  If  a  certain  quantity  is  taken  into  the 
stomach,  certain  death  will  follow.  Some  French  sailors,  several  years  ago,  poisoned 
themselves  [about  twelve  men]  by  eating  the  Tutu  berry.  A  quick  recourse  to  the 
stomach-pump  saved  most  of  them ;  but  about  four,  I  think,  died." 

The  following  cases  will  suihce  to  illustrate  the  poisonous,  but  non-fatal  effects  of 
eating  the  tempting  and  luscious  berries,  including  the  seeds,  on  man  : — 

Case  I.  Reported  to  me  by  my  friend,  Mr  Martin,  of  Saddlehill,  Otago,  who  was 
himself  the  sufferer. — He  had  on  many  previous  occasions  eaten  the  berries  in  larger 
quantity,  without  bad  effects.  On  the  present  occasion,  after  tea,  about  7  or  8  p.m.  of 
a  harvest  evening,  he  ate  about  half  a  pint  of  the  berries  of  old  plants ;  these  berries 
were  small  and  hard,  and  full  of  seeds.  No  sensible  effect  was  produced  until  next 
morning,  about  6  a.m.,  when  he  attempted  to  get  out  of  bed  and  dress  as  usual.     He 

got  on  his  clothes  partly,  but  suddenly  lost  all  consciousness  till  about  11  a.m.,  when 
e  awoke  to  find  himself  in  bed,  with  a  doctor  beside  him,  and  a  broth  plate,  half  full 
of  thick  blood,  within  view.  This  blood  had  just  been  drawn  from  his  temporal 
artery  by  a  penknife  incision,  it  having  refused  to  flow  from  a  vein  in  the  arm.  He 
was  conscious  for  a  minute  or  two,  but  almost  immediately  relapsed  into  stupor,  which 
continued  for  about  twenty-four  hours,  so  far  as  he  can  now  recollect  When,  at 
length,  he  emerged  from  this  comatose  condition,  loss  of  memory  was  the  chief  or 
huly  peculiarity  observable.  For  about  half  a  day  he  remained  in  a  semi-stupid  state, 
not  able  to  remember  where  he  was,  what  he  had  been  doing  for  the  previous  forty- 
eight  hours,  or  how  he  had  come  there.  He  felt,  indeed,  as  if  he  had  been  newly 
born  into  the  world,  and  was  overwhelmed  with  wonder  at  the  novelty  of  all  his  sur- 
roundings. In  the  course  of  another  half  day  he  gradually  passed  into  a  condition  of 
ordinary  mental  and  physical  activity,  and  there  were  no  subsequent  bad  effects. 
Throughout  his  illness  he  had  had  no  pain ;  there  had  bcien  no  effect  on  the  bowels ; 
and  there  was  no  treatment  attempted  save  bleeding.  It  subsequently  transpired 
that,  after  his  seizure — that  is,  while  in  a  state  of  unconsciousness— he  must  have  de- 
scended an  ordinary  spar  ladder  leading  from  the  attic  to  the  ground  floor,  walked 
five  or  six  yards  along  an  embankment  leading  from  the  door  of  his  house,  and  fallen 
over  the  said  embankment,  a  height  of  seven  or  eight  feet,  before  he  was  found,  in  a 
state  of  coma,  by  the  friend  with  whom  he  resided  His  friend  had  lost  no  time  in 
cariylng  him  again  upstairs,  putting  him  to  bed,  and  sending  for  a  doctor.  The  pro- 
bability here  is  that,  had  Mr  Martin  eaten  the  same  quantity  of  Toot  berries  under 
other  circumstances— before  instead  of  after  a  meal — and  more  especially  on  an  empty 
stomach,  while  the  nervous  system  was  depressed  and  weakened  by  fatigue  as  well  as 
hunger,  the  result  would  have  been  fatal.  He  knows  of  several  fellow  settlers  (adults) 
who  have  also  been  affected  by  eating  the  berry,  ripe  or  unripe ;  but  the  symptoms 
differed  greatly  in  different  individuals.  Some  became  excited  or  violent :  they 
laughed  or  they  raved  outrageously,  or  their  conduct  was  simply  grotesque  in  the  ex- 
treme :  the  results,  indeed,  closely  resembled  those  producible  by  *'  laughing  gas  "  on 
the  students  of  a  chemical  class.  Others  appeared  as  if  under  the  influence  of  alco- 
holic intoxicants.  He  never  heard,  however,  of  any  settler  eating  the  young  shoots 
or  leaves  and  suffering  therefrom,  till  the  case  of  the  two  children  in  Dunedin  before- 
mentioned. 

Case  IL  Reported  by  the  Rev.  Mr  Will,  of  the  East  Taeri,  Otago,  in  whose 
house  the  following  occurrence  took  place. — Two  young  gentlemen  who  were  stay- 


498  THE  TOOT  PLANT  OF  NEW  ZEALAND. 

ing  in  his  house,  about  four  o'clock  one  afternoon,  partook  of  some  Toot  berries ; 
the  older  gathering  them  from  old  Toot  plants,  the  younger  from  younger  plants. 
The  younger,  moreover,  sucked  the  berries,  but  spat  out  the  seeds ;  hence,  pro- 
bably, the  reason  that  he  was  unaffected.  The  elder,  however,  about  9  p.m.  was 
seized  with  convulsions,  which  speedily  became  so  violent  that  it  required  two 
strong  men  to  manage  him.  These  convulsions  were  severe  for  about  forty 
minutes,  when  they  gradually  diminished,  and  the  patient  passed  into  a  state 
of  stupor.  Ho  continued  in  this  state  all  next  day,  and  when  conyalescing  there- 
from, resembled  a  person  emerging  from  a  brain  fever.  He  was  utterly  oblivious  of 
the  particulars  of  his  illness,  denying  even  that  he  had  eaten  Toot  berries.  For  some 
days  subsc<)ucnt]y  he  was  drowsy,  and  scarcely  master  of  his  actions,  but  he  gradually 
became  quite  well.  The  only  treatment  had  recourse  to  was  a  mustard  emetic,  bat 
the  recover}'  under  this  treatment  seems  to  have  been  less  rapid  and  satisfactory  than 
under  the  blood-letting  in  Mr  Martin's  case. 

In  the  Dunedin  district  such  cases  of  poisoning  from  Toot  berries  hare  now  become 
rare,  especially  among  the  older  settlers,  beoau^e,  on  the  one  hand,  the  poisonous 
character  of  these  berries  is  now  abundantly  recognised,  and  on  the  other  the  plant  is 
now  comparatively  scarce,  disappearing  gradually  under  cultivatiou  and  the  introduc- 
tion and  spread  of  alien  or  immigrant  (mostly  British)  weeds. 

Case  111.  Eeported  by  Mr  Stewart,  of  Eaglan,  Auckland  provinoe,  who  was  himself 
the  sufferer. — He  had  been  in  the  bysh;  and  being  tired  and  hungry,  with  neither 
food  nor  drink  of  a  more  suitable  kind  at  command,  he  ate  a  Urge  aiiantity  of  Toot 
berries,  including  the  seeds.  During  the  night  he  was  seized  with  qelirinm,  accom- 
panied by  great  muscular  excitement  and  violence,  resembling  that  of  acute  mania, 
necessitating  the  assistance  of  several  men  to  restrain  him.  He  yas  treated  by  means 
of  some  mineral  poison,  which  was  said  by  his  medical  attendant  to  be  the  antidote 
of  the  vegetable  poison  of  the  Toot,  while  water  was  thrown  about  hiqa,  and  minor 
remedies  were  employed .  He  made  a  gradual,  but,  as  in  the  other  cases,  a  complete  re- 
covery. It  is  here  most  doubtful  how  far  the  presumed  antidote  proypd  efficacious, 
go  that  it  is  the  less  to  be  regretted  that  we  are  ignorant  of  its  precise  nature. 

Case  IV.  Reported  to  me  by  John  Hislop,  Esq.,  of  Woodbum,  Sad^lehill^  inspec- 
tor of  schools  in  Otago. — A  girl  at  Saddlehill  nearly  lost  her  life  from  eating  Toot 
berries  some  years  ago.  The  prominent  symptoms  were  retching,  vomiting,  and  con-, 
viilsions,  and  the  principal  treatment  emetics.  She  never  completely  recovered,  there 
remaining  to  this  day  a  peculiar  form  of  nervous  irritabilitv  not  observable  prior  to 
this  Toot-poisoning.  It  is  questionable,  however,  whether  this  sequela  is  a  "  propter 
hoc"  or  a  mere  "  post  hoc." 

B.  On  the  Lower  A  nimah. — In  cattle  and  sheep  the  symptoms  are  of  a  parallel  kind; 
there  are  usually  one  or  other  or  all  of  vertigo,  stupor,  delirium,  and  convuhions. 
The  affected  animals  generally  stagger  or  reel,  as  if  intoxicated ;  ki<^  violently,  and 
apparently  causelessly ;  wheel  round  and  round  suddenly  and  rapidly;  course  swiftly 
over  the  country  aimlessly,  breasting  all  manner  of  impediments.  In  tiiis  condition 
they  frequently  rush  blindly  into  pools  and  creeks,  and  are  drowned.  Both  cattle 
ana  sheep — perhaps  especially  the  former — are  constantly  being  lost  in  this  way 
alone.  Sometimes  they  are  affected  with  general  tremors;  frequently  they  die  in 
convulsions  resembling  those  produced  by  the  toxic  action  of  stsychniai.  Popularly, 
"tooted"  cattle  are  said  to  be  mad,  especially  in  the  wheeling  and  steeple-chasing 
form  or  stage  of  Toot-poisoning. 

In  different  districts  of  Otago,  and  in  the  experience  of  different  settlers,  the  de- 
tails of  Toot-poisoning  in  cattle  and  sheep  are  the  following : — 

In  the  Green  Island  district,  near  Dunedin,  the  cattle  usually  affected  are  young 
cattle  freshly  imported  from  Australia,  in  low  condition  and  with  empty  stomacha 
Arriving  in  spring,  they  are  ravenous,  and  greedily  eat  the  tender  young  ^oots  of 
Toot — a  very  few  of  which,  under  such  circumstances,  are  sufficient  to  affect  them. 
Some  of  them,  when  tooted,  wheel  round  and  round  as  if  giddy,  ontil  they  saddenly 
tumble  over;  and  it  is  regarded  a. favourable  sign,  promising  recovery,  when,  in  the 
course  of  treatment,  they  can  be  got  to  move  about  somewhat  in  straight  lines. 
Others  shiver  and  become  convulsed ;  while  some  rush  wildly  over  the  country  as  if 
"  possessed,"  or  running  a  steeplechase,  bolting  at  or  over  all  obstacles,  and  frequently 
dying  in  convulsions.  Newly  landed  sheep  are  similarly  affected  under  dmilar  cir- 
cumstances, causing  great  distress  to  their  shepherds^  who  frequently  awake  of  a 


THE  TOOT  PLANT  OF  NEW  ZEALAND.  499 

morning  to  find  several  scores — quite  well  on  the  previous  night— "tooted,"  and 
dying  or  dead.  Working  bullocks  are  also  sometimes  similarly  affected  after  a  hard 
day's  work,  especially  in  warm  weather.  On  the  other  hand,  cattle  become  habituated 
to  the  use  of  Toot,  which  is  to  them  reckoned  a  fodder  as  rich  and  as  safe  as  clover. 
Seldom  or  never  are  old,  seasoned  cattle  affected  by  Toot.  The  enormous  mortality 
in  cattle  and  sheep  on  their  way  to  and  at  the  diggings  from  Toot-poisoning  probably 
arises  simply  from  the  facts  that  the  animals  are  mostly,  new  comers,  arriving  in 
poor  condition,  starved  or  starving,  and  unaccustomed  to  the  use  of  Toot,  of  whose 
baneful  properties  further  their  custodiers,  also  fresh  arrivals  from  Australia,  are 
ignorant.  In  the  case  of  acclimated  animals  belonging  to  Otago  settlers,  the  mis- 
chief arises  probably  from  the  accident  or  necessity  of  their  feeding  on  Toot,  after 
the  depressing  fatigue  of  long  and  toilsome  marches  with  enormous  loads,  in  the 
absence  frequently,  from  its  expensiveness  or  scarcity,  of  a  more  suitable  fodder. 
Sudden  deaths  frequently  happen  from  eating  in  the  morning  and  after  rain  the 
fresh,  juicy,  young  shoots.  Post-mortem  examination .  in  these  cases  reveals  great 
distension  of  stomach  and  intestines,  similar  to  that  produced  sometimes  in  this 
country  in  cattle  or  sheep  gorged  with  rich  green  clover  under  unusual  circumstances. 
The  settlers  are  unaware  of  any  other  pathological  peculiarity. 

In  the  Lower  Clutha  districts  (Inch  Clutha,  Warepa,  Waihiku,  &c.)  the  settlers 
remarked  to  me  that  the  Toot  appears  to  take  effect  only  when  the  cattle  lay  down  to 
ruminate,  and  that  some  of  their  heaviest  losses  occur  after  a  night's  frost.  They 
regard  Toot  as  most  dangerous  when  the  evening  is  dewy,  or  after  rains,  which  add 
to  the  juiciness  and  attractiveness  of  the  plant.  Frequently  no  bad  effects  are  per- 
ceived till  the  cattle  are  made  to  get  up  and  move  about,  when-  the  narcotism  begins 
to  be  apparent.  Cattle  feeding  on  grass  pastures  containing  only  a  slight  admixture 
of  Toot  are  unaffected ;  but  if,  after  feeding  for  a  time  on  grass  alone,  they  are  sud- 
denly transferred  to  pastures  where  Toot  prevails,  and  especially  if  they  are  turned 
out  in  spring  on  bare  land,  the  herbage  whereof  was  burned  in  the  preceding  autumn, 
where  Toot  is  the  first  plant  of  any  dimensions  that  sends  up  its  tempting  greea 
shoots,  the  latter  are  eaten  greedily,  and  the  danger  is  great,  if  death  is  not  certain. 

In  the  North  Island,  at  Wanganui,  Captain  Blewitt  says :  Bullocks  and  sheep,  if 
first  fed  on  Toot,  would  die,  and  sometimes  do  die  in  great  numbers ;  but  the  danger 
is  recognised,  and  they  are  generally  fed  previously  on  grass,  and  gradually  accus- 
tomed to  the  addition  of  Toot.  In  Wellington,  Toot  is  frequently  very  fatal  to  bul- 
locks, especially  over  a  tract  known  as  the  "  Peninsula."  Generally  speaking,  the 
newer  the  district,  the  greater  the  prevalence  of  Toot  and  the  comparative  absence 
of  grass  pastures,  the  greater  the  consequent  risk  to  sheep  and  cattle  from  Toot- 
poisoning.  In  old  settled  districts,  therefore,  where  good  grass  pastures  are  plentiful 
and  Toot  is  fast  disappearing,  Toot-poisoning  is  rare. 

In  the  Raglan  district,  also  on  the  west  coast  of  Auckland  province,  Mr  Stewart 
tells  me,  cattle  are  occasionally  poisoned  by  the  young  shoots,  but  always  under  some 
such  circumstances  as  the  following : — The  animals  have  been  feeding  in  the  bush 
where  there  is  no  Toot,  when  they  are  suddenly  driven  upon  lands  where  the  young 
sweet  Toot-shoots  are  just  springing  up ;  they  are  very  fond  of  them,  and  eat  them 
greedily.  The  chances  are,  that  they  are  speedily  "tooted," — stagger,  then  whirl 
about,  kick  violently  as  if  delirious,  and  frequently  die  in  the  course  of  the  first  night. 
The  dead  animals  are  found  greatly  "  blown,"  or  swollen.  But  Mr  Manning's  idea, 
that  death  results  simply  from  over-feeding,  and  the  swelling  of  the  succulent  food, 
and  that  it  would  be  equally  produced  by  young  grass,  is  not  regarded  with  any  favour 
by  the  mfyority  of  the  North  Island  settlers.  As  a  rule.  Toot  is  much  less  feared  in 
the  North  than  the  Middle  Island — as  it  appears  to  me,  for  the  following  reasons  :  I 
saw  far  less  of  the  plant  in  Auckland  than  in  Otago,  and  it  would  seem  to  be  com- 
paratively much  rarer  in  the  north  than  in  the  south  of  N'ew  Zealand,  in  proportion 
especially  as  open  land  is  more  abundant  in  the  latter  than  the  former.  Flocks  and 
herds  and  pastures  are  insignificant  in  Auckland  as  compared  with  Otago,  so  that 
thus  the  opportunities  for  mischief  are  greatly  less  in  the  North  Island.  In  Coro- 
mandel,  for  instance,  I  was  told  that  Toot  is  not  very  fatal.  But  the  country  is 
mostly  forest-clad ;  there  is  little  or  no  Toot,  and  few  cattle  or  sheep.  Even  here, 
however,  cattle  are  occasionally  "tooted,"  the  general  symptoms  being  that  they 
become  "  wild,"  "  mad,"  and  die  in  convulsions  resembling  those  from  strychnia. 
This  accident  occurs  only  in  the  case  of  hungry  and  imported  cattle,  and  was  more 
common  when  the  district  was  first  settled  and  the  cattle  were  new-comers  than  now, 
when  they  are  habituated  to  the  use  of  Toot.    The  animals  tooted  become  "  ^^^^^^k^s^'C 


500  THE  TOOT  PLANT  OF  KEW  ZEALAND. 

but  the  settlers  recognise  a  poisonous  action  in  addition  to  the  mere  sadden  and 
mechanical  distension. 

The  original  Otago  settlers,  before  they  had  acquired  sufficient  experience  to  entitle 
them  to  be  considered  competent  judges,  evidently  took  Mr  Manning's  view  as  to  the 
cause  of  the  death  of  animals  from  Toot.  I  find,  for  instance,  one  of  the  first  **  HI- 
grim  Fathers"  of  the  Church  in  Otago,  the  venerable  Bev.  Dr  Bums  of  Dunedin, 
thus  writing  from  Port  Chalmers  on  the  19th  of  April,  1848,  the  year  in  which  Otago 
was  first  colonised  :  "  The  Toot  plant,"  he  says,  "  is  greedily  fed  on  and  with  safety 
by  cattle  acclimated ;  but  on  cattle  newly  arrived,  and  especially  off  a  sea  voyage,  it 
acts  as  wet  clover  does  in  England,  the  animal  swells  and  dies."  It  may  happen,  in 
some  cases  at  least,  that  simple  gastric  distension — mere  over-feeding  with  food  wMch 
swells  rapidly — is,  though  not  the  cause,  a  cause  of  death,  assisting  the  operation  of 
the  Toot  poison — the  coriamyrtine — or  other  essential  alkaloid.  At  all  events,  before 
disposing  of,  or  setting  aside  as  inoperative,  such  a  phenomenon  as  causative  of  death, 
we  must  remember  that  simple  distension  of  the  stomach  is  not  an  uncommon  cause 
of  sudden  death  both  in  man  and  animals. 

From  the  evidence  of  Mr  Manning  of  Hokianga,  it  would  appear  that  Toot-poisoning 
of  cattle,  sheep,  horses,  and  other  animals,  in  certain  parts  oi  the  North  Island^  is,  S 
not  unknown,  at  least  very  rare. 

**  Horses,"  says  he,  "  eat  of  the  Tutu  berry  wholesale — stalks  and  all — ^with  impu- 
nity. I  have  seen  them  devouring  the  Tutu  with  the  greatest  avidity,  and  I  have 
never  known  an  instance  of  a  horse  being  injured. 

''  I  do  not  know  an  instance  of  any  horned  cattle  eating  the  Tutu  berries.  Though 
I  have  hundreds  of  times  seen  cattle  in  the  Tutu  scrub,  when  the  berries  were  ripe,  I 
never  saw  them  eating  the  berries;  and,  if  they  do,  I  feel  sure  they  are  not  injured 
by  them.  No  cattle  are  ever  found  dead  here,  or  ver}'  seldom,  at  the  time  the  Tutu 
berries  are  on  the  tree ;  or,  if  so,  the  death  can  be  accounted  for  in  another  way  than 
as  arising  from  the  berries. 

*'  Cattle  are,  however,  sometimes  killed  in  whole  herds  by  eating  the  Tutu,  but  not 
the  berries.  As  the  berries  are  known  to  have  a  poisonous  effect  on- the  human  sub- 
ject, this  has,  I  think,  caused  the  idea  that  cattle  are  also  killed  by  the  berries.  This 
is,  I  believe,  a  misapprehension  to  be  explained  as  follows :  The  Tutu  bush  grows  in 
general  in  the  midst  of  thick  fern,  (Pteris  aquilina,  L.  var.  esculenta,  Forst.)  This 
fern  grows  from  four  to  seven  feet  high  in  many  places,  and  every  third  or  fourth 
year  becomes  dry,  and  either  catches  fire  accidentally,  or  is  set  fire  to,  to  dear  it  off. 
When  this  occurs,  the  Tutu  bushes  are  burnt  off  also  level  with  the  ground.  This 
happens  generally  in  the  summer  or  autumn.  During  the  next  spring  the  root  throws 
up  great  numbers  of  green,  sappy,  succulent  shoots,  which  grow  with  surprising 
rapidity,  and  exactly  resemble  gigantic  asparagus,  as  thick  as  a  man's  arm,  and  six 
feet  long,  before  they  begin  to  have  the  consistency  of  wood.  These  shoots  are  of  a 
very  bright  green  colour,  and  are  so  watery  inside  as  to  have  barely  sufficient  con- 
sistency to  stand  upright.  The  least  touch  breaks  them  off  like  an  icicle.  Now,  the 
cattle  devour  these  shoots  with  the  greatest  greediness,  and  as  almost  a  matter  of 
course  die.  But  these  shoots  are  not,  properly  speaking,  poisonous ;  in  moderate 
quantities  they  do  cattle  no  harm  at  all,  but  when  the  cattle  are  killed^  which  they 
are  sometimes  in  whole  herds,  the  symptoms  are  exactly  the  same  as  those  arising  in 
Australia  from  eating  too  much  at  once  of  the  young  spring  grass,  or  in  England 
from  eating  green  clover.  In  fact,  the  cattle  are,  as  we  used  to  say  in  Tasmania, 
*  blown;'  I  don't  know  what  they  call  it  in  England.  The  same  remedies  as  used  in 
Tasmania  and  England  are  equally  efficacious  here,  though  seldom  used,  people  being 
very  careless,  and  in  general  letting  the  cattle  live  or  die,  as  the  case  may  turn  out 

**  I  have  never  known  either  sheep  or  pigs  to  receive  any  harm  from  the  Tutu 
berries,  or  from  any  part  of  the  plant.  Nor,  indeed,  have  I  ever  observed  that  sheep 
or  pigs  feed  on  it,  though  I  have  had  a  flock  of  sheep  and  great  numbers  of  pigs  run- 
ning amongst  groves  of  Tutu  for  twenty  years.  Certainly  I  have  never  lost  a  sheep 
or  pig  from  this  cause,  and  I  know  to  a  certainty  that  both  sheep,  pigs,  and  horses 
refuse  to  eat  the  green  shoots,  which  the  cattle  are  so  fond  of,  and  which  are  so  fatal 
to  them. 

''  To  the  best  of  my  belief  I  have  never  heard  an  authentic  instance  of  any  of  the 
inferior  animals,  large  or  small,  having  been  injured  by  eating  the  Tutu  berries,  or 
even  the  berries  with  the  supposed  poisonous  stalk  having  the  fur  I  have  mentioned ; 
though  it  is  no  doubt  quite  likely  that  they  might  be  poisoned  if  forced  to  eat  them 
contrary  to  their  nataral  inalincU. 


THE  TOOT  PLANT  OF  NEW  ZEALAND.  501 

"  I  shall  again  mention,  that  several  kinds  of  birds  feed  freely  on  the  berries.* 
Sheep  and  pigs  I  have  never  known  to  eat  any  part  of  the  plant,  or  to  be  injured  by 
it.  Cattle  I  have  never  known  to  eat  the  berries,  but  they  are  killed  in  numbers  by 
eating  the  green  shoots.  Horses  refuse  these  shoots,  but  eat  the  berries — stalks,  fur, 
and  all — with  impunity.  But  I  must  also  remark  that,  for  one  horse  that  eats  the 
berries,  as  I  have  seen,  there  are  fifty  that  wont  touch  them ;  those  which  I  have  seen 
eat  them  in  large  quantities  have  suffered  no  bad  effects  whatever." 

§  6.  Conditions  which  Regulate  its  Action. 

There  are  certain  peculiarities  connected  with  the  action  of  the  Toot-poison,  which 
are  worthy  of  attention.  Under  certain  circumstances  the  Toot  plant  would  appear 
indeed  not  to  be  poisonous ;  the  exemptions  are  sufficiently  frequent  and  marked  to 
lead  a  small  class  of  observers  to  doubt  altogether  its  poisonous  character,  and  to  ex- 
plain the  so-called  poisonings  in  other  ways.  My  own  inference,  from  very  conflict- 
ing evidence,  is  that  the  plant  undoubtedly  contains  a  poisonous  principle  ;  but  that 
this  poison  requires  certain  favouring  or  predisposing  circumstances  or  conditions  for 
the  development  of  its  action. 

Cattle  and  sheep  are  generally  the  subject  of  Toot-poisoning  under  some  of  the 
following  conditions  : — The  plant  is  young  and  succulent ;  it  is  perhaps  more  so  after 
rain.  The  animals  are  hungry  and  voracious ;  perhaps  they  have  just  landed  from  a 
fatiguing  sea  voyage,  and  are  underfed  or  starved,  in  bad  physical  condition  gene- 
rally, the  stomach  empty ;  or  the  bullocks  are  jaded  with  overwork,  and  have  been 
feeding  on  unpalatable  dry  fodder ;  or  they  have  been  suddenly  turned  out  of  a  pas- 
ture containing  no  Toot  into  one  on  which  it  abounds ;  or  they  are  simply  turned  out 
on  the  highways  and  byways  after  a  day's  ordinary  hard  work  under  a  hot  sun  ;  or  it 
may  be  spring,  when  the  favourite  juicy  shoots  first  appear,  and  the  animals  have  not 
tasted  them  for  many  months.  In  a  word,  the  animals  in  these  cases  are  not  habi- 
tuated to  the  use  of  the  plant.  But  a  peculiarity  resides  in  the  fact  that  cattle, 
which  have  been  habituated  to  its  use,  do  not  suffer ;  not  only  this,  but  Toot  is  then 
reckoned  one  of  the  richest  and  safest  pasture  foods,  quite  equal  to  clover.  It  is  as 
great  a  favourite  with  the  animals,  whether  they  are  habituated  or  not. 

A  correlative  circumstance  here  to  be  noted  is  the  fact  that,  while  certain  animals 
seem  to  be  exempt  from,  or  insusceptible  to,  their  toxic  action,  they  may,  by  feeding 
on  certain  species,  or  certain  parts  of  certain  species,  of  Corearia,  and  assimilating  or 
secreting  the  poison  in  their  tissues,  communicate  poisonous  effects  to  man  or  the 
lower  animals,  to  which  the  first-named  animals  become  food.  This  happened  in 
1862,  in  connexion  with  C.  myrtifolia  several  persons  near  Toulouse  having  been 
poisoned  by  a  dish  of  snails,  which  had  been  fattened  on  its  leaves  and  young  shoots, 
the  symptoms  having  been  those  of  narcotico-irritant  action.  The  poisonous  principle 
would  appear  to  have  passed  unchanged  through  the  digestive  system,  and  to  have 
been  incorporated  in  the  tissues  and  secretions,  of  the  snails,  which  were  themselves 
unaffected  thereby  ;  and  we  now  know  that  the  vegetable  alkaloids  can  pass  through 
an  animal  system  undecomposed,  and  are  detectable,  under  favourable  circumstances, 
by  appropriate  tests.  Instructive  parallel  cases  are  those  of  poisoning  in  the  human 
subject  by  eating  the  flesh  of  hares  which  have  browsed  on  Rhododendron  chrysan- 
themum;  or  of  young  pheasants,  which  have  fed  on  the  shoots  and  buds  of  Kalmia 
latifolia ;  the  honey  of  bees,  which  have  sipped  it  from  certain  species  of  Azalea, 
Kalmia,  and  lUiododendron ;  as  well  as  the  ever-quoted  and  over-quoted  instance, 
from  Xenophon*s  narrative,  of  the  Ten  Thousand  Greeks,  in  their  "  retreat,"  who 
died  in  consequence  of  eating  honey  collected  from  the  Azalea  pontica— the  iBgole* 
thron  of  the  ancients;  the  symptoms  in  all  those  cases  being  those  of  narcotico-irri- 
tant poisoning — vomiting,  purging,  and  giddiness.  An  additional  illustration  was 
afforded  two  or  three  years  ago  by  the  narrative  in  the  public  prints  of  a  case  of  poi- 
soning in  England  by  the  flesh  of  Canadian  partridges,  which  had  fed  on  some  paiv 
ticular  noxious  plant,  not  affecting  themselves,  but  the  poison  contained  in  which 
was  highly  dangerous— in  one  case  nearly  fatal — to  persons  partaking  of  their  cooked 
flesh. 

I  have  met  with  New  Zealand  settlers  who  have  been  "  tooted  **  on  certain  occa- 
sions, but  who  have,  on  certain  other  occasions,  eaten  with  impunity  Toot  berries,  iti 

»  They  are,  when  ripe,  the  favourite  food  of  the  "  Kakapo,"  or  night  parrot,  (Strigopa  hahTOi^^ 
tilus.)  which,  like  so  many  other  native  birds,  is  fast  following  the  V[jligui\;v&>&n».\nNi(a  ^k^ksov^  ^si.*' 
tinctioiu 


502  THE  TOOT  PLANT  OF  NEW  ZEALAND. 

equal  qaaniitj,  and  apparentlj  under  panlld  eirca]ii8Unoe&  Colenso,  who  oogbt  to 
be  a  good  anthoritT,  goes  the  length  of  aoKiiing  that  the  leas  jaiey  berries  of  the 
•ereral  New  Zealand  Coriarie  hare  seeds  that  are  not  poiaonoiia !  A  parallel  &ct, 
in  regard  to  another  gpeciea  of  Coriaria,  ia  the  statement  by  Royle  that  the  fruit  of 
C.  Nepalensis  is  frequently  eaten  without  inconrenienoe  in  the  nortJiem  proTinees 
of  India ;  though  it  is  doubtful  here,  and  in  similar  eases^  whether  the  seeds  were 
consumed  along  with  the  succulent  or  pulpj  part  of  the  fruit.  In  regard  to  the  more 
familiar  C.  myrtifolia,  Peschier  of  GencTa  states  that  tanners,  who  employ  its  leaves 
as  an  astringent  in  tanning,  use  it  also  habitually  for  gleet^  and  that  he  gave  a  de- 
coction of  an  ounce  to  dogs,  chickens,  and  men,  without  any  bad  effects  !  Such  con- 
flicting statements  show  that  there  are  peculiarities  in  the  action  of  tiie  poisonous 
principles  of  the  Coriariae,  which  require  explanation  at  the  hands  of  experimental 
toxicologistfl  and  chemists,  and  which  explanation  can  only  be  the  result  of  thorough 
scientific  inrestigation. 

§  7.  Treathkst  of  TooT-PoiBOxnrOw 

A  In  the  Lover  Animal*.— la.  different  parts  of  Xew  Zealand  different  remedies 
or  antidotes  are  employed  in  Toot-poisoning  in  sheep  and  cattle.  Of  these,  by  far  the 
most  common  is  bleeding,  especially  by  slashing  the  ears  or  tail ;  and  it  is  no  uncom- 
mon event  at  a  large  sheep  or  cattle  station  for  all  the  "  hands  "  to  be  bufflly  engaged 
in  the  wholesale  slashing  of  the  ears  or  tails  of  tooted  sheep  or  cattle.  BeUadona  has 
1)een  Tariously  tried,  and  farourably  reported  on  ;  and  Tarious  stimulants  are  by  some 
regarded  as  specifics,  such  as  carbonate  of  ammonia,  brandy,  and  a  mixture  of  gin 
and  turpentine,  locally  known  as  "  drench."  Whatever  be  the  nature  of  the  rem^y 
to  be  applied  or  employed,  there  is  no  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the  necessity  for  the 
promptest  treatment,  for  at  a  certain  stage  of  the  action  of  the  poison  all  remedies 
appear  equally  inefilcacious. 

It  is  generally  recognised  as  a  rule  that  catUe  and  sheep  which  are  known  to  have 
fed  on  Toot,  but  which  are  as  yet  exhibiting  none  of  the  active  signs  of  poisoning, 
should  not  be  interfered  with  by  herdsmen  or  dogs.  For  it  has  been  abundantly 
proved  that,  while  the  narcotic  effects  may  gradually  pass  off  if  the  animals  are  left 
quite  undisturbed,  if  dogged,  excited,  or  frightened,  or  if  caused  to  get  up  from  the 
reclining  posture  of  cud-chewing  and  move  about  rapidly,  the  poison  at  once  becomes 
active  and  dangerous,  and  some  of  the  symptoms  or  phenomena  already  described  are 
manifested.  In  other  words,  no  remedy,  no  disturbance  is  admissible  till  decided 
symptoms  of  poisoning  have  been  manifested.  Up  to  this  period  perfect  rest  and 
quiet  are  the  only  appropriate  treatment. 

The  following  may  be  cited  as  illustrations  of  the  varying  practice  of  the  local 
veterinarians,  amateur  or  professional,  in  different  districts  and  under  different  cir- 
cumstances : — 

In  Otago  the  Green  Island  settlers  ^it  the  ears  of ''  tooted  **  cattie,  and  encourage 
profuse  bleeding.    This  is  their  only  treatment,  which  they  apply  equally  to  dieep. 

In  the  Taeri,  affected  sheep  are  frequentiy  plunged  into  a  pool  of  water,  or  are 
dosed  with  brandy. 

In  the  northern  districts  of  Otago  the  flockmasters  bleed  "tooted"  sheep  from  the  eye 
veins  that  run  up  each  side  of  the  angle  or  root  of  the  nose,  or  from  the  roof  of  the 
mouth.  This  bleeding  generally  proves  speedily  effectual,  if  the  animal  is  to  recover ; 
it  is  heard  to  give  a  marked  sigh  as  if  of  relief,  and  this  symptom  is  regarded  as  the 
first  herald  of  progress  towards  restoration.  For  about  two  days  after  this  operation, 
however,  the  animal  appears  as  if  in  a  state  of  intoxication  or  semi-stnpor.  Carbo- 
nate of  ammonia  is  also  frequently  used  with  good  effect  by  the  shephenls ;  a  lump, 
about  the  size  of  a  walnut,  is  diJBSolved  in  a  pint  of  water,  and  a  wineglassful  is 
poured  down  the  animal's  throat  Cattle  are  treated  in  a  like  way,  being  bled  firom 
the  roof  of  the  mouth  or  from  the  tail ;  never  from  the  ears  in  certain  parts  of  Otago. 
So  sudden  and  general  is  often  the  seizure,  so  large  the  number  of  animals  "down" 
with  Toot,  that  all  the  inhabitants  of  a  large  station  on  such  occasions  are  busied, 
with  an  earnestness  and  activity  that  indicate  the  importance  of  the  interests  at  stake, 
for  hours,  if  not  for  days,  bleeding  wholesale,  as,  under  such  circumstances,  remedies 
cannot  be  too  speedily  applied,  and  every  moment  may  be  fraught  with  the  death  of 
valuable  "stock." 

( To  he  continued.) 


BAI.LAXTYS^,  latOBtB-ta,  KKD  CO.  ^  Y^iSmEBJIK '•SiVS«vi^««U 


THE  VETERINAKY  REVIEW 


BtatkabuntxB'  ^anxnuL 


OBIOINAL    COMMUNICATIONS   AND    CASES. 


Cattle  Importation,  Is  it  as  it  should  be  ?  The  Cattle  Plague. 
Is  it  Indigenous  to  British  Soil  f  Is  Treatment  Desirable  ?  By 
G.  ARMA.TAGE,  Prof.  Vet.  Mat.  Med.,  Albert  Veterinary  College, 
London. 

The  principles  by  which  our  commercial  relations  with  continental 
powers  are  accelerated,  likewise  admit  of  the  development  of  con- 
tingencies which  often  frustrate  the  ends  originally  intended.  In 
short,  abuses  arise,  and  are  perpetuated  under  the  title  of  free  trade, 
and  results  are  brought  about,  which,  while  they  fill  the  coffers  of  the 
promoters,  prove  highly  detrimental,  if  not  absolutely  ruinous  to 
a  whole  community.  Influences  then  exist,  which,  as  being  in  them- 
selves the  offspring  of  the  parent  principle,  it  is  not  felt  necessary  to 
retard,  and  the  progress  or  decline  of  the  whole  body  becomes  con- 
centrated in  the  grasp  of  a  few  individuals. 

Such  is  our  present  position  under  the  scourge  which  is  now  de- 
vastating our  herds.  The  spirit  of  dissembliDg  as  the  spirit  of  trade 
is  too  much  the  fashion — it  is  as  essential  to  success  now-a-days  as 
the  goods  which  are  to  change  hands  by  its  adoption.  There  is  little 
genuineness  in  most  of  our  transactions.  Who  ever  heard  the  Billings- 
gate merchant  cortfess  that  his  fish  was  tainted  ?  The  dairyman  that 
he  sold  water  and  milk  ?  Or  the  tobacconist  own  his  dependence  upon 
lettuce  leaves  as  an  imitation  of  the  **  delightful  weed  ?" 

We  have  known  a  youthful  wine  at  ten  shillings  a  bottle  objected 
to,  but  afterwards  accepted  on  the  addition  of  half-a-crown  to  its 
former  price,  and  a  dash  of  mucilage  and  sawdust  over  the  outside  ; 
in  reality,  it  has  now  become  an  aged  beverage,  and  so  long  as  the 
consumer  is  a  pseudo-judge  in  these  matters,  there  is  considered 
nothing  radically  wrong  to  be  complained  of;  but  woe  to  him  who 
shall  declare  the  defect.  Nothing  wounds  so  keenly  as  truth,  particu- 
larly when  it  exposes  the  weakness  of  the  one  or  the  cunning  of  the 
other,  and  more  so  as  regards  the  latter  when  the  deception.  1\^& 
hitherto  proved  lucrative.  As  in  matters  oi  oxdmaut^  \x^^<^,^^\s^.^^^ 
^OL,  I'-Na  X.—New  Series.    OnoBE^  1^^5.  '^^ 


504  CATTLE  IMPORTATION. 

present  system  of  cattle  traffic.  The  public  are  loath  to  believe  that 
importation  of  live  stock  can  have  been  so  detrimental  as  it  has  been 
80  frequently  stated.  The  supply  of  foreign  cattle  which  is  con- 
stantly brought  to  meet  the  as  constantly-increasing  demand  in 
England  for  beef  is  looked  upon  as  too  great  a  blessing  to  be 
possessed  of  defects,  and  importers  as  constituting  too  valuable  a 
class  of  individuals  to  be  placed  under  the  necessary  restrictions  here 
which  other  countries  enforce  to  compel  them  to  act  up  to  the  spirit 
of  honest  dealing.  However  foreign  the  cry  of  *'  tainted  fish**  would 
appear  on  the  stones  of  Billingsgate,  it  would  be  quite  as  euphonious 
as  " diseased  cattle'  from  an  importer  of  foreign  stock.  The  conse- 
quences attendant  upon  the  act  are  of  too  profitable  a  nature  to  be 
allowed  to  luxuriate  outside  the  arcana  of  the  craft.  Any  exposure 
of  such  would  be  deemed  an  interference  with  the  principles  of  the 
trade,  and  in  our  irresolute  demands  for  beef,  we  are  supplied  as  a 
matter  of  necessity,  and  also  have  to  take  it  as  we  find  it.  * 

"  A  sad  thing  this  cattle  plague, "  remarked  a  dairyman  to  a  cattle 
salesman  during  the  past  month  ;  '*  it  will,  I  am  afraid,  carry  off  all 
my  stock."  "  The  more  the  better,"  was  the  reply  ;  "  ifs  all  good  for 
trade,  you  know,'*  Pleuro-pneumonia  and  vesicular  aphtha  have  not 
done  sufficient  by  their  thousands  of  slain,  but  the  cattle  plague  will 
doubtless  be  ample.  Probably,  therefore,  we  may  be  aroused  to  a 
sense  of  the  importance  of  the  consideration,  whether  the  benefit  of 
a  class  who,  because  they  never  underrate  their  wares,  shall  be  placed 
in  a  side  by  side  comparison  with  the  health,  wealth,  and  safety  of 
the  population  of  a  whole  kingdom,  merely  to  avoid  the  apparent 
necessity  for  a  remodelling,  or  reconstruction,  of  an  imperfect  system, 
and  by  which  a  subterfuge  shall  be  swept  away  to  give  place  to 
honesty  of  purpose  and  fair  and  above  board,  plain  dealing. 

It  may  seem  hard  that  the  public  will  not  give  credence  to  their 
protestations,  but  we  are  not  bound  to  accept  their  wares  on  the 
strength  of  such,  particularly  when  we  have  had  so  many  doubts  of 
their  veracity. 

Cattle  importers  tell  us  by  various  channels,  many  years'  experience 
convince  them  that  no  cattle  are  introduced  which  bring  disease  with 
them.  Why,  then,  should  we  have,  contemporaneous  with  importation 
of  cattle,  pleuro-pneumonia  and  vesicular  aphtha,  and  with  sheep ' 
small-pox,  &c.  ?  Such  diseases  are  well  known  to  all  who  have  studied 
the  question  scientifically,  as  being  generated  abroad,  and  only  con- 
veyed hither  by  the  loose  system  referred  to.  It  is  also  well  known 
that  they  never  existed  in  this  country  prior  to  the  introduction  of 
numbers  of  foreign  cattle;*  but  for  ages  have  prevailed  in  Western 
Europe,  as  a  result  of  a  process  of  smuggling,  by  which  diseased  ani- 
mals are  brought  from  the  pestiferous  districts  of  Eastern  Bussia  and 
Asia,"f-  where  it  is  alone  generated.    Whenever  the  movements  of  large 

*  "  Report  on  Murrain  in  Horned  Cattle,"  by  E.  Headlam  Greenhow,  M.D. 
t  Ibid. 


CATTLE  IMPORTATION.  505 

armies  have  taken  place  in  the  districts  referred  to,  which  necessitated 
the  employment  of  oxen,  there  the  diseases  also  travelled,  and  deci- 
mated the  camps.  One  of  the  most  recent  instances,  and  therefore 
the  freshest  in  the  minds  of  the  people,  being  that  which  occurred 
during  the  memorable  Crimean  war. 

I  have  no  doubt  myself  about  the  difficulty  of  realising  such  facts 
in  the  minds  of  interested  parties,  nor  do  I  consider  it  probable,  or 
inevitable,  after  a  lucrative  experience  of  thirty  or  forty  years,  that  a 
trader  would  adopt  a  confession  of  guilt,  and  particularly — even  if 
he  had  the  ability — by  a  scientific  solution  of  the  question  which  has 
enabled  him  to  gull  the  people  during  that  time,  and  from  whom  his 
proceeds  have  been  derived.  We  have  as  great  reason  to  suppose 
that  the  sparrow,  in  the  well-known  nursery  rhyme,  should  have 
treated  us  to  a  complete  account  of  the  morbid  appearances  and 
modus  operandi  in  which  the  fatal  dart  worked  its  bloody  effect 
on  the  innocent  victim,  in  place  of  the  laconic  truth,  "  I  killed  Cock 
Robin." 

That  the  cattle  plague  is  indigenous  to  British  soil  does  not  become, 
in  reality,  a  settled  question,  because  a  party  of  importers  and  others, 
equally  as  incapable  of  forming  any  judgment  on  the  matter,  choose 
to  asseverate  the  statement.  If  we  acknowledge  the  existence  of 
"  honour  among  thieves,'*  surely  there  is  a  species  of  that  principle 
also  existing  among  cattle-dealers  recognised  by  a  similar  appellation; 
an  honour  which  comprises  the  whole  technicality  and  free-masonry 
of  the  system  of  importation  and  traffic, — an  honour  which  means 
selling  and  making  money,  and,  as  a  result  in  this  instance,  as  in  the 
case  of  imported  pleuro-pneumonia,  vesicular  aphtha,  or  mouth-and- 
foot  complaint  in  cattle,  and  small-pox  in  sheep,  from  tfie  disasters 
of  the  people. 

The  honour  existing  among  horse-dealers  is  now,  by  experience, 
fully  appreciated,  and  we  are  by  no  means  departing  from  a  rational 
principle  of  reasoning  in  prognosticating  that  analogous  results  may 
probably  be  brought  about  in  the  present  crisis  among  the  class  to 
whom  our  allusions  have  special  reference.  John  Bull  is  an  easy- 
going fellow,  and  evidently  requires  being  "plagued*'  before  he  bestirs 
himself. 

That  the  cattle  plague  is  not  indigenous  to  British  soil  there  is 
abundant  proof,  notwithstanding  what  has  been  advanced  by  the 
supporters  of  the  present  system  of  importation,  or  those  who 
pin  their  faith  to  the  imperfect  sanitary  state  of  our  metropolitan 
dairies. 

As  a  malignant  and  highly  contagious  disease,  running  its  course 
with  extreme  rapidity, — ^if  capable  of  spontaneous  generation  in  Eng- 
land,— how  does  it  happen  that  for  more  than  a  century  it  has  not 
been  witnessed  here  ?  K  it  is  not  contagious,  nor  generated  by  filth 
and  neglect  of  sanitary  regulation,  how  comes  it  that  sheds  have  been 
visited,  and  the  cattle  swept  off  by  the  disease,  when  no  communica- 
tion has  existed  between  infected  places,  and  the  cleanliness  asA.^^2ci»c 


p06  CATTLE  IMPORTATION. 

lation  is  of  the  most  admirable  order  ?    But  such  has  been  the  case 
in  many  instances.* 

Again,  if  a  want  of .  cleanliness  is  the  actual  cause,  how  does  it 
happen  that  London  dairies,  which  are  licensed  and  under  close  in- 
spection, should  be  the  first  to  produce  the  plague.f  When  cow-sheds 
can  be  found  in  town  and  country  throughout  the  provinces  under 
no  sanitary  supervision  whatever,  and  representing  a  thousand  times 
more  extensive  all  the  characters  of  Augean  filth  and  offensive  accu- 
mulations,— if  really  ne<:lect  of  cleanliness  gives  rise  to  cattle  plague, 
we  surely  have  had  ample  cause  for  its  development  on  many  occa- 
sions since  1759.  Our  progress  in  science  and  appKcation  of  it  to 
sanitary  purposes  have  proved  of  little  or  no  avail  also,  under  these 
circumstances,  and  we  are  in  reality  farther  off  instead  of  being  nearer 
to  the  desired  end,  that  of  puri6cation  and  disinfection.  But  we  well 
know  this  to  be  the  contrary  of  truth,  for  never  were  we  in  a  more 
safe  position,  as  far  as  that  is  concerned,  on  the  one  hand,  and  as  far 
as  disease  is  understood  on  the  other.  All  who  have  really  studied 
the  question  of  cattle  plague  here  in  its  modified  form,  and  on  the 
Continent  in  that  recognised  in  the  districts  peculiar  to  its  production, 
agree  in  the  one  declaration  that  the  disease  now  affecting  the  cattle 
of  this  kingdom  is  the  Russian  plague,  the  whole  plague,  and  no- 

*  To  wit,  the  stock  of  Earl  Granville,  Miss  Burdett  Coatts,  and  many  others,  as 
decisive  instances. 

During  the  past  month  I  have  examined  several  cow-houses  of  the  cleanest  and 
most  admirable  construction,  where  the  whole  stock  have  been  carried  off;  in  one 
case,  thirty  cows  were  seized  successively ;  in  a  second,  twelve ;  and  many  of  smaller 
numbers.  A  few  days  ago  1  was  accompanied  into  Kent  by  Professor  Bouley,  from 
the  Alfort  Veterinary  School,  France,  to  examine  and  report  upon  the  state  of  sixty 
of  the  finest  dairy  cows,  all  selected  with  the  greatest  judgment  and  care.  Two  days 
previously  they  were  reported  by  eminent  men  to  be  apparently  free  from  disease. 
On  our  visit,  two  were  aftected  severely.  Here  Professor  Bouley  was  delighted  with 
the  beautiful  arrangements  and  systematic  order  of  everything ;  yet  the  introduction  of 
the  plague  to  this  establishment,  as  well  as  those  already  mentioned,  is  a  perfect 
mystery.  No  fresh  stock  had  been  introduced  for  months,  and  all  communication 
bad  been  cut  off  from  motives  of  rigid  determination  to  avoid  if  possible  the  disease. 

As  cause  likely  to  produce  it  in  the  London  dairies,  untrapped  drains  are  doubtless 
not  without  their  mischievous  effects,  when  we  consider  the  extent  to  which  the  plague 
has  prevailed,  diseased  cattle,  and  excrement  carelessly  removed,  and  doubtless  im- 
pregnated drains  and  sewers  with  the  germs  of  the  animal  poison. 

In  one  instance  the  flesh  of  cows  had  been  purchased  from  a  dealer  in  inferior  meat 
and  maker  of  sausages, — to  feed  dogs  on  the  farm, — here  fifty  cows,  one  bull,  and 
seventeen  cows  were  lost.  In  a  second,  a  butcher  had  taken  offal  of  diseased  cows 
across  the  farm  to  bury  a  few  fields  beyond. 

f  The  first  case  of  plague  which  appeared  in  the  London  dairies  was  observed  in 
two  cattle  purchased  on  the  19th  of  June  in  the  metropolitan  market,  and  taken  to 
the  neighbourhood  of  Lambeth.  One  of  these  sickened  and  died  on  the  27th,  the 
second,  however,  recovered.  About  the  same  time  it  appeared  in  the  stock  of  Mrs 
NichoUs's  dairy.  Lay  cock's  farm,  Liverpool  Road,  Islington.  Mrs  Kicholls  says,— 
"In  less  than  a  fortnight  eighty-five  cows  were  sacrificed.  Her  stock,  consisting  of 
116  shorthorn  cows,  had  cost  £2530,  at  £22  per  head ;  and  she  had  expended  £48,  ITs. 
in  medical  advice,  cartage,  and  other  costs,  making  £2578,  17s.  Of  her  cows  100, 
which  she  was  obliged  to  sell  at  a  great  loss,  had  realised  £536,  6s.  Sixteen  had  been 
carted  away  and  buried,  and  the  total  loss  she  had  sustained  amounted  to  £2042  odd." 
On  the  Hth  of  June  diseased  eaU\c^«e  Tvotked  in  the  above  market  in  the  hands  of 
dealers. 


CATTLE  IMPOETATION.  507 

thing  hut  the  plague.  Unless  we  can  prove  that  our  beautiful  green 
pastures  are  the  dismal  swamps,  and  pestiferous  marshes  of  the  Kus- 
sian  or  Danubian  steppes,  we  fail  to  find  material  for  the  develop- 
ment of  the  germ  by  which  the  disease  is  generated ;  and  unless — 
even  after  its  spontaneous  origin  were  proved  or  admitted — we  can 
prove  its  influences  peculiarly  as  an  enzootic  in  comparison  with  its 
effects  on  Russian  cattle,  and  diseases  generated  and  propagated  among 
our  own  animals  at  home,  we  fail  to  establish  the  least  tenable 
ground  for  the  assumption  that  the  Eussian  cattle  plague  is  really  of 
English  origin* 

Greater  evidences  of  the  desire  to  furnish  sensational  articles  for 
leading  journals — by  those  strong  in  their  condemnation  of  alarms — ' 
cannot  be  found  than  in  the  vague  attempts  to  discuss  the  theory  and 
benefit  of  inoculation  for  preventing  the  spread  of  rinderpest  or  steppe 
murrain ;  and  no  better  are  required  to  show  the  lamentable  amount 
of  ignorance  which  prevails  without  the  professional  circle,  not  only 
upon  this  but  on  epizootic  diseases  generally.  Should  any  one  doubt 
the  influence  of  inoculation,  or  wish  to  test  the  efl&ciency  of  the  sys- 
tem, it  can  be  thus  fairly  accomplished.  Let  him  pay  personal  atten- 
tion to  the  inmates  of  his  own  cow-shed  in  which  the  disease  must  be 
introduced,  where  the  animals  stand  two-and-two  in  stalls,  feeding 
from  the  same  trough,  partaking  of  the  same  food  insalivated  by  each 
other,  and  here  he  will  find  the  result  of  inoculation  being  evidenced 
in  the  potent  arm  of  death — as  conclusive  for  inoculation  as  for  con- 
tagion— upon  which  eccentricities  and  doubts  are  entertained  as 
strongly  as  a  superficial  observation  is  well  known  to  engender. 

By  some  it  is  believed  and  taught  that  the  plague  is  a  disease 
partaking  of  the  essential  characters  of  vesicular  aphtha  and  pleuro- 
pneumonia in'  the  ox-tribe,  small-pox  in  ^heep  and  man,  and  strangles 
in  the  horse,  whose  peculiarities  depend  upon  the  fact  that  animals 
are  only  once  affected  by  them  during  a  lifetime.  It  is  not  my  inten- 
tion here  to  enter  into  a  discussion  as  to  the  probable  amount  of  truth 
attached  to  this  statement  as  regarding  the  above-named  diseases,  hut 
with  steppe  murrain  I  helieve  it  to  he  perfectly  true ;  there  aie  two 
terminations  to  its  progress,  viz. — a.  protracted  recovery ;  and,  6. 
rapid  death. 

a.  Recovery  in  instances  amounting  to  from  3  i^o  5  per  cent, 
without  much  regard  to  medicine,  leaving  a  carcase  valued  at  one- 
eighth  its  former  value,  with  a  heavy  mortgage  upon  it  for  loss  of 
time,  milk,  food,  iScCy  <i:c.,  and  the  'prospect  of  always  heing  an  invalid, 
or  shortly  dying  from  a  comhination  of  causes.     And, 

b.  Death  in  eighty  to  ninety-five  cases  out  of  every  100  animals 
affected. 

In  the  former  we  do  not  gain  much  encouragement  or  benefit  by 
the  belief,  but  in  the  latter  have  abundance,  which  not  only  decides 
the  true  malignant  type  of  the  malady,  and  inevitable  results  of  its 

*  Edward  Bascomb,  M.D.,  on  Ei^\Aem\c  "?^^\I\Vftxv<i^. 


508  CATTLE  IMPOBTATION. 

attack  once  in  the  lifetime  of  "the  individual,  but  that  stringent  and 
energetic  measures  should  be  at  once  instituted  when  its  appearance 
takes  place,  measures  which,  even  in  the  form  of  the  much-despised 
though  honest  knife  and  pole-axe,  have  not  yet  been  surpassed  in  this 
disease  as  a  profitable  proceeding  to  the  ovmers,  or  means  of  safety 
to  a  neighbour's  cows,  in  fact,  to  the  stock  oftlie  whole  kingdom,  valued 
at  eighty  millions,  by  any  means  which  are  promulgated  by  those 
who  consider  it  unprofessional  not  to  "  throw  water  on  a  drowned 
mouse," 

Eussian  steppe  murrain  appears  in  those  countries  in  which  it 
arises  spontaneously,  as  an  enzootic,  spreading  slowly,  and  by  no  means 
so  fatally.  This  is  to  be  accounted  for  in  the  fact  that  animals  who 
are  constantly  subjected  to  miasmatic  exhalations  and  pestiferous 
soils,  water,  deficient  food,  &c.,  with  other  vicissitudes  of  an  atmos- 
pheric character,  are  acclimatised,  and  withstand  the  effects  to  a  far 
greater  extent  than  cattle  of  other  countries  like  our  own,  or  those  of 
Holland,  France,  Germany,  &c.  &c.,  but  the  moment  such  a  disease 
is  in.roduced  to  another  soil  and  climate,  it  becomes  most  malignant 
and  fatal. 

Every  one  knows  that  small-pox  in  the  human  subject,  and  pleuro- 
pneumonia and  vesicular  aphtha  in  cattle,  are  not  so  fatal  as  formerly, 
and  these  peculiarities  are  to  be  traced  to  the  extent  to  which  the  dis- 
eases prevailed  by  which  the  human  and  animal  frames  are  not  so  sus- 
ceptible of  the  poisonous  influences  of  the  disease  during  its  pre- 
valence. 

A  knowledge  of  these  facts,  together  with  the  numbers  of  lives 
which  have  been  sacrificed  during  this  probation,  with  positive  proofs 
of  the  only  means  by  which  the  disease  is  propagated,  viz.,  contagion, 
should  aid  us  in  our  judgment  as  to  the  propriety  of  adopting  any 
line  of  treatment  for  the  cure  of  such  a  malady  as  the  cattle  plague. 

Inoculation  might  do,  provided  we  could  aftbrd  to  lose,  every  ten 
years,  twenty  or  thirty  millions'  worth  of  stock,  in  order  to  render  the 
system  less  susceptible  of  the  poison  of  the  plague ;  and  any  other 
remedial  treatment  may  be  adopted  with  nearly  equal  disadvantages, 
if  we  wish  to  occupy  ourselves  in  the  emptying  of  medicine  bottles, 
merely  to  witness  negative  results,  and  allow  inoculation  to  proceed 
of  its  own  accord,  at  random,  but  most  marked. 

No  one  knows  more  about  the  results  of  medical  treatment  for  the 
plague  than  the  Austrian,  Prussian,  and  other  veterinarians  on  the 
frontiers  of  the  pest-ridden  countries,  and  they  should  form  some 
guide  to  us  in  our  present  crisis.  Even  where  it  arises  more  from  an 
enzootic  character,  there  are  difficulties  in  the  way  of  successful  treat- 
ment ;  these,  therefore,  must  be  proportionally  greater  here,  where  its 
propagation  and  course  are  so  certain  and  rapid 

Dr  Furstenberg  of  Eldend,  and  other  continental  medical  men  and 
eminent  veterinarians,  inform  me  that  many  experiments  have  been 
repeatedly  instituted  at  Vienna  and  other  places  in  Austria  and  Hun- 
gary, in  which  latter  place  the  plague  now  again  rages  with  violence, 


VETERINARY  OBSTETRICY.  609 

and  the  results  have  been  not  in  favour  of  medical  interference,  for 
animals  have  recovered  from  the  worst  forms  as  rapidly  without  medi- 
cines as  others  who  have  received  all  the  attentions  and  assistance  to 
be  derived  from  a  well- organised  system  of  administration.  Our  ex- 
perience in  England  fully  corroborates  this. 

Greater  reliance  is  to  be  placed  on  preventive  measures,  such  as 
careful  selection  abroad,  and  in  districts  well  known  to  be  healthy, 
with  rigid  inspection,  rejection  or  quarantine  where  doubt  or  disease 
shall  exist,  as  the  case  may  be.  Surely  all  these  measures,  even 
though  their  obstructiveness  may  be  admitted,  can  only  be  evils  for  a 
time. 

Is  it  possible  that  importers  would  risk  many  diseased  cargoes  to 
England  if  interruption  is  certain?  On  the  contrary,  they  would 
change  their  tactics,  and  turn  their,  attention  to  other  and  healthy 
districts.     Beef  is  wanted;  John  Bull  must  be  supplied. 

The  demand  is  opened  out  and  importers  rush  to  supply  that  de- 
mand ;  and  I  maintain  that,  as  importers  are  not  supposed  to  run 
across  the  Channel  unless  in  the  hope  of  gaining  by  the  transaction, 
we  may  reasonably  consider  the  results  to  be  of  a  mutual  character, 
and  the  privilege  be  ours  to  stipulate  that  our  necessity  for  beef  is  no 
justification  for  imposition. 

If  we  need  foreign  cattle  for  home  consumption — which  few  will 
have  the  temerity  to  deny — ^in  the  name  of  all  that  is  honest  and 
English,  for  the  sake  of  the  health  of  our  families  and  population 
generally,  as  well  as  the  safety  of  our  beautiful  and  unequalled  breed 
of  cattle  at  home,  let  us  have  them  come  with  clean  hides,  in  clean 
ships,  and  with  sound  healthy  bodies.  Is  this  too  much  to  ask?  if  so, 
all  honour  and  rectitude  in  cattle  importation  is  a  dead  letter. 

Our  hitherto  perfect  belief  in  the  correctness  of  the  system, 
and  the  curability  of  the  resulting  disease,  has  already  swamped 
millions  sterling,  and  our  home  stock  is  still  fearfully  threatened  ; 
whereas,  prompt  measures,  well  directed  at  the  outset,  would  have 
effected  a  total  exclusion  under  as  many  thousands. 


VETERINARY  OBSTETRICY. 

[The  following  lecture  was  delivered  before  the  Lancashire  Vete- 
rinary Medical  Association,  by  Mr  W.  A.  Cartwright,  M.RC.V.S.L., 
Whitchurch,  Salop,  in  the  Royal  Institution,  Manchester,  on  Wednes- 
day evening,  6th  September  1865 — ^Peter  Taylor,  Esq.,  veterinary 
surgeon,  Manchester,  president] : — 

Mr  President  and  Gentlemen, — I  assure  you  it  is  with  very 
great  pleasure  that  I  have  to  address  you  this  evening  on  a  subV^^^i^* 


510  VETERINARY  OBSTETKICY. 

which  I  conceive  to  be  of  vast  importance  to  every  one  who  enters 
into  the  veterinary  profession,  especially  so  to  those  who  are  destined 
to  practise  in  an  agricultural  district. 

It  was  unfortunate  for  me  to  be  placed  apprentice  to  one,  other- 
wise  a  first-rate  practitioner,  wlio  was  anything  but  an  adept  in  cattle 
practice ;  and  during  the  whole  time  that  I  was  with  him,  I  had  not 
the  opportunity  of  attendinj]j  a  single  case  of  veterinary  obstetricy, 
(from  the  Latin,  ob,  before,  sto,  I  stand — the  art  of  midwifery — 06- 
stetrix,  a  midwife ;)  and  equally  so  was  I  unfortunate  at  the  Vete- 
rinary College  in  Loudon,  as  I  never  heard  a  single  lecture,  or  a  word 
of  advice,  given  on  the  subject  during  the  whole  period  I  was  there, 
either*  from  Professors  Coleman,  Sewell,  Spooner,  or  others ;  and  of 
course  you  may  well  imagine  that  I  was,  as  our  diploma  states,  per- 
haps anything  but  qualified  "  to  practise  the  veterinary  art,"  so  far  as 
cattle  practice  was  concerned ;  but  upon  this  dark  side  I  will  not 
dwell,  as  a  brighter  day  has  dawned  upon  the  Veterinary  College,  as 
there  is  now  one  filling  the  chair  on  cattle  pathology  fully  competent 
to  treat  and  illustrate,  from  practical  experience,  this  branch  of  our 
profession.  I  can  well  remember  that  the  first  case. I  was  called  in 
to,  on  commencing  practice,  was  one  of  inversion  of  the  uterus ;  and 
you  may  well  imagine  with  what  consternation  and  awe  I  looked  upon 
the  immense  protruded  mass  that  lay  before  me.  However,  after 
taking  a  common-sense  view  of  the  case,  and  reasoning  on  the  best 
method  of  re-inverting  it,  I  saw  no  better  way  of  replacing  it  than 
after  separating  the  placenta,  by  placing  my  fist  at  the  centre  of  it 
whilst  others  assisted  me  by  pressing  against  its  sides,  and  so  forced  it 
back  into  its  proper  position  ;  and  I  am  happy  to  say  I  was  successful, 
and  I  was  by  those  around  me  stamped  as  a  first-rate  veterinary 
accoucheur.  Of  course,  at  this  time  I  found  myself  far  better  pre- 
pared to  practise  on  the  horse  than  on  cattle,  but  as  I  saw  that  it 
would  be  rather  inconvenient  for  me  to  be  attending  the  horse,  and 
a  cow  doctor  the  cattle,  I  fully  made  up  my  mind  to  extend  my  prac- 
tice, consequently  I  entered  fully  into  cattle  pi'actice ;  and  from  that 
day  to  this  I  must  say  that  I  have  had  my  fair  share  of  it ;  and  you 
who  know  what  cattle  practice  is  can  well  imagine,  during  a  forty 
years'  practice,  what  labour  and  drudgery  I  have  gone  through. 

The  subject  that  our  worthy  and  respected  President  kindly  solicited 
me  to  bring  before  your  notice  this  evening,  although  it  has  given  me 
a  great  deal  of  trouble,  has  been  a  labour  of  .love.  In  a  great  mea- 
sure it  has  been  untrodden  ground,  but  with  me  I  have  made  it  a 
sort  of  hobby  for  now  many  years,  and  the  greater  part  of  my  expe- 
rience has  been  laid  before  the  public  in  a  variety  of  papers  in  the  va- 
rious volumes  of  that  invaluable  periodical  the  Veterinarian — a  work, 
from  its  commencement,  that  I  would  strongly  advise  every  one  to  be 
possessed  of,  as  it  contains  a  mass  of  information  on  every  veterinary 
subject,  but  especially  so  on  this,  which  can  only  be  obtained  in  this 
country  therefrom.  There  is  also  much  valuable  matter  in  the 
volumes  of  the  EdxnbiirgK  Vetermar'a  Rem^tiV,  both  on  this  and 


VETERINARY  OBSTETRICY.  511 

other  veterinary  subjects,  which  I  should  also  advise  to  be  pur- 
chased. 

With  the  exception  of  some  observations  by  Skellett,  published,  I 
think,  in  the  year  1807,  and  of  Dobson  last  year,  I  am  not  aware  of 
any  work  ever  being  published  in  the  United  Kingdom  on  the  extrac- 
tion of  the  foetus  of  domesticated  animals.  Mr  Simonds,  I  am  aware, 
delivered  an  address  before  the  Agricultural  Society  on  the  subject, 
and  which  may  be  found  in  its  Journal,  and  in  the  Vet^nary 
Transactions,  vol.  v.,  p.  301,  now  defunct.  Dobson*s  work  on  this 
subject  is  nothing  more  than  a  transcript  from  Simonds. 

Some  years  ago,  the  lamented  William  Percivall,  that  giant  in 
veterinary  literature — a  name  that  is  venerated  by  us  all — urged  me 
very  much  to  publish,  conjointly  with  himself,  a  work  on  the  subject, 
and  for  a  time  I  was  almost  induced  to  comply ;  but  from  one  cir- 
cumstance or  other,  the  affair  fell  through,  and  I  declined  it ;  but  I 
must  say  a  work  on  the  subject  is  much  wanted.  In  the  second 
volume  of  the  Edinburgh  Veterinary  Review  there  is  an  excellent 
review  by  Gamgee,  I  presume,  of  works  by  Gunther,  Rainard,  and 
Baumeister,  and  it  is  a  great  pity,  indeed  I  think  it  is  a  disgrace,  that 
they  are  not  translated  into  English.  I  am  thoroughly  convinced 
that  every  veterinary  surgeon  ought  to  know  the  French  and  German 
languages,  and  others  if  possible,  as  they  lose  much  valuable  matter 
on  every  subject. 

I  cannot  help  stating,  previous  to  entering  on  my  subject,  that 
I  feel  thoroughly  surprised  at  the  apathy  shown  by  the  agricultural 
community  and  gentlemen  vrho  ought  to  know  better,  in  sanctioning 
the  employment  of  such  a  set  of  ignorant  pickpockets  as  they  do.  In 
other  respects  they  show  their  judgment  in  every  transaction,  and 
study  economy  in  every  sense ;  but  if  a  valuable  horse  or  cow  is  to 
be  attended  to,  they  will  either  tamper  with  it  themselves,  go  to  a 
druggist,  or  else  employ  one  of  the  most  ignorant  fellows  that  the 
community  possesses,  and  all  for  the  sake  of  a  few  pounds  a  year.  I 
do  nrot  hesitate  to  say  that  thousands  of  pounds  are  lost  around  me 
every  year  by  such  conduct.  This  circumstance  puts  me  in  mind  of 
a  speech  that  I  once  read,  delivered  by  Sir  Harry  Mainwaring  at  the 
Crewe  Agricultural  Society's  dinner,  on  30th  September  1863,  and  I 
must  say  at  the  time  it  tickled  my  fancy  very  much,  and  since  then 
it  has  often  come  into  my  mind.  It  is  this :  '*  One  stormy  night  in 
the  month  of  February  he  was  passing  a  farm-house,  and  heard  a 
voice  in  the  cow-house.  He  looked  in,  and  found  a  cow  very  ill 
.  The  cow  doctor  was  there  with  a  boy,  and  a  tallow  candle  was  stuck 
against  the  wall.  Just  as  the  cow  required  assistance,  the  candle  fell 
and  went  out,  and  why  it  did  not  set  fire  to  the  whole  building  he 
was  at  a  loss  to  imagine.  He  afterwards  heard  the  cow  died.  He 
made  inquiries  who  the  cow  doctor  was,  and  found  that  he  practised 
because  his  uncle  had  left  him  a  few  receipts.  He  charged  2s.  for 
his  visit,  whereas  a  veterinary  surgeon  would  have  charged  half  a 
sovereign.     So  the  farmer  congratulated  himself  by  sa^vc^^  Vl'^  V^^ 


512  VETEBINARY  OBSTETBICY. 

saved  8s.,  but  had  lost  his  cow.  He  (the  chairman)  thought  that  far- 
mer wanted  a  skylight  as  badly  as  the  cheese-room  he  had  previously 
visited."     (Hear,  and  laughter.) 

As  your  tirae  is  valuable,  I  will  not  at  present  enter  npon  various 
preliniinary  inquiries,  however  interesting  they  may  be,  such  as  the 
duration  of  utero-gestation,  and  the  symptoms  of  pregnancy,  and  of 
parturition,  but  will  at  once  enter  upon  my  subject ;  and  I  think  that 
sometimes  it  is  of  as  much  importance  to  know  what  not  to  do  as  to 
do,  consequently  I  will  direct  your  attention  to  what  may  perhaps  be 
called 

Premature  Labour ,  or  False  Labour  Pains. — Now  every  one  who 
is  at  all  acquainted  with  veterinary  obstetricy  must  be  aware  that 
sometimes  he  will  meet  with  cases  where  the  cow  will  show  every 
symptom  of  parturition,  such  as  enlargement  of  the  udder,  swelling 
of  the  vulva,  a  partial  relaxation  of  the  sacro-ischiatic  ligaments,  or 
what  is  commonly  called  "  being  off  at  the  hips,"  and  in  addition  to 
these  symptoms  she  will  every  now  and  then  be  violently  strain- 
ing, which  may  naturally  induce  every  one  around  her  to  believe 
that  she  needs  assistance.  Now,  in  such  cases  it  will  be  necessary 
for  us  to  pass  our  arm  up  the  vagina,  and  ascertain  whether  there  is 
any  cause  of  irritation  therein,  and  to  examine  the  state  of  the  os 
uteri,  and  ascertain  whether  there  is  any  dilatation  of  it,  or  the  least 
appearance  of  the  "water  bag;"  but  if  we  find  that  neither  the  one 
nor  the  other  exists,  our  best  plan  will  be  to  leave  nature  alone,  and 
not  attempt  to  force  our  fingers  into  the  os  uteri,  so  as  to  make  a 
passage,  which  those  around  us  may  be  anxious  for  us  to  do,  as  they 
have  an  idea  that  when  once  straining  commences  the  calf  must  be 
got  away.  Now  our  best  plan  will  be  to  limit  her  diet,  give  aperients, 
combined  with  anodynes,  so  as  to  allay  the  spasmodic  action  of  the 
uterus,  and  irritation  about  the  os  uteri,  when  we  shall  find  that  the 
straining  will  in  a  great  degree  subside,  and,  in  the  course  of  one,  two, 
or  three  days,  relaxation  of  the  os  uteri  will  take  place,  and  become 
fully  expanded,  and  the  cow  Will  calve  sometimes  with  little  or  no 
assistance.  These  cases  are  more  frequent  in  heifers,  but  they  are  by 
no  means  rare  in  more  aged  cows. 

In  my  early  practice  I  have  made  attempts  to  dilate  the  os  uteri  in 
these  cases,  but  I  must  say  I  cannot  advise  any  one  to  adopt  the 
practice,  as  it  is  irrational  so  to  do,  and  the  necessity  of  making  an 
incision  in  the  os  uteri  is,  I  think,  very  rare  indeed.  In  some 
cases,  where  the  calf  lies  upon  its  back,  we  shall  find  that  there  is 
not  the  usual  pressure  of  the  fore  or  hind  feet  against  the  mouth  of 
the  OS  uteri  sufficiently  to  dilate  it,  but,  on  the  contrary,  every  time 
the  animal  strains  the  feet  are  forced  against  the  upper  part  of  the 
OS  uteri  and  intestines,  and  in  some  cases  the  feet  are  actually  forced 
through  the  side  of  the  os  uteri  into  the  intestines,  and  which  have 
appeared  in  the  vagina.  In  these  cases  it  may  be  prudent  to  watch 
our  patient  more  carefully;  and  sometimes  it  may  be  necessary, 
gradually,  to  dilate  the  oa  ulen.  asvi  %<i\»  ViQld  of  the  feet,  and  psss 


VETERINAEY  OBSTETBICY.  513 

cords  around  them,  and  get  them  to  point  into  the  os  uteri,  when  the 
continued  straining  of  the  animal  will  gradually  dilate  the  passage, 
and  all  will  be  well.  Some  few  years  ago,  I  recollect  a  farrier,  who 
lived  a  few  miles  from  my  residence,  and  who  was  considered  pretty 
clever  in  assisting  cows  to  calve,  being  sent  for  to  a  gentleman*s 
house,  to  a  valuable  Welsh  cow  that  was  supposed  to  have  gone  the 
full  period  of  utero-gestation,  in  consequence  of  her  being  uneasy 
and  straining.  He  made  an  examination,  and  declared  that  the 
mouth  of  the  womb  was  so  closed  up,  hard,  and  rigid,  that  she  never 
would  be  able  to  calve,  and  that  the  best  thing  would  be  to  have  her 
killed  for  meat ;  consequently  a  butcher  (my  next  door  neighbour)  was 
sent  for,  who,  after  a  good  deal  of  persuasion,  advised  the  owner  not  to 
kill  her,  but  that  he  would  give  a  fair  price  for  her,  and  give  her  a  trial 
a  little  longer,  which  was  agreed  to,  and  he  brought  her  home  and  im- 
mediately sent  for  me  to  examine  her.  I  found  her  looking  uncom- 
monly well  and  lively,  and  on  turning  her  into  the  field  she  ate  greedily. 
Her  udder  was  beginning  to  fill,  but  she  was  not  at  all  "  off  at  the 
hips,"  and  on  introducing  my  hand  up  the  vagina,  I  found  that  the 
OS  uteri  was  not  at  all  dilated,  but  in  a  perfectly  healthy  state.  As 
she  did  not  strain  much,  and  there  appeared  but  Uttle  the  matter  with 
her,  and  evidently  not  being  at  her  full  time,  I  advised  him  to  give 
her  a  little  sedative  medicine  and  leave  her  alone.  In  the  course  of 
the  day  the  straining  ceased,  and  in  about  a  week  after  she  calved  a 
fine  healthy  calf  without  assistance,  and  in  a  few  days  after  she  was 
sold /or  £14! 

I  will  now  direct  your  attention  to  the  various  presentations,  and 
first  of  all,  I  must  just  observe  that — 

The  natural  presentation  in  the  cow  and  mare  is  with  the  fore 
feet  and  head  presented.  In  the  sow  the  foetus  comes  sometimes 
with  the  head  and  feet,  but  very  often  by  the  breech.  In  all  natural 
presentations  in  the  cow  I  would  strongly  urge  the  prudent  plan  of 
giving  the  animal  sufficient  time,  so  that  the  os  uteri  should  be  fully 
and  gradually  dilated  by  her  own  free  efforts;  and  I  do  think  it  is 
very  advisable  not  to  rupture  the  membranes  too  early,  as  the  en- 
cysted waters  are  the  most  simple  dilators  of  the  os  uterL  On  the 
other  hand,  we  must  not  delay  it  too  long,  for  when  the  membranes 
are  ruptured  the  feet  generally  protrude  and  dilate  the  os  uteri  as 
much  as  is  wanted,  and  the  uterus  then  acts  more  powerfully.  We 
shall  also  be  able  to  ascertain  whether  there  is  a  wrong  presenta- 
tion. 

It  is  but  seldom  that  mares  require  our  assistance;  but  when  they 
do,  their  cases  are  found,  too  often,  to  be  very  difficult  ones;  so  that 
what  is  to  be  done  for  them  must,  if  possible,  be  done  quickly ;  for, 
when  once  pains  fairly  set  in,  oar  patient  generally  makes  short  work 
of  it,  and  either  forces  the  foetus  out  or  ruptures  the  uterus,  and  in 
some  cases  the  intestines  are  actually  forced  out  through  the  rupture 
into  the  vagina. 

Some  veterinary  writer,   that  I  cannot  recollect^  l^aa  %^^  "^^ 


514  VETERINARY  OBSTETEICr. 

assistance  required  in  delivering  a  cow  is  mere  childs  play  to  what 
is  required  in  the  mare,  and  I  perfectly  agree  with  him. 

Head  only. — In  these  cases  we  must  get  the  fore  legs  up  in  the 
ordinary  way  with  our  hands,  or  by  fastening  cords  around  the  pas- 
terns, and  then  draw  them  into  the  passage;  but  if  we  have  not  room, 
we  had  better  force  the  head  back  into  the  uterus,  and  then  get  the 
legs  up  one  after  the  other.  In  some  extreme  cases,  when  we  cannot 
force  the  head  back,  especially  so  in  heifers,  and  that  have  been 
roughly  handled,  we  must  remove  it  before  we  can  get  the  legs  up, 
and  it  will  be  advisable  either  to  skin  the  head  and  separate  it  at 
the  first  or  second  cervical  vertebrae,  taking  care  that  the  ends  of  the 
bones  are  tied  well  over  to  prevent  laceration. 

Fore  feet — head  hack. — This  presentation  is  too  often  found  to 
be  one  of  the  most  diflBcult  positions  we  have  to  encounter,  and  will 
tax  all  our  strength,  patience,  and  ingenuity,  as  the  foetus's  head  lies 
back  against  its  sides  and  flanks,  and  is  sometimes  completely  out  of 
reach.  This  is  especially  the  case  in  the  mare,  where  the  neck  of  the 
foal  is  often  very  long,  and  the  mare's  belly  very  pendent ;  and  often 
it  will  be  found  that  the  head  is  not  merely  bent  back,  but  is  almost 
immovably  fixed  by  contractions  of  some  of  the  muscles;  and  in 
some  instances  the  jaw  is  actually  deformed  and  bent,  by  lying 
against  the  ribs. 

In  all  these  cases  we  had  better -secure  cords  to  the  legs,  and  then 
push  them  into  the  uterus  so  as  to  make  room  for  our  exploration. 
We  must  then  try  to  get  hold  of  the  head  by  laying  hold  of  the  nose 
with  one's  fingers,  or  passing  a  cord  around  the  lower  jaw,  or  slip  a 
noose  around  the  neck — [shows  it] — and  so  bring  the  head  forward; 
but  if  we  cannot  do  this,  we  must  insert  a  hook  into  the  orbit,  and 
so  draw  the  head  up  into  the  passage. 

This  we  may  either  do  with  a  hook  (with  or  without  a  joint  in  it) 
with  a  cord  attached  to  it,  or  with  a  long  iron  rod  with  the  hook  at 
its  end.  The  latter  I  generally  prefer,  as  the  assistant,  who  has  hold 
of  the  handle,  can  rotate  it  to  its  desired  place,  or  move  it  backwards 
or  forward  as  required.  When  we  are  pulling  the  head  up  we  had 
better  push  against  the  chest,  so  as  to  make  more  room  for  the  head. 

In  case  we  cannot  get  the  head  up,  we  have  no  other  alternative 
than  to  remove  one  or  both  legs,  so  as  to  make  more  room,  and  get 
the  head  nearer  by  pulling  at  the  flaps  of  skin  that  had  surrounded 
the  fore  legs.  Sometimes  we  have  even  great  difficulty  in  finding  the 
head;  if  so,  it  will  be  necessary  to  turn  her  over  on  her  side  or  back. 

My  usual  practice  in  removing  the  fore  legs  is  this : — I  first  of  all 
draw  a  leg  out,  and  divide  the  skin  as  far  as  possible  with  this  instru- 
ment that  I  have  invented — [shows  it] — or  I  introduce  my  hand, 
containing  a  knife,  up  as  far  as  possible  on  the  side  of  the  scapula, 
and  make  an  incision  from  there  down  the  whole  length  of  the  limb 
to  the  pastern  bones.  I  then  perform  what  is  called  subcutaneous 
d/smemberment,  by  separating  the  cellular  tissue  with  the  knife  or 
Hugers,  or  .with  this  mstT\mieii\r— \^o^^\\\---^^i^\  «£  possible  sur- 


VETERINARY  OBSTJETRICY,  515. 

rounding  the  whole  limb;  and  having  done  so,  I  then  try  to  cut 
through  the  transverse  pectoral  muscles  connecting  the  sternum  and 
shoulder.  I  then  disjoint  the  limb  either  at  the  pastern  or  fetlock 
joint,  having  the  foot,  of  course,  attached  to  the  skin,  which  is  after- 
wards found  very  useful  in  drawing  the  body  forward.  I  then  fasten 
cords  around  the  leg,  just  above  the  fetlock  joint  and  knee;  and 
having  the  cow  firmly  secured  at  the  "  boosy  stake/'  and  having 
plenty  of  hands  to  assist,  we  use  the  necessary  force,  and  which 
is  frequently  very  great,  and  draw  the  whole  limb  away.  I  have 
known,  in  some  of  these  cases,  of  the  limbs  separating  at  the  shoulder 
joints,  and  yet  the  foetus  has  been  extracted,  both  from  the  mare  and 
cow,  with  the  shoulders  attached,  the  points  of  the  latter  having,  for- 
tunately, not  caught  the  edge  of  the  pelvis.  The  great  danger  in 
these  cases  is,  that  the  shoulder  joints  may  catch  against  the  edge  of 
the  pelvis,  and  thus  prevent  extraction. 

Previous  to  removing  the  limb,  it  is  highly  necessary  to  separate  all 
we  possibly  can  of  the  cellular  membrane  between  it  and  the  skin, 
and  also  to  divide  the  transverse  pectoral  muscles,  and  as  many  of  the 
other  muscles  attaching  the  body  to  the  limb,  which  will  lessen  the 
force  required,  and  the  punishment  of  the  poor  animal.  If  necessary, 
and  which  is  often  found  to  be  the  case,  we  must  remove  the  other 
limb  in  the  same  way.  Having  done  so,  we  must  now  draw  the  body 
forward  by  the  skin  that  surrounded  the  limbs,  and  try  again  to  get 
the  head  up  by  the  foregoing  methods  ;  and  having  got  the  head  up 
we  must  remove  the  remaining  part  of  the  foetus  by  pulling  at  the 
head  and  skin  surrounding  the  limbs.  Sometimes,  after  having 
removed  the  fore  legs,  we  may  be  enabled  to  lay  hold  of  the  hind 
legs,  and,  if  we  are  so  fortunate,  we  may  easily  reniove  the  remaining 
portion  of  the  foetus  by  the  breech.  Indeed,  it  will  be  no  bad  plan 
to  force  the  fore  feet  in  at  first,  and,  if  possible,  to  get  hold  of  the  hind 
feet  and  deliver  by  the  breech.  I  may  now  just  remark  that  in  all 
cases  where  the  head  is  presented,  and  not  having  passed  through  the 
pelvis,  it  is  prudent,  in  many  cases,  to  apply  a  pair  of  Nelson's  blunt 
forceps  to  the  nostrils — [shows  them] — or  a  cord  around  the  neck  at 
the  back  part  of  the  head,  so  as  to  bring  the  head  well  forward,  as 
very  frequently  it  is  the  case  that  the  more  we  pull  at  the  feet,  the 
more  is  the  head  forced  back. 

There  are  instances  on  record,  both  in  the  mare  and  cow,  where 
foetuses  have  been  extracted  with  the  head  doubled  back  on  its  neck, 
side,  or  flank,  without  removing  any  part  of  the  foetus,  and  expelled, 
in  a  great  measure,  by  the  efibrts  of  the  mother,  and  have  survived; 
and  such  instances  have  occurred  to  myself,  notwithstanding  Mr  Law- 
son  of  Bolton  has  asserted  to  the  contrary  such  can  never  take  place. 
See  Veterinarian,  vol.  xxxiii,  p.  1 41.  Yet  I  hope  no  veterinary  sur- 
geon in  the  present  day,  who  has  any  character  for  humanity, 'will 
dare  to  torture  an  animal  whilst  means  are  in  his  power  to  avoid  it. 
Mr  Dobson  has  said,  that  if  we  cannot  get  the  head  up  into  position^ 
we  must  disarticulate  it  at  the  first  or  second  c,^r^\R?jCN^\\j^^«iN'^'^^ 


VETEEINAEY  0B3TETEICY.  617 

the  breech  also,  and  so  make  more  room  for  the  leg  coming  up. 
' "e  cases,  where  we  cannot  bend  the  leg  snflGiciently  straight  at 
:^k  backwards,  it  will  be  advisable  to  get  the  hock  up  as  far  as 
"6  into  the  passage,  and  divide  the  tendon  of  the  flexor  metatarsi, 
OS  to  its  bifurcating,  just  above  and  in  front  of  the  hock,  which 
T-able  us  to  bend  the  leg  and  flex  the  joint  much  more  than 
1,     We  must  also  be  very  careful  the  foot  does  not  penetrate 
:Ti  the  uterus ;  to  avoid  which,  we  must  have  our  hand  guard- 
3  foot,  whilst  with  the  other,  or  by  an  assistant  or  crutch,  the 
is  forced  well  out  of  the  way.     Having  succeeded  in  getting 
^  well  in  the  passage,  we  must  adopt  the  same  method  in  get- 
ne  other  up.     Now  and  then  we  are  not  able  to  get  the  legs 
mi  into  the  passage,  but  have  to  get  the  fojtus  away  by  means 
^s  around  the  hock  or  hocks,  with  one  or  more  of  the  legs 
fed  forward  against  the  thigh.     In  these  cases  it  will  be  advis- 
^  divide  the  tendons  at  the  back  of  the  legs,  just  above  the 
of  the  OS  calcis,  and  also  the  flexor  tendons  below  the  hocks,  by 
means  the  flexion  at  the  hock  joints  will  be  more  perfect,  and 
g  and  thighs  will  better  approximate.    After  we  have  done  this, 
-y  pull  at  the  cords  around  the  hocks  pretty  freely,  but  we  must 
feoit  the  forcing  of  the  breech  into  the  abdomen,  so  as  to  allow 
limbs  at  the  stifles  becoming  straightened,  and  that  the  stifles 
not  stick  against  the  anterior  part  of  the  pelvis.     In  some  cases, 
3  known  the  foetus  to  come  away  in  a  breech  presentation,  with- 
i^e  legs  being  straightened  at  the  stifles;  but  it  is  bad  practice,  if 
be  avoided.     In  some  cases  we  may  remove  the  leg  part,  by 
g  the  bone  through  close  up  to  the  hock,  and  afterwards  passing 
t  above  the  os  calcis  to  pull  at,  and  then  pushing  the  breech  for- 
In  the  Edinburgh  Veterinary  Review  for  May  last,  I  broached 
object  of  extraction  by  the  breech  with  one  or  more  of  the  hind 
^jing  under  its  abdomen,  or  against  its  flank  or  flanks ;  and  I 
confess  I  see  no  reason  why  the  foetus  may  not,  in  some  parti- 
cases,  be  extracted  in  this  position,  especially  so  in  those  cases 
S  we  have  one  hind  leg  out  to  pull  at.    I  perfectly  recollect,  in  one 
nee,  delivering  a  cow  of  a  very  large  calf  with  both  of  its  hind  legs 
c  its  abdomen,  and  I  never  saw  a  cow  after  calving  do  better. 
■"  having  got  the  legs  straight,  we  should  make  an  incision  into 
bdomen  and  remove  its  contents,  as  sometimes  the  intestines  are 
d  into  a  heap,  causing  a  complete  obstruction  to  the  removal  of 
ther  parts.     In  those  cases  where  we  are  unable  to  extract  by 
»reech,  through  not  getting  the  legs  up  straight  by  laying  hold  of 
eet,  or  when  bent  at  the  hocks,  we  may  make  pretty  free  incisions 
igh  the  skin  about  the  ilio-femoral  articulations  or  rump,  and 
wards  cut  or  tear  the  muscles  around  these  asunder,  and  then  we 
lecure  cords  around  the  iliac  processes  and  coccygeal  bones,  and 
s  against  the  edge  of  the  obturator  foramen,  by  which  means  we 
remove  the  pelvic  and  coccygeal  bones  ;  and  having  done  so,  we 
ipply  a  cord  around  the  heads  of  the  thigh  bones  and  pull  them 


616  VETERINAEY  OBSTETBICY. 

I  should  like  to  know  how  such  is  to  be  done  if  it  is  so  far  off;  and 
if  it  is  near,  the  operation  is  quite  unnecessary. 

AU  four  feet  presented — head  hack, — Occasionally  we  meet  with 
this  presentation,  but  it  is  not  often  that  we  do  so ;  but  sometimes  it 
is  not  a  little  puzzling  in  consequence  of  the  probability  of  there 
being  twins.  We  must  examine  the  legs  very  carefully  to  ascertam 
this  fact.  When  there  are  not  twins,  we  must  take  our  choice  whether 
we  shall  try  to  get  it  into  a  natural  position,  or  deliver  by  the  breech; 
and  to  do  either  the  one  or  the  other,  we  must  first  of  all  ascertain 
which  sue  fore  legs,  and  which  are  hind  ones ;  and  this  is  done  by 
feeling  for  the  projection  of  the  os  calcis  on  the  hind  leg,  but  unless 
care  is  used  this  may  be  mistaken  for  the  pisiform  bone  at  the  back 
of  the  knee  of  the  fore  leg ;  and  having  done  so,  we  must  fasten  dif- 
ferent sorts  of  cords  or  something  around  them,  so  that  we  shall  be 
able  to  tell  the  one  from  the  other  ;  we  must  now  feel  for  the  head, 
and  if  we  find  that  we  are  able  to  reach  it  and  get  it  into  position,  we 
must  secure  cords  to  the  fore  legs,  and  get  the  foetus  away  by  our 
assistants  pulling  at  them  and  the  head ;  whilst  we,  at  the  same  time, 
are  pushing  the  hind  legs  into  the  abdomen,  so  as  to  make  room  for 
the  passing  of  the  other  parts.  If  we  find  that  the  head  is  out  of  our 
reach,  and  that  the  hind  legs  can  be  secured,  we  had  better  proceed 
to  remove  by  the  breech,  which  we  readily  can  do  by  pulling  at  the 
hind  legs,  and  forcing  the  fore  ones  into  the  abdomen. 

Breech  presentation, — A  breech  presentation  is  that  where  the 
tail  and  hind  parts  are  to  be  felt  projecting  towards  the  os  uteri  or 
vagina,  and  with  the  foetus's  hind  legs  stretched  out  underneath  its 
belly.  Sometimes  the  foetus  lies  upon  its  back,  or  side,  with  the  breech 
presented,  but  most  frequently  it  is  in  the  sitting  posture,  with  its 
back  towards  its  mother's.  This  presentation,  and  the  one  where 
the  fore  legs  are  presented  and  the  head  lying  back,  I  consider  to  be 
the  most  difficult  ones  that  we  have  to  do  with.  In  a  case  of  ordi- 
nary breech  presentation,  and  indeed  in  all  others,  our  first  pro- 
cedure will  be  to  get  a  quantity  of  horse,  or  other  solid  manure,  and 
make  a  good  well-raised  bed  preparatory  to  her  lying  down,  which, 
most  probably,  she  will  soon  do,  and  which  would  be  diflScult  to  place 
under  her  when  down,  and  perhaps  unable  to  rise,  or  stupidly  refus- 
ing to  do  so.  We  must  now  make  a  running  noose  on  a  cord,  and 
pass  it  in  our  hand,  or  with  it  on  the  end  of  a  directing  rod  — [shown] — 
over  the  foot  on  to  the  pastern ;  or  we  may  pass  a  cord  around  the  leg 
higher  up,  and  draw  it  out  of  the  body,  and  then  pass  the  end  of  it 
through  a  noose,  and  having  done  so,  we  may  gradually  force  the 
noose  so  made  below  the  fetlock,  and  having  drawn  it  pretty  tight, 
we  must  get  our  assistant  to  pull  at  the  cord,  whilst  we  with  our 
hand,  or  crutch, — [shown,] — force  the  hind  parts  forward,  by  which 
means  we  may  get  the  leg  into  proper  position.  Sometimes,  when 
we  have  forced  the  breech  pretty  weU  forward,  it  will  be  advisable  to 
ieave  off  pushing  against  it,  and  push  against  the  back  part  of  the 
bock,  by  which  means  "we  toic^  ^iJcva  «JC\^^  lot^^^,  and,  in  some  re- 


VETERINARY  0B3TETEICY.  517 

spects,  the  breech  also,  and  so  make  more  room  for  the  leg  coming  up. 
In  some  cases,  where  we  cannot  bend  the  leg  suflSciently  straight  at 
the  hock  backwards,  it  will  be  advisable  to  get  the  hock  up  as  far  as 
possible  into  the  passage,  and  divide  the  tendon  of  the  flexor  metatarsi, 
previous  to  its  bifurcating,  just  above  and  in  front  of  the  hock,  which 
will  enable  us  to  bend  the  leg  and  flex  the  joint  much  more  than 
natural.     We  must  also  be  very  careful  the  foot  does  not  penetrate 
through  the  uterus  ;  to  avoid  which,  we  must  have  our  hand  guard- 
ing the  foot,  whilst  with  the  other,  or  by  an  assistant  or  crutch,  the 
breech  is  forced  well  out  of  the  way.     Having  succeeded  in  getting 
the  leg  well  in  the  passage,  we  must  adopt  the  same  method  in  get- 
ting the  other  up.     Now  and  then  we  are  not  able  to  get  the  legs 
straight  into  the  passage,  but  have  to  get  the  fojtus  away  by  means 
of  cords  around  the  hock  or  hocks,  with  one  or  more  of  the  legs 
doubled  forward  against  the  thigh.     In  these  cases  it  will  be  advis- 
able to  divide  the  tendons  at  the  back  of  the  legs,  just  above  the 
point  of  the  os  calcis,  and  also  the  flexor  tendons  below  the  hocks,  by 
which  means  the  flexion  at  the  hock  joints  will  be  more  perfect,  and 
the  leg  and  thighs  will  better  approximate.     After  we  have  done  this, 
we  may  pull  at  the  cords  around  the  hocks  pretty  freely,  but  we  must 
not  omit  the  forcing  of  the  breech  into  the  abdomen,  so  as  to  allow 
of  the  limbs  at  the  stifles  becoming  straightened,  and  that  the  stifles 
shall  not  stick  against  the  anterior  part  of  the  pelvis.     In  some  cases, 
I  have  known  the  foetus  to  come  away  in  a  breech  presentation,  with- 
out the  legs  being  straightened  at  the  stifles;  but  it  is  bad  practice,  if 
it  can  be  avoided.     In  some  cases  we  may  remove  the  leg  part,  by 
sawing  the  bone  through  close  up  to  the  hock,  and  afterwards  passing 
a  cord  above  the  os  calcis  to  pull  at,  and  then  pushing  the  breech  for- 
ward.    In  the  Edinburgh  Veterinary  Review  for  May  last,  I  broached 
the  subject  of  extraction  by  the  breech  with  one  or  more  of  the  hind 
legs  lying  under  its  abdomen,  or  against  its  flank  or  flanks  ;  and  I 
must  confess  I  see  no  reason  why  the  foetus  may  not,  in  some  parti- 
cular cases,  be  extracted  in  this  position,  especially  so  in  those  cases 
where  we  have  one  hind  leg  out  to  pull  at.    I  perfectly  recollect,  in  one 
instance,  delivering  a  cow  of  a  very  large  calf  with  both  of  its  hind  legs 
under  its  abdomen,  and  I  never  saw  a  cow  after  calving  do  better. 
After  having  got  the  legs  straight,  we  should  make  an  incision  into 
the  abdomen  and  remove  its  contents,  as  sometimes  the  intestines  are 
forced  into  a  heap,  causing  a  complete  obstruction  to  the  removal  of 
the  other  parts.     In  those  cases  where  we  are  unable  to  extract  by 
the  breech,  through  not  getting  the  legs  up  straight  by  laying  hold  of 
the  feet,  or  when  bent  at  the  hocks,  we  may  make  pretty  free  incisions 
through  the  skin  about  the  ilio-femoral  articulations  or  rump,  and 
afterwards  cut  or  tear  the  muscles  around  these  asunder,  and  then  we 
can  secure  cords  around  the  iliac  processes  and  coccygeal  bones,  and 
hooks  against  the  edge  of  the  obturator  foramen,  by  which  means  we 
can  remove  the  pelvic  and  coccygeal  bones  ;  and  having  done  so,  we 
can  apply  a  cord  around  the  heads  of  the  thigji  boTkfc'^  «sA  ^^i^  'v^^xsjl 


2  VETERINARY  OBSTETRICY.  517 

Pi^^jcts,  the  breech  also,  and  so  make  more  room  for  the  leg  coming  up. 
^^    some  cases,  where  we  cannot  bend  the  leg  suflSciently  straight  at 
3  hock  backwards,  it  will  be  advisable  to  get  the  hock  up  as  far  as 
^^ssible  into  the  passage,  and  divide  the  tendon  of  the  flexor  metatarsi, 
'  evious  to  its  bifurcating,  just  above  and  in  front  of  the  hock,  which 
11  enable  us  to  bend  the  leg  and  flex  the  joint  much  more  than 
^itural.     We  must  also  be  very  careful  the  foot  does  not  penetrate 
-'^irough  the  uterus ;  to  avoid  which,  we  must  have  our  hand  guard- 
*ig  the  foot,  whilst  with  the  other,  or  by  an  assistant  or  crutch,  the 
~  '  reech  is  forced  well  out  of  the  way.     Having  succeeded  in  getting 
'  be  leg  well  in  the  passage,  we  must  adopt  the  same  method  in  get- 
'ing  the  other  up.     Now  and  then  we  are  not  able  to  get  the  legs 
"    straight  into  the  passage,  but  have  to  get  the  foetus  away  by  means 
JTif  cords  around  the  hock  or  hocks,  with  one  or  more  of  the  legs 
doubled  forward  against  the  thigh.     In  these  cases  it  will  be  advis- 
able to  divide  the  tendons  at  the  back  of  the  legs,  just  above  the 
E.  point  of  the  os  calcis,  and  also  the  flexor  tendons  below  the  hocks,  by 
•  which  means  the  flexion  at  the  hock  joints  will  be  more  perfect,  and 
.  :ihe  leg  and  thighs  will  better  approximate.    After  we  have  done  this, 
a  we  may  pull  at  the  cords  around  the  hocks  pretty  freely,  but  we  must 
r-  not  omit  the  forcing  of  the  breech  into  the  abdomen,  so  as  to  allow 
c  of  the  limbs  at  the  stifles  becoming  straightened,  and  that  the  stifles 
. .  shall  not  stick  against  the  anterior  part  of  the  pelvis.     In  some  cases, 
:,  I  have  known  the  foetus  to  come  away  in  a  breech  presentation,  with- 
^  out  the  legs  being  straightened  at  the  stifles;  but  it  is  bad  practice,  if 
-»  it  can  be  avoided.     In  some  cases  we  may  remove  the  leg  part,  by 
P    sawing  the  bone  through  close  up  to  the  hock,  and  afterwards  passing 
..    a  cord  above  the  os  calcis  to  pull  at,  and  then  pushing  the  breech  for- 
1-    ward.     In  the  Edinburgh  Veterinary  Review  for  May  last,  I  broached 
the  subject  of  extraction  by  the  breech  with  one  or  more  of  the  hind 
legs  lying  under  its  abdomen,  or  against  its  flank  or  flanks ;  and  I 
must  confess  I  see  no  reason  why  the  foetus  may  not,  in  some  parti- 
cular cases,  be  extracted  in  this  position,  especially  so  in  those  cases 
where  we  have  one  hind  leg  out  to  pull  at.    I  perfectly  recollect,  in  one 
instance,  delivering  a  cow  of  a  very  large  calf  with  both  of  its  hind  legs 
under  its  abdomen,  and  I  never  saw  a  cow  after  calving  do  better. 
After  having  got  the  legs  straight,  we  should  make  an  incision  into 
the  abdomen  and  remove  its  contents,  as  sometimes  the  intestines  are 
forced  into  a  heap,  causing  a  complete  obstruction  to  the  removal  of 
the  other  parts.     In  those  cases  where  we  are  unable  to  extract  by 
the  breech,  through  not  getting  the  legs  up  straight  by  laying  hold  of 
the  feet,  or  when  bent  at  the  hocks,  we  may  make  pretty  free  incisions 
through  the  skin  about  the  ilio-femoral  articulations  or  rump,  and 
afterwards  cut  or  tear  the  muscles  around  these  asunder,  and  then  we 
can  secure  cords  around  the  iliac  processes  and  coccygeal  bones,  and 
hooks  against  the  edge  of  the  obturator  foramen,  by  which  means  we 
can  remove  the  pelvic  and  coccygeal  bones  ;  and  having  done  so,  we 
can  apply  a  cord  around  the  heads  of  the  thigh  bones  and  pull  them 


^ITi  VETERINABT  OBSTETBIGY. 

I  sliiiiiM  like  to  know  how  such  is  to  be  done  if  it  is  so  far  off;  2Qn1 
if  it  is  iu>ar,  the  operation  is  quite  unnecessary. 

AU  four  feet  presented — head  back, — Occasionally  we  meetvitk 
this  presentation,  but  it  is  not  often  that  we  do  so;  but  sometimesi: 
is  n«a  a  little  jmzzlin.i^  in  consequence  of  the  probability  of  thw 
biinu'  twins.  We  must  examine  the  legs  very  carefully  to  ascertain 
this  fact.  Whi*n  there  are  not  twins,  we  must  take  our  choice  whetk 
\\r  shall  try  to  iret  it  into  a  natui-al  position,  or  deliver  by  the  6?edl; 
ami  to  <lo  iither  the  one  or  the  other,  we  must  first  of  all  ascertain 
which  iwwfore  le;j:s,  and  which  are  hind  ones  ;  and  this  is  doneiy 
fci'liiiir  U\Y  the  proJL'Cticm  of  the  os  calcis  on  the  hind  leg,  butunka 
care  is  use«l  this  may  Ikj  mistaken  for  the  pisiform  bone  at  the  back 
(jf  the  knee  of  the  fore  le^;  and  having  done  so,  we  must  fasten dif- 
fiTiiit  sorts  of  cords  or  something  around  them,  so  that  we  shall  be 
al»lc  to  ti'll  the  one  from  the  other ;  we  must  now  feel  for  theheai 
and  if  we  find  that  we  are  able  to  reach  it  and  get  it  into  position, we 
inu«<t  secure  cords  to  the  fore  legs,  and  get  the  foetus  away  by  oar 
assistants  ])ullin<^  at  them  and  the  head ;  whilst  we,  at  the  saiuetime, 
are  i)ushing  the*  hind  logs  into  the  abdomen,  so  as  to  make  room  for 
the  ]»assin.i;  of  the  other  parts.  If  we  find  that  the  head  is  out  of  car 
reach,  ancl  that  the  hind  legs  can  be  secured,  we  had  better  proceed 
to  remove  by  the  breech,  which  we  readily  can  do  by  pulling  at  the 
hind  le^s,  and  forcing  the  fore  ones  into  the  abdomen. 

Ih'vcch  presentation. — A  breech  presentation  is  that  where  the 
tail  and  liind  parts  are  to  be  felt  projecting  towards  the  os  uteri  or 
va;^ina,  and  with  the  foetus's  hind  legs  stretched  out  underneath  its 
belly.  Sometimes  the  f(vtus  lies  upon  its  back,  or  side,  with  the  breech 
]iresented,  but  most  frequently  it  is  in  the  sitting  posture,  with  its 
back  towards  its  mother's.  This  presentation,  and  the  one  where 
the  fore  legs  are  presented  and  the  head  lying  back,  I  consider  to  be 
the  most  (liflicult  ones  that  we  have  to  do  with.  In  a  case  of  ordi- 
nary breech  presentation,  and  indeed  in  all  others,  our  first  pi"0- 
ccdure  will  be  to  get  a  quantity  of  horse,  or  other  solid  manure,  and 
make  a  good  well-raised  bed  preparatory  to  her  lying  down,  which, 
most  lU'ubably,  she  will  soon  do,  and  which  would  be  diflScult  to  pkce 
nn«ler  her  when  down,  and  perhaps  unable  to  rise,  or  stupidly  refus- 
ing to  do  so.  We  nmst  now  make  a  running  noose  on  a  cord,  and 
pass  it  in  om*  hand,  or  with  it  on  the  end  of  a  directing  rod  — [shown]— 
over  the  foot  on  to  the  pastern ;  or  we  may  pass  a  cord  around  the  leg 
higher  uj),  and  draw  it  out  of  the  body,  and  then  pass  the  end  of  it 
through  a  noose,  and  having  done  so,  we  may  gradually  force  the 
noose  so  made  below  the  fetlock,  and  having  drawn  it  pretty  tight, 
we  must  get  our  assistant  to  pull  at  the  cord,  whilst  we  with  our 
hand,  or  crutch, — [shown,] — force  the  hind  parts  forward,  by  which 
means  we  may  get  the  leg  into  proper  position.  Sometimes,  when 
we  have  forced  the  breech  pretty  well  forward,  it  will  be  advisable  to 
leave  off  pushing  against  it,  and  push  against  the  back  part  of  the 
hock,  by  which  means  we  force  the  stifle  forward,  and,  in  some  re- 


VETERINARY  0B3TETRICY.  517 

spects,  the  breech  also,  and  so  make  more  room  for  the  leg  coming  up. 
In  some  cases,  where  we  cannot  bend  the  leg  suflSciently  straight  at 
the  hock  backwards,  it  will  be  advisable  to  get  the  hock  up  as  far  as 
possible  into  the  passage,  and  divide  the  tendon  of  the  flexor  metatarsi, 
previous  to  its  bifurcating,  just  above  and  in  front  of  the  hock,  which 
will  enable  us  to  bend  the  leg  and  flex  the  joint  much  more  than 
natural.     We  must  also  be  very  careful  the  foot  does  not  penetrate 
through  the  uterus ;  to  avoid  which,  we  must  have  our  hand  guard- 
ing the  foot,  whilst  with  the  other,  or  by  an  assistant  or  crutch,  the 
breech  is  forced  well  out  of  the  way.     Having  succeeded  in  getting 
the  leg  well  in  the  passage,  we  must  adopt  the  same  method  in  get- 
ting the  other  up.     Now  and  then  we  are  not  able  to  get  the  legs 
straight  into  the  passage,  but  have  to  get  the  foetus  away  by  means 
of  cords  around  the  hock  or  hocks,  with  one  or  more  of  the  legs 
doubled  forward  against  the  thigh.     In  these  cases  it  will  be  advis- 
able to  divide  the  tendons  at  the  back  of  the  legs,  just  above  the 
point  of  the  os  calcis,  and  also  the  flexor  tendons  below  the  hocks,  by 
which  means  the  flexion  at  the  hock  joints  will  be  more  perfect,  and 
the  leg  and  thighs  will  better  approximate.    After  we  have  done  this, 
we  may  pull  at  the  cords  around  the  hocks  pretty  freely,  but  we  must 
not  omit  the  forcing  of  the  breech  into  the  abdomen,  so  as  to  allow 
of  the  limbs  at  the  stifles  becoming  straightened,  and  that  the  stifles 
shall  not  stick  against  the  anterior  part  of  the  pelvis.     In  some  cases, 
I  have  known  the  foetus  to  come  away  in  a  breech  presentation,  with- 
out the  legs  being  straightened  at  the  stifles;  but  it  is  bad  practice, if 
it  can  be  avoided.     In  some  cases  we  may  remove  the  leg  part,  by 
sawing  the  bone  through  close  up  to  the  hock,  and  afterwards  passing 
a  cord  above  the  os  calcis  to  pull  at,  and  then  pushing  the  breech  for- 
ward.    In  the  Edinburgh  Veterinary  Review  for  May  last,  I  broached 
the  subject  of  extraction  by  the  breech  with  one  or  more  of  the  hind 
legs  lying  under  its  abdomen,  or  against  its  flank  or  flanks  ;  and  I 
must  confess  I  see  no  reason  why  the  foetus  may  not,  in  some  parti- 
cular cases,  be  extracted  in  this  position,  especially  so  in  those  cases 
where  we  have  one  hind  leg  out  to  pull  at.    I  perfectly  recollect,  in  one 
instance,  delivering  a  cow  of  a  very  large  calf  with  both  of  its  hind  legs 
under  its  abdomen,  and  I  never  saw  a  cow  after  calving  do  better. 
After  having  got  the  legs  straight,  we  should  make  an  incision  into 
the  abdomen  and  remove  its  contents,  as  sometimes  the  intestines  are 
forced  into  a  heap,  causing  a  complete  obstruction  to  the  removal  of 
the  other  parts.     In  those  cases  where  we  are  unable  to  extract  by 
the  breech,  through  not  getting  the  legs  up  straight  by  laying  hold  of 
the  feet,  or  when  bent  at  the  hocks,  we  may  make  pretty  free  incisions 
through  the  skin  about  the  ilio-femoral  articulations  or  rump,  and 
afterwards  cut  or  tear  the  muscles  around  these  asunder,  and  then  we 
can  secure  cords  around  the  iliac  processes  and  coccygeal  bones,  and 
hooks  against  the  edge  of  the  obturator  foramen,  by  which  means  we 
can  remove  the  pelvic  and  coccygeal  bones  ;  and  having  done  so,  we 
can  apply  a  cord  around  the  heads  of  the  thigh  bones  and  pull  them 


518  VETERINARY  OBSTKTRICY. 

out.  We  must  next  make  an  incision  into  the  abdomen  and  remove 
the  viscera,  as  sometimes  it  is  pushed  forward  and  prevents  our  re- 
moving the  other  parts  of  the  foetus.  Then  we  must  either  pass  cords 
around  the  skin  that  surrounds  the  thigh,  or  insert  hooks  into  the 
skin,  and  draw  the  remainder  of  the  foetus  out  with  its  hind  legs 
under  its  belly,  and  so  complete  extraction.  In  a  case  that  I  shall 
relate  to  you  shortly,  the  foal  was  extracted  by  pulling  at  the  head 
and  fore  feet,  with  one  of  the  hind  legs  drawn  straight  into  the  pas- 
sage under  its  body,  and  the  other  straight  out  behind, — of  course 
the  hind  leg  that  is  under  the  body  must  be  pulled  at,  at  the  same 
time  we  are  pulling  at  the  head  and  feet. 

Breech  jyreseiitation — one  hind  leg  in  horn  of  uterus, — I  was  once 
called  in  to  attend  a  cow  where  symptoms  of  parturition  had  commenced. 
It  was  a  breech  presentation.  The  os  uteri  was  but  partially  dilated, 
but  by  gentle  manipulations  it  became  tolerably  expanded.  After  a 
good  deal  of  labour  had  been  expended,  we  were  only  enrbled  to  get 
one  of  the  hind  legs  up ;  and  for  a  long  time  after  we  could  not 
positively  decide  whereabouts  the  other  limb  was,  for  we  could  not 
find  it.  At  length  it  was  found,  and,  through  great  exertion,  was 
brought  into  its  proper  position,  and  the  calf  extracted.  In  the 
course  of  the  day  she  died.  Now  what  rendered  this  case  so  diflScult 
was,  that  the  main  bulk  of  the  foetus  lay  in  the  body  of  the  uterus, 
whilst  one  of  the  hind  legs  lay,  at  full  length,  in  one  of  the  horns  of 
the  uterus,  the  opening  into  which  was  not  ifar  distant  from  the  os 
uteri,  as  was  clearly  shown  on  opening  her.  It  may  be  observed  that 
all  the  time  my  assistant  was  striving  to  force  the  breech  back,  to 
make  room  to  get  the  leg  up,  he  was  actually  obstructing  delivery  by 
impacting  the  limb.  I  consider  this  a  very  rare  and  diflScult  case  in- 
deed. In  a  similar  case  our  best  plan  would  be  to  try  to  remove  the 
foetus  by  pulling  at  the  breech  and  the  one  hind  leg,  as  I  before  men- 
tioned ;  or  to  pass  a  cord  around  the  hock,  and  draw  it  into  the 
vagina  as  far  as  possible,  and  amputate  the  leg  at  the  hock  joint,  or 
dislocate  it  at  the  hip-joint,  and  afterwards  get  the  leg  straight. 

Gross  presentation — all  four  legs  doubled  backwards,  with  bowels 
only  presented. — Now  and  then — [showing  skeleton  of  one]-=-we 
meet  with  a  sort  of  malformation  where  the  spine  is  curved  backwards, 
with  the  whole  of  the  legs  lying  nearly  together  over  its  back  In  these 
cases  the  intestines  are  floating  loose  about,  and  are  the  only  parts 
presented.  For  the  removal  of  the  foetus,  we  must  first  of  all  tear  away 
the  intestines,  and  afterwards  divide  the  spine  with  a  knife  or  saw, — 
[shows  the  saw] — and  having  done  so,  we  must  use  our  discretion  which 
legs  and  portion  of  the  body  we  intend  bringing  forward  into  the 
passage,  and  then  we  must  push  the  other  parts  back  into  the  abdo- 
men, by  which  means  we  shall  easily  remove  the  whole  of  the  foetus. 
In  some  cases  I  have  been  able  to  get  either  the  hind  legs,  or  the 
head  and  fore  legs,  into  the  passage  without  dividing  the  spine, 
and,  on  our  pulling  at  the  foetus,  the  spine  has  given  way  and  become 
dislocated,  which  enabled  \xs  \)0  t^xxion^  Xk'^  icefcua  with  little  difficulty. 


VETERINARY  OBSTETRICY.  519 

Cross  birth — hack  presenting, — ^What  is  called  a  cross  birth,  is 
where  the  back  of  the  foetus  is  presented,  without  the  head  or  any  of 
the  legs  making  their  appearance.  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  this 
does  not  often  occur,  as  I  have  met  with  but  very  few  such  in 
my  practice ;  but  whenever  it  does,  we  must  ascertain  whether  the 
head  and  fore  legs,  or  the  hind  parts  and  extremifeies,  can  be  laid  hold 
of  best,  so  as  to  extract  the  foetus  with  the  least  danger  to  the  mother. 
Whichever  way  we  may  decide  upon,  we  must  fasten  cords  to  the  feet, 
&c.,  for  our  assistants  to  pull  at,  whilst  we  turn  and  force  J)ack  the 
opposite  extremities  with  one  or  both  hands,  and  then  extract  as  in 
ordinary  cases. 

It  was  stated  in  BelVs  Life,  April  2,  1843,  that  the  celebrated 
mare,  the  Queen  of  Trumps,  the  property  of  the  Hon.  E.  M.  L. 
Mostyn,  and  winner  of  the  Oaks  and  St  Leger,  died  at  York  on  the 
previous  28th  of  March,  in  giving  birth  to  a  filly  foal,  in  consequence 
of  there  being  a  cross  birth ;  and  it  was  said  that  no  human  aid  could 
have  saved  her. 

Body  curved— head  and  one  fore  leg,  and  two  hind  legs  pre- 
sented.— In  a  previous  case  we  had  a  similar  curvature  of  the  spine, 
as  in  the  present  instance,  but  in  that  case  we  had  the  bowels  pre- 
sented ;  but  here — [shows  the  specimen] — we  have  the  head  and  three 
legs  presented,  with  the  intestines  floating  loose  within  the  abdomen 
behind  the  body.  Now  in  such  cases  as  these  we  must  secure  cords  to 
the  hind  legs  above  the  fetlocks  or  hocks,  or  both,  and  then  leave  our 
assistants  to  pull  at  them  so  as  to  get  them  into  the  passage,  whilst  we 
push  back  the  head  and  fore  leg  out  of  the  way.  On  pushing  the 
head  or  fore  leg  back,  we  may  sometimes  find  that  the  other  fore  leg 
may  not  be  far  oflT,  which  will  require  pushing  back  also.  If  we  could 
get  the  other  fore  leg  tip,  of  course  our  best  plan  would  be  to  deliver 
by  the  head  and  fore  feet,  and  push  the  hind  ones  in.  By  this  pro- 
cedure we  shall  generally  find  that  we  have  dislocated  or  fractured  tha 
spine.  As  the  head  and  legs,  in  such  cases,  are  very  much  in  our 
way,  we  may  find  some  diflSculty  in  savring  the  spine  through  ;  but  I 
certainly  should  advise  in  every  case,  when  possible,  that  we  should 
divide  the  spine  with  a  knife  or  saw,  so  as  to  avoid  injuring  the  poor 
animal  in  drawing  the  calf  away.  In  some  of  these  cases — [as  shown] 
— the  ribs  are  often  displaced,  and  the  legs  bent  into  various  unnatural 
shapes. 

Breech  presentation  —  muscleSy  Sc,  of  the  hind  legs  contracted. 
— I  once  met  with  a  case  of  breech  presentation  where  the  stifles  lay 
in  the  flanks,  and  nearly  close  to  the  posterior  ribs,  and  were  firmly 
held  there  by  the  contractions  of  the  skin  from  the  stifles  to  the  body. 
The  hocks  lay,  on  the  contrary,  just  under  the  hip  joints,  and  were 
firmly  held  there  by  similar  contractions.  The  legs,  from  the  hocks 
downward,  lay  slopingly  under  the  hind  parts,  and  which  we  were 
enabled  to  get  straight  into  the  passage ;  but  the  whole  limbs,  on 
account  of  their  being  so  firmly  contracted  to  the  body  at  the  stifles,  ^ 
could  not  be  brought  straight.  In  trying  to  ^<it  fe^\»  wifcX^xs^  ^sjiSiL 
Vol.  L— No.  X— New  Series.    October  l^<i5.  "^^ 


520  VETEKINAEY  OBSTETEICY. 

then  the  other  straight,  we  secured  cords  about  the  hocks,  but  we 
found,  on  pulling  at  them,  that  the  limbs  separated  between  the  meta- 
tarsal bones  and  the  hocks.  We  then  secured  cords  just  above  the 
OS  calcis  and  pulled  the  foetus  away,  with  the  hind  legs  doubled  up  in 
this  position.  She  died  in  twelve  hours  after,  and  the  uterus  was 
found  to  be  ruptured.  Of  course,  had  we  positively  known  of  these 
contractions,  (although  I  suspected  something  of  the  sort,)  we  must 
have  tried  to  separate  them. 

Head  and  fore  feet  presented — half  extraction  —  hind  legs  in 
pelvis. — I  once  met  with  the  following  curious  case.  A  cow  showed 
symptoms  of  calving,  and  soon  after  the  fore  feet  appeared,  and  not 
long  after  the  head  was  seen.  A  variety  of  assistance  had  been  called 
in  previous  to  my  arrival,  but,  with  all  their  cleverness  and  strength, 
they  could  not  get  the  calf  away  further  than  the  loins.  I  was  then 
sent  for,  and  found  my  patient  in  a  sad  exhausted  state,  with  one  half 
of  the  foetus  hanging  out.  1  made  an  examination,  when  I  soon  found 
that  the  hind  legs  of  the  calf  were  also  in  the  pelvis,  thus  preventing 
us,  with  all  the  strength  we  could  muster,  drawing  the  foetus  away,  as 
the  hind  pai'ts,  together  with  the  metatarsal  and  tibial  bones,  were 
doubled  up,  and  thus  completely  wedging  the  passage  up,  as  every 
time  she  strained  she  forced  the  hind  feet  into  the  passage.  Of  course, 
in  trying  to  pull  it  away  in  this  position,  the  femoral  bones  would  be 
thrown  straight  up  before  the  hind  parts  could  pass.  I  now  secured 
cords  to  the  hind  legs,  and  then  removed  the  thoracic  and  abdominal 
viscera,  and  the  whole  of  the  body  that  was  protruded,  and  then  forced 
back  the  loins,  whilst  my  assistants  drew  at  the  hind  legs  and  extracted 
the  remainder  of  the  body  without  any  further  difficulty.  We  gave 
her  some  stimulants,  but  she  died  soon  after,  I  found  the  uterus 
ruptured  at  its  neck,  where  it  is  generally  found  to  be  so. 

There  is  a  similar  case  recorded  in  the  second  volume  of  the 
Edinburgh  Veterinary  Review,  but  in  this  case  only  the  left  mND 
LEG  lay  in  the  pelvis,  whilst  the  right  one  lay  straight  out  behind. 
In  this  case  the  abdominal  viscera  were  removed,  and  then  the  leg 
lying  in  the  pelvis  was  drawn  forward,  whilst  others  were  pulling  at 
the  head  and  fore  legs. 

Head  and  fore  legs  presented — one  hind  leg  across  in  front 
0^  the  fore  legs. — This  is  a  very  unusual  position.  To  extract  the 
foetus  we  must  put  cords  on  the  fore  legs,  and  afterwards  force  the 
head  and  foetus  back  into  the  abdomen,  and  then  push  the  hind  leg 
from  across  the  fore  ones  back  into  the  abdomen ;  then  get  the  head 
and  fore  feet  into  position.  But  if  we  cannot  do  this  we  must  draw 
the  hind  leg  out  and  amputate  it  at  the  hock,  or  as  high  up  as  pos- 
sible, and  then  push  the  remainder  of  the  leg  back  out  of  our  way. 

Twins — head  and  six  legs. — As  I  think  we  have  plenty  of  matter 

for  this  evening's  discussion,  I  will  not  enter  upon  the  subject  of 

extracting  twins,  but  will  refer  you  to  a  paper  of  mine,  which  you 

wUl  find  in  vol.  xix.  of  the  Veterinarian,  p.  19,  which  you  can  read  at 

your  leisure,  or  when  necess^x^. 


VETERINARY  OBSTETRICY.  521 

'  Large  head. — It  is  a  well- authenticated  fact,  that  some  males,  of 
every  animal,  will  get  stock  with  very  large  heads ;  and  Price,  in  his 
work  on  sheep,  mentions  that  a  grazier  in  Appledore  employed  Lei- 
cester rams  for  several  years,  and  obtained  a  breed  with  very  small 
heads  and  kindly  disposition;  but  he  objected  that  they  were  not 
large  enough,  and  did  not  fetch  a  good  price  in  the  market ;  he  there- 
fore, in  the  summer  of  1804,  hired  some  large  Kentish  rams  to 
give  size. 

In  the  following  lambing  season  he  lost  twelve  ewes  from  the  large- 
ness of  the  lambs'  heads,  and  he  was  obliged  to  ''  draw"  almost  all 
his  ewe  lambs.  In  1 806  he  had  the  same  difficulty,  and  lost  nine 
ewes  out  of  250  from  this  cause.  I  have  frequently  known  that  some 
bulls  get  calves  with  very  large  heads,  and  causing  great  difficulty  in 
calving ;  and  the  owners,  finding  what  trouble  there  was  at  calving 
time  and  the  danger  in  losing  their  cows,  have  sold  them,  and  obtained 
others  whose  breed  had  not  this  objection.  But  the  cases  which  I 
wish  more  especially  to  call  your  attention  to  are  those  extraordinary 
ones  produced  by  hydrocephalus,  an  instance  of  which  I  have  recisntly 
had  in  a  cow.  It  was  a  breech  presentation,  and  from  extracting  in 
this  position,  the  vagina,  no  doubt,  had  become  very  much  dilated, 
which  enabled  us  to  remove  the  head  without  much  difficulty.  At 
home  I  have  a  monstrosity  of  a  pig  that  was  brought  forth  by  a  sow 
without  any  assistance  rendered  her.  It  had  two  divergent  distinct 
noses  and  faces,  united  by  one  skull,  with  four  eyes,  four  legs,  and  a 
body,  and  measured  4^  inches  from  the  outside  of  one  snout  to  the 
other.     It  was,  no  doubt,  a  breech  presentation. 

Method  of  extraction. — ^We  may,  first  of  all,  try  to  force  the  legs 
into  the  uterus,  (if  a  cow,)  and  then  draw  the  head  within  reach,  and 
puncture  it  with  a  trochar  or  perforator ;  and  having  done  so,  we  can 
bring  the  feet  up,  and  deliver  in  the  ordinary  way,  when  we  shall 
generally  find  that  the  head  will  probably  collapse  and  pass  through, 
or  we  may  remove  the  fore  legs,  and  then  pass  a  cord  around  the 
neck,  or  insert  hooks  into  the  orbits,  palate,  or  under  the  lioramentum  • 
nuchas,  or  a  cord  around  the  lower  jaw  and  skin,  or  forceps  into  the 
nostrils ;  and  having  done  some  of  these  things,  we  must  wait  until 
pains  come  on,  when  we  must  use  all  prudential  force,  and  most  likely 
we  shall  succeed ;  but  if  we  find  that  we  cannot  remove  it  without 
doing  injury,  we  must  make  incisions  on  the  skin  of  the  head,  and 
remove  portions  of  the  skull  piecemeal  with  the  saw,  hooks,  or  forceps ; 
and  sometimes,  having  partially  done  so,  the  skull  will,  in  some  degree, 
be  compressed,  and  we  shall  be  enabled  to  extract  it.  As  I  stated 
before,  in  most  instances,  when  they  are  breech  presentations,  the 
head  will  come  away  more  easily  on  account  of  the  passage  having 
been  dilated  from  the  other  pai-ts  having  passed  through. 

Leg-hanked.  Twins — one  a  breech  presentation ;  the  other  with  its 
four  legs  presented. — In  1843,  I  had  a  communication  from  Mr  Cox, 
veterinary  surgeon,  of  Ashbourne,  wherein  he  mentioned  the  following 
rare  case  : — The  cow  having  made  no  progress  vw  ^^\\.\)LYs!M^^'^^\\ft.  ^^* 


322  VETERINAKY  OBSTETEICY. 

amined  her,  and  found  the  tail  and  breech  of  one,  and  all  the  feet  of 
the  other  calf  presented.  He  corded  the  hind  feet  of  the  latter,  and 
pulled  at  them,  at  the  same  time  pushing  the  head  and  fore  legs  back; 
but  from  one  of  the  hind  legs  not  properly  advancing,  he  made  a  fur- 
ther examination,  when  he  found  that  it  had  shot  between  the  hind 
legs  of  the  other  calf,  constituting  what  is  called  by  some  "  leg-hanked." 
The  end  of  the  hind  leg  that  did  not  sufficiently  advance  was  then 
loosed,  and,  by  pulling  at  the  other  leg,  it  caused  the* fast  one  to  come 
from  between  the  hind  legs  of  the  other  calf ;  after  which  it  was  again 
corded  and  brought  up,  and  the  calf  was  readily  extracted. 

Breech  presentation — malformed  calf. — Once  I  was  called  in  to 
a  cow  that  was  unwell  after  calving.  It  had  been  a  breech  presenta- 
tion, and  with  great  difficulty  they  had  got  the  calf  away  in  this 
position.  The  uterus  was  ruptured,  and  I  had  the  animal  destroyed. 
On  examining  the  extracted  calf,  I  found  that  the  hind  paAs  of  it 
were  much  contracted,  and  diminished  in  size.  The  anus  was  imper- 
vious. The  OS  femoris,  on  the  near  side,  just  below  the  cervix,  and 
the  tibia  on  the  left  side,  were  fractured  in  extracting  the  calf. 

Each  of  the  hind  extremities,  before  they  were  fractured,  must 
have  been  lying  under  the  belly  or  against  the  sides ;  and  from  their 
having  been  in  this  posture,  the  ligaments  of  the  anterior  parts  of  her 
stifles  had  become  shortened  and  contracted,  and  the  femur  and  tibia 
formed  almost  a  straight  line,  there  not  being  the  least  flexion  at 
the  stifle  joints ;  but  the  stifle,  hock,  fetlock,  and  pastern  joints  were 
so  firmly  braced  together  that  each  was  completely  fixed  and  im- 
movable, and  would  not  bend  backwards,  sideways,  or  forward  in 
the  least.  On  examining  these  joints,  there  did  not  seem  to  be  the 
least  union  of  the  cartilages  or  bones,  but  only  a  shortening  of  the 
ligaments.  Prom  the  contractions  at  the  stifle  joints,  the  legs  were 
almost  straight.  In  extracting  this  calf  he  must  have  known  that 
there  was  something  wrong  from  the  fetlock  joints  not  bending,  and 
the  other  joints  not  giving  way.  No  doubt,  the  operator  must  have 
had  great  difficulty  in  removing  the  calf.  Had  he  known  what  state 
the  calf  was  in,  especially  as  the  hind  parts  were  diminished  in  size, 
the  best  plan  would  have  been  to  have  passed  cords  around  between 
the  stifles  and  the  body,  and  tried  to  have  extracted  it  in  this  position, 
or  removed  th^  pelvic  bones  in  the  way  mentioned  before. 

Head  and  one  fore  leg  presented — hand  or  septwm  in  tiie 
vagina. — Now  and  tli<en  we  meet  with  cases  where  there  are  bimds 
stretching  across  the  vagina,  and  of  course  obstructing  parturition. 
A  case  of  this  sort  I  once  met  with  in  a  mare.  I  was  not  with  her 
foaling,  but  the  person  that  assisted  her  said  that  she  had  gone  her 
full  period  of  utero-gestation ;  and  that,  when  he  saw  her,  the  head 
and  one  fore  foot  was  only  presented.  She  was  straining  violently, 
and  had  forced  down  nearly  half  a  yard  of  the  rectum.  The  gut 
could  not  be  returned.  He  found  the  other  fore  leg  projecting  over 
its  neck,  and  forcing  against  the  mare's  rectum.  By  pushing  the  foal 
backi  he  got  this  leg  a\so  m\.o  \i^  ^to^er  place,  and  extracted  a  small 


VETERINARY  OBSTETRICY.  .  523 

foal  with  little  diflSculty.  The  rectum  was  then  forced  back.  After 
she  had  foaled,  I  was  called  in  to  attend  her,  as  she  was  very  ill,  and 
getting  up,  and  lying  down,  and  rolling  about  most  of  the  night ;  but 
she  died  in  thirty-six  hours  after.  On  examination  I  found  that  the 
mesentery  of  the  rectum  was  torn  away  from  it  at  least  half  a  yard 
in  extent.  On  laying  open  the  vagina  and  uterus,  I  found  in  the  for- 
mer a  strong  band,  the  thickness  of  one's  little  finger,  and  about  a  foot 
long,  stretching  across,  at  about  six  inches  from  the  os  uteri,  from  one 
side  to  the  other.  I  have  no  doubt  that  at  the  time  of  parlrurition  the 
fore  leg  of  the  foal,  that  was  not  presented,  was  retained  by  this,  band 
that  was  stretched  across  the  vagina,  and  prevented  her  from  foaling, 
and  was  the  cause  of  the  mesentery  being  ruptured. 

Second  Similar  Case. — Ligature  forming  a  septum  in  the  vagina 
of  a  cow,  prodvxying  retention  of  the  foetus. — I  was  once  called  in 
to  a  cow  that  was  not  well.  Her  owner  informed  me  that  she 
ought  to  have  calved  some  months  before,  and  at  that  time  she 
showed  every  symptom  of  approaching  parturition,  but  she  di/i  not 
calve,  but  continued  after  that  to  pass  a  good  deal  of  offensive 
matter  from  the  vagina.  On  "  touching"  her  for  the  calf,  I  could 
evidently  feel  some  lifeless  tumour,  and  on  passing  my  hand  up  the 
rectum,  I  could  not  feel  anything  like  a  live  calf,  I  next  examined 
the  vagina,  to  ascertain  if  there  was  any  dilatation  of  the  os  uteri, 
but  I  could  not  detect  the  least;  but  I  was  very  much  surprised  to 
find  that  there  was  a  ligamentary  band  close  to  the  os  uteri,  extending 
from  the  upper  to  the  lower  side  of  the  vagina,  of  the  thickness  of  a 
penny  cord.  It  was  quite  firm  in  its  texture,  and  on  pulling  at  it,  I 
drew  the  vagina  back  and  the  band  in  sight,  so  that  the  bystanders 
could  see  it ;  I  divided  it.  At  this  time  she  had  the  pleuro-pneu- 
monia,  and  she  was  killed.  After  her  death  I  had  the  opportunity  of 
examining  the  vagina.  I  think  there  can  be  no  doubt  but  what  this 
band  prevented  her  from  calving,  and  it  would,  I  imagine,  have  the 
power  of  preventing  the  os  uteri  from  dilating,  even  when  pressure 
was  applied  by  the  contraction  of  the  uterus. 

Third  Case — Parturition  in  a  sow — non-extraction — septum 
IN  THE  VAGINA. — Some  twenty  years  ago  I  was  called  in  to  a  sow 
that  could  not  pig  her  whole  "  litter."  She  had  pigged  several  when 
I  saw  her,  and  was  continually  straining.  On  examining  her  I  could 
just  feel  the  nose  of  another  pig,  but  with  all  her  straining  she 
could  not  void  it.  I  then  put  a  small  hook  through  the  lower  jaw, 
but  it  soon  broke  out.  I  next  put  it  into  the  upper  jaw,  eye-holes, 
&c.,  but  in  every  place  it  tore  out.  At  length  I  pulled  away  the  ends 
of  the  upper  and  lower  jaw  with  my  fingers  ;  and  afterwards  I  got 
my  finger  into  one  of  the  eyeholes,  and  in  pulling  at  it,  a  part  of  the 
bones  of  the  face  came  away.  During  this  time  she  was  under  the 
effect  of  the  ergot  of  rye.  From  this  time  the  vagina  became  more 
swollen,  and  as  we  could  not  attach  anything  more  to  the  head,  and 
she  being  excessively  fat,  I  advised  her  to  be  killed  for  meat.  On 
making  a  post  mortem  examination,  I  found  that  ^t  ifewi^^^xc^^^^ 


5'2^  VETEBINARY  OBSTETRICY. 

from  the  mouth  of  the  vagina,  there  were  two  distinct  passages,  but 
that  on  the  right  hand  was  the  largest.  This  division  appeared  to  be 
formed  by  a  strong  band,  composed,  to  all  appearance,  of  muscular 
fibre,  and  covered  with  the  mucus  membrane  as  in  other  places,  and 
was  attached  to  the  upper  and  lower  part  of  the  vagina,  but  inclining 
a  little  more  to  one  side.  This  attachment  was  about  three  inches 
long,  but  extended  in  a  loose  way  from  it,  on  both  sides,  for  two 
inches  more,  thus  dividing  the  vagina  for  about  seven  inches  into 
two  distinct  cavities.  The  vagina  was  about  twelve  inches  long  even 
beyond  this  division.  No  doubt  the  pigs  she  had  passed  had  come 
through  the  largest  passage,  and  that  which  we  could  not  remove  had 
became  impacted  in  the  smaller  one. 

FouETH  Case — Band  across  the  os  uteri. — In  the  second  volume 
of  the  Edinburgh  Veterinary  Review,  p.  282,  there  is  a  foreign  case 
by  Vincenzo  Luatti,  of  a  cow  that  had  been  in  labour  for  two  days. 
He  found,  on  examination,  there  was  a  complete  prolapsus  of  the 
vagina,  and,  on  further  examination,  he  found  that  the  os  uteri  was 
closed  by  a  fleshy  band  which  was  attached  to  the  superior  and 
inferior  border,  but  which  was  laterally  free.  He  divided  it,  and 
removed  the  two  portions,  and  reduced  the  prolapsus,  and  in  a  week 
after  she  gave  birth  after  an  easy  labour.  Now  this  case  might  have 
been  very  obscure  had  not  the  prolapsus  existed. 

Lying  on  its  back,  with  poll  presented,  and  four  feet  over  beUy, — 
In  the  human  subject  great  stress  is  properly  laid  on  having  the  head 
and  other  parts  in  a  proper  position,  so  as  for  the  foetus  to  pass 
through  the  pelvis  with  the  greatest  ease ;  and  there  is  not  the  least 
doubt  but  that  we  should  attend  to  this  principle  as  much  as  possible 
in  our  patients.  I  have  not  yet  sufficiently  attended  to  the  measure- 
ment of  the  pelvis  in  various  animals,  but  Bainard,  Gunther,  and 
Baumeister,  and  others  on  the  continent,  have  done  so,  and  it  is  a  great 
pity  their  works  on  veterinary  obstetricy  have  not  been  translated. 

In  these  cases  we  must  first  of  all  cord  the  lower  jaw,  and  after- 
wards force  the  head  out  of  our  way,  and  then  cord  the  fore  legs. 
We  must  then  get  the  head  and  legs  straight  into  the  passage,  and 
get  our  assistants  to  lay  hold  of  the  fore  legs,  and  try  to  writhe  the 
foetus  completely  over  into  a  natural  position,  whilst  we  assist  him 
by  pushing  against  the  shoulder  and  sometimes  at  the  head,  but  in  a 
great  many  instances  this  "  turning"  is  sooner  said  than  done.  If 
we  succeed,  all  well,  but  if  not,  when  we  have  fairly  got  the  head  and 
legs  straight,  we  must  attempt  to  get  the  foetus  away  lying  on  its 
back,  and  we  shall  generally  find  that  it  will  come  away  nearly  as 
easy  as  when  put  into  a  natural  position  ;  but  in  pulling  at  the  legs 
and  head  we  must,  for  a  time,  draw  them  more  upwards  towards  the 
tail  of  the  mother. 

In  some  of  these  presentations,  if  we  cannot  otherwise  succeed,  and 
when  we  have  secured  the  hind  legs,  it  will  be  quite  as  well  to 
deliver  by  the  breec\i,  \>y  ^wslim^  the  head  and  fore  parts  back,  having 
previously  removed  the  a\3dLom\ii^\.N\a^^t^. 


VETERINARY  OBSTETRICY.  525 

Sometimes  the  head  is  doubled  backwards  under  its  neck,  or 
against  its  side ;  and  to  mend  the  matter,  not  unfrequently  the  foetus 
is  found  to  be  dead,  and  has  been  so  for  some  time,  and  lying  low 
down  a  lifeless,  inert  mass.  In  these  cases,  to  make  room,  we  must 
remove  the  fore  legs,  when  most  probably  we  shall  get  the  head  up. 

On  hack,  hind  feet  presented, — In  some  cases  of  breech  presenta- 
tions, when  the  calf  is  lying  on  its  back,  the  hind  legs  are  not  in  the 
passage  but  are  lying  on  its  belly.  In  such  cases  we  must  get  hold 
of  the  hind  legs  and  puU  them  straight ;  and  having  done  so,  we 
must  try  to  remove  the  foetus  in  this  position,  and  shall  sometimes 
succeed  ;  but  if  we  do  not,  we  must  remove  the  hind  legs  at  the  hips, 
and  having  secured  the  fore  feet,  we  must  push  the  hind  parts  in 
and  get  hold  of  the  head,  and  deliver  as  in  a  natural  way. 

Dropsy  of  the  abdomen  —  enlarged  foetal  bladder, — Professor 
Simonds  mentions  a  case  of  protracted  labour  from  dropsy  of  the 
abdomen,  and  recommends  a  long  trochar  to  be  passed  through  the 
thorax  into  the  abdomen.  Such  a  cause  certainly  may  sometimes 
exist,  but  I  fancy  it  must  be  very  rare,  as  I  never  met  with  a  case 
yet.  If  we  should,  we  may,  as  he  recommends,  pass  a  trochar  into 
it  through  the  chest,  or  we  may  puncture  the  abdomen  with  a  knife. 

He  has  also  recorded  in  the  *'  Veterinary  Transactions''  a  very 
unusual  case  indeed,  in  the  mare,  of  distension  of  the  abdomen,  pro- 
duced by  an  enlarged  bladder  in  the  foetus,  from  congenital  closure  of 
the  urachus,  and  this  case  was  the  cause  of  his  subsequent  use  of  the 
long  trochar  in  enlarged  bellies. 

In  conclusion,  Mr  President,  I  may  just  observe  that  I  am  per- 
fectly aware  that  there  are  various  other  presentations,  malformations, 
and  important  matter  connected  with  parturition  that,  if  honoured,  I 
may,  at  some  future  day,  bring  forward  before  the  Association.  I  now 
return  you  my  sincere  thanks  for  the  very  great  patience  you  have 
displayed  in  listening  to  my  rather  long  essay. 

[A  great  variety  of  hooks,  knives.  Nelson's  and  other  forceps,  saws, 
and  parturition  instruments  were  shown,  and  illustrated  the  lecture.] 


530  THK  PLAQUE  AND  CATTLE  FAIRS. 

persons  reckless  enough  to  buy  thein,  carrjdng  the  disease  along  with 
them,  and  poisoning  the  roads  and  fields  wherever  they  might  be 
taken.     The  present  state  of  matters,  caused  by  the  introduction  of 
the  plague  into  the  country,  is  unprecedented,  and  strong  means 
must  be  used  in  order  to  meet  the  increasing  difiiculties  of  the  casa 
There  was  too  much  supineness  manifested  at  first,  too  great  a  tend- 
ency to  shut  our  eyes  not  only  to  the  actual  existence  of  the  disease, 
but  also  to  its  exceedingly  dangerous  nature,  and  the  effects  of  the 
error  which  was  then  committed  can  only  be  met  by  extreme  measures. 
Such  have  already  been  adopted  with  reference  to  certain  channels, 
through  which,  it  was  believed,  the  plague  might  be  carried  into 
healthy  districts,  and   a  temporary  suspension  of    the   store  cattle 
markets  and  fairs  would  certainly  not  be  more  arbitrary  than  other 
steps  which  have  already  been  taken,  and  for  which  the  authorities 
have  received  the  highest  praise.     No  doubt  the  measure  would  be 
attended  with  some  inconvenience,  and  even  loss  to  individuals ;  but 
the  public  welfare  is  deeply  concerned  in  it,  and  individual  interests 
must  always  give  way  to  considerations  designed  to  promote  the  good 
of  the  community  at  large.    The  magistrates  of  Brechin  have  shown  a 
good  example  by  recommending  that  Trinity  Muir  Market  should  not 
be  held ;  and  it  remains  with  the  authorities  elsewhere  not  only  to 
follow  their  example,  but  to  go  farther,  and  positively  prohibit  store 
cattle  fairs  until  all  danger  shall  have  passed. 


MEDICAL  REPORT  OF  THE  BRITISH  ASSOCIATION.  531 

FEEISCOFE. 


MEDICAL  REPORT  OP  THE  THIRTY-FIFTH  MEETING  OF  THE  BRITISH 
ASSOCIATION  FOR  THE  ADVANCEMENT  OF  SCIENCE, 

The  Physiological  Section  mustered  this  year  under  the  Presidency  of  Dr  Acland, 
Regius  Professor  of  the  University  of  Oxford,  true  scholar  and  gentleman.  No 
selection  of  president  could  have  been  happier.  He  was  supported  by, —  Vice- 
Presidents:  John  Davy,  M.D.,  F.R.S;  Professor  RoUeston,  F.R.S. ;  Professor  Lionel 
Beale,  F.R.S. ;  Professor  Van  Der  Hoeven ;  Edward  Smith,  M.D.,  F.R.S.,  LL.D. ; 
Professor  John  Hughes  Bennett,  M.D.,  F.R.S.E.  Secretaries :  William  Turner,  M.B., 
F.R.S.E. ;  Alexander  Fleming,  M.D.;  Thomas  P.  Heslop,  M.D,;  Oliver  Pemberton. 
Committee:  J.  Balding  Barkway;  F.  T.  Bond,  M.D.;  Charles  Brooke,  F.R.S.;  Frank 
Chance,  M.D. ;  T.  S.  Cobbold,  M.D.,  F.R.S.,  F.L.S.;  T.  A.  Carter,  M,D.;  Dr  Gilbert 
Child^  Robert  Dunn;  M.  Foster,  M.D.;  R.  Gamer,  F.L.S.,-  George  D.  Gibb,  M.D., 
F.G.S.,  LL.D.  ;  Arthur  Gamgee,  M.D. ;  J.  Deaken  Heaton,  M.D,  ;  William  Hinds, 
M.D.;  R.  P.  Howard,  M.D. ;  W.  R.  Hughes,  F.L.S.  ;  a  M.  Humphry,  M.D.,  F.R.S.; 
Fumeaux  T.  Jordan  ;  W.  H.  Kelburne  King,  M.D. ;  W.  H.  Lightbody,  M.D. ;  Pro- 
fessor Macdonald;  J.  R.  Milner ;  Professor  Parkes,  F.R.S. ;  Henry  Power,  M.B. ;  Dr 
Ransom;  B.  W.  Richardson,  M.A.,  M.D, ;  and  Edward  Waters,  M.D.  We  also  ob- 
served present  Dr  Crisp,  Mr  J.  S.  Gamgee,  Dr  Arlidge,  Mr  E.  Watkin  Williams,  Dr 
T.  Wood,  Professor  Wanklyn,  and  others  well  known  in  medicine  and  general  science. 
Of  the  work  of  the  Section  this  year  we  shall  be  able  to  form  a  more  correct  esti- 
mate when  it  is  fairly  before  us.  Let  us,  then,  at  once  to  the  work,  commencing 
with — 

THE  PRESIDENT'S  ADDRESS. 

J?y  Henry  W.  Acland,  M.D,,  LL,D.,  F.EJS, 

Ladies  awd  Oentlemen, — In  addressing  you  from  the  chair  this  day,  I  dqsire  first 
ei  all  to  express  ftiy  sense  of  the  unmerited  honour  thus  conferred  upon  me.  When 
informed  that  it  was  intended  to  propose  me  as  your  chairman,  my  first  impulse  was 
without  hesitation  to  decline  so  great  a  distinction,  in  order  that  the  post  might  be 
held  by  one  of  the  many  eminent  persons  who  usually  contribute  to  the  success  of 
the  Section,  or  to  the  renown  of  the  Department.  Further  consideration  seemed  to 
show  me  that  the  greater  homage  would  be  to  place  unreservedly  at  your  service  such 
humble  powers  as  I  have,  and  to  offer  you  that  which  I  possess,  viz.,  the  force  of  pro- 
found interest  in  the  progress  of  one  of  the  most  important  departments  of  human 
knowledge,  and  of  sympathy  all  but  lifelong  with  its  promoters. 

I  rely,  therefore,  on  the  support  which  you  will  generously  give  to  my  endeavours 
to  secure  all  full  and  fair  discussion  that  is  consistent  with  a  due  regard  to  the  limited 
time  at  our  disposal. 

It  has  become  a  custom  that  the  Presidents  of  Sections  should  make  some  opening 
address,  though  it  is  held  to  be  inexpedient  that  it  should  be  elaborate  or  long. 
While  debating  on  the  subjects  on  which  I  might  usefully  touch,  I  chanced  to  en- 
counter the  remark  of  a  philosophic  writer,  that  the  time  was  come  when  it  was  a 
prime  necessity  for  biology  that  it  should  be  separated  from  medicine.  The  grounds 
alleged  were,  the  imperfect  education  of  phywcians,  their  want  of  leisure,  and  the 
magnitude  of  biological  science.  There  seemed  to  me  such  a  mixture  of  truth  and 
error  in  the  remark  itself,  and  in  the  general  tenor  of  the  data  on  which  it  was 
founded,  that  it  appeared  to  me  well  worthy  of  your  attention. 

As  to  the  imperfect  education  ^f  physicians,  the  remark  is  too  general  to  be  cor- 
rect, and  is  not  a  topic  proper  to  be  considered  here,  further  than  to  say,  first,  that 
it  is  to  great  medical  minds,  from  Hippocrates  and  Galen  down  to  Haller  and  Hunter, 
that  we  owe  the  promotion,  and,  indeed,  the  very  creation,  of  a  large  part  of  existing 
biological  knowledge,  so  that  these  men  cannot  have  been  ill  furnished  for  their  work ; 
and,  secondly,  that  it  is  certain  that  no  persons  who  are  not  well  prepared  will  in 
future  make  any  additions  of  importance  to  this  or  any  other  department  of  science. 
The  observation,  therefore,  on  the  whole,  amounts  to  this,  that  in  these  days  biological 
science  has  become  too  expensive  to  be  committed  to  the  care  of  any  but  those  who 
can  give  to  it  undivided  attention.  This  also  is  only  true  under  limitation.  It  is 
true  BO  far  as  this,  that  division  of  labour  is  as  necessary  for  the  perfection  of  thi« 


%\t  %itmm^  ^elittlu  anir  BtatktAmx&  Irarnal. 


THE  CATTLE  PLAGUE 

The  readers  of  this  Journal  are  too  well  acquainted  with  the  man- 
ner in  which  a  national  disease- preventive  system  has  been  advocated, 
not  to  be  aware  that  the  calamity  which  has  befallen  this  country 
was  long  since  predicted,  and  strenuous  efforts  have  been  made  to 
induce  the  Government  and  the  agricultural  public  to  be  armed  for 
the  worst.  The  result  of  inattention  to  oft-repeated  warnings  has 
been  the  introduction  of  the  fatal  rinderpest,  by  a  herd  of  Russian 
cattle  brought  into  this  country  at  the  end  of  last  May.  It  is  singu- 
lar that  this  most  fatal  epizootic  should  not  have  been  speedily  recog- 
nised and  checked  in  its  progress  in  the  city  of  London ;  but  the  fact 
is,  that  so  late  as  the  24th  of  July  the  Government  referred  to  the 
outbreak  as  of  an  uncertain  nature,  and  strange  to  say  that  the  editors 
of  the  Veterinarian  only  spoke  of  it  as  a  fatal  bovine  disease,  with- 
out enlightening  the  world  as  to  its  character.  Delay  in  all  such 
cases  is  most  dangerous ;  and  having  heard  of  the  outbreak  so  late  as 
the  29th  of  July,  we  instantly  took  steps  to  warn  the  country  of  its 
danger,  though  it  was  too  late  for  any  notice  in  this  JoumaL  The 
disease  has  progressed  rapidly ;  its  inroads  in  this  country  must  be 
attributed  not  a  little  to  the  difficulty  we  have  in  getting  proper 
measures  carried  out.  We  are  always  late  in  doing  things  well  in 
Britain,  and  we  must  expect  to  suffer  in  consequence.  Partial  means 
are  of  no  use  with  the  most  malignant,  the  most  contagious,  and 
destructive  plague  known  as  affecting  any  living  thing  on  the  face 
of  the  globe.  The  usual  injunctions  as  to  cleanliness,  ventilation, 
&c.  &c.,  have  been  repeated,  but  the  right  thing  has  yet  to  be  done. 
Until  Government  establishes  an  insurance  fund,  until  it  gets  con- 
trol of  the  animals  and  herds  affected,  and  until  no  efforts  are  spared 
to  do  away  with  any  and  every  condition  whereby  the  disease  may 
be  propagated,  the  malady  must  spread.  It  has  not  yet  reached  its 
acme.     Farmers  are  now  beginning  to  buy  for  winter  feeding,  and 


THE  ALBERT  VETBRINAEY  COLLEGE.  527 

with  an  increased  number  of  purchases,  we  must  have  an  increased 
number  of  outbreaks.  The  cold  weather  will  smother  the  poison ; 
moisture  will  preserve  and  disseminate  it,  whilst  cold  will  check  its 
production.  During  hot  weather  discharges  dry  or  putrify,  and 
large  quantities  are  thus  rendered  inert ;  the  reverse  is  witnessed  in 
winter,  and  unless  the  authorities  are  on  the  alert,  we  shall  hear 
more  of  the  cattle  plague  in  the  spring  of  1866  than  we  have  yet. 

It  is  our  belief  that,  under  such  an  affliction,  the  interests  of  the 
country  can  only  be  served  by  assembling  Parliament,  and  dealing  at 
once  and  energetically  with  the  whole  question.  Let  us  not  have 
more  delays,  and,  instead  of  abusing  the  veterinary  profession  in  the 
way  in  which  some  editors  of  public  journals  have  done,  let  us  have 
the  rules  which  veterinary  surgeons  can  frame  for  the  prevention  of 
the  disease  strictly  carried  out.  It  is  erroneously  supposed  we  are 
in  ignorance  as  to  the  nature  and  treatment  for  prevention  of  the 
disease.  There  are  subjects  on  which  information  is  far  too  scanty ; 
but  on  the  history  of  the  steppe  murrain,  and  the  methods  of  dealing 
with  it,  our  knowledge  is  ample  and  exhaustive.  The  eyes  of  the 
world  are  now  turned  to  the  members  of  our  profession,  and  all  we 
can  say  to  them  is,  that  every  man  must  do  his  duty. 


THE  ALBERT  VETERINARY  COLLEGE. 

Our  readers  will  notice  that  the  Inaugural  Address  at  this  Institu- 
tion is  to  be  delivered  in  the  College  on  the  2d  of  October.  More 
will  be  said  on  this  subject  in  our  next  impression. 


528  TUE  PLAGUE  AND  CATTLE  FAIRS. 


THE  PLAGUE  AND  APPROACHING  GREAT  CATTLE 

FAIRS. 

{From  the  Scottish  Farmer.) 

Mr  John  Hudson,  of  the  Metropolitan  Cattle  Market,  has  suggested, 
through  the  medium  of  the  Times,  that  all  cattle  throughout  the 
whole  kingdom,  except  those  intended  for  immediate  slaughter,  shall 
be  placed  in  quarantine  for  a  limited  period,  say  one  month  ;  that  all 
store  cattle  markets  and  fairs  be  suspended  for  the  same  period,  and 
that  all  store  cattle  be  kept  on  the  same  farms  where  they  are  now 
grazing.  Mr  Hudson  also  suggests  the  propriety  of  putting  an  entire 
stop  to  the  sending  of  beasts  from  London  to  the  country,  whether 
intended  for  immediate  slaughter,  for  grazing,  or  other  purposes.  He 
considers  that  the  quarantine  system  would  enable  inspectors  to  de- 
tect cases  more  readily  than  it  is  possible  to  do  at  present,  and  that 
the  temporary  suspension  of  business  in  the  country  markets  would 
tend  materially  to  purify  them. 

It  will  be  observed  that  Mr  Hudson's  suggestion,  with  reference  to 
the  suspension  of  store  cattle  markets  and  fairs,  is  substantially  the 
same  as  that  made  by  Mr  Swan  at  the  meeting  of  the  Edinburgh 
Dairymen's  Mutual  Protection  Association,  held  on  Wednesday  last, 
and  the  subject  is  altogether  of  too  important  a  nature  to  be  dismissed 
in  a  mere  paragragh.  The  period  is  rapidly  approaching  when  some 
of  the  largest  fairs  in  the  kingdom  will  be  held,  such  as  Falkirk  Tryst, 
All-Hallow  Fair,  &c.,  and  there  is  every  probability  that  the  plague 
will  become  more  widely  diffused  than  it  is  at  present  through  the 
medium  of  those  fairs.  The  cattle  brought  to  the  September  Tryst 
were  no  doubt  subjected  to  separate  examination,  and  reported 
healthy  ;  but  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  supply  of  cattle  at 
the  September  Tryst  is  very  small  compared  with  that  which  is 
brought  out  for  the  October  fair,  and  therefore  much  more  easily  exa- 
mined. In  fact,  we  consider  a  proper  examination  of  cattle  at  the 
October  Tryst  impossible  ;  and  it  would  appear  that  the  inspection  of 
stock  even  at  the  last  Tryst  was  ineffective,  as  we  find  it  stated  that 
the  plague  has  broken  out  on  a  farm  near  Saline,  in  the  west  of  Fife- 
shire,  among  a  lot  of  beasts  which  had  been  purchased  at  the  Sep- 
tember Tryst.  Nor  is  this  a  solitary  case.  Cattle  purchased  at  the 
last  Tryst  have  carried  ttie  ^^^^^,  vt  appears,  into  Perthshire  and 


THE  PLAGUE  AND  CATTLE  FAIRS,  529 

Forfarshire,  and  we  may  expect  every  day  to  hear  of  outbreaks  in 
fresh  districts  from  the  same  cause. 

If  the  supply  of  beasts  at  the  October  Tryst  came  direct  from  and 
through  healthy  districts,  there  would  be  the  less  need  for  extreme 
measures ;  but  this  is  not  the  case,  and  with  a  large  number  of  beasts 
from  Ireland,  there  will  be  also  cattle  in  considerable  numbers  from 
places  where  the  plague  is  notoriously  prevalent  and  fatal.  Until 
now,  Irish  cattle  were  reported  as  being  perfectly  free  from  this  justly 
dreaded  disease,  although  the  best  veterinary  authorities  in  that  part 
of  the  kingdom  agreed  in  representing  pleuro-pneumonia  and  mouth- 
and-f  oot  disease  to  have  been  more  than  usually  prevalent.  It  is  now 
stated  that  the  plague  not  only  exists  in  one  district  in  the  north  of 
Ireland,  but  that  it  has  actually  existed  there  for  at  least  a  month, 
carrying  off  some  thirty  or  forty  animals.  The  existence  of  the 
plague  in  the  district  where  it  is  stated  to  have  appeared,  is  of  course 
denied,  and  it  is  not  necessary  that  we  should  argue  the  matter  at 
present.  We  shall  give  the  north  of  Ireland  cattle-owners  the  benefit 
of  the  doubt,  but  this  does  not  suffice  to  prove  that  the  Irish  cattle 
shown  at  Falkirk  will  be  free  from  disease.  The  cattle  from  Ireland 
are  landed  at  Glasgow,  where  the  plague  has  been  very  fatal ;  they 
may  be  put  into  fields  near  the  town,  or  into  trucks,  where  the  seeds 
of  the  plague  may  be  taken  up  by  them  ;  they  may  even  travel  on  a 
road  which  has  become  infected,  and  no  matter  how  healthy  they 
were  when  they  left  Ireland,  still  it  is  by  no  means  improbable  that 
they  will  come  upon  Stenhouse  Muir  with  the  germs  of  the  plague  in 
their  system,  simply  in  consequence  of  having  passed,  as  they  must 
do,  through  infected  places.  It  is  among  Irish  cattle,  bought  at  Fal- 
kirk, that  the  plague  has  broken  out  at  Blair-Drummond  and  Coupar- 
Angus.  There  will  no  doubt  be  cattle  also  on  the  ground  direct  from 
Glasgow  and  Edinburgh,  healthy  enough,  perhaps,  to  pass  an  inspector, 
but  nevertheless  thoroughly  dangerous ;  and  altogether  it  is  a  matter 
of  imperative  necessity  that  immediate  steps  be  taken  to  prevent  any 
further  spread  of  the  plague  through  the  medium  of  beasts  which 
have  been  exposed  to  contagion,  and  have  stood  in  a  public  fair. 

There  are  some,  perhaps,  who  may  consider  a  step  such  as  that 
which  has  been  proposed  too  arbitrary  to  be  undertaken  by  the 
authorities,  or  even  submitted  to  by  the  public.  It  may  be  argued 
that  people  can  refrain  from  going  to  the  fairs  with  the  view  of  pur- 
chasing cattle ;  but  merely  declining  to  buy  will  not  amend  matters. 
The  unsold  stock  would  be  driven  on  through  the  country  \\vcs^^'55v»^^. 


53v)  THB  PLAGUE  AND  CATTLB  FAIRS. 

persons  reckless  enough  to  buy  them,  carrying  the  disease  along  with 
them,  and  poisoning  the  roads  and  fields  wherever  they  might  be 
taken.  The  present  state  of  matters,  caused  by  the  introduction  of 
the  plague  into  the  country,  is  imprecedented,  and  strong  means 
must  be  used  in  order  to  meet  the  increasing  difficulties  of  the  case. 
There  was  too  much  supineness  manifested  at  first,  too  great  a  tend- 
ency to  shut  our  eyes  not  only  to  the  actual  existence  of  the  disease, 
but  also  to  its  exceedingly  dangerous  nature,  and  the  eflFects  of  the 
error  which  was  then  committed  can  only  be  met  by  extreme  measures. 
Such  have  already  been  adopted  with  reference  to  certain  channels, 
through  which,  it  was  believed,  the  plague  might  be  carried  into 
healthy  districts,  and  a  temporary  suspension  of  the  store  cattle 
markets  and  fairs  would  certainly  not  be  more  arbitrary  than  other 
steps  which  have  already  been  taken,  and  for  which  the  authorities 
have  received  the  highest  praise.  No  doubt  the  measure  would  be 
attended  with  some  inconvenience,  and  even  loss  to  individuals ;  but 
the  public  welfare  is  deeply  concerned  in  it,  and  individual  interests 
must  always  give  way  to  considerations  designed  to  promote  the  good 
of  the  community  at  large.  The  magistrates  of  Brechin  have  shown  a 
good  example  by  recommending  that  Trinity  Muir  Market  should  not 
be  held ;  and  it  remains  with  the  authorities  elsewhere  not  only  to 
follow  their  example,  but  to  go  farther,  and  positively  prohibit  store 
cattle  fairs  until  all  danger  shall  have  passed. 


MEDICAL  REPORT  OF  THE  BRITISH  ASSOCIATION.  531 

PEEISCOPE. 


MEDICAL  REPORT  OF  THE  THIRTY-FIFTH  MEETING  OF  THE  BRITISH 
ASSOCIATION  FOR  THE  ADVANCEMENT  OF  SCIENCE, 

The  Physiological  Section  mustered  this  year  under  the  Presidency  of  Dr  Acland, 
Regius  Professor  of  the  University  of  Oxford,  true  scholar  and  gentleman.  No 
selection  of  president  could  have  been  happier.  He  was  supported  by, —  Vice- 
Presidents:  John  Davy,  M.D.,  F.R.S;  Professor  Rolleston,  F.R.S, ;  Professor  Lionel 
Beale,  F.R.S. ;  Professor  Van  Der  Hoeven ;  Edward  Smith,  M.D.,  F.R.S.,  LL.D. ; 
Professor  John  Hughes  Bennett,  M.D.,  F.R.S.E.  Secretaries :  William  Turner,  M.B., 
F.R.S.E. ;  Alexander  Fleming,  M.D.^  Thomas  P.  Heslop,  M.D,;  Oliver  Pemberton. 
Committee :  J.  Balding  Barkway ;  F.  T.  Bond,  M.D. ;  Charles  Brooke,  F.R.S. ;  Frank 
Chance,  M.D. ;  T.  S.  Cobbold,  M.D.,  F.R.S.,  F.L.S.;  T.  A.  Carter,  M,D.;  Dr  Gilbert 
Child^  Robert  Dunn;  M.  Foster,  M.D.;  R.  Gamer,  F.L.S.;  George  D.  Gibb,  M.D., 
F.G.S.,  LL.D.  ;  Arthur  Gamgee,  M.D. ;  J.  Deaken  Heaton,  M.D,  ;  William  Hinds, 
M.D. ;  R.  P.  Howard,  M.D. ;  W.  R.  Hughes,  F.L.S.  ;  a  M.  Humphry,  M.D.,  F.R.S.; 
Fumeaux  T.  Jordan  ;  W.  H.  Kelburne  King,  M.D. ;  W.  H.  Lightbody,  M.D. ;  Pro- 
fessor Macdonald;  J.  R.  Milner ;  Professor  Parkes,  F.R.3. ;  Henry  Power,  M.B. ;  Dr 
Ransom;  B.  W.  Richardson,  M.A.,  M.D, ;  and  Edward  Waters,  M.D.  We  aJso  ob- 
served present  Dr  Crisp,  Mr  J.  S.  Gamgee,  Dr  Arlidge,  Mr  E.  Watkin  Williams,  Dr 
T.  Wood,  Professor  Wanklyn,  and  others  well  known  in  medicine  and  general  science. 
Of  the  work  of  the  Section  this  year  we  shall  be  able  to  form  a  more  correct  esti- 
mate when  it  is  fairly  before  us.  Let  us,  then,  at  once  to  the  work,  commencing 
with — 

THE  president's  ADDRESS. 

JBy  Henry  W.  Acland,  M.D.,  LL,D.,  F^E.S, 

Ladies  aitd  Oentlemen, — In  addressing  you  from  the  chair  this  day,  I  desire  first 
©f  all  to  express  flay  sense  of  the  unmerited  honour  thus  conferred  upon  me.  When 
informed  that  it  was  intended  to  propose  me  as  your  chairman,  my  first  impulse  was 
without  hesitation  to  decline  so  great  a  distinction,  in  order  that  the  post  might  be 
held  by  one  of  the  many  eminent  persons  who  usually  contribute  to  the  success  of 
the  Section,  or  to  the  renown  of  the  Department.  Further  consideration  seemed  to 
fihow  me  that  the  greater  homage  would  be  to  place  unreservedly  at  your  service  such 
humble  powers  as  I  have,  and  to  offer  you  that  which  I  possess,  viz.,  the  force  of  pro- 
found interest  in  the  progress  of  one  of  the  most  important  departments  of  human 
knowledge,  and  of  sympathy  all  but  lifelong  with  its  promoters. 

I  rely,  therefore,  on  the  support  whioh  you  will  generously  give  to  my  endeavours 
to  secure  all  full  and  fair  discussion  that  is  consistent  with  a  due  regard  to  the  limited 
time  at  our  disposal. 

It  has  become  a  custom  that  the  Presidents  of  Sections  should  make  some  opening 
address,  though  it  is  held  to  be  inexpedient  that  it  should  be  elaborate  or  long. 
While  debating  on  the  subjects  on  which  I  might  usefully  touch,  I  chanced  to  en- 
counter the  remark  of  a  philosophic  writer,  that  the  time  was  come  when  it  was  a 
prime  necessity  for  biology  that  it  should  be  separated  from  medicine.  The  grounds 
alleged  were,  the  imperfect  education  of  phywcians,  their  want  of  leisure,  and  the 
magnitude  of  biological  science.  There  seemed  to  me  such  a  mixture  of  truth  and 
error  in  the  remark  itself,  and  in  the  genial  tenor  of  the  data  on  which  it  waa 
founded,  that  it  appeared  to  me  well  worthy  of  your  attention. 

As  to  the  imperfect  education  ^f  physicians,  the  remark  is  too  general  to  be  cor- 
rect, and  is  not  a  topic  proper  to  be  considered  here,  further  than  to  say,  first,  that 
it  is  to  great  medical  minds,  from  Hippocrates  and  Galen  down  to  Haller  and  Hunter, 
that  we  owe  the  promotion,  and,  indeed,  the  very  creation,  of  a  large  part  of  existing 
biological  knowledge,  so  that  these  men  cannot  have  been  ill  furnished  for  their  work ; 
and,  secondly,  that  it  is  certain  that  no  persons  who  are  not  well  prepared  will  in 
future  make  any  additions  of  importance  to  this  or  any  other  department  of  science. 
The  observation,  therefore,  on  the  whole,  amounts  to  this,  that  in  these  days  biological 
science  has  become  too  expensive  to  be  committed  to  the  care  of  any  but  those  who 
can  give  to  it  undivided  attention.  This  also  is  only  true  under  limitafevwi..  V^.\^ 
true  so  far  as  this,  that  division  of  labour  is  as  nec^ssai^  iw  XJiaa  ^^x.\s.<5N}tfsvv  ^\  SistA 


532  MEDICAL  BEPOnX  OF  THE  BRITISH  ASSOCIATION. 

portion  of  Bcicncc  as  of  otlicrs ;  and  further,  that  some  parts  of  biology  are  become  so 
complicated  antl  so  extensive  as  to  demand  for  original  work  the  whole  powers  of  any 
man  of  ordinary  calibre.  But  it  would  be  quite  as  just  if  we  were  to  lay  it  down 
broadly,  '*  There  has  been  no  period  when  it  was  as  necessary  for  the  progress  of 
biology  as  now  it  is.  that  its  relations  with  medicine  should  be  closely  maintained." 
Neither  position  would  be  wholly  true,  or,  therefore,  wholly  safe.  It  may  not  be 
amiss  to  occupy  a  short  time  at  the  outset  of  our  detailed  labours  with  a  brief  con- 
sideration of  the  real  scope  of  the  pursuit  in  which  we  are  engaged,  and  of  the  means 
which  we  possess  for  attaining  our  objects.  I  crave  your  indulgence  if  my  analytical 
description  fall  nhort  of  your  distinct  conceptions  or  your  more  sanguine  aspirations. 

The  objects  of  biological  study  are,  unquestionably,  as  in  most  other  sciences, — First, 
simply  to  ascertain  what  are  the  facts  in  a  certain  department  of  natare,  with  no 
regard  to  the  ])ractical  consequences  which  can  be  deducible  therefrom ;  and,  secondly, 
but  less  directly,  to  discover  the  laws  and  devise  the  rules  which  are  of  various  d^^rees 
of  importance  and  value  for  the  practical  exigencies  of  mankind, — -just  as  mathe- 
matical and  physical  astronomers  investigate  the  facts  which  are  necessary  for  the 
construction  of  the  ephemeris,  and  make  it  to  be  a  work  of  equal  value  for  the  pore 
astronomer  and  for  the  j>ractical  navigator. 

But  some  of  the  facts  which  physiology  investigates,  and  tjiie  laws  which  it  seeks  to 
discover,  happen  to  be  of  cogent  consequence  to  all  men  equally, — to  the  thoughtful 
and  the  cultivated,  because  they  have  the  tendency  to  illuminate  the  most  hidden 
recesses  of  our  mental  constitutions,  the  most  obscure  traces  of  our  origin,  and  our 
various  correlations  to  other  beings,  animate  and  inanimate ;  to  the  mere  "  hewers  of 
wood  and  drawers  of  water"  among  men,  because  it  seeks  to  ascertain  in  the  most 
I)recise  manner  the  conditions  of  physical  existence,  to  point  out  the  work  that  can, 
and  that  cannot  be  done  upon  such  and  such  an  amount  of  sustenance.  In  short,  it 
seeks  to  define  the  exigencies  of  the  human  body  in  respect  of  all  the  external  circum- 
stances in  which  it  is  ordinarily  placed,  in  respect  also  of  all  other  physical  agents 
that  can  act  upon,  or  be  acted  upon,  by  it;  together  with  the  internal  chemical  and 
physical  alterations  to  which  these  several  circumstances  can,  directly  or  indirectly, 
give  rise.  It  has  to  learn  also  the  limits  of  toleration  within  which  the  body  is  con- 
fined by  these  external  agents,  and  the  way  in  which  these  limits  are  regulated — as 
the  laws  of  toleration,  of  climate,  of  heat,  of  food,  of  various  noxious  agents,  and 
many  other  particulars,  of  which  the  catalogue  would  be  greater  than  that  of  the  ships 
of  Homer. 

Every  person,  therefore,  whether  he  knows  it  or  not — the  statesman,  who  has  to 
consider  the  sustentation  of  the  people — the  religious  man  (that  is,  every  one  who 
believes  in  a  moral  government  of  the  world,  or  hopes  for  a  future  state,  and  who 
has  opinions  on  the  history  or  origin  of  the  human  race)^the  animal  man,  who  prides 
himself  on  his  strength,  or  whose  strength  is  to  him  for  a  fortune — the  mother,  rich 
or  poor,  who  yearns  by  night  and  by  day  for  the  healthy  growth  of  her  tender  offspring 
— the  physician  or  philanthropist,  who  desires  to  avert  or  to  relieve  diseases  among 
communities  or  individuals  of  men — each  and  all  of  these  are  alike  really  interested 
in  the  steady  progress  of  the  most  abstruse  philosophical  speculations  of  the  physio- 
logist, as  certainly  as  of  the  commoner  rules  of  a  healthy  life,  which  are  to  be  safely 
deduced  from  them. 

In  reference,  therefore,  to  the  opinion  which  was  just  now  adverted  to,  I  think  t^i 
biology  is  to  be  extricated  from  the  hands  of  physicians  only  in  a  limited  sense.  No 
persons  have  so  many  grounds  for  advancing  it  as  they.  The  physician,  abstractedly 
considered,  combines  all  the  characters  to  which  I  have  alluded.  He  is,  in  respect  of 
the  health  of  the  people,  a  statesman ;  as  a  man,  like  others,  a  religious  man ;  not 
less  than  others,  father  and  husband  ;  as  much  as  any,  a  working-man ;  by  education, 
more  or  less,  a  man  of  science.  In  short,  abstractedly  considered,  I  say  it  is  his  spe- 
cial duty  at  least  to  advocate  and,  if  he  can,  to  promote  the  advance  of  physiological 
knowledge  unfettered  and  free, — 

1st.  As  a  pure  science. 

2d.  As  the  basis  of  the  medical  art. 

3d.  As  of  practical  utility  in  helping  to  regulate  the  lives  and  habits  of  society  at 
large. 

Now  the  hindrances  to  a  perfectly  free  study  of  physiological  science  arise  from 
two  causes : — 

1st.  The  intrinsic  difficulty  of  the  subject ;  and,  2d.,  The  prejudices  of  mankind. 

To  the  conBideration  of  these  two  points  it  may  not  be  useless  for  us  to  devote  8om« 
Attention. 


MEDICAL  REPORT  OF  THE  BRITISH  ASSOCIATION.  533 

Ist.  As  to  the  intrinsic  difficulty  of  the  subject. 

Although  the  wisdom  of  this  Association  entitles  this  meeting  a  sub-section,  I  am 
among  the  minority  who  cannot  understand  the  force  of  the  arguments  which  go  to 
class  biology  (which  term  may  be  now  used  synonymously  with  physiology)  as  a  sub- 
ordinate subject.  Being,  when  properly  considered,  the  most  complicated  of  all  the 
subject-matter  debated  at  this  Association,  it  cannot  be  really  subordinate  to  any, 
least  of  all  to  zoology  and  botany,  which  it  distinctly  includes.  It  may  be  an  open 
question  whether  physiology  be  a  branch  of  physics  and  chemistry ;  it  is  not  an  open 
question  whether  it  includes  the  knowledge  of  the  characteristics  upon  which  the 
classification  of  all  entities  that  are  said  to  have  life  is  based. 

It  were  an  impertinence,  however,  now  to  spend  time  in  arguing  about  the  classifi- 
cation of  sciences.  /  It  is  sufficient  for  us  to  note  the  vast  range  of  biology,  a  range 
which  every  year  makes  more  wide. 

The  knowledge  of  the  actions  of  living  beings  depends,  and  necessarily  depends,  not 
only  upon  what  may  be  learned  intrinsically,  so  to  say,  in  the  living  beings  them- 
selves, but  upon  the  collateral  advancing  waves  of  physical  and  chemical  inquiry. 
How  largely,  for  instance,  in  the  last  few  years,  have  the  idea  of  conservation  of 
force  in  physics,  and  the  remarkable  advance  of  the  synthetical  operations  of  the 
laboratory,  affected  our  fundamental  conceptions  of  the  actions  in  living  bodies,  and 
increased  the  chances  of  our  advancing  a  step  towards  the  knowledge  of  what  is  essen- 
tial in  the  phenomena  which  we  designate  life  ! 

The  intrinsic  difficulty  of  this  search  in  the  present  day  consists  not  so  much  in 
the  morphological  examijiation  of  beings  on  the  one  hand  as  complex  as  man,  with 
all  his  varieties,  and  the  problems  thereto  attaching  (though  this  morphological  exa- 
mination of  man  in  all  his  varieties  is  still  incomplete,)  nor  in  the  examination,  on 
the  other  hand,  of  beings  so  inexplicably  simple  as  our  own  A  moRba,  or  as  the  ancient 
(and  how  ancient !)  Eozdon  Canadense,  but  in  the  causes  and  conditions  of  the  actual 
or  potential  changes  in  the  minutest  portions  of  any  one  creature.  The  labours  of 
Goodsir  and  Virchow  and  Beale,  and  of  many  others  labouring  in  the  same  direction 
and  in  various  ways,  have  shown,  what  was  indeed  long  suspected,  that  the  solution 
of  the  problem  of  the  actual  relation  between  function  and  organ  may  be  sought, 
and  has  to  be  sought,  among  parts  mechanically  almost  as  fine  as  the  chemical  atom; 
for  we  have  life,  secretion,  motion,  generation  in  parts,  to  our  present  means  of  exa- 
mination, structureless.  Yet,  although  this  may  be  the  case,  it  would  be  a  great  error 
to  suppose  that  there  is  not  much  work  yet  to  be  done  in  the  more  obvious  depart- 
ment of  descriptive  anatomy  which  chiefly  occupied  older  investigators.  Every  year 
aeems  to  show  this,  from  the  researches  of  cultivated  palaeontologists  and  naturalists 
in  every  department :  for  both  in  this  country  and  on  the  two  continents,  additions 
are  being  unceasingly  made  to  the  stock  of  knowledge  either  of  objects  wholly  new, 
or  of  objects  or  parts  heretofore  incompletely  described. 

For  the  purposes  of  the  great  scientific  question  of  this  age,  the  causes  of  the  pre- 
sent order  of  life  on  the  globe,  it  would  seem  that  the  minutest  accepted  data  of 
biological  conclusion  may  have  to  be  revised  under  new  methods.  It  is  a  saying 
among  painters,  "  that  a  draughtsman  sees  no  more  than  he  knows.^'  It  is  true  in  the 
aame  way  in  natural  science,  that  the  real  signification  of  a  known  fact  may  be  con- 
cealed for  ages.  Of  this,  pathology  offers  many  examples.  The  older  naturalists, 
notwithstanding  the  great  learning  of  such  men  as  Linnaeus  and  Haller,  had  com- 
paratively either  very  simple  or  hypothetical  and  incorrect  notions  of  the  complexi- 
ties of  living  beings  and  their  constituent  parts.  Chemistry,  the  microscope,  and  the 
search  for  the  origin  of  species,  have,  in  this  country,  widened  the  horizon  of  biolo- 
gical study  in  a  way  not  less  surprising  than  does  the  dawn  of  day  to  a  traveller,  who, 
having  by  night  ascended  some  lofty  peak,  sees  gradually  unfolding  an  extent  and 
detail  of  prospect  which  he  can  generally  survey,  though  he  cannot  hope  to  verify 
each  detail  and  visit  every  nook  in  the  brief  time  allotted  to  him  for  travel.  The  de- 
sire rerum  coynoscere  causus  urges  him  even  more  keenly  than  to  know  the  things 
themselves.  Thus,  in  biology,  the  laws  of  the  genesis  of  every  known  organic  being 
have  now  become  as  much  the  object  of  investigation  as  was  once  the  nature  of  the 
being  itself.  The  existence  of  definite  species  or  varieties  was  formerly  assumed  in 
an  arbitrary  manner  to  be  a  kind  of  necessity.  The  search  after  the  laws  which  pro- 
duced those  species,  and  the  signification  of  them,  has  become  as  ardent  as  was  once 
the  definition  of  the  specific  characters.  But  it  is  a  far  more  difficult  pursuit,  and 
requires  either  a  very  special  education  or  remarkable  natural  powers.  The  difficulty 
pervades  every  department  of  biology  in  gross  and  in  detail.  Darwin  seeks  the 
solution  for  the  whole  kingdom  of  nature.     The  histologist,  th<&  ^^Xi^CkV^^^^  *<^^-^ 


531  MEDICAL  BEPORT  OF  THE  BRITISH  ASSOCIATION. 

organic  chemist  approaches  it  in  the  detail  of  every  mechanical  texture,  and  of  every 
organic  chemical  compound.  We  are  apt  to  look  on  the  museum  of  John  Hunter  as 
the  most  philosophic  and  extensive  exposition  of  biological  science  in  this  or  any 
other  country.  And  justly  so.  Inquiring  originally  into  what  is  the  proper  treat- 
ment of  disease,  he  asks  in  order,  What  is  its  nature?  what  its  cause  ?  how  are  the 
functions  disordered  ?  how  are  they  performed  in  health  ?  by  what  mechanism?  how 
is  this  mechanism  varied  ?  whence  did  it  'originate  ?  But  compare  with  his  knowledge 
the  knowledge  of  biologists  of  the  present  period  viewed  collectively  ;  take  our  know- 
ledge of  the  ovum,  for  instance,  and  its  development,  or  the  minute  anatomy  of  the 
tissues,  or  (may  I  venture  to  use  the  epithet  for  so  vast  a  collection  of  ascertained 
truth  ?)  the  ncutcent  chemistry  of  living  structures,  or  the  relations  of  osseous  structures 
in  the  vcrtebrata.  It  were  hard  to  say  which  is  the  more  remarkable,  Hunter^s  com- 
prehensiveness, or  the  detail  of  modem  science.  Yet  how  many  details  are  sUll 
needed  for  a  safe  biological  philosophv  ! 

Yet  are  we  only  on  the  threshold  of  detailed  knowledge.  We  still  speak  of  many 
hard  points  with  an  almost  childlike  simplicity.  What  do  we  understand,  for  in- 
stance, of  the  cause  of  that  which  Herbert  Spencer  calls  **  Organic  Polarity  " — that  is 
to  say,  the  power,  force,  or  tendency  by  which  lost  parts  are  repaired — ^by  which  a 
whole  limb—or  part  of  a  limb — or  even  all  but  a  whole  body  is  replaced  by  the  out- 
growth from  what  remains  of  the  original  unmutilated  whole — a  process  so  common 
in  astcriadsc  and  Crustacea  and  other  animals  as  to  seem  a  matter  of  course  in  their 
history,  while  it  is  apparently  a  property  which  cannot  exist  in  the  higher  ftTiTTimla  ? 
What  do  we  know  of  the  causes  of  hereditary  transmission  in  general  (a  property 
wholly  different  from,  and  more  unintelligible,  than  the  hypothesis  of  natural 
selection),  or  of  the  transmission  of  disease  in  particular,  as,  for  example,  carcinoma? 
What  is  it  in  its  essence  ?  How  does  it  originate  in  an  individual  of  untainted 
family  ?  How  is  it  transmitted  ?  Is  it  an  original  property  of  the  ovum  per  ae,  or  of 
the  nutrient  plasma  by  which  that  ovum  is  nourished  up  to  the  time  of  its  birth? 
Could  food,  or  mode  of  life,  or  any  specific  agent  eradicate  the  tendencies  to  trans- 
mission, just  as  in  certain  cases  we  empirically  modify  the  transmission  of  tubercle? 
or  is  the  transmission  of  the  carcinoma  as  inevitable  in  certain  cases  as  the  develop- 
ment of  the  germ  ?    Grave  questions  for  future  solution. 

These  allusions  to  disease,  I  need  not  say,  are  purposely  introduced.  There  seems 
to  be  a  tendency  in  some  modern  ph3r8iologi8t8  to. pay  insufficient  attention  to  the 
retrograde  metamorphosis  of  living  creatures.  The  study  of  death  is  as  much  an 
object  of  biological  science  as  the  study  of  birth.  The  whole  being  originates, 
reaches  maturity,  declines,  and  dies.  So  does  every  parti^  H«  strives  with  vain  en- 
deavour to  grasp  the  history  of  any  organic  thing,  who  does  not  regard  it  in  relation 
to  its  origin,  its  growth,  its  dissolution,  its  relations  to  objects  external  to  it,  the 
changes  which  it  undergoes  in  itself  and  of  itself,  and  the  modifications,  accidental 
or  necessary,  which  external  agents  can  and  may  induce  in  it. 

General  considerations  of  this  kind  have  a  certain,  though  subordinate  office  in 
scientific  deliberations,  and  seem  just  now  not  out  of  place.  It  will  be  remembered 
that  I  have  been  speaking  of  the  intrinsic  difficulties  of  biological  study.  If  I  have 
correctly,  though  briefly,  sketched  the  domain  of  Wology,  the  existence  of  these 
difficulties  will  be  conceded.  They  are  now  insisted  upon,  not  certainly  so  much  for 
the  sake  of  those  skilled  experts,  our  teachers,  who  are  carrying  on  the  conquest  of 
nature,  as  of  those  many  cultivated  learners  who,  from  want  of  leisure,  cannot 
actively  pursue,  but  who,  from  real  interest,  desire  to  aid  and  promote  the  study  of 
biology.  For  them  it  is  desirable  to  take  from  time  to  time  a  general  survey  of  the 
aims  and  extent  of  biology,  in  order  that  they  may  bring  the  weight  of  their  influence 
in  support — Ist,  of  free,  unfettered  pursuit  of  biology  for  its  own  sake ;  and  2ndly,  of 
public  education,  such  as  may  conduce  in  the  next  generation  to  a  just  appr^iation 
of  its  scientific,  its  educational,  and  its  practical  value. 

I  am  thus  led  to  consider,  2ndly,  the  prejudices  of  mankind,  **  opiniones  pnxjudi- 
catcRy'  in  respect  of  biology. 

These  resolve  themselves  into  active  prejudices  and  passive  prejudices.  Active 
lead  men  to  object  to  it  as  harmful ;  passive  lead  them  to  regard  it  with  indifference. 

These  prejudices  are  rapidly  undergoing  modification,  but  they  have  existed  harm- 
fully more  or  less,  from  various  causes,  among  almost  all  but  professed  physiologists. 
I  need  only  advert  among  the  active  prejudices  to  the  so-called  theological  dr^  of 
free  inquiry  into  the  origin  of  races,  and  the  origin  of  species  generally.  Among  the 
passive  prejudices,  I  would  point  to  the  want  of  appreciation  of  purely  scientific 
inqmr"^  that  has  no  practVcaV  en^  *vaV\^7J  \  \.q  Oo^^^\Aa\Mi  of  varioqs  kinds  brought 


MEDICAL  REPORT  OF  THE  BRITISH  ASSOCIATION.  535 

against  experiments  ma^e  for  physiological,  toxicological,  or  therapeutical  purposes ; 
to  objections  to  the  introduction  of  biological  studies  into  courses  of  general  educa^ 
lion ;  to  the  tardy  recognition  of  biological  knowledge  as  the  basis  of  practical 
medicine,  and  of  hygiene,  public  and  private. 

History  gives  the  clue  to  the  source  of  these  prejudices — namely,  the  empirical 
assumptions  of  supposed  truths  made  at  former,  and  often  ancient  epochs,  which 
have  one  by  one  to  be  eradicated  from  their  respective  departments  before  the  advanc- 
ing knowledge  of  ascertained  natural  law. 

What  we  see  around  us  in  the  natural  world  is  admitted  on  all  sides  to  be  the  result 
of  the  operations  of  causes  working  by  fixed  laws.  Why  those  laws  exist,  or  how  they 
came  to  be,  it  is  not  within  the  domain  of  physical  science  to  discuss.  What  (in  so 
far  as  they  affect  living  beings)  they  are,  and  what  the  mode  and  limit  of  their  action, 
including,  of  course,  the  mode  and  limits  of  their  possible  modification,  is  the  special 
province  of  biological  science.  Science,  therefore,  is  not  only  at  liberty,  but  is  bound, 
at  all  times  to  test  the  correctness  of  opinions  which  bear  on  or  have  relations  to  the 
subject  matter  of  science,  and  do  not  appear  to  have  been  founded  on  adequate  scientific 
evidence.  A  great  part  of  the  scientific  work  in  the  present  century  has  been  that  of 
recasting  or  rejecting  received  dogmas.  This  work  is  not  yet  complete,  and  possibly 
never  will  be.  It  is  evident  that  new  means  of  research  show  the  incorrectness  of 
the  belief  of  many  of  the  greatest  minds.  Plato  was  satisfied  that  the  use  of  the  liver 
was  to  be  the  seat  of  prophetic  agency  for  the  soul.  Yet  are  we  sure  that,  notwith- 
standing the  researches  of  Bernard,  Pavy,  and  others,  we  know  even  at  this  moment 
all  the  functions  and  uses  of  that  organ?  How  long  since  is  it  that  taurine  was  found 
to  contain  25  per  cent,  of  sulphur,  and  was  not,  as  had  been  supposed,  devoid  of  that 
substance  ?  How  complicated  are  the  chemical  questions  of  the  hepatic  functions, 
when  viewed  as  a  whole  throughout  the  animal  series,  may  be  seen  by  a  glance  at 
M.  Milne-Edward's  summary  of  these  questions  in  his  elaborate  work  now  in  course 
of  publication. 

The  utmost  toleration  is  required  in  dealing  with  the  prejudices  which  we  are  con-r 
sidering :  among  other  reasons,  because  truly  there  may  be  scientific  prejudices  as ' 
well  as  popular  prejudices.  A  scientific  man  may  become  impatient  of  every  opinion 
which  rests  only  on  probability ;  whereas,  some  of  the  important  issues  of  human 
affairs  are  not  susceptible  of  absolute  proof.  A  physician,  or  a  lawyer,  or  a  moralist, 
who  always  refused  to  act  on  the  greater  probability  would  be  a  sorry  adviser  to  his 
client  But  the  work  of  the  chemist  or  the  physiologist  would  be  at  once  set  aside 
if  probability,  and  not  ascertained  fact,  entered  into  his  formula. 

Different  subject  matters  are  taught  or  studied  with  different  degrees  of  certainty, 
or  by  different  methods ;  the  methods  and  degrees  of  certainty  must  be  known  and 
acknowledged.  There  can  be  no  just  ground  of  objection  to  conclusions  based  on 
hypothesis  so  long  as  the  promoters  are  ready  to  accept,  on  proper  and  reasonable 
evidence,  new  elements  of  calculation. 

I  spoke  also  of  the  passive  prejudices  of  mankind  in  respect  of  biology.  A  curious 
chapter  might  be  written  on  the  slowness  with  which  physiological  principles  have 
been  generally  received  (I  cannot  say  they  are  even  now  accepted  by  us)  as  the  basis 
on  which  to  secure  public  and  private  health.  England  is  but  even  now  awakening 
to  these  questions.  The  Kegistrar-General,  the  Army  and  Navy  Departments,  the 
Health  Department  of  the  Privy  Council,  the  various  Drainage  Commissioners  and 
Committees,  and  many  other  bodies,  are  all  engaged  in  collecting,  disseminating, 
and  in  using  physiological  knowledge  under  various  aspects.  It  must  be  admitted 
that  evidence  as  to  what  is  and  what  is  not  favourable  to  the  correct  performance  of 
the  functions  in  men  and  other  animals  is  even  now  often  conflicting.  It  was  said 
just  now  that  the  pure  physiologist  is  too  apt  to  disregard  the  processes  "  prce- 
parantes  ad  mortem;'*  so  also  he  is  too  apt  to  look  on  health  questions  as  problems 
of  practice  or  art,  and  not  of  science.  Yet  the  highest  scientific  qualities  are  requisite 
for  determining  with  precision  any  problems  affecting,  for  instance,  nutrition,  and 
the  consequent  capacity  for  labour  of  a  population,  viewed  as  a  whole  or  as  indi- 
viduals :  witness  the  investigations  of  your  last  year's  President  (now,  happily,  em- 
ployed by  the  Government),  and  many  of  the  important  papfers  in  Mr  Simon's  valu- 
able yearly  reports,  and  such  memoirs  as  that  of  Professor  Haughton,  of  Dublin,  on 
"  Work."  In  such  cases,  I  will  not  say  theory,  but  knowledge  precedes,  and  regulates, 
and  compels  practice. 

Similar  considerations  apply  to  the  relation  of  physiology  to  practical  medicine. 
This  art  or  science  is  undergoing  revision  under  the  influence  of  physiologY— *> 
revision  somewhat  indeed  retarded  by  popular  prejudice,  bw.t  ^iwValva.. 

Vol.  I.— No.  X.— New  Series.    October  lft^5.  *^^ 


536  MEDICAL  REPORT  OF  THE  BRITISH  ASSOCJIATIOK. 

In  looking  back  on  the  histor}-  of  medicine,  we  are  at  a  loss  to  say  which  ig  the 
more  curious,  the  sagacity  of  the  older  phyBicians  and  surgeons,  conadering  the 
scantiness  of  their  physiological  knowledge,  or  their  folly,  considering  the  extent  of 
it.  The  explanation  lies  in  the  intermixture  of  empirical  (that  is,  of  accepted,  tradi- 
tional, unquestioned)  belief  with  really  ascertained  fact ;  and  we  are  not  now-a-days 
without  danger  of  undervaluing  the  eminent  artistic  power  and  great  practical 
shrewdness  of  former  physicians,  in  the  presence  of  our  more  precise,  but  sometimes 
also  less  practically  yaluable  scientific  knowledge.  l>r  Stokes,  the  eminent  Dublin 
professor,  has  lately  spoken  on  this  topic  in  a  timely  and  earnest  way. 

The  business  of  physiology  and  of  an  association  like  this,  as  1  jast  now  said, 
is  therefore  not  only  to  add  new  knowledge,  but  to  destroy  incorrect  or  imperfectly 
correct  statement  and  belief.  The  incorporation  of  advancing  phyfdology  with  medi- 
cine every  year  adds  certainty  to  the  latter,  while  it  furnishes  data  as  well  as  tests  to 
the  former.  Experiment  properly  applied  in  medicine  under  trained  physidsts  and 
chemists  will  not  only  eliminate  gradually  all  remaining  error,  but  will  make  more 
definite  the  properties  of  therapeutical  agents.  In  illustration  it  is  sufficient  to  refer 
to  some  of  the  investigations  of  Claude  Bernard,  from  whose  great  skill,  combined 
with  philosophic  power,  much  may  be  expected.  Yet  it  may  be  doubted  if  the  im- 
portance of  this  alliance  between  science  and  medicine  to  the  community  at  large  is 
yet  fully  understood  by  the  legislature.  Under  the  recent  Medical  Act,  the  whole 
expense  of  constructing  a  National  Pharmacopoeia  was  thrown  by  Parliament  on  the 
existing  practitioners  of  medicine,  and  the  cost  of  its  future  maintenance  was  charged 
on  the  students  of  medicine  :  the  national  funds  are  to  contribute  nothing  towu^ 
the  great  benefit,  a  benefit  accruing  to  every  one  at  some  period  of  life,  of  a  genuine 
and  philosophical  revision  of  known,  or  the  discovery  of  new,  curative  agents.  Ex- 
periment alone  can  decide  conclusively  on  the  mode  of  operation  of  various  agents 
on  the  human  body  and  on  animals.  These  experiments  are  always  difficult,  often 
costly.  The  Government,  as  I  said,  do  not  acknowledge  the  duty  of  providing  funds. 
Perhaps  the  medical  council  might.  It  is  indeed  charged  with  the  administration  of 
the  only  public  funds  that  are  applicable  to  keeping,  on  a  level  with  modem  science, 
the  national  catalogue  of  remedial  agents  and  the  mode  of  preparing  them.  If 
it  could  be  induced  to  expend  £1000  a-year,  as  under  proper  management  it  easily 
might,  in  experiments  and  reports  bearing  on  the  physiological  action  of  preventive 
or  remedial  agents,  sometimes  perhaps  suggested  and  aided  by  the  Britiedi  Associa- 
tion, what  might  not  be  the  fruit  to  science  and  to  the  public  and  private  health  ? 

I  have  been  assuming,  what  no  one  here  will  question,  that  the  basis  of  medicine 
is  knowledge  of  biological  laws.  It  is  so,  but  only  in  the  wide  sense  assigned  at  the 
outset  to  biological  pursuits  ;  viz.,  the  study  of  the  laws  of  decay  as  well  as  of  growth 
— growth  and  decay  of  species  as  well  as  of  individuals.  But  I  must  guard  myself 
by  saying  that  this  does  not  include  the  whole  basis  of  medicine.  Physiological 
experiment  is  necessary  to  obtain  the  laws  of  action  on  healthy  bodies,  but  alone  it 
docs  not  explain  the  laws  of  action  on  perverted  organic  structures  or  functions,  as 
is  seen  in  the  common  instance  of  the  different  effect  of  opium  on  a  man  in  health 
and  on  a  man  in  disease.  Clinical  observation  is  of  course  beyond  physiological 
research,  and  must,  from  its  far  more  limited  field,  follow  rather  than  precede.  It 
aims  at  applying,  in  due  course,  all  safe  and  established  results  of  previous  physio- 
logical inquiry ;  and  adds  the  deductions  from  investigations  exclusively  its  own. 

Much  remains  to  be  done  in  comparing  the  effects  of  agents,  and  the  causes  of 
those  effects  on  man  and  on  the  inferior  animals  respectively.  The  knowledge  which 
exists  on  these  subjects  has  become,  I  need  not  say,  both  extensive  and  precise.  Bat 
new  problems  are  constantly  arising  from  the  discovery  of  new  toxic  agents.  Even 
new  diseases  occur,  as  is  well  instanced  by  cholera,  implying  either  new  conditions 
of  circumstances  external  to  man,  or  new  combinations  of  the  internal  conditions  of 
man. 

Accordingly  fresh  experiments  are  perpetually  required  to  meet  the  new  problems; 
and  it  has  become  the  interest  and  almost  the  duty  of  States  to  specially  train  and  to 
countenance  skilled  experts  familiar  with  the  most  recent  methods  and  researches  in 
these  directions,  with  a  view  not  only  to  fresh  scientific  knowledge,  but  to  the  great 
practical  results  that  may  be  obtained.  It  is  sufficient  to  refer  as  illustrations  to 
Bernard's  experiments,  such  as  those  on  the  Woorara— to  the  question  of  physio- 
logical antidotes— and  to  the  more  precise  notions  of  the  physiological  causation  and 
mode  of  action  of  fever  poison. 

These,  you  will  observe,  thowgh.  apparently  what  are  called  medical  questions,  we 
not  less  physiological  queaUowa  pxop^x,  qI  n^x  vBi^x\axiRa  iA  mankind. 


ALLEGED  DEGENERACY  OP  VACCINE  LYMPH.  537 

A  few  more  words  in  another  aspect,  and  I  will  not  venture  further  to  trouble  the 
Section,  or  delay  our  detailed  work,  which  is  ample  enough.  I  have  implied,  what  is 
sufficiently  obvious,  that  physiology  proper  (I  exclude  such  questions  as  the  evolution 
hypothesis,  which  cannot  be  proved  in  this  way),  has  become  uncompromisingly 
precise,  and  that  nothing  will  stand  which  does  not  bear  the  crucial  tests  of  observa- 
tion and,  where  possible,  of  experiment.  But  the  experiments  cannot  in  the  present 
advanced  state  of  physics  and  of  chemistry  be  devised  by  ordinary  men,  nor  even 
executed  by  them.  Consequently  every  year  old  statements  concerning  the  effects 
of  agents  so  called  physiological  and  therapeutical,  are  becoming  of  less  value,  and 
new  ones  of  more.  Most  of  us,  who  have  passed  the  prime  of  life,  must  be  content 
to  learn  from  the  more  favoured  in  years.  They  who  are  young  must  be  willing  to 
be  patient  and  laborious,  if  they  would  add  anything  of  permanent  value  to  physio- 
logical knowledge.  The  day  in  which  hundreds  of  organic  compounds  are  syntheti- 
cally produced,  and  the  microscope  offers  for  mechanical  analysis  a  clearly  defining 
magnifying  power  of  5000  linear,  is  not  one  when  rough  work  of  hand,  or  conjecture 
unsupported  by  proof  as  to  the  chemical  changes  which  go  on  within  organic  struc- 
tures, will  stand.  What  life  is  will  long,  perhaps  always,  evade  our  human  ken ; 
what  is  done  during  life,  what  can  be  done  consistently  with  life,  and  what  produces 
death  among  living  things,  every  year  makes  more  sure  and  more  plain ;  every  year 
makes  the  search  more  exciting,  the  reward  more  great,  the  reasons  for  admiration  of 
the  order  of  things  on  the  whole  more  conclusive,  and  the  admiration  and  awe  more 
profound. 

At  the  outset  it  was  said  that  only  very  qualified  assent  could  be  given  to  the 
remark  of  a  philosophical  writer,  that  it  is  a  prime  necessity  for  biology  that  it  should 
be  separated  from  medicine.  It  has  been  my  endeavour  to  show  the  amount  of  truth 
which  belongs  respectively  to  the  remark  and  to  the  dissent. 

Physiology,  to  sum  up,  is  become  a  science,  precise,  of  enormous  extent,  bringing 
to  its  support  mathematics,  advanced  physics,  difficult  chemistry,  accurate  and  com- 
prehensive anatomy.  Part  of  the  basis  of  the  science  or  art  which  averts  or  lessens 
suffering  and  disease,  and  postpones  or  makes  easy  death,  depends  in  great  measure 
upon  its  progress.  But  the  applied  and  observational  part  can  only  be  learned  by 
the  bed-side  of  the  sick.  Therefore  pure  biological  science  and  pure  clinical  art  must 
each  have  their  votaries,  but  it  must  be  the  aim  of  each  to  learn  from  the  other  what 
is  necessary  for  himself.  May  the  State  be  wise  enough  (and  it  is  becoming  so  in 
every  civilised  country)  to  appreciate  these  principles  and  their  application.  There 
never  was  an  age — it  is  not  ungrateful  to  the  giants  of  old  to  say  this — there  never 
was  an  age  when  there  were  so  many  students,  in  the  best  sense,  of  biology  and  of 
medicine,  actuated  by  a  simple  love  of  truth,  and  never  a  time  when,  as  a  class,  they 
were  so  free  from  prejudice,  so  candid,  and  so  patient. 

The  address  of  Dr  Acland  was  received  most  warmly.  At  its  close  the  work  of  the 
Section  commenced  in  earnest.    The  members  met  five  times. 


ON  THE  ALLEGED  DEGENERACY  OF  VACCINE  LYMPH. 
By  Thomas  Masset  Harding,  M.R.C.S. 

On  this  subject  every  shade  and  variety  of  opinion  has  been  expressed  by  persons 
whose  opinions  ought  to  carry  great  weight,  and  I  think  it  would  be  impossible  to 
determine  the  question  on  either  side  by  the  array  of  authority.  It  is  well  known 
that  the  report  of  the  National  Vaccine  Board  (1854)  contains  a  decided  expression 
of  opinion  that  "  vaccine  lymph  does  not  lose  any  of  its  prophylactic  power  by  a  con- 
tinued transit  through  successive  subjects.**  It  is  always  interesting  to  inquire  into 
the  opinion  of  Dr  Jenner  himself,  and  we  find  him  decidedly  of  opinion  that  the 
vaccine  virus  suffered  no  deterioration  by  repeated  transmission.  Dr  Waterhouse, 
Professor  of  Physic,  University  of  Cambridge,  America,  having  practised  vaccination 
for  some  time,  became  apprehensive  that  the  matter  had  degenerated,  and  sent  to  Dr 
Jenner  for  matter  as  fresh  from  the  cow  as  possible.  Of  this  application  the  follow- 
ing remark  is  made,  "  This  was  not  practicable  or  necessary,  since  it  is  well  known 
to  Dr  Jenner,  and  to  all  other  principal  inoculators  in  England,  that  the  matter 
suffers  no  degeneracy  by  repeated  transmissions." 

King,  Mfriting  in  1801,  says :  "A  considerable  part  of  the  matt<it  \ia^  VcvNWfcV*^ 


538  ALLEGED  DEGENERACY  OF  VACCINE  LTMPH. 

been  prcflervcd,  by  repeated  inoculations,  in  the  human  body  ever  since  the  spring 
of  the  year  17U9,  yet,  notwitliRtunding  it  has  undergone  so  many  successiYe  trials,  its 
purity  has  suflered  no  alloy  and  its  efficacy  no  diminution."  Ring  has  also  the  fol- 
lowing : — ''  It  in  proved  in  a  Mitinfactor}'  manner  by  the  experiences  of  Dr  Colon,  of 
Taris,  and  all  the  other  practitioners  in  France,  that  the  yaccine  yirus  does  not 
degenerate  by  repeated  trauHmitiHionB  in  the  human  subject"  It  may  be  supposed 
that  Mr  Cccley  of  Aylesbury  whoiic  opinion  on  all  questions  connected  with  vacci- 
nation dcHiTves  greater  weight  than  that  of  any  living  writer  on  the  subject — was 
impressed  with  the  conviction  of  the  deterioration  of  vaccine  lymph ;  but  such  is  not 
the  case.  In  a  letter  which  he  was  kind  enough  to  write  to  me,  dated  January  30, 
1865,  he  says :  "  My  own  experiments  were  performed  with  a  view  to  determine  a 
pathoIo;:ieal  fact,  not  to  procure  a  new  lymph;"  and  in  another  part  of  the  same 
letter,  "  I  cannot  say  I  am  satisfied  of  the  deterioration  of  the  current  lymph." 

A  great  number  of  authorities  may  be  cited  who  hold  the  opinion  that  vaccine 
yirus  has  l>ccome  deteriorated.  They  are  all  mentioned  in  the  order  of  time  in  Mr 
Simon's  report,  and  I  will  therefore  quote  briefly  from  Mr  Simoni  including  also  his 
own  conclusions  from  the  evidcm-e  which  he  has  examined. 

1818.— Mr  Hrisset,  in  "Mem.  de  la  Societie  de  la  Faculty  ^de  M^^ne  de  Paris, 
1818,"  and  "  Reflexions  sur  la  Vaccine  et  la  Variole,"  says:—"  The  phenomena,  and 
especially  the  cessation,  of  the  fsymptoms  of  the  cow-pox  seem  to  be  notably  abridged; 
the  courae  of  the  disease  is  more  rapid.  The  tumefaction  incidental  to  vaccination 
(the  development  of  which  is  so  essential  to  constitute  the  activity  of  the  virus  and 
its  protective  efficacy)  is  infinitely  less  marked,  if  it  can  be  said  to  exist" 

1824.— Dr  Meyer,  of  Kreutzburg,  examining,  in  1824-25,  4000  persons  of  all  ages, 
found  the  older  sears  of  vaccination  more  marked  than  the  present  one ;  and  having 
obtained  a  supply  of  lymph  of  more  recent  date,  he  found  it  act  with  more  power, 
and  the  resulting  ecars  were  of  the  old  type. 

1836. — M.  Bousquet,  "  Sur  le  Cow-pox  decovert  k  Passy,  1836,'*  contrasts  the  action 
of  the  new  lymph  with  the  old,  and  says : — "  We  see  that  the  new  lymph  is  at  once 
more  quick  and  more  slow  in  its  course :  more  quick,  because  it  takes  effect  more 
rapidly ;  more  slow,  because  its  effiict  lasts  longer.' 

1837. — Dr  Gregory  became  convinced  that  the  vaccine  lymph  in  nse  at  the  Small- 
pox Hospital  had  lost  some  of  its  efficacy.  He  employed  some  lymph  whidi  was 
taken  by  Mr  Marson,  resident  surgeon,  from  the  arm  of  a  woman  who  had  contracted 
the  casual  cow-pox.  Dr  Gregory  found  the  new  lymph  more  active  than  the  old, 
and  therefore  continued  to  use  it  to  the  complete  exclusion  of  the  old  stock. 

1838.— Mr  Estlin  {Medical  GazettCy  xxii,  p.  997)  says:— "The  alterations  in  the 
vaccine  infection  which  have  appeared  to  me  most  marked  are — the  smallnees  of  the 
vesicle  and  its  attendant  areola,  its  rapid  course,  the  absence  of  constitutional  dia* 
turbance,  the  small  quantity  of  lymph  yielded  by  the  vesicle,  and  especially  the 
diminished  activity  of  its  infecting  power." 

Similar  tcHtimony  has  been  given  by  Professor  Hering,  of  Stuttgart,  M.  Fiard  in  a 
communication  to  the  Academic  des  Sciences  in  1844,  and  Dr  Steinbrennei,  Traite 
de  la  Vaccine,  Paris,  1846,  says :— "  We  may  almost  say  that  the  pustules  produced 
by  the  old  lymph  are  to  the  pustules  produced  by  lymph  recently  obtained  from  the 
cow  as  the  pustules  of  the  varioloid  disease  are  to  \hose  of  true  variola.  In  fact,  as 
in  the  varioloid  disease  the  pustules  produced  by  lymph  of  ancient  date  (that  is,  long 
in  use)  arc  less  developed,  desiccate  more  quickly,  the  constitutional  affection  which 
accompanies  them  is  more  transient,  and  they  leave  slighter  cicatrices."  So  much 
for  authority  on  this  subject  Something  may  be  learned  by  a  careful  examination 
of  the  phenomena  of  the  vaccine  disease  as  described  by  Dr  Jenner  and  ahso  by  Mr 
Ceeley,  and  thopc  ordinarily  observed  by  vaccinators  who  employ  the  current  lymph 
of  the  National  Vaccine  Institution. 

There  are  two  questions  to  be  borne  in  mind, — 1st,  Are  the  phenomena  of  the 
vaccine  disease  diflbrcnt  in  the  present  from  those  observed  by  Dr  Jenner?  and, 
2d,  Is  the  protective  efficacy  of  vaccination  diminished  ?  Let  us  take  first  one  of  Dr 
Jenner's  experiments  related  in  his  own  words : — 

Case  17.—**  I  selected  a  healthy  boy,  about  eight  years  old,  for  the  purposes  of  ino- 
culation for  the  cowpox ;  the  matter  was  taken  from  a  sore  on  the  hand  of  the  dairy- 
maid who  was  infected  by  her  master's  cows,  and  it  was  inserted,  on  the  14th  May 
1 796,  into  the  arm  of  the  boy  by  means  of  two  superficial  incisions  barely  penetrating 
the  curtifl,  each  about  half  an  inch  long.  On  the  seventh  day  he  complained  of  «»- 
fdginefis  in  the  axilla,  and  ou  IUq  ninth  he  l>ecame  a  litiU  chilly,  lost  his  appetite, and 
Lad  a  slight  headuchc,"  &c. 


ALLEGED  DEGENERACY  OF  VACCINE  LYMPH.  539 

Not  to  multiply  extracts  of  cases,  I  will  simply  add  that  in  all  Dr  Jenner's  accounts 
of  vaccination  he  speaks  of  pain  and  uneasiness  in  the  axilla^  loss  of  appetite,  and 
other  feverish  symptoms. 

We  will  now  refer  to  the  experiments  of  Mr  Ceeley. 

Mr  Ceeley  having  succeeding  in  producing  in  the  cow  the  genuine  cow-pox  by  ino- 
culating with  variolous  matter,  took  matter  from  the  vesicles  then  produced,  and  vacci- 
nated several  children.  In  all  these,  says  Mr  Ceeley,  the  primary  constitutional 
symptoms  were  very  slight,  the  secondary  proportioned  to  the  extent  and  character 
of  the  areola;  hence  J.  W.  suflfered  severely,  had  vomiting  and  delirium. 

In  Mr  Ceele/s  next  cases,  he  vaccinated  two  persons  with  matter  taken  from  the 
variolated  sturk.  A  sturk,  1  may  say,  is  a  young  female  animal  about  twelve  months 
old.  ^*  The  symptoms  (he  says)  in  both  subjects  appeared  on  the  approach  of  the  are- 
ola, and  were  rather  severe  during  its  activity." 

Mr  Ceeley,  in  conclusion,  says : — "  The  constitutional  symptoms,  though  mild, 
were  commonly  well  marked.  In  infants  restlessness,  fretf ulness,  and  inappetency ; 
about  the  fifth  or  sixth  day  they  were  very  common  ;  very  few  escaped  feverish  symp- 
toms on  the  ninth  and  tenth  days ;  many  had  vomiting  and  diarrhoea.  In  adults,  of 
course,  more  complaint  was  made— headache,  chilliness,  anorexia,  and  sometimes 
thirst  on  the  fifth  or  sixth  day,  increased  on  the  seventh  day,  with  auxiliary  tender- 
ness, but  on  the  ninth  and  tenth  days  much  general  febrile  complaint,  disinclination 
and  even  inability  to  leave  the  bed. 

I  have  quoted  these  words  at  length,  as  they  contain  the  best  account  of  the  mani^ 
festations  produced  by  inoculation,  either  direct  from  the  cow  or  after  very  few  trans- 
missions. Will  any  unprejudiced  observer  of  the  effect  of  the  lymph  at  present  in  ' 
use  affirm  that  vaccination  as  now  practised  produces  constitutional  symptoms  of 
equal  severity  to  those  above  described  ?  I  have  been  a  public  vaccinator  for  ten 
years,  and  have  vaccinated  400  or  500  every  year.  I  know  nothing  of  such  symp- 
toms. True,  I  have  seen  such  effects,  but  so  rarely  that  I  cannot  call  to  mind  half  a- 
dozen  instances.  The  ordinary  rule  is,  that  vaccinated  persons,  whether  children  or 
adults,  present  no  affection  of  the  axillary  glands — a  condition  noticed  by  Dr  Jenner 
and  Mr  Ceeley  in  every  instance;  there  is  no  feverishness ;  and  as  to  inability  to 
leave  the  bed,  it  does  not  occur  once  in  five  hundred  times.  I  think  it,  therefore,  a 
fair  conclusion  that  the  constitutional  symptoms  produced  by  inoculation  with  mat- 
ter derived  directly  from  the  cow  or  from  persons  who  have  "themselves  casually  de- 
rived the  disease  from  the  cow  are  much  severer  than  those  produced  by  the  current 
lymph  of  the  present  day. 

The  second  and  more  important  question  remains  to  be  discussed,  viz..  Is  the  pro- 
tective efficacy  of  vaccination  diminished  ? 

When  Jenner  announced  his  discovery  it  was  the  prevailing  custom  to  inoculate 
with  variolous  matter,  and  in  order  to  demonstrate,  beyond  the  possibility  of  a  doubt, 
the  protective  efficacy  of  the  new  operation,  the  vaccinated  were  exposed  in  every  con- 
ceivable manner  to  the  small-pox — put  to  sleep  with  patients  suffering  from  the  dis- 
ease, and  also  inoculated  with  variolous  matter.  Nevertheless,  it  was  found  im- 
possible to  communicate  the  disease.  The  enemies  were  many  and  loud ;  they  sought 
diligently,  but  in  vain,  for  cases  to  bring  discredit  upon  the  operation  and  its  founder. 
Uate  and  self-interest  are  sharp  spurs,  and  we  may  be  quite  certain  that  no  pains 
were  spared  to  find  cases  of  small-pox  after  successful  vaccination.  If  it  had  been 
possible  in  the  first  few  years  after  1798  to  find  one  fatal  case  of  small-pox  after  vac- 
cination, would  the  operation  ever  have  made  way  with  the  public  ?  Yet  now  it  would 
be  easy  to  find,  not  one,  or  ten,  or  a  hundred,  but  thousands  of  deaths  after  vaccina- 
tion. What  explanation  more  rational  or  more  probable  can  be  offered,  than  that 
the  vaccine  virus  has  undergone  some  change  during  its  repeated  transmissions  that 
has  in  some  way  diminished  its  power,  especially  when  we  consider  that  the  local 
manifestations  and  constitutional  symptoms  are  also  modified,  and,  in  fact,  dimin- 
ished ?  There  is  another  reason  why  we  should  have  expected  A  priori  that  this  would 
occur.  Inoculation  of  small-pox  itself  is  known  to  be  followed  by  a  gradual  diminu- 
tion of  intensity,  so  that  in  time  the  matter  is  no  longer  capable  of  producing  the  dis- 
ease. Why,  then,  should  not  this  change  occur  in  the  matter  of  cow-pox,  which  has 
been  proved  to  have  been  identical  in  its  origin,  but  diminished  in  its  power  by  the 
constitution  of  the  cow  ? 

If  it  be  true  that  vaccine  lymph  is  capable  of  deterioration  through  long  transmis- 
sion, then  it  is  obvious  that  a  very  large  proportion  of  the  population  are  insecure, 
for  the  National  Vaccine  Institution  continues  to  supply  the  medical  ^rot<c»^&v^w^S^^ 
lymph  that  has  not  been  renewed,  in  accordance  Yrilh\<Vi^\x  o^\\:a<^xi,\^VQit%  \s\.^\)^^^'^^ 


640  THE  TOOT  PLANT  OP  NEW  ZEALAND. 

that  the  prophylactic  properties  arc  neither  lost  nor  diminished.  I  certainly  think 
the  weight  of  evidence  is  in  favour  of  the  opinion  of  the  deterioration  of  the  lymph, 
and  should  wish  to  see  a  general  renewal  of  lymph  throughout  the  empire*  by  means 
of  a  series  of  careful  and  well-conducted  experiments  in  imitation  oi  those  of  Mr 
Ceeley  and  Mr  Badcock.  This  cannot  be  done  by  public  yaodnatons  at  their  expense 
—it  requires  a  great  deal  of  time,  patience,  and  perseverance,  and  is  accompanied 
with  considerable  expense.  I  have  myself  attempted  the  experiment,  being  ably 
asidsted  by  Dr  Blakeway,  veterinary  surgeon  of  this  town,  but  hitherto  without  suc- 
cess; and  to  convince  my  medical  brethren  that  it  is  no  easy  matter  to  obtain  a  fresh 
supply  of  lymph  by  these  means,  I  will  quote  a  few  words  horn  a  letter  of  Mr  Ceeley 
to  me,  January  30, 1865.  He  says,  *'  The  variolation  of  the  cow  is  attended  with  much 
trouble  and  great  uncertainty  as  to  success.  One  person  may  succeed  in  a  few  trials, 
while  another  may  operate  on  nearly  one  hundred  liefore  he  succeeds.  It  does  not 
appear  that  every  animal  of  the  species  is  equally  susceptible  The  most  snccessful 
operator  1  know,  Mr  J.  Badcock,  late  of  Brighton,  chemist,  now  of  Camberwell,  Lon- 
don, told  me  that  he  had  succeeded  about  thirty  times  after  operating  on  800  cows 
in  the  course  of  a  few  years." 

It  is  quite  obvious  from  this  a  complete  renewal  of  the  current  lymph  cannot  be 
effected  by  the  unaided  efforts  of  the  public  vaccinators ;  it  should  be  done  at  the 
expense  of  Oovemment,  and  the  lymph  thus  obtained  should  be  employed  at  the 
National  Vaccine  Institution,  and  after  a  few  transmissions  sent  out  to  the  medical  pro- 
fession upon  application.  1  do  not  recommend  the  general  and  indiscriminate  employ- 
ment of  primary  lymph  ;  its  effects  upon  some  constitutions  are  too  violent,  it  requires 
to  l>e  passed  through  some  constitutions  properly  selected  bv  competent  judges  b«fore 
it  acquires  sufficient  mildness  to  be  appropriated  for  general  use.  I  think  U&at  many 
repeated  renewals  of  lymph  could  be  effected  in  this  way,  so  as  in  a  short  time  to  com- 
pletely supersede  the  lymph  now  employed,  and  such  a  recourse  to  the  parent  stock 
for  renewal  of  lymph  may  be  had  periodically,  so  as  to  maintain  the  )u;tion  of  the 
lymph  to  the  standard  of  Dr  Jenner.  Such  a  course  would  materially  improve  the 
condition  of  the  people  of  this  kingdom,  so  far  as  their  immunity  from  small-pox  is 
concerned ;  but,  after  all  the  care,  cases  of  post-vaccinal  small-pox  will  occur.  Let  it 
be  remembered,  then,  that  vaccination  does  not  confer  an  absolute,  but  a  relative, 
immunity  from  smallpox,  and  the  more  complete  the  vaccination — that  is,  as  regards 
the  purity  and  strength  of  the  virus  and  the  number  of  punctures — the  more  com- 
plete the  immunity. — Medical  Times  ami  Gazette,  Sept.  23. 


OX  TUE  TOOT  PLANT  AND  POISON  OF  NEW  ZEALAND. 

(Concluded  from  p.  502.) 

In  the  North  Island  the  Wanganui  settlers  use  "drench,"  a  mixture  of  gin  and 
turpentine ;  or  they  bleed ;  while  they  sometimes  also  pierce  the  side  of  the  animals 
to  evacuate  flatus — real  or  supposed.  The  Raglan  settlers,  again,  bleed  promptly  from 
the  tail  or  ear,  resembling  in  this  respect  the  generality  of  the  Otago  colonists. 

B.  In  Man. — In  the  human  subject  the  nature  of  the  remedy  is  still  more  varied, 
though  bleeding,  emetics,  and  stimulants  seem  the  most  rational  of  those  usually  had 
recourse  to. 

Mr  Manning  says : — "  The  only  native  remedy  I  have  ever  heard  of  for  the  fit,  or 
epileptic  attack,  occasioned  by  eating  the  berries,  is  a  very  barbarous  one,  and  simply 
consists  in  nearly  drowning  the  patient  by  ducking  or  holding  him  under  water  till 
he  is  all  but  smothered,  and,  when  showing  signs  of  life  again,  repeating  the  opera- 
tion. I  do  not  know  whether  this  is  of  any  use,  but  I  think  the  patient  would  re- 
cover or  die  just  as  well  without  the  remedy  I  I  must  also  say,  however,  that  I  never 
heard  of  an  instance  of  a  native  dying  from  the  effects  of  the  Tutu  poison.  This,  per- 
haps, is  because  they  know  its  effects,  and,  even  when  using  it  improperly,  do  so 
sparingly." 

§  8.  Properties  op  other  Species  op  Coriaria. 

From  the  foregoing  remarks  it  must,  inter  alia,  appear  that,  while  we  know  little, 
if  anything,  in  this  country,  or  generally  in  Europe,  of  the  Toot  plant  or  its  poisonous 
action,  at  least  one  other  apccka  ol  CoT\twrv&— ^  YAsx^^^n  one — eiyoys  an  unenviable 
notoriety  as  a  poisonouB  agcnl  *.  tYifi  ^.  \a^t\;\lc^:^ab,^\lQ«fc\».^«i^\«&^^    a  common 


THE  TOOT  PLANT  OP  NEW  ZEALAND.  541 

adulteration  of  senna.  To  the  French  this  plant  is  well  known  as  "  Redout/'  or 
*'  Roudout"  It  is  a  common  plant  in  Provence  and  Langnedoc.  Its  leaves  are  poi« 
sonous,  and  are  probably  largely  chargeable  with  some  at  least  of  the  noxious  efiecta 
generally  attributed  to  senna.  Guibourt  asserts  that  its  fruit  causes  convulsions,  de- 
lirium, and  death  in  man  and  the  lower  animals ;  and  De  OandoUe  says  that  these 
effects  were  produced  by  its  seeds  on  the  French  army  in  Catalonia. 

Professor  Christison  and  others  of  our  most  eminent  tozicologists  give,  in  their 
works,  numerous  instances  of  the  poisonous  action  of  this,  the  only  European  species 
of  the  genus ;  some  of  which  instances  it  is  desirable,  by  way  of  comparison,  to  cite 
here,  inasmuch  as  the  effects  both  on  men  and  animals  closely  resemble  those  pro- 
duced under  similar  circumstances  by  the  New  Zealand  species.  There  are  various 
cases  on  record  of  death  from  eating  its  berries ;  but  it  is  perhaps  more  usually  de- 
leterious or  fatal  when  an  infusion  has  been  swallowed,  as  that  of  senna,  of  which  it 
is  too  commonly  an  adulterant  Professor  Christison  mentions  two  fatal  cases  in 
children  from  eating  the  berries — one  within  a  day,  the  symptoms  resembling  epileptic 
convulsions ;  in  the  other,  a  child  of  three  and  a  half  years  of  age,  who  had  eaten  about 
80  to  100  berries,  the  symptoms  were  heat  and  pricking  of  tongue,  sparkling  and  roll- 
ing of  eyes,  loss  of  voice,  tetanus,  and  convulsions  recurring  in  fits  of  eight  or  ten 
minutes'  duration;  death  taking  place  within  sixteen  hours  and  a  half.  In  another 
case,  ten  soldiers  were  simultaneously  seized  after  eating  berries,  and  two  died.  In 
the  case  of  a  male  adult,  death  occurred  within  four  hours  after  swallowing  as  medi- 
cine an  infusion  of  senna,  which  had  been  adulterated  with  Coriaria  leaves,  the  symp- 
toms being  violent  convulsions,  tetanus,  and  colic.  The  latter  afiection  is  so  very 
rare  as  a  result  of  Coriaria  poisoning,  that  it  is  questionable  whether  it  is  not  really 
rcferrible  to  the  senna.  In  a  third  adult,  who  had  eaten  only  fifteen  berries,  convul- 
sions, coma,  and  lividity  of  face  were  followed  by  death  the  same  evening,  though  the 
greater  part  of  the  berries  had  been  ejected  by  emetics. 

More  than  twenty  years  ago  its  poisonous  action  on  the  lower  animals  was  experi- 
mentally investigated  by  Professor  Mayer,  of  Bonn,  who  found  the  prominent  symp- 
toms (in  cats  and  kittens  chiefly)  were  violent  fits  of  tetanus,  followed  by  apoplectic 
coma.  3j-  of  extract  of  the  juice  killed  a  cat  in  two  hours  when  swallowed ;  Sss.,  ap- 
plied to  a  wound,  killed  a  second  in  85  minutes ;  six  grains  in  the  same  way  destroyed 
a  kitten  in  three  and  a  half  hours.  Ten  grains  of  the  extract  of  the  infusion,  applied 
to  a  wound,  killed  a  kitten  in  six  hours.  Rabbits  were  found  to  be  scarcely  affected, 
whether  the  poison  were  administered  internally  or  applied  to  a  wound;*  but  one 
grain  injected  into  the  jugular  vein  caused,  in  about  five  hours,  a  single  fatal  con- 
vulsive paroxysm. 

Notwithstanding  cases  so  numerous  and  of  so  striking  a  character,  doubts  have  been, 
and  are  still  being,  expressed  by  writers,  as  in  the  parallel  case  of  **  Toot,"  whether  C. 
myrtifolia  is  poisonous  at  all ! 

I  would  venture  to  express  here  my  suspicion  that  the  whole  genus  Coriaria  is 
poisonous ;  and,  as  such,  my  conviction  that  it  forms  a  worthy  subject  for  scientific 
investigation.  An  examination  of  the  Toot  poison  will  be  incomplete  without  a  re- 
view of  the  action  on  the  animal  system  of  the  poisonous  principles  of  the  other 
species  of  Coriaria — all  of  which  may  prove  to  possess  the  same,  or  allied,  poisonous  . 
principles,  characterised  by  a  Neurotic  action. 

§  9.  Appendix  :  Other  Poisonous  Plants  of  New  Zealand. 
I  may  add,  by  way  of  appendix,  that  several  other  New  Zealand  plants  arc  asserted 

*  This  is  only  corroborative  of  what  the  experimental  physiologist  constantly  finds :  that 
vtu-ioua  of  the  lower  animals  are  susceptible  in  very  ditferent  degrees  of  the  action  of  the  same 
l)oison,  which  in  some,  indeed,  may  be  quite  innocuous.  This  occurred  to  myself  in  1853,  in  the 
case  of  dogs,  while  engaged  in  a  series  of  experiments  instituted  for  the  purpose  of  discovering  the 
antidotes  to  certain  common  p^dsons,  (Opium,  Strychnia,  &o.)  Vide  i)aper  •*0n  the  yon-suscepti- 
bility of  the  Dog  to  the  Action  of  certain  Poisons,"  Association  Medical  Journal^  June  9, 1854.  Sir 
J.  Kmorson  Tennent,  in  his  Natural  History  of  Ceylon,  cites  the  following  instances  of  deadly 
poisons,  wliich  are  innocuous  to  certain  animals.  Speaking  of  the  Mongous  not  being  effected  by 
poisonous  serpents,  he  remarks,  **  Such  exceptional  provisions  are  not  without  precedent  in  the 
animal  economy.  The  hombill  feeds  with  impunity  on  the  deadly  fruit  of  the  Strychnos ; "  and 
in  regard  to  the  same  bird  he  elsewhere  in  the  same  work  explains  further :  *'  The  hornbill  abounds 
in  Cuttack,  and  bears  there  the  name  of '  kuchila-kai,'  or  kuchila-eater,  from  its  partiality  for  the 
fruit  of  the  strj'chnos  nux-voniica.  The  natives  regard  its  flesh  as  a  sovereign  specific  for  rheu- 
matic affections The  milky  juice  of  some  species  of  Euphorbia,  which  is  harmless  to 

oxen,  is  invariably  fatal  to  the  zebra;  and  the  tsetse  fiy,  the  post  of  Southern  Africa,  whose  bite 
is  mortal  to  the  ox,  the  dog,  and  the  horse,  is  harmless  to  man  and  the  uivta^vsv^'^vst^^ioax^^^V'CcA 
forest.'* 


612  THE  TOOT  PLANT  OF  NEW  ZEALAND. 

or  supposed  to  possess  poisonous  properties :  which  plants  and  properties  should  be 
made  forthwith  the  subject  of  proper  investigation  by  local  botanists,  chemists,  and 
physiologists.  I  recommend  the  subject  to  the  attention  of  local  scientific  authorities 
for  this  reason.,  that  I  found  the  large  quantities  of  Toot  I  had  collected  in  difierent 
stages  of  its  growth  while  in  Otago,  on  arrival  at  home,  in  a  state  unfit  for  examina- 
tion.* Professor  Thomson  found  it  impossible  to  obtain  any  satisfactory  results  from 
the  specimens  I  brought  home  specially  for  chemical  analysis.  Such  an  examination, 
I  believe,  with  the  necessary  relative  physiological  experiments,  can  be  properly 
carried  out  only  on  the  native  soil  of  the  plant,  whose  properties  beoome  the  subject 
of  examination. 

It  would  be  improper  here  to  enumerate  all  the  indigenous  plants  possessing  poison- 
ous properties,  real  or  supposed  ;  but,  as  a  hint  or  indication  to  the  local  experimen- 
talist, the  following  will  probably  suffice  as  illustrations : — 

1 .  Phormium  tenax,  Forst.  "  (N.  O.  Liliacese,)  the  common  "  New  Zealand  flax.**— 
Captain  Blewitt,  of  Wanganui,  informed  me  that  the  red  gumf  at  the  base  of  its 
leaves  is  frequently  poisonous  in  the  North  Island  to  starved  bullocks  and  sheep  put 
into  a  paddock  to  tread  down  and  destroy  the  flax.  The  symptoms  are  simply  gradually 
increasing  emaciation^  followed  by  death.  Post-mortem  examination  reveals  no  visceral 
hyperscmia,  or  other  indications  of  irritant  action.  Only  undigested  flax  fibre  is  found 
in  the  intestines  :  which  fibre  and  its  indigestibility  are  supposed  to  have  as  much  to 
do  with  the  fatal  result  as  the  gum.    Its  root^  however,  is  said  to  be  purgative. 

2.  Sophora  tctraptera,  Alton  (Edwardsia  grandiflora,  Fl.  N.  Z.,)  (N.  O.  Leguminosse,) 
the  "Goal"  or  "Kowhai"  tree:  the  equivalent  in  Otago  of  our  Laburnum. — Dr 
Hulme,  the  Provincial  Surgeon  of  Otago,  tells  me  he  suspects  its  wood  and  seeds  of 
poisonous  properties. 

3.  Coprosma  linariifolia,  Hook.  fil.  (N.  0.  RubiacesB,)  the  "  Mikimik"  of  Otago.— 
Its  berries  and  the  smoke  of  its  wood  are  said  to  be  poisonous.  The  berries  of  other 
two  species,  0.  acerosa,  A.  Cunn.  and  C.  lacida,  Forst,  are  eaten  by  the  natives. 

4.  Nesodaphne  Tarairi,  Hook,  fil.  (N.  0.  LaurinesB,)  the  *'  Taraire  **  of  the  North 
Island. — The  kernel,  or  embr}'o,  is  said  to  be  poisonous,  when  raw ;  but  its  berry  is 
greatly  eaten  by  birds,  and,  when  boiled,  by  man.  The  berries  of  the  only  other  New 
Zealand  species,  N.  Tawa,  H.  f.,  are  eaten  without  qualification  or  reservation  by  the 
Maoris,  to  whom  the  ripe  berry  is  known  as  "  Pokerahu,**  and  its  pulpy  portion  as 
"  Pokere.'* 

5.  Leptospermum  scoparium,  Forst.,  (N.  0.  Myrtacese,)  the  "  Manuka,**  or  '*  Tea- 
tree*'  of  the  Maori  and  settler.  In  Otago,  cattle  often  eat  a  little,  of  it,  and  appa- 
rently without  bad  effects ;  but  if  they  are  starved,  and  compelled  to  eat  it  in  larger 
quantities,  it  may  be  fatal,  or  very  deleterious.  The  Maoris  and  settlers  alike  use  a 
decoction  of  its  leaves  as  a  substitute  for  tea ;  hence  its  familiar  designation,  "  Tea- 
tree."  A  strong  infusion  of  the  leaves  is  sometimes  emetic,  like  green  tea,  says  the 
celebrated  navigator  Cook,  but  a  weaker  or  ordinary  infusion  is  largely  used  as  a 
substitute  for  tea  by  the  colonists  throughout  Australia  and  Tasmania,  as  well  as  New 
Zealand. 

6.  Corynocarpus  loBvigata,  Forst,  (N.  0.  Anacardiaceao.) — The  kernel  or  embryo  of 
the  berry,  (drupe,)  which  is  known  as.  the  "  Karaka"  berry  in  the  North  Island,  is 
considered  poisonous  i/ricooked,  or  till  steeped  in  salt  water;  but  the  pulp  of  the  fruit 
is  eaten  raw,  and  the  kernel  when  cooked. 

7.  Convolvulus  sepium,  Linn.,  (N.  0.  Convolvulacese.) — The  large  tuberous  rhizome 
is  said  to  be  eaten  by  the  natives ;  whereas  in  Europe  it  is  regarded  as  poisonous,  and 
yields  a  gum-resin,  resembling  scammony,  possessed  of  purgative  properties.    This, 

*  These  included  Toot  in  three  different  states  or  stages  of  growth,  all  from  the  neighbourhood 
of  Fairfield,  Saddlehill,  Otago  : 

(1.)  Young  succulent  shoots,  like  those  of  Asparagus;  collected  in  the  early  part  of  November 
1861. 

(2.)  More  mature  slioot5<,  expanding  into  leaf;  or  the  tops  of  the  young  branches  before  flower- 
ing ;  collected  in  December  18hl. 

(3.)  Banches  in  young  flower ;  collected  in  January  1862. 

All  these  suites  of  specimens  were  mouldy  when  unpacked  from  my  repositories :  but  I  had 
hoped  they  would  otherwise  have  been  of  service  in  a  chemical  examination  into  the  nature  of 
the  active  r>oisonous  principles  of  the  plant. 

Unfortunately  1  was  obliged,  to  leave  Otago  before  the  period  of  fruiting  of  the  Toot,  and  ao  had 
no  <)i)pf)rtunity  of  collecting  its  seed ;  and  the  promises  of  the  settlers  to  forward  a  sufEicient  sup- 
ply of  the  latter  for  experimental  purposes  have  not  been  fulfilled. 

f  In  Otago  I  found  this  gum,  which  resembles  gum-arabic,  used  as  such  by  the  settlers,  and  I 
iave  so  ua*n\  itmyself.  TheftoweTBB©cTe\««.K^eft\.^%.VftTs\\G\\eY>»favouritedainty  of  theaettlers, 
^and  of  which  1  have  often  partak.cn.   U  av?!)^^^  ^  ^  ^^^  'vtms«,\vsw». 


HYDEOPHOBIA.  543 

indeed,  is  the  general  characteristic  of  the  roots  of  the  species  of  the  genus  Convol- 
vulus, (though  there  are  marked  exceptions,  as  that  of  C.  batatas — the  sweet  potato, 
which  is  saccharine  and  amylaceous,  and  thereby  edible.)  Dr  Hooker  very  justly 
remarks : — **  The  properties  of  the  same  species  vary  eminently  in  various  localities* 
This  is  notoriously  the  case  with  many  medicinal  plants,  which  are  of  violent  action 
in  one  climate  and  innocuous  in  others/' 

8.  Solanum  aviculare,  Forst.,  (N.  0.  Solanaceae.) — The  "Poroporo,"  "Popero,"  or 
"  Kohoho "  of  the  Maoris.  Referring  to  its  berry,  which  he  says,  "  is  eaten  with 
avidity  by  birds  and  the  natives,"  Dr  Hooker  observes : — "  Cook's  sailors  ate  it  on 
the  faith  of  the  birds  not  being  poisoned — a  very  dangerous  experiment,  as  animals 
eat  many  fruits  and  leaves  that  are  poison  to  man." 

The  berries  of  S.  nigrum,  L.,  appear  also  to  be  eaten  by  the  Maoris — at  least  in  the 
North  Island ;  but  I  am,  with  Dr  Hooker,  disposed  to  regard  the  use  as  fbod  of  the 
berries  of  Solanum  as  a  "  dangerous  experiment."  The  berries  of  both  the  species 
mentioned  are,  however,  eaten  in  other  countries :  that  of  S.  aviculare  in  Australia 
under  the  name  of  "  Kangaroo  apple." 

S.  aviculare  is  also  mentioned  among  edible  plants  in  Forstcr's  "  Commentatio  de 
Plantis  Esculentis  Insularum  Oceani  Australis." 

9.  Cotula  (Myriogyne,  Fl.  N.  Z.)  minuta,  Forst.,  (N.  0.  Compositae,)  is,  under  certain 
circumstances,  possessed  of  pungent,  irritant,  or  sternutatory  properties,  causing 
sneezing  when  bruised  under  the  nose. 

10.  Sicyos  angulatus,  Linn.,  (N.  O.  Cucurbitaceae,)  is  probably  poisonous,  as  are  all 
plants  of  this  order  in  their  wild  state. 

It  is  satisfactory  to  be  able  to  conclude  my  remarks  by  the  statement  that  Toot  is 
not  now  so  dangerous,  Toot-poisoning  not  now  so  common,  as  it  once  was  in  New 
Zealand.  This  seems  to  arise  from  two  circumstances  principally — that  the  plant  is 
gradually  disappearing  from  the  soil  with  advancing  cultivation  and  civilization ; 
and  that,  its  poisonous  property  being  now  more  fully  recognised,  its  fruit  is  now 
more  generally  and  carefully  avoided  as  a  food  or  beverage  for  man,  and  its  shoots  as 
a  fodder  for  cattle. 


HYDROPHOBIA. 


At  the  Veterinary  Congress  recently  held  at  Vienna,  a  committee,  consisting  of 
Professors  Pillway,  (chairman,)  Jessau,  Fuchs,  Husson,  Forstenberg  (of  Edena,) 
Leisering  ^of  Dresden,)  Tscherning  (of  Copenhagen,)  and  M.  Sondermann,  drew  up  a 
series  of  suggestions  for  the  prevention  of  hydrophobia.  The  suggestions  were  as 
follow : — 

1.  A  register  of  dogs  to  be  kept,  in  order  that  their  number  and  the  names  of  their 
owners  may  be  known. 

2.  Each  dog  to  wear  a  collar  inscribed  with  the  name  of  the  owner,  or  otherwise 
marked,  so  that  it  can  be  distinguished. 

3.  The  number  of  dogs  to  be  kept  down,  by  all  possible  means,  and  the  committee 
consider  that  the  imposition  of  a  tax  is  the  surest  way  of  effecting  this  object.  (The 
committee  did  not  express  any  decided  opinion  as  to  the  expediency  of  exempting 
from  the  tax  some  animals  of  great  use  to  their  owners,  such  as  sheep-dogs.) 

4.  Dogs  not  to  be  allowed  to  roam  about  in  freedom  and  alone.    . 

5.  The  use  of  dog-muzzles  to  be  strictly  enforced  in  all  districts  where  canine  mad- 
ness makes  its  appearance. 

6.  In  countries  where  hydrophobia  exists,  all  dogs  that  have  been  bitten  should  be 
brought  under  the  notice  of  the  magistrates,  that  they  may  be  placed  under- competent 
observation. 

7.  Mad  dogs,  and  the  animals  of  their  own  species  which  they  have  bitten,  should 
be  immediately  destroyed.  A  dog  supposed  to  be  mad  should  be  kept  under  observa- 
tion until  symptoms  appear,  and  then  be  destroyed.  If  the  symptoms  after  a  time 
do  not  manifest  themselves,  the  owner  has  a  right  to  the  animal.  Wherever  mad 
dogs  have  been,  effectual  disinfectants  should  be  employed. 

8.  A  regular  supervision  of  the  dogs  of  any  district  should  be  kept  up,  so  as  to 
enforce  the  tax,  facilitate  veterinary  inspections  when  necessary,  and  supplj-  the 
owners  of  the  animals  with  rules  to  be  observed  on  the  ap]^eair&nfi^  q1  Vi^^\^>^^^a.. 


544  BEALE  ON  CONTAQION. 


BEALE  ON  CONTAGION. 


CoNTAQious  Diseases  in  Domestic  ANiMALs.~The  excellent  example  set  bj  Mr 
Cocley,  (of  Aylesbury,)  Dr  Badd,  (of  Clifton,)  and  others  ought  to  be  more  generally 
followed,  and  practitioners,  as  well  as  scientific  physiologists  and  veterinaiy  surgeons, 
should  carefully  study  the  difierent  classes  of  contagious  diseases  met  with  in  domestic 
animals,  and  enter  into  much  more  minute  detail  than  has  been  possible  hitherto. 
Many,  if  not  all,  of  these  diseases  are  evidently,  in  their  general  natore,  the  same  as 
those  from  which  we  sufier,  though  they  are  not  specifically  the  same  or  mutually 
convertible.  They  seem  to  obey  the  same  laws,  originate  under  very  similar  condi- 
tions, are  propagated  in  the  same  manner,  and  are  probably  to  be  prevented,  relieved, 
or  cured,  upon  the  same  principles.  It  seems  almost  certain  that  thorough  observation, 
carried  out  with  due  care,  would  reveal  to  us  the  precise  manner  in  which  the  mar- 
vellously minute  agents  already  described  produce  their  frightful  results,  and  that 
from  well  arranged  experiments  we  should  soon  learn  how  these  maladies  may  be 
successfully  treated. 

We  may,  I  think,  feel  quite  certain  that  the  thorough  knowledge  of  the  conditions 
favourable  or  unfavourable  to  the  local  origin  and  spread  of  contagious  diseases  in 
our  domestic  animals,  will  teach  us  very  much  concerning  the  same  class  of  diseases 
in  man.  The  contagious  cattle  disease  now  spreading,  originated  without  doubt  in 
cattle  themselves,  and  resulted  from  the  conditions  under  which  they  have  been  living 
for  some  time  previously.  As  is  the  case  with  diseases  of  the  same  class  in  man,  we 
find  that  although  the  exposure,  as  far  as  we  can  ascertain,  may  have  been  equal  in 
degree — to  some  the  disease  proves  fatal,  while  others  are  seriously  affected  by  it,  but 
recover ;  some,  again,  suffer  from  only  a  very  mild  attack,  and  a  few  perhaps  escape 
altogether.  Those  which  have  been  subjected  to  depressing  circumstances,  such  as 
bad  food,  or  an  insufficient  supply  of  food,  or  too  much  food,  which  is  at  least  as 
hurtful  as  too  little,  foul  air,  or  too  little  air,  or  bodily  fatigue,  are  almost  certain  to 
be  victims ;  while  of  the  vigorous  and  well  kept,  many  may  escape. 

Moreover,  it  is  probable  that  by  carrying  out  careful  experiments  upon  those  conta- 
gious diseases  which  affect  the  lower  animals,  important  facts  would  be  discovered 
which  would  add  to  our  existing  knowledge  of  the  whole  subject  of  contagion.  In  the 
lower  animals  most  important  experiments  might  be  made  with  reference  to  the 
effects  of  inoculating  different  poisons.  Who  knows  but  that,  by  inoculating  cattle 
with  some  fever  poison  of  man,  a  mild  disease  might  be  produced  which  would  render 
the  animal  no  longer  susceptible  to  its  own  special  and  much  more  virulent  fever 
poison  ?  It  appears  to  me  that  active  work  in  this  direction  must  be  productive  of 
most  important  practical  results,  not  only  as  regards  animals,  but  to  man  himselt  1 
am,  however,  well  aware  that  these  views,  although  based  upon  facts  arrived  at  from 
careful  and  somewhat  widely-extended  observation,  will  appear  to  one  considering 
them  for  the  first  time  so  speculative,  that  I  cannot  hope  they  will  attract  much  notice 
from  practical  men,  and  I  fear  that  amid  the  necessary  detail  their  general  bearing 
will  almost  be  missed. 

I  will  now  try  to  sum  up,  in  as  few  words  as  possible,  the  most  important  of  the 
conclusions  at  which  I  have  arrived  with  reference  to  contagious  diseases. 

The  materie.8  rhorhi  of  contagious  diseases  does  not  consist  of  lifeless  organic  or 
inorganic  matter,  nor  of  any  form  of  gas  or  vapour  generated  in  the  decomposition 
of  animal  or  vegetable  substances,  nor  of  any  matter  set  free  during  the  decomposi- 
tion of  faBcal  or  other  excrementitious  matter  of  animal  origin ;  nor  is  it  any  species 
of  animal  or  vegetable  organism  or  parasite ;  but  the  active  contagious  material  con- 
sists of  exceedingly  minute  particles  of  living  germinal  matter,  which  may  be  regarded 
as  the  direct  descendants  of  the  germinal  or  living  matter  of  an  organism  which  has 
been  for  some  time  living  under  unusual  conditions.  Contagious  poisons  affecting 
men  and  animals  have  originated  in  their  organisms.  The  living  or  germinal  matter 
of  some  contagious  diseases  originating  in  the  bodies  of  animals  may  grow  and  mul- 
tiply in  man,  and  vice  versa.  These  particles  of  living  germinal  matter  may  retiin 
their  vitality  for  some  time  after  they  have  escaped  from  the  seat  of  their  formation. 
They  may  pass  through  tWe  air  or  be  preserved  in  clothes,  or  various  fluids,  or  moist 
solids.  The  smallest  particle  (less  than  the  TmrVij?^^  o^  ^^  li^ch  in  diameter)  being 
introduced  into  the  body  already  in  a  fit  state  for  its  nutrition,  may  grow  and  mul- 
tiply, giving  rise,  in  due  time,  to  the  symptoms  characteristic  of  the  particular  disease, 
and  producing  myriads  of  pavUdcaYiLiLft  \\adi.  But  it  is  probable  that  such  particles, 
being  introduced  into  a  ^liocU^  aovxu^  ox^wiA&mSsv  ^-^Xaiwi  qI  Y^le.et  health,  would 


THE  SANATOEIUM  QUESTION  AND  THE  OAriLE  PLAGUE.        545 

not  grow  and  multiply,  but  would  die ;  or,  in  other  words,  sucli  an  organism  would 
resist  the  influence  of  the  contagious  matter.  Some  of  the  germinal  matter  forming 
the  materies  morbi  of  certain  contagious  diseases  may  retain  its  vitality  for  a  con- 
siderable period  of  time  in  a  comparatively  dry  state,  like  vaccine  lymph.  Knowing 
what  we  do  of  the  protecting  influence  exerted  by  vaccination,  it  seems  probable  that 
the  ravages  of  many  other  contagious  diseases  besides  small-pox  may  be  mitigated  or 
prevented  by  the  inoculation  of  certain  forms  of  contagious  matter,  which  would 
produce  allied  but  much  less  severe  forms  of  disease.  It  seems  desirable  that  nume- 
rous experiments  should  be  instituted  on  cattle,  with  the  object  of  ascertaining  if  any 
such  protective  influence  would  be  really  exerted. — Medical  Times  and  Oazette, 


THE  SANATORIUM  QUESTION  AND  THE  CATTLE  PLAGUE. 

Thb  Metropolitan  Cattle  Plague  Committee  are  at  issue  with  the  Government  oiy 
the  best  means  to  oppose  the  spread  of  the  epizootic  which  threatens  us  with  a  deartS^ 
of  beef  and  milk.  The  City  Committee  denounce  the  ^'indiscriminate  slaughter"  of 
infected  beasts,  which  the  Government  have  advised,  and  propose  the  erection  of 
three  great  hospitals  in  the  north-eastern,  north-western,  and  southern  suburbs  of 
London,  for  the  reception  and  treatment  of  bovine  patients  smitten  with  the  dis- 
temper. They  are,  of  course,  opposed  by  the  arguments  that  such  sanatoria  would 
furnish  fresh  and  eflective  means  of  spreading  the  disease ;  that  each  hospital  would 
be  a  focus  where  the  poison  by  which  the  plague  reproduces  itself  would  be  constantly 
concentrated,  and  whence  it  would  be  constantly  disseminated ;  that  the  disease  in 
itself  is  incurable ;  and  that  the  amount  of  .salvage  in  the  shape  of  cattle  that  live 
through  its  cycle  would  be  insignificant  when  compared  with  the  amount  of  loss  from 
the  indefinite  multiplication  and  re-enforcement  of  the  contagious  principle.  The 
great  argument  on  the  other  side,  urged  by  Dr  Letheby  in  the  recent  interview  be- 
tween a  deputation  from  the  City  Committee  and  the  Lords  of  Her  Majesty's  Council, 
was  derived  from  the  efiects  of  the  treatment  of  typhus  and  typhoid  fever  in  the 
human  subject.  Dr  Letheby  said — "  What  would  have  been  the  result  if,  in  cases  of 
typhus  or  typhoid  fever  in  the  human  subject,  the  practice  had  been  adopted  of  not 
treating  it  at  all  ?  Treating  that  disease  in  hospitals,  there  was  now  only  one  death 
in  ten ;  and  applying  that  reasoning  to  this  particular  case,  he  came  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  it  was  a  barbarous,  unscientific,  and  cruel  thing  to  send  the  infected  ani- 
mals to  be  slaughtered  without  an  attempt  to  cure  them.'*  Now,  it  may  fairly  be 
objected  to  this  mode  of  reasoning  that  there  is  really  no  analogy  between  the  two 
cases — that  of  a  man  stricken  with  typhus,  and  that  of  a  plague-smitten  ox.  The  life 
of  a  man — at  least  in  this  country — cannot  be  appraised  in  pounds,  shillings,  and 
pence ;  the  life  of  the  ox  is  worth  just  what  the  animal  will  fetch  at  the  market 
price.  The  life  of  man  is  so  immeasurably  valuable  a  thing,  that  it  is  difficult  to  say 
what  risk  should  not  be  run  to  save  it ;  the  value  of  the  life  of  an  ox  is  so  exactly 
known,  that  it  is  not  at  all  difticult  to  say  what  risk  should  not  be  run  to  preserve  it. 
If  by  allowing  one  ox  to  live  there  is  a  reasonable  probability  that  two  others  will 
die,  it  is  clear  that  it  would  be  folly  to  prolong  the  existence  of  the  first  for  an  hour. 
In  the  next  place,  there  seems  good  reason  to  believe  that  this  cattle  pest  is  far  more 
contagious  than  either  human  typhus  or  typhoid.  It  is  certainly  not  identical  with 
either.  It  at  least  differs  as  much  from  these  fevers  as  does  ovine  variola  from  cow- 
pox  or  the  small-pox  of  man.  We  are  so  entirely  ignorant  of  what  contagion  is,  how 
it  is  carried,  and  in  what  excretion  or  secretion  of  the  body  it  is  localised,  that  it 
would  be  out  of  place  to  dogmatise  on  the  matter ;  but  there  is  no  absurdity  in  the 
belief  that,  as  the  extent  of  the  respiratory  and  cutaneous  surfaces  in  the  ox  is  so 
much  greater  than  in  man,  and  the  quantity  of  the  alvine  and  other  excretions  in 
the  former  so  greatly  exceeds  those  of  the  latter,  the  bovine  animal  must  bo  a  much 
more  formidable  engine  than  the  human  for  the  spread  of  a  contagious  disease. 
Again,  disinfection  can  be  practised  in  the  case  of  an  animal  who  is  clothed  and 
bedded  as  man  is,  with  far  greater  certainty  than  in  the  best-arranged  cowhouse  or 
cattle  sanatorium.  But,  even  admitting  there  is  an  analogy  in  the  case,  we  assert 
that  the  experience  of  fever  hospitals  docs  not  afford  much  argument  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  cattle  sanatoria.  In  the  first  place,  typhus  and  typhoid  fever  are  neither 
of  them  curable  diseases  in  the  strict  sense  of  the  tei:ui.    V(Vi'5i\!LQ^\^vCT«55^\s!k.^ssjl^^>»% 


54C       THE  SAKATOBIUM  QUESTION  AND  THE  CATTLE  PLAGUE. 

ghort  a  fever?  The  medical  profession,  by  abandoning  the  violent  remedies  for- 
merly in  vogue,  because  the  truth  we  are  insisting  on  was  not  admitted,  and  by 
carefully  watching  and  seconding  the  efforts  of  Nature  in  the  means  she  adopts  for 
eliminating  the  morbid  poison,  have  reduced  the  mortality  from  these  diseases  con- 
siderably, although  we  think  not  quite  to  so  low  a  standard  as  that  at  which  Dr 
Letheby  places  it  If  we  remember  rightly,  the  deaths  from  typhus  fever  are  nearer 
one  in  five  than  one  in  ten.  But  all  that  medicine  can  do  is  to  give  the  human  patient 
the  best  chance  of  living  through  the  disease.  To  argue,  therefore,  from  **  the  cura- 
bility" of  these  fevers,  as  has  been  done  by  many  of  the  writers  in  the  public  prints, 
is  to  argue  on  an  entirely  mistaken  and  imaginary  basis.  A  case  of  cattle  plague  is 
no  more  likely  to  be  "  cured"  than  typhus  fever  is  to  be  cut  short.  After  consider- 
able and  dearly-earned  experience,  the  veterinary  surgeon  may  hit  on  the  best 
method  of  conducting  his  patient  through  the  disease ;  but  how  long  will  it  be  before 
that  experience  is  gained  ?  and  what  a  hecatomb  of  victims  of  contagion  and  treat- 
ment will  be  first  sacrificed.  Every  day  that  a  diseased  animal  lives,  there  is  the 
certainty  of  its  giving  off  particles  of  pus,  or  of  germinal  matter,  or  of  miasm,  or 
vegetable  spores,  or  animal  ova,  which  may  infect  fifty  others ;  and,  in  our  ignorance 
of  what  contagion  is,  and  in  our  knowledge  of  the  Innate  carelessness  of  the  unedu- 
cated classes,  we  would  not  even  trust  the  adoption  in  every  cow  hospital  of  Dr 
Thudichum's  elaborate  code  for  disinfection  to  avert  the  evlL  Then,  again,  what  is 
the  fact  with  regard  to  fever  hospitals  as  centres  of  infection  ?  Is  it  not  well  known 
that  typhus  may  and  has  been  carried  in  numerous  instances  by  convalescents  from 
the  London  Fever  Hospital  ?  Do  not  all  the  nurses  and  doctors  become  victims  in 
turn  to  the  contagion  ?  and  this,  be  it  remembered,  is  the  case  where  every  precaution 
is  taken  to  prevent  the  spread  of  the  disease  hyfomUes — a  mode  of  dispersion  which 
it  will  be  next  to  impossible  entirely  to  control  in  the  case  of  bullocks. 

We  hope  we  have  said  enough  to  prove  that  no  true  analogy  exists  between  the 
case  of  the  treatment  of  the  continued  fevers  in  man  and  the  management  of  the 
bovine  plague ;  and  that  were  an  analogy  to  be  proved,  the  medical  experience  on  the 
subject  of  the  cure  of  fevers  and  fever  hospitals  does  not  furnish  so  conclusive  an 
argument  in  favour  of  the  proposed  sanatoria  as  the  partisans  of  the  scheme  would 
wish. 

At  this  somewhat  late  period  of  the  epizootic,  the  Qovemment  have  announced 
that  a  commission  is  being  organised  to  inquire  into  the  orgin,  causes,  and  mode  of 
spread  of  the  disease.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  is  a  step  in  the  right  direc- 
tion, although  it  would  have  been  better  had  it  been  taken  earlier.  We  luive  little 
hope,  however,  that  the  labours  of  the  commission  will  throw  fresh  light  upon  the 
facts  of  the  Introduction  of  the  disease  into  this  country.  The  Privy  Council  have 
accorded  to  the  city  authorities  permission  to  erect  one  sanatorium  for  diseased  stock. 
We  would  recommend  that  this  should  be  at  least  some  miles  from  the  Cattle  Mar- 
ket and  the  London  cowsheds,  and  that  a  strict  cordon  should  be  maintained. 

Since  our  last  article  on  this  cattle  plague,  several  State  papers  of  importance  in 
reference  to  it  have  been  published.  One  Is  the  Keport  of  the  French  Minister  of 
Agriculture,  founded  on  the  information  collected  by  the  Alfort  professors,  MM. 
Bouley  and  Raynal,  during  their  visit  of  inspection  to  England  and  Germany.  The 
French  minister  insists  on  the  contagious  character  of  the  pest,  on  the  facts  that  it 
is  endemic  on  the  steppes  of  Hungary  and  Russia,  that  it  never  develops  itself  spon- 
taneously elsewhere,  and  that  for  the  last  fifty  years  it  has  been  confined  to  its  natu- 
ral home  by  the  vigorous  quarantine  measures  instituted  by  the  Governments  of  Aus- 
tria and  Prussia  on  the  land  routes.  The  present  facilities  and  new  modes  of  com- 
munication, however,  are  said  to  have  increased  considerably  the  chances  of  the  dis- 
ease overleaping  or  evading  the  barriers  which  Germany  has  hitherto  raised  against 
it.  Thus,  the  English  outbreak  is  traced  to  Russian  stock  sent  direct  by  steamboat 
to  the  English  market.  The  result  of  this  report  has  been  a  decree  of  the  Emperor 
forbidding  the  Importation  of  cattle,  raw  hides,  &c.,from  England  and  Holland.  Dr 
Thudichum's  memorandum  on  the  best  methods  of  disinfecting,  published  by  the 
Privy  Council,  is  a  good  example  of  how  much  talent  and  sagacity  may  be  well  ex- 
pended in  giving  directions  on  a  very  commonplace  and  simple  matter.  Dr  Thudi- 
chum,  in  recommending  chloride  of  lime  as  the  best  and  most  reliable  'chemical 
agent  for  disinfection,  gives  an  opinion  which  we  are  glad  to  have  from  so  good  a 
chemist.  Amongst  the  innumerable  letters  on  the  subject  which  have  appeared  in 
the  public  prints,  perhaps  two  of  the  most  valuable  are  Messrs  Saxton's  and  Payne's 
account  oi  the  outbreak  at  ^Vra  "S&moi*%  iwm,  w^^.  Dr  Aldis's  history  of  the  disease  at 
ElihsLm,  wMcb  appeared  lu  the  Titaes  oi  ^^^Vfetc^i^x  \\,  "^V^  ^>SSsix«aRa  in  the  post- 


THE  EDINBURGH  REPORT  ON  THE  RINDERPEST.        547 

mortem  appearances  in  the  two  outbreaks  is  worth  noticing.  In  a  case  examined  by 
Dr  Aldis  there  were  neither  prominent  nor  diseased  glands,  nor  ulcerations  in  any 
part  of  the  intestines;  whilst. in  one  of  the  cases  examined  by  Mr  Payne  the  lining 
membrane  of  the  stomach  and  small  intestines  was  studded  with  a  small  yascular 
eruption  similar  to  the  pustules  produced  on  the  human  skin  by  croton  oil.  Nei- 
ther of  these  accounts,  it  will  be  seen,  resembles  that  of  the  characteristic  intestinal 
affections  of  human  typhoid ;  neither  is  the  resemblance  confirmed  by  Dr  Smart's 
elaborate  report  on  the  pathological  appearances  of  the  disease.  He  expressly  states 
there  is  no  ulceration  of  the  intestinal  glands,  and  that  in  this  respect  the  condition 
of  the  intestine  differs  from  that  in  ulcerative  typhoid.  The  disease,  howerer,  what- 
ever be  its  affinities,  seems  to  be  spreading,  in  spite  of  all  that  has  been  done  to  arrest 
it.  This  cannot  be  wondered  at  when  we  recollect  that  a  commerce  in  manure  and 
animal  refuse  is  constantly  going  on,  which  it  is  next  to  impossible  to  supervise  by 
any  means  at  the  disposal  of  the  Government.  It  is  some  satisfaction,  however,  to 
learn  that  Ireland  is  as  yet  untainted.  The  distemper  which  was  reported  from  Done- 
gal turns  out  to  have  been  the  foot-and-mouth  disease^  and  not  the  dreaded  rinder^ 
pest. — Medical  Times  and  Gazette. 


THE  EDINBURGH  REPORT  ON  THE  RINDERPEST. 

By  Dr  Smart. 

In  compliance  with  the  request  of  the  Magistrates  of  Edinburgh,  Dr  Smart  has  in- 
vestigated the  pathological  appearance  and  conditions  of  the  cattle  affected  with 
rinderpest,  and  other  forms  of  epizootic  diseases  at  present  prevailing  among 
cows  in  the  city,  with  a  view  to  ascertaining  the  real  nature  of  the  disease  or 
diseases,  and  the  proper  treatment  thereof,  and  has  made  the  following  interim 
report : — 
Interim  Report  to  the  Lord  Provost  and  Magistrates  of  Edinburgh,  on  the  pathologi- 
cal appearances  of  the  cattle  plague  and  other  epizootic  diseases  at  present  pre- 
vailing among  the  cows  in  Edinburgh. 
This  interim  report  is  restricted  to  a  description  of  the  pathological  condition  of 
the  animals  inspected.    The  dissections  were  made,  with  the  assistance  of  Professor 
Strangeways,  at  the  Edinburgh  Sanatorium  and  at  Tyne  Castle,  and  the  appearances 
noted  were  seen  by  many  persons  who  were  present  on  these  occasions.     The  parts 
described  and  illustrated  by  drawings  and  preparations  were  selected  only  from  ex- 
amples of  the  pure  and  uncomplicated  form  of  the  disease.  . 

DESCRIPTION  OP  PARTS. 

I.  Windpipe  and  Lungs. — The  entire  mucous  membrane  lining  the  respiratory 
passages  is  reddened  and  highly  vascular,  presenting  the  appearance  seen  in  the  early 
stage  of  acute  bronchial  catarrh.  It  is  sometimes  nearly  dry,  but  more  frequently, 
especially  in  the  smaller  tubes,  there  is  an  abundance  of  frothy  mucus,  often  of  a 
slightly  red  or  sanguineous  tinge.  The  membrane  is  entirely  free  of  the  aphthous 
eruption  which  appears  in  the  mouth  ;  and  very  rarely  are  there  any  indications  of  an 
effusive  or  depositive  inflammatory  condition.  The  air  cells  of  the  lung,  in  uncom- 
plicated cases,  are  healthy ;  and  when  an  emphysematous  condition  of  the  organ 
exists  it  is  evidently  chronic,  and  not,  as  represented,  one  of  the  morbid  states  super- 
induced by  the  disease. 

II.  The  Mouth,  Pharynx,  and  Gullet. — The  appearance  presented  by  the  mouth  is 
eharacteristic.  The  gums,  lips,  hard  and  soft  palates,  under-surface  and  root  of  upper- 
surface  of  the  tongue,  the  superior  surface  of  the  epiglotis  and  epiglotic  folds  of  mem- 
brane, and  the  pharynx,  are  marked  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  by  an  aphthous  eruption. 
This  condition  has  been  termed  "  ulcerous,"  but  we  have  repeatedly  shown  that  the 
subjacent  membrane  is  entire.  The  roughened  and  granular  aspect  presented  to  the 
eye  readily  scrapes  off,  and  consists  of  accumulated  epithelium.  It  collects  on  the 
surface  of  the  membrane  around  the  orifices  of  the  follicles.  This  gives  it  a  punctu- 
ated or  honeycomb  appearance,  resembling  minute  ulcers.  It  enters  the  pharynx, 
but  is  not  at  all  found  on  the  gullet  or  air  passages.  It  occurs  in  only  one  other 
situation — namely,  on  the  vulva  at  the  junction  of  the  mucous  membrane  with  the 
integument.    The  gullet  itself  exhibits  no  trace  of  disease. 

III.  The  Stomadis. — The  first  and  second  stomachs  are  ^^tiKt^'^  Xo^'sti^  "Wi.^  5&6r 


543  THE  KDINBITBGH  REPORT  ON  THE  RINDERPEST. 

tended  with  nndigestod  food,  which  indicates  their  suspended  function.  No  observ- 
able change  of  stmctnre  is  apparent  in  either  organ,  and  their  lining  membranes,  as 
in  other  portions  of  the  alimentary  tract,  are  not  reddened  and  congested.  It  is  in 
the  third  stomach  or  omasom  that  the  first  marked  changes  of  structure  occur.  These 
consist  of  irregular  circular  patches  varying  from  the  size  of  a  pin-head  to  a  cro¥m 
piece.  They  are  characterised  by  bright  red  or  scarlet  margins,  which  in  the  larger 
patches  enclose  a  central  portion  of  the  dirty  yellow  and  somewhat  gangrenous  col- 
our. These  very  remarkable  appearances  are  not  invariably  present,  and  have  been 
met  with  in  only  one  half  of  the  animals  dissected.  They  are  found  on  the  gastric 
folds  or  manyplies,  and  occur  at  varying  intervals.  The  central  portion  of  the  patch 
is  slightly  depressed,  friable,  quite  bloodless,  and  the  papillsa  on  its  surface  shrunken, 
especially  towards  the  middle ;  but  there  is  not  any  breach  of  substance.  The  spots 
are  found  in  every  stage  of  advancement,  and  pass  through  the  following  changes : — 
A  single  papilla  is  first  attacked,  and  its  vessels  become  extremely  congested.  The 
congestion  quickly  extends  to  the  neighbouring  papillae,  and  as  the  circle  widens 
those  first  afiected  entirely  lose  their  vascularity ;  hence  their  vitality  is  destroyed, 
and  death  proceeds  from  the  centre  towards  the  circumference.  The  bright  colonr 
of  the  outer  ring,  as  determined  by  the  microscope,  is  due,  not  to  ecchymosis,  but  to 
the  confluence  of  the  congested  papillary  vessels.  The  knowledge  of  this  fact  ex- 
plains at  once  the  sharply  defined  marginate  character  of  the  patches,  and  their  mode 
of  extension. 

I  would  here  beg  leave  to  point  out  a  double  error  into  which  many  observers  have 
fallen.  The  superficial  membrane  of  this  stomach  which  so  readily  peels  off  in  sheets, 
and  is  found  adhering  to  the  plastic  surface  of  the  food  with  which  the  stomach  is 
usually  found  distended,  is  not,  as  often  represented,  a  diagnostic  mark  of  the  disease. 
Neither  is  it  the  mucous  membrane,  as  supposed,  that  shows  so  much  facility  of  being 
removed.  It  is  the  epithelial  layer  which  is  cast,  and  the  subjacent  mucous  mem- 
brane is  left  perfectly  intact.  This  change  is  constantly  going  on  in  health,  and  the 
membrane  can  be  removed  (as  I  have  often  done)  with  light  facility  from  the  folds  of 
the  third  stomach  of  a  freshly-slaughtered,  perfectly  healthy  animal. 

It  is  in  a  very  special  manner  the  mucous  lining  of  the  fourth  stomach,  or  aboma- 
som,  that  suffers  from  the  inflammatory  change,  if  such  a  term  can  be  applied  where 
there  are  no  inflammatory  products.  The  morbid  condition  appears  earlier  in  some 
portions  of  the  membrane,  but  eventually  every  part  is  involved  in  the  destructive 
process.  In  the  earlier  stage  of  the  disease,  the  membrane  is  reddened  only  a  little 
deeper  than  in  health,  but  deepens  as  it  advances,  and  towards  the  termination  is 
dusky  red  with  interspersed  claret-coloured  patches.  The  latter  condition  indicates 
a  more,  perhaps  the  most,  advanced  stage  of  morbid  degeneration  of  mncous  tissue. 

The  membrane,  on  more  careful  inspection,  presents  the  following  deviations  from 
health.  Firstly,  its  vital  attachment  to  the  muscular  coat  is  generally  loosened,  and 
at  many  parts  destroyed.  Secondly,  it  is  soft  and  friable,  easily  breaks  down  under 
any  pressure,  and,  where  the  change  is  farthest  advanced,  peels  off  as  if  cohering 
mechanically  to  its  sub-mucous  connexions.  Cracks  and  abrasions  are  thus  readily 
formed,  which  have  been  mistaken  for  ulcers.  Thirdly,  the  epithelium  of  the  entire 
membrane  is  deficient  and  imperfect,  and  at  many  parts  quite  absent.  Fourthly,  the 
high  colour  of  the  tissue,  as  microscopically  determined,  is  due,  not,  as  has  been 
stated,  to  sub-mucous  or  intramucous  extravasation,  but  to  vascular  congestion  in  its 
most  extreme  form.  The  vessels  being  distended  to  their  limits  are  greatly  enlarged,  but 
without  rupture  or  dispersion  of  their  contents  unless  artificially  produced.  Fifthly, 
in  some  instances,  generally  in  stomachs  of  animals  examined  a  few  hours  after 
death,  some  small  ulcer-like  depressed  abrasions  have  been  found.  These  are  not 
true  ulcers,  and  do  not  penetrate  beyond  the  epithelium.  In  other  instances,  black 
spots,  without  breach  of  surface,  and  evidently  due  to  pigmentation,  were  met  with. 

IV.  The  Intestines, — Passing  from  the  abomasom  to  the  lower  bowel,  the  latter  is 
seen  to  participate  in  the  changes  already  described,  although  not  to  the  same  extent 
The  lining  membrane  of  the  whole  of  the  intestine  is  in  a  state  of  nearly  uniform 
congestive  vascularity,  resembling  the  condition  existing  in  the  muco-enteritis  of 
cattle.  It  is  the  minuter  vessels  in  the  smaller  intestine  that  are  mostly  injected. 
These  are  well  seen  by  the  naked  eye  in  the  various  aborescent  forms  of  their  numer- 
ous and  intricate  reticulations.  In  the  large  intestine,  on  the  contrary,  it  is  the  con- 
siderable  vessels  that  are  mainly  and  in  a  higher  degree  affected.  This  imparts  to 
the  gut  a  peculiarly  striped  aspect.  This  vascular  engorgement  increases  towards  the 
terminal  portion  of  the  canal,  and  the  mucous  folds  of  the  rectum  exhibit  the  tumid 
and  deeply  purple  appearance  of  internal  haemorrhoids.    The  whole  mucous  lining  of 


THE  EDINBURGH  REPORT  ON  THE  RINDERPEST.       649 

the  bowels  is  unduly  soft,  and  its  epithelinm  imperfect.  There  are  no  true  ulcerations, 
and  in  this  respect  its  condition  differs  broadly  from  the  ulcerative  typhoid  of  man. 
Not  unfrequently  a  viscid  fetid  mucous  covers  the  membranous  surface.  The  bowel 
is  usually  empty,  or  its  contents  are  iluid  and  slimy,  but  not  sanguineous ;  sometimes 
there  is  (as  first  pointed  out  by  Mr  Scott)  a  discharge  resembling  the  "  rice  water  " 
stools  of  cholera.  The  ileo-caocal  valve  is,  as  regards  function,  healthy,  but  its  lining 
membrane,  as  also  that  of  the  csecal  appendage.  Is  involved  in  the  general  hyper- vas- 
cularity. There  is  no  sloughing  or  invagination  of  the  bowel,  nor  any  desquamation 
of  its  mucous  surface  in  the  form  of  casts. 

V.  Olands.— There  has  been  much  discussion  as  to  the  condition  of  the  intestinal 
glands.  1  have  repeatedly  had  occasion  during  the  dissections  to  show  that  they  did 
not  share  to  any  marked  extent  in  the  altered  condition  of  the  membrane  with  which 
they  are  so  intimately  connected.  They  are  less  prominent,  and  their  outline  is 
obscured  by  the  discoloration  of  the  superjacent  membrane.  They  are  never  ulcer- 
ated, but  a  chronic  tuberculous  condition  of  the  solitary  glands  is  of  frequent  occur- 
rence. This  is  commonly  met  with  in  healthy  animals,  and  is  not  significant  of  any 
particular  form  of  disease.  The  mesenteric  glands  show  no  lesion  of  structure.  They 
are  bloodless  and  shrunken,  and  their  lacteal  vessels  are  generally  empty. 

VI.  Kidneys f  Bladder,  Uterus,  etc. — The  pyramids  of  the  kidneys  are  usually  the 
congested  portions,  while  the  cortex  is  pale,  but  the  structure  is  entire. 

The  condition  of  the  lining  membrane  of  the  bladder  and  urethra  are  variable,  but 
in  no  instance  seriously  involved.  The  uterus  exhibits  no  peculiar  feature,  but  the 
state  of  the  vagina  is  characteristic.  The  vulva  is  swollen,  its  membrane  tense,  and 
has  a  very  red  and  irritable  aspect.  An  aphthous  eruption  appears  where  the  mucous 
surface  joins  the  integument.  A  glairy  ropy  mucous  flows  from  the  orifice,  and  hangs 
in  strings  from  the  vulva. 

VII.  Heart,  Liver,  Spleen,  Blood,  etc. — The  muscular  substance  of  the  heart,  like 
the  muscular  system  generally,  is  flabby  and  pale.  Its  condition  is  not  peculiar,  but 
such  as  is  ordinarily  induced  by  many  exhausting  diseases.  There  is  no  valvular 
lesion  or  structural  change.  The  large  vessels  and  their  lining  membranes  are 
healthy. 

The  liver  is  of  natural  size,  pale  in  colour,  but  sound  in  structure.  The  gall-bladder 
is  usually  filled  with  bile,  which  is  thin  and  of  a  light  green  colour. 

The  spleen  is  too  pulpy,  and  breaks  down  under  slight  pressure.  The  pulp  is  com- 
posed of  broken-down  tissue  and  blood  cells  of  very  dark  colour.  It  is  the  splenic 
condition  of  exhausting  fever. 

The  blood,  when  retained  in  the  vessels  of  a  dead  animal,  remains  fluid  for  a  con- 
siderable period  after  death,  (Professor  Lister.)  Forgetful  of  this  fact,  it  has  been 
assumed  that  the  blood  in  this  disease  is  **  watery  and  deficient  in  fibrine."  In  the 
single  instance  in  which  I  have  been  able  to  examine  the  blood,  excess  of  the  fibrin- 
ous element  was  found.  Should  our  further  researches  confirm  this  observation, 
additional  light  will  thus  be  thrown  on  the  pathology  of  the  disease. 

The  blood  is  unusually  dark  in  colour,  and  coagulates  quickly  and  firmly  out  of  the 
body. 

The  serous  membranes,  when  the  disease  is  uncomplicated,  are  healthy,  and  with- 
out effusion  into  their  sacs. 

The  cellular  connective  tissue  of  the  loins  in  some  animals  is  in  a  perfectly  emphy- 
semateos  condition.  It  is  quite  blown  up  and  distended  with  air,  and  the  appearance 
presented  is  unusual  and  remarkable,  but  not  singular. 

The  parts  not  yet  examined  are  the  brain,  spinal  cord,  and  udder. 


The  number  of  cases  examined  and  reported  upon  are  insufiicient  as  a  basis  of 
general  inference,  and  the  following  conclusions  are  not  intended  to  go  beyond  our 
present  information :  — 

1.  It  is  the  mucous  membranes  that  manifest  the  diseased  condition  principally. 

2.  They  do  not  all  exhibit  precisely  similar  morbid  states,  nor  suffer  to  the  same 
extent. 

3.  In  some  of  the  membranes  the  pathological  condition  is  constant  and  character- 
istic ;  in  others  it  is  variable. 

4.  Many  of  the  pathological  appearances  present  in  the  diseased  organs  are  not 
peculiar  to  this  malady,  and  are  not  distinctive.  Thus  (e.g.)  the  state  of  the  bowel 
in  the  muco  enteritis  of  cattle  closely  resembles  that  presented  ia  VX:c)&  ^£>aR»8j^« 


550  THE  CATTLE  PLAGUE. 

5.  The  condition  of  the  bladder  and  uteras  is  such  aa  occnrs  in  all  congested  states 
ai  these  organs. 

6.  The  heart,  liyer,  kidneys,  and  spleen  may  be  regarded  as  functionally  healthy. 
They  are  in  the  condition  which  results  from  exhausting  disease  of  any  kind,  while 
the  lining  membrane  of  the  air-passages  exhibits  the  morbid  change  wMch  occurs  in 
acute  bronchial  catarrh. 

7.  The  remarkable  rings  or  patches  found  on  the  folds  of  the  third  stomach  were 
found  present  in  only  a  proportion  of  all  the  cases  examined,  and  are  not  conse- 
quently distinctive. 

8.  The  condition  of  the  membrane  of  the  fourth  stomach  is  inyariable.  It  like- 
wise manifests  the  morbid  changes  in  their  most  advanced  and  destructive  form.  It 
is,  therefore,  the  most  characteristic  patholo^cal  lesion.  The  swollen,  congested,  and 
aphthous  vulva  and  aphthous  mouth  have  also  been  found  invariably  present.  When 
these  morbid  conditions  concur  with  that  of  the  bowel  in  the  same  animal,  ihe  group 
is  complete  and  decisive. 

9.  As  regards  negative  conditions,  there  is  no  ulceration,  and  very  rarely  any  trace 
of  inflammatory  products. 

10.  The  reddened  colour  of  the  membranes  is  due  to  congestion  in  its  extreme  form, 
and  not  to  ecchymosis  or  extravasation. 

11.  Emphysema  of  the  lung  is  not,  as  has  been  stated,  a  concomitant  of  the  disease. 

12.  Present  information  would  appear  to  indicate  that  the  blood,  instead  of  being 
"  watery  and  deficient,"  is  in  an  opposite  condition, — viz.,  that  the  water  is  deficient, 
and  the  fibrine  increased. 

13.  We  must  not  omit  to  mention  an  invariable  and  characteristic  feature  of  the 
disease, — namely,  the  smell  of  the  diseased  parts,  and  especially  of  the  abdominal 
viscera.  The  odour  once  experienced  can  never  afterwards  be  mistaken.  It  is  pe- 
culiar and  distinctive. 

14.  As  to  complication,  a  proportion  of  two-thirds  of  all  the  animals  examined 
were  affected  with  pleuro-pneumonia. 

Andbbw  Smabt,  M.D. 
Edinburgh,  September  12,  1865. 
— (The  Scotsman,  Wednesday,  September  13.) 


THE  CATTLE  PLAGUE. 
{From  the  Florentine  Medical  "  Imparziale") 

A  SERIOUS  evil  has  now  invaded  England. 

England  has  already  suffered  so  much  by  it  that  commissions  have  been  formed 
in  London  to  try  and  remedy  the  scourge  as  much  as  possible.  The  Government  and 
the  best  scientific  men  of  the  country,  among  whom  are  Gamgee,  Symonds,  Saunders, 
&c.,  have  seriously  studied  the  terrible  plague.  The  able  Professor  Gamgee,  almost 
the  only  believer  in  contagion  in  that  country,  had  predicted  the  evil,  but  his  words 
were  not,  unfortunately,  listened  to.  We  believe  it  to  be  the  duty  of  scientific  jour- 
nalism, and  even  more  that  of  the  political,  to  popularise  and  protect  those  ideas,  for 
when  public  health  is  concerned,  liberty  of  commerce  ia  next  to  nothing.  It  is  said 
that  as  no  remedy  is  useful  against  this  epizootic,  the  sick  cattle  are  to  be  killed, 
which  fact  already  costs  England  several  millions  of  francs;  indeed  it  appears  that 
to  make  up  a  little  to  the  losers,  more  than  two  hundred  thousand  pounds  sterling 
are  required.  All  Europe  has  been  put  in  commotion  by  this  plague,  against  which, 
at  least  as  a  preventative,  we  should  wish  alkaline  sulphites  to  be  administered. 

The  Minister  of  Agriculture  and  Commerce  of  France  has  sent  the  illustrious  Bou- 
ley  to  England,  and  the  celebrated  Reynal  into  Germany,  to  study  the  disease  on  the 
very  spot. 

Bouley  having  returned  to  France,  read  an  elaborate  rejwrt  to  the  Imperial 
Academy  of  Medicine  of  Paris.  He  describes  the  malady  with  that  extensive  know- 
ledge he  possesses^  observing  that  it  was  brought  from  Eussia.  He  says  the  epi- 
zootic is  extremely  contagious ;  and  affirms  that  it  burst  out  in  sheds,  and  among 
animals  which  were  in  the  best  hygienic  conditions.  He  adds,  that  it  has  even 
been  transmitted  by  the  meii'&  clothes,  and  that  the  principle  of  contagion  and  infec- 
tion is  transmitted  to  great  dV&Uiiceft,  ^ti^  \|tQ^^  Wiv^  m\>\aL  isAts.    He  forebodes  iU 


FRACTUEES  IN  THE  LIMB  OP  A  HORSE.  651 

for  England,  and  fears  that,  as  in  1713  and  1745,  it  may  spread  and  strengthen  for 
many  years  there.  Ireland  has  taken  strong  measures  for  isolation,  and  is  free  from 
the  malady.  The  French  Government,  after  the  report  of  Bouley,  by  which  it  was 
established,  in  the  most  positive  way,  that  the  cattle  plague  is  contagious,  has  agreed 
to  prevent  the  importation  into  France  of  horned  cattle.  Belgium  has  done  the  same, 
especially  since  Holland  begins  to  have  the  disease.  We  hope  that  Italy  will  also  take 
the  strongest  measures  to  prevent  this  scourge  following  on  the  heels  of  the  cholera. 
We  exhort  Government  to  take  due  information;  and  as  we  are  defended  on  the  side 
of  France  and  Belgium,  let  special  preventive  measures  be  taken  on  the  side  of  Swit- 
zerland, and  more  especially  of  Dalmatia  and  the  Rhine.  Let  them  question  their 
ministers  who  there  reside,  and  send  veterinarians  to  study,  and  this  promptly ;  for 
had  such  steps  been  taken  in  the  case  of  the  cholera,  who  knows  but  what  even  this 
terrible  catastrophe  which  is  still  tormenting  our  country  had  not  been  prevented  ? 
Therefore,  after  due  information,  one  must  act  with  most  decided  and  frank  rigour, 
if  one  wishes  to  prevent  the  calamity  now  threatening,  and  which,  but  two  years  ago, 
also  invaded,  in  a  most  fearful  manner,  some  of  our  Italian  provinces.  Doctrinal 
questions  must  be  put  aside,  for  if  in  other  epochs  it  was  denied  that  glanders  and 
the  bovine  typhus  were  contagious^  it  is  now  no  more  allowed  to  be  doubted. 


FRACTURES  IN  THE  LIMB  OF  A  HORSE. 
By  M.  AuBRY,  Saint-Servain, 

In  this  paper  it  is  advanced, — 1st,  that  fractures  in  the  lower  part  of  the  limb,  such 
as  the  metacarpal  and  metatarsal  regions,  are  much  more  amenable  to  treatment 
than  those  of  the  forearm  and  leg ;  and,  2d,  that  fractures  of  the  humerus  are  usually 
curable  on  account  of  the  very  slight  mobility  of  the  shoulder  in  solipides.  The 
lesser  curability  in  the  case  of  the  forearm  and  leg  is  attributed  in  great  part  to 
the  greater  weight  of  the  part  below  the  fracture,  which  by  leading  to  change  of 
position  materially  interferes  with  union.  M.  Lafontaine's  method  of  prolonging 
the  bandages  beyond  the  hoof,  so  that  the  weight  could  be  rested  on  them,  to  some 
extent  counteracted  this.  The  curability  of  fractures  of  the  humerus  is  chiefly  ac- 
counted for  by  the  great  muscular  masses  that  surround  it,  particularly  the  pectorals, 
the  extensors  of  the  forearm  and  the  coraco-radialis,  which  form  a  strong  natural 
bandage  for  this  bone.     Three  cases  are  given  illustrative  of  the  paper. 

Ut,  A  four-year-old  horse  fell  in  the  shafts  of  a  heavy  waggon,  and  on  getting  up 
dragged  the  toe  of  the  left  fore  leg,  which  was  semiflexed  at  the  knee,  and  hung  with- 
out any  attempt  being  made  to  use  it.  There  was  constant  tremor  of  the  muscles  of 
the  shoulder,  the  skin  of  which  was  covered  with  sweat ;  and  on  moving  the  limb  a 
very  distinct  crepitus  was  felt  by  the  hand  as  well  as  heard.  The  fracture  was  com- 
plete, and  close  to  the  lower  end  of  the  bone. 

This  horse  was  turned  out  into  a  small  paddock,  where  he  moved  on  three  legs  in 
seeking  his  food,  and  in  about  a  month  the  fracture  was  united,  and  there  was  left 
only  a  slight  irregularity  in  the  movement  of  the  limb. 

The  second  and  third  cases  were  fractures  of  the  condyles  in  a  two-year-old,  and  the 
other  in  a  three-year-old  colt.  The  fracture  having  been  reduced,  the  leg  was  in  each 
case  maintained  by  four  splints  well  padded,  and  covered  by  a  bandage  saturated  in  a 
mixture  containing  two  parts  of  pitch  to  one  of  resin.  In  the  first  case  the  nnion 
was  perfect  in  twenty-four  days.  In  the  second  the  animal  was  irritable,  the  band- 
ages got  displaced,  and  the  union  took  place  after  a  greater  lapse  of  time,  and  with 
some  deviation  from  the  normal  shape.    It  still,  however,  proved  a  very  useful  animal. 

Vol.  L— No.  X.— New  Sebies.    October  \%^5.  *^^ 


652  n^FLUENCE  OF  FLUIDS  IN  OBESITT. 

DEEP  INCISION  OF  THE  VAGINA  AFTEB  DIFFICULT  PARTUEITION. 

By  M.  C.  Samson,  VeteriiiaHan  at  Metz. 

After  difficult  parturition  many  animals  die  with  symptoms  of  severe  inflammation 
of  the  vagina  and  uterus.  M.  Samson  considers  that  in  such  cases  there  are  large  dots 
of  cxtravasated  blood  in  the  areolar  tissue  around  the  vagina^  which  first  gives  rise  to 
great  inflammatory  engorgement,  and  afterwards  undergoing  decomposition  becomes 
absorbed,  and  induces  sceptic  poisoning.  In  such  cases  he  makes  deep  incisions 
into  the  lateral  walls  of  the  vagina,  evacuates  the  clots,  and  washes  the  parts  with 
chlorine  water. 

In  one  case  the  mare  had  foaled  with  difficulty  eight  days  before,  was  in  a  state  of 
great  prostration,  and  almost  completely  off  her  appetite.  The  vulva  was  enormously 
swollen,  the  engorgement  extending  on  the  thighs  and  croup,  and  from  the  vagina 
escaped  a  blackish  serous  fluid,  exhaling  a  gangrenous  odour.  Thinking  the  case  likely 
to  be  a  fatal  one  at  any  rate,  M.  Samson  made  incisions  through  the  right  and  left 
sides  of  the  vaginal  walls  to  the  depth  of  the  entire  length  of  the  bistouiy,  and  oV 
tained  from  each  side  clots  to  the  amount  of  about  2  lb&,  extremely  black  and  almost 
of  the  consistency  of  liver.  The  parts  were  then  washed  out  with  a  large  amount  of 
chlorine  water,  and  cauterised  with  a  red  iron.  A  draught  containing  a  quart  of  urine, 
one-and-a-half  ounces  of  cinchona  bark,  and  a  drachm  of  camphor,  was  then  given. 
Next  day  the  injections  and  the  draught  were  repeated,  and  at  the  end  of  fifteen  days 
the  mare  had  returned  to  work. 

Other  cases  are  reported  in  which  tepid  water  was  employed  in  place  of  chlorine 
water,  and  the  hot  iron  dispensed  with,  and  they  terminated  equally  successfully 
with  the  above. 

The  presence  of  clots  is  marked  by  rounded  swellings  on  the  walls  of  the  vagina 
quite  perceptible  to  the  eye,  and  which  under  the  pressure  of  the  finger  conveys  a 
sensation  like  that  of  a  piece  of  ling. ,  Besides,  where  much  swelling  exists  there  is 
no  danger  attendant  on  deep  incisions,  while  if  sanguineous  clots  exist  these  will 
thus  be  removed. 


ON  THE  INFLUENCE  OF  FLUIDS  IN  OBESITY. 

M.  Dancel,  in  a  series  of  observations  undertaken  with  the  object  of  diminishing 
extreme  obesity,  remarked  that  they  who  consumed  substances  containing  but  a 
small  proportion  of  fat  did  not  become  thinner  If  they  still  continued  to  drink  abun- 
dantly ;  whence  he  was  led  to  imagine  that  water  and  watery  fluids  favoured  the  depo- 
sition of  fat  in  the  body.  He  is  surprised  that  attention  has  not  been  directed  to 
this  point,  in  the  numerous  experiments  that  have  been  made  on  dieting  animals, 
where  considerable  quantities  of  fluid  have  sometimes  been  allowed  ;  and  he  proceeds 
to  adduce  several  remarkable  instances  that  have  fallen  under  his  own  notice.  In  one 
instance  a  lean  cavalry  horse  was  made  the  subject  of  the  following-  experiment  :— 
The  daily  ration  of  the  animal  was  diminished  by  the  deduction  of  31b.  of  oat8> 
whilst  it  was  allowed  the  usual  quantity  of  straw  and  hay,  and  an  abundant  supply  of 
water,  with  which  about  a  pound  of  bran  was  admixed.  In  twenty-seven  days  the 
horse  had  gained  nearly  881b.  in  weight.  In  the  same  regiment  was  a  very  fat 
mare,  that  sweated  much  on  moderate  exertion,  and  that,  like  fat  men,  had  abnor- 
mally liquid  evacuations,  and  drank  much,  (nearly  60  quarts  per  diem.)  On  reducing 
the  quantity  of  fluid  to  30  quarts,  the  animal  soon  became  reduced  in  size,  free  from 
perspiration,  active,  and  exicig^ilic. 


PROGRESS  OF  THE  CATTLE  PLAGUE.  553 

PROGRESS  OF  THE  CATTLE  PLAGUE. 

{From  the  Scottish  Farmer  of  Sept  27.) 

Resuming  our  weekly  record  of  the  malady  which  has  occupied  for  somo  time  such  a 
large  share  of  public  attention,  we  have  to  report,  regarding  the  Edinburgh  district, 
that  on  Wednesday  last  there  was  a  considerable  increase  in  the  number  of  cases,  no 
less  than  twelve  having  occurred — eight  in  byres  previously  affected,  and  four  in  new 
byres.  Seven  cases  terminated  fatally — namely,  six  in  the  city  and  one  in  the  Sani< 
tarium.  On  Thursday  only  two  new  cases  were  reported,  but  these  took  place  in  sepa- 
rate byres,  where  the  disease  had  not  existed  before.  The  deaths  on  Thursday  wero 
seven  in  the  town  and  one  in  the  Sanitarium.  On  Friday  three  new  cases  occurred 
in  infected  byres  in  Edinburgh,  and  five  cases  in  two  byres  not  previously  affected. 
Four  deaths  took  place  in  town  byres.  On  Saturday  and  Sunday  sixteen  new  cases 
occurred  in  Edinburgh,  of  which  five  were  in  new  byres.  Ten  deaths  were  also 
reported  during  the  same  period,  namely,  eight  in  Edinburgh,  one  in  the  Sanitarium, 
and  one  at  Roseburn.  On  Monday,  three  new  cases  of  plague  occurred  in  old  byres 
in  the  town ;  five  in  new  byres :  and  nine  in  the  country.  Eight  deaths  took  place 
in  the  town,  and  one  in  the  Sanitarium.  One  animal  was  removed  from  the  Sani- 
tarium convalescent.  Yesterday,  four  cases  were  reported  in  dairies  in  the  Roseburn 
district  which  had  hitherto  escaped  the  ravages  of  the  plague,  and  seven  cases  in 
byres  where  the  disease  had  previously  prevailed.    Number  of  deaths  in  town,  eight. 

At  the  weekly  meeting  of  the  Edinburgh  Dairymen's  Mutual  Protection  Associa. 
tion,  on  Wednesday  lasty  additional  subscriptions  were  reported.  Mr  John  Swan 
recommended  that  the  Secretary  of  the  Highland  Society  should  be  communicated 
with,  in  order  that  the  co-operation  of  that  body  should  be  obtained  to  cause,  or  at 
least  to  advise,  Government  as  to  the  necessity  of  the  suspension  of  cattle  markets  on 
the  usual  stances  in  Scotland  for  six  weeks.  In  the  course  of  his  remarks,  Mr  Swan 
stated  that  if  any  cattle  from  the  markets  of  Edinburgh  or  Glasgow  were  observed  at  tho 
Falkirk  Tryst,  intending  purchasers  would  naturally  be  afraid  to  buy  any  animals  on  the 
ground,  and  the  consequence  would  be,  that  men  from  the  north  of  England  and  from 
Ireland  bringing  stock  free  from  disease  would  have  all  left  on  their  hands.  This  he 
considered  would  be  a  great  hardship  to  those  men ;  and  in  order  to  avoid  this,  he  would 
urge  upon  the  Highland  Society  the  necessity  of  using  their  influence  to  secure  fresh 
sites  for  the  sale  of  cattle  for  the  time  he  had  specified.  A  desultory  conversation 
took  place,  but  nothing  practical  resulted,  as  it  was  the  general  feeling  that  Mr 
Swan's  suggestion,  good  in  itself,  was  somewhat  apart  from  the  objects  of  the  meet- 
ing. It  was  the  general  wish,  however,  that  Mr  Swan,  with  one  or  two  others  of  tho 
Association,  should  wait  upon  the  directors  of  the  Highland  Society,  and  explain  to 
them  the  necessity  of  the  course  proposed. 

The  accounts  received  from  Glasgow  state  that  the  disease  is  spreading  in  that  city 
and  neighbourhood.  On  Monday  it  broke  out  amongst  a  herd  of  cattle  at'  Spring- 
bum  and  at  Torrence  of  Campsie.  In  two  dairies  in  GhiBgow  several  animals  were 
attacked  with  it,  and  Professor  M'Call  ordered  their  removal  to  the  Moore  Street 
slaughterhouse  for  examination.  Another  dairy  was  reported  on  Wednesday  as  hay- 
ing become  infected.  At  the  Glasgow  market  on  Thursday,  thirteen  head  of  cattle  were 
pointed  out  by  Professor  M'Call  as  being  affected  by  the  plague,  and  in  one  of  the  dairies 
in  the  Central  District  only  two  cows  have  been  left  out  of  a  fine  herd  of  fourteen. 
The  stocks  in  several  byres  in  the  county  where  the  disease  has  appeared  are  rapidly 
disappearing,  and  fresh  cases  are  reported,  dealers  being  blamed  Iqx  Vys^  *\s5i^^^^s»si«^Tw 


65^  PBOGRESS  OF  TH£  CATTLE  PLAQUE. 

among  their  etock,  by  Bending  animala  to  market  and  taking  them  back  unsold  after 
haying  caught  the  infection. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Jostices  of  the  Peace  of  Dnmbartonshire,  referring  to  the  three 
cases  which  lately  occurred  near  Bowling,  mentioned  in  onr  last  report,  Mr  A.  0. 
Ewing  thought  it  would  be  adrisable  that  fleshers  and  others  baring  transactions  in 
cattle  would  endeavour  to  confine  their  dealings  in  the  meantime  to  stock  reared  in 
the  district,  and  refrain  from  buying  in  public  markets, — an  opinion  which  was  con- 
curred in  by  several  of  the  Justices. 

In  the  north,  the  plague  is  still  confined  to  Aberdeenshire,  bnt  there  have  been 
more  deaths ;  and  the  disease  has  broken  out  in  another  place  in  the  parish  of  Peter- 
head, and  in  two  new  places  in  the  parish  of  St  Fergus,  the  parish  which  bounds 
Peterhead  on  the  north.  Every  precaution  is  being  used  in  the  Peterhead  and  St 
Fergus  districts  to  prevent  the  spread  of  this  most  fatal  disease.  Byres  are  being 
washed  with  chloride  of  lime,  &c.,  and  the  cattle  are  being  taken  inside,  as  it  is  now 
l,ut  too  apparent  that  this  disease  is  both  infectious  and  contagious. 

From  Dundee  it  was  reported,  early  in  the  week,  that  with  the  exception  of  the 
byre  in  which  the  disease  had  appeared,  all  the  other  byres  in  the  town  were  healthy. 
The  Government  inspector  had  used  the  disinfectant  sent  by  Lord  Kinnaird  twice 
a-day  upon  the  afiected  cows,  but  without  any  good  result  Later  intelligence  informs 
us  that  the  plague  may  now  be  said  to  be  at  an  end  in  Dundee. 

A  meeting  of  the  Justices  of  Peace  of  the  county  of  Fife  was  held  at  Cupar  on 
Tuesday  week — Sir  R.  Anstruther  in  the  chair.  A  report,  signed  by  the  Hon.  G. 
Waldegrave  Leslie,  and  Mr  J.  N.  M*Leod,  Kirkcaldy,  was  read,  from  which  it  ap- 
peared that  the  disease  had  broken  out  in  a  very  virulent  form  on  a  farm  at  Thornton, 
and  that  already  several  of  the  cattle  had  died.  The  report  also  bore  that  these 
gentlemen  had  appointed  Mr  Balfour,  V.S.,  Balwearie,  to  inspect  the  stock  on  the 
farm  referred  to,  and  report  to  the  meeting  of  the  Justices  at  Cupar.  Mr  Balfour,  on 
being  called  on,  stated  that  he  had,  as  directed,  inspected  a  number  of  cattle  in  a  field 
at  Thornton,  and  found  several  of  them  suffering  from  rinderpest.  He  found  them 
gradually  becoming  worse,  and  considered  their  case  as  hopeless.  In  another  field  on 
^he  same  farm  he  found  several  animals  also  suffering  from  the  same  distemper,  and 
he  understood  that  a  few  had  died.  He  accounted  for  the  rapid  spread  of  the  disease 
by  the  want  of  due  precautionary  measures.  The  meeting  agreed,  on  the  motion  of 
Mr  Balfour,  Balbimie,  that  inspectors  should  be  appointed  in  the  four  districts  of  the 
county,  and  that  a  committee  of  three  or  four  Justices  of  the  Peace  should  be  elected 
in  each  of  the  districts,  to  whom  the  inspectors  could  refer  in  the  event  of  any  dis. 
pute  arising. 

Yesterday,  at  the  request  of  the  Magistrates  of  Cupar,  a  meeting  of  proprietors  and 
farmers  was  held  in  the  Council  Room,  for  the  purpose  of  considering  the  propriety 
of  discontinuing  the  monthly  cattle-markets  at  Cupar  in  the  meantime,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  prevalence  of  rinderpest.  Provost  Pagan  occupied  the  chair.  Colonel 
M'Dougall,  Scotscraig,  moved  that  the  Provost,  Magistrates,  and  Town  Council  of 
Cupar  should  be  requested  to  discontinue  the  monthly  cattle-markets  until  further 
notice,  which  was  unanimously  agreed  to.  It  was  also  resolved  to  recommend  that 
Ceres  October  Market,  as  well  as  all  the  other  markets  in  the  county,  be  in  present 
circumstances  discontinued,  so  as  to  lessen  the  risk  of  spreading  the  plague,  which 
had  already  made  its  appearance  in  several  places  in  the  county. 

A  second  case  has  been  reported  as  occurring  at  the  home  farm  of  the  Glen,  Peebles- 
shire, fully  a  fortnight  having  elapsed  between  the  two  cases. 

The  plague  has  at  Icnglli  vi&lted  Galashiels.  Mr  Elliot,  of  Hollybush,  had  fifteen 
cattle  grazing  in  a  fiield  in  l\xe  VvdnW^f  qI  "^^XNslxY,  ^xA  ylq  v^^arance  of  disease  was 


PEOGRESS  OF  THE  CATTLE  PLAGUE.  555 

ebserred  till  late  on  Sunday  afternoon,  when  symptoms  appeared  of  what  was  con- 
sidered only  a  simple  ailment  Mr  Connochie,  veterinary  surgeon,  was  early  at  the 
field  on  Monday  morning,  when  one  of  the  cattle  was  dead,  and  other  four  affected 
by  unmistakeable  symptoms  of  rinderpest  Mr  Elliot,  with  praiseworthy  decision, 
immediately  killed  and  buried  the  entire  lot  of  cattle.  They  were  bought  four  months 
ago  in  Edinburgh,  and  no  other  beasts  have  been  put  beside  them  since. 

Hitherto  it  has  been  generally  believed  that  the  plague  was  confined  wholly  to 
dairy  stock,  but  this  opinion  has  been  proved  erroneous  by  the  fact  that  some  store 
cattle  which  had  been  sent  from  the  neighbourhood  of  Kirkliston  to  the  Edinburgh 
market  had  taken  the  disease  back  with  them  to  the  farm,  and  infected  the  healthy 
stock  on  the  place,  notwithstanding  that  after  their  return  from  Edinburgh  they  had 
been  put  in  a  separate  field  from  the  other  cattle.  The  owner  had  not  been  offered 
as  much  for  his  beasts  in  Edinburgh  as  he  expected,  and  consequently  drove  them 
back,  bringing  infection  with  them.  Another  case,  shewing  the  liability  of  lean 
grazing  cattle  to  become  affected,  is  reported  as  follows: — ^About  a  month  ago,  a 
farmer  bought  in  the  Edinburgh  market  some  store  cattle,  taking  the  precaution  to 
obtain  along  with  them  a  guarantee  of  soundness  for  a  fortnight— a  period  in  which 
it  is  generally  supposed  the  disease  will  have  ample  time  to  develop  itself.  Until  the 
beginning  of  last  week  nothing  whatever  was  observed  to  be  wrong,  but  since  then 
three  have  died,  and  it  is  not  unlikely  that  more  will  succumb.  The  plague  has  also 
appeared  within  the  last  few  days  among  several  lots  of  store  beasts — namely,  a  lot  of 
Irish  stirks  in  Dumfriesshire ;  a  lot  of  Lrish  cattle  bought  at  Falkirk  Tryst,  and  put 
into  a  park  at  Blair  Drummond ;  among  two  lots  of  cattle,  also  bought  at  Falkirk, 
and  taken  to  the  neighbourhood  of  Brechin ;  and  in  a  lot  of  very  fine  Irish  cattle 
near  Coupar- Angus.  The  last-mentioned  lot  had  likewise  been  purchased  at  the 
Tryst 

It  was  stated  in  the  Scotsman  of  Monday  last,  that  the  plague  has  appeared  in 
Ireland,  or  rather  that  it  has  existed  in  the  county  of  Down,  near  Hillsborough,  for 
at  least  a  month,  and  that  some  thirty  or  forty  animals  have  died  of  it ;  most,  if  not 
all,  being  dairy  cows.  It  appears  there  is  no  positive  evidence  as  to  the  manner  in 
which  the  disease  was  conveyed  to  Ireland,  the  supposition  being  that  it  has  been 
carried  by  sheep  imported  from  Scotland  and  England,  by  way  of  Belfast.  But  if 
the  disease  has  existed  in  the  district ''  for  at  least  a  month,"  it  is  quite  possible  it 
may  have  been  conveyed  into  Ireland  previous  to  the  date  on  which  the  Order  of 
Council  closing  the  Irish  ports  was  issued.  Our  contemporary  states  that  "  there  is 
a  strong  disinclination  on  the  part  of  the  owners  of  the  infected  cattle,  as  well  as  of 
the  authorities,  to  give  currency  to  information  which  might  affect  the  pockets  of  the 
former,  and  shew  the  futility  of  the  precautions  of  the  latter;  so  that  the  true  extent 
of  the  mischief  done  by  the  disease  cannot  be  ascertained,  nor  can  it  be  considered 
certain  that  it  does  not  exist  in  other  parts  of  the  country.  This  reticence  is,  of 
course,  easily  understood,  but  it  is  most  unwise ;  and  it  would  be  infinitely  safer  for 
the  Irish  stock-owners  if  the  promptest  measures  were  taken  at  once,  founded  on  the 
possibility  of  the  Hillsborough  cases  being  actually  "  the  plague."  If  it  prove  after- 
wards to  be  a  less  dangerous  malady,  the  steps  which  may  be  taken  to  prevent  its 
spread  will  not  have  been  thrown  away. 

A  deputation  from  the  Markets'  Committee  and  the  Sanitarium  Committee  of  the 
Corporation  of  London  attended  on  Monday  at  the  Privy  Council  Of&ce,  by  ap- 
pointment, to  have  a  conference  with  the  Lords  of  the  Council  upon  the  subject  of 
the  orders  in  Council,  and  some  alterations  in  these  orders  that  had  been  suggested 
by  the  Privy  Council,  and  also  to  ascertain  whether  the  Government  would  lend  its 
sanction  to  the  establishment  of  sanitariums,  with  a  view  to  endeavour  iA  ^^ssssvs^ 


556  PROGRESS  OF  THE  CATTLE  PLAGUE. 

some  remedy  for  the  disease.  The  first  subject  that  was  introdaced  was  that  of  the 
orders  in  Council,  and  the  deputation  called  the  attention  of  their  Lordships  to  the 
vagueness  of  some  of  those  orders,  and  to  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  conyictions  at 
present  under  them ;  but  they  suggested  that  if  additional  inspectors  were  appointed, 
and  the  police  were  instructed  to  interfere  more  actively  than  they  did  at  present, 
the  orders  now  in  force  would  probably  be  found  sufficient.  Their  Lordships  pro- 
mised to  take  this  into  consideration.  Dr  Letheby  then  brought  forward  the  subject 
of  the  proposed  sanitariums,  and  said  that  he,  as  well  as  the  medical  gentlemen  pre- 
sent, and  a  great  many  other  professional  gentlemen,  were  fully  impressed  with  the 
conviction  that  the  disease  was  curable  if  it  was  attended  to  in  the  early  stage,  and 
that  it  would  be  very  important  to  endeavour  to  carry  out  this  view  by  means  of  the 
proposed  sanitariums.  They  were  therefore  anxious  to  know  whether  the  proposition 
would  meet  with  the  sanction  of  the  Government,  as,  if  they  were  opposed  to  the 
establishment  of  sanitariums,  it  would  be  useless  to  proceed  further.  One  or  two 
others  of  the  deputation  also  addressed  their  Lordships  upon  the  same  subject ;  and 
after  a  short  deliberation,  Lord  Granville  said  that  all  that  he  could  state  in  answer 
at  present  was,  that  the  Government  could  not  absolutely  sanction  the  establishment 
of  sanitariums,  but  they  would  offi^r  no  objection  to  the  experiment  being  tried,  or 
throw  any  difficulties  in  the  way,  and  they  would  afford  the  facilities  they  could  to 
carry  out  the  object 

On  Tuesday,  at  a  meeting  of  the  City  Commissioners  of  Sewers,  held  at  the  Guild- 
hall, under  the  presidency  of  Mr  H.  De  Jersey,  the  chairman,  Mr  G.  Walter  called 
attention  to  the  state  of  a  slaughterhouse  in  Hosier  Lane,  Smithfield,  which  was  com- 
plained of  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  locality  as  being  a  nuisance  in  consequence  of 
the  obnoxious  smells  arising  therefrom.  It  was  stated  by  the  inspector  that  the 
slaughterhouse  in  question  was  used  both  for  the  slaughtering  of  animals  healthy  and 
diseased,  and  that  during  the  past  week  eleven  diseased  animals  had  been  killed  there. 
Mr  Walter  said  he  thought  the  practice  of  slaughtering  such  animals  in  the  same 
place  where  the  healthy  animals  were  also  killed  was  a  highly  dangerous  one,  and  put 
a  question  to  Dr  Letheby,  the  medical  officer  of  the  commission,  to  ascertain  if  it  were 
not  so  ?  Dr  Letheby  said  he  thought  the  practice  of  slaughtering  animals  which  were 
affected  with  the  present  prevailing  disease  in  the  slaughterhouses  and  knackers*  yards 
was  fraught  with  great  danger,  on  account  of  its  being  a  means  whereby  the  disease 
might  be  spread  to  a  large  extent  among  the  cattle  in  London  and  the  neighbourhood. 
He  thought  it  dangerous  also,  because  there  was  not  only  a  chance  of  the  infection 
being  carried  by  the  slaughter-men  engaged  in  those  places  to  healthy  animals,  but 
from  the  mixing  of  the  dung  and  offal  of  the  diseased  animals  with  the  dung  which 
was  distributed  as  manure  upon  the  land.  After  some  discussion,  the  following  reso- 
lution, proposed  by  Mr  Walter,  was  unanimously  adopted : — "  That  having  regard  to 
the  prevention  of  the  spread  of  infectious  typhus  fever  among  the  cattle  of  Jjondon 
and  the  neighbourhood,  the  commissioners  are  of  opinion  that  the  present  practice  of 
slaughtering  cattle  infected  with  the  disease  in  the  slaughterhouses  and  knackers' 
yards  of  the  metropolis  should  be  discontinued,  as  there  is  great  danger  of  propagating 
the  disease  by  the  dung  and  offal  of  the  diseased  animals  being  mixed  with  the  man- 
ure of  those  places,  and  distributed  upon  the  land."  It  was  decided  that  copies  of  the 
above  resolution  should  be  forwarded  to  the  Lords  of  the  Privy  Council,  to  the  Markets' 
Committee  of  the  Corporation,  and  the  Metropolitan  Cattle  Plague  Committee.  Dr 
Letheby  also  reported  that  the  markets  and  slaughterhouses  of  the  city  had  been  duly 
inspected  during  the  past  week,  and  that  the  inspectors  had  condemned  15,417  lbs., 
or  nearly  seven  tons  of  meat,  as  unfit  for  human  food.    It  consisted  of  forty-one  sheep. 


PEOGEESS  OF  THE  CATTLE  PLAGUE.  6C7 

five  calves,  thirty-four  pigs,  114  qrs.  of  beef,  and  983  joints  of  meat.  Most  of  it  was 
in  a  putrid  condition  on  account  of  the  warm  weather. 

The  Veterinary  Committee  of  the  Royal  Agricultural  Society  of  England  has  issued 
an  address,  calling  upon  the  members  of  the  society  to  co-operate  with  the  Govern- 
ment, and  with  other  agricultural  societies,  in  the  efforts  which  are  being  made  for 
suppressing  the  disease.  The  address  goes  on  to  say  that ''  the  existence  of  this  dis- 
ease being  regarded  as  a  national  calamity,  it  was  right  that  the  Government  should  take 
the  initiative  in  adopting  means  for  its  suppression ;  and  their  having  done  so  leaves  little 
for  the  Royal  or  any  other  agricultural  society  to  do,  except  to  second  the  efforts  of  the 
Government.  The  several  orders  in  Council  which  have  been  put  forth,  well  calculated 
as  they  are  to  arrest  the  progress  of  the  malady,  will,  nevertheless,  prove  non-effec. 
tive  to  a  considerable  extent,  unless  they  are  backed  by  individual  exertion.  One  of 
the  chief,  and  in  many  instances  the  only  cause  of  the  extension  of  the  disease  into 
several  fresh  districts,  has  been  the  reckless  manner  that  many  persons  have  dealt 
with  infected  cattle.  Not  only  have  these  been  driven  from  place  to  place,  and 
turned  into  fields  separated  only  from  large  herds  of  healthy  animals  by  an  ordinary 
fence,  but  many  have  been  sent  to  fairs  and  markets,  and  thus,  by  commingling 
with  others,  have  spread  the  disease  far  and  wide.  All  preventive  measures  are  thus 
rendered  of  little  avail,  and  unless  practices  of  this  kind  are  prevented  by  the  vigit 
ance  of  agriculturists  and  others,  thousands  of  cattle  will  be  lost  to  the  country,  in 
addition  to  those  which  have  already  perished.  Every  one  should  be  impressed  with 
the  fact  that  the  disease  is  the  most  infectious  as  well  as  the  most  fatal  which  is  known 
to  affect  cattle,  akin  in  its  deadly  effects  to  the  small-pox  in  sheep,  but  not  giving  warn- 
ing to  persons  by  an  eruption  upon  the  body.  Like  small-pox  of  sheep  also,  the 
poison  lies  latent  in  the  system  for  several  days  after  being  inhaled,  and  during  this 
time  the  animal  gives  no  indications  of  being  affected,  so  that  the  most  cautious  per. 
sons  may  be  deceived  in  the  making  of  purchases.  Another  fact  of  equal  import- 
ance, but  not  generally  known,  is  that  the  special  poisonous  material,  or  infectious 
matter,  on  which  the  disease  depends  for  its  existence,  is  multiplied  to  an  extent 
scarcely  to  be  estimated  in  the  system  of  every  fresh  victim;  so  that  it  is  quite  possible 
for  one  diseased  animal  to  be  ultimately  the  cause  of  the  death  of  thousands."  The 
precautions  to  be  taken,  as  put  forth  by  Professor  Simonds,  are  repeated,  with  a  con- 
cise description  of  the  leading  symptoms  of  the  plague,  and  of  the  two  other  epi- 
demic affections  to  which  cattle  are  subject,  namely,  pleuro-pneumonia  and  murrain, 
or  mouth-and-foot  disease. 

The  cattle  plague  still  occupies  a  great  deal  of  public  attention  in  Holland,  and 
measures  have  been  taken  by  every  municipality  for  staying,  if  possible,  the  spread 
of  it,  by  suspending  cattle  markets,  appointing  cattle  surveyors,  and  by  carrying  out 
a  sort  of  cattle  expropriation  law,  by  which  the  authorities  are  empowered  to  seize 
and  kill  all  cattle  of  a  suspicious  character.  From  a  report  just  published  by  the 
Government,  it  appears  that  up  to  9th  September  600  oxen  had  been  attacked  by 
the  plague,  of  which  160  died,  50  were  killed,  and  70  recovered.  The  others  were 
still  under  the  care  of  veterinary  surgeons.  Bad  as  this  cattle-typhus  is,  it  is 
far  less  virulent  and  wide-spread  than  were  similar  maladies  among  cattle  on  several 
former  occasions,  and  is  already  rapidly  on  the  decrease.  By  far  the  greater  part 
of  the  beasts  attacked  by  this  plague  recover,  whereas  on  former  occasions  beasts  so 
attacked  invariably  died. 

It  appears  that  in  some  instances  inspectors  allow  those  animals  which  are  only 
slightly  affected  to  be  sold  for  human  food,  while  those  in  the  more  advanced  stages 
of  the  disease  arc  buried  as  speedily  as  possible.    A  correspondent  of  the  Glasgow 


558  PROGRBSS  OP  THE  CATTLE  PLAGUE.' 

HerM  taken  notice  of  this,  properly  remarks,  that  "  every  inspector  oaght  to  know 
that,  before  any  symptom  or  external  indication  of  any  disease  can  become  apparent  on 
an  animal,  the  blood  or  some  internal  organ  is  more  or  less  charged  or  assailed  by  some 
serial  or  other  impalpable  and  invisible  poison,  possibly  animalcnlseor  other  cryptical  for- 
mation inhaled  or  generated,  which  must  cause  both  the  flesh  and  milk  of  the  animal  to 
be  poisonous."  And  we  observe  that  Mons.  A.  Chanvean,  Professor  of  Anatomy  in  the 
Imperial  Veterinary  College,  Lyons,  who  is  at  present  officially  employed  in  investi- 
gating the  nature  of  the  cattle  plague  in  this  country,  expressed,  when  in  Glasgow, 
his  decided  disapproval  of  making  use  of  animals  slightly  affected  with  the  disease  as 
human  food,  adding  that  the  French  Government  would  not  allow  a  single  pound  of 
meat  to  be  sold  for  such  a  purpose.  In  connection  with  this  department  of  the  sub- 
ject, we  take  the  following  passage  from  a  letter  written  by  Miss  Burdett  Coutts, 
which  appeared  in  the  Times  of  the  20th  inst. : — 

"There  are  several  other  very  grave  subjects  on  which  information  is  greatly 
needed.  Is  the  meat  of  diseased  animals  fit  food  for  man  or  for  animals  in  any  stage 
of  the  disorder  ?  I  have  heard  of  sickness  lately  in  kennels.  Can  this  be  attributed 
to  the  meat  given  to  the  dogs  ?  The  milk  also,  is  it  fit  for  use  either  during  the 
attack  or  immediately  after  it  ?  Some  of  my  cows  gave  milk  after  doses  of  bi-sulphate 
of  soda.  I  did  not  allow  it  to  be  used,  but  it  could  scarcely  be  expected  that  others 
should  do  this  whose  livelihood  depended  upon  their  supply  of  milk ;  and,  if  un- 
necessary to  be  done,  the  waste  would  be  equally  to  be  deplored. 

"  On  the  recovery  of  the  only  cow  saved  out  of  my  herd  of  twenty,  the  milk  was 
given  to  some  pigs.  They  rejected  it  at  first,  and  after  taking  it,  sickened  slightly. 
I  forbad  its  use  for  a  week.  Surely  it  is  a  point  of  great  importance  to  the  public 
health,  and  should  be  ascertained,  and  inspectors  should  have  the  power  of  certi^ring 
that  an  animal  is  or  is  not  in  a  fit  state  to  be  milked." 


ARMY  APPOINTMENT. 


Vkterinaby  Department. — R  Poyser,  Gent,  to  be  Acting  Veterinary  Surgeon, 
vice  M.  P.  Healy,  appointed  to  15th  Hussars. — Gazette. 


BXU<KKTYNic,  ROBtUTS,  K^i>  co.>  Y«vwt:i»a>\aaivswi^wi^ 


THE  VETERINARY  REVIEW 


Btatkabantts'  ^anxnul. 


ORIGINAL    COMMUNICATIONS   AND    CASES. 


THE   AIM  AND    OBJECTS    OF   THE  VETERINARY 
PROFESSION.* 

Gentlemen, — There  are  periods  in  the  lives  of  men  and  insti- 
tutions which  may  be  well  compared  to  that  stage  of  disease  which 
the  pathologist  terms  the  crisis.  Events  attain  a  climax,  to  be 
followed  by  renewed  life  or  decay.  Most  people  and  the  majority 
of  undertakings  have  to  battle  with  opposing  forces  at  first ;  and  it 
is  often  seen  that  fair  wind  and  weather  on  the  first  launch  into 
existence  are  not  always  the  most  favourable  for  men  or  their  works. 
The  storm  must  come,  and  those  who  can  stand  the  test  in  their 
earlier  days  are  found  to  float  easily  when  circumstances  turn  in 
their  favour.  It  is  true  that  many  do  not  survive  the  crisis,  but 
those  who  preserve  their  masts  and  rudders  unimpaired  in  times 
of  trial  profit  by  experience,  and  afterwards  sail  along  smoothly  in 
a  career  of  usefulness. 

In  the  history  of  the  College  of  which  I  have  the  honour  to  be 
Principal,  the  present  may  fairly  be  regarded  as  the  crisis.  It  is  now 
ten  years  since  I  commenced  lecturing  in  London.  A  large  and 
attentive  audience  listened  to  my  first  discourse,  and  all  seemed  to 
augur  well  for  the  course  of  instruction  that  had  been  planned.  On 
attending  the  second  day  at  the  lecture- room,  not  a  soul  was  there ; 
no  students  and  no  friends,  until  the  hour  for  lecturing  had  passed. 
First  one  and  then  another  called  at  five  instead  of  four  o'clock  to 
hear  how  we  were  getting  on,  and  as  all  chances  of  success  turned  on 
securing  an  audience,  however  small,  for  the  earlier  lectures,  I 
managed  to  convince  a  couple  of  volunteers  that  it  was  important 
they  should  then  sit  down  and  listen.  The  lecture,  therefore,  came 
oflf  an  hour  later  than  the  appointed  time,  and  my  hearers  were 

*  Inaugural  Address  of  the  Albert  Veterinary  College,  delivered  by  Professor  John 
Gamgee,  October  2,  1865. 

Vol.  I. — No.  XL — New  Semes.    Ii^ove^beb.  \%^5 .  •i.^ 


560  INAUGURAL  ADDRESS. 

victimised  until  six.  The  plan  succeeded.  The  third  day  more 
attended  ;  the  fourth  added  also  to  our  number,  and  in  a  week  or 
two  the  class  grew  to  fair  proportions,  though  it  threatened  at  first 
to  be  worse  than  that  of  a  certain  professor  of  Sanscrit,  who  never 
had  more  than  one  student,  and  that  one  attended  proformd  to  await 
the  vacancy  of  the  chair. 

Success  in  London  in  1855  led  to  an  appointment  in  Edinburgh, 
where,  in  a  twelvemonth,  and  after  waging  fierce  war  against  the 
traffic  in  diseased  animals,  it  was  found  incompatible  with  the 
interests  of  the  old  institution  that  any  one  so  anxious  as  I  was  for 
reform  in  Veterinary  education  and  practice  should  lecture  within  its 
walls.  There  were  staunch  friends  who  would  not  listen  to  my  leav- 
ing the  North,  and  funds  were  promised  to  establish  a  new  Veteri- 
nary College.  Eager  for  the  fray,  we  set  to  work  and  transformed  a 
wine  cellar,  notwithstanding  damp,  cold,  and  cobwebs,  into  a  lecture- 
room,  museum,  and  dissecting-room.  A  three-stalled  stable  and  a 
forge  completed  our  establishment.  Students  increased  in  number  in 
spite  of  the  inconvenience  of  having  to  attend  lectures  by  gas  at  all 
times,  until  at  last  the  cellar  could  contain  us  no  longer.  The 
students  complained  of  being  stifled  with  heat,  and  after  some 
trouble  an  establishment,  formerly  built  for  a  naval  and  military 
academy,  was  secured  for  our  accommodation.  The  inconvenience 
attendant  on  ill-suited  buildings  at  first  was  not  the  most  serious  one, 
for  the  old  Veterinary  Colleges  and  the  Highland  Society  success- 
fully opposed  our  obtaining  Her  Majesty's  sign  manual.  Two 
years'  fight  and  a  little  perseverance,  with  the  aid  and  influence  of 
some  of  the  best  men  in  the  land,  enabled  us  to  overcome  this 
difficulty,  and  the  new  Veterinary  College  not  only  prospered,  but 
materially  strengthened  the  Eoyal  College  of  Veterinary  Surgeons. 

Three  years  since  inquiries  were  made  as  to  whether  we  would  not, 
under  favourable  circumstances,  remove  to  London.  We  did  not  ap- 
prove of  the  step.  At  various  intervals  suggestions  having  a  similar  ob- 
ject in  view  were  made,  until  at  last  we  yielded,  believing  that  in  order 
to  place  this  Institution  in  the  foremost  rank  amongst  the  Veteri- 
nary Colleges  of  Europe,  we  really  required  the  scope  afibrded  us  by 
this  vast  metropolis.  You  will  therefore  understand  that  the  Albert 
Veterinary  College  has  not  sprung  into  existence  in  a  day ;  it  has 
been  the  work  of  years,  and  it  has  weathered  many  a  storm.  It 
has  reached  a  crisis,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  it  affords  ample  signs 
of  renewed  life  and  a  prosperous  future ;  that  such  is  the  case 
time  will  soon  prove,  and  I  venture  to  predict  that  if  some  confi- 
dence be  reposed  in  us  now,  we  shall,  within  three  years,  have  the 
finest  and  best  appointed  Veterinary  College  in  the  world. 

In  stating  this  some  may  charge  me  with  presumption,  but, 
gentlemen,  whilst  it  is  proper  and  necessary  that  a  man  should 
have  some  confidence  in  his  endeavours  to  prove  useful,  I  do  not 
wisli  it  to  be  supposed  for  a  moment  that  the  success  of  the  past 
has  depended  on  in^seVi,  oi  \Xv«l\.  o\vt  Ixtoct^  ^tos^rity  is  to  be  due 


INAUGURAL  ADDRESS.  561 

to  me.  I  have  always  felt  that  a  College  which  depended  on  one 
man  was  a  myth ;  the  very  nature  and  essence  of  a  college  imply 
the  co-operation  of  men  fit,  each  and  singly,  for  special  duties,  and 
who,  as  a  whole,  render  an  educational  institution  more  or  less  com- 
plete. During  the  past  eight  years  the  first  object  of  our  solicitude 
has  been  to  train  sound  teachers,  to  aid  deserving  young  men, 
to  inspire  them  to  work  ;  and  the  result  is,  that  the  staflF  of 
this  Institution  is  not  only  numerically  stronger  than,  but  I  be- 
lieve it  is  as  fit  for  the  service  it  has  to  perform  as  that  of, 
any  similar  institution  in  existence.  There  is  no  department, 
however  insignificant,  left  to  take  care  of  itself;  and  although 
I  am  told  that  such  a  system  is  an  expensive  one,  it  is  my  belief 
that  whatever  is  worth  doing  is  worth  doing  well,  and  whatever 
other  people's  notions  are  of  economy,  we  cannot  afford  to  do 
things  badly,  or  leave  anything  to  chance.  This  is  by  far  the 
cheapest  system  in  the  end,  and  it  is  the  only  one  which  will  last. 
For  long,  Veterinary  Colleges  in  this  country  had  but  one  responsi- 
ble lecturer,  and  those  who  co-operated  with  him  were  called  assist- 
ants. The  professor  exalted  himself,  and  in  some  places  still  exalts 
himself,  to  the  position  of  an  indispensable  omniscient,  absolutely 
independent  of  much  aid  from  others.  Institutions  where  such 
opinions  can  for  a  moment  be  entertained  are  not  colleges  ;  they  are 
monster  pieces  of  deception,  where  young  men  never  have  been  and 
never  can  be  adequately  trained.  It  is  to  the  absurd  systems  of  the 
past,  and  which  in  a  measure  still  prevail,  that  Veterinarians  in  this 
country  have  not  held  a  proper  position  amongst  scientific  men. 
Those  who  advocate  the  antiquated  method  of  teaching  Veterinary 
science  ascribe  all  their  ill-success  to  the  students  themselves — ^to 
deficiency  in  early  education  amongst  those  who  enter  our  colleges. 
We  can  afford  direct  evidence  to  overthrow  such  a  theory,  and  have 
always  asserted,  and  still  believe,  that  the  causes  of  failure  have 
existed  in  the  Veterinary  Colleges  themselves.  These  causes  have 
mainly  been  cramming,  grinding,  and  negligence. 

By  cramming,  I  mean  committing  a  student  to  study  every  branch 
of  Veterinary  medicine  as  soon  as  he  enters  college,  and  having 
attended  one  session  of  five  or  six  months'  duration,  he  has  been  sent 
off  for  seven  months'  vacation  to  return  a  second  winter  term  for  five 
or  six  months,  attending  the  same  lectures  on  the  same  subjects  as 
during  the  first,  and  then  examined  for  his  diploma.  How  can  a 
man  learn  anatomy,  physiology,  chemistry,  materia  medica,  medicine 
and  surgery,  on  such  a  system  ? 

To  render  the  cramming  system  complete,  grinds,  or  periodical 
examinations  to  enable  students  to  reply  parrot-fashion  when  ex- 
amined for  a  diploma,  were  long  since  instituted,  and  every  medical 
man  knows  that  the  grinding  system  is  oYily  suited  for  fools  or  idlers, 
and  the  less  of  it  we  have  the  better  for  men  whose  brains  can  be 
developed  by  rational  teaching.  I  have  no  respect  for  a  doctor  or 
veterinarian  who  has  not  educated  all  his  sena^«»  \)Q  \3ckfc  Vq5^<^^\»^^5r»^!55^^ 


562  INAUGURAL  ADDRESS. 

extent ;  the  grinder  only  wants  men  to  hear  and  speak.  They  can 
•wear  kid  gloves,  and  scorn  the  idea  of  offending  their  noses  in  a 
dissecting-roora.  They  may  be  perfectly  innoc^it  of  the  sight  of  blood 
or  the  interior  of  a  forge.  All  is  superfluous  save  and  except  an  art 
of  medical  nmemonics  which  is  well  understood  by  an  expert  grinder, 
who  may  be  declared  extravagantly  complete  when,  in  addition  to  a 
professional  catechism,  he  can  use  chalk  on  a  black  board. 

The  third  cause  of  failure  in  training  skilled  Veterinarians  has 
been  negligence  ;  leaving  young  men  to  grope  in  the  dark  until  they 
become  disgusted  with  the  subjects,  which  they  first  try  and  fail  to 
learn.  We  have  long  since  adopted  the  tutorial  system,  whereby 
students  are  not  only  asked  to  listen,  but  are  shown  how  to  see  and 
feeL  The  ablest  and  most  willing  require  much  assistance  at  first. 
In  the  study  of  medicine  it  is  a  long  time  before  they  can  walk 
alone,  and  a  vast  number  never  can  walk  at  all.  If  they  could,  we 
should  have  less  empirics  and  heterodox  practitioners. 

In  this  College  we  have  set  our  faces  against  the  cramming  system; 
we  have  offered  tempting  premiums  to  those  who  in  their  first  year 
would  attend  to  nothing  but  anatomy,  physiology,  and  chemistry, 
and  indeed  only  to  the  most  essential  fundamental  branches  of  these. 
We  have  opposed  the  grinding  system,  and  our  free- studentships 
have  been  carried  off  by  men  who  either  would  not  or  could  not 
afford  to  attend  a  grinder.  The  result  has  been  that  very  few  of  our 
students  have  ever  been  rejected  for  their  examinations,  and  many 
men  have  been  trained  thoroughly  fit  to  teach  as  well  as  to  practise. 
I  hold  that  this  is  the  very  essence  of  the  stability  of  a  college. 
Without  a  good  substratum  of  talent  and  efficiency,  any  institution 
such  as  our  own  must  rot  and  die. 

But  let  us  go  a  little  deeper  in  ascertaining  why  the  Veterinary 
Profession  has  held  no  position  in  this  country,  and  why  well-directed 
efforts  made  to  raise  it  deserve  national  support.  The  comparatively 
small  body  of  Veterinarians  in  the  United  Kingdom  has  been  en- 
gaged exclusively  in  the  treatment  of  sick  animals,  and  in  making 
whatever  living  could  be  secured  just  in  proportion  to  the  stock- 
owners*  losses.  The  more  disease,  the  more  money  made  by  Veteri- 
narians, and  vice  versd.  Often  have  I  heard  practitioners  say  that  it 
was  not  right  to  enlighten  the  farmers ;  that  they  were  getting  too 
knowing  by  half  as  to  the  way  by  which  the  most  important  diseases 
might  be  prevented,  and  so  on.  We  have  always  set  our  faces 
against  such  doctrines.  It  is  not  our  desire  to  help  the  owner  of 
race-horses  when  his  animals  have  broken  down,  by  blistering  and 
firing,  or  nipping  horses'  legs  in  two  by  bandages.  It  is  little  conso- 
lation for  a  man  to  have  a  horse  capable  of  standing  firmly  on  four 
legs  after  having  failed  to  realise  the  reward  which  was  expected 
from  the  time,  trouble,  and  great  expense  incurred.  In  ninety- 
nijie  cases  out  of  a  hundred  a  good  horse  only  breaks  down  after 
weeks  and  months  of  great  mismanagement,  and  it  is  in  counteracting 
the  causes  of  such  a  disaal^i:  \k^\.  ^\i  ^Tw^^^Xjy^tftrinarian  is  worth 


INAUGURAL  ADDRESS.  563 

having.  Veterinarians  have  not  been  trained  for  such  work.  They 
are  told  that  their  connexion  with  the  forge  lowers  them,  and  the 
less  they  look  so  low  down  as  horses'  feet  the  better.  We  hold  a 
direct  contrary  opinion,  and  have  always  acted  up  to  it. 

One  of  the  first  points  I  turned  my  attention  to  in  Scotland  was 
the  prevalence  of  intestinal  disorders  amongst  horses,  and  having  col- 
lected reliable  statistics,  to  prove  that  of  the  animals  used  by  agricul- 
turists, nearly  sixty  died  of  colic  out  of  every  hundred  that  died  of 
disease,  I  wrote  and  spoke  on  the  so-called  boiled-meat  system,  feed- 
ing horses  as  we  should  an  omnivorous  pig,  and  pointed  out  the  kill- 
ing influence  of  the  draughts  of  turpentine,  oil,  and  opium.  Although 
it  is  to  he  hoped  I  injured  the  sale  of  the  noxious  potions,  many  a 
farmer  has  saved  much  money  by  following  the  advice  given.  In 
this  College  my  father  has  taken  especial  charge  of  many  of  these 
matters  relating  to  the  prevention  of  disease  and  sufiering  in  horses. 
I  only  followed  in  his  steps  even  at  the  commencement,  in  attending 
far  more  to  the  prevention  than  the  cure  of  the  disease.  By  thus 
studying  causes,  when  the  time  comes  for  application  of  remedies  in 
a  diseased  state,  we  have  an  infallible  guide  in  the  majority  of 
diseases. 

Circumstances  have  led  me  to  take  a  very  active  part  on  the 
subject  of  Cattle  Disease  Prevention.  Having  paid  much  attention 
when  abroad,  especially  in  1854,  to  the  maladies  most  destructive 
amongst  horned  cattle,  I  became  informed  with  the  fact  that  the 
great  ignorance  and  negligence  manifested  in  this  country,  in  relation 
to  ever-spreading  plagues,  might  be  reckoned  a  truly  national  calamity. 
When  first  I  left  London,  after  obtaining  a  diploma,  and  having 
worked  a  little  harder  than  many  people  do  at  such  subjects,  I  was 
most  lamentably  ignorant  of  the  nature  and  extent  of  prevailing 
epizootics.  Foreign  literature  and  foreign  professors  soon  opened  my 
eyes,  and  on  returning  to  England,  I  resolved  on  doing  all  in  my 
power  to  rectify  great  evils.  Losing  a  minimum  of  four  millions 
sterling  annually  by  Cattle  Disease  alone,  and  of  this,  upwards  of  two 
millions  by  that  readily  preventable  disease,  pleuro-pneumonia,  it  was 
impossible  not  to  see  that  if  one  or  two  thousand  Veterinarians  pro- 
perly organized  on  the  Continental  system  could  preserve  us  from 
such  loss,  the .  country  could  most  richly  afford  to  pay  for  such 
services.  I  attacked  the  foul  traffic  in  diseased  animals,  exposed  the 
evils  attendant  on  the  sale  of  diseased  meat  and  milk,  and,  up  to  the 
present  time,  have  continued  to  indicate  by  what  means  our  cattle 
might  and  should  be  preserved  in  health.  The  reward  for  all  this 
labour  has  been,  in  times  past,  the  determined  opposition  of  the 
farmers  themselves — when  advocating  proper  legislative  measures, 
resolute  attacks  on  the  part  of  cattle  dealers  and  the  old  Veterinary 
Colleges.  I  have  stood  absolutely  alone ;  but  there  is  this  small  item 
of  consolation,  that,  had  I  been  a  prophet,  it  was  impossible  better  to 
foresee  what  has  come  to  pass.  It  is  not  to  be  expected  that  tli\&''«>i2L 
be  acknowledged,  in  spite  of  irrefragabVe  ev\<\'^Tie,^m\Xi^^^^»3^^ 


564  INAUGURAL  ADDRESS. 

the  Times,  in  printed  lectures  and  speeches,  or  reports.  It  is  true 
that  all  I  have  done,  especially  since  1855,  has  been  fairly  and  freely 
to  state  what  any  roan  with  his  eyes  open,  and  a  knowledge  of  the 
subject,  should  have  known. 

I  have  pointed  out  the  great  evils  attendant  on  an  importation  of 
live  stock  without  adopting  proper  precautions  against  the  spread  of 
disease.  My  opponents  have  charged  me  with  being  an  anti-free- 
trader ;  but  I  never  could  understand  that  the  propagation  of  disease 
had  anything  to  do  with  the  principles  of  free-trade.  I  advocated 
the  establishment  of  foreign  stock  markets,  and  a  rigid  inspection  of 
markets  and  fairs.  Well  knowing  the  diflBculties  attendant  on  market 
and  fair  inspections,  I  spoke  in  favour  of  collecting  statistics  of  disease 
in  animals,  and  having  a  system  by  which  any  outbreak  might  be 
instantly  suppressed.  The  Earl  of  Shaftesbury,  who  presided  over 
the  public  health  section  of  the  Social  Science  Association  at  Liver- 
pool in  1858,  when  I  brought  this  subject  forward,  was  so  impressed 
with  the  importance  of  my  suggestions,  that  he  did  all  in  his  power 
to  rouse  Government  to  take  up  the  matter.  At  different  times  there 
has  been  a  species  of  panic  as  to  the  approach  of  the  Cattle  Plague  to 
these  shores.  My  advice  was  to  prevent  any  direct  importation  of 
Russian  cattle  from  the  Baltic  ports,  and  to  establish  foreign  stock 
markets  as  stated  above. 

Having  failed  to  get  Government  to  move,  I  strove  to  bring  a  little 
pressure  on  my  countrymen  from  abroad,  and  in  the  month  of  March 
1863,  issued  the  following  circular  : — 

PROPOSED   INTERNATIONAL  CONGRESS  OP   VETERINARY  BURGEONS, 

To  he  held  in  Hamburgh,  from  the  lith  to  the  20th  July  1863. 

It  is  a  fact  well  worthy  of  notice,  that  with  progress  in  the  commercial  relations 
established  between  dififerent  countries,  with  greater  facilities  for  the  transit  and  sale 
of  stock  so  as  to  meet  the  demands  of  Western  Europe,  there  has  been,  during  the 
last  twenty  years,  an  increased  prevalence  of  contagious  disorders. 

The  want  of  accurate  statistics  relating  to  the  losses  sustained  by  plagues  communi- 
cated from  country  to  country,  in  the  lines  of  communication  established  by  trade,  is 
severely  felt.  It  is  owing  to  this  want  that  no  measures  have  been  suggested  to,  or, 
at  all  events,  adopted  by,  the  several  Governments  of  Europe,  for  their  individual  and 
mutuid  benefit ;  and  that  Europe  is  now  suffering,  to  a  very  considerable  extent,  from 
the  system  by  which  one  people  attempts  to  save  itself  from  loss  by  disposing  of  dis- 
eased and  infected  stock  to  another. 

It  is  with  a  view  to  give  an  impetus  to  the  rearing  of  stock — it  is  as  a  means  of 
direct  encouragement  to  agricultural  enterprise — that  it  is  proposed  to  hold  an  Inter- 
national Congress  of  the  Professors  of  Veterinary  Science  at  Hamburgh,  and  of 
members  of  the  Veterinary  profession  generally,  during  the  period  that  agriculturists 
are  invited  to  derive  all  the  advantages  of  an  International  Agricultural  Exhibition. 

It  is  hoped  that  the  representatives  from  different  parts  of  Europe  will  meet 
together  with  an  earnest  desire  to  demonstrate  the  importance  of  Veterinary  Science, 
and  with  a  view  to  suggest  a  uniform  system  throughout  Europe  for  the  prevention 
of  plagues,  that  are  a  source,  at  all  times,  of  pecuniary  loss,  and  not  unfrequently  of 
disease  to  man. 

In  order  to  fulfil  these  objects,  it  is  proposed  that  the  representatives  from  different 
countries  should  communicate  in  the  form  of  essays  as  much  information  as  possible 
on  the  following  points  :— 
Firstly,  on  the  extent  to  -wVicYi  eoT\\a.^Q\«.  ^wi^^'a,  \<t^^^^  \tv  ss^^vt  x^i^ctive 

ntries. 


INAUGURAL  ADDRESS.  565 

Secondly,  on  the  imports  and  exports  of  live  stock,  and  on  the  direction  in  which 
the  plagues  chiefly  spread  in  each  country. 

Thirdly,  on  the  means  recognised  by  the  author  of  the  essay  as  most  effectual  to 
prevent  the  diseases. 

Original  papers  on  any  Veterinary  subject  may  be  read  during  the  International 
Congress. 

It  is,  moreover,  proposed  that,  with  the  aid  of  the  information  thus  obtained,  a 
statement  of  facts  should  be  prepared,  and  resolutions  drawn  up,  to  be  submitted  to 
the  different  Governments  of  Europe,  with  a  view  to  the  institution  of  a  uniform 
system  for  the  protection  of  stock  from  plagues,  which  owe  their  origin,  as  a  rule,  to 
the  climates  and  soils  of  the  East. 

It  will  then  remain  for  the  people  or  the  Governments  of  different  countries  to 
adopt  or  reject  the  propositions  of  those  best  qualified  to  advise  on  the  important 
social  questions  to  be  discussed  at  the  International  Congress.  If  the  advice  be  acted 
on,  the  object  of  the  Congress  will  be  achieved ;  and  if  not,  there  can  be  no  doubt 
that  an  interchange  of  opinion  and  a  iCoUection  of  facts  cannot  fail  to  interest  as  well 
as  benefit  the  Veterinary  profession  in  all  parts  of  Europe. 

The  Congress  was  a  great  success ;  Great  Britain  was  one  of  the 
few  countries  not  officially  represented,  although  from  it  the  idea 
emanated.  Fortunately  the  same  cannot  be  said  of  the  second  Con- 
gress held  during  August  last  in  Vienna. 

I  do  not  wish  to  tire  you  with  an  enumeration  of  the  efforts  made 
to  get  attention  paid  to  filthy  railway  trucks,  dirty  ships,  and  similar 
points  of  great  moment,  but  after  the  Congress  had  been  held  and  a 
direct  trade  of  foreign  cattle  was  increasing  with  the  port  of  Leith,  I 
made  special  inquiries  as  to  the  probabilities  of  Eussian  cattle  being 
brought  direct  to  this  country.  On  the  10th  of  November  1863,  I 
wrote  to  the  Times  as  follows : — "  If  we  are  receiving  Spanish  cattle 
in  very  fine  condition  by  sea,  what  is  to  prevent  a  fast  and  suitably 
built  steamer  landing  at  a  British  port  cattle  shipped  at  Memel  or 
Libau?  Cattle  are  very  cheap  in  Eussia,  and  the  Eussians  are 
turning  their  attention  to  the  management  of  stock.  If  we  do  not 
husband  our  resources  in  the  way  of  producing  and  fattening  animals 
in  the  British  Isles,  we  must  depend  more  and  more  on  the  produce 
of  Eastern  plague-breeding  plains,  and  we  may  find  ourselves,  at  no 
distant  period,  much  worse  off  for  animal  food  than  we  are  at  present, 
notwithstanding  every  facility  being  afforded  for  free  trade  in  stock. 
Dearly-bought  experience  has  demonstrated  to  the  Austrians,  Prus- 
sians, French,  and  others,  that  the  importations  of  cattle  require  con- 
stant supervision.  Your  correspondents  have  this  year  furnished 
valuable  information  concerning  the  cattle  plague  as  it  spread  through 
Turkey,  across  the  Adriatic,  and  into  the  Eoman  States.  The  area 
over  which  this  fearful  malady  has  extended  of  late  has  been  far  wider 
than  usual,  and  it  has  been  found  essential  on  many  occasions  to  en- 
force a  strict  quarantine  and  otherwise  to  interfere  with  the  trade  in 
cattle.  For  the  safety  of  British  stock,  and  for  the  instruction  of 
British  stockowners  in  general,  information  concerning  the  health  of 
animals  in  different  countries  should  be  published  periodically ;  and 
it  would  be  easy  to  devise  a  system  of  showing  the  diseased  and 
healthy  regions  of  Europe  in  maps,  which  any  cattle  dealer  should 
consult.     On  such  maps  the  course  in  which.  i^Vai^<^  «^^^52>>^^  -sss.^ 


5G6  INAUGURAL  ADDEES6. 

perhaps  even  the  extent  and  direction  of  the  cattle  traffic,  could  be 
indicated.  In  a  short  time  such  a  mass  of  information  would  be 
collected  as  to  show  how  we  should  act  to  encourage  the  trade  in 
healthy  animals,  and  effectually  to  guard  against  the  traffic  in  diseased 
ones.'* 

I  must  confess  it  is  rather  hard  to  find  that,  after  many  years*  effort 
and  steady  investigation,  we  should  be  denounced  as  ignorant,  in- 
adequate for  the  occasion,  and  unworthy  of  public  confidence.  Such 
charges  have  not  been  made  against  me  personally,  but  they  have  been 
made  against  my  profession,  and  as  a  member  of  that  profession  I 
feel  them. 

In  reply,  we  can  assert  without  fear  of  contradiction,  that  had  our 
warnings  been  listened  to,  the  cattle  plague  would  not  have  been  im- 
ported into  this  country  last  spring.  Admitting,  for  argument's  sake, 
that  it  might  have  reached  London,  as  it  did,  early  in  June,  if  such 
measures  as  could  have  been  adopted  by  persons  knowing  the  disease 
could  have  been  enforced,  it  would  have  been  stopped  at  once. 
Eational  measures,  such  as  should  have  been  used  since,  have  not 
been  brought  into  operation,  and  because  the  Government  is  power- 
less, or  imperfectly  exercises  its  prerogative,  we  have  the  statement 
made  that  Veterinarians  are  ignorant.  Give  us  full  power  to  direct 
in  matters  which  those  alone  who  have  special  knowledge  of  the 
subject  can  understand,  and  in  three  months  the  disease  will  be 
exterminated.  Continue  as  at  present,  and  three  years  may  not  see 
us  to  the  end  of  it.  In  some  parts  it  must  soon  cease,  as  the  animals 
are  all  dead  or  dying ;  in  others  it  must  penetrate  according  to  the 
activity  of  trade — the  cattle  trade  cannot  be  stopped,  and  should 
indeed  be  disturbed  as  little  as  possible.  There  is  great  reason  for 
regret  that  Professor  Simmonds,  who  saw  the  disease  early  in  June, . 
and  the  Government,  who  issued  an  Order  in  Council  on  the  24th  of 
July,  did  not  adequately  warn  the  farmers  of  the  appearance  of  the 
disease.  Acting  under  the  advice  of  Professor  Simmonds,  the  Govern- 
ment said,  full  five  weeks  after  the  malady  broke  out  in  London, 
"  that  a  contagious  or  infectious  disorder,  of  which  the  nature  is  at 
present  uncertain,  has  lately  appeared  and  now  prevails  among  cattle 
within  the  metropolis  and  in  the  neighbourhood  thereof." 

On  the  29th  of  July  I  arrived  in  London,  and  knew  as  much  of  the 
existence  of  the  steppe  murrain  as  the  country  at  large.  Having 
heard  of  the  strange  disease,  I  visited  several  dairies,  saw  the  malady, 
dissected  some  animals,  and  on  the  31  st  addressed  a  meeting  at  the 
Marylebone  Institution  on  the  subject.  Thanks  to  the  public  press,  it 
was  at  once  known  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land 
that  the  cattle  plague  was  in  the  country,  and  farmers  were  put  on 
their  guard  as  to  purchases  they  might  make.  This  alone  has  saved 
many  a  man  from  serious  loss,  and  it  is  deeply  to  be  regretted  that 
the  alarm  was  not  given  one  month  sooner.  We  formed  the  Naticmal 
Association  for  the  Prevei^Uon  of  Cattle  Diseases,  which  at  once  issued 
circulars  to  railway  coTQpai\Ve^,^l^«.is^c»^X»^xQ^Tv^^^  public 


INAUGURAL  ADDEESS.  567 

bodies  interested  in  the  subject,  and  calling  for  co-operation  so  as  to 
check  the  spread  of  the  most  infectious  of  all  known  diseases.  We 
have  met  frequently,  visited  infected  sheds  or  farms,  given  the  best 
advice  we  could,  and  though  it  has  not  been  in  our  power  to  do  much 
of  late,  I  believe  the  Association  will  be  of  great  service  even  when 
the  cattle  plague  is  forgotten.  I  must  say  that  the  experience  of  the 
Lord  Mayor  and  Corporation  of  the  City  of  London  has  been  partici- 
pated in  by  us,  and  we  find  it  almost  impossible  to  get  the  public  to 
take  that  proper  part  in  a  good  work  which  they  should.  If  we  ask 
an  individual  for  a  guinea  per  annum  for  a  society  having  the  most 
useful  objects  in  view,  the  first  question  he  asks  is,  "  What  are  you 
going  to  give  me  for  the  guinea  ?  Will  you  stand  the  loss  on  my 
stock  if  I  get  the  disease  ?  Will  you  come  down  into  the  country  and 
look  after  my  animals  ? ''  and  so  on.  In  spite  of  all  this,  however,  the 
Association  will  prosper,  and  whenever  it  can  be  of  use,  it  will  not  be 
found  wanting.  It  can  do  much,  though  that  much  is  far  short  of 
what  those  in  authority  have  it  in  their  power  to  do. 

Many  associations  have  been  formed  for  the  insurance  of  cattle,  but 
they  are,  as  a  rule,  working  most  unsatisfactorily;  and  if  the  Govern- 
ment, if  our  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer,  could  bt  guided  so  as  to  , 
benefit  by  the  opportunity,  a  system  could  be  formed  which  would  add 
to  the  public  revenue,  materially  protect  the  farmer,  and  enable  us  to 
kill  out  the  plague.  We  do  not  want  an  indemnity  fund  from  the 
national  purse,  but  we  could  well  do  with  a  national  cattle  insurance 
system,  in  which  every  farmer  would  have  confidence,  and  which  in 
time  would  realise  enough  to  defray  the  expenses  of  proper  super- 
vision, of  a  national  disease  prevention  system,  and  whilst  affording  a 
substantial  security  to  the  farmer  and  his  landlord,  would  help  to  melt 
down  the  national  debt.  These  remarks  are  not  made  without  most 
careful  calculation.  If  the  Government  can  deal  with  the  insurance 
of  human  lives,  which  can  be  carried  on  without  its  assistance,  why 
should  it  not  turn  its  attention  to  the  insurance  of  cattle,  which 
cannot  fairly  be  introduced  into  this  or  other  countries  without  the 
co-operation  of  Government. 

Had  we  an  insurance  system  in  which  all  the  farmers  had  confi- 
dence, we  could  adopt  proper  measures,  and  soon  extinguish  the 
disease.  Many  people  are  impressed  with  the  laudable  idea  that  the 
malady  should  be  cured — that  specifics  might  be  found  for  it.  The 
cattle  plague  is  more  deadly  and  more  infectious  than  any  other 
known  disease  affecting  men  or  animals.  Keeping  stock  in  life  implies 
favouring  extension  of  the  disease,  and  no  fact  has  ever  been  better 
established  than  that  you  must  treat  herds  affected  with  this  malady 
as  you  would  glandered  horses.  Suppose  the  Commander-in-Chief 
issued  an  order  to  compel  Veterinarians  to  treat  or  experiment  on  the 
treatment  of  glandered  horses,  what  would  be  the  result?  Some 
animals  in  which  the  constitutional  taint  was  not  developed,  in  which 
the  disease  was  confined  to  the  nose,  might  recover.  The  number 
thus  cured  would  be  infinitesimally  small,  vfbenea.^  \»\v^  \s»ss^^3t  sjwss.- 


568  INAUGURAL  ADDRESS. 

taminated,  by  keeping  the  glandered  horses  alive  an  honr  longer  than 
we  should,  would  be  enormous.  Much  as  the  opinion  may  jar  against 
those  who  believe  that  God  has  granted  a  remedy  for  every  disease,  I 
assert  that  severe  cases  of  the  Eussian  plague  are  and  ever  must  be 
incurable,  and  you  might  as  well  try  to  revive  a  lobster  after  he  has 
turned  red  in  boiling  water.  Many  animals  afflicted  with  this  disease 
are  from  the  commencement  of  the  attack  virtually  dead,  and  their 
tissues  putrify  long  before  their  heart  ceases  to  beat,  and  their  nervous 
system  is  paralysed  by  death's  process. 

I  shall  not  detain  you  longer  on  this  subject.  In  referring  to  it,  it 
was  my  desire  to  show  that  Veterinary  science  is  of  the  highest  im- 
portance to  any  country.  It  holds  a  position  second  to  no  science  in 
its  utilitarian  aspects,  and  an  efficient  body  of  Veterinarians  can  warn 
and  protect  countries  of  dangers  which  are  greater  even  than  the 
advent  and  dissemination  of  human  cholera,  and  other  forms  of  human 
pestilence.  Cattle  plagues  impoverish  and  weaken  countries.  We  are 
strong  and  wealthy  yet  in  these  dominions ;  but  ruin  our  farmers  and 
stop  our  animal  food  supplies,  provide  no  milk  for  our  children,  and, 
both  in  health  and  substance,  wide-spread  suflTering  must  prevail  It 
is  the  province,  therefore,  of  Veterinarians  to  protect  countries  from 
great  calamities ;  this  is  the  first  object  they  should  have  in  view,  and 
I  regret  much  to  have  to  say  that  in  Great  Britain  this  duty  has  been 
neglected,  in  spite  of  our  having  often  spoken  of  the  duties  imposed 
on  us  as  a  body.  It  is  to  be  hoped  now  we  shall  all  work  hand-in- 
hand  for  the  common  good ;  and  that  our  students  will  no  longer  find 
it  tedious,  as  they  often  have  done,  when  we  devote  a  score  of  lectures 
to  the  deadly  murrains  of  the  world. 

In  conclusion,  permit  me  to  press  on  all  the  claims  of  this  Institu- 
tion to  public  support.  It  owed  its  origin  to  efforts  made  for  the 
prevention  of  the  diseases  of  animals.  I  hold  that  it  is  the  only 
Institution  of  its  kind  that  has  trained  men  for  the  real  object  they 
should  have  in  view,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  it  may  be  treated  according 
to  its  deserts.  We  have  had  some  difficulties  in  getting  all  matters 
fairly  arranged  before  this  date.  If  you  walk  through  this  our  tem- 
porary establishment,  you  wiQ,  I  think,  find  that  the  comforts  of 
students  have  not  been  neglected,  and  the  accommodation  for  our 
patients  is  of  the  best  description.  I  am  happy  to  be  enabled  to  say 
that  after  a  correspondence  which  has  been  extended  over  three 
months,  we  have  finally  secured  the  admirable  plot  of  ground  belong- 
ing to  the  Commissioners  of  Chelsea  Hospital,  and  which,  both  for 
situation  and  extent,  could  not  be  improved  upon  in  this  vast  metro- 
polis. Our  College  will  be  nearly  double  the  size  of  the  largest 
Institutions  in  this  country,  and  whilst  we  do  not  intend  to  cover  as 
much  space  as  that  occupied  by  the  Colleges  of  Alfort  or  Berlin,  as 
our  students  do  not  live  within  the  College  walls,  we  shall  have  better 
accommodation  than  in  any  other  establishment  in  existence  for 
educational  and  all  pTaclical  i^ur^oses. 

It  is  too  long  for  a  counlrj  ^udii  ^  wa  Q>«XL\a\iaN^  lagged  behind 


VETERINARY  RECORDS.  569 

Other  countries,  both  as  to  the  extent  and  character  of  its  Veterinary 
Colleges.  With  your  aid,  with  adequate  public  support,  we  shall 
strive  to  have  in  London  something  better  than  elsewhere.  Until  all 
is  done  as  well  as  it  can  be  done,  I  trust  we  shall  not  rest. 

I  shall  not  detain  you  with  any  special  remarks  as  to  the  curriculum 
of  study  to  be  carried  out  in  this  College,  with  the  exception  of  re- 
ferring to  the  opening  of  an  Agricultural  Course,  which  fits  in  much 
better  with  a  Veterinary  College  than  with  a  University  as  in  Edin- 
burgh. Professor  Coleman  is  so  well  known  to  the. farmers  of 
England,  that  I  need  not  expatiate  on  his  merits.  I  trust  that  in 
time  we  shall  have  a  large  body  of  young  agriculturists  trained  to 
know  how  Veterinarians  can  aid  them,  and  who  can  appreciate  the 
value  of  foresight  in  such  matters  as  disease  prevention. 

To  those  who  enter  the  College  for  the  purpose  of  prosecuting  the 
veterinary  art  as  an  independent  profession,  I  have  only  to  say  that 
they  have  chosen  a  callhig  of  the  greatest  difl&culty  and  importance. 
It  affords  the  greatest  scope  for  the  best  minds  and  the  most  willing 
students.  The  times  are  critical,  and  the  public  eye  upon  us  ;  what 
we  have  to  rely  on  to  extricate  us  from  many  a  dilemma  is  knowledge. 
Sometimes,  as  in  the  present  instance,  in  relation  to  the  cattle  plague, 
our  hands  are  tied  by  routine  and  prejudice.  Those  are  listened  to 
who  have  always  been  on  the  wrong  scent,  but  as  a  rule  you  will  find 
that  the  secret  of  success  in  life  admits  of  curt  expressions  in  two 
words — science  and  industry. 


Veterinary  Records. —  Myelitis  —  JEnonitis  —  in  a  Mare.  By 
George  Armatage,  Prof.  Vet.  Mat.  Med.  in  the  Albert  Veterin- 
ary College,  London. 

My  attention  was  directed  to  a  young  mare,  on  Sunday,  the  16th  of 
April  last,  by  a  friend  to  whom  the  animal  had  been  submitted  for 
an  examination  and  opinion,,  as  the  case  possessed  remarkable  features. 
It  may  add  to  the  interest  of  the  reader  by  entering  into  the  particu- 
lars of  the  history  of  the  animal  from  the  first. 

The  earliest  accounts  we  have  of  her  are,  that  while  yet  only  a 
little  over  a  year  old,  she  was  in  the  hands  of  a  butcher  at  Pram- 
wellgate,  near  Durham,  who  stated  he  bred  her  from  a  half-bred  mare 
of  the  Cleveland  stamp,  by  a  horse  of  a  similar  make,  with  a  degree 
of  blood  on  his  side.  There  was  every  indication  of  the  development 
of  great  strength  in  the  animal,  being  possessed  of  well-formed  parts — 
in  fact,  unusually  so  for  one  her  age,  the  only  apparent  defect  in  con- 
formation being  in  the  heavy  head  and  jaws. 

At  the  time  above-named,  the  owner  was  frequently  observed  driv- 
ing from  Newcastle  market  to  his  home,  a  distance  of  twelve  miles, 
at  a  most  unwarrantable  speed — in  fact,  the  youw^^T^^fevaL^^^s^^^^^^j^^ 


570  VETERINAEY  RECORDS. 

upon  by  all  as  a  prodigy — and,  like  too  many  of  his  class,  often  found 
stopping  a  length  of  tiine  at  a  public-house  on  the  way,  leaving  the 
mare,  covered  with  perspiration,  standing  harnassed  to  the  vehicle 
at  the  door. 

About  December  last  signs  of  dulness  came  on,  with  tendency  to 
hang  the  head,  &c.,  for  which  Mr  G.  Farrow,  M.R.C.V.S.,  Durham, 
prescribed.  These  symptoms  shortly  disappeared,  but  for  a  time 
only,  when  dropping  of  one  ear  and  eyelid,  with  hanging  of  the 
lip,  was  observed.  Blisters  on  the  poll,  and  laxative  medicines  were 
prescribed  in  this  instance,  and  produced  slight  relief. 

Matters  went  on  thus,  and  the  owner  began  to  feel  disconcerted, 
and  at  the  usual  March  fair  at  Durham  she  was  exposed  for  sale. 

Another  butcher,  living  near  me,  who  had  entertained  a  great 
desire  to  possess  the  mare — ^but  knowing  nothing  of  her  ailment- 
proceeded  to  Durham  on  the  information  that  the  owner  had  her  for 
sale.  The  animal,  however,  had  been  disposed  of  to  a  horse-coper, 
and  from  him  my  neighbour  purchased  her.  A  few  days  after  the 
symptoms  made  their  appearance,  and  a  friend  was  consulted.  Little 
satisfaction  was  gained  by  the  purchase  of  an  animal,  which  had 
once  appeared  so  promising ;  treatment  afforded  no  relief.  When 
used  in  the  cart  great  danger  was  apprehended,  and  at  length  she 
was  turned  aside  loose  in  a  stable. 

At  the  time  I  saw  her  first,  on  the  date  named  above,  and  a  Uttle 
more  than  a  fortnight  after  the  purchase,  the  symptoms  were  aggra- 
vated, and  somewhat  as  follows  : — 

The  mare  was  standing  reversed  in  the  stall,  exhibiting  signs  of 
great  uneasiness,  loins  arched,  and  stiffness  of  all  the  extremities, 
flanks  tucked  up,  and  covered  with  perspiration.  Pulse  96,  and 
oppressed.  Mucous  membranes  injected,  respiration  regidar,  but 
long  and  louder  than  normal.  Urine  and  foeces  had  been  passed 
without  difficulty  during  the  day  and  preceding  night 

As  she  stands  she  trembles  much,  and  scrapes  with  alternate  fore- 
feet, and  afterwards  turns  round  repeatedly  in  the  stall,  but  with 
very  great  diflBculty,  as  nearly  in  a  circle  as  circumstances  will  admit, 
exhibiting  every  likelihood  of  a  fall  to  the  ground.  Breathing  is 
excited,  and  becomes  stetorous,  but  is  described  as  not  being  so  bad 
during  these  paroxysms  as  it  occurred  a  few  days  ago.  The  eyes  are 
bright  and  glistening,  and  ears  appear  to  be  active;  but  when  examined 
carefully,  and  especially  when  she  stands  for  a  few  seconds,  the  eyelid, 
ear,  and  lip  of  the  left  side  hangs  pendulous,  the  former  giving  the 
appearance  of  sleep.  As  soon,  however,  as  the  usual  gyrations  are 
again  commenced,  muscular  action  takes  place,  and  they  are  moved 
spasmodically,  but  not  freely. 

The  attendant  excitement  is  evidently  increasing,  together  with  the 

great  tendency  to  fall ;  the  feet  are  raised  inordinately  high  when  she 

moves,  there  is  no  proper  control  over  their  action,  and  she  reels  very 

much. 

A  small  quantity  ol  A.\»OLg^«s&^^'Sfc^'«i\xs^  ^\^%^\^^,%ad  I  noticed 


VETERINARY  RECORDS.  571 

the  tail  was  not  raised  much,  and  the  f  oecal  matter  was  evacuated  in 
almost  a  passive  manner. 

On  pinching  or  pricking  the  skin,  there  was  only  slight  evidence 
of  pain;  the  insensibility  in  the  hinder  quarters  was  even  more 
intense. 

In  an  hour  she  had  fallen,  and  was  unable  to  rise.  I  destroyed 
her  by  taking  up  the  carotid  artery  of  the  right  side. 

Post-mortem  examination,  Monday  evening,  17th  April,  at  5  p.m.. 

The  animal  had  bled  well,  as  evinced  by  the  pale  condition  of 
the  muscles  of  the  trunk,  limbs,  &c. 

The  liver  was  the  only  diseased  portion  within  the  abdomen.  It 
was  of  a  pale  drab  colour,  easily  torn,  and  contained  no  secretion  or 
blood.  TJpon  the  posterior  surface  of  the  lohus  spigelii  was  an  em- 
physematous swelling  about  the  size  of  a  crown  piece  in  area,  and 
raised  in  the  form  of  a  half  sphere  to  the  extent  of  one  and  a  half 
inches.  The  substance  of  the  gland  was  soft  and  pasty,  and  of  the 
same  colour  as  the  outer  side.     Structure  throughout  irrecognisaWe. 

The  heart  weighed  near  eight  pounds.  The  auricles,  especially 
that  on  the  right  side,  were  extremely  thin  and  membranous  in  several 
places ;  the  finger  inserted  beneath  could  be  plainly  seen  from  the 
upper  side. 

The  right  ventricle  was  greatly  dilated  and  flabby.  Water  poured 
dovm  the  pulmonary  artery,  entered  the  right  ventricle  without  the 
least  opposition.  Water  poured  down  the  aorta  did  not  descend  into 
the  left  ventricle  without  obstruction,  but  eventually  did  so,  although 
very  slowly. 

The  auriculo-venticular  and  semilunar  valves  were  dark  coloured, 
and  thickened,  being  semi-opaque.  Small  shreds  of  reddened  fibrine 
were  scattered  over  the  inner  surface  of  the  ventricles,  adhering  to 
the  chordce,  tendinoe,  and  valves.  Symptoms  of  blood  changes  were 
present  in  the  shape  of  black  patches  beneath  the  endocardium,  with- 
in and  outside  the  organ.  In  other  respects  the  animal  appeared 
beautifully  healthy. 

The  spinal  chord  was  exposed  throughout  its  entire  length,  the 
whole  chain  of  bones  being  softened,  infiltrated,  and  of  a  deep  red 
colour  from  the  presence  of  blood  within  the  cancellated  structure.  In 
almost  every  part  the  chord  was  surrounded  by  fat,  some  portions  of 
which  were  of  a  bright  yellow  colour,  and  in  others  darker,  with  a 
tinge  of  red.  Over  the  points  of  origin  of  the  first  and  second  dorsal 
nerves  was  a  great  accumulation  of  fat,  the  nerves  themselves  being 
of  a  dirty  violet  colour  for  some  distance.  From  this  part  towards 
the  head  the  chord  was  enlarged  in  places,  the  dura  mater  being 
united  to  it  by  adventitious  matter  thrown  out  from  the  arachnoid 
membrane. 

In  no  portion,  however,  did  the  chord  fill  the  canal ;  it  exhibited 
enlargements  here  and  there,  with  constrictions,  as  if  a  sharp  thread 
had  been  tightly  tied  round  it,  and  altogether  atrophied,  the  mem- 
branes surrounding  it  being  filled  by  a  thin  redd\s\vAQ><^V^YCi%  *§sscs.^> 


572  VETERINABY  RECORDS. 

particularly  in  the  mid-cervical  and  lunbar  regions.  Blood  vessels 
throughout  conjested. 

The  brain  was  conjested  on  the  supra-lateral  parts  of  each  hemi- 
sphere, and  also  over  the  base.  The  lateral  ventricles  were  normal 
The  third  ventricle  contained  a  moderate  quantity  of  transparent 
colourless  fluid ;  the  fourth  was  nearly  filled. 

A  stiff  creamy-looking  matter  was  deposited  thickly  on  the  upper 
side  of  the  medulla  oblongata,  covering  the  posterior  surface  of  the 
cerebellum  to  the  extent  of  three-eighths  of  an  inch  forwards  and 
upwards,  and  extending  downwards  on  each  side  along  the  base  of 
the  brain,  as  far  as  the  optic  nerves.  The  depressions  which  sepa- 
rate the  various  objects  recognised  in  this  locality  were  completely 
filled  by  it,  particularly  the  tuber  cinerium  and  posterior  perforated 
space,  and  also  round  the  origin  of  the  second,  third,  fourth,  and 
fifth  pairs  of  nerves.  It  extended  also  backwards  on  the  medulla  to 
the  extent  of  two  inches ;  here  it  was  thick  and  creamy. 

The  substance  of  the  brain  proper,  and  also  cerebellum,  appeared 
perfectly  well  developed  and  healthy. 

General  Remarks. — ^We  need  not  be  at  any  loss  how  to  account 
for  the  disease  in  the  subject  of  the  above  notice.  Work,  irregular 
in  its  imposition,  and  uncertain  in  its  duration,  produces  effects  of 
the  most  pernicious  nature,  even  in  seasoned  animals,  and  will 
recur  with  double  effect  on  the  young  and  inunature.  At  times  the 
animal  was  employed  for  carting  work,  drawing  stones,  &c.,  for 
builders,  materisd  for  the  repair  of  roads,  or  coals  from  the  neighbour- 
ing collieries ;  and  at  others,  as  we  have  seen,  doing  her  fourteen 
miles  an  hour,  with  three  or  four  roystering  fellows  in  a  heavy 
vehicle,  which  is  erroneously  called  a  "  light''  cart.  At  twelve  months 
old  the  bit  was  put  into  her  mouth,  and  in  three  weeks,  or  there- 
abouts, put  to  work  as  we  have  described,  being  considered  fully 
broken  in,  and  possessing  a  very  docile  spirit,  soon  was  denominated 
a  favourite  ;  but  taking  into  account  the  treatment  inflicted,  I  cannot 
for  my  part  understand  the  term. 

Throughout  the  succeeding  twelve  or  fourteen  months  this  treat- 
ment was  regularly  imposed,  and  was  considered  to  be  a  promising 
specimen  of  greater  speed  and  bodily  strength.  From  the  mode  of 
usage  employed,  several  attacks  of  influenza  supervened,  which  in 
each,  save  one,  domestic  treatment  was  allowed  to  suflBce.  There  may 
have  existed  an  inherent  predisposition  towards  the  cerebral  and 
meningeal  affection  by  natural  capacity  and  other  causes,  depending 
upon  an  unusual  heaviness  and  unsymmetrical  form  of  the  head  and 
upper  part  of  the  neck,  which  would  favour  the  existence  or  prolong 
action  of  disease  in  the  locality.  The  appetite  was  stated  to  be 
always  "  first  rate,"  and  taking  into  account  the  ignorance  which  pre- 
vails as  to  the  recognition  of  a  healthy  consumption  and  a  ravenous 
craving,  we  may  not  inaptly  conclude  that  evidences  are  not  wanting 
to  establish  the  iacit  t\i?A.  >3cl^  ^<i€\i^  iox  i^^^^^^^a  inordinate.    The 


DISEASE  IN  THE  FEET.  573 

last  owner  stated  she  was  always  ready  for  food,  and  **  would  eat 
anything."  The  attacks  of  influenza  also  are  stated  to  have  generally 
affected  the  head,  the  prevailing  symptoms  being  dulness,  prostration, 
and  tendency  to  coma,  with  sore  throat,  &c. 

The  most  rational  conclusions  to  be  arrived  at  in  the  case  are  also 
materially  assisted  by  the  knowledge  that  the  creature  was  only  a 
little  over  two  years  old  when  an  end  was  put  to  her  existence. 


Disease  in  the  Feet.    By  Alfred  J.  Owles,  Veterinary  Surgeon, 
First  Class,  General  Staff. 

Diminution  of  size  and  alteration  in  the  form  of  bones  are  not  always 
attended  with  diseased  structure ;  the  lower  jaw  of  the  horse  changes 
greatly  in  both  respects  as  age  advances,  but  no  one  thinks  of  calling 
that  a  diseased  condition.  In  like  manner,  the  coffin  and  navicular 
bones  are  frequently  altered  in  outline,  and  whenever  contraction  of 
the  hoof  exists,  the  pedal  bone  is  wasted  in  substance  also  ;  in  fact, 
a  relative  alteration  of  position  takes  place  in  the  bones  of  the  extri- 
mities  as  work  and  age  tell  upon  them.  This  is  gradual  and  pro- 
gressive, but  quickest  in  the  lower  parts  of  the  legs  and  feet.  Still 
an  animal  cannot  be  called  a  diseased  one  because  he  is  "worn," 
whereas  any  of  the  bones  or  other  tissues  may  suddenly  become 
really  diseased,  although  not  any  of  the  above  changes  had  perceptibly 
commenced  in  them.  I  do  not  infer  from  this  that  a  wasted  condi- 
tion, and  a  relative  alteration  in  the  position  of  bones  to  each  other, 
are  not  predisposing  causes  to  structural  disease,  but,  in  themselves, 
these  changes  do  not  constitute  disease,  such  as  produces  lameness ; 
of  course  I  except  malformations.  Many  horses  with  contracted  feet 
go  sound  all  their  lives,  notwithstanding  a  considerable  wasting  of  the 
pedal  bone  exists ;  on  the  other  hand,  disease  of  the  tissues,  within 
the  hoof,  may  occur  suddenly  in  parts  previously  natural  in  every 
respect  so  far  as  man  can  detect.  Tendons,  bones,  ligaments,  and 
synovial  membranes  are  liable  to  sudden  injuries  from  sprains,  &c., 
which  produce  lameness  in  any  and  every  part  of  the  extremities.  The 
navicular  bursa  is  no  exception  to  this  rule,  and  disease  frequently 
exists  in  the  structures  forming  this  joint  prior  to  any  of  the  changes 
alluded  to  above. 

Perhaps  a  brief  description  of  a  fracture  at  the  anterior  margin  of 
the  navicular  bone,  and  of  ossification  of  the  interosseous  ligament  of 
the  opposite  foot,  near  to  its  insertion  into  the  navicular  bone,  may 
prove  interesting  to  some  readers,  and,  it  is  possible,  tend  to  excite  a 
spirit  of  research  in  this  direction  also.  The  specimens  were  taken 
from  the  feet  of  a  horse  eighteen  years  old,  which  had  been  carrying 
nearly  eighteen  stone  within  a  short  time  of  his  death.  This  horse,  I 
am  assured,  was  never  lame  in  his  feet ;  they  were  sQixv^^\sa^  ^'3^- 


574         LACERATION  OP  THE  PAROTIDEAN  REGION. 

tracted,  however.  Both  navicular  bones  are  large  and  strong  looking, 
and  each  had,  when  fresh,  a  well  marked  sulcus  on  the  inferior 
ridge  (similar  to  the  sulci  found  in  the  astragalus) ;  the  fibre  cartilage 
and  its  lining  synovial  membrane  appeared  healthy.  I  cannot  regard 
the  sulci  otherwise  than  as  their  normal  condition,  although  an  unusual 
one  in  these  articulations.  One  of  the  bones  at  its  anterior  margin  had 
a  fractured  piece  of  bone  adhering  to  it,  mainly  by  the  articular  fibro- 
cartilage,  which  appeared  quite  healthy  over  the  seat  of  fracture,  and 
elsewhere ;  the  free  edge  of  the  fractured  piece  projected  beyond  the 
natural  outline  of  the  bone,  and  had  the  ligament  inserted  into  it ; 
this  bulging  did  not  appear  to  be  due  to  displacement,  but  rather  to 
a  growth  of  bone,  commencing  in  a  point  of  ossification  in  the  liga- 
ment, near  to  its  attachment  into  the  navicular  bone,  into  which  the 
ossification  extended ;  the  exostosis  thus  formed  constitutes  the  main 
portion  of  the  fractured  piece  of  bone.  The  other  bone  has  no  frac- 
ture, but  ossific  deposit  had  commenced  in  the  interosseous  ligament,  at 
the  spot  corresponding  with  the  seat  of  fracture  in  the  othei/foot,  and 
would  doubtless  have  ended  in  an  exostosis  at  the  margin  of  this 
bone  also,  as  it  had  extended  to  the  insertion  of  the  ligament  into  it, 
although  the  conversion  into  bone  was  not  yet  complete.  An  ordinary 
fracture  of  the  navicular  bone  results  from  ulceration  and  wasting  of 
the  bone  itself;  the  one  just  described  evidently  arose  from  ossifica- 
tion of  a  portion  of  the  anterior  ligament,  rather  than  from  a  change 
in  the  bone — query :  Were  the  fractures  described  in  your  Journal 
for  May  last  of  the  same  nature  ?  I  am  not  prepared  to  state  the 
precise  way  that  ossification  of  the  ligament  at  this  point  leads  to  a 
fracture  at  or  near  its  junction  in  the  navicular  bone,  but  that  it  is  a 
condition  sometimes  found,  I  have  the  proof,  and  that  it  may  occur 
without  producing  any  great  disturbance,  the  account  given  above  of 
the  horse  also  establishes.  Facts  cannot  be  upset  by  theory.  The 
latter  I  will  leave  for  the  present. 


Laceration  of  the  Parotidean  Region,  penetrating  to  the  Pharynx. 
By  D.  MacGregor,  Esq.,  Veterinary  Surgeon,  Seaton,  DelavaL 

From  the  peculiarity  of  the  following  case,  I  presume  to  think  it  may 
be  of  interest  to  some  of  your  readers. 

On  December  5,  1864,  I  was  called  to  see  a  gray  horse  said  to  be 
afiected  with  colic.  The  animal  worked  in  a  coal  mine,  the  stables  of 
which  were  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  shaft.  On  reaching  the  stable 
I  was  surprised  to  find  my  patient  bleeding  from  the  left  nostril,  and 
a  large  wound  visible  on  the  left  side  of  the  head,  situate  on  the  paro- 
tic  ghndy  midway  betweeiv  ftv^  \>^§>^  q\  \kv<$i  ^^y  and  the  angle  of  the 
lower  jaw.     On  making  \Tvc\vx\ms»  ^o\yX.  'Ooas*  \\v^>ox^  ,  W"«x?c^»  I^^^ss,  one 


LACEBATION  OF  THE  PAEOTIDEAN  BEGION.        575 

of  tbe  woriuuen  that  the  animal,  being  seized  with  "  gnpes^"  whilst 
at  work,  began  to  roll  about  with  its  harness  on ;  in  his  struggles 
one  of  the  hame  sticks  penetrated  the  head. 

On  his  rising  his  violence  increased,  and  the  man  above-mentioned, 
on  taking  hold  of  his  head,  observed  the  hame  sticking  into  his  head. 
So  fast  in  was  the  iron  that  the  man  had  to  exert  himself  considerably 
to  withdraw  it.  I  was  shown  the  hame,  which  is  of  solid  iron,  with 
a  small  hook  at  the  end.  The  overman  of  the  pit,  who  was  present, 
told  me  that  this  ugly  implement  had  penetrated  seven  inches,  he 
having  measured  it  with  his  tape  line.  Any  doubts  I  might  have  had 
as  to  the  veracity  of  the  statement  were  dispelled  by  my  own  inspec- 
tion, for  the  hame  was  covered  for  between  six  and  seven  inches.  On 
carefully  exploring  the  wound  with  a  probe,  I  found  that  it  took  an 
oblique  direction  from  above  downwards  and  forwards,  lacerating  in 
its  course  the  parotid  gland,  the  internal  masseter  muscle,  &c.,  and 
penetrating,  I  should  think,  to  the  posterior  nares. 

How  the  numerous  and  important  blood-vessels  and  nerves  escaped 
is  a  miracle ;  that  they  did  so,  however,  is  evident  from  the  compara^ 
lively  slight  hemorrhage,  and  the  ultimate  recovery  of  the  animal 
Promising  to  see  him  next  day,  I  left,  having  given  him  a  dose  of 
medicine,  cleansed  the  wound  with  warm  water,  and  ordered  sloppy 
diet. 

Dea  6. — On  visiting  the  animal  to-day  found  him  very  feverish, 
palse  80,  breathing  accelerated,  skin  hot,  ears  and  extremities  cold. 
I  therefore  bled  him  to  the  extent  of  four  quarts.  Wishing  to  see 
how  he  swallowed,  I  had  some  water  given  him,  when,  to  my  chagrin, 
at  every  mouthful  he  took  the  larger  portion  was  ejected,  not  only 
through  both  nostrils,  but  through  the  wound  over  the  parotid.  The 
jet  from  this  wound  was  mingled  with  saliva.  Ordered  a  continua- 
tion of  sloppy  food,  as  bran  mashes,  flour  gruel,  and  linseed,  also  kept 
a  man  using  continual  fomentations. 

Dec.  7. — To-day  he  appeared  much  better,  had  eaten  his  mash 
pretty  well  In  the  evening  he  was  drawn  from  the  pit,  (owing  to 
unavoidable  circumstances  I  could  not  get  him  out  sooner,)  and  placed 
in  a  loose  box.  In  a  short  time  he  showed  symptoms  of  pain  in  the 
head,  with  nose  protruded ;  he  wandered  about  the  box  in  a  restless, 
unsettled  manner,  now  and  then  shaking  his  head.  I  had  the  fomen- 
tations continued,  and  gave  an  opiate  to  allay  the  pain.  In  this  state 
he  continued  for  four  or  five  days,  during  which  time  I  continued  the 
same  treatment  as  above,  nursing  the  animal  as  much  as  possible 
with  nutritious  drinks.  After  this  all  the  bad  symptoms  left  him, 
save  that  be  could  not  masticate  hay  or  com,  which  state  of  aflairs 
lasted  for  nearly  a  month.  He  was  kept  alive  on  mashes,  &c  The 
wound  was,  however,  very  troublesome,  as  the  food  worked  its  way 
into  it,  and  thus  produced,  with  the  aid  of  the  saliva,  a  fistula.  I  had 
this  fistula  cleansed  frequently  by  injecting  warm  water  into  it,  and, 
strange  to  say,  the  injections  always  passed  into  the  nasal  chambers^ 
and  out  by  the  nostrils,  showing  a  direct  ^om\£L\X2[iv^\^\i  V^ 
Vol.  J.-lfo.  XL— New  SEaiES.    lJo\i»iBit^  \%^S.  '^'^ 


576  THE  SOCIAL  SCaCKCE  00KGBX8S. 

established.  The  ftnimal,  at  about  the  end  of  a  month  from  receiving 
the  injury,  could  again  eat  hay  pretty  well  The  food  did  not  now 
pass  out  through  the  wound,  but  the  saliva  did,  and  I  was  much 
afraid  that  he  would  have  a  permanent  fistula.  However,  I  deter- 
mined upon  trying  the  actual  cautery,  which  I  applied  to  the  external 
opening,  and  was  rewarded  by  eflfectually  closing  it  on  the  third  ap- 
plication. 


THE  SOCIAL  SCIENCE  CONGRESS. 

The  business  of  the  various  departments  of  this  Congress  was  re- 
sumed on  Saturday  morning.  One  of  the  most  interesting  papers 
was  read  in  the  department  of  Health,  by  Professor  Gamgea 

Dr  Lankestek,  the  chairman  of  this  department,!  briefly  intro- 
duced the  Professor  by  referring  to  the  importance  of  the  subject  with 
which  the  paper  dealt. 

Professor  Gamgee  said,  there  are  probably  not  a  few  here  as- 
sembled who  will  participate  in  the  feeling  expressed  by  the  learned 
chairman  of  the  public  health  section  of  this  association,  that  the 
present  meeting  should  not  be  permitted  to  disperse  without  special 
reference  to,  and  some  discussion  on,  that  all-absorbing  topic — ^the 
Russian  cattle  plague.  This  most  malignant  of  all  fevers  is  one  of 
the  indigenous  maladies  of  the  East.  From  time  to  time,  during 
centuries  past,  it  has  lurked  in  the  Asiatic  and  European  steppes, 
killing  slowly  the  rude  gray  oxen  of  the  Russians,  and  exterminating 
the  cattle  of  districts  and  countries  to  which  it  is  usually  foreign. 
There  is  some  ground  for  the  belief  that  the  pure  breed  of  Eastern 
plains  enjoys  some  immunity  against  the  disease,  and  it  is  not  a  little 
owing  to  the  frequent  mildness  of  its  attacks  in  the  herds  of  the 
Cossack  and  the  Tartar  that  renders  not  only  possible,  but  tolerably 
easy,  the  conveyance  of  infected  herds  from  their  original  homes  to 
parts  where  their  introduction  may  lead  to  widespread  mortality  and 
famine.  Not  unfrequently  the  active  agents  in  the  propagation  of 
the  plague  have  been  droves  of  sick  oxen  dying  on  the  roadside,  and 
otherwise  indicating  their  real  and  very  dangerous  condition.  Such, 
indeed,  was  the  case  during  outbreaks  noted  in  history,  and  which  oc- 
curred in  the  13th,  17th,  18th,  and  the  present  centuries.  The 
campaigns  of  the  First  Napoleon  in  Central  and  Eastern  Europe  are 
memorable  for  the  facilities  they  afforded,  owing  to  the  active  move- 
ments of  prodigious  forces  engaged  in  war,  for  the  dissemination  of 
the  cattle  plague  over  the  greater  part  of  the  Eiux)pean  continent 
With  imperfect  means  of  transport,  the  presence  of  large  armies  in 
hostile  countries,  it  was  often  necessary  to  provide  thousands  of  oxen 
for  the  transport  service,  and  the  supply  of  animal  food  for  the 
soldiers.  The  system  o^  tiaiimw  and  intermingling  of  stock  thus  fos- 
tered could  not  fail  to  affoiA.  \Jcl^  \i^^\»  ^^ii^^^  Wxlwt  propagation  of 


THE  SOCIAL  SCIENCE  CONGRESS.  577 

contagious  disorders;  and,  all  absorbed  with  means  of  oflfence  or 
defence  in  relation  to  each  other,  the  people  of  various  countries  had 
little  chance  of  adopting  rational  and  efficient  means  whereby  to 
arrest  the  progress  of  the  Einderpest.  The  battle  of  Waterloo  not 
only  sealed  Napoleon's  fate,  but  amongst  the  unknown  blessings  it 
bestowed  on  us  was  protection  from  this  dreaded  pestilence.  A  long 
period  of  peace  resulted  in  the  promotion  of  agriculture  as  of  other 
useful  arts.  Governments  fostered  measures  which  might  in  ordinary 
times  protect  countries  from  bovine  epizootics,  and  the  disease  which 
in  1814  swept  away  the  herds  of  Germany,  Switzerland,  and  France, 
fell  back  into  its  old  haunts,  and  has  committed  less  havoc  since. 
The  remarkable  outbreaks  of  1830,  1841,  1844,  1849,  1857,  and 
1863,  wide  in  their  distribution  as  they  no  doubt  were,  could  not  be 
compared  to  some  of  the  older  ones ;  and  instead  of  following  the 
cannon's  roar,  they  appeared  silently  on  the  great  roads  of  commerce, 
and  mostly  in  a  direction  from  east  to  south-west,  into  Egypt  or 
across  Turkey  and  Hungary,  as  far  even  as  the  Pontifical  States. 
The  periodic  extensions  of  the  malady  in  the  lines  of  communication 
established  by  trade  led  to  our  attention  being  forcibly  directed  to  the 
subject,  as  the  importation  of  foreign  stock  increased  in  this  country. 
We  knew  that  so  soon  as  any  direct  communication  was  established 
by  cattle-dealers  between  Eussia  and  England,  the  murrain  of  the 
steppes  could  not  fail  to  be  imported.  This  opinion  we  expressed 
repeatedly,  and  even  indicated  that  the  malady  would  reach  us 
through  the  Baltic.  All  we  wanted,  was,  that  any  cargo  of  cattle 
direct  from  Eussia  should  be  subjected  here  to  regulations  such  as 
those  which  are  in  force  in  Austria  and  Prussia ;  but  we  were  freely 
told  that,  until  the  cattle  plague  came,  no  one  would  be  convinced 
of  the  importance  of,  or  necessity  for,  such  measures.  The  cattle 
plague  has  come ;  it  has  reached  us  through  the  Baltic ;  and  though 
we  may  return  the  compliment  to  the  Eussians  if  they  now  want 
breeding  stock,  it  is  evident  that  ere  this  the  ports  should  have  been 
closed  to  direct  importations  from  Eussia,  even  though  we  were  only 
shutting  the  door  after  the  steed  was  stolen.  There  is  much  reason 
for  regret  that  the  public  press  in  this  country  has  in  too  many 
instances  attempted  to  throw  discredit  on  those  who  have  insisted  on 
the  truth  that  the  plague  now  destroying  our  cattle  is,  and  only 
could  be,  an  importation  from  Eussia.  As  we  are  compelled  to  trace 
plagues  in  men  and  animals  to  their  origin,  if  we  wish  to  devise 
means  for  their  prevention,  it  is  evident  that  in  relation  to  the  pre- 
sent outbreak  it  was  necessary  to  ascertain  all  we  could  as  to  its 
cause.  To  those  who  have  studied  the  cattle  plague  in  times  past— 
to  those  who  have  fathomed  the  literature  of  the  subject,  and  not 
only  seen  the  disease  abroad,  but  mingled  with  men  who  have  had  the 
greatest  amount  of  experience  respecting  it — no  other  view  could 
possibly  meet  with  favour  but  that  which  ascribed  the  malady  to 
direct  or  indirect  importation  from  Eussia.  It  is  certain  that  to  the 
west  of  the  Czar's  dominions  the  plaga^  u^^et  Qx\^^\fc%  ^-^^jJ^sfic^ft;- 


578  THE  SOCIAL  SCISNCB  CONGRESS. 

ously.  That  is  a  truth  as  much  established  in  the  minds  of  scientific 
men  as  the  preservative  influence  of  vaccination  against  small-pox 
in  man,  or  the  purely  contagious  character  of  the  sheep-pox.  When 
I  first  saw  the  steppe  murrain  amongst  the  cows  of  the  London  sheds, 
on  the  29th  of  Jidy,  I  knew  that  the  disease  must  have  been  imported. 
On  making  inquiries,  we  found  that  a  cargo  of  Russian  cattle  and 
sheep  had  been  brought  from  Revel  to  Hull.  It  was  the  first  cargo 
that  had  yet  come  direct  to  us  from  a  Russian  port ;  and  fourteen 
days  after  a  portion  of  that  cargo  was  first  exposed  in  the  Metro- 
politan Cattle  Market  the  strange  disease  was  seen  in  Copenhagen- 
fields.  This  fact  alone  was  startling,  and  satisfactory  enough.  The 
result  bore  out  the  predictions .  that  had  repeatedly  been  made^  and 
we  proceeded  somewhat  further  to  strengthen  our  belief  in  the  fact 
that  the  disease  really  came  through  the  Baltic.  An  agricultural 
society  in  Esthonia  had  agreed  to  supply  a  certain  number  of  cattle 
and  sheep,  free,  on  board  a  steamer  at  Revel  That  society  had  insuper- 
able difficulties  in  fulfilling  its  contract,  from  the  scarcity  of  oxen 
fit  for  the  London  market.  The  terms  of  agreement  with  the  London 
salesmen  were  that  the  animals  were  to  be  supplied  free  on  board  fit 
for  the  London  trade,  but  many  of  the  cattle  (Ud  not  come  up  to  the 
proper  standard  of  weight  and  fatness.  The  number  supplied  was 
short,  and  46  animals  were  obtained  from  St  Petersburg  to  make  up 
the  cargo ;  but  their  condition  was  so  bad  that  only  thirteen  of  them 
were  chosen  by  the  person  representing  the  London  importers.  Of  all 
the  cattle  brought  to  Revel  to  be  shipped  for  London,  three  had  to  be 
slaughtered  diseased  by  a  butcher ;  a  fourth  died  in  the  yard  before 
being  delivered  on  board,  and  an  action  was  brought  against  the 
English  agent  for  the  price  of  this  animal,  which  he  would  not,  and 
did  not  pay.  A  fifth  animal  showed  signs  of  illness  on  the  passage, 
and  when  the  cargo  arrived  oflF  a  Danish  port,  a  letter  was  sent  from 
the  London  salesmen  intimating  that  "the  things,"  meaning  the 
cattle,  should  be  taken  to  Lowestoft,  instead  of  London,  so  as  to  avoid 
the  doctors.  For  some  reason  or  other,  they  were  afterwards  landed 
still  farther  from  London,  at  the  port  of  Hull,  and  there  subdivided 
for  sale  at  different  markets.  One  half  left  Hull  for  London  at  once, 
and  that  half  propagated  the  disease.  Why  the  other  half  did  not  do 
so  is  of  no  importance  to  us,  as  we  constantly  find,  in  tracing  conta- 
geous  diseases  amongst  cattle,  that,  two  farmers  having  bought  a  herd 
between  them,  the  one  half  purchased  by  one  man  remains  in  health, 
and  the  other  half  dies.  The  cattle  sent  to  London  stood  the  London 
market  on  the  1st  of  June,  and  some  of  them  were  exposed  again 
afterwards  for  sale.  They  must  have  communicated  the  disease  to 
foreign  cows  near  them,  for  it  was  these  cows  which  conveyed  the 
malady  into  the  London  sheds.  On  the  24th  and  27th  of  June  the 
plague  was  already  raging  in  difierent  dairies,  and  since  then  it  has 
been  widely  disseminated.  I  am  perfectly  satisfied  of  the  evidence  at 
my  disposal  on  this  q)i^s\)\0Ti,  ^xA  ^oTCkfc  ot  which  I  need  not  enter 
further  on  this  occasion  •,  \>u\.  \\»  m^^  ^xOviii^^\ifc'^^^isigp^  that  our 


THE  SOCIAL  SCIENCE  CONGBESS^  579 

* 

Government  should  have  caused  inquiries  to  be  made  as  to  the  whole 
history  of  the  cargo  from  Kevel,  and  not  through  consuls,  but  through 
competent  veterinarians  and  others,  who  could  be  trusted  to  sift  the 
question  thoroughly.  The  chance  has  been  allowed  to  slip,  as  the 
Esthonians  are  now  not  likely  to  divulge  what  might  injure  their  pros- 
pects of  trade  in  future,  and  interested  parties  have  taken  proper  pre- 
cautions to  place  people  on  their  guard.  For  me  the  strong  points  in 
the  case  are  :  Firstly,  the  previous  knowledge  of  the  fact  that  the  dis- 
ease could  only  reach  us  through  the  Baltic ;  secondly,  the  fact  that  the 
cargo  imported  last  May  were  the  first  direct  from  Eussia ;  thirdly,  the 
slaughter  and  death  of  cattle  at  Bevel,  and  the  sickness  of  an  animal 
on  board  the  ship ;  fourthly,  taking  the  animals  to  a  port  distant  from 
London,  so  as  to  avoid  the  doctors ;  fifthly  and  lastly,  the  manifesta- 
tions of  the  plague  just  after  the  animals  had  been  exposed  in  the 
Metropolitan  Market.  I  have  thought  it  proper  to  enter  at  length 
into  this  statement,  as  there  are  many  people  who  have  been  seriously 
misled  by  the  fancies  and  suppositions  of  those  whose  knowledge  of 
the  cattle  plague  is  of  the  most  superficial  description.  Some  may 
still  think  we  are  too  positive  in  our  assertions  on  this  point ;  and 
there  are  those  who  charge  us  with  want  of  modesty  for  openly  assert- 
ing what  we  believe  to  be  the  truth  in  relation  to  the  origin,  progress, 
and  prevention  of  the  cattle  plague.  Unfortunately,  we  well  know 
that  veterinary  science  in  this  country  has  been  most  imperfectly 
taught  and  studied.  We  are  free  to  admit  that  on  a  host  of  subjects 
there  is  occasion  for  deep  regret  that  so  little  has  been  learned,  and 
we  are  conscious  of  the  fact  that  extraordinary  eflforts  are  required  to 
raise  the  status  and  improve  the  knowledge  of  the  veterinarian.  But 
we  are  asked  to  confess  ignorance  on  the  disease  now  ravaging  our 
herds.  We  are  told  "that  there  is  no  existing  disease  respecting 
which  medical  men  would  dogmatise  so  unhesitatingly  as  the  veteri- 
nary surgeons  have  done  respecting  the  cattle  plague  ;'*  and  we  are 
told  '*  that  the  doctors  are  looked  up  to  because  they  have  done  good 
work,  because  they  have  diminished  the  fatality  of  our  human  diseases, 
and  are  daily  at  least  endeavouring  to  acquire  new  victories  over 
nature."  Now,  gentlemen,  at  the  risk  of  being  deemed  ostentatious, 
I  repeat  that  the  ignorance  has  existed  on  the  part  of  those  who  have 
done  all  they  could  to  weaken  our  influence  in  the  eyes  of  the  world. 
There  is  scarcely  a  medical  subject  on  which  you  would  engage  to 
find  a  hundred  of  the  best  men  that  can  be  had  unanimous  in  their 
opinion ;  but  we  have  had  congresses  with  nearly  200  of  the  most 
learned  veterinarians  in  Europe,  where,  on  the  subject  of  the  steppe 
murrain,  no  difierence  of  opinion  could  be  said  to  exist.  It  might  be 
positive  assertion,  it  might  be  dogmatism,  that  the  disease  was  incur- 
able, that  it  was  also  propagated  by  contagion,  and  that  to  diminish 
its  ravages  we  must  slaughter  the  sick  and  infected ;  but  the  verdict 
of  the  best  men  in  the  world,  medical  and  veterinary,  is  unanimous 
on  these  points.  That  verdict  is  as  unanimous  as  any  conclusion 
.would  be  at  a  meeting  of  doctors  if  the  s\\b^^^\i  ol\wca\^b5N.  's»\aa^-^^'^ 


580  THE  SOCIAL  SCIENCB  CONGRESS. 

was  broached,  and  the  invariable  origin  of  this  disease  in  contagioo, 
and  its  prevention  by  vaccination,  were  discussed.  As  Professor 
Seifmann  justly  observes  in  his  report,  just  published,  if  we  could 
cure  the  cattle  plague  it  is  doubtful  whether  we  should  venture  to  do 
80,  considering  the  danger  of  thereby  keeping  up  many  sources  of 
contagion.  As  to  the  curability  of  the  disease  we  have  had  some  ex- 
perience during  the  present  outbreak.  A  small  proportion  of  the 
animals  subjected  to  medical  treatment  have  recovered.  "We  have 
treated  many,  and  left  many  to  take  their  chance.  The  result  proves 
that  those  left  to  themselves  have  done  as  well  as  those  that  have  been 
treated  with  all  the   remedies  suggested  from  the  commencement. 

..  The  chance  of  cure  depends  altogether  on  the  severity  of  the  attack; 
and  whenever  attempts  have  been  made  to  follow  up  a  considerable 
number  of  cases,  and  treat  them  carefully,  the  result  has  been  a  mor- 
tality varying  from  85  to  95  per  cent.  It  is  not  astonishing  that 
cures  have  been  advertised,  and  wonderful  results  announced.  The 
recovery  of  one  or  two  apparently  desperate  cases  encourages  experi- 
ments as  to  treatment ;  but,  so  far  as  our  experience  has  gone,  the 
prosecution  of  trials  has  resulted  in  loss  and  disappointment.  From 
the  commencement  of  the  outbreak  one  of  my  principal  objects  has 
been  to  discover  how  we  might  determine  before  ordinary  observers 
that  an  animal  had  the  disease.  If  remedies  can  be  found  to  prove  of 
service,  they  must  be  applied  before  the  changes  of  structure  are  so 
far  advanced  as  to  render  it  impossible  to  restore  health.  So  far  as 
my  observations  now  extend,  I  believe  that  from  twenty-four  to  forty- 
eight  hours  before  any  very  obvious  signs  of  ill-health,  such  as  dull- 
ness, loss  of  appetite,  &c.,  are  observed,  it  is  possible  to  indicate  that 
animals  are  under  the  influence  of  the  malady.  I  have  no  great 
hopes  of  success  from  treatment  even  at  this  early  stage ;  but  all  will 
fcdmit  that  it  is  something  to  have  ascertained  how,  at  the  earliest  pos- 

.^sible  moment,  sick  cattle  may  be  distinguished  from  diseased.  Before 
entering  on  the  proposals  made  for  the  prevention  of  the  cattle  plague, 
I  may  be  permitted,  to  allude  to  the  contrast  offered  between  vete- 
rinarians and  doctors,  by  which  it  is  implied  that  we  have  done  no- 
thing to  acquire  new  victories  over  nature.  On  former  occasions 
reference  has  justly  been  made  to  the  manner  in  which,  under  a 
proper  organisation,  no  less  deadly  disease  than  glanders  in  horses  has 
been  well-nigh  banished  from  our  cavalry  stables.  This  has  been  a 
victory  over  nature,  but  it  has  been  due  to  the  early  slaughter  of  sick 
and  infected  animals.  When  small-pox  ravaged  our  flocks  in  1862, 
treatment,  inoculation,  and  vaccination,  were  resorted  to,  until  I  called 
the  farmers  together,  and  told  them  how  to  kill  out  the  disease.  In 
three  weeks  the  malady  was  stopped.  This  year  the  small-pox  broke 
out  in  Sussex ;  and  as  the  disease  was  no  less  imported  than  the 
steppe  murrain,  the  early  slaughter  of  diseased  animals  at  once  extin- 
guished every  trace  of  the  pest.     Having  ascertained  that  it  was  the 

true  Eussian  p\ag;view\i\c\iWA.T^«i^\v^d  these  islands,  we  hesitated  not 

to  advocate  the  meaivB  ioxm^i  mo?X  ^^^\^w\»  ^\a^^\  ^^^^uting  con- 


THE  SOCIAL  SCIENCB  CONGRESS.  581 

tagion  and  killing  the  sick.  We  were  at  once  met  by  doubts  expressed 
as  to  the  origin  of  the  malady,  and  assertions  stated  as  to  its  depend- 
ence on  conditions  of  the  atmosphere.  Government  said  it  lacked 
powers  to  control  the  progress  of  the  malady,  and  I  suggested  the 
formation  of  a  national  association  for  the  prevention  of  cattle  dis- 
eases. At  once  steps  were  taken  to  diflfuse  useful  infoimation  on  the 
disease,  and  call  upon  civic  authorities,  railway  and  steamboat  com- 
panies, &c.,  to  aid.  Local  insurance  societies  soon  came  into  favour. 
I  attended  various  country  meetings  to  show  the  fallacies  of  local  asso- 
ciations, and  the  justice  of  my  remarks  has  been  amply  vindicated  by 
the  letter  from  Sir  James  Kay  Shuttleworth  in  the  Times  of  the  5th 
instant.  A  fortnight  back,  at  Northampton,  I  spoke  of  the  im- 
portance of  a  Government  cattle  insurance  system.  From  the  com- 
mencement I  have  been  opposed  to  any  indemnity  from  the  public 
purse,  and  it  has  been  my  endeavour  to  show  that,  if  Government 
were  properly  guided  in  this  matter,  it  could  meet  the  difficulties  of 
the  case,  and  secure  control  over  stock  for  the  effectual  suppression 
of  so  virulent  a  malady  as  the  one  now  raging.  It  is  true  that  there 
are  other  measures  to  be  adopted,  and  gross  abuses  to  be  corrected. 
The  one  measure  not  to  be  advocated  is  diverting  the  energies  of 
veterinarians  to  the  cure  of  the  disease.  Adopt  this  course,  and  there 
is  an  end  to  any  proper  action  whereby  the  plague  may  be  banished 
from  Great  Britain.  Turn  to  the  written  histories  of  typhus  and 
yellow  fever,  of  human  small-pox  and  cholera,  and  tell  us  what  has 
been  done  by  curative  means.  The  doctors  who  have  gained  victories 
over  nature  have  gained  no  victories  over  these  maladies  but  by  the 
adoption  of  preventive  measures.  Animals  can  be  dealt  with  differ- 
ently to  men,  and  a  hundred  outbreaks  of  cattle  plague  might  be 
quoted  to  prove  that  to  kill  is  to  save  the  lives  of  thousands  and  tens 
of  thousands.  To  spare  the  knife  implies  propagating  and  perpetu- 
ating the  malady. 

Dr  Eawlinson  thought  the  disease  had  been  brought  here  through 
our  commercial  relations.  He  was  sorry  to  say  that  farmers  displayed 
an  utter  want  of  attention  with  regard  to  sanitary  arrangements  for 
their  cattle.  It  was  said  that  the  knife  was  the  only  remedy,  but  he 
thought  this  could  hardly  be  the  only  one. 

Mr  P.  Holland  considered  that  the  disease  was  propagated  both  by 
contagion  and  atmospheric  causes.  Whether  to  kill  was  the  only 
safe  remedy  or  not,  he  believed  that  it  was  the  safest.  He  considered 
the  cattle  disease  was  a  typhus  fever  of  a  very  rapid  kind. 

Dr  Lankestek  said  that  the  evidence  of  the  plague  having  been 
brought  over  from  the  Continent  was  unimpeachable.  He  denied  that 
there  was  any  power  in  dirt  or  filth  to  produce  the  disease,  or  we 
should  always  have  had  it.  If  cleanliness  could  have  saved  cattle,  the 
precautions  taken  on  the  farm  of  Earl  Granville  would  have  done  so. 
They  knew  very  well  that  such  was  not  the  case. 

The  discussion  was  continued  by  some  other  gentlemen,  but  no  very 
practical  observations  were  made. 


582  THE  SOCIAL  SCIENCE  C0NGBE8S. 


THE  SOCIAL  SCIENCE  CONGRESa 


Thsbe  was  a  large  attendance  of  the  members  of  the  Congress  at  the  Mosie  Hall, 
Surrey  Street,  Sheffield,  on  Monday  morning,  Oct  9,  to  hear  an  address  by  Dr 
Lankester,  President  of  the  Health  Department. 

Dr  Lankesteb,  after  some  general  remarks  respecting  public  health,  alluded  to 
the  ravages  of  cholera  on  the  Continent,  and  the  prevalence  of  the  cattle  plague  in 
England.  In  anticipation,  he  said,  of  the  one  plague,  and  the  actual  presence  of  the 
other,  there  is  enough  to  excite  the  keenest  interest  of  all,  and  to  induce  the  moBt 
anxious  inquiries  as  to  the  causes  of  these  diseases,  and  the  best  means  of  arresting 
their  progress.  I  will  not  attempt  to  settle  the  question  whether  these  diseases  are 
contagious  or  not ;  whether  they  arise  from  a  special  poison  which  is  propagated  in 
one  body  and  is  conveyed  to  another,  or  whether  there  are  certain  general  conditions 
of  external  agents  which  engender  poisons  capable  of  Rpontaneously  producing  them. 
I  need  but  thus  generally  to  refer  to  the  fact  of  a  difference  of  opinion,  to  remind 
you,  that  amongst  our  sanitary  reformers  there  are  two  great  schools,  one  of  which 
maintains  that  the  great  mass  of  zymotic  diseases  are  produced  by  special  poisons, 
and  are  called  contagionists  ;  whilst  another  school  do  not  believe  in  the  existence  of 
special  poisons,  but  believe  that  certain  general  conditions  of  sanitary  neglect  and 
dirt  are  alone  necessary  to  produce  the  group  of  zymotic  diseases,  and  they  are  called 
anti-contagionists.  I  believe  that  the  extreme  views  of  either  school  are  wrong,  and 
I  have  a  very  deep  impression  that  for  sanitary  measures  to  be  directed  by  one  or 
other  party  in  the  present  state  of  our  knowledge  of  the  diseases  would  be  to  plunge 
us  into  worse  evils  than  quiet  submission  to  their  unresisted  influence.  But  whilst 
all  are  agreed  that  small-pox  is  a  contagious  disease,  and  bronchitis  is  not,  there  is  a 
large  class  of  diseases  on  which  sanitary  authorities  differ  as  to  their  nature, 
and  the  best  modes  of  arresting  their  development  It  is  of  the  highest  impor- 
tance that  we  should  pursue  an  inquiry  into  the  origin  and  nature  of  those 
zymotic  or  pneumatic  diseases  which  carry  off  annually  upwards  of  a  hundred 
thousand  of  our  population.  In  order  to  do  this,  I  think  there  are  three  circum- 
stances that  demand  our  attention :  first,  the  poison  that  is  supposed  to  kindle  the  dis- 
ease ;  secondly,  the  medium  that  conveys  it ;  thirdly,  the  person  predisposed  to  take 
the  disease.  If  we  lose  sight  of  any  one  of  these  elements  in  investigating  ^motic 
diseases,  we  shall  most  assuredly  get  wrong,  and  practically  commit  great  mistakes. 
With  regard  to  poisons,  even  the  anti-contagionists  admit  that  in  what  they  call  mias- 
matic diseases,  conglomerations  of  dirt  and  filth,  or  matters  in  their  wrong  places,  de 
get  into  the  system,  and,  at  one  time  or  another,  do  upset  and  damage  the  healthy 
working  of  the  machinery.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  certain  inorganic  agencies, 
such  as  carbonic  acid,  sulphuretted,  phosphuretted,  and  carbonetted  hydrogens, 
ammonia,  and  sulpho-cyanogen,  do  produce  injurious  effects  upon  the  system.  Con- 
tinued exposure  to  such  exhalations  may  prevent  a  proper  oxidation  of  the  tissues, 
and  render  it  predisposed  to  take  in  the  diseases  of  special  poisons ;  but  we  have  no 
evidence  to  show  that  any  of  these  agents,  although  they  will  destroy  life,  are  cap- 
able of  producing  alone  any  of  the  forms  of  miasmatic  disease.  It  seems  demonstrated 
that  there  arise  during  the  decomposition  of  vegetable  and  animal  matters  certain 
organic  molecules  which,  being  taken  into  the  system,  will  produce  certain  definite 
changes  in  the  system,  constituting  well-known  forms  of  disease.  Up  to  the  present 
time  we  have  no  exclusive  experiment  with  regard  to  the  origin  of  any  of  the  specific 
contagious  diseases.  There  is  no  error  perhaps  of  more  vital  importance  to  the  public 
health  than  that  which  was  fallen  into  by  some  of  our  early  sanitary  reformers--a 
belief  in  the  spontaneous  origin  of  the  several  forms  of  diseases  produced  by  specific 
contagions.  The  most  common  forms  of  contagious  diseases  in  this  country  are 
small-pox,  scarlet  fever,  measles,  whooping-cough,  typhus  fever,  typhoid  fever,  and 
our  occasional  visitant  Asiatic  cholera.  No  one,  that  I  am  aware,  has  j^et  isolated 
the  poison  of  scarlet  fever,  of  measles,  of  typhus,  of  cholera,  and  of  the  other  dis- 
eases of  the  group  of  contagious  diseases;  but,  reasoning  from  analogy,  we  are 
driven  to  the  conclusion  that  these  diseases  depend  on  a  cause  similar  to  that  of 
small-pox,  and  that  the  real  form  of  the  poison  is  the  charged  white  cell  of  the 
blood.  We  are  not  aware  that  the  poisons  of  small-pox,  measles,  scarlet  fever,  or 
typhus  are  conveyed  by  any  means  but  through  air,  whilst  there  is  every  reason  to 
believe  that  the  poisonB  of  typhoid  fever  and  cholera  are  conveyed  by  the  agency  of 
wsiter,  A  question  of  Vdgh  inVjeites^)  tLmesft,  ^tA\\>S&  q\\!^  that  has  not  at  present  been 
BettJed  and  thtil  Is,  as  to  whetViw  t\i^  i^oS&qti  Ta».\X«t  ol  \Jasafe  ^asRaw^  \&  t^ipable  of 


THE  SOCIAL  SCIENCE  CONGBESSL  583 

multiplying  itself  by  cell-division,  or  the  ordinary  forms  of  the  growth  of  fluvial 
matter  out  of  the  body.  It  does  not  seem  impossible  that  this  should  be  the  case, 
although  at  present  we  have  no  demonstration  of  the  fact.  Another  interesting 
question  connected  with  these  poisons  is  the  possibility  of  transformation  or  develop- 
ment. Let  me  say  a  few  words  with  regard  to  the  means  of  conveyance  of  poisons. 
The  most  obvious  are  the  atmosphere  and  water.  The  air,  to  carry  most  poisons, 
must  be  warm  and  moist.  The  poison  of  yellow  fever  spreads  in  hot  climates;  the 
poison  of  typhus  is  arrested  by  heat  on  the  one  side  and  cold  on  the  other.  At  the 
temperature  of  boiling  water  all  these  poisons  are  destroyed — a  most  important  fact, 
as  we  have  in  every  household  in  Europe  the  means  of  destroying  them.  But  there 
are  other  means  of  conveyance  besides  air  and  water.  Articles  of  food,  articles  of 
wearing  apparel,  bedclothes,  curtains,  carpets,  and  all  vessels  and  depositories,  con- 
taining the  secretions  of  human  beings,  may  retain  the  poison  cells  in  all  their 
integrity.  These  things  may  carry  the  poisons  from  household  to  household,  dis^ 
seminate  them  in  our  streets,  our  omnibuses,  our  railways,  steamships,  and  public 
conveyances  of  all  kinds.  They  may  be  shut  up  in  drawers  or  in  old  closets,  (of  which 
there  are  many  striking  instances  on  record,)  and,  at  any  moment  when  brought 
into  contact  with  the  human  system,  they  may  start  into  life  and  activity  again,  to 
renew  their  ravages  on  systems  predisposed  to  their  action.  We  know  something  of 
the  laws  of  predisposition  to  disease.  We  know,  for  instance,  that  persons  who  have 
had  the  small-pox  are  not  disposed  to  take  it  again.  We  know  that  in  nine  cases 
out  of  ten  if  persons  have  been  vaccinated  they  will  not  take  small-pox.  This  is  one 
of  the  great  triumphs  of  our  modern  civilisation.  It  is  the  beacon  of  our  hopes  with 
regard  to  crushing  out  for  ever  the  poisons  that  can  only  be  propagated  in  human 
systems.  But  our  knowledge  of  predisposition  extends  farther  than  this.  We 
know  that  where  the  four  great  factors  of  our  life  have  been  scantily  supplied,  or 
vitiated,  there  predisposition  not  only  to  idiopathic  and  self-generated  disease  exists^ 
but  to  receive  the  germs  of  the  poison  fevers,  of  which  I  have  been  speaking.  What 
is  true  of  human  diseases  is  also  true  of  those  of  the  lower  animals  which  man  asso- 
ciates with  himself.  The  horse,  the  ox,  the  sheep,  and  the  pig  are  all  liable  to  idio- 
pathic and  contagious  diseases.  Like  human  diseases,  many  of  them  are  sui  generis^ 
and  incommunicable  to  man.  The  sheep  of  our  country  have  just  passed  through  a 
'^  great  epidemic  of  small  pox."  It  had  all  the  peculiarities  of  the  small-pox  in  man, 
but  it  was  not  capable  of  extension  to  man.  At  the  present  moment  a  more  fright- 
ful scourge  is  visiting  our  cows,  drying  up  one  of  the  great  sources  of  the  food  of  our 
infant  population,  and  rendering  scarce  the  animal  food  so  necessary  to  the  health 
and  strength  of  the  working  man.  Warning  voices  have  not  been  wanting  on  this 
matter,  and  we  are  especially  indebted  to  Professor  Gamgee  for  having  pointed  out 
years  ago  the  danger  we  were  incurring  in  not  taking  steps  for  the  prevention  of  the 
introduction  of  this  terrible  disease.  That  it  spreads  and  behaves  itself  as  a  con- 
tagious disease,  I  have  had  the  opportunity  of  observing  in  the  parishes  of  Hamp- 
stead  and  Hendon.  Studying  this  disease  from  the  threefold  point  of  view  of  its 
poison,  the  means  of  its  communication,  and  the  predisposition  of  its  victims,  we  are 
struck  at  once  with  the  fact  that  it  is  not  the  calves  or  the  bullocks,  or  barren  cows, 
that  are  attacked,  but  it  is  the  milch  cows.  We  cannot  fail  to  see  a  cause  of  this 
predisposition  in  the  comparatively  unnatural  condition  in  which  the  milch  cow  is 
Kept  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  from  her  milk  all  the  year  round,  that  gives  to  her, 
beyond  all  her  congeners,  the  tendency  to  take  this  disease.  In  such  facts  as  this  we 
may  see,  beyond  the  law  which  devastates  our  flocks,  a  law  maintaining  the  integrity 
and  strengtli  of  the  species  by  the  letting  loose  of  poisons  to  destroy  the  weak  and 
those  which  are  likely  to  produce  an  enfeebled  race.  Nay,  even  further,  is  not  this 
the  great  lesson  that  we  should  learn  from  the  epidemic  attacks  of  these  poison  fevers 
— are  they  not  sent  to  take  from  us  the  constitutionally  weak  and  feeble,  so  that  the 
race  may  retain  its  reign  upon  the  earth?  Our  subject  here  very  appropriately 
divides  itself  into  two  heads— public  action  and  private  action.  It  is  the  duty  of  the 
civil  government,  in  matters  of  life  and  health,  to  do  for  the  individual  what  he 
cannot  do  for  himself,  and  it  is  the  duty  of  individuals  to  do  for  themselves  what 
the  government  cannot  be  expected  to  do  for  them.  My  conviction  is,  that  our 
legislature  wants  earnestness.  All  our  acts  are  so  constituted  that  they  may  be  defied 
with  impunity.  They,  in  fact,  give  the  power  of  action  or  inaction  to  those  who  are 
either  interested  in  maintaining  sanitary  abuses,  or  are  ignorant  of  the  dai^gers 
which  arise  from  their  toleration.  The  Metropolitan  Management  Act  was  un- 
doubtedly the  largest  instalment  that  legislature  ever  made  towards  correcting  the 
sanitary  abuses  of  London,  and  in  the  creation  of  the  o^^<^  q\  \^^^<;si»^.  ^^^.^c  ^\ 


584  THE  SOCIAL  SCIENCE  CONOBBSS. 

health,  it  has  laid  the  foundation  of  future  sanitary  legialation.  The  great  har  to 
sanitary  action  in  our  vestries  and  local  boards  is  their  parsimony ;  and  if  they 
could  be  once  made  to  see  that  disease  and  death  are  the  most  costly  luxuries  in 
which  man  can  indulge,  they  would  possibly  giye  more  scope  to  the  action  of  tbcdr 
medical  officers  of  health.  Perhaps  one  of  the  greatest  improvements  that  could  takt 

Elace  in  the  London  system  would  be  the  appointment  of  the  medical  officers  of 
ealth  for  life,  and  reducing  their  numbers,  giving  them  larger  districts  to  super- 
intend, and  appending  salaries  which  would  render  it  unnecessary  that  they  shonld 
attend  to  private  practice.  The  address  of  Dr  Lankester  was  listened  to  with  the 
greatest  attention,  and  at  the  conclusion  was  loudly  applauded. 

In  the  department  of  Jurisprudence  and  the  Amendment  of  the  Law,  Mr  A.  J. 
Williams  read  a  paper — "  Upon  what  principles  should  Local  Courts  be  constituted, 
with  reference  to  extent  of  jurisdiction  and  system  of  procedure?*'  He  advocj^ 
the  extension  of  county  court  jurisdiction,  without  the  introduction  of  those  artificial 
pleadings  which  encumbered  and  confused  proceedings  in  the  superior  courts.  Ko 
discussion  followed  the  reading.  In  the  same  department,  Mr  W.  J.  Lepfoo  read 
one  on  ''  Tribunals  of  Commerce,"  and  Mr  Notlby  another  on  "  Bankrupt  Law 
Amendment." 

Miss  Cabfenteb  contributed  a  paper  in  the  Educational  Department  on  "  Our 
Neglected  and  Destitute  Children— are  they  to  be  educated  ?  *'  The  lady  adverted  to 
the  increasing  attention  paid  to  education  in  this  country.  While  the  Council  on 
Education  aid  largely  in  the  education  of  the  wage  class,  it  leaves  untouched  the 
destitute  and  neglected  children  who  abound  in  large  cities,  and  are  providing  a 
constant  supply  for  our  workhouses,  reformatories,  and  prisons.  Miss  Carpenter 
described  numerous  low  districts  in  Bristol  which  abound  with  such  children,  utterly 
unable,  from  their  degraded  condition,  to  attend  pay  schools.  She  mentioned  thiit 
recent  statistics  show  that  in  Manchester  thousands  of  children  grow  up  in  complete 
ignorance,  and  that  in  Liverpool  there  are  annually  twenty-five  thousand- apprehen- 
sions of  persons  who  have  no  education.  Sagged  schools  are  the  only  ones  which 
have  attempted  to  reach  these  children,  but  they  have  proved  utterly  inadequate  to 
remove  the  evil  unaided.  They  have  shown,  however,  that  these  children  can  be 
rescued  from  pauperism  and  crime,  and  made  self-supporting,  by  being  jdaced  in 
proper  schools.  She  urged  an  appeal  to  the  Government  on  behalf  of  such  ehildren. 
One  pound  per  annum  spent  for  each  in  education  would  be  a  wise  economy. 

In  the  Department  of  Jurisprudence,  Miss  Sheddon  read  a  paper  **  On  the  necessity 
for  the  inviolate  preservation  of  trial  by  jury  on  all  great  questions  of  fact.*'  It 
commenced  by  referring  to  the  present  being  a  favourable  opportunity  of  doing 
something  to  preserve  and  support  an  institution  which,  coming  from  and  belonging 
to  the  people,  gave  them  a  share  in  the  administration  of  justice,  and  which  institu- 
tion had  been  so  powerfully  advocated  by  Lord  Brougham  at  all  periods  of  his  career, 
and  which  Lord  Erskine  had  illustrated  so  pointedly  when  he  said  that  the  whole 
machinery  of  the  English  constitution  culminated  in  the  fact  of  bringing  twelve 
honest  men  into  the  box.  The  paper  then  gave  an  historical  sketch  of  trial  by 
jury.  It  was  obvious  that  in  settling  a  matter  of  fact  a  competent  number  of  sen- 
sible men  of  the  middle  class  formed  a  more  impartial  source  of  justice  than  the 
decision  of  any  single  individual,  and  any  attempt  to  establish  tribunals  which  were 
unconnected  with  juries  was  a  step  towards  the  erection  of  an  autocracy.  She 
urged  that  people  should  cling  to  this  institution,  and  while  improving,  if  need 
be,  the  details  of  its  working,  its  principle  should  not  for  a  moment  be  abandoned ; 
and  this  was  the  more  necessary  because,  though  there  was  no  talk  of  abandoning 
trial  by  jury,  very  serious  encroachments  had  been  made  upon  it  as  a  system  by 
recent  legislation. 

Dr  MiLROT  read  a  paper  in  the  Department  of  Health,  on  "Quarantine  and 
the  Cholera,  with  special  reference  to  the  present  epidemic  in  the  Mediterra- 
nean," which  was  followed  by  another  on  the  same  subject  by  the  Rev.  W. 
H.  Channino,  of  the  United  States  Sanitary  Commission.  The  other  papers 
in  the  same  department  were — George  L.  Saunders:  *'The  cause  and  the  dif- 
ference in  the  death-rate  of  rural  and  urban  places,  and  incidentally  of  Sheffield.** 
W.  H.  Humsey :  ''  Death  rates  and  sanitary  statistics."  Joseph  Jones  :  "  The  Local 
Government  Act,  of  1858,  and  the  necessity  of  extending  its  usefulness  to  the  sub- 
urbs of  large  towns."  Stevenson  Macadam,  Ph.  D. :  ''On  the  chemical  composition 
ot  town  waters,  and  the  contamination  thereof."  The  members  interested  in  the 
Economy  and  Trade  Deparlment  >Nex«  o<i<:.\i^\^d  «Ametime  in  discussing  the  following 
papers :— R.  Eadon  Leader,  B,  A..*.  " 't^i^  tSsa  wA  ^o'^vJa.  Q\'Oa& Sx^<aa  of  Sheffield." 


CONTAGIOUS  TYPHUS  OF  CATTLE.  585 

H.  Turner  (Sheffield) :  "  The  file  trade — its  importance,  locality,  and  peculiarities." 
Thomas  Aveling :  "  The  economical  use  of  road  locomotives,  compared  with  horse 
labour/'  Thomas  Beggs  :  **  The  home  accommodation  of  the  people  in  relation  to 
their  domestic  and  social  condition,  with  practical  suggestions  as  to  the  further 
development  of  freehold  land  societies  and  building  societies."  Eev.  Henry  Solly  : 
**  Facts  and  fallacies  in  relation  to  working  meu^s  clubs."  Joseph  Eayner :  **  Muni- 
cipal savings'  banks."    Graham  Gilmour :  "  Cheap  food." 

A  separate  section  was  formed  for  the  purpose  of  discussing  papers  on  building 
societies,  savings'  banks,  (in  Sheffield,)  and  the  evil  effect  of  the  modem  system  of 
usury. 


Contagious  Typhus  of  CatUe. — Can  the  contagious  typhus  of  the 
bovine  race  (pestis  hovina  of  the  Italians,  Rinderpest  of  the  Oer- 
mans)  originate  spontaneously  in  other  cattle  than  those  belonging 
to  the  race  of  the  Steppes  ?  By  M.  Eenault,  Director  of  the  Im- 
perial Veterinary  School  of  Alfort,  afterwards  Inspector-General  of 
French  Veterinary  Schools. 

Of  all  the  maladies  which  can  affect  the  bovine  species,  the  most 
fatal  is,  without  contradiction,  that  which  the  Germans  and  Italians 
have,  called  ''peste  bovine,''  and  which  in  France  we  have  named 
"  contagious  typhus  of  large  catUe" 

The  name  of  pest,  which  has  been  given  to  it  in  Italy  and  in  Ger- 
many, is  derived,  without  doubt,  from  this,  that,  like  the  latter 
scourge  in  the  human  species,  it  proves,  in  the  bovine  race,  certainly 
fatal  in  almost  every  individual  which  it  attacks,  it  makes  frightful 
ravages  in  whatever  country  it  penetrates,  and  in  which  it  reigns  for 
any  length  of  time.  But  if  notice  is  taken  particularly  of  all  the 
symptoms  which  characterise  it,  and  of  the  seat  as  well  as  the  nature 
of  the  principal  lesions  seen  in  the  animals  which  die  under  it,  it  is 
justly  named  "  typhus,"  for  it  is  incontestable  that,  although  differing 
in  some  respects,  it  bears  a  close  resemblance  to  the  typhoid  affections 
in  man. 

This  affection  is  never  sporadic,  or,  at  least,  if  it  commences  by 
manifesting  itself  at  once  in  some  individuals,  it  is  not  slow,  when 
once  developed,  to  extend  itself  in  a  frightful  manner.  This  propa- 
gation takes  place,  not  on  account  of  a  particular  medical  constitution 
which  prevails  at  the  moment ;  not  in  consequence  of  an  epizootic 
influence  which  acts  in  accordance  with  the  epidemic  conditions  which 
spread  the  cholera  and  the  plague,  for  example,  but  exclusively  from 
a  very  active  contagious  property  possessed  by  diseased  animals,  the 
produce  of  their  excretions,  and  their  remains  when  they  are  dead — ^a 
property  which  impregnates  and  may  be  transported  by  other  ani- 
mals, persons,  and  things  which  may  have  touched,  or  even  merely 
approached  the  diseased  animals,  their  excretions,  or  their  remains. 

Contagious  typhus  is  a  malady  peculiar  to  the  bovine  species. 
Other  species  and  man  may  then  go  with  impunity  for  themselves,  at 
least,  into  the  most  active  centres  of  contagion. 


586  CONTAGIOUS  TYPHUS  OF  CATTLE. 

It  is  also  certain  that  although,  before  the  18th  centoiy,  it  had 
existed  and  committed  great  ravages  in  Europe  and  even  in  Western 
Europe,  the  study  of  this  disease  had  scarcely  commenced,  and  was 
little  known  until  after  the  year  1711.  the  epoch  of  one  of  its  most 
disastrous  invasiona  Since  then  it  has  appeared  several  times  at  in- 
tervals, unequal  with  regard  to  time  and  variable  in  duration,  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  centre  and  west  of  the  Continent,  and  each  time  it 
spread  terror  and  desolation  over  the  states  which  it  visited.  To  ex- 
plain the  apprehensions  which  it  excited,  it  will  suffice  if  I  recall  to 
mind  the  amount  of  mortality  which  it  occasioned  in  some  of  its  in- 
vasions in  countries  more  or  less  circumscribed,  for  example : — 

1.  From  1711  to  1714?  the  number  of  cattle  which  died  of  contagi- 
ous typhus  in  Western  Europe  was  1,600,000. 

2.  From  1713  to  1723  there  died  200,000  in  Holland  alone,  al- 
though it  was  not  continually  nor  in  totality  afflicted  with  the  disease 
during  this  lapse  of  time. 

3.  During  the  epizootic  attack  of  174j5  to  174j9,  Denmark,  succes- 
sively invaded  in  its  various  provinces,  lost  280,000. 

4.  According  to  Paulet,  in  the  course  of  that  same  epizootic 
attack,  from  1740  to  1748,  the  loss  in  the  west  and  centre  of  Europe 
alone  rose  to  3,000,000  of  homed  beasts. 

5.  Invaded  again  in  1769,  Holland  lost  in  less  than  three  years 
395,000  homed  cattle. 

6.  In  fine,  reckoning  up  all  these  losses  in  a  statistical  point  of 
view,  and  so  put  that  no  one  need  undertake  a  similar  labour,  Dr 
Faust  was  able,  without  causing  astonishment  in  any  one,  to  8um  up 
to  200,000,000  the  number  of  cattle  carried  off  in  Europe  by  the 
contagious  typhus  during  the  period  from  1711  to  1796,  the  time  at 
which  that  learned  man  left  off  his  calculations. 

I  should  add  that,  having  raged  in  Egypt  from  1841  to  1844, 
the  disease  destroyed  400,000  oxen  or  cows;  and  that  in  Russia 
alone  1,000,000  succumbed  to  the  attack  in  1844-45. 

If,  placing  the  matter  in  another  point  of  view,  it  is  sought  to 
appreciate  the  degree  of  gravity  in  reckoning  the  number  that  died  in 
proportion  to  the  number  of  individuals  attacked  with  the  disease, 
we  attain  the  result  that,  in  general,  a  man  must  have  considered 
himself  very  fortunate  if,  in  one  cow-house,  one  farm,  or  one  infected 
locality,  he  was  able,  which  was  very  rare,  to  save  the  third,  or  even  the 
quarter  of  the  diseased  animals ;  for  in  ordinary  circumstances,  and 
among  cattle  other  than  those  of  the  race  of  the  steppes,  the 
losses  generally  amounted  to  eighty  or  ninety  per  cent.;  and  it 
happened  sometimes  that  there  did  not  remain  a  single  animal  in  a 
cow-house  or  even  in  a  village  wherein  the  disease  had  existed. 

Very  happily  for  her,  France  has  not  been  visited  by  the  contagi*- 
ous  typhus  since  she  suffered  from  that  which  was  brought  by  the 
foreign  armies  in  1814  and  181 6 !  And  not  less  happily  for  the  other 
states  of  the  centre  and  ol  V^x^^N^^\.Qi'E»Io^,  experiments  and  obser- 
vations made  and  repea\^d  duxV^?, \!tA\isX» ^\t\.i  ^\  Vs^ii<5aa»,on  a 


CONTAGIOUS  TYPHUS  OF  CATTLE.  687 

great  scale,  by  Austria  and  Prussia,  constantly  exposed  as  they  are  to 
the  scourge  on  their  eastern  frontiers,  have  demonstrated  that,  with 
certain  measures  of  police,  carried  out  with  energy  and  severely 
applied,  it  is  possible  to  prevent  the  invasion  or  to  arrest  its  progress 
in  countries  where  war  does  not  present  any  obstacle  to  their  rigor- 
ous enforcement. 

But  in  order  that  these  measures,  which  consist  in  nothing  less 
than  to  compel  the  owners  of  stock  to  submit  to  the  destruction  of 
their  cattle  when  diseased,  or  even  only  suspected — ^which  consists,  at 
the  same  time,  in  sequestrating  for  weeks  the  inhabitants  of  every 
farm,  and  even  of  every  village,  or  of  an  entire  district  of  country, 
which  thus  interferes  with  the  liberties  of  the  citizens  and  their  rights 
of  property ;  in  order  that  such  exorbitant  measures,  I  say,  may  be 
taken  authoritatively  and  with  resolution  by  governments,  and 
accepted  as  legitimate  by  those  whom  they  affect,  it  is  essential  that 
they  be  demonstrated  by  evidence  supported  by  facts  which  establish 
sufficiently  their  rationality,  and  of  such  a  nature  as  to  warrant  the 
hope  that  they  will  be  efficacious. 

Thus  it  is  necessary,  first  of  all,  that  there  should  rest  no  doubt  on 
the  contagious  nature  of  the  disease,  and  of  its  powerlessness  to  pro- 
pagate by  other  means  or  influence  than  by  contagion.  Now  this  first 
fact  is,  it  may  be  said,  definitely  settled  by  observation,  and  perfectly 
acknowledged  by  science.     I  have  not,  then,  to  stop  here. 

It  is  requisite,  then,  to  observe  that  the  disease  cannot  be  originated 
nor  developed  in  the  animals  which  we  seek  to  preserve  from  the  con- 
tagion, under  the  influence  and  from  effect  of  the  causes  which  origi- 
nally produced  it  in  those  which,  being  the  first  attacked,  have  be- 
come the  first  bearers  or  propagators  of  that  contagion.  For  if  all 
the  individuals  of  the  bovine  species  were  ready  to  contract  it  spon- 
taneously, and  from  other  causes  than  contagion,  it  may  be  conceived 
that  the  measures  which  operate  against  that  only  would  not  offer 
any  sufficient  guarantee  against  the  extension  of  the  epizootic,  and 
that  the  malady  could  appear  and  propagate  itself  behind  the  obstacles 
that  have  been  opposed  to  its  progress.  Of  what  good  after  that 
would  be  measures  so  onerous  and  vexatious,  and  which  must  result 
in  pure  loss  ? 

Unfortunately,  on  this  question,  which  is  a  fundamental  one  for  the 
sanitary  police  of  Europe,  there  is  not  the  same  accord  as  on  the  first. 
If  the  greater  number  of  veterinarians  regard  as  incontestible  that 
contagious  typhus  can  only  be  engendered  spontaneously  in  oxen  of 
the  breed  peculiar  to  the  steppes  of  Southern  Russia  and  of  Hungary, 
others,  among  the  most  distinguished  for  their  science  and  great 
practice,  maintain  the  opinion  that,  under  the  influence  of  general 
causes  which  make  it  arise  among  the  bovine  race  of  the  steppes,  that 
malady  may  be  developed  in  catde  of  all  countries. 

Now,  these  dissensions,  it  is  conceived,  and  experience  besides  has 
demonstrated  this,  become  a  cause  of  embarrassment  and  hesitation 
for  governments  who  may  be  called  upoii  \»o  d^atesA  ^^\s.  ^^^xs^K^a* 


588  CONTAGIOUS  TYPHUS  OP  CATTLE. 

against  the  invasion  or  the  progress  of  this  terrible  scourge^  It  is 
with  the  desire  to  remove  all  doubts  on  this  point  that  I  have  devoted 
myself  for  several  years  to  study  it  in  the  history  and  in  the  adminis- 
trative archives  of  divers  states  of  Europe,  and  to  researches  and  in- 
vestigations as  severe  as  it  has  been  possible  for  me,  of  which  I  am 
about  to  give  here  a  summarised  result,  and  which  I  am  induced  to 
hope,  if  it  does  not  entirely  settle  the  question,  will  at  least  contribute 
to  give  greater  authority  to  the  opinion  of  those  who,  like  myself, 
regard  the  race  of  the  steppes  as  the  only  one  susceptible  of  spon- 
taneously engendering  contagious  typhus,  and  other  races  as  capable 
of  contracting  it  only  by  contagion. 

The  question  which  I  propose  to  examine  and  to  discuss  in  this 
paper  ia  certainly,  in  relation  to  the  countries  of  the  centre  and  the 
west  of  Europe,  one  of  the  most  grave,  the  most  important,  perhaps, 
of  those  which  arise  in  the  study  of  the  contagious  typhus  of  large 
cattle.  It  is  the  one  in  effect  which  must  be  resolved  before  combin- 
ing, decreeing,  and  causing  to  be  executed  any  sanitary  measures 
whatever,  those  mea^iures  being  .uselessly  burdensome  and  vexatious  if 
the  disease  can  originate  spontaneously  among  our  indigenous  races ; 
but  are,  on  the  contrary,  to  be  taken  without  delay  and  applied  with 
the  utmost  energy,  if,  as  all  men  think  who  have  viewed  closely  and 
well  this  terrible  disease,  it  is  always  and  exclusively  in  oxen  of  the 
race  of  the  steppes  that  it  originates,  and  only  by  those  animals,  once 
diseased,  or  by  those  who  have  been  infected,  that  it  can  be  commu- 
nicated to  other  races  of  the  same  species. 

I  may  be  permitted  to  treat  the  subject  with  some  detaiL 

Origin  of  Typhus. — Two  opinions  prevail  relative  to  the  origin  of 
contagious  typhus  in  large  cattle. 

One  which  assigns  this  malady  to  general  causes  existing,  or  that 
may  be  produced  everywhere,  professing  that  it  is  sufficient  that  those 
causes  act  upon  cattle,  in  any  country  or  breed,  in  order  that 
typhus  may  develop  itself.  According  to  this  system  this  disease  has 
no  place  of  origin  special  and  exclusive ;  it  may  arise  as  readily  in 
France,  in  England,  or  Holland,  as  in  the  steppes  and  among  the  oxen 
of  Southern  Russia  or  in  Hungary.  It  is  admitted  that  the  animals 
of  these  latter  countries  are  more  often  affected  than  others ;  but  it 
is  not  held  that  this  is  in  virtue  of  a  special  aptitude  which  they 
alone  may  have  to  contract  it  originally.  Following  this  doctrine  it 
would  be  only  because  by  the  conditions  of  their  existence,  or  their 
rearing,  of  their  uses,  of  the  commerce  of  which  they  are  the  object, 
the  cattle  of  the  steppes  are  more  frequently  exposed  to  the  generally 
productive  causes  of  this  typhoid  affection. 

This  opinion,  against  which  it  can  be  said  that  the  whole  of  Ger- 
many has  protested  with  energy  through  its  men,  the  best  entitled  to 

inounce  an  opinion  on  the  question — this  opinion,  I  say,  has  been, 

not  emitted  for  the  fii8\.  Xirofc,  ^^  l^^&t  singularly  supported,  and 
particularly  spread.  aJoioaA.  oadi  ^C3t^^\\fe^\y3  ^^^^^scdi  veteri- 
8  from  the  commeucemeii\.oi^^'6't^^^\i\.^\i:s*^ 


^mon 


CONTAGIOUS  TYPHUS  OP  CATTLE.  689 

enough,  by  those  above  all  who  have  either  never  seen  or  who  have 
only  once  observed,  have  never  had  the  opportunity  properly  to  study 
typhus.  Among  these  I  may  mention  D*-^boval,  Eodet,  Vatel,  Gell^, 
M.  Huzard,  jun.,  and  particularly  M.  Delafond,  who,  having  developed 
in  a  series  of  articles  published  in  the  **  Receuil  de  M^ecine  Vete- 
rinaire,"  in  1837,  and  who  reproduced  it  with  great  assertion  in  a 
work  which  he  published  in  1838  upon  "  Sanitary  Police  Respecting 
Domestic  Animals,"  and  who  has  succeeded  more  than  any  other 
person,  by  his  teaching  at  Alfort^  by  his  writings,  by  the  authority  of 
his  name,  in  propagating  his  opinions  in  France,  and  even  by  making 
them  penetrate  into  certain  parts  of  Central  Germany,  and  notably  in 
Bohemia,  where  it  led  to  the  loss  of  nearly  all  the  bovine  stock  in 
1844. 

It  appears  to  me  indispensable  to  reproduce  textually  in  this  place 
the  passage  in  the  work  of  M.  Delafond,  which  sums  up  that  doctrine 
which  I  believe  to  be  erroneous  and  dangerous ;  I  shall  endeavour 
then  to  demonstrate  on  what  a  slight  foundation  it  rests. 

"Does  contagious  typhus  in  oxen  originate  in  Hungary  as  the 
plague  in  man  originates  in  the  East?"  Lancisi,  Leclerc,  Layard, 
Vicq  d'Azyr,  Paulet,  Boniva,  Leroy,  and  Metaxaall  hold  this  opinion. 
Other  persons,  without  contesting  that  origin,  think  that  that  disease 
may  spring  forth  spontaneously  in  cattle  of  all  countries  when  they 
are  exposed  to  the  causes  which  lead  to  its  development  in  Hungarian 
cattle.  This  opinion,  put  forth  by  MM.  Eodet  and  D'Arboval,  we 
share  in. 

"  These  are  the  causes  by  which  the  epizootic  tjrphus  is  developed. 
In  places  where  exist  a  war  of  some  duration  contagious  typhus  in 
cattle  develops  itself.  These  two  destructive  scourges  are  insepar- 
able. It  is  incontestable  that  the  typhus  always  accompanies  great 
movements  of  troops  and  marches  in  the  convoy  of  provision  of  homed 
beasts  which  follow  corps  d'arm^e.  God  is  not  pleased  now  that  we 
make  war  on  each  other ;  for  if  unfortunately  our  country  were  one 
day  invaded  by  the  German,  Prussian,  Russian,  or  Dutch  people,  to 
that  calamity  would  soon  be  joined  another — contagious  typhus 
among  our  cattle." — (Delafond,  Police  Sanitaire,  Paris,  1838,  pp.  159 
etseq, 

A  little  further  on,  in  the  same  work,  after  having  enumerated  the 
causes  of  typhus,  which,  according  to  him,  must  be  perfectly  well 
known,  M.  Delafond  reverts  to  the  same  idea,  repeating  in  some  sort 
the  same  terms  : — "  Behold  (says  he)  the  causes  of  typhus.  Its  origin 
is  known ;  its  appearance  has  always  been  coincident  with  the  dis- 
orders brought  about  by  war.  Thus,  wherever  the  scourge  of  war  is 
carried,  there  the  typhoid  scourge  declares  itself." — (Ibid,  pp.  338, 
339.) 

Thus  following  this  doctrine,,  of  which  I  have  borrowed  the  for- 
mula from  one  of  his  most  eminent  disciples,  contagious  typhus  in 
bovine  cattle  may  have  its  origin  in  France,  in  Holland^  in  Getvwi^xv^^ 
in  Englmd,  &c.,  among  the  cattle  6{  tkoae  CiOUTk\,Yia^\  \^»^s^  «^  ' 


588  CONTAGIOUS  TYPHUS  OP  CATTLE. 

against  the  invasion  or  the  progress  of  this  terrible  scoUrge«  It  is 
with  the  desire  to  remove  all  doubts  on  this  point  that  I  have  devoted 
myself  for  several  years  to  study  it  in  the  history  and  in  the  adminis- 
trative archives  of  divers  states  of  Europe,  and  to  researches  and  in- 
vestigations as  severe  as  it  has  been  possible  for  me,  of  which  I  am 
about  to  give  here  a  summarised  result,  and  which  I  am  induced  to 
hope,  if  it  does  not  entirely  settle  the  question,  will  at  least  contribute 
to  give  greater  authority  to  the  opinion  of  those  who,  like  myself, 
regard  the  race  of  the  steppes  as  the  only  one  susceptible  of  spon- 
taneously engendering  contagious  tjrphus,  and  other  races  as  capable 
of  contracting  it  only  by  contagion. 

The  question  which  I  propose  to  examine  and  to  discuss  in  this 
paper  ia  certainly,  in  relation  to  the  countries  of  the  centre  and  the 
west  of  Europe,  one  of  the  most  grave,  the  most  important,  perhaps, 
of  those  which  arise  in  the  study  of  the  contagious  typhus  of  large 
cattle.  It  is  the  one  in  effect  which  must  be  resolved  before  combin- 
ing, decreeing,  and  causing  to  be  executed  any  sanitary  measures 
whatever,  those  measures  being  .uselessly  burdensome  and  vexatious  if 
the  disease  can  originate  spontaneously  among  our  indigenous  races ; 
but  are,  on  the  contrary,  to  be  taken  without  delay  and  applied  with 
the  utmost  energy,  if,  as  all  men  think  who  have  viewed  closely  and 
weU  this  terrible  disease,  it  is  always  and  exclusively  in  oxen  of  the 
race  of  the  steppes  that  it  originates,  and  only  by  those  animals,  once 
diseased,  or  by  those  who  have  been  infected,  that  it  can  be  commu- 
nicated to  other  races  of  the  same  species. 

I  may  be  permitted  to  treat  the  subject  with  some  detaiL 

Origin  of  Typhus. — Two  opinions  prevail  relative  to  the  origin  of 
contagious  tjrphus  in  large  cattle. 

One  which  assigns  this  malady  to  general  causes  existing,  or  that 
may  be  produced  everywhere,  professing  that  it  is  sufficient  that  those 
causes  act  upon  cattle,  in  any  country  or  breed> .  in  order  that 
typhus  may  develop  itself.  According  to  this  system  this  disease  has 
no  place  of  origin  special  and  exclusive ;  it  may  arise  as  readily  in 
France,  in  England,  or  Holland,  as  in  the  steppes  and  among  the  oxen 
of  Southern  Bussia  or  in  Hungary.  It  is  admitted  that  the  animals 
of  these  latter  countries  are  more  often  affected  than  others ;  but  it 
is  not  held  that  this  is  in  virtue  of  a  special  aptitude  which  they 
alone  may  have  to  contract  it  originally.  Following  this  doctrine  it 
would  be  only  because  by  the  conditions  of  their  existence,  or  their 
rearing,  of  their  uses,  of  the  commerce  of  which  they  are  the  object, 
the  cattle  of  the  steppes  are  more  frequently  exposed  to  the  generally 
productive  causes  of  this  typhoid  affection. 

This  opinion,  against  which  it  can  be  said  that  the  whole  of  Ger- 
many has  protested  with  energy  through  its  men,  the  best  entitled  to 

mounce  an  opinion  on  the  question — this  opinion,  I  say,  has  been, 
*jiot  emitted  for  the  fiis^t.  \imfe,  ^^  least  singularly  supported,  and 
particularly  spread  «iJoio«A  acA  ^^xe^\fe^\y3  ^^^^^ssi^h.  veteri- 
yB  from  the  commeueemeia\.ol\!sxe^xe^^^\.^\i^x^ 


mani 
|k^x>n 


CONTAGIOUS  TYPHUS  OF  CATTLE.  589 

enough,  by  those  above  all  who  have  either  never  seen  or  who  have 
only  once  observed,  have  never  had  the  opportunity  properly  to  study 
typhus.  Among  these  I  may  mention  D'Arboval,  Eodet,  Vatel,  Gell^, 
M.  Huzard,  jun.,  and  particularly  M.  Delafond,  who,  having  developed 
in  a  series  of  articles  published  in  the  **  Beceuil  de  Mddecine  Vete- 
rinaire,"  in  1837,  and  who  reproduced  it  with  great  assertion  in  a 
work  which  he  published  in  1838  upon  "  Sanitary  Police  Eespecting 
Domestic  Animals/'  and  who  has  succeeded  more  than  any  other 
person,  by  his  teaching  at  Alfort,  by  his  writings,  by  the  authority  of 
his  name,  in  propagating  his  opinions  in  France,  and  even  by  making 
them  penetrate  into  certain  parts  of  Central  Germany,  and  notably  in 
Bohemia,  where  it  led  to  the  loss  of  nearly  all  the  bovine  stock  in 
1844 

It  appears  to  me  indispensable  to  reproduce  textually  in  this  place 
the  passage  in  the  work  of  M.  Delafond,  which  sums  up  that  doctrine 
which  I  believe  to  be  erroneous  and  dangerous ;  I  shall  endeavour 
then  to  demonstrate  on  what  a  slight  foundation  it  rests. 

''Does  contagious  typhus  in  oxen  originate  in  Hungary  as  the 
plague  in  man  originates  in  the  East?"  Lancisi,  Leclerc,  Layard, 
Vicq  d'Azyr,  Paulet,  Boniva,  Leroy,  and  Metaxa  all  hold  this  opinion. 
Other  persons,  without  contesting  that  origin,  think  that  that  disease 
may  spring  forth  spontaneously  in  cattle  of  all  countries  when  they 
are  exposed  to  the  causes  which  lead  to  its  development  in  Hungarian 
cattle.  This  opinion,  put  forth  by  MM.  Eodet  and  D'Arboval,  we 
share  in. 

"  These  are  the  causes  by  which  the  epizootic  tjrphus  is  developed. 
In  places  where  exist  a  war  of  some  duration  contagious  typhus  in 
cattle  develops  itself.  These  two  destructive  scourges  are  insepar- 
able. It  is  incontestable  that  the  typhus  always  accompanies  great 
movements  of  troops  and  marches  in  the  convoy  of  provision  of  homed 
beasts  which  follow  corps  d'armie.  God  is  not  pleased  now  that  we 
make  war  on  each  other ;  for  if  unfortunately  our  country  were  one 
day  invaded  by  the  German,  Prussian,  Russian,  or  Dutch  people,  to 
that  calamity  would  soon  be  joined  another — contagious  typhus 
among  our  cattle." — (Delafond,  Police  Sanitaire,  Paris,  1838,  pp.  159 
et  seq. 

A  little  further  on,  in  the  same  work,  after  having  enumerated  the 
causes  of  typhus,  which,  according  to  him,  must  be  perfectly  well 
known,  M.  Delafond  reverts  to  the  same  idea,  repeating  in  some  sort 
the  same  terms  : — **  Behold  (says  he)  the  causes  of  typhus.  Its  origin 
is  known ;  its  appearance  has  always  been  coincident  with  the  dis- 
orders brought  about  by  war.  Thus,  wherever  the  scourge  of  war  is 
carried,  there  the  typhoid  scourge  declares  itself." — (Ibid,  pp.  338, 
339.) 

Thus  following  this  doctrine,,  of  which  I  have  borrowed  the  for- 
mula from  one  of  his  most  eminent  disciples,  contagious  typhus  in 
bovine  cattle  may  have  its  origin  in  France,  in  Holland^  in  Getixvaxv^^ 
in  Higland,  &c.,  among  the  cattle  61  tkoae  CiOUTk\?s\a^\  SX*'^  ^j^^sasi^ 


588  CONTAGIOUS  TYPHUS  OP  CATTLE. 

against  the  invasion  or  the  progress  of  this  terrible  scourge*  It  is 
with  the  desire  to  remove  all  doubts  on  this  point  that  I  have  devoted 
myself  for  several  years  to  study  it  in  the  history  and  in  the  adminis- 
trative archives  of  divers  states  of  Europe,  and  to  researches  and  in- 
vestigations as  severe  as  it  has  been  possible  for  me,  of  which  I  am 
about  to  give  here  a  summarised  result,  and  which  I  am  induced  to 
hope,  if  it  does  not  entirely  settle  the  question,  will  at  least  contribute 
to  give  greater  authority  to  the  opinion  of  those  who,  like  myself, 
regard  the  race  of  the  steppes  as  the  only  one  susceptible  of  spon- 
taneously engendering  contagious  typhus,  and  other  races  as  capable 
of  contracting  it  only  by  contagion. 

The  question  which  I  propose  to  examine  and  to  discuss  in  this 
paper  ia  certainly,  in  relation  to  the  countries  of  the  centre  and  the 
west  of  Europe,  one  of  the  most  grave,  the  most  important,  perhaps, 
of  those  which  arise  in  the  study  of  the  contagious  typhus  of  large 
cattle.  It  is  the  one  in  effect  which  must  be  resolved  before  combin- 
ing, decreeing,  and  causing  to  be  executed  any  sanitary  measures 
whatever,  those  measures  being  .uselessly  burdensome  and  vexatious  if 
the  disease  can  originate  spontaneously  among  our  indigenous  races ; 
but  are,  on  the  contrary,  to  be  taken  without  delay  and  applied  with 
the  utmost  energy,  if,  as  all  men  think  who  have  viewed  closely  and 
well  this  terrible  disease,  it  is  always  and  exclusively  in  oxen  of  the 
race  of  the  steppes  that  it  originates,  and  only  by  those  animals,  once 
diseased,  or  by  those  who  have  been  infected,  that  it  can  be  commu- 
nicated to  other  races  of  the  same  species. 

I  may  be  permitted  to  treat  the  subject  with  some  detaiL 
Origin  of  Typhus. — Two  opinions  prevail  relative  to  the  origin  of 
contagious  typhus  in  large  cattle. 

One  which  assigns  this  malady  to  general  causes  existing,  or  that 
may  be  produced  everywhere,  professing  that  it  is  sufficient  that  those 
causes  act  upon  cattle,  in  any  country  or  breed, .  in  order  that 
typhus  may  develop  itself.  According  to  this  system  this  disease  has 
no  place  of  origin  special  and  exclusive ;  it  may  arise  as  readily  in 
France,  in  England,  or  Holland,  as  in  the  steppes  and  among  the  oxen 
of  Southern  Bussia  or  in  Hungary.  It  is  admitted  that  the  animals 
of  these  latter  countries  are  more  often  affected  than  others ;  but  it 
is  not  held  that  this  is  in  virtue  of  a  special  aptitude  which  they 
alone  may  have  to  contract  it  originally.  Following  this  doctrine  it 
would  be  only  because  by  the  conditions  of  their  existence,  or  their 
rearing,  of  their  uses,  of  the  commerce  of  which  they  are  the  object, 
the  cattle  of  the  steppes  are  more  frequently  exposed  to  the  generally 
productive  causes  of  this  typhoid  affection. 

This  opinion,  against  which  it  can  be  said  that  the  whole  of  Ger- 
many has  protested  with  energy  through  its  men,  the  best  entitled  to 
mounce  an  opinion  on  the  question — this  opinion,  I  say,  has  been, 
not  emitted  for  the  fii8\.  Xima,  ^\*  l^a&t  singularly  supported,  and 
_  particularly  spread  a3oio«A  aiA  ^Rrai^^\fe^\y3  ^^"^^^h.  veteri- 
ans  from  the  commeu<5iemeia\.oi\)sx^^x^^^\i\.^\i^^ 


man] 
l^^pron 

fpre 


CONTAGIOUS  TYPHUS  OP  CATTLE.  689 

enough,  by  those  above  all  who  have  either  never  seen  or  who  have 
only  once  observed,  have  never  had  the  opportunity  properly  to  study 
typhus.  Among  these  I  may  mention  D*-^boval,  Eodet,  Vatel,  Gell^, 
M.  Huzard,  jun.,  and  particularly  M.  Delafond,  who,  having  developed 
in  a  series  of  articles  published  in  the  **  Receuil  de  Mddecine  Vete- 
rinaire,"  in  1837,  and  who  reproduced  it  with  great  assertion  in  a 
work  which  he  published  in  1838  upon  "  Sanitary  Police  Respecting 
Domestic  Animals/'  and  who  has  succeeded  more  than  any  other 
person,  by  his  teaching  at  Alfort,  by  his  writings,  by  the  authority  of 
his  name,  in  propagating  his  opinions  in  France,  and  even  by  making 
them  penetrate  into  certain  parts  of  Central  Germany,  and  notably  in 
Bohemia,  where  it  led  to  the  loss  of  nearly  all  the  bovine  stock  in 
1844. 

It  appears  to  me  indispensable  to  reproduce  textually  in  this  place 
the  passage  in  the  work  of  M.  Delafond,  which  sums  up  that  doctrine 
which  I  believe  to  be  erroneous  and  dangerous ;  I  shall  endeavour 
then  to  demonstrate  on  what  a  slight  foundation  it  rests. 

''Does  contagious  typhus  in  oxen  originate  in  Hungary  as  the 
plague  in  man  originates  in  the  East?"  Lancisi,  Leclerc,  Layard, 
Vicq  d'Azyr,  Paulet,  Boniva,  Leroy,  and  Metaxa  all  hold  this  opinion. 
Other  persons,  without  contesting  that  origin,  think  that  that  disease 
may  spring  forth  spontaneously  in  cattle  of  all  countries  when  they 
are  exposed  to  the  causes  which  lead  to  its  development  in  Hungarian 
cattle.  This  opinion,  put  forth  by  MM.  Eodet  and  D'Arboval,  we 
share  in. 

"  These  are  the  causes  by  which  the  epizootic  tjrphus  is  developed. 
In  places  where  exist  a  war  of  some  duration  contagious  typhus  in 
cattle  develops  itself.  These  two  destructive  scourges  are  insepar- 
able. It  is  incontestable  that  the  typhus  always  accompanies  great 
movements  of  troops  and  marches  in  the  convoy  of  provision  of  homed 
beasts  which  follow  corps  d'arm^e.  God  is  not  pleased  now  that  we 
make  war  on  each  other ;  for  if  unfortunately  our  country  were  one 
day  invaded  by  the  German,  Prussian,  Eussian,  or  Dutch  people,  to 
that  calamity  would  soon  be  joined  another — contagious  typhus 
among  our  cattle." — (Delafond,  Police  Sanitaire,  Paris,  1838,  pp.  159 
et  seq. 

A  little  further  on,  in  the  same  work,  after  having  enumerated  the 
causes  of  typhus,  which,  according  to  him,  must  be  perfectly  well 
known,  M.  Delafond  reverts  to  the  same  idea,  repeating  in  some  sort 
the  same  terms  : — **  Behold  (says  he)  the  causes  of  typhus.  Its  origin 
is  known ;  its  appearance  has  always  been  coincident  with  the  dis- 
orders brought  about  by  war.  Thus,  wherever  the  scourge  of  war  is 
carried,  there  the  typhoid  scourge  declares  itself." — {Ibid,  pp.  338, 
339.) 

Thus  following  this  doctrine,,  of  which  I  have  borrowed  the  for- 
mula from  one  of  his  most  eminent  disciples,  contagious  typhus  in 
bovine  cattle  may  have  its  origin  in  France,  in  Holland^  in  Getw^axji'^^ 
in  England,  <fec.,  among  the  cattle  6{  tkoa^  CiOUTk\?t\a^\  \^»Ns^  ^s^^^a^ssss^^ 


588  CONTAGIOUS  TYPHUS  OP  CATTLE. 

against  the  invasion  or  the  progress  of  this  terrible  scourge.  It  is 
with  the  desire  to  remove  all  doubts  on  this  point  that  I  have  devoted 
myself  for  several  years  to  study  it  in  the  history  and  in  the  adminis- 
trative archives  of  divers  states  of  Europe,  and  to  researches  and  in- 
vestigations as  severe  as  it  has  been  possible  for  me,  of  which  I  am 
about  to  give  here  a  summarised  result,  and  which  I  am  induced  to 
hope,  if  it  does  not  entirely  settle  the  question,  will  at  least  contribute 
to  give  greater  authority  to  the  opinion  of  those  who,  like  myself, 
regard  the  race  of  the  steppes  as  the  only  one  susceptible  of  spon- 
taneously engendering  contagious  typhus,  and  other  races  as  capable 
of  contracting  it  only  by  contagion. 

The  question  which  I  propose  to  examine  and  to  discuss  in  this 
paper  ia  certainly,  in  relation  to  the  countries  of  the  centre  and  the 
west  of  Europe,  one  of  the  most  grave,  the  most  important,  perhaps, 
of  those  which  arise  in  the  study  of  the  contagious  typhus  of  large 
cattle.  It  is  the  one  in  effect  which  must  be  resolved  before  combin- 
ing, decreeing,  and  causing  to  be  executed  any  sanitary  measures 
whatever,  those  mea^iures  being  .uselessly  burdensome  and  vexatious  if 
the  disease  can  originate  spontaneously  among  our  indigenous  races ; 
but  are,  on  the  contrary,  to  be  taken  without  delay  and  applied  with 
the  utmost  energy,  if,  as  all  men  think  who  have  viewed  closely  and 
well  this  terrible  disease,  it  is  always  and  exclusively  in  oxen  of  the 
race  of  the  steppes  that  it  originates,  and  only  by  those  animals,  once 
diseased,  or  by  those  who  have  been  infected,  that  it  can  be  commu- 
nicated to  other  races  of  the  same  species. 

I  may  be  permitted  to  treat  the  subject  with  some  detail 

Origin  of  Typhus. — Two  opinions  prevail  relative  to  the  origin  of 
contagious  typhus  in  large  cattle. 

One  which  assigns  this  malady  to  general  causes  existing,  or  that 
may  be  produced  everywhere,  professing  that  it  is  sufficient  that  those 
causes  act  upon  cattle,  in  any  country  or  breed, .  in  order  that 
typhus  may  develop  itself.  According  to  this  system  this  disease  has 
no  place  of  origin  special  and  exclusive ;  it  may  arise  as  readily  in 
France,  in  England,  or  Holland,  as  in  the  steppes  and  among  the  oxen 
of  Southern  Bussia  or  in  Hungary.  It  is  admitted  that  the  animals 
of  these  latter  countries  are  more  often  affected  than  others ;  but  it 
is  not  held  that  this  is  in  virtue  of  a  special  aptitude  which  they 
alone  may  have  to  contract  it  originally.  Following  this  doctrine  it 
would  be  only  because  by  the  conditions  of  their  existence,  or  their 
rearing,  of  their  uses,  of  the  commerce  of  which  they  are  the  object, 
the  cattle  of  the  steppes  are  more  frequently  exposed  to  the  generally 
productive  causes  of  this  typhoid  affection. 

This  opinion,  against  which  it  can  be  said  that  the  whole  of  (Jer- 

many  has  protested  with  energy  through  its  men,  the  best  entitled  to 

pronounce  an  opinion  on  the  question — this  opinion,  I  say,  has  been, 

if  not  emitted  for  the  first  time,  at  least  singularly  supported,  and 

more  particularly  spread.  aJoioB^  axA  wi-^x^tftd  by  the  French  veteri- 

JDaiians  from  the  commeiice«i«ii\»ol  \!q&^^'9kc^»  ^^jtosrj^^sjL^^tcangely 


CONTAGIOUS  TYPHUS  OP  CATTLE.  689 

enough,  by  those  above  all  who  have  either  never  seen  or  who  have 
only  once  observed,  have  never  had  the  opportunity  properly  to  study 
typhus.  Among  these  I  may  mention  D'Arboval,  Eodet,  Vatel,  Gell^, 
M.  Huzard,  jun.,  and  particularly  M.  Delafond,  who,  having  developed 
in  a  series  of  articles  published  in  the  **  Eeceuil  de  M^decine  Vete- 
rinaire,"  in  1837,  and  who  reproduced  it  with  great  assertion  in  a 
work  which  he  published  in  1838  upon  "  Sanitary  Police  Eespecting 
Domestic  Animals/'  and  who  has  succeeded  more  than  any  other 
person,  by  his  teaching  at  Alfort,  by  his  writings,  by  the  authority  of 
his  name,  in  propagating  his  opinions  in  France,  and  even  by  making 
them  penetrate  into  certain  parts  of  Central  Germany,  and  notably  in 
Bohemia,  where  it  led  to  the  loss  of  nearly  all  the  bovine  stock  in 
1844 

It  appears  to  me  indispensable  to  reproduce  textually  in  this  place 
the  passage  in  the  work  of  M.  Delafond,  which  sums  up  that  doctrine 
which  I  believe  to  be  erroneous  and  dangerous ;  I  shall  endeavour 
then  to  demonstrate  on  what  a  slight  foundation  it  rests. 

"Does  contagious  typhus  in  oxen  originate  in  Hungary  as  the 
plague  in  man  originates  in  the  East?"  Lancisi,  Leclerc,  Layard, 
Vicq  d'Azyr,  Paulet,  Boniva,  Leroy,  and  Metaxa  all  hold  this  opinion. 
Other  persons,  without  contesting  that  origin,  think  that  that  disease 
may  spring  forth  spontaneously  in  cattle  of  all  countries  when  they 
are  exposed  to  the  causes  which  lead  to  its  development  in  Hungarian 
cattle.  This  opinion,  put  forth  by  MM.  Eodet  and  D'Arboval,  we 
share  in. 

"  These  are  the  causes  by  which  the  epizootic  tjrphus  is  developed. 
In  places  where  exist  a  war  of  some  duration  contagious  typhus  in 
cattle  develops  itself.  These  two  destructive  scourges  are  insepar- 
able. It  is  incontestable  that  the  typhus  always  accompanies  great 
movements  of  troops  and  marches  in  the  convoy  of  provision  of  homed 
beasts  which  follow  corps  (Tarm^e,  God  is  not  pleased  now  that  we 
make  war  on  each  other ;  for  if  unfortunately  our  country  were  one 
day  invaded  by  the  German,  Prussian,  Russian,  or  Dutch  people,  to 
that  calamity  would  soon  be  joined  another — contagious  typhus 
among  our  cattle." — (Delafond,  Police  Sanitaire,  Paris,  1838,  pp.  159 
et  seq. 

A  little  further  on,  in  the  same  work,  after  having  enumerated  the 
causes  of  typhus,  which,  according  to  him,  must  be  perfectly  well 
known,  M.  Delafond  reverts  to  the  same  idea,  repeating  in  some  sort 
the  same  terms  : — **  Behold  (says  he)  the  causes  of  typhus.  Its  origin 
is  known ;  its  appearance  has  always  been  coincident  with  the  dis- 
orders brought  about  by  war.  Thus,  wherever  the  scourge  of  war  is 
carried,  there  the  typhoid  scourge  declares  itself." — (Ibid,  pp.  338, 
339.) 

Thus  following  this  doctrine,,  of  which  I  have  borrowed  the  for- 
mula from  one  of  his  most  eminent  disciples,  contagious  typhus  in 
bovine  cattle  may  have  its  origin  in  France,  in  Holland,  in  Germany^ 
in  England,  &c.,  among  the  cattle  of  tlioa^  Cia\m\»na^\  \\»Sa»  ^JQS:^^^Ks^> 


592  CONTAGIOUS  TYPHUS  OF  CATTLE. 

transmitted,  who  would  give  himself  the  trouble  of  seeking  out  what 
were  the  movements,  the  marches,  and  countermarches  of  our  army 
of  the  Rhine  at  the  period  in  question — whoever  has  verified,  by  ex- 
amining the  historical  documents  recorded,  how,  sometimes  victorious, 
it  passed  beyond  the  banks  of  the  Ehine  following  the  Austrian  army, 
of  which  it  occupied  the  positions  and  followed  the  movements ;  at 
other  times  driven  back  by  that  army,  it  allowed  it  to  push  its  recon- 
naissances even  into  our  departments  situated  on  this  side  of  that 
river  ;  from  which  resulted  the  frequent  passages  and  sojourns  either 
in  or  near  the  villages  which  they  had  passed  and  camped  in  with  the 
herds  of  cattle  which  accompanied  the  Austrian  army ;  whoever  will 
not  ignore  that  it  was  Hungary  almost  exclusively  from  which  were 
drawn,  and  arrived  the  numerous  herds  of  beasts  which  formed  these 
parks,  as  is  attested  by  the  information  which  has  been  officially  com- 
municated to  me  by  the  Austrian  administration  itself ;  whosoever 
will  take  the  trouble,  as  I  did,  can  convince  themselves  by  consultiDg 
the  administrative  archives  of  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Baden,  of  Wur- 
temberg,  and  Bavaria,  that  from  1794  to  1801  typhus,  so  to  speak, 
never  ceased  to  ravage  these  different  states,  and  that  it  was  brought 
and  kept  up  either  by  the  continual  passage  of  troops  of  Hungarian 
cattle  which  traversed  those  countries  to  reach  the  Austrian  army  on 
the  Rhine,  or  by  the  passage  of  troops  who  drove  vrith  them  their  in- 
fected parks ;  whosoever  will  verify,  as  I  have  done  myself,  the  per- 
fect exactitude  of  all  these  facts  and  of  all  these  things,  will  become 
convinced  that,  far  from  proving  that  contagious  typhus  takes  its 
origin  in  the  cattle  of  our  occidental  countries,  the  epizootic  typhus 
observed  in  1796,  1797,  1798,  and  1799,  in  our  army,  and  in  our 
Eastern  departments,  furnishes,  on  the  contrary,  another  example,  if 
such  is  wanted,  that  that  malady  never  falls  on  our  beasts,  except 
they  have  communicated,  directly  or  indirectly,  or  have  been  placed 
in  connexion  either  with  Hungarian  or  Russian  cattle  affected  with 
the  pest,  or  with  beasts  of  other  native  breeds  infected  by  them. 

Does  not  this,  in  effect,  agree  with  the  last  evidence  of  the  pre- 
ceding facts  ?     Let  us  examine. 

In  1793,  Russia,  England,  and  Austria  coalesced  against  France. 
Austria  was  the  first  who  began  the  campaign.  One  of  her  armies 
crossed  the  Tyrol  and  entered  Lombardy.  That  was,  as  it  has  always 
been  the  case  with  Austrian  armies,  followed  by  a  provision  of  Hun- 
garian cattle.  Typhus,  with  which  these  were  soon  infected,  pene- 
trated with  the  army  into  Lombardy. 

In  the  following  year,  1794,  the  Austrian  army  joined  with  the 
Piedmontese  army  in  the  Sardinian  states.  That  junction  was  scarcely 
effected  when  the  typhus  broke  out  in  the  parks  called  provisioning 
parks,  and  then  spread  into  the  adjoining  countries,  and  successively 
into  different  parts  of  Sardinia  and  Piedmont,  where  it  made  great 
ravages. 

In  1795  two  large  A.u%\.mxv  a.rmies  were  sent,  the  one  into  the 
grand  duchies  of  Hesae,T)aim«X»«Ax»,^^Al^^^'saKic,\ft  ^^r^^^ose  the  French 


CONTAGIOUS  TYPHUS  OF  CATTLE.  593 

army  of  the  Sambre  and  Meuse,  which  was  commanded  by  Jourdan  ; 
the  Other  to  oppose  that  on  the  Rhine,  under  Pichegru.  And  thus 
Bavaria,  Wurtemburg,  and  the  grand  duchy  of  Baden,  which  were 
traversed  by  these  armies,  were  first  and  each  in  succession  infected 
with  typhus.  Next  the  grand  duchies  of  Hesse  and  Nassau,  occupied 
by  the  Austrian  troops,  were  infected.  Then,  in  short,  the  contending 
armies  drew  near  to  each  other,  and,  in  consequence  of  the  alternation 
of  successes  and  reverses  which  marked  the  campaign,  they  were 
brought  together  and  succeeded  each  other  alternately  in  the  same 
country,  and  thus  bringing  men  and  things  of  both  sides  in  almost 
daily  contact,  the  malady  invaded  in  their  turn  the  cattle  parks  of 
the  two  French  armies,  and  from  them  spread  among  the  cattle  of 
the  departments  into  which  these  two  armies  moved.  In  such  cir- 
cumstances, had  either  Jourdan  or  Pichegru  any  necessity  to  go  into 
Hungary  in  search  of  beasts  to  introduce  the  typhus  into  their  provi- 
sioning parks  ?  Had  it  not,  in  order  to  make  its  way,  a  thousand 
paths  open  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  also  by  contact  and  the  inces- 
sant relations  of  the  French  armies  with  the  armies  of  the  German 
countries  infected  with  that  malady  ? 

I  must  mention  here  the  remarkable  fact  which  is  recorded  in  the 
archives  of  the  Bavarian  and  Wurtemburg  administrations,  and  which 
was  verbally  confirmed  by  Professors  Schwabb  (of  Munich)  and  Hauss- 
mann  (of  Stuttgard,)  who  were  official  witnesses  at  those  epochs,  to 
wit,  that  in  consequence  of  the  rigorous  and  energetic  measures  which 
were  taken  to  prevent  the  propagation  in  these  countries  of  the  typhus, 
which  was  spread  in  their  passage  by  the  cattle  which  came  from 
Hungary  for  the  Austrian  troops  on  the  Rhine,  it  was  only  on  the 
route  designed  by  these  two  governments,  as  the  itinerary  compelled 
them,  for  those  cattle,  and  the  villages  which  bordered  or  lay  in  that 
route,  that  typhus  declared  and  maintained  itself  while  the  war  con- 
tinued on  the  borders  of  the  Rhine,  in  Swabia  and  the  Palatinate. 

In  presence  of  these  facts,  recorded,  as  far  as  respects  the  move- 
ment of  troops  in  the  history  of  the  wars  of  that  period,  and  certified, 
as  far  as  concerns  typhus,  by  official  docimients  and  by  ocular  de- 
monstration of  competent  witnesses,  the  false  interpretation  that  has 
been  attempted  to  be  put  upon  them  is  sufficiently  shown,  and  I 
believe  I  need  not  further  insist  on  this  point.  Let  me  proceed  to 
consider  others  better  founded; 

4.  Professor  Rodet  has  described,  and,  with  him,  other  writers  have 
cited,  as  an  example  of  contagious  typhus  arising  spontaneously  in 
animals  other  than  native  of  the  steppes,  the  epizootic  attack  which 
prevailed  in  1807  among  the  cattle  of  Eastern  Prussia — ^namely,  in 
the  principality  of  Dantzic.  Rodet  ascribes  this  epizootic  outbreak 
(a)  to  the  great  penury  of  the  food  of  cattle  endiured  during  the  pre- 
ceding winter  in  consequence  of  the  exhaustion  occasioned  in  that 
country,  the  theatre  of  the  war,  by  the  passage  and  sojourn  of  Prussian, 
Russian,  and  French  armies ;  (6)  to  the  excessive  fatigue  which  was 
imposed  on  those  animals,  which  had  becom^e  vet^  ^'c."^^'^^^<:st*'^OkR.^^st« 


694  CONTAGIOUS  TYPHUS  OF  CATTLE. 

vice  of  the  transports,  which  was  increased  by  the  presence  of  those 
armies.  He  adds,  that  it  was  kept  up  by  <;ontagion  and  by  the  in- 
fection which  resulted  from  the  putrefaction  of  the  dead  bodies  of 
animals,  which  no  pains  were  taken  to  bury,  or  which  were  simply 
thrown  into  the  rivers  and  ponds. 

To  suppose — which  is  nothing  less  than  demonstrated  from  the 
description  which  he  (Rodet)  has  given — that  that  disease  was  con- 
tagious typhus,  it  is  clear  that  Rodet  has  gone  elsewhere  than  where 
it  was  to  be  found  to  search  for  the  cause  of  the  epizootic  disease.  In 
effect  it  is  certain,  on  one  hand,  that,  in  consequence  of  the  great 
assemblage  and  movement  6f  troops,  both  Russian  and  Prussian, 
which  carried  the  war  into  Lithuania,  Poland,  and  Eastern  Prussia, 
typhus  was  introduced  into  those  countries  after  the  year  1805  by 
the  convoys  of  cattle  from  the  steppes,  which  always  form  the  pro- 
vision of  meat  of  the  Russian  armies,  and  which  at  that  time  was,  and 
still  continues  to  be,  *the  principal  source  from  which  the  Prussian 
government  draws  its  supplies  of  food  for  its  armies.  On  the  other 
hand,  it  is  proved  by  the  history  of  the  wars,  precisely  at  that 
time  of  which  Rodet  speaks,  the  French  army,  which  was  in  want  of 
provisions  from  the  exhaustion  of  the  country,  was  obliged,  in  order 
to  procure  com  and  meat  in  suflScient  quantity,  to  appeal  to  the  Jews, 
who,  "  by  the  assistance  of  an  adroit  corruption,  put  to  sleep  the  vigi- 
lance of  the  guardians  of  the  Attstrian  frontier"*  to  allow  the  passage 
of  provisions,  of  which  they  (the  Jews)  constituted  themselves  the 
providers.  Now,  everybody  knows  that  beyond  the  Prussian  frontier, 
on  the  side  of  Austria,  there  lies  Gallicia,  and  that  no  other  cattle 
than  those  from  the  steppes  could  arrive  by  this  province. 

Thus  the  infection  by  typhus  of  the  cattle  parks  of  the  corps 
d/armee  which  earned  on  the  siege  of  Dantzic,  and  of  the  greatest 
part  of  the  country  occupied  by  the  French  and  combined  armies  of 
Prussia  and  Russia,  had  manifestly  no  other  source  than  the  contagion 
already  previously  brought  into  those  countries  by  the  oxen  from  the 
steppes,  which  abounded  in  the  allied  armies ;  and  it  results,  from 
what  I  have  just  said,  that  if  it  did  not  then  exist,  it  would  certainly 
have  been  imported  by  the  oxen  from  the  same  countries  which  the 
providers  of  the  French  army  found  means  of  causing  to  be  brought 
by  fraud  from  Gallicia.  This  is  no  example  of  typhus  sprung  origi- 
nally from  animals  strangers  to  the  steppes. 

5.  It  is  again  from  Rodet  that  the  following  is  borrowed : — 

This  professor,  then  a  veterinarian  attached  to  the  army,  has  re- 
corded in  one  of  his  works,  (*^  Medecine  du  Beef,")  not  the  description, 
but  the  indication  of  an  epizootic  attack  of  contagious  typhus  which, 
according  to  him,  was  manifested  in  1810  in  the  environs  of  Madrid, 
in  the  province  of  La  Mancha,  and  which  was  said  to  have  extended 
to  the  mountains  of  the  Sierra  Morena,  between  Madrid  and  Alba  de 
Tormes.     "  But,"  says  he,  "  it  found  few  victims  from  the  small  num- 

*  Thiers'  "  H.\aloT"j  oi  Wi^  Cqii'sx^X.^  ^u^  qVXX:^'^  ^\k^\\^/* 


CONTAGIOUS  TYPHUS  OF  CATTLE.  595 

ber  of  homed  cattle  which  existed  there."  According  to  this  author, 
"  the  inhabitants  of  the  plains  did  not  offer  any  opposition  to  the  dis- 
ease but  by  prayers  and  amulets." 

"  This  epizootic  attack,"  says  Eodet^  "  could  not  be  attributed  to 
contagion  brought  by  Hungarian  oxen,  since  no  horned  cattle  coming 
from  abroad  had  for  a  long  time  been  received  in  the  Peninsula,  and 
the  French  army  at  that  epoch  did  not  take  any  herds  of  oxen  into 
the  country  which  then  furnished  food  to  us  in  quantities  more  than 
we  could  consume.  It  is,  then,  very  evident  that  it  had  its  first  origin 
in  a  new  development,  and  that  it  was  exclusively  spontaneous^ 

But  in  order  to  give  to  this  fact  all  the  value  which  can  be  lent  to 
it,  it  would  be  necessary  at  first  to  make  it  evident  that  the  disease  of^ 
which  Eodet  speaks  wa&  really  contagious  typhus,  and  this  appears  to 
me  to  be  very  contestible.  In  fact,  not  only  does  this  author  avoid 
giving  any  details  of  the  symptoms  and  post-mortem  appearances  of 
the  malady,  but  he  declares,  that  although  no  sanitary  measure  was 
taken  against  it,  and  although  the  inhabitants  only  opposed  its  pro- 
gress with  prayers  and  amulets,  it  slew  very  few  victims.  It  is  true 
that  he  attributes  this  small  number  of  victims  to  the  small  number 
of  homed  beasts  which  existed  in  that  part  of  Spain  where  the  epi- 
zootic disease  broke  out ;  but  I  cannot  help  remarking  a  singular 
contradiction  between  that  assertion  and  another  made  a  few  lines 
further  on,  where  the  author,  to  explain  the  absence  and  the  inutility 
of  the  importation  of  foreign  beasts,  affirms  that  in  the  country  which 
it  occupied,  the  French  army  found  cattle  mAick  beyond  what  they 
could  consume. 

With  the  knowledge  of  which  we  are  now  possessed  of  the  rapidity 
and  extent  of  the  ravages  made  by  contagious  typhus  in  countries 
where  it  appears,  we  may  be  allowed  to  doubt  that  a  disease  which, 
abandoned  to  itself,  made  only  a  few  victims  in  a  country  which  was 
the  theatre  of  war  and  so  rich  in  cattle,  was  really  contagious  typhus. 

How  was  it,  besides,  that  if  this  typhus  really  existed,  Eodet  was 
the  only  veterinary  surgeon,  not  only  French,  but  Spanish,  that  ob- 
served it — the  only  one  who  speaks  of  it  ?  It  is.  assuredly  a  malady 
sufficiently  disastrous,  that  the  memory  of  it,  at  least,  would  be  pre- 
served in  the  countries  which  it  had  afflicted.  Now,  after  having 
made  researches  in  all  the  Spanish  works  in.  which  mention  is  made 
of  the  maladies  of  bovine  animals — after  having  obtained  by  official 
means  leave  to  search  the  archives  of  the  agricultural  and  sanitary 
administration  of  Spain,  I  have  not  found  anything  which  alludes  to 
typhus  attack  on  horned  beasts  in  1810.  On  their  part,  all  the  pro- 
fessors of  the  Veterinary  School  of  Madrid  declared  to  me,  in  a  col- 
lective note,  drawn  up  by  them  in  reply  to  a  series  of  questions  which 
I  addressed  to  them,  that  in  no  part  besides  the  work  of  Eodet  is 
there  any  mention  of  that  epizootic  disease.  I  must  add,  that  it 
would  be  very  strange  if  in  that  war  for  independence  which  endured 
from  1808  to  1814,  and  which  raged  throughout  all  the  Peninsula^ 
that  in  1810,  and  in  a  single  provine^  oi  ^i^ivft.,^'^  \?5^^Jo:»a»  '^^^ssis.^ 


51)6  CONTAGIOUS  TYPHUS  OF  CATTLE. 

burst  out,  and  that  precisely  where  were  the  cattle  of  the  French  array, 
which  had  no  parks  of  cattle  for  provisioning,  and  lived  upon  what 
they  found  in  the  country,  while  it  should  have  spared  the  parks  of 
the  English  army,  which,  following  their  usual  practice,  never  marched 
without  being  followed  by  numerous  herds  of  homed  cattle.  I  must 
remark,  besides,  that  that  would  have  been  much  more  surprising,  as 
it  appears  from  oflBcial  documents  which  have  been  furnished  to  me 
by  the  Minister  of  Finance  at  Lisbon,  that  in  consequence  of  the  ex- 
haustion of  food  in  Minho  and  Beira,  which  are  provinces  that  most 
abound  in  cattle,  and  which  besides  were  occupied  by  the  French,  the 
Portugese  Government  arranged  for  the  importation  from  Morocco  of 
cattle  necessary  to  form  the  parks  of  cattle  which  followed  the  Anglo- 
Portuguese  army.  It  was,  therefore,  these  expatriated  animals  which 
formed  a  great  portion  of  those  parks,  and  the  hard  vicissitudes  of 
war  imposed  great  fatigues  upon  them.  Moreover,  it  is  stated  in  a 
memoir,  addressed  to  me  by  the  body  of  professors  of  the  Veterinary 
School  of  Lisbon,  that  at  no  time  was  contagious  typhus  observed  in 
Portugal. 

My  belief,  I  may  say  my  conviction,  is,  then,  that  Rodet,  and  those 
who  have  borrowed  this  fact  from  him,  are  completely  deceived  in 
regarding  as  contagious  typhus  the  epizootic  disease  which  he  observed 
in  the  environs  of  Madrid. 

6.  A  more  considerable  objection  has  been  made  by  Professor 
Carlo  Lessona  to  the  opinion  of  the  exclusive  origin  of  typhus  in 
beasts  from  the  steppes.     This  is  it : — 

"  An  epizootic  disease  in  large  cattle  aflSicted  Egypt  from  1841  to 
1844.  It  carried  off  more  than  400,000  animals.  The  descriptions 
which  were  given  of  it  by  veterinary  and  other  surgeons  place  beyond 
doubt  that  it  was  contagious  typhus.  Now  Egypt  not  receiving  any 
cattle  from  the  steppes,  nor  yet  from  Germany,  it  is  evident  that  that 
malady  owed  its  development  in  those  animals  to  the  natural  disposi- 
tion which  all  animals  of  the  bovine  species  have  to  contract  it  imder 
the  influence  of  general  causes  which  produce  it." 

I  acknowledge  that  it  was  likely  to  be  contagious  typhus  which 
prevailed  in  Egypt  from  1841  to  1844 ;  but  the  numerous  and  im- 
portant documents  collected  by  myself  on  that  disease,  if  they 
are  not  a  rigorous  demonstration  of  its  origin  in  animals  coming 
from  the  steppes,  they  suflSce,  at  least,  to  establish  the  gravest  pre- 
sumptions in  favour  of  that  origin,  and  in  any  case  render  evident 
that  it  was  not  in  Egypt,  not  from  bovine  cattle  from  that  country, 
that  the  malady  derived  its  origin.  The  reader  may  judge  of  that 
by  what  follows  : — 

*'In  1840,  the  Viceroy  having  divided  the  greater  part  of  the 

territory  of  Egypt  into  appanages  for  his  children  and  the  high  dvil 

and  military  functionaries  of  his  government,  and  reserving  for  him- 

self  vast  properties,  the  necessity  of  giving  to  the  culture  of  the  earth 

a  greater  activity  was  ie\\).     ^xv^  ^iXi^  TL\»cx?i!a^r  of  beasts  proper  for 

labour,  and,  above  a\\,  tox  VJa^  \m^^\A.QVi  cil\5^^  ^^^,\5fe\s^\35a\\fficient, 


CONTAGIOUS  TYPHUS  OF  CATTLE.  597 

it  was  imperative  to  procure  more  from  foreign  countries.  For  this 
purpose  the  Viceroy,  his  son  Ibrahim,  and  several  other  great  pro- 
prietors, sent  agents  into  Anatolia  and  Karaniania,  countries  which 
by  their  proximity,  the  quality,  the  quantity,  and  the  price  of  the 
cattle  which  they  furnished,  seemed  to  offer  the  greatest  advantages. 
Numerous  purchases  were  made  there  during  the  winter  of  184J0  and 
1841,  and  considerable  herds  of  them  were  collected  for  embarkation 
in  the  towns  of  Adana,  Tarsons,  and  E^azanll  But  before  their  em- 
barkation a  destructive  epizootic  disease  broke  out  among  them,  and 
caused  the  death  of  a  great  number  of  them.  Instead  of  abandoning 
those  animals  to  the  disease  which  decimated  them,  efforts  were  made 
to  send  them  off  to  Egypt  towards  the  close  of  the  spring  of  1841. 
As  might  have  been  easily  foreseen,  the  disease  continued  on  board 
the  vessels  in  which  they  were  conveyed,  and  during  their  transport 
it  became  necessary  to  throw  many  of  them  into  the  sea.  As  to  those 
which  survived,  they  were  landed  at  Alexandria  in  a  generally  de- 
plorable condition.  This  transportation  was  carried  on  for  the  two 
following  years  under  the  same  circumstances,  with  the  same  accidents 
and  the  same  losses.  Now  the  disease,  far  from  becoming  milder, 
seemed,  on  the  contrary,  to  increase  in  intensity  after  the  landing  of 
the  animals  at  Alexandria,  and  therefore  their  proprietors  hastened  to 
scatter  them  in  snrroimding  plains,  hoping  thereby  to  diminish  the 
chances  of  mortality.  But  this  was  not  the  case  ;  the  animals  carried 
everywhere  the  germs  of  the  malady  which  had  already  caused  the 
death  of  a  great  number,  and  spread  it  amoug  animals  of  their  species 
in  every  place  into  which  they  penetrated.  From  thence  the  con- 
tagion extended  rapidly  into  Lower  Egypt,  the  Delta,  and  penetrated 
even  into  Upper  Egypt,  attacked  also  the  buffaloes,  and  caused  three- 
fifths  of  the  homed  cattle  to  perish ;  and  it  made  such  ravages  that, 
contrary  to  the  practice  in  that  country,  they  were  obliged  to  make 
use  for  agricultural  purposes  of  horses,  asses,  mules,  and  camels." 

The  passage  which  I  have  just  transcribed  is  an  extract  from  an 
official  report,  dated  the  29th  of  April  1847,  addressed  by  M.  Adolphe 
Barrot,  consul-general  of  France  at  Alexandria,  whom  the  Minister 
of  Foreign  Affairs  had  ordered  to  draw  it  up,  upon  the  contagious 
typhus  which  was  raging  in  Egypt,  from  the  most  complete  and 
precise  information  which  could  be  procured.  I  add  that  what  they 
experienced  accords  entirely  with  the  numerous  documents  which 
were  transmitted  direct  to  me,  at  my  request,  by  our  learned  country- 
man, Dr  Clot  Bey,  then  inspector-general  of  the  health  service  at 
Cairo,  and  by  the  president  of  the  General  Council  of  Health  of 
Egypt ;  they  concur  entirely  in  their  expos^  of  facts,  with  the  writ- 
ings, de  visu,  upon  this  typhus,  by  MM.  Labattist  and  Ackmarvi, 
professors  of  the  Veterinary  School  of  Choubrah ;  by  the  Egyptian 
doctors  Deheo  and  Allasia  ;  and,  finally,  with  the  notes  and  observa- 
tions made  by  MM.  Ibrahim  and  Ismail,  Egyptian  Veterinary 
Surgeons,  who  sent  them  to  me. 

Thus,  and  in  the  etiological  question  wUiQ,\x  1  ^^^V.  \i^  O^^^aatN^:^^ 


598  CONTAGIOUS  TYPHUS  OF  CATTLE. 

there  is  one  fact  of  great  importance  :  it  was  not  in  the  oxen  of  Egypt 
that  this  typhoid  epizootic  disease  of  1841-1844  had  its  origin ;  it 
was  in  the  cattle  bought  in  Syria  aad  Turkey,  and  that  it  was  to 
supply  extraordinary  demands  that  they  were  imported  into  Egypt. 
It  was  not  even  during  their  voyage  that  the  disease  showed  itself, 
it  was  in  Syria,  before  their  embarkation. 

Whence  came  those  animals  ? 

According  to  documents  received  from  the  Eg3^tian  administration, 
not  only  were  they  received  from  the  interior  of  Anatolia  and  Kara- 
mania,  which  furnished  a  great  number  of  them,  but  they  were  pro- 
cured in  Roumelia, /rom  tlie  hanks  of  the  Danvbe,  and  from  Mol- 
davia, Now  I  hasten  to  remark  that  the  greatest  number  of  the 
oxen  of  Moldavia  beloDg  to  the  race  of  the  steppes ;  and  what  proves 
that  some  oxen  of  that  race  were  introduced  into  Egypt  at  that  time, 
is  the  following  passage  from  a  note  addressed  to  me  by  M.  Ismail, 
the  Egyptian  Veterinary  Surgeon  : — 

"  In  1843,  in  coDsequence  of  the  disasters  occasioned  by  contagious 
typhus  among  the  horned  cattle  of  Egypt,  there  were  brought  from 
abroad  and  from  Southern  Russia,  I  believe,  herds  of  cattle,  which 
arrived  by  the  Mediterranean.  I  was  in  Alexandria  when  they  were 
landed.  They  were  of  the  middle  size,  and  their  proportions  were 
irregular,  their  bodies  gross  and  thick,  the  head  strong  and  large, 
their  muzzles  of  a  slate  colour,  their  napes  furnished  with  strong 
hair,  the  back  and  loins  short,  slightly  arched ;  their  horns  were 
long  in  the  majority  —  short,  however,  in  some  of  them ;  their 
chest  short  and  lank,  the  members  strong,  the  tail  hanging  low, 
gross  and  furnished  with  long  and  strong  hair.  The  dominant 
colours  of  their  hair  was  what  is  called  light  mouse  colour  and  slate 
colour;  never  red  or  bay.  What  is  very  remarkable  is  that  on  all 
the  length,  and  in  the  middle  of  the  dorso-lumbar  line,  there  are 
hairs  of  varied  length,  forming  a  train  from  the  withers  to  the  tail 
Some  also  had  similar  hair  under  the  belly,  on  the  jaws,  and  on  the 
buttocks. 

"  It  was  not  the  first  time,  I  may  state,  that  I  had  seen  cattle  of 
that  breed.  /  had  already  had  occasion  to  see  such  beasts — eigh- 
teen months  before — in  the  farms  of  Ibrahim  Pacha,  son  of  his 
Highness  the  Viceroy  of  Egypt.'' 

Now  all  who  know  the  cattle  of  the  steppes,  will  admit  that  there 
could  not  be  a  more  faithful  portrait  of  them,  nor  one  more  complete 
and  characteristic,  than  that  which  was  thus  traced  byM.  Ismail;  and 
there  can  be  no  doubt  in  their  minds  the  animals  introduced  into 
Egypt  in  1 843  were  of  that  race.  I  must  remark  that  certainly  cattle 
of  this  species  entered  that  country  at  anterior  epochs,  since  eighteen 
months  previous  M.  Ismail  had  seen  such  cattle  in  the  cow-houses, 
and  in  the  fields  of  Ibrahim  Pacha,  which,  probably,  had  been  there 
for  some  time  when  M.  Ismail  saw  them. 

I  can  well  undexstaiii  t\ia,\)  \)kvs  iaR\»  ot  the  introduction  in  numbers 
of  oxen  from  the  sleppea  m\.o  TLgj^X^/m  \%NS>,\sa\»  ^^^-^^  than  the 


CONTAGIOUS  TYPHUS  OF  CATTLE.  599 

probable  importation  of  some  animals  of  that  race  before  that  period, 
has  no  principal  importance  at  least  in  etiologic  relation  with  the 
history  of  the  typhus  of  1841,  since  it  is  certain  that  it  was  not  in 
Egypt  that  the  typhus  disease  originated.  Nevertheless,  I  have 
thought  it  my  duty  to  establish  clearly  the  fact,  in  order  to  prove 
that  it  was  not  so  inadmissible  as  Professor  Lessona  thought,  that 
Kussian  cattle  were  ever  imported  into  those  countries.  I  have  just 
said,  in  effect,  that  solely  on  that  inadmissibility,  and  invoked  by 
others  since,  reposes  all  the  argumentation  of  the  Piedmontese  pro- 
fessor respecting  the  origin  of  this  typhus. 

But  I  believe  I  ought  to  state  here,  in  order  to  demonstrate  that  it 
is  not  impossible  that  this  disease  may  have  had  its  source,  its  prim- 
ary origin,  in  the  race  of  the  steppes,  for  there  are  many  means 
afforded  by  commerce  and  importations  for  contact  between  these 
animals  and  those  of  Anatolia  and  Earamania. 

In  fact,  it  is  stated  in  a  Eussian  document  officially  transmitted  to 
the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  in  France,  on  the  subject  of  the 
countries  of  the  steppes  and  the  animals  which  are  produced  there  : — 
"  In  the  governments  in  which  the  steppes  are  situated  there  are 
reckoned  to  be  6,000,000  cattle  which  are  raised  for  slaughter. 
These  animals  are  with  that  object  sold  in  Eussia,  Poland,  Germany, 
Anatolia,  Karamania,  and  even  in  Syria'' 

Now,  it  must  be  remembered  that  it  was  from  Anatolia,  Karamania, 
and  Syria,  that  were  taken  the  herds  of  cattle  which  carried  typhus 
into  Egypt ;  if  it  is  remembered  that  before  their  embarkation  the 
beasts  were  attacked  by  that  malady,  not  only  is  it  not  unlikely  that 
those  were  animals  from  the  steppes  which  had  originally  contracted 
that  malady  which  they  communicated  to  those  of  the  country,  but  still 
more,  if  attention  is  paid  to  the  fact  that  if  it  was  not  so,  that 
epizootic  disease  would  be,  as  to  its  origin,  an  inexplicable  exception 
to  thousands  of  concordant  observations  made  in  Gfermany  for  more 
than  a  century,  no  one  can  refuse  to  admit,  until  demonstration  is 
afforded  to  the  contrary,  that  such  was  the  true  origin  of  the  typhus 
among  the  herds  from  Anatolia  and  Karamania  imported  into  Egypt. 

Such  are,  according  to  my  knowledge,  the  only  facts  on  which  is 
founded  the  doctrine  of  the  possible  origin  of  contagious  typhus  in 
animals  foreign  to  the  steppes.  I  come,  then,  to  determine  its  value 
in  this  point  of  view,  and  if  I  do  not  deceive  myself  I  believe  they 
are  very  far  from  furnishing  one  single  serious  argument  to  the  par- 
tisans of  that  doctrine. 

However,  desirous  of  finishing,  once  for  all,  with  an  opinion  which 
in  184J4  cost  thousands  of  beasts  to  Bohemia — ^which  is  capable  of 
being  so  fatal  among  us,  and  everywhere  else  where  it  is  allowed  to 
penetrate,  and  is  dangerous  on  accoimt  of  the  scientific  authority  of 
the  authors  who  profess  it,  I  considered  it  useful  not  to  allow  to  pass 
without  appreciation  any  of  the  reasons  given  in  order  to  make  it 
prevail.  I  shall  examine,  then,  in  a  few  words,  that  which  follows,  in 
replying  to  M.  Lessona,  who,  anioug;  others,  has  ^vit  tlv\s  c\^<i.'3»^\a'^  \si 
the  adversaries  of  the  system  w\\\c\i  W  s\x\>\)0\^^\ — 


600  CONTAGIOUS  TYPHUS  OF  CATTLE. 

"  If  any  one  denies  that  contagions  typhus  can  generate  spontane- 
ously in  bovine  cattle  of  all  countries  and  of  all  races,"  says  this 
veterinary  professor,  "let  him  cite  a  single  case  in  which  oxen, 
(French  or  others,)  strangers  to  the  steppes,  have  been  united,  agglo- 
merated in  numerous  herds,  exposed  to  climatic  influences,  to  priva- 
tions, to  fatigues,  to  himger,  as  those  are  which  follow  the  German 
armies,  and  have  not  contracted  contagious  typhus  under  the  influ- 
ence of  these  conditions." 

To  this  question  the  reply  is  easy ;  and  among  the  examples  which 
present  themselves  in  such  nimibers,  I  shall  only  feel  embarrassed  by 
the  choice.  I  shall  confine  myself  to  citing  the  following,  which  I 
believe  from  their  nature,  from  their  historical  evidence,  from  their 
importance,  and  from  the  clearness  of  their  signification,  must  suffice 
to  remove  all  doubts  on  the  subject. 

I  have  interrogated  the  history  of  all  the  countries  of  Europe — 
above  all,  those  in  which,  directly  or  indirectly,  it  has  treated  of  con- 
tagious typhus ;  I  have  inquired  of  the  most  competent  persons,  and 
those  best  placed  in  diffierent  localities,  what  have  been  the  coinci- 
dences there ;  the  relations  near  or  distant  among  the  wars  in  which 
they  have  taken  part  for  more  than  a  century,  and  the  epizootic 
attacks  from  which  their  cattle  have  suffered,  and  their  results,  from 
the  very  precise  documents  which  have  been  transmitted  to  me  from 
almost  all  the  states  to  which  I  applied,  that  whatever  may  have  been 
the  displacement  of  troops,  the  masses  of  men  and  beasts  that  have 
been  put  in  movement  by  war,  nevei*  has  contagious  typhus  shown  it- 
self among  the  cattle  in  the  provision  parks  of  armies  when  those 
cattle  parks  were  not  recruited,  in  whole  or  in  part,  from  the  races  of 
the  Bussian  or  Hungarian  steppes,  and  when  the  beasts  that  compose 
them  had  no  relations  with  animals  of  that  race  attacked  with  the 
malady,  or  with  others  infected  by  them  :  while  there  has  not  been  a 
war  of  any  importance  in  which  Kussia  or  Austria  has  taken  part 
without,  shortly  after  the  commencement  of  the  war,  the  typhus 
appearing  and  making  great  ravages  among  the  herds  of  cattle  in- 
tended for  provision.  Here  we  ought  to  recall  the  fact  which  is 
known  to  all  the  world,  that  the  cattle  which  are  made  use  of  to  sus- 
tain the  armies  of  Russia  are  exclusively,  or  for  the  greater  part,  fur- 
nished from  the  steppes  of  the  southern  provinces  of  that  empire ; 
and  that  those  which  compose  the  parks  of  the  Austrian  armies  come 
principally  from  the  same  steppes  or  from  those  of  Hungary.  This  is 
the  invariable  conclusion  arrived  at  from  all  my  researches  into  the 
Russian  and  German  archives,  and  all  the  documents,  official  and  other- 
wise, that  have  been  sent  me.  Thus,  in  my  turn,  I  can,  with  good 
reason,  return  the  question,  and  say  to  those  who  ask  it : — 

"  If  it  is  true  that  contagious  typhus  may  originate  spontaneously, 

not  only  in  the  race  of  the  steppes,  but  also  in  others,  let  them  cite  a 

single  war  wherein  French,  Dutch,  Spanish,  Piedmontese,  or  English 

oxen,  &c.,  however  reduced.  \i^  ^T\\aXAo\^%  «jid  imperfect  nourishment, 

iowever  harassed,  biowevex  -^oiii  w>X»  m^^  l^^\«>Jva,VQ^^N^x  crowded 


CONTAGIOUS  TYPHUS  OF  CATTLE.  601 

together  in  great  numbers,  have  shown  a  single  case  of  contagious 
typhus,  if  they  have  not  previously  been  in  communication  with  ani- 
mals or  places  infected  with  this  malady." 

"  Who  can  cite,  on  the  contrary,  the  instance  of  a  single  Eussian 
army  of  any  size  obliged  to  have  parks  of  oxen  drawn  from  the  south- 
em  provinces  of  that  empire,  without  the  contagious  typhus  having 
shown  itself  very  shortly  after  the  army  has  been  collected  or  put  in 
motion?" 

It  would  be  superfluous  to  notice  here  all  the  typhoid  invasions 
which  have  had  their  point  of  departure  from  the  great  movements  of 
Eussian  and  Austrian  troops  when  the  great  masses  of  stock  are 
divided  from  the  Eussian,  Danubian,  or  Hungarian  steppes.  All  the 
world  agrees  that  these  movements  have  generally  for  their  conse- 
quence the  development  of  typhus.  But  that  which  is  sustained,  and 
which  I  contest,  is,  that  this  same  malady  manifests  itself  equally  on 
herds  for  provisioning  armies  or  great  agglomerations  of  oxen  of  other 
countries,  if  placed  in  the  same  conditions  of  emigration,  fatigue,  and 
privations.  We  have  already  seen  by  the  analysis  which  I  have  made 
what  is  the  value  of  the  facts  brought  forward  as  proofs  of  that  pro- 
position :  it  will  suffice,  then,  to  settle  this  point,  merely  to  cite  some 
facts  of  a  contrary  nature,  which,  to  render  them  more  evident  and 
more  easy  to  check  in  all  points,  I  shall  borrow  from  a  part  of  our 
history  which  is  nearest  to  our  time. 

It  is  certain  that  from  1800  to  1814  France  had  great  wars  to  sup- 
port ;  she  put  in  movement  great  armies,  and,  in  order  to  conduct 
them  to  fields  of  battle  far  distant,  where  they  were  to  fight,  it  was 
necessary  to  collect  very  considerable  herds  of  cattle,  while  the  pre- 
occupations and  the  necessities  of  war  did  not  permit  them  to  give 
the  necessary  care  with  respect  to  the  health  of  the  animals.  Well, 
up  to  1814,  so  long  as  those  armies  did  not  quit  France  or  the 
countries  bordering  on  France — while  they  were  not  in  contact  with  the 
armies  of  Prussia  or  of  Eussia,  did  these  armies  see  their  parks  of 
cattle  attacked  by  typhus  ?  In  no  place  was  there  any  indication  of 
it.  But  at  corresponding  periods,  what  passed  among  foreign  armies  ? 
Prussia,  of  which  the  Polish  frontier  at  first,  then  the  eastern  part, 
and  afterwards  the  whole  country,  were  continually  occupied  by 
Eussian  troops,  was  during  that  period  of  time  so  cruelly  ravaged  by 
contagious  typhus,  that  the  historians  of  that  country  do  not  hesitate 
to  say  that  it  lost  more  wealth,  in  consequence  of  that  disease,  than  it 
suflfered  from  the  evils  of  the  war.  Now  it  was  the  same  in  all  parts 
of  Central  Germany  and  the  German  states  of  the  south  where  the 
Eussian  or  Austrian  armies  had  penetrated. 

Starting  from  1801,  the  theatre  of  war  being  removed  from  the 
Ehine  towards  the  centre  and  the  east  of  Germany,  typhus,  which  had 
raged  in  the  states  bordering  that  river,  while  the  Austrian  armies 
sojourned  and  acted  there,  disappeared  along  with  them.  After  they 
left,  and  up  to  1813,  however,  these  states  being  incessantly  covered 
with  bodies  of  French  troops,  that  disease  did  \iQi\»  ^W^^  Si^^s?^.   "M^ 


602  CONTAGIOUS  TYPHUS  OF  CATTLE. 

was  not  until  1813,  then,  when  the  hazards  of  war  took  the  Austrian 
and  Russian  armies  into  the  Grermanic  Confederation,  that  the  disease 
came  back  along  with  them  again  ;  and  it  was  in  the  year  following, 
when  France  was  invaded  in  its  turn,  that  the  numerous  convoys  of 
oxen  which  the  Prussians,  Russians,  and  Austrians  brought  in  their 
train,  that  it  carried  oflF  almost  all  the  beasts  wherever  it  appeared ; 
and  this  continued  up  to  1816,  when  there  were  none  of  these 
foreigners  passing  through  or  sojourning  among  us,  and  which  ceased 
when  their  armies  quitted  our  soil. 

If  from  the  north  we  cast  our  eyes  towards  the  south,  and  look  to 
what  passed  in  Spain  then,  we  there  see  from  1808  to  1814,  during 
the  six  years  which  the  memorable  war  of  independence  lasted, 
Spanish,  French,  and  English  armies  occuppng  and  overrunning  that, 
in  every  sense,  unfortunate  country,  without  contagious  typhus  once 
appearing,  although  fatigues  and  privations  of  all  kinds  were  endured 
by  the  provision  cattle  which  everywhere  accompanied  the  English 
army;  and  particularly  was  this  the  case  with  those  which  were 
obliged  to  follow  our  (the  French)  troops,  to  whom  hostile  and  exas- 
perated populations  refused  the  least  succour. 

It  will  be  seen  that  these  are  facts  of  a  signification  difficult  to  be 
contested.  Nevertheless,  I  can  produce  facts  still  more  conclusive, 
considering  that  the  time  and  the  epoch  in  which  they  took  place  are 
almost  before  our  eyes,  and  it  is  not  for  any  person  to  ignore  or  mis- 
conceive them. 

Every  one  knows  what  was,  during  the  ten  or  twelve  first  years  of 
the  occupation  of  the  French  in  Africa,  our  position  in  that  colony ; 
our  armies,  incessantly  in  action,  either  to  conquer  the  country  or  to 
defend  daily  foot  by  foot  the  conquest,  finding  nothing  to  subsist  on, 
being  obliged  at  the  same  time  to  have  great  parks  of  provision  cattle 
situated  near  the  towns,  and  to  send  on  a  certain  number  of  those 
animals  every  time  that  the  columns,  however  small  they  might  be, 
were  sent  on  expeditions.  Being  unable  to  have  more  than  a  very 
restricted  commerce  with  the  Arabs,  the  localities  occupied  being 
unable  to  furnish  meat  in  sufficient  quantity,  it  was  necessary  to  cause 
oxen  to  be  brought  from  the  nearest  European  coasts.  Hence  Spain, 
Sardinia,  the  Two  Sicilies,  and  the  Roman  States  provided  what  was 
wanted.  No  preparation  was  made  to  receive  and  todge  those  great 
masses  of  animals,  which  were  left  without  shelter,  exposed  to  the 
severity  of  the  weather  in  a  very  dangerous  climate,  in  enclosed 
places  of  which  the  soil  was  generally  so  humid  and  muddy,  that 
when  it  rained  the  animals,  which  had  scarcely  room  to  move  about^ 
sank  up  to  the  knees  in  water  or  mud.  Negligent,  little  attentive,  or 
more  guilty  still,  the  agents  appointed  by  the  administration  to  take 
care  of  these  animals  did  not  give  them  sufficient  food  at  all  times. 
Thus  diseases  frequently  broke  out  among  them,  and  the  mortality 
was  considerable.  These  diseases  were  serious  diarrhoea  or  attacks 
of  dysentery,  sometimes  'waXiet^  ^^ok^Tda:  here  anthrax  aflFections, 
there  acute  or  cliromc  affecWoxva  Ql\Is^^^^\>,^V\^^^^^^4tlie  cattle 


CONTAGIOUS  TYPHUS  OF  CATTLE.  603 

parks  and  caused  a  great  immber  of  animals  to  perish.  Notwith- 
standingy  according  to  the  official  report  of  all  the  veterinary  surgeons 
who  succeeded  each  other  in  Africa  from  1830  to  1845,  and  also 
from  declarations  of  military  intendants  and  sub-intendants,  who 
were  invited  specially  by  the  minister  to  make  researches  upon  this 
subject,  never  did  contagious  typhus  show  itself  in  the  indigenous 
cattle,  nor  yet  in  oxen  imported,  placed  in  the  deplorable  position 
which  I  have  just  mentioned  according  to  the  official  communications 
which  have  been  made,  at  my  request,  by  the  war  administration. 

As  to  the  cattle  for  provisioning  the  expeditionary  columns,  the 
condition  in  which  they  were  placed  was  still  more  miserable,  as  may 
be  judged  from  the  following  extract  from  a  report  furnished  by 
twenty-nine  veterinary  surgeons,  all  agreeing  on  this  point,  of  which 
I  have  the  memoirs  before  me : — 

"  The  cattle  which  followed  the  troops  in  the  expeditions  vary  in 
number,  according  to  the  strength  of  the  expeditionary  division  to  be 
provided  for  and  the  presumed  duration  of  the  campaign.  These 
animals  lie  constantly  on  the  ground  and  witliout  shelter,  occupying 
a  place  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  square  formed  by  the  troops. 
There  is  no  ration  of  forage ;  they  have  only  to  eat  and  drink  what 
they  can  find  on  the  route,  whether  on  halt,  in  camp,  or  in  the 
environs  of  camps,  when  there  is  no  reason  to  fear  that  the  Arabs 
may  carry  them  off.  They  have,  consequently,  great  privations  to 
endure,  very  great  fatigue  to  go  through,  according  to  the  season, 
following  the  columns  everywhere  with  more  or  less  rapidity  over 
roads  generally  difficult,  and  where  accidents  frequently  occur.  Thus 
during  the  summer,  the  excessive  heat  which  dries  up  the  very  sources 
of  the  streams,  withers  the  plants  that  furnish  forage,  obliges  them 
to  travel  with  their  noses  in  the  sand,  to  breathe  a  bummg  air,  with- 
out water  to  quench  their  thirst,  without  other  aliment  than  dry  and 
coriacious  roots,  which  they  may  find  by  turning  up  the  earth.  Dur- 
ing the  winter  they  have  to  endure  a  cold  sometime^  excessive,  and 
rain  and  snow  which  at  that  period  fall  with  an  abundance  which  is 
not  known  in  Erance.  It  must  not  be  matter  of  wonder  that  many 
of  these  animals  die  during  or  immediately  after  these  expeditions, 
nor  that  they  sink,  thin  and  meagre  as  they  are,  under  the  grave 
maladies  which  attack  them.  Among  those  maladies  the  most  grave 
are  diarrhoea,  fevers,  and  those  of  an  anthrax  character.  But  never 
have  my  colleagues  or  myself  seen  or  heard  it  said  that  any  case  has 
appeared  of  contagious  typhus,  or  other  affections  transmissible  from 
diseased  iinimals  to  those  in  good  health,  among  which  they  are  re- 
placed after  their  return  from  an  expedition." 

Assuredly  if  expatriation  into  an  unhealthy  climate,  if  privations 
of  all  kinds  in  already  attenuated  animals,  of  hunger,  thirst,  forced 
marches,  the  prolonged  want  of  drink  and  forage  under  a  burning 
sun ;  if  exposure  night  and  day  to  rain  or  to  snow  during  frosty 
nights,  &c.,  could,  as  some  affirm,  cause  typhus  to  make  its  appear- 
ance among  all  horned  animals  without  distinction^  wnd  Q>t  ^k?^  ^^^^ 


604  CONTAGIOUS  TYPHUS  OF  CATTLE. 

—  assuredly,  I  say,  no  circumstance  is  more  likely  to  produce  it 
than  those  to  which  we  have  exposed,  for  fifteen  years  of  a  war  with- 
out relaxation,  herds  of  cattle  stationary  or  on  march,  destined  to 
provision  our  African  armies.  Now,  I  repeat  it,  a  special  inquiry 
made  with  the  utmost  care  in  1845,  throughout  all  the  extent  of  our 
possessions  in  Algeria,  and  of  which  all  the  proofs  are  now  before 
me,  has  established  the  fact  that  at  no  epoch  since  the  origin  of  the 
conquest  has  any  case  of  that  affection  been  proved  in  those  animals, 
oppressed  and  decimated  as  they  were  by  so  many  other  maladies. 

I  could  without  any  doubt  stop  here  relative  to  that  capital  cir- 
cumstance in  the  history  of  typhus,  if  that  malady  had  never  been 
generated  in  times  of  war  and  under  the  influence  of  conditions  of 
extreme  exhaustion  in  which  animals  live  that  follow  armies.  But 
any  person  who  has  studied  the  history  of  the  invasion  of  contagious 
typhus  in  neat  cattle  must  know  that  the  same  circumstances  of  ex- 
patriation, of  misery  and  fatigue,  in  which  a  state  of  war  places 
cattle  intended  for  provisioning  armies,  are  to  be  found  among 
animals  of  the  race  of  the  steppes,  which  every  year,  in  perfect  peace, 
to  the  number  of  hundreds  of  thousands,  are  bought  in  Southern 
Kussia,  and  driven  to  the  north-east  of  that  empire  into  Poland,  into 
several  provinces  of  Austria,  and  into  Bohemia,  to  supply  the  require- 
ments of  the  butcher.  On  the  other  hand,  whoever  has  read  good 
German  and  Russian  authors  who  have  treated  of  typhus,  and  par- 
ticularly of  the  excellent  monographies  of  Lorinzer  and  of  Spinola, 
knows  that  during  a  great  part  of  the  year  more  than  100,000  of 
those  animals  plough  up  the  almost  impracticable  roads  which  lead  to 
the  Crimea  and  Bessarabia,  to  Podolia,  Volhynia,  and  to  other  pro- 
vinces of  the  north-west  and  centre,  attached  to  carts  which  transport 
into  those  countries  the  salt  which  is  furnished  in  great  abundance 
by  the  saline  springs  of  Lower  Bessarabia  and  Perecop,  and  which  on 
their  return  take  to  Odessa  the  com  raised  in  those  fertile  proviiices. 

Now,  it  has  been  demonstrated  by  the  learned  Gterman  veterinary 
writers  whom  I  have  just  cited,  and  it  is  now  perfectly  well  known, 
that  the  manifestation  of  typhus  which  takes  place  so  often  in  times 
of  peace,  whether  in  Russia^  on  the  Russian  frontiers  of  Poland  and 
Germany,  in  oxen  from  the  steppes  which  are  taken  for  slaughter,  or 
in  those  employed  for  transport,  had  generally  for  principal  determi- 
nating causes  the  climates,  and  the  fatigues,  privations,  and  exposures 
to  which  those  animals  were  subjected  on  the  long  routes  on  which 
they  travelled. 

Thus  this  fact  has  been  laid  hold  of  to  attribute  to  these  circum- 
stances exclusively  the  development  of  the  malady  in  these  animals, 
and  to  afl&rm  that  if  cattle  of  other  countries  had  similar  distances  to 
go  with  the  same  regime,  overcrowding,  and  fatigues,  they  would 
without  doubt  be  attacked  with  contagious  typhus. 

It  is  true  that  this  is  only  a  simple  afiirmation,  based  on  a  belief 
purely  theoretic,  and  that  is  warranted  by  no  observation.  It  is  as 
well  to  demonstrate  here  b^  a^a  exa.TCi^\^  daa^^n  from  among  several 


CONTAGIOUS  TYPHUS  OF  CATTLE.  605 

others,  that  oxen,  when  they  are  strangers  to  the  race  of  the  steppes, 
when  they  find  themselves  in  similar  conditions  to  those  which  I  have 
just  related,  may  be  more  or  less  decimated  by  maladies,  but  do  not 
contract  contagious  typhus.  And  here  I  shall  give  a  proof  of  it  which 
appears  to  me  unanswerable. 

"  Egypt  raises  few  cattle,  and  the  number  which  she  does  raise  is 
insufficient  for  her  wants.  She  supplies  them  by  numerous  importa- 
tions, coming,  for  the  greater  part,  from  Kardofian  and  Senaar.  These 
importations  are  made  by  convoys,  the  mean  cipher  of  which  may  be 
estimated  1500  to  2000  head ;  but,  whether  from  negligence,  or  from 
that  spirit  of  apathy  and  want  of  foresight  which  characterise  the 
people  of  Eastern  countries,  it  is  very  rare  that  on  the  departure  of 
these  convoys  the  agent  who  is  charged  to  preside  over  them  has 
calculated  on  the  supplies  which  he  may  need  on  the  immense  line  he 
has  got  to  traverse,  sometimes  400  or  500  leagues.  Setting  out  from 
the  farthest  part  of  Upper  Nubia,  these  convoys  travel  towards  Egypt 
by  keeping  as  much  as  possible  by  the  sinuous  banks  of  the  Nile ; 
but  often  they  are  obliged  to  go  off  from  them,  and  then,  as  before 
reaching  them,  their  route  is  traced  across  long  stretches  of  the  arid 
desert.  In  these  marches,  in  which  the  distances  are  far  from  being 
calculated  according  to  their  strength,  these  animals,  bom  amid  the 
luxuriance  of  a  tropical  vegetation,  suffer  almost  without  palliation 
and  without  intermission  the  effects  of  the  sudden  contrast.  They 
quit  a  land  rich  in  herbage  for  another  of  burning  sand.  To  repose 
and  fat  pasturages  and  abundance  of  pure  water,  succeed,  for  them, 
a  dry  atmosphere,  long  journeys,  fatigues,  and  privations. 

"  The  halts  are  made  in  bad  confined  places,  where  a  meagre  pro- 
vision of  beans  and  straw,  when  they  can  find  it,  forms  almost  the 
only  resource  which  can  be  reckoned  upon  to  feed  and  sustain  them. 
For  as  no  one  has  foreseen  either  the  number  of  the  convoys  or  of 
the  beasts,  nor  even  the  precise  epochs  of  their  passage,  it  happens 
often  that  the  mass  of  provisions  is  much  less  than  will  be  strictly 
necessary ;  and  this  happens  particularly  when  this  kind  of  halting 
park,  these  chounes,  (as  the  Arabs  call  them,)  are  at  a  little  distance 
from  the  cultivated  spots.  Thus  the  misery  of  the  convoys  increases 
in  rapid  and  frightful  progression,  reaching  its  height  precisely  in 
those  places  the  most  deprived  of  natural  resources,  in  which  for  that 
reason  the  most  ordinary  providence  would  have  prepared  and  econo- 
mised the  most  to  meet  it. 

"  According  as  they  go  farther  from  the  point  of  departure  and 
fertile  spots,  these  convoys  mark  more  and  more  their  passage  by  the 
bodies  of  the  dead  oxen  which  at  short  distances  point  out  the  road 
they  have  gone  along ;  and  when  at  last  they  approach  the  end  of 
their  journey,  the  convoys  are  stopped  near  Cairo,  it  is  not  a  rare 
occurrence  to  find  that  their  numbers  are  reduced  by  a  third,  a  half, 
or  even  more.  As  to  those  which  survive,  they  are,  for  the  most  part, 
very  meagre  and  in  the  most  pitiable  condition. 

'*  The  disease  which  falls  most  frequently  upon  tkese  b^^&t^,  ^s^^ 


606  CONTAGIOUS  TYPHUS  OF  CATTLE. 

that  which  destroys  so  great  a  number,  is  dysentery,  complicated  in 
many  of  them  by  bilious  affections ;  but  never  did  any  one  see  that 
malady  or  any  other  assumfi  in  these  animals,  and  in  these  circum- 
stances, the  typhoid  character.  Never  has  it  had  the  slightest  con- 
tagious  character!' 

The  statement  which  I  have  just  cited  is  extracted  textually  from 
a  letter  written  to  me  by  the  present  honourable  director  of  the 
Veterinary  School  of  Toulouse,  M.  Prince,  who  drew  the  facts  from 
the  notes  collected  by  him  during  his  sojourn  in  Egypt,  where  he 
occupied  for  several  years  a  professorial  chair  in  the  Veterinary  School 
of  Choubrah. 

Can  I  add  to  its  significance?  And  by  what  example  more 
striking  can  I  prove  that  the  expatriation,  that  conditions  of  inarch 
and  of  regime  the  most  miserable  do  not  suffice  to  produce  contagious 
typhus  in  the  bovine  race  ?  That  it  requires  also  in  those  animals, 
in  order  that  that  malady  may  germinate  and  engender  in  them  a 
predisposition,  a  special  aptitude,  which,  up  to  the  present  time  at 
least,  is  only  to  be  met  with  in  the  race  of  the  steppes  ? 


l\t  ^tUnuq  llelmto  anb  Biothbmx&  ^mxml 


►N  THE  INVESTIGATION  OF  EPIDEMIC  AND  EPIZOOTIC 

DISEASES. 

'OBEMOST  amongst  the  great  evils  which  afflict  mankind,  and  hinder 
he  prosperity  of  nations,  are  those  scourges  which  from  time  to  time 
Weep  over  the  earth,  spreading  want  and  misery  and  death  around 
fiem ;  those  epidemic  and  epizootic  diseases  which  we  are  only  now 
ommencing  to  study  in  their  proper  light,  to  trace  to  their  proper 
*Uses,  whose  prevention  and  extirpation  it  will,  we  trust  and  believe, 
B  one  of  science's  most  useful  tasks  to  achieve. 
Our  epidemic  and  epizootic  diseases  may  be  all  classed  under  the 
'oup  to  which  modem  nosologists  have  attached  the  name  "zymotic ;" 
name  which,  although  it  involves  a  theory  which  may  be,  and  prob- 
^ly  is,  incorrect,  (i.  e.  that  they  are'  due  to  fermentation,)  serves  to 
-Uiind  one  of  the  characters  of  the  diseases  which  belong  to  the 
^^s,  diseases  which  appear  to  be  all  due  to  special  morbid  principles, 
^  these  definite  chemical  substances,  be  they  certain  special  condi- 
^ons  of  organised  matter — morbid  principles  which,  when  placed 
mder  favourable  circumstances,  have  the  power  of  multiplying  to  an 
ilmost  indefinite  extent     When  we  examine  and  study  specially  that 
livision  of  zymotic  diseases  which  our  Registrar-General  includes  under 
he  order  miasmatic — ^which  comprehends  the  very  diseases  which  in- 
erest  us  at  present— our  typhus  and  cholera,  our  rinderpest  and  epi- 
zootic pleuro-pneumonia,  we  find  that  whilst,  like  the  other  zymotic 
liseases,  they  appear  to  be  caused  by  special  poisons,  they  are  sus- 
ceptible of  communication  from  an  affected  person  or  animal  to  the 
lealthy  by  means  of  the  air,  or  water,  by  fomites,  that  once  generated  in 
\,  diseased  organism,  the  poison  can,  through  the  means  of  one  or  other, 
)r  all  of  these  channels,  be  transmitted  from  the  sick  to  the  healthy. 
BnTeloped  though  they  are  in  comparative  obscurity,  their  virus  only 
Vox.  l.—lSo.  XL— New  Sebum,    ^ove^bih  \%^^.  «i."k 


608  EPIDEMIC  AND  EPIZOOTIC  DISEASES. 

known  to  us  through  its  effects,  there  are  certain  facts  connected 
with  these  diseases  which  ought  to  be  studied  more  than  they  have 
been,  and  a  proper  knowledge  of  which  may  lead  to  our  being  able 
ultimately  to  extirpate,  or,  at  any  rate,  to  confine  them  to  certain 
limited  regions. 

That  the  special  morbific  principles  which  give  rise  to  each  of  our 
zymotic  diseases  must,  at  some  time  or  other,  have  originated  spon- 
taneously is  very  obvious.  That  when  a  certain  group  of  circum- 
stances favourable  to  its  genius  exists,  a  zymotic  disease  may  be 
generated  anew,  we  presume  no  one  would  doubt,  though  at  the 
same  time  all  must  maintain  that  such  an  association  can  only  very 
rarely  be  admitted  to  be  possible.  Perplexed  though  we  may  be  with 
regard  to  some  of  our  zymotic  diseases,  in  doubt  as  to  whether  our 
typhus  and  typhoid  fevers  can  be  generated  afresh  or  not,  we  can 
have  no  doubt  in  saying  that  the  immense  majority  of  our  zymotic 
diseases  cannot  originate  spontaneously  in  our  climates.  Climate  and 
geographical  position  influence  to  a  remarkable  extent  the  generation 
of  many,  and  modify  or  control  the  spread  of  others  of  these  diseases. 
That  the  virus  of  small-pox  may,  in  certain  parts  of  the  globe,  originate 
de  novo,  we  not  only  believe  to  be  possible,  but  probable  ;  but  that  such 
a  generation  never  occurs  in  our  climate,  is  a  fact  so  fully  admitted  by 
all  as  to  require  no  arguments  in  its  support ;  and  the  same  is  true 
with  regard  to  many  others  of  the  zymotic  diseases  which  are  endemic 
in  Great  Britain.  The  same  is  certainly  true  with  regard  to  the  cholera 
and  the  rinderpest.  So  essential  a  condition,  indeed,  is  that  of  climate, 
not  only  to  the  generation,  but  to  the  spread  of  some  of  the  zymotic 
diseases,  that  they  are  only  capable  of  existing  vrithin  certain  latitudes, 
beyond  which  the  poison  upon  which  they  depend  seems  to  cease  to  be 
capable  of  reproduction.  Of  this  fact  we  had  an  instance  but  a  few 
weeks  since  in  the  limited  epidemic  of  yellow  fever  which  occurred 
at  Swansea.  Introduced  by  a  vessel  arriving  from  the  tropics,  this 
disease  caused  the  death  of  several  persons  who  came  in  contact  with 
the  crew  of  the  infected  vessel,  and  of  others  who  had  thus  contracted 
the  disease.  Yet  no  great  alarm  existed  in  the  mind  of  the  medical 
profession  as  to  the  disease  extending,  so  well  known  was  the  fact 
that  a  tropical  climate  is  one  of  the  circumstances  essential  to  the 
continued  generation  of  the  virus  of  yellow  fever. 

We  have  alluded  to  small-pox,  which  is  an  example  of  a  disease 
which,  although  endemic,  is  incapable  of  spontaneous  generation  in 
our  climates ;  and  lo  yeWo^  I^n^^^-^YyOcv  \tfi\»  ^uly  cannot  be  gener- 


EPIDEMIC  AND  EPIZOOTIC  DISEASES.  G09 

ated  in  our  climates,  but  which  does  not  find  here  the  circumstances 
essential  to  its  continued  existence ;  and  we  have  now  to  examine 
certain  points  connected  with  the  history  of  cholera  and  rinderpest. 
If  yellow  fever  has  its  habitat,  cholera  and  rinderpest  have  one  like- 
wise, for  there  are  regions  which  they  almost  continually  devastate, 
and  from  which  they  only  occasionally  are  wafted  to  us,  to  rage  only 
for  a  time  perhaps,  but  long  enough  to  cause  the  most  terrible  havoc. 
The  first  duty,  then,  of  scientific  men,  is,  if  possible,  to  study  the 
regions  of  disease  accurately ;  and  the  duty  of  a  wise  legislature  will 
be  to  act  upon  the  strength  of  this  knowledge,  and  to  oppose  all 
possible  barriers  to  their  extension  from  these  regions.  It  will  be 
their  duty  to  have  a  sanitary  police  watching  over  the  health  of  the 
people,  and  studying  the  march  of  epidemics. 

It  is  now  two  years  since  we  drew  the  attention  of  the  stock- 
owners  of  Great  Britain  to  the  extraordinary  prevalence  of  the  rin- 
derpest in  certain  districts  of  Austria  and  Eussia,  and  we  showed 
how  great  was  the  probability  of  the  disease  being  transmitted  to  our 
shores,  and  pointed  out  the  dreadful  consequences  which  must  neces- 
sarily attend  its  introduction.  But  our  predictions,  and  the  measures 
which,  believing  in  them,  we  proposed,  only  served  to  awaken  the 
opposition  of  those  whom  they  were  most  intended  to  benefit.  That 
the  measures  which  we  suggested  would  have  had  the  effect  of  stop- 
ping the  introduction,  we  think  few  will  be  inclined  to  doubt.  The 
history  of  the  rinderpest  epizootic  teaches,  indeed,  a  valuable  lesson 
respecting  the  short-sightedness  of  not  impeding,  in  every  way  ima- 
ginable, the  march  of  those  diseases  which  science  has  already  taught 
may  be,  by  suitable  measures,  restrained  in  their  march.  That  other 
nations  are  more  alive  than  we  are  to  the  importance  of  such  mea- 
sures is  proved  by  the  welcome  fact,  that  within  the  last  few  weeks 
the  French  government  has  proposed  to  the  other  European  govern- 
ments that  a  Sanitary  Diplomatic  Conference  on  Cholera  be  held, 
and  the  proposition  has  already  met,  we  believe,  the  approval  of  those 
to  whom  it  was  addressed.  The  terms  in  which  the  invitation  is 
worded  proves  how  philosophical  a  view  the  French  government  has 
taken  of  the  matter.  "  The  object  of  this  conference  would  be  to 
investigate  the  primary  causes  of  cholera,  to  determine  its  principal 
points  of  departure,  to  study  its  characteristics,  and  its  march ;  lastly, 
it  would  have  to  propose  practical  means  for  confining  the  disease, 
and  stifling  it  at  its  origin." 

Let  us  hope  that  this  congress  will  inaugurate  a  new  era  in  the  his- 


610  EPiDEiaC  AND  EPIZOOTIC  DISEASEa 

tory  of  sanitary  science,  by  showing  how  great  are  the  resources  of 
science,  and  how  inestimable  the  boons  which  she  can  confer  upon 
humanity. 

If  we  have,  amongst  the  points  to  be  investigated  in  connexion 
with  epidemic  and  epizootic  diseases,  chosen  as  most  important  that 
relating  to  their  origin  and  spread,  we  have  done  so  because  we  con- 
sider that  its  study  will  have  the  greatest  practical  results,  and  that 
its  solution  is  of  chief  importance.  Yet  we  are  perfectly  alive  to  the 
fact  that  much  light  may  be  expected  to  be  thrown  by  science  upon 
nearly  all  the  questions  relating  to  these  diseases.  In  our  next  we 
intend  to  continue  this  subject,  and  to  show  the  special  benefits  which 
a  proper  study  of  hygiene  may  confer,  and  the  special  points  which 
chemistry  and  pathology  are  likely  to  solve. 


BOTAL  COLLEGE  OF  VETEBINABY  SUEQEONS.  611 

ROYAL  COLLEGE  OF  VETERINARY  SURGEONS. 

QUABTEBLY  MEETING  OF  COUNCIL,  HELD  OCTOBEE  4,   1865. 

Pbesent — ^The  President,  Professor  Gamgee,  Messrs  J.  C.  Broad, 
Brown,  Dickens,  Vines,  Field,  Greaves,  Harpley,  Harrison,  Hunt, 
Hunting,  Lawson,  Moon,  Pritchard,  Seeker,  Thacker,  Withers, 
and  the  Secretary  : — 

The  President  in  the  Chair. 

The  Minutes  of  the  preceding  meeting  were  read  and  confirmed. 

A  letter  was  read  from  Mr  J.  C.  Broad  of  Paddington,  acknowledg- 
ing his  election  as  a  Member  of  the  Council. 

The  Secretary  informed  the  Council  that  a  meeting  of  Inspectors, 
appointed  by  the  Government  within  the  metropolitan  district,  for 
the  suppression  of  the  cattle  plague,  had  been  held  on  21st  August, 
at  the  Royal  College  of  Veterinary  Surgeons,  at  the  request  of  Pro- 
fessor SimondS,  and  under  the  sanction  of  the  President,  for  the 
purpose  of  discussing  certain  important  points  relative  to  the  duties 
of  Veterinary  Inspectors,  and  the  arrangements  of  their  districts. 
There  were  present — the  President,  Professor  Simonds,  Dr  Williams, 
Messrs  Broad,  Brown,  Boughton,  Boulter,  Cheeseman,  Cowie,  Cross, 
Dale,  Drake,  Farrow,  Hancock,  Helmore,  Lowe,  Moon,  Moss,  Priest- 
'  man,  Skelton,  Stanley,  Tegg,  Woodger,  and  the  Secretary. 

The  President  informed  the  Council  that  he  had  ordered  1000 
copies  of  the  County  List  of  Members  of  the  Body  Corporate  to 
be  printed  and  circulated  amongst  the  Magistrates  of  the  United 
Kingdom. 

A  letter  was  then  read  from  Dr  Struthers,  relative  to  the  rejected 
candidates  at  the  recent  examinations,  who  hold  the  Highland  and 
Agricultural  Societ/s  Certificate.  Dr  Struthers  stated  "  that  he  was 
unable  to  answer  the  inquiry." 

The  work,  "  Oliphant's  Law  on  Horses,"  as  ordered  by  the  Council, 
was  laid  on  the  table ;  also  two  works  entitled  "  Aquapendente  Opera,'* 
and  "  Snape's  Anatomy  of  the  Horse,"  which  were  presented  by  the 
President,  Professor  Vamell,  to  the  Library  of  the  College. 

It  was  moved  by  Professor  Gamgee,  and  seconded  by  Mr  Ernes, 
"  That  the  thanks  of  the  meeting  be  awarded  to  the  President  for 
his  valuable  contributions." — Carried  unanimously. 

A  letter  was  read,  which  had  been  received  from  Mr  George  Scott 
of  Kentish  Town,  now  holding  the  Highland  Society's  certificate,  who 
was  desirous  of  becoming  a  candidate  for  the  Diploma  of  the  Royal 
College  of  Veterinary  Surgeons,  at  the  next  meeting  of  the  Court  of 
Examiners.  It  was  moved  by  Mr  Lawson,  and  seconded  by  Mr 
Hunt,  "  That  Mr  Scott  be  informed  that  he  will  be  required  to  con- 
form with  '  Bye-law  No.  27/  and  that  the  examination  of  pupils  for 
the  diploma  will  take  place  in  the  week  before  Christmas.*' — Carried. 

The  Registrar  reported  the  following  deaths — ^vii^.,  Msl  ks>*5ss*sss^ 


VETERINARY  SCIENCE  AND  ITS  NEW  COLLEGE.  613 

FEBISCOFE. 


VETERINARY  SCIENCE  IN  THIS  COUNTRY,  AND  ITS  NEW  COLLEGE. 

A  Close  Obsebyer  of  His  Speoieb  has  drawn  a  distinction  between  man  and  the 
quadrumana,  which  is,  perhaps,  the  only  one  that  will  bear  investigation.  It  is 
founded  upon  the  fact  that,  while  each  ape  depends  upon  his  own  indiyidual  experi- 
ence alone  for  his  amount  of  knowledge,  his  superior  in  the  scale  of  creation  has  the 
advantage  of  the  accumulated  wisdom  of  his  predecessors ;  and  this  remark  may  be 
extended  to  the  various  professional  sections  into  which  mankind  are  divided  where 
there  is  any  great  difference  in  their  antiquity,  for  surely  it  is  impossible  to  derive 
advantage  from  the  experience  of  the  former  professors  of  a  calling  which  has  only 
recently  been  called  into  existence.  Now,  veterinary  science  has  this  drawback, 
having  risen  into  being  during  the  present  century,  and  for  this  reason  it  is  not  fair 
to  compare  it  with  human  medicine,  which  can  refer  to  the  works  of  numberless 
physicians  and  anatomists  down  to  the  time  of  Hippocrates,  who  lived  five  centuries 
before  the  Christian  era,  and  who,  again,  was  himself  enlightened  by  the  then  exist- 
ing writings  of  Esculapius.  The  professors  of  veterinary  medicine  have  their  work 
still  to  do  before  it  can  take  its  proper  place;  for  assuredly  little  has  as  yet  been  done 
in  this  country  to  entitle  it  to  be  considered  a  science.  They  have  not  yet  given  us 
a  reasonably  good  manual  of  the  descriptive  anatomy  of  our  domestic  animals,  far 
less  the  physiology  of  their  tissues,  without  both  of  which  students  of  the  art  must  be 
continually  at  fault,  and  much  progress  cannot  be  expected  from  them.  Hence  we 
hail  with  satisfaction  any  promise  of  improvement,  and  especially  so  that  offered  by 
the  New  College  of  Veterinary  Medicine  at  Bayswater,  which  was  opened  on  Monday 
last  by  Professor  G^mgee,  who  is  undoubtedly  imbued  with  that  zeal  and  enthusiasm 
which  are  necessary  to  all  progress  over  untrod  ground,  and  without  which  Harvey, 
Hunter,  and  Jenner  would  have  been  starved  into  silence. 

One  subject,  the  cattle  plague,  naturally  presented  itself  to  Professor  Gamgee  as  of 
pressing  importance  to  his  hearers,  and  of  vital  interest  to  himself,  inasmuch  as  he 
has  taken  a  leading  part  in  its  discussion,  and  to  this  we  shall  presently  allude.  But 
there  was  another  which  we  were  much  pleased  to  find  occupy  an  almost  equally  pro- ' 
minent  position,  namely,  the  prevention  of  disease  among  our  domestic  animals  as 
being  of  far  more  importance  than  its  cure.  Those  who  know  anything  of  the  secrets 
of  the  medical  profession  must  be  aware  how  difficult  it  is  to  persuade  parents  and 
other  persons  who  have  charge  of  large  masses  of  children  or  adults  to  take  measures 
to  prevent  disease.  When  it  has  actually  been  brought  into  existence  they  are  ready 
enough  to  call  for  aid,  but  nothing  short  of  the  perseverance  of  Dr  Jenner  in  advo- 
cating vaccination  as  a  preventive  of  small-pox ;  or  of  Mr  Chad  wick  in  showing  the 
importance  of  efficient  drainage  in  dispelling  fever  and  cholera,  would  have  achieved 
their  objects ;  and  it  is  highly  probable  that,  but  for  the  advent  of  the  latter  disease 
in  1832,  we  should  never  have  had  the  Health  of  Towns  Bill  passed  into  an  Act. 
Practical  men — ^as  it  is  the  fashion  to  call  those  who  have  a  due  regard  to  their  own 
purses — find  that  it  does  not  pay  them  to  teach  future  generations,  and  the  best  of 
them  are  content  with  doing  what  they  can  to  improve  the  health  of  the  present. 
There  is  also  an  admission  of  inefficiency  when  the  professor  of  the  art  of  healing 
either  men  or  cattle  allows  it  to  be  known  that  he  is  not  capable  of  doing  that  which 
his  patients  demand  from  him,  and  which  his  very  title  implies,  so  that  it  is  no 
wonder  that  few  like  to  do  what  Mr  Gamgee  has  long  done,  following  the  footsteps  of 
his  father  in  holding  out  the  superior  advantages  of  prevention  of  diseasens  compared 
with  its  cure.  Let  this  maxim  be  fully  carried  out  at  the  Albert  Veterinary  College, 
and  it  will  merit  the  support  of  the  landowner  and  farmer,  if  it  does  not  obtain  all 
the  pupils  who  are  studying  the  veterinary  profession  in  London. 

With  regard  to  the  cattle  plague,  as  might  be  expected.  Professor  Gamgee  dilated 
upon  the  truth  of  his  own  views  of  that  terrible  disease,  and  specially  upon  the  two 
chief  questions  involved — viz.,  its  origin,  and  the  best  mode  of  getting  rid  of  it  from 
our  herds  and  flocks.  That  he  foretold  its  introduction  into  this  country  from  Russia 
two  years  before  the  disease  appeared  in  England,  is  undoubtedly  a  strong  argument 
in  favour  of  the  truthfulness  of  the  theory  which  he  supports,  and,  if  this  is  admitted, 
of  his  own  skill ;  but  it  is  no  convincing  proof,  to  our  mind,  and  the  evidence  vrhifiJx 
has  lately  been  published  that  there  was  no  rinderpest  in  the  province  from  vj\scL^J«^Sicv«5i 
celebrated  Revel  cargo  was  imported,  strengthens  the  negative  evidence  so  xx^^^^^^^^^ 


614  VETERINARY  SCIENCE  AND  ITS  NEW  COLLEGE. 

as  to  make  us  pause  before  wc  admit  Professor  Gamg:ec*s  conclusions.  Tiiis  point, 
however,  is  not  of  pressing  importance  at  the  present  moment  Unfortunately,  we 
have  got  the  disease  among  us,  whether  imported  or  self-generated  ;  and  we  have  first 
to  consider  how  best  it  can  be  removed,  and  then  it  will  be  the  time  to  ascertain  the 
surest  means  of  preventing  its  reappearance.  Wholesale  slaughter,  or  "stampin*? 
out,"  as  this  method  has  been  forcibly  called,  is  opposed  at  first  sight  to  every 
scientific  mind,  and  nothing  buj  a  conviction  of  the  unmanageable  nature  of  the 
disease  would  have  induced  us  to  modify  the  opinion  which  we  last  week  expressed 
as  adverse  to  it.  Wc  must,  however,  remember  that  we  are  not  now  dealing  with 
animals  over  whose  life  we  have  not  full  power,  and  it  is  on  that  account  idle  to 
reason  from  man  to  them.  In  many  instances  it  would,  to  our  finite  comprehensions, 
be  merciful  to  the  individual  human  being  to  put  an  end  to  his  or  her  sufferings  by  a 
full  dose  of  opium,  as  in  the  case  of  cancer  and  other  malignant  diseases,  which  often 
produce  years  of  agony  before  they  cause  death ;  and  it  might,  perhaps,  be  alleged 
.  with  truth  that  the  immediate  destruction  of  every  one  attacked  l?y  an  infectious  dis- 
ease dangerous  to  life,  would  in  the  long  run  diminish  the  mortality  from  it,  and  at 
length  "  stamp  it  out; "  but  such  a  proceeding  is  forbidden  by  all  laws,  human  and 
divine,  and  cannot  be  thought  of  for  a  moment.  In  our  domestic  animals,  on  the 
contrary,  we  have  only  to  consider  the  question  from  a  commercial  point  of  view,  and 
if  it  can  be  shown,  as  Professor  Gamgee  says  it  undoubtedly  can — first,  that  serious 
cases  of  the  cattle  plague  are  absolutely  incurable ;  secondly,  that  the  average  mor- 
tality is  90  per  cent,  of  those  attacked ;  and,  thirdly,  that  it  is  so  highly  contagious 
as  to  cause  almost  every  healthy  beast  in  contact  with  a  diseased  animal,  or  with  its 
exuvicBf  to  be  infected,  we  are  shaken  in  our  opinion.  But  whether  he  is  right  or 
wrong  in  the  conclusions  which  he  has  arrived  at  from  the  evidence  of  facts  patent 
to  all,  we  can  see  no  grounds  for  following  the  example  of  the  editor  of  the  Times  in 
his  article  on  the  subject  of  Professor  Gamgee's  address  published  on  the  5th  instant. 
The  contrast  therein  drawn  between  the  attitude  of  the  public  towards  the  human 
and  veterinary  medical  professions  is  by  no  means  justified.  Can  the  former  claim 
any  greater  mastery  over  cholera  than  the  latter  is  entitled  to  over  the  cattle  plague, 
in  spite  of  its  experience  during  the  three  visitations  with  which  this  country  has 
been  afflicted  ?  Preventive  measures  are  absolutely  all  that  can  be  relied  on ;  and 
whether  we  adopt  the  saline  treatment,  or  calomel  and  opium,  or  homoeopathic  doses 
of  arsenic,  the  mortality  in  severe  cases  will  be  the  same,  as  has  again  and  again  been 
proved  in  actual  practice.  The  fact  is  really  as  stated  by  Professor  Gamgee,  that 
when  the  mucous  membranes  lining  the  stomach  and  bowels  are  either  disorganised, 
as  in  the  cattle  plague  and  the  malignant  scarlet  fever  of  man,  or  devitalis^  as  in 
cholera,  no  absorption  of  salines  or  other  medicines  take^  place,  and  death  of  the  rest 
of  the  body  follows  as  certainly  as  of  the  lobster  when  he  has  been  so  far  acted  on  by 
boiling  water  as  to  turn  his  shell  red,  although  his  muscles  continue  to  act.  It  is  a 
strong  symptom  of  ignorance  in  the  physician  to  refuse  to  admit  his  want  of  remedial 
power  over  certain  diseases,  and,  on  the  contrary,  it  will  generally  be  found  that  the 
more  skill  and  experience  he  possesses,  the  more  ready  he  is  to  allow  that,  while  he 
can  assist  nature  to  a  very  considerable  extent  in  the  majority  of  diseases,  there  are 
unfortunately  but  too  many  over  which  he  has  no  control  whatever.  It  is  hard 
enough  to  be  obliged  to  confess  ignorance  after  years  of  study,  but  it  is  doubly  hard 
for  the  veterinary  surgeon  to  be  told  in  the  leading  colums  of  the  Times  that  "  he 
has  fallen  into  disrepute,  because,  by  his  own  confession,  he  is  absolutely  useless  in 
the  presence  of  disease,  and  because,  avowing  himself  unable  to  cure  it,  he  would 
resort  to  the  most  reckless  measures  in  order  to  avoid  its  contagion."  We  cannot 
always  agree  with  Professor  Gamgee  in  his  conclusions,  and  we  have  sometimes 
thought  that  he  rides  his  hobby  somewhat  too  hard,  but,  nevertheless,  he  stands  forth 
as  the  most  scientific  man  in  his « profession,  and  certainly  he  cannot  be  accused,  in 
the  instance  of  the  cattle  plugue,  of  either  idleness  or  delay.  He  was  the  first  to  warn 
us  of  its  approach,  and  to  tell  us,  without  circumlocution,  of  its  arrival  among  us. 
He  has  undoubtedly  worked  hard  in  the  examination  of  its  symptoms,  its  treatment, 
and  its  pathology,  and  when  he  says,  in  opposition  to  his  own  pecuniary  interests, 
that  all  he  can  advise  is  to  put  an  end  to  its  dissemination  by  wholesale  slaughter,  we 
surely  ought  to  be  grateful  to  him  for  his  candour,  instead  of  twitting  him  with  his 
uselessness  and  ignorance. — The  Field. 


nALL\irrYKlt,  KO^t«.TB»  A.ND  CO.,  PBINTEIUi,  KDINBURGH. 


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