The Express.
London, England, 1865-08-30 00:00:00

LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, Auctusr 30 1885.

A VISIT TO A SLAUGHTER-YARD.

The het grey mist which enveloped London on
Monday last seemed even more close and oppres-
sive in that quarter which contains the Cattle-
market. The dull gloom which reigned over the
neighbourhood appeared almost significant of the
fatal malady which is sow sweeping off our cattle,
and spreading terror and ruin amongst so many
desists in stook. The region itself is but a
cheerless one. The occupations carried on
ars such as, planted originally at some
distance from our dwelling places, get
surrounded in a little time by newly-
built awl inhabited streets, and are then mur-
mured against, reviled, and gradually squeezed off
into more distant spots. Here railway grease is
made and tallow melted, soap boiled, horses and
cattle slaughtered, varnish prepared, and
matches manufactured. Blood and bone manure

Lactoni--an7lpreparers of oat-gut have here their
works, unsavoury, it is true, but means whereby offal
ie utilised and the necessities of We supplied. We
as. rather apt to forget the important part
which is played by such factories as find a
grudged retreat in this district. If dirt be only
"matter in • wrong plus," it is in these pluses
that the order of nature is metered ; and substanoes
which matte disgust take on a new sail useful
ezistenca in another form. It was to a slaughter-

yard in this neighbourhood that we took our way on
Monday, with the object of witnessing for ourselves
the examination alter death of cows which had been

affected by the prevalent disorder. We were fortu-
nate in being present at some dissections con-
ducted by physicians of the highest eminence as
authorities in epidemic disorders. It will be our
endeavour to describe what we witnessed as in-
telligibly as the circumstances admit of.
There were two cows in the yard alive, but destined
to be slaughtered the following morning. They
were both said to be affected with the " rinder-
met," but apparently in slightly different degrees.
They were both thin, their coats harsh and staring.
In walking, the limbs seemed weak, and the hoof
was planted on the ground with a hesitating and
uncertain action. Now and then a very slight
shudder passed over the animal's frame, and occa-
sionally, but very rarely, a low moan was uttered.
The foreman of the yard, t rough but apparently
kind-hearted fellow, in a butcher's blouse, told
us that many of the cows brought there for slaughter
moaned constantly in a way that was pitiable to
hear. In each there was more or less running
from the eyes nostrils, and month. In one there
was a look about the eyes which was not pleasant
to Iwituess. Mute supplication was written in it.
It was bard to think that all the response which
man could give to such a look, was to drive a
poleaxe into the poor creature's brain. The Greeks
with all their power of imagery could find no more
fitting epithet for the beauty of Juno, than
" cow-eyed." We had never before noted
the force of this expression so fully as when
this mild look of appeal was turned to us amidst
the horrors of a knacker's-yard. The other animal
appeared dazed and bewildered. It was restless,
roaming tremulously about the yard, and penetrat-
ing into out-buildings as if in a vain search after
relief. It refused, or rather showed but little inch-
nation to eat, some hay which had been cast down
iu a corner, and which the first animal ate appa-
rently with appetite. Itabelly appeared blown up.
There was a rude table in the yard, made up of a
broken-down door laid upon some barrels, and
upon this the examination of some dead beasts was
conducted. The ground was in pads roughly paved
with rounded Soma, which were slippery with the
blood and filth !Meg up the intervals between
them, and which here and there formed a pooL In
other parte cinders and ashes had been cast, which
were probably to some extent useful in absorbing
and deodorising the offensive moisture. It is suffi-
cient to say, however, in a general way, that strong
interest in the proceedings could alone induce
any one provided with nostrils to remain, as
we did, nearly two hours near this table.
Two cows which had died that morning of the dis-
ease after a week's illness, and a calf which had a
few hours previously been slaughtered for the
wine reason, were submitted to inspection. The
appearances observed were in each case similar.
The liming membrane of the windpipe and bronchial
tubes was much inflamed, and covered with an
enormous quantity of frothy viscid fluid. In the
smaller bronchial tubes a material was observed
very similar in aspect to that which is found
in human beings affected with croup. The
lungs themselves were not inflamed. The
lining membrane of the digestive canal
was inflamed almost throughout its extent.
Especially was this noted in the fourth stomach, in
which there were besides patches of extravasated
flood. The intestinal canal was severely inflamed,
particularly about its middle. In one of the cows
this appearance was little short of gangrene. Cer-
tain patches of glands in the small bowel, which in
cases of typhoid fever are always found ulcerated,
were free from any affection of this kind. The
other organs maned to be healthy, and the
muscular structure—the flesh--of the ani-
mals presented no signs of disease. We
were informed that the conditions described
were precisely similar to those which had beeu
found in numerous other cases previously examined.
Briefly, so far as dissection could show the disease
appeared to consist in severe Inflammation of the
mucous membranes generally. The "rinderpest"
has been termed by some observers typhus, by
others typhoid fever. The conclusion to be derived
from post-mortem examination is, that the disease
is neither one nor the other. Typhus is not marked,
at least in the human subject, by this inflamed
state of the digestive canal. The most
characteristic appearance in typhoid fever is ulce-
ration of the intestinal glands. As we have already
observed, these were found completely free from any
such übange. There is uo disease, indeed, affecting
the human race which presents after death the con-
ditions noted in the cows which have been exa-
mined. That mysterious disorder called influenza,
with which we were visited in 1847, would approach
perhaps more nearly to this disease than any other.
Although iu modern times it has been compa-
ratively rarely attended with fatal results,
this was by no means the case some centuries ago.
In 1311 influenza was very fatal throughout
France, and in the ensuing two centuries it spread
widely and with much virulence over the whole of
the northern hemisphere. If we could imagine this
disease complicated with a more severe affection of
the digestive canal than is seen in man, we should
gather a very fair idea of the rinderpest. It should
be observed also, as bearing upon this point, that
influenza has been always marked by an extraordi-
nary diffusibility, its power of rapid transmission
being probably greater than that possessed by any
other epidemic poison. The present cattle plague
exhibits a similar characteristic.
Inspection after death, then, does not bring ns
any immediate explanation of the cause of this fatal
disorder. Were the disease proved to be typhus,
we might fairly argue that it was engendered by
overcrowding and such like depressing causes. If
it had presented the appearance of typhoid, we'
might seek an explanation of its origin in putrid
emanations. But we cannot fairly include it is
either category. We are compelled to fall beet'
upou the theory of a distinct specific poison, which, .I
like that of influenza, is very easily communicablel
from one individual to another. One important
point, however, these inspections have brought to,
light. We were informed that in several cases
examined (it chanced that them were none such on
the occasion of our visit), the diseased organs
appeared to be returning to a healthy °midi-
tion. The cows had not died of the disorder,
but had been slaughtered in eompliscoe with the
stern necessity of limiting contagion. In the imbue
of things it must frequently happen that sample in
a fair way towards recovery are thus butchered;