The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1857-06-20
Fatal Disease among Cattle in England.
fatal disease has recently appeared


among the cattle in England, carrying off
large numbers in some districts, and exciting
SO much attention that DR.. Grcehow was de-
puted by the General Board of Health in
London to report upon it.
1t appears from the report that the Gene
raj Board of Health had their attention
drawn to the mortality among cattle in Pad
dingtOn, no less than nineteen per cent. Of
the whole Of the COWS kept in Paddington
having died within the three months ending
tie 18th of March Of the present year. Dr.
Grechow made his report on the 23d ut He
found that the disease which had been so
fatal in Paddington was identical with that
prevalent in many parts of the country, and
known among veterinary practitioners, gla-
ziers, and cow-keepers, by the name of
lung disease" or, more scientifically, sex
udative plcuro- pneumonia" 1t broke out
first in 1S41, and seems not to have entirely
disappeared since that time. OF its effects
in former years, the EUROPEAN Times says:
More than 100000 cattle are reported TO
have died in Holland in 1745, and more than
10000 in Nottingham in lT47, whilst IN
Cheshire, 80, 900 died in less than SIX months.
The destructive nature of the disorder at
tracted the attention Of the government, and
after a time strict orders were issued for the
destruction Of every animal that exhibited
the slightest symptom OF the disease, the
owner being Of course remunerated for his
loss. In the third year 0! the murraIn, So
900 cattle were thus destroyed, in addition
to at least double the number that died Of
the disease. In the fourth year, cattle were
destroyed at the rate of 1000 per month,
until it was found that the farmers frequently
concealed the cattle really suffering from the
murrain, and brought their otherwise dis
cascd, and old, and WORKOUT cattle to be
slaughtered, in order to obtain the allowance
made by the government for the destruction
o! such as suffered from murrain. The dis
ease at length began to disappear very evil
IDENTITY in the year 1858, but did not alto
gether disappear until several years later.
The disease re-appearcd in this country
and in Ireland in lS4l, where it was very
destructive. One dairyman in Dublin lost
4f3 cows in four months from it. In this
country, especially in the metropolis, the
disease appears t. have been chiefly preya-
lent at the close Of last year. Mr. Ste3nar,
a large COW keeper in the east Of London,
whose stock OF co varies from 100 to 200
in number, lost - from the disease in one
month, The disease in its course i at times
very rapid. frequently proving fatal in twelve
hours. d.. Grcehow Is Of opinion that the
disease is not contagious but can be sPon-
taneously produced. II is, however, difficult
to estimate the actual amount Of this disease
that has existed, even approximately, aS,
with few exceptions, the cow-kcepers in the
metropolis send their cows to market as soon
as they cease to supply profitable yield Of
milk. ! sudden diminution Of milk is usual
ly one of The early symptoms Of the disease.
As animals, when attacked Ly Ibis disease,
besides becoming unproftab' c a mi!ch cows,
lose condition very rapidly, il is now the
practice to send them to market at once. if
in tolerable condition.