Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-10-19
The PIeuro.Pneumonl...


The PIcuro-PneumonIu.
In another place we print communication
from f. w. Bird, Esq, on the cattle plague
DIR. Martins card seems to have drawn fortl
this communication, and Mr.. Bird has an ex
ceent faculty for sharp and combative crit
cism We tihd in his views of the cattle
plague more 10 agree with than 10 criticse
From the nature OF the case, no extreme, OIL
sharply combativc statement, can be quite cor
rect. On receiving MIR Birds article, we re
quesed DR.. Martin to write few notes on it
but he said in reply
Mr. Bird is personal friend of mine, and
] do not think that thorough criticism of his
article, from me, would do anything to strength.
Ell that friendship. The intention of my card
was to induce the farmers to be careful with
their cattle until the board appointed for that
purpose should have time and opportunity to
collect all the facts and make due report
thereon"
1t is eviden: that the matter is not yet thor
oughly understood. 1t is quite certain that
there has been much useless panic but it does
nOb lOllOh tllttl dppltilSl4S anu SdAG siIOulu
be entirely dismissed. The killing of cattle
since the appointment OF the medical board,
has been done TO furnish opportunity to ex-
plore the nature, operations, and extent of the
disease, Whell the evidence is all in,-that is
to say, all thai can be gathered from the herds
now diseased, the board will be much better
able to give an opinion that will be valuable
Ii DIR. Martins testimony before he legis
lative committee, he gave the particulars Of a
of pneumonia, in Mr.. Chenery's herd, which
he examined, June 2, 1860, it being then in its
early period. The disease in this herd began
in May, 1859 1t did not seize the whole herd
at once, but attacked one animal after another,
continuing lis progress more than a year.
DR.. Delafond president of the veterinary col
iege near Paris. says the term Of incubation in
this disease is from six TO sixty days. Its un
derstood that the medical board have found
some cases where the disease had reached its
latest stages, without presenting any unequv-
ocal marks or symptoms Of its presence until
monia has been progressing i'll Mr. Chenery S
herd more than year, with many of the cases
so mild in character as TO escape observation
it is evident that something valuable is TO be
learned from faithful examination OF the case
which it furnishes. Let the panic breeders be
secuted and ridicuied. They deserve it,
But, while treating them as they deserve, none
of us should wish to hide the fact, that this cat
plague, where it really exists, is not thing
TO be trifled with
The Medical Improvement Society, in this
city, has on its books the following authentic
and reliable record of facts, which it is useful
to remember carefully In May, 1859, w
w. Chenery imported some COWS from Hol
land. They were sick Oil the passage, anc
some or all of them died soon after their arriy
al here. The other animals of Mr.. Chenery
herd, to VIII clI they had been introduced sick
encd and died, from time TO time, until he los
some twenty or thirty. Mr.. Leonard Stoddarc
of North Brookfeld introduced in his here
some calves bought OF Mr.. Chenery. They
were sick and thirteen head out of forty eigh
i'll Mr.. Stoddard's herd sickened and died AL
den Olmstead, of tle same town, had a pail
oil sick oxen of Mr.. Stoddard and seven out O
twenty three ofhis cattle died. C. p. Hunting
ton had a COW Of Mir. Stoddard and eight GU
of twenty 1.-TWO in his herd died. A. a. Needhan
of New Braintree, had a COW Of Mr.. Stoddard
and eight out of twenty-five Of his herd .
animals took the disease and died Mr.. Stod
dard was accustomed TO bait his sick oxen
Alden Woods, in New Braintree, and fou,
out Of twenty-one of Woods animals died
All these animals from Mr.. Stoddard's herd
thus communicating with the other cattle, had
the pleuro pneumonia No cases have oc.
Cured, in this or any other neighborhood in
this commonwealth, whose pedigree could not
be traced in a direct line to MIR. Chenery s
herd"
1t is not very surprising that many sensible
people have been provoked to denounce the
pleuro-pneumonia excitement, and declare the
whole thing a humbug, Occurrences in Con-
neeticut and New Hampshire, as well as Mas
sachusetts, have furnished much occasion for
severe criticism. There have been useless
panics; there have been iooleries and stupidl-
ties; but there have also been cases of the
real, contagious pleuro-pneumonia. There are
such cases now. But with due care, the dis
ease can be kept from spreading, and presently
it will be exterminated