The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-03-30
The Cattle Plague.

land show that mp 10 the Sd of March, during
the six months in which the epidemic has so lar
prevailed, 1877, ,O59 cattle have been infected, of
which ,654 have died directly from the dis
ease, and 26, 1856 have been killed by way of pre-
venting its spread. But this statement is only
the inspectors report, and docs not pretend to
give the whole number of cattle which have per-
ished since the beginning of the pest in the
latter days of August A partial plague of the
same character broke out also among the sheep
some months ago; but we are not distinctly
informed of the extent Of its ravages 1t ap-
pears that the general epidemic had increased
steadily up to the latest mail from England,
every step Of It's march becoming more alarm
ing. The number OF deaths, which averaged
a thousand or more per week In September,
increased from 100 10 1000 in October. Up
to November, 1868 animals had been attacked,
of which only S49 could recover or would be
allowed 10 recover.
BY the middle OF November 1000, or, as was
stated Zone in a thousand had pershed; and up
to December, 10000 had caught the disease. BY
the lst OF January the number reached 73,549
1858 dying in one week. and in the last week OF
January, 9243. BY the middle OF January
lO7,O9s had been attacked, only 1887 remain
ing under treatment. The February papers pic
ture the plague as positively awful in the
country, and by the middle of the month,
DO, 900 had died. At this writing, the number
of victims cannot iall short of 100000 five
sixths of which have pershed absolutely
These are only the Cattle Inspectors figures
while it is possible that the entire live stock
killed by the plague is much nearer to 100000.
We can have no idea OF the number of beeves
prematuTely killed and sold at from one to two
shillings per pound by tie butchers in order to
save both meat and money. But from all
these facts, 1t is plain, in the eravest sense,
that our nelghbor, John Bull, has been rapidly
losing flesh.
Several opinions have been current in England
as TO the origin of the pestlence. Some OF the
country farmers satisfied themselves in tracing
II back to the cow-keepers OF the metropolitan
districts "a class more or less kindred with our
own metropolitan swill-milk makers), and there
stopped inquiry. That the disease was imported
from Russia, and communicated from the large
centres, is, however, the more accepted belief.
1t is remarked that in Russia animals are in
general treated with greater hardship and dis
comfort than in any other part OF Europe. But
we have no doubt that in the crowded cattle
markets of England there was every condition
10 invite the disease. London periodicals have
related, from time to time, those mysteries of
atrocty which, in the conveying, driving, and
killing of fevered and exhausted flesh, make up
a part OF the popular beet supply of London.
The fact seems consequent and obvious-a
timely warning, too, against the dangers of our
own slaughterhouse system-that in all the
earlier stages of the plague the greatest
ravages occurred in the metropolitan districts
We are a believer in that trite, patent maxim
which declares that there is no reason what
ever for epidemic in nature; but if cholera
breaks out among men who are packed and
penned together in artificial pestholes, no
wonder. then, that the plague will at last
infect the brutes which, in a hundred name
less ways, undergo untold miseries that the
barborous indiherentsm of civilization cannot
afford 10 inhict directly upon ITSELF The
wretched contact of budding, driving and
sitting crowds of insane and distempered
animals, is conserved to give taste to our
b. common beef 1t would not surprise US to hear
that all the unnecessary torture which beef
undeIgoes before it is eaten reacts, in some
measure, upon the eater. Inspectors of meat
and milk have only superficial Office. Laws
against cruelty t. animals, and societies for its
detection and prevention, are urgently needed.
AS yet no decided measures have been taken
in England to check or stay the epidemic. Pro-
fessor Gamgee,' it appears, predicted its wide
spread from the start, unless an immediate resort
was had to the Pole-ax, the favorte Dutch and
Prussian mode OF eXtirpation; but this appa-
rently cruel and costly, but now Gt seems) me-
cessary method, has not till Of late, gained the
mind OF the authorities. The Professor further
argued that as the disease proceeds from con-
tact, the transportation of cattle in large num-
bers should be at once stopped on all the large
railways, and that cattle sales and beef shows
should be suspended in the market towns-an
advice followed in part by local communities,
which have even gone so far as to close the ordi-
nary llve-meat markets for months, giving wide
room to the vegetarian doctrine, and text and
sway OF which IT had not dreamed. But II was
not till about month ago that the suggestions
of Professor Gamgee aud others took shape in a
bill presented in Parliament by Sir John Grey.
One feature OF this bill, providing for the COM
pensation of catte-owners by the collection ol
landrAtes, gave rise to debate in which Bright
and Mill took part against the stubborn defend
ers OF that oppressive privilege and curse of the
English economy, the law of primogenture.
The aristocracy, who are mainly the land
owners, and can rent their lands at artificial
prices, propose, in short, to lay the added eX.
pense OF the plague Principally on the impove-
rished farming classes of lessees, who are the
greatest losers by the calamity, and whom, too
frequently, its ravages have cut short of ability
to pay their years rent. Now, it is vigorously
insisted that the land monOpolists or nobility
should take their due, proportionate land-share
of the burden which threatens to fall so heavily
on the farmer; ana thus the cattle-plague il 1t
lasts long enough, promises TO assail with some
effect the enormous immunity OF hereditary ten.
ure in Eng land.
far proved Intellectual, except in few cases.
Allopathy and homeopathy have been explored
in vain Tor q curative. Vaccination, after a
thorough trial. has failed. In Holland, where
the pest is also at its height, number of cattle
il is said have been cured at a very early period
of the disease by the well-known hydropathiC
practice OF rubbing and wetpacking. Ger
man grazier is reported to have applied petro
leum to the skin and food OF the animal with
preventive success. Finally, an American doc
tor undertakes 10 show that the disease is caused
by parasites growing on the skin, and can bC
checked by washing OF corrosive sublimate
This theory, which appears wide apart from thu
experience of English DOCTORS would link the
cattle.plague with the trichln@ disease now de
stroying the pork-eaters of certain parts of Ger
many; but no conclusive sign of the worm ha
yet been found in beef.
According to Mr. Townsend Glover, who wrote
in November last from Europe, the disease i
not at all unlike that which was so alarmingl'