Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-10-24

This is pretty bad But then we hope that
| the time will come when we shall all have care
| full habits and courteous manners, and that our
"higher education" viii prevent us from in-
| juring things and feelings.
The Horse plague ia New York.
[From the New York Herald 23d.l
Seven thousand horses in New York city pros
| trated by the new epidemic that has been raging
/ in the Canadas and western New York may ap-
! pear rather n sensational statement; but after
| visiting all the principal stables in the city,
have not the slghet hesitation in stating |
I have moderated rather than exaggerated the
| appalling spread of the conIagIon, Ii is not
confined 10 any particular class of horses, but
all stables have been visited by the disease, from
the sQuad shed that shelters the costermonger's
nag to the magnificent palace where the million
aires tboroughbreds recline at their ease, sur
| rounded by all the luxury that wealth can pur-
| chase.
1t is curious TO trace the track of the pestlence
| from its FIRST advent in Buffalo, Rochester and
| Niagara down to Albany and Troy, where it has
| been raging during the past week Swiftly and
| surely ii has followed the course OF the Hudson,
leaving its traces in the towns and hamlets that
| stud the banks of that noble river, ard finally,
with iendlsh diligence, cast loose in the close
| ~ confined limits Of this city seed of disease
that has within the last thrty-siX hours brought
| forth abundant fruit. There has been no time
| to take any necessary precautions, as the con-
| tagiOuS qualities OF the disease are so violent
that within twenty four hours from the time the
| first symptoms of sickness were noticed in one
large stable in tins city, one thousand horses
under the same roof were similarly affected
The disease appears to have appeared first in
| this city in magnitude on Monday afternoon,
| although there were some few cases of earlier
date The veterinary surgeons Yesterday had
| ,,1p rot Nrrl-f nf nd IN
| rapid was the spread Of the disease that in
| many instances when they arrived at private
stables to attend one sick horse they found the
| entire stable, including some eight or nine 9TH
ers, ready for treatment for the same affection.
| Although there are some differences of opinion
as to the exact nature of the disease, il is con-
eeded by all to be species ofinHuenza, and the
| majority pronounce it TO be catarrhal fever.
| Wandering round the city yesterday met at
| least twenty or thirty private individuals of my
| personal acquaintance, each of whom had some
| fresh tale TO tell OF the manner in which the
| disease had attacked his horses.
"My dear fellow" said one well known
| banker, II never saw anything like it. Last
| night was in my stable about niue O'Clock and
/ noticed nothing remarkable, with the exception
| Of a slight cough which came from a brown
| horse use for coupe work. | thought il was
| nothing more than the cold which all human
| beings as well as horses are apt to take at the
| change of weather. Early this morning my
| coachman came to me and SAID all the horses
were coughing, and he was right, as when
| got TO the stable / found every horse owl
| afflicted with husky, dry cough, and that bay
| Hambletonian thar | drive on the lane, for
which ] paid $4,000 last fall, coughing fit TO
| break his back"
1t was the same story observation-disclosures
that were to all intents and purposes in perfect
| health on Monday night were coughing badly
| yesterday morning. In the yard of one Yeter-
| a hot b1f
| been brought to him for advice, and It did not
| require more than one glance TO recognize in the
| flow OF tears from the eyes, aud the dry, husky
| cough, the unmistakeable symptoms of ca
| tarrhal fever. Yesterday morning the disease
was merely visible in it. primary form, and, IN
many stables, the foreman in charge persistent
ly denied any symptoms of the epidemic among
his charge, aud insisted that the dry cough
which re echoed from stall 10 stall along the line
of the stables was only the ordinary affections
exhibited in horses at this season of the year.
Others, however, had more good sense, and
in answer TO my inquiries willingly took me
through the stables, acknowledging that al
though as vet they had seen no flow of tears
| from the eyes nor discharges from the nOStlils,
there had been a great deal of coughing among
| the horses since Monday afternoon, and they
| were at a loss to account for il, unless il was a
premonitary symptom of what they called the
| Canadian epidemic. The foreman of one large
| horse railroad stable stated that he had seen
nothing like it among horses of late; butin 1855
| or 1854 they had a disease called typhoid
| pneumonia, which brought cut kind of green
ish discharge from the nOstrils Of the diseased
animal, and he believed that this was a mild
| form Of the same malady.
| paid Wit yesterday afternoon TO a well
| known veterinary surgeon in Thirteenth street
and elected the following information:
Herald Corresp ondent-Have YOU seen much
| of this disease among the horses?
Grt-a had
to thirty-fiye cases to-day, nearly all in private
stables.
Herald Correspoudcnt-Do you think it a
dangerous disease?
Veterinary Surgeon-I do not if properly at
tended to. 1t appears TO me TO be simply kind
of catarrhal fever, that requires mild form OF
treatment.
Herald Correspondent-Wha do you mean
| by mild treatment?
Veterinary Surgeon-I mean to strictly avoid
the heroic treatment Bleeding and nauseous
physic balls are not alone unnecessary but dan.
gerous. 1t is also foolish 10 give a horse q
drench in such case, as his head has 10 be
thrown hack in an unnatural position, and il
would probably cause violent TT Of coughing
| should cOuine my remedies TO mid saline
remedies, such as chlOrate Of potash or muriate
of ammonia. Tar dissolved with fluid extract
of belladonna would also have soothing effect
to the throat, and strong limment well rubbed
into the throat would also be of material
benefit
Herald Correspondent-Woul you make any
alteration in their feed?
Veterinary Surgeon-Any horse in an adj
vanced stage of the disease will not want much
feed, but in any case would carefully avoid all
dry diet. Let all his feed be wetted and OF
| rather a laxative nature.
At the conclusion of my conversation with
this gentleman, a groom put his head in the
door, asking for the address of some drug store,