Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1872-12-05
The Horse Distemper.
The Same Thing Prevailing One
Hundred and Twenty-Five
Years Ago.

The horse distemper has beer
next to universal ia this city. II
many other cities and towns i
mas been equally common-takln,
lown and incapacitating for lstoi
nearly all the horses, and carry
ing off some, though. comparatively
teW.
Most people believe-and we
have heard many observe-that
this peculiar disease of horses i,
something entirely new and unpre
redrnted.
But they are mistaken. Per,
haps the time has long gone by
when there was anything lew;
certainly this horse disease is not.
1t prevailed very extensively one
hundred and ttcenty taco gears ago,
and seems to have been just lhe
same thing then rs it is now.
Then, aud now, it followed q
remarkably hot summer; that is
to say, unusually hot Tor the 10,
cality where the distemrer ragged.
That our last summer was ex-
traordinarily hot is established by
'arefully kept public records, which
shows it 10 have been the hottest
for over one hundred years.
Then, and now, it occurred af,
Ter the hot weather was over
though at a period little later in
Great Britain than here, correspond.
ing with the difference of climate.
Then, as now. it was "the most
"pidemic and universally spread
ing disease among horses that any
one living remembered"
Then, rs now, it was "nearly
analogous to the influenza and
catarrhal fever" among Ii ankind.
Then. as now, ''it seized the an
inals like a violent cold. with
hea,iness, loss Of appetite, cough
and laburious breathing, and then
4 proIuse running at tie nose and
mouth of a digested or thick yel.
low, grpeui>h matter
Ali of these poihts, correspond.
ing precisely with The disease as it
now nanifests itself, are 2iidd down
IN a treatise OH Animal Plaques;
their History, Nature, and Pre-.
veniion," by George Fleming,
F. r. G. s, etc.-a standard au-
thor.
The following is Mr.. Fleming's
description of the disease, as it
manifested itself in Ireland
A. D. 750-In ireland the
spring was dry and backward. =
Summer, except a lew exc ssivelS
hot days, cold, moist, and winter.
like ; but some days in. June were
the hottest in the memory Of
man." The same was recorded
of July, when FahrenheitIs tier.
mometer, as on the former occa.
sion, rose to seventy-six degrees.
A memorable fall of snow occurred
on the 23d of October. Nos eln.
ber cold. about the middle or
latter end of ID, cember. the most
epidemic and universally spread.
ing disease am"ug horses that any
one living remembered, made its
appearance in Dublin. which seems
10 have been nearly anaIogc us to
the influenza and catarrhal tsver
which seized mankind in the
years 1887 and l743. but now par
ticularly attacked the horses in
their turn, as many appear by a
comparison of their respective his.
tories. 1t appeared iu England in
November, aud spread through all
Z gland almost IN an instant, and
toward the end of the mouth be.
gan to abate. II laged in Den.
marx at the same time. but ii did
not reach our horses ia Dublin till
IT'S decline in England at the time
before mentinned, having prnba.
bly, been imported, and was near.
ly,of the same duration here as in
England however, i, affected the
nurses in Munster and Ulster al.
most, if not quite, as soon as in
Dublin, and there was scarcely an
instance Of a horse in town OIL
C untry but had it, 1t seized
the animals like a violent cold
with heaviness, loss OF appetite,
cough, and laborious breathing,
and then profuse running at the
nose and mouth Of a adigested OF
thick yellow, greenish matter, up
ON which they grew better. II
England, as well as here, it die
not prove very mortal. though
some died Of it. The death Of
our horses in the city was impu
led rather tn the use of medicine,
and too high a diet, than to any