The New York herald., 1873-12-01
THE EPIZ0OTY AGAIN.

Coughing Piague-A Visit to the Car
and stage Companics' StabIes-The
Disease Light as Yet-Arc We To Have
Another EpIxoottc Infliction!
The dreaded epizooty seems again about to
break out in the city, and it Is not impossible that
we may see repeated the scenes OF last winter,
when business almost at a stands till in conse
quence OF the want OF horsefesh to do the ordinary
carrying of the city trade. Uptown residents do
not need TO be reminded Of all they suffered during
the horse plague, and how difficult they found it
even TO reach their business places owing to the
want OF accommodation offered by the car and
stage companies, who were made quite hel pless
by the disease which had overtaken three.quarters
OF their animals. The TACT that again the
disease is making its appearance-and
it is fair TO suppose the same results
will follow-at almost the same period.
as last year, leads one fairly to suppose that this
may become an annual plague which Will not only
prove OF insuperaple trouble to the general pub
lie, but great loss OF money TO owners OF horse
flesh. An annual recurrence at the beginning, OF
winter OF the epzooty with all It's attendant trou
bles, will be calamity the effects OF which it
would be q matter OF no small difficulty to FORE
stall. Soon again, perhaps, the sound Of the oxen
will be heard In our streets, and the p0nderOus
chariot OF the country team may become Ia
mlliar sight to the citizens OF New York.
AS yet, however the disease has had very
small spread and Its promise may not become an
accomplishment. Generally speaking, among the
car and stage stables the plague has hardly made
itself felt, though there are unmistakaDie signs
that il does exist, and, II the experience of the
past can be taken as a criterion the spread alter
the first symptoms will be very rapid.
reporter OF the HERALD made visit yesterday
to the several principal car and stage stables In
the upper portion OF the city TO verly tae state
ments as TO the extent OF the disease. The re-
porter also had an interview with one OF the lead
ing veterinary surgeons OF the city, one whose
system dld much last season in effecting cures OF
the disease, and whose Information, therefore,
the subject may be considered as valuable. He
said in answer to questions on the subject
II have no doubt that with all things equal we
shall see this year q repetition OF the scenes OF
last among the horses, and very likely when the
first cold weather OF the season begins each year
the disease may appear IN its old form. We have
the advantage OF knowing something more about
IL than we did at first and almost all veterinary
surgeons here know how best to deal with 1t.
But under the most favorable circumstances the
disease is one which takes much longer to extir-
pate than IL does TO come, and valuable time must
be lost by the appearance OF the disease. There
no doubt that what is known as the epizooty Is
the bronchial tubes and causes them to lnfiame to
such degree tnat respiration often becomes i'm
possible Tflls rs accompanied by species OF run
nIng catarrh which weakens the animal, and by
Withdrawing the best juices OF the body causes the
body 10 become weak and emaciated IN very
short space OF time. BY the application OF re.
medies the disease, II taken in time, may be made
TO yield and the horse may De put in a con-
dition to work once more. But / have
much doubt II the disease Is ever COM
petely extrpaied from the system Of the horse and
upon slight provocatIon, sucn as standing in the
cold while persplring or not being housed sufii-
GENTLY warmly, the maady may appear with all
It's first vigor, and the animal VIII begin to droop
aud tall away as before, subject TO the same reme-
dies II it has not taken too last a hold already.
have been led to say this by the fact that
j have noticed that all those horses which suffered
most severely last season have had more or
less running from the nostrlls ever since, aud
esana %onla no d9uos aIss,g De ready TO yield to the
vlrnlence. The cough has also remained more
or less and every now and then YOU may
near IL IN the streets IL is the od disease which
remains In every case. OF course The warm
months OF the summer were antagonIstlc to the
disease, and there IS never any danger Of Its be-
coming widespread during that season. But with
the winter setting In the danger comes back
and must be obviacd as best we can do 1t.
j believe tnaf the spread OF the disease will de-
pend very much upon the weather OF the next few
days. II the weather remains hard, clear and dry
az II Is at present, have no doubt that we shall
escape without any severe attack OF the malady
But In case there should be any sudden change the
VIII Dreah ouo very oaay ana we snail
peated ana, very likely, with as much violence.
But better 1t should come now than later in the
season. when the snow impedes travel and makes
the work Of the horses twofod. II Is not likely
however, that we shall have many deaths from the
surprise as IL did last year, and we shall better
know how TO treat IT."
The surgeon went on to give some general sta.
tistcs from which IL would appear that not one in
ten OF the city horses but what was at least
slightly affected by the epzooty
Az the stables OF this company there does not
appear 20 be single horse attacked by the disease
some lew OF them are coughing a little. but only
slightly more Than they have been dong all the
summer. The superintendent does not seem 10
fear any OF the Of the past season. though it
viii be remembered that this stable suffered proba-
bly, less than any stable IN the city, owing to the
immediate withdrawal OF the horses when they were
attacked.
THE THIRD AVENUE STABLES.
Here the disease very bad last year. SO that
at one Time, IL Will be remembered the cars did
not come down further tnan FIFTH street. Thus far,
however, the appearance Oi the disease is very
mid: lew about iive) or the horses are in the
hospital with slight appearance OF being affected
with the epizOoty. BY preventive means how
ever, ana by not working the horses which show
,he sllRhtcst signs OF having the disease, IL is
hoped 10 obviate any serious attack OF the epi-
mooty, such as characterized this line last year
THIS ne employs 300 horses. The Central line IL
zOoty " ~ op'
THE BELT LINE
nas not been much anectcd either IL IL sail that
some eIgM horses are affected nv sf, sl,os