Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1877-10-20
A AND HOUSEHOLD.
What Ia Murrain. or she TeHn Cattle
WInurR,

We notice the disease, whose name is
placed at the head of this article, has
made its appearance in Illinois, Ohio,
New York, Tennessee, and probably in
other states, and that northern veterinary
surgeons, having little experience in the
treatment Of the malady, have mistaken
its cause and character. The eldest
record of this Plauge is in Egypt, where
1t is indigenous in a cotton region as it Is
in cur sea.land cotton climate from the
tide water district OF Virginia to the Rio
Grande. Before the exodus OF the
Israelites it is thus referred to. eft thou
refuse to let the Hebrews go, and wilt
bold them still, behold the hand of the
Lord is upon thy cattle which is in the
field, upon the horses, upon the asses,
upon the camel, upon the OK and upon
the sheep, there shall be a grevious MUIR
rain and the Lord shall sever between
the cattle of Israel and the cattle OF
Egypt, and there shall nothing die OF all
the children of Israel, And the Lord
did chat thing on the morrow"
This plauge is mentioned or described
by Honor, Hippocrates, Plutarch, Liyy
and Virgil while it, history from the
age OF Virgil to the present day Is exceed
ingly interesting. 1t was the prevalence
of a highly contagious and fatal cattle
fever in Europe about n hundred ana
twenty-five years ago that caused the
first veterinary school to be established
on the continent. The true cause OF TINS
malarial disease was not known until
quite recently and only those physicians
who make it a part of their professional
duty to keep posted in the rapid Prugress
of science appear to understand the
problem. Veterinary doctors in Illinois
and Ohio have very sapieltly told the
public that the numerous ticks on
southern cattle (well known to many OF
III readers) produce the fever, corrup'
ton and death. They might a. well
ascribs the manger in the dog to the bite
OF heas, or the rot and tiukes in the liver
OF the sheep to ticks in its wool. Men
often practice the healing art on farm
stock with little reading and less science.
The light of truth comes not when the
blind lead the blind, but from systematic
study and research.
Texas cattle, full of the germs OF muir
rain, brought to Louisiana, as to New
Orleans market, do not give the disease
to cattle there, because the local climate
is malarial like that OF Texas, Bring
these cattle to the healthy, non-malarial
districts Of Tennessee, and southern
organisms Of peStllence find new and
fresh pastures, and cattle susceptible to
poisOns, Southern cattle improve IN a
healthier climate, while northern animals
die from southern c~entagion
One form OF sickness is contagious, an
other is not. We shall try to make this
question Of contagion plain to our agri'
cultural friends. Cows drinking water
from springs or brooks that have copper,
lead or arsenic salts in solution, in a
mineral district, may poison, little by
little, their blood, milk and flesh. Such
milk sickness is not contagious for the
reason that no delelerious molecule OF
metal earth or gas can multiply itself,
pass indefinitely from one animal or
person to another. With living germs,
whether plant or animal, The case is
different. All parasites, whether visible,
like nits and lick, or invisible like
trickin@, not only spread from one post
to another, but multiply their species
with astonishing rapidity. The farmer
should know that every contagion and
malarial disorder breeds true to it.
so that the organisms of yellow
can not produce cholera, nor the
germs OF cholera give existence 10 yellow
Murrain is q thing of lie, and
be dealt with accordingly. In.
.ected animals should be Eholly isolated,
'Icansed by catharlics and strengthened
strong bitters, as a detection Of cherry
and poplar bark.
Many parasitic contagious are expelled
" sulphur; and to give cattle, sheep,
logs and hsrses a lick Of equal parts OF
and sulphur placed within their
each, throws the sulphur remedy into
heir systems 70 act as a preventive or
'urc. For persons laboring under any
.1mmon mslarial disease, one may take
.qual parts OF sulphur and cream OF
in moderate doses, morning and
Draining all swamps will do much to
,uri'y the atmosphere, and lesson its
humidity. A useful book might be
on murrain climate of the south,
the line that bounds it on the
from James river 10 Virginia to
he western bounds of Texas. In another
We will cite authorities i~llustra.
i've OF this line .-NqskriHe American.