Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-07-27


Correspondence of the Albany Argus.
LONDON. June, 1871 To the majority {
my readers the heading of this article vi
indeed lie vague, inasmuch as cattle plagu
is disease unheard of by thousands /
America. At all events the inture OF til
disease its contagious, Infections and horn
bly fatal character, is not known. Thus
then the question as to What is the co-rela
ton between cattle plague abroad and Amer
lean trade2 will be highly pcrplexing to thos
who look upon this subject for the first time
However, it will be presently demonstrated
that the one may have great bearing on tn
other But previously | Will make few re
marks as brief as possible, on the dlseas
now absorbing the attention of the Engllsl
government in both houses Of parliament
/ the agricultural aocieties, the farmers ant
dairymen and the people at large, as well a
the veterinary and medical professions.
Rnderpest of the German, fevre, pestl
lentiele du gros betail of the French, pest
bovina of the Italians, cattle plague OF Eng
land and murrain of the ancient writers, Is {
specific, malignant and contagious fever, in
dIgenous to the Asiatic steppes OF Russia
and is brought to England in two ways, viz
by trade and war. 1t is essentially disease
81 the bovine family, but communicable tC
various others. The period Of incubation
from four to eight days. The first symptom
| is in Sc to As hours, an elevation OF internal
Temperature: as recognized by the thermome-
ter zone OF our greatest guides in the diogno-
sis of cattle plagued. Then slight eruptions
| or excavations on the mucous membranes.
About two days later the animal appears
slightly i'll, and by the fourth day the symp-
toms are urgent the dropping head and pen
dulent ears. rigors, twitching OF the superb
cal muscles, oppressed breathing accom-
panied 10y low grunt, apecullarly distressed
| expression and a dreamy cast about the eyes,
with other symptoms, at once proclaim TO
the experienced eye tnat the cattle plague is
present. The ANIMALS affected usually die on
or before the seventh day after the noticeable
rise of temperature. England has had many
yisitations of rinderpest, and her losses
thercirom have been lamentable.
In l1l2 the first outbreak of cattle plague
recorded III this country occurred, and swept
l, 500. 200 cattle off from Western Europe
In l7li England again imported the disease
and lost between July and Christmas 5000
beasts. In l7I5, again the cattle plague was
brought TO England by hides. and raged more
or less for II wears, and Mr.. louatt states
that in six months Nottinghamshire alone
lost 40 600, and Cheshire 81, 600 beasts. In
the third year of this scourge 81, 600 oxen had
been killed, add twice that number died, and
cl35, OU0 (over two-thirds of a million dol
larsl WAS paid out of the treasury in compen-
sation for slaughtered animals. In lo65
vessel came into port at Hull with one ami
NAL affected with cattle plague, and the al
fection once landed, caused England the sac
rfce of one-third of million cattle. Again
in 1872 another outbreak occurred, and,
finally, in February of this year, the disease
was once more brought 10 England, despite
the rigid measures used for its exclusion.
And may say that the laws in Great Britain
are more stringent for cattle plague than any
other disease of man or beast. The prlvy
council is the most potent body in this coun-
ty and it has a veterinary department, at
the head of which is Prof. Brown, one of the
ablest veterinary surgeons. and probably the
best authority on contagious diseases (of AMI
mals) at the present day. Thus with so able
a man at the head of this department, backed
by the highest judicature in the realm, and
considering the enormous loss, Inconvenience
and expense that must inevitably result from
the introduction and dissemination of dis
ease so virulent and fatal as cattle plague, IT
is not to be wondered at that the government
of Great Britain, through the veterinary de-
partment, should take such severe measures
ior the preclusion of this foreign disease.
ports tremendous quantity Of cattle, and
thus, despite the most rigid inspection, cat
tie plague las well as other contagious dis
eases. owing to the subtlety of the mdteries
mOrJi of infection, iinds its way into this
country. Thus on the 10th of January, l7G7.
a cargo of animals left Hamburg, landed at
Deptford, in Kent, and were found to have
cattle plague They were at once slaughter
ed and the carcasses, oflal, etc completely
steamed down in digesters at temperature
of 400 degrees Fahrenheit. The landing was
declared TO be an Injected place" and 10
one permitted to GO to the buildings save the
men employed, and they were disinfected be-
fore leaving. In four hours an order was
issued by the privy council prohibiting the
movement of cattle out of the metropolis,
with view to coniine the diseased if possible.
to London; for its escape into the country
would be attended with far more serious con-
sequences, inasmuch as the facilities for the
control of the malady are much greater i'll
the former than the latter. After the cattle
plague was recognized at Deptford all precau-
lion was taken to prevent further spread of
the disease. Nevertheless, ii broke out In
Limehouse. in the east of London, having
been brought, no doubt, by mediate infection.
c. q. by some butcher or drover whe had been
in contact with the diseased animals at Dept
ford tbeiore it was ascertained that they were
suffering from rinderpest), and bringing the
infective germs in his clothing, and then en-
tering the sheds where healthy animals were
Then people or things having been
in the immediate vicinity of these latter (be-
fore any apparent signs OF disease had de
yelop-dl and then contracting with healthy
animals might easily become agencies for the
transfer of disease. And the outbr3k at
I 4. 4 kar
as was expected by those who understood the
disease and the modes by which 1t was pro-
Iagated. Then an order was issued in coun- |
ell stopping all sales and markets within the |
fifteen mile radius of Charing Cross, with the |
exception of two, and these were allowed by |
special license to receive animals, for slaugh- |
ter only. And all cattle brought to these |
two markets were examined before being |
moved, and branded with broad arrow on |
the hip and the tail cut, SO that no animal |
taken 10 market could return, but had to be |
killed i'll II hours.
Now, it should he remembered that Lon
don IL the largest city IN the world, and the |
millions of people IN this encampment re- |
quire an enormous amount OF milk for daily |
And IT would be utterly i'm |
possible for the suburbs TO furnish the guam |
tity Of milk necessary for London, on the |
same principle that IL used IN America Tor |
the supply of its cities with that article. |
Thus, IN the metropolis there are hundreds
of palatial diaries, where COWS are kept, and
many of these animals could not be equaled
anywhere. They are fed largely on oil cake
and the richest kind of food, hut never see
pasture; and people can go TO these dairies
aud SEE pure milk MIXED IN their Jugs.
This system would pay well i'll New York. 1t
is to these dairy cows that the present out
break of cattle plague has been confined. and
in one week | condemned l3 cows IN one
shed, 3S in another, and II III another.
There is no treatment successful IN the cure
of this disease, and If there wus IT would not
be wise to apply it. For the persons en-
ployed around the diseased animals, or even
a dog, or. in fact, almost anything. could
convey the disease thcreirom to healthy ami
mails, and soon the fatal mnlady would be
spread broadcast. Therefore the stamping
out" system seems to be the only resort.
This consists in the immediate slaughter of
all animals in a shed in which the plague ~
found. The affected animals are boiled down
with the hides, ofial. etc, OF the healthy
ones; the carcasses OF the latter alone 60 to
market. From the time rinderpest is found
in place till the same is declared dlslniectcd,
Il policeman is stationed there night and day,
and is under the veterinary Inspectors or
ders with instructions To- let no one but
butchers INTO the shed. not even the owner
nor any medical men OF veterinary surgeons,
save the veterinary inspector of the prlry
council, who has the full charge and respon-
slbility. All poultry about the infected place
is at once killed, dogs chained, and the butch
ers, when once admitted into the premises,
are not allowed to 60 out until their work Is
completed, when they are dIsiniected before
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