PLEURO-PNEEMONI1 (ante). Prof, James Law, of Cornell university, in a recent work gives much valuable information on the pleuro•pneumonia of cattle, or, as he thinks it should be called. contagions lung plague of cattle, which answers to the Ger man name lungenseuelle (lung He gives as a definition of the malady. a specific contagious disease, peculiar to cattle, and manifested by a long period of incu bation—ten days to three months—by a slow, insidious onset, by a low type of fever, and by the occurrence of iallammation in the air passages, lungs, and their coverings, with an extensive exudation into the lungs and pleu•tu. Ile says that the nature of the disease has been misapprehended by many authorities, especially among English veterinarians, and that there is no proof that, like other inflammations of the organs within the chest, it is caused by exposure, inclement weather, einviges of climate and season, imperfect ventilation, overcrowding, etc. He says that the malady " is always and only the result of contagion or _-"iiffeetion," therefore he proposes the Dallle• above given. He has, however, no objection to the old name, pulmonary ?nu rain. giving an account of the disease as it has appeared on the eastern continent, in which he makes the statement that Great Britain alone has, since 1842. lost not less than $10,000,000 per annum by the ravages of the disease, he gives a brief notice of its introduction into the United States. It was brought into Brooklyn in 1843, by means of a ship cow, bought by Peter Dunn of the capt. of an English vessel. From this cow it spread rapidly over the whole w. end of Long Island. The plague was introduced into Massachusetts in 1839, by four Dutch cows, imported by Mr. Chenery, of Belmont, near Boston. They were brought from the infected port of Rotterdam, and were forty-seven days at sea, during the last twenty of which they were sick, one of them being unable to stand. On landing. two walked to the farm, while the other two lied to be carried. One recovered, and three died, the last one the 10th of June. On August 20, another cow of the herd took the disease and • died in a few days. Several others followed in rapid succession. Then Mr. Chenery became convinced that be was dealing with the bovine plague of Europe. He lief unfortunately sold some calves to a neighbor on the 23d of June. The disease spread, and during the next four years infected many counties. In 1860 a state act was passed to provide for the extirpation of the disease, which empowered the commissioners to cause all cattle in herds where the disease was known or suspected to exist to be killed. The commission was kept in existence six years, when the last member resigned, the disease having been exterminated. The malady was impoHed into New Jersey in 1847. by Mr.
Richardson, who, as soon as lie ascertained the fact, had his whole herd, valued at $10,000, slaughtered. But others who had diseased cattle were not so public-spirited. and the pest was carried into Pennsylvania and Delaware, spreading into Maryland and Virginia,wimere it still prevails. The disease may be communicated by hnmediate contact, through the atmosphere for a considerable distance, by the inhalation of pulmonary exudation when placed in the nostrils, front the impregnated clothing of attendants, infected buildings, infected manm•e, pastures, fodder, etc. Pastures grazed three mouths previously have conummicated the infection, and it has been spread by the flesh of diseased animals. In buildings which contain piles of lumber, litter, and hay, the virus may be preserved some considerable time. The distance through which the infection will pass between separated cattle varies. Herds separated not more than 15 yards, with a tight board fence 7 ft. high between them, have been known to be unaffected for over six months, while the infection has been conveyed much greater distances. The disease is confined to the bovine genus, and all its members, irrespective of age or sex, appear to be equally liable to its attacks, and, as in many other contagions diseases, those animals which have once had the disease are exempt from future attacks. The period of incubation is variable, ranging, according to authorities, from five days to three months; and it is this insidi ousness which renders the disease so dangerous. It, however, develops much more rapidly in hot titan in cool weather, and in the s. than in the north. The work of exterminating the disease in New York by gen. Patrick and prof. Law was, at the com mencement of 1880. as follows: Ill the preceding ten months the inspectors in New York had examined 40,000 head of cattle, ninny of them several times. They had paid the owners tor 500 head of slaughtered cattle, which nearly eradicated the disease from seven counties. At that time the center of the plague was in Kings en., and the adjacent border of Queens county. In all the country districts where the cattle were kept. on inclosed farms, the work of exterminating the disease was comparatively easy. In the suburbs of cities, where cattle were allowed to graze on open lots, the greatest difficulties were met. More difficulty was found in Brooklyn than in New York, because of the greater opposition to the work of the inspectors. In Putnam co., where the disease had been • smoldering for more than a year, the county authorities authorized the extermination of every herd known to be infected.