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171
disease ; both of an ordinary kind, and specific like glanders
and farcy. But apart from this, it must be remembered that
many thousands of persons in the Metropolis necessarily
live in contact with horses, in rooms over stables, and it
cannot be doubted that disease and death are sometimes the
result of malaria, due to the insanitary condition of stables,
as in the case to which I have already alluded, where two
of our parishioners suffered a horrible death from glanders,
which, there was every reason to believe, was caused, not by
contact with diseased animals, but by infection conveyed
through the medium of a polluted atmosphere.
The views, as above set out, expressed in my eighth
monthly report, subsequently proved to be in harmony with
the highest professional authority, a largely attended meeting
of Members of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
having been held, in September, to "consider the increase
of glanders in Great Britain;" at which, after strong expressions
of feeling as to the inefficiency of the laws relating
to glanders, the following resolutions were adopted:-
"1. That amendment and consolidation of the law relating to glanders and
farcy is necessary.
"2. That in any alteration of the law, immediate and compulsory slaughter
must be applied to all cases of farcy as well as to glanders,
"3. That a more systematic inspection of infected or suspected places be
enforced.
"4. That a staff of Veterinary Inspectors, directed by the Board of Agriculture,
be specially applied to effect the extirpation of glanders and
farcy; and
"5. That compensation be paid for all horses slaughtered as farcied, or suspected
of being farcied, or glandered."
The meeting expressed disapproval of the action of the
Metropolitan Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough Association,
in having re-opened their troughs for the watering of