Karjasairaudesta kerrottua 1761

Opuksessa The Annual Register, or a view of the History, Politicks, and Literature, Of the year 1761 kerrotaan Suomessa koetusta karjasairaudesta, joka oli levinnyt jo ihmisiinkiin. Taudin leviämisen estämiseksi navettoja käsiteltiin rikillä, ruudilla ja viinietikalla.

A letter from Stockholm gives the most melancholy account of the distemper among the cattle, with which the province of Finland has for some years been afflicted; it now affects even the men who attend the sick cattle, or who flay the dead: a stout young fellow after flaying a cow dead of the distemper, at night laid himself down on the skin, wrapped it about him, but the next morning was found quite stiff and dead. "The most ingenious Mr. Hartman, continues the letter, has advanced, that the symptoms of this distemper in the human species, perfectly correspond with those of the English sweating: we sometimes burn the liver, milt, and lungs of the dead beasts, and administer the powder of them to the sick beasts, on account of the voletile salts in these ashes : I hear that now they are beginning to burn whole carcases for the same use; and likewise to prevent the air from being infected by such a number of putrified carcases, the cow-houses also are fumigated with sulphur, gunpowder, and vinegar."

Samaa asiaa oli selostettu myös ajan sanomalehdissä, tietenkin. Haartmanin yksityiskohtainen kertomus  julkaistiin sanomalehden Inrikes Tidningar numeroissa 8., 12. ja 15.10.1761. Siihen sisältyy matkakertomus "Porin kihlakunnista". Kokemäen tilanne ei vaatinut tuolloisten karjanomistajien onneksi ja minun nykyiseksi harmikseni yksityiskohtaista kuvausta. Mutta muistaakseni Tapio Salminen kirjoitti asiasta Kokemäen paikallishistoriaan ja mainitsi esi-isä-kirkkoherrankin.