Blain (animal disease)
An 18th- and 19th-century animal disease of unknown cause.
Blain was a disease affecting animals, with an unknown cause, that was widely recognized during the 1700s and 1800s. It remains uncertain whether the condition still exists today or which modern illness it might match. According to Ephraim Chambers' 1728 *Cyclopaedia*, blain was described as a "distemper" (using the 18th-century term for disease) in animals, marked by a "Bladder growing on the Root of the Tongue against the Wind-Pipe" that eventually swelled and blocked breathing. This was thought to result from excessive chafing and heating of the stomach.
The disease also appears in the 1836 book *Cattle: Their Breeds, Management, and Diseases*, where it is equated with "gloss-anthrax." W. C. Spooner's 1888 work *The History, Structure, Economy and Diseases of the Sheep* likewise identifies blain as the same as gloss-anthrax. A detailed description was published in the *Belfast News-Letter* on September 13, 1852, in a column on horticulture, under the headline "The Prevailing Epidemic Disease in Horned Cattle - The Mouth and Food Disease." It stated that there were two mouth diseases, one very serious called blain (gloss anthrax), or inflammation of the tongue. This was described as a virulent, sometimes rapid-acting illness that should be treated immediately. Though it always showed as inflammation of the mouth membranes beneath or above the tongue and along its sides, it soon spread throughout the body, involving inflammation and gangrene of the esophagus and intestines according to the best veterinarians. Symptoms included inflamed, weeping eyes, swellings around the eyes and elsewhere, a quick pulse, heaving flanks, and sometimes constipation. The article also described treatments such as deep lancing of blisters, bloodletting, Epsom salt doses, chloride of lime rinses, diluted tincture of myrrh, and fever remedies given in the animal's feed.
Modern research suggests that "gloss-anthrax" was not the same disease as modern-day anthrax. It might instead have been foot-and-mouth disease, or a viral infection followed by a secondary *Fusobacterium necrophorum* infection. Another possibility is that it was caused by an extinct variant strain of true anthrax. Some sources also mention outbreaks called "blain" or "black-blain" in the 13th and 14th centuries, though it is uncertain whether those involved the same disease as gloss-anthrax.
- known_period
- 18th and 19th centuries
- also_known_as
- gloss-anthrax
- affected_species
- animals, especially horned cattle and sheep
- symptoms
- bladder on tongue, inflamed eyes, swelling, quick pulse, heaving flanks, constipation
- possible_modern_equivalents
- foot-and-mouth disease, viral infection with Fusobacterium necrophorum, or extinct variant of true anthrax
- etiology
- unknown
Lore & Background
Blain is described in Ephraim Chambers' 1728 Cyclopaedia as a distemper involving a bladder growing on the root of the tongue against the windpipe, which eventually swells and stops the wind. It was thought to occur by great chafing and heating of the stomach. The disease is also mentioned in the 1836 book Cattle: Their Breeds, Management, and Diseases, where it is identified as 'gloss-anthrax'. W. C. Spooner's 1888 book on sheep similarly identifies blain as the same as gloss-anthrax.
A detailed description appears in the Belfast News-Letter of September 13, 1852, under the headline 'The Prevailing Epidemic Disease in Horned Cattle - The Mouth and Food Disease'. It describes blain as a very virulent disease of rapid action, involving inflammation of the membranes of the mouth and tongue, soon extending through the whole system to cause inflammation and gangrene of the oesophagus and intestines. Symptoms include inflamed weeping eyes, swellings around the eyes and body, quick pulse, heaving flanks, and sometimes constipation. Treatment included deep lancing of blisters, blood letting, Epsom salt doses, chloride of lime rinses, tincture of diluted myrrh, and fever treatments in feed.
Reader's Guide
Blain holds significance as a historical animal disease whose identity remains uncertain. Modern scholarship suggests that 'gloss-anthrax' was not the same as modern-day anthrax, but could have been foot-and-mouth disease, or a viral infection with secondary Fusobacterium necrophorum infection. It has also been suggested that it may have been due to an extinct variant strain of true anthrax. Other sources report epizootics known as 'blain' or 'black-blain' in the 13th and 14th centuries, but it is not clear if the disease involved was the same as 'gloss-anthrax'. The uncertainty surrounding blain illustrates the challenges of retrospectively diagnosing historical diseases from incomplete descriptions. Its legacy lies in the historical record of veterinary medicine and the ongoing scholarly debate about its true nature.
Did You Know?
- Blain was also known as 'gloss-anthrax' in 19th-century veterinary texts.
- The disease was described in Ephraim Chambers' 1728 Cyclopaedia as a bladder on the root of the tongue that stops the wind.
- A 1852 newspaper article in the Belfast News-Letter described blain as a virulent disease involving inflammation and gangrene of the oesophagus and intestines.
- Modern scholars are uncertain whether blain corresponds to foot-and-mouth disease, a viral infection with Fusobacterium necrophorum, or an extinct variant of true anthrax.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Blain (animal disease)?
Blain was a livestock illness documented throughout the 1700s and 1800s, characterized by a fluid-filled growth at the base of the tongue that could obstruct breathing. It was also referred to as gloss-anthrax in some medical texts of the era.
Which animals were most commonly struck by Blain?
The condition was reported primarily in horned cattle and sheep, though broader references to animals suggest it may have affected other livestock as well.
What symptoms did 18th- and 19th-century veterinarians associate with Blain?
Affected animals developed a bladder-like swelling on the tongue, along with inflamed eyes, general swelling, a rapid pulse, heaving of the flanks, and constipation. Chambers' 1728 Cyclopaedia attributed the tongue growth to excessive internal heat and irritation of the stomach.
What modern disease might Blain actually correspond to?
Scholars have proposed several candidates, including foot-and-mouth disease, an infection involving Fusobacterium necrophorum, or a now-extinct form of true anthrax. No definitive match has been confirmed, leaving the true identity of Blain unresolved.
Why do researchers still classify Blain as having an unknown cause?
Despite two centuries of veterinary observation, no single pathogen or mechanism has been identified that accounts for all the described symptoms. The disease appears in historical records but has no confirmed living counterpart, making it impossible to test modern hypotheses directly.
More in Ailments of unknown cause 1-24
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