PEOCEEDIXGS AT GENERAL MEETINGS. 41 



soft, Habby, and its vessels filled ■with an unhealthy dark-coloured blood. In the 

 healthy young animal that portion of the umbilical cord contained within the animal's 

 body, and consisting of blood-vessels, becomes after birth rapidly converted from hollow 

 tul>es into ligaments extending to the liver and bladder ; but in these unhealthy lambs 

 I found it to consist of a hollow, containing a turbid fluid, and even pus, whilst 

 abscesses were found in the liver, kidneys, spleen, and around the sjjine, involving both 

 the spinal column externally, and extending into the spinal canal. 



" I may here state that one half-bred lamb, fed on cultivated grasses, the only one 

 60 fed and bred that I found affected with disease during the spring investigation, was 

 said to have marked symptoms of ' louping-ill ; but on examination I found it had 

 partial paralysis of the hind quarters, owing to the pressure of an abscess on the spinal 

 cord, and arising from this disease primarily established in the navel. 



"Of the above described maladies, confounded with the true 'louping-ill' or 

 ' trembling,^ the first is due to vicisfiitudes of climate, on some farms prevailing during 

 easterly winds, but at one place I was told it was most common during west winds. I 

 found, however, that a sudden change of weather, especially if too cold, and if the aspect 

 faced the Mind, this as well as ' louping-ill ' jjrevailed to a greater extent, and the 

 mortality was much increased. 



"Of the second disease, viz., impaction of the stomach with wool, it may be stated 

 that the remedy is apparent, and that the last, or secondary abscesses, prevails more or 

 less amongst all young animals, foals, calves, as well as lambs, and seems to arise some- 

 times from local injuries to the navel string at the time of birth ; from some constitu- 

 tional predisposition or taint, i)erhajjs derived from the mother, and sometimes from 

 epizootic influences beyond our control." 



But a])art from, and in addition to these maladies. Professor "Williams satisfied him- 

 self that a disease of the nervous system really has an existence, and prevails exten- 

 sively amongst lambs, and still more so amongst fuU-grown sheep, occasionally attacking 

 cattle, and said also to attack pigs. The symptoms being "fits of convulsions, auto- 

 matic movements of the limbs, spasms across the loins, elevation of the head, jerky 

 breathing, unnatural brightness of the eyes in some, but increased duhiess, approaching 

 to blindness, in others. In some cases the animals retained their consciousness and 

 desire for food. In those cases where ability to stand and move about remained, I 

 found that tlie sight of a dog, or any other source of excitement, caused them to fall 

 prostrate, some on their belly and chest, others on their sides, in which position they 

 would remain, breathing heavily, with nose extended, trembling violently for a short 

 period. If raised on to their legs, they would walk away trembling violently." 



" Early in May I had an opportunity of witnessing during life, and of dissecting 

 after death, a av ell-marked case of the disease, in a stage during which the symptoms 

 were not masked or overcome by those of the prostration of strength which succeeds 

 in those cases where life is prolonged for some time. 



" The sym])toms were briefly as follows, viz., gnashing of the teeth, frothing at the 

 mouth, hoai I di-awn ]>ack, with nose poked out by the contraction of the muscles of the 

 neck ; convulsions, l}'ing prostrate, inability to stand when lifted on its feet. 



"This sheep (ewe) was killed and immediately examined. The internal organs con- 

 tained in the abdominal and thoracic cavities were found quite healthy ; the lungs 

 contained a few round worms (strongles), but their number was quite insignificant, and 

 could have had no influence over the health of the sheep. The contents of the stomachs 

 and intestines were quite natural and sufticiently abundant, consisting, of course, of 

 such herbage and leaves as we could see on the land, very much withered, and but little 

 green grasses. Tliis sheep was in good condition and well nourislied. The blood was 

 carefully examined with a microscope magnifying UOO", but nothing abnormal could be 

 detected 



" The s])inal cord, however, jiresented an apjiearance, which, in the majority of cases 

 examined alterwards, was a leading and distinguishing characteristic, the appearance 

 refenx'd to being due to the jiressure of an exudate, or lorniation of a gelatinous appear- 

 ance and nature, lying within the spinal canal, and surrounding the sjiinal cord, more 

 particularly around the roots of the great nerves. This exuihite is of a ])ale sherry 

 colour, of tlie'consisteuce of cold jelly, appearing almost bloodless or non-vesicular 

 to the naked eye ; but when subjected to microscopic examination, it is seen to consist 

 of cells and tul)es, tlie nature of wliich are not exactly yet determined, and will require 

 farther examination and exjterieiice.' 



Further on in tlie season, when the disease was in full o]>eration, many more cases 

 were seen and examined ; and in regard to the "exudation." Professor Williams remarks, 

 " that it was not e(|ually manifest in all cases ; in some it was very abundant, but in 

 others it was scarcely observalile ; and in all cases where it could be seen, it was found 

 to be in patches here and there, generally most abundant in the regions of the loins, 

 l)Ut in a minority of cases at the junction ot the sj.inal cord with the medulla oblongata, 

 or the continuation of the cord contained within the head, — in other words, just outside 

 the head, in tlie neck, within the sjiinal canal. 



