190 SHEEP DISEASES: 



Fatigue, clipping, and exposure to cold wind (a cJdll) 

 induce congestion of the lungs. 



j{g(,^ — Young animals are peculiarly predisposed to diseases 

 depending upon rapid tissue changes for their production; and 

 old animals to diseases of a debilitating or asthenic character, 

 hence the large percentage of deaths in the old "crocks" at 

 lambing time.* 



To summarise the remarks I have so far made I may say that 

 all diseases which have their origin in an altered state of the 

 ][)lood — and such form the vast majority of the diseases from 

 which sheep suffer — may be arranged under four heads. 



1. Those marked by deficiency in the quantity of hlood, 



* "While it is impossible that I can deal at length with every individual disease 

 ' of this class, I may briefly refer to joint-ill, navel-ill, and lambing or milk 

 fever. 



Joint-ill, except as a purely sporadic affection, is always due to a combination 

 of two sets of causes— first, to a depraved or impoverished condition of the blood 

 of the mother (nearly always in my experience brought about by injudicious 

 management) and in consequence of which the milk contracts deleterious pro- 

 pertied ; second, to the combined effects of cold and wet. In some cases the 

 actual cause is inflammation of the umbilical vein, as a result of which abscesses 

 form in the liver and suppurative inflammation of the joints (pyemia) follows. 

 Judging from the clinical characters and course of the disease we are warranted 

 in the conclusion that the actual cause is a micro-organism— a micrococcus 

 probably. 



Navel-ill or navel-pocking is the result, in the first place, of a depraved condition 

 of the mother's system ; and, in the second place, to the action of septic germs on 

 the clot of blood which is always formed in the umbilical vein of newly-born 

 animals. If the system is healthy no injurious influence is exerted by septic 

 organisms ; if the contrary, the altered blood acts as a splendid pabulum for their 

 development— septic (or sometimes erysipelatous) inflammation is set up, the 

 products of which become absorbed and set up putrefactive inflammation of the 

 joints, particularly those of the hind limbs ; but in some cases the inflammatory 

 action extends along the cellular tissue to the fore legs in a forward direction, and 

 to the abdomen, thighs and hind legs in a backward direction, the involved 

 parts (juickly becoming of a black or purple hue from mortification. Both in 

 joint-ill and" in navel-ill the condition of the blood of the mother should be 

 improved and the navel-string of the lamb should be tied with a silk or cotton 

 ligature and thoroughly dressed with some antiseptic lotion or liniment im- 

 mediately after birth. 



Lamhing Fever. — Septic or erysipelatous inflammation of the womb (metritis) 

 has its origin also, in the vast majority of instances, in a depraved condition of 

 the blood. In some instances the affection is undoubtedly due to the local 

 access of septic germs by the contaminated skin of the hand of the shepherd, by 

 wounds, or by retention and subsequent decomposition of the after-birth. But, 

 while I make this acknowledgment, I cannot too strongly express the opinion 

 that in most cases the disease is primarily of systemic origin, and this is 

 proved by the fact that its progress can generally be arrested by the adoption of 

 judicious alterative treatment, by the fact that when the disease is prevalent 

 amongst ewes, their lambs are the subjects of joint-ill and navel-ill, and by the 

 further fact that the udder is frequently the seat of septic or erysipelatous in- 

 flammation ; and, after death, by the existence of effusions and extravasations into 

 the various tissues of the body. 



Notwithstanding that I hold this opinion, I must insist upon the necessity of 

 the application of some antiseptic lubricating agent to the hands and arms of 

 shepherds engaged in delivering ewes as also to the passage (vagina) of the 

 ewes after delivery, i.e., when artificial aid is required, or the ewes are unhealthy. 



