2<S6 Journal of the Department of AGRicTTLTURii;. 



INFECTIOUS DIARRHCEA: " BLOEDPENS " IN 



LAMBS. 



Several requests liaving" been received foi- remedies or i)reA-entives in 

 cases of infectious diarrlnjea among young- farm stock, the folloAving 

 notes on the disease are extracted from the AgricvUvraJ Jovrnal of 

 the Cape of Good Hope {^o. 2, Vol. XXXII) : — 



Bloedpens is confined to very young lambs, and has been shown 

 to be due to an infective organism which enters the system of the young 

 animal through the navel cord, either during or immedialely :ifter 

 birth. 



The cord w liicli jmsses llirough the navel is made up, among other 

 matters, of blood vessels, whicdi. in the womb, carry the nutritive 

 blood from the mother to the f(etus, and the used-up impure blood 

 from the foetus to the mother. At birth tliis cord is severed, and the 

 blood flow stopped by ;i clot whicli forms in the vessels. Soon after 

 separation the end of the cord shri\els, and the aperture through 

 which it piisses heals u]). The extremity of the cord in the navel dies, 

 and, under favourable circumstances, itecomes absorbed. Conditions 

 which fnvour the :(l)sor])tioii of the desul ])art hasten the closing of the 

 navel so that in ;i healthy, new-born animal Ihere is a iiatural process 

 to j)revent the entrance oT injurious mattei' through ii. Tt is well 

 knowji to i)hysiologists and i)a1 hoh)gisis that anything which retards 

 the natural healing ])rocess favours the growth of microbes (disease 

 germs) there, and affords a means for llieir entrance into the blood 

 vessels whicli distribute Iheni thiough the system. — (Professor 

 Penherthy.) 



It will be seen, therefoic, thai anything which cxcicise a (h'bili- 

 tating influence on the neAvly-])orn animal, such as cold, stormv 

 weather, a feeble and debilitated condition oF the mother, due to defec- 

 tive feeding or other unfavourable conditions, previous to himbing, 

 would tend to retard the healing and closing of the navel, and thus 

 leave it to a condition favourable to the entrance of infective 

 f)rganisms. and in this manner predispose the young animal to ])ecome 

 affected. But. as already remarked, all these adverse surroundings 

 are merely circumstances which favour the develoi)ment of this com- 

 I)laint, the originating cause of the disease is a special infective 

 organism which enters the system of the young animal through tiie 

 open vessels of the cord either during or immediately after birth. 

 It is further evident that this affection is contag'ioiis, and may be 

 introduced into a herd or flock by an affected calf or lamb, and it the 

 conditions are favourable to its development it may spread through 

 the herd or flock, affVcting a large proportion of the young soon after 

 they are dropped. 



Treatment. — This should be preventive, principally. Care should 

 l)e exercised not to introduce an affected lamb into the fold, and 

 if the disease makes its ajjpearance in the flock the 

 affected ones witji their mothers should be pr(uni)tly removed from 

 the others and kept completely separated, having separate veld as 



