BED WATER IN SHEEP. 323 



two days after this, to which I gave a dose of castor oil, and 

 bled it in the eye and ear veins ; the blood was very dark in 

 colour, and flowed slowly. This lamb lived until the follow- 

 ing morning : the breathing was laboured and difficult, and 

 at intervals was suspended for several seconds. The medi- 

 cine operated freely, but no diminution in the severity of the 

 symptoms was observable/ 



" The lamb above alluded to was sent to my establishment, 

 and my attendance on the flock was also requested, in conse- 

 quence of the serious and fatal character the disease had now 

 assumed. In conjunction with my friend, Mr Varnell, I 

 instituted a post-mortem examination of the lamb, and found 

 the following lesions : 



" The abdominal viscera were free from structural disease ; 

 but the chylopoietic veins generally were distended with dark 

 blood. The biliary ducts and gall-bladder were also very 

 full of bile. The liver was larger than natural, and darker 

 in colour than we usually find it; the spleen normal; the 

 lungs slightly congested, and a small quantity of limpid fluid 

 in each pleural sac ; the thymus gland large and dark in 

 colour, which seemingly depended upon venous congestion ; 

 the pericardial sac contained about two ounces of fibrin and 

 serum the fibrin was in a state of semi-coagulation, but not 

 adhering to any part of the membrane, which showed no red- 

 ness or abnormal thickening. The external part of the 

 heart, particularly on the left side, was observed to be studded 

 with dark-looking spots. 



" On making a section through the outer wall of the right 

 ventricle, from its base to its apex, the cavity was found to 

 be empty, and the lining membrane free from disease, but at 

 the upper part, and near to the septum ventriculorum, a 

 group of petechiae existed beneath the membrane. The right 

 auricle was normal ; the left ventricle contained some coagu- 



