360 EOT IN SHEEP. 



land; and amongst the most extensive sheep dealers in the 

 midland counties and the south of England I have learned 

 that the destruction over extensive districts has been almost 

 unparalleled in their experience. 



When I was last in Dublin (Dec. 13, 1862) my advice 

 was asked concerning this disease, which seems to have pre- 

 vailed on lands usually quite free from rot, and I learned that 

 the malady was very destructive in Kilkenny amongst cattle. 

 Serious complaints have been heard from Clare, Limerick, 

 Koscommon, King's County, Wexford, parts of Kildare, 

 Longford, Leitrim, and Armagh. I am quite certain that not 

 less than 500,000 sheep have this year suffered from rot in 

 the United Kingdom, reducing them in value two-thirds and 

 more, and leading to a loss of several hundred thousand 

 pounds to the country at large. 



Eot is a disease of low lands, marshy ground, and wet 

 seasons. Flooding pastures suffices to render them unsound 

 for sheep for a season, and this is owing to the dissemination 

 of distomata in their partially developed condition, and fit for 

 their term of existence, in the ruminant's liver. Apart, how- 

 ever, from the prevalence of flukes on low land and especially 

 marshy pastures, we find that sheep do not keep up in con- 

 dition on soft watery grass. Solid dry food suits the con- 

 stitution of the sheep best, and during wet seasons we find 

 rot prevailing to an alarming extent on sound lands, and on 

 opening the bodies of the sheep very few flukes are found in 

 their livers. Notwithstanding the existence of flukes in the 

 liver it is possible to counteract the state of weakness, and 

 stop the progressive emaciation by rich food, tonics, and 

 common salt, which do not tend to expel the parasites so 

 much as to counteract the condition of the system induced 

 by quality of food the animal has been on, coupled with the 

 morbid changes in the liver from the presence of the flukes. 



