INFLAMMATION OF THE BOWELS. 311 



BRAXY, OK INFLAMMATION OF THE BOWELS. Braxy is 

 one of the formidable diseases of Europe, which I have never 

 met with in this country, though Mr. Morrell says "it is not 

 unusual to sheep kept in the latitude of ours." It is stated in 

 the Mountain Shepherd's Manual that it chiefly attacks 

 lambs about the end of autumn and beginning of winter, 

 and that " inflammation of the bowels seems to be the 

 most common form" of it. "When a sheep is observed 

 to be restless, lying down and rising up frequently, and at 

 intervals standing with its head down and its back raised, 

 and when it appears to move with pain, inflammation may be 

 suspected. The progress of the inflammation excites great 

 pain ; but when mortification comes on the pain ceases ; and 

 thus we may sometimes account for an animal dying suddenly 

 when apparently well." " The causes of the inflammation," 

 continues the same authority, " may be various. Costiveness 

 from eating hard, dry food, drinking cold water while the 

 body is over-heated, or being plunged into cold water while 

 in that state, or suddenly chilled by a shower of rain or snow, 

 may bring on this destructive malady. Feeding on strong, 

 rank grass is also strongly suspected of inducing braxy. * * 

 Along with long, rank leaves, others that are decayed and 

 rotten or flaccid, may be eaten, and together with the too 

 large quantity of such rank food, which young sheep are apt 

 to swallow, contribute to excite fermentation ; and this, from 

 the extrication of air, swells out the intestines, preventing due 

 rumination ; and thus, while the food itself is vitiated and 

 does mischief, the overstretching of the bowels causes 

 inflammation." Mr. Spooner thus gives the post mortem 

 appearances where death has been produced by inflammation 

 of the bowels: "After death, the paunch is found distended 

 with gas and with food the latter in a state of putrid fermen- 

 tation, and necessarily producing the former. The small 

 intestines are in a gangrenous state, the liver is partly 

 decomposed, and filled with vitiated bile; but, most of all, 

 the spleen is gorged with blood, softened, enlarged, not 

 unfrequ,ently ruptured, and filled with tubercles and ulcers, 

 with, in short, various appearances of disease, but all of them 

 the consequence of inflammation principally belonging to this 

 gland, and of the most serious character." 



Mr. Spooner recommends the following treatment : "It 

 should be met with very active treatment. Bleeding from 

 the neck in the early stage, mild aperients, setons, and blisters 

 appear to be called for ; but depletion should not be persisted 



