RUMINANTIA 329 



surface. Mr Simonds says, that the " coats of the ductus 

 hepaticuSj as also of the ductus communis choledicus, are not 

 unfrequently so thick as to be upwards of ten times their 

 normal substance, and, likewise, so hard as to approach the 

 nature of cartilage." Respecting their numbers, the greatest 

 variation exists. The presence of a few flukes in the liver is 

 totally insufficient to cause death ; consequently, when a sheep 

 dies from rot, or is killed at a time when the disease has 

 seriously impoverished the animal, then we are sure to find the 

 organ occupied by many dozen, many score, or even several 

 hundred flukes. Thus from a single liver Bidloo obtained 800, 

 Leuwenhoeck about 900, and Dupuy upwards of 1000 speci- 

 mens. Even the occurrence of large numbers only destroys the 

 animal by slow degrees, and, possibly, without producing much 

 physical suffering, excepting, perhaps, in the later stages. 

 Associated with the above-described appearances, one also not 

 unfrequently finds a few flukes in the intestinal canal, whilst a 

 still more interesting pathological feature is seen in the fact 

 that the bile contained in the liver ducts is loaded with flukes' 

 eggs. In some cases there cannot be less than tens or even 

 hundreds of thousands. Not a few may also be found in the in- 

 testinal canal and in the excrement about to be voided. Occasion- 

 ally dead specimens become surrounded by inspissated bile, and 

 gritty particles deposited in the liver ducts, thus forming the 

 nuclei of gall-stones. Mr Simonds mentions a remarkable 

 instance, " where the concretion was as large as an ordinary 

 hen's egg, and when broken up was found to contain about a 

 dozen dead flukes. It was lying in a pouch-like cavity of one 

 of the biliary ducts/' 



In respect of treatment we all know that "prevention is 

 better than cure." Moisture being essential to the growth and 

 development of the fluke-larvae, it is clear that sheep cannot be 

 infected so long as they remain on high and dry grounds, and 

 even in low pastures they can scarcely take the disease so long 

 as they are folded, and fed on hay, turnips, and fodder pro- 

 cured from drier situations. When once the malady has 

 become fairly developed, internal remedies are of little avail, at 

 least, in view of producing a thorough cure. Palliative treat- 

 ment may undoubtedly do good, especially in cases where the 

 disease is not very strongly pronounced. The most important 

 thing is the transference of the rot-affected animals to dry 

 ground and good shelter, supplying them, at the same time, 



