254 SHEEP HUSBANDRY IN THE SOUTH. 



LETTER XVI. 



DISEASES AND THEIR TREATMENT (Continued ) 



Cachectic Diseases... Hydatid on the Brain diagnosis common methods of treating it treatment of 

 French and English veterinarians... The Pelt Hot. ..Local diseases... Grub in the head the nature at 

 the disease, if one erroneous popular opinions location of the grub description of the fly (CEstrua 

 ovis) method of attacking the sheep conduct of the sheep appearance of the larva its habits the 

 chrysalis the larva found in the heads of healthy sheep not believed to be the cause or source of fatal 

 disease Mr. Bracy Clark's and Mr. Youatt's opinion method of preventing and of expelling the grub... 

 Scab nature of it habits of the acari description of them contagiousness of the disease post-mor- 

 tem appearances treatment... Erysipelatous scab treatment. ..Disease of Biflex Canal nature and 

 treatment. ..Hoof-ail first indications erroneous statements of foreign veterinarians of Mr. Youatt 

 author's experience with it diagnosis chronic hoof-ailcan it be cured ? difficulties preparation of 

 the foot ordinary treatment proper treatment cost of curing a flock cheap partial remedies sug- 

 gestions contagiousness of the disease how communicated... Fouls cause and treatment... Broncho- 

 cele or goitre diagnosis treatment... Miscellaneous diseases... Poison from eating Laurel symptoms- 

 treatment... fiore Face cause and treatment... Loss of cud not a disease... Hoove cause symptoms- 

 cure... Obstruction of Gullet, or choking treatment... Fractures treatment, &c... Method of adminis- 

 tering medicine into the stomach... Method of bleeding... The place of feeling the pulse... List of medi- 

 cines employed in treating the diseases of Eheep... Ale. ..Aloes.. .Alum. ..Antimony. ..Arsenic. ..Blue 

 Vitriol.. .Camphor... .Carraway seeds... .Catechu.. . .Chalk. . .Corrosive Sublimate. . .Digitalis. . .Epsom 

 Salta... Gentian. ..Ginger. ..Iodine. ..Lard. ..Lime, carbonate of.. .Lime, chloride of.... Linseed Oil... 

 Mercury... Muriatic Acid... Nitrate of Potash... Nitrate of Silver... Nitric Acid. ..Opium... Pepper. .. 



Pimento. ..Rhubarb. ..Salt. ..Sulphate of Iron... Sulphur.... Sulphuric Acid.... Spirit of Tar Tar... 



Tobacco. . . Turpentine . . .Verdigris . . . Zinc. 



CACHECTIC DISEASES. 



HYDATID ON THE BRAIN. This disease, known as turnsick, sturdy, 

 staggers, etc., is spoken of by Chancellor Livingston, and other writers 

 of reputation, as having occurred in this country within their own obser- 

 vation. 1 have never seen a case of it, and shall be obliged, therefore, to 

 make use of the descriptions of others. Mr. Spooner says : 



" The .symptoms are a dull, moping appearance, the sheep separating from the flock, a 

 wandering and blue appearance to the eje, and sometimes partial or total blindness ; tho 

 sheep appears unsteady in its walk, will sometimes stop suddenly and fall down, at others 

 gallop across the field, and after the disease has existed for some time will almost constantly 

 move round in a circle there seems, indeed, to be an aberration of the intellect of the 

 nnimal. These symptoms, though rarely all present iu the same subject, are yet sufficiently 

 marked to prevent the disease being mistaken for any other. On examining the brain of 

 sturdied sheep, we find what appears to be a watery bladder, termed a hydatid, which may 

 be either small or of the size of a hen's egg. This hydatid, one of the class of entozoSns 

 has been termed by naturalists the hydatis polycephalus cerebralis, which signifies the 

 many-headed hydatid of the brain ; these heads being irregularly distributed on the sur- 

 face of the bladder, and on the front part of each head there is a mouth surrounded by 

 minute sharp hooks within a ring of sucking disks. These disks serve as the means of 

 attachment by forming a vacuum, and bring the mouth in contact with the surface, and thus 

 by the aid of the hooks the parasite is nourished. The coats of the hydatid are disposed 

 in several layers, one of which appears to possess a muscular power. These facts are 

 developed by the microscope, which also discovers numerous little bodies adhering to the 

 internal membrane. The fluid in the bladder is usually clear, but occasionally turbid, and 

 Ihen it has been found to contain a number of minute worms. " 



According to Mr. Youatt, this disease attacks many of the weakly 

 lambs in the English flocks. It usually appears, he remarks, " during 

 the first year of the animal's life, and when he is about or under sis 

 months old." It succeeds a " a severe winter and a cold, wet spring." 

 He says : 



" If there is only one parasite inhabiting the brain of a sturdied sheep, its situation is very 

 uncertain. It is mostly found beneath the pia-mater, lying upon the brain, and in or upon 

 the scissure betwewn the two hemispheres. If it is within the brain, it is generally in one 

 of the ventricles, but occasionally iu the substance of the brain, and, in a few instances, in 

 &af of the cerebellum .... 



