CHANGES IN THE BLOOD. 105 



throughout the season, and, in addition to an abundance of grass, 

 these sheep had a full allowance of turnips, besides corn and 

 cotton cake. This rich food, the quantity of which, how^ever, 

 does not strike one as being outrageously great, given in addition 

 to the turnips and grass to animals whose fattening qualities is 

 so well known, was evidently too much. After feeding upon 

 it, the sheep would have little or no inclination to roam about ; 

 indeed, grass being abundant, there would be no necessity for 

 them to travel far in search of food ; fat was consequently so 

 rapidly formed that all the tissues of the body become loaded 

 with it, and finally the blood, where it caused an obstruction to 

 the circulation, and thus induced death. 



SEPTICEMIA — PEOGEESSIVE GANGRENE. 



Definition. — A condition produced by the absorption or in- 

 troduction of putrescent matter into the system, characterised 

 by great prostration, metastatic lameness, colicky pains, with 

 purging, the fseces being foetid, foetor of the breath, and 

 rapid emaciation in the horse. In horned cattle and sheep 

 it is generally seen after parturition, and manifested by great 

 prostration, collapse, fluttering pulse, expulsion of a coffee 

 coloured fluid from the uterus, violent straining, purging, and 

 great restlessness ; also known as braxy, affecting sheep in their 

 first year (hoggs), and occurring in the late autumn and early 

 winter months, especially when the weather is cold, and the 

 grass covered with hoar frost. It is also very destructive to 

 lambs, and to calves a few days old. 



These varying forms of septicsemia will be found described 

 under various heads in the context of this work, as well as in 

 the Principles and Practice of Veterinary Surgery. 



The ARTIFICIAL INDUCTION OF SEPTICAEMIA has been the subject 

 of various experiments— first of all by M. Davaine, and afterwards 

 by M. Bouley, Director of the Alfort Veterinary School. The 

 experiments were as follows : — Six watch-glasses were placed on 

 a table. Into the first ICO drops of water were placed, and to 

 these was added one drop of blood from a septicemic rabbit ; the 

 whole was stirred so as to produce a solution of y^. One drop 

 of this was placed in the second glass containing 100 drops of 



