sniEP-pox.] 



AND TilEIll VARIOUS BliEEDS. 



[SHEEP.POX. 



the anitnalB in as lar£^e quantities as they will 

 take it with thfir l\»od ; uiid to tliia t!io sulphate 

 of iron uiay be aihit'il. Half a drachm duily 

 lor each ahoe[), with the same quantity of 

 Cfingcr, is rfconunendcd to be {;iven in nourish- 

 ing gruel. Dining the treatment an api'riont 

 !?hould be given onoo or twice, and it may be 

 composed of one or two ounces of sulphate oi 

 magnesia, or a hirgo tablespoonful of common 

 salt dissolved in warm gruel or water. Food 

 of the most nourishing kind should be given ; 

 and a pint of beans daily is esteemed an ex- 

 cellent diet, with good hay, or sound pasture. 

 The best preventive of the disease, Mr. Mil- 

 burn thinks, is an allowance of plenty of dry 

 food, with salt ad libitum. He knew a farmer, 

 in Cleveland, who saved his Hock of Teeswaters 

 in a rot year, which almost denuded that valley 

 of its sheep, w-ithout any other exception than 

 his own Hock. Tliey had constant access to 

 the hay-stack, and so were preserved amongst 

 the general ruin. "When the rot unhappily 

 sets in, it is by far the best to sell the whole 

 of those which are at all fit for the butcher, for 

 immediate slaughter. ^ 



SHEEP-POX. 



This disease was introduced into this coun- 



Germany, and Central Kurope. But while tho 



communication of sick with healthy animals 

 might be said to bo an essential element in tho 

 propagation of stnall-pox, yet it waa Been that 

 this could not bo tho sole element. For now 

 tho disease had been observed to break out in 

 one or two scattered instances, and then would 

 appear with a malignity wliich almost set 

 control at defiance. At one time the flocks 

 showed a higher susceptibility to tho disease 

 than at another. This consideration entered 

 largely into the question of prevention. " In tho 

 case of human small-pox, Professor Simouda 

 observes, "that we possess a simple, efficacious, 

 and an almost harmless means of prevention 

 in vaccination; but it was not so iu the case 

 of sraall-poi in sheep. Vaccination affords 

 thera no protection. "Where the separation 

 of the affected animals from the healthy ones 

 proved insufficient to stay the disease, there 

 remained only inoculation to be had recourse 

 to. Kothing was more efficacious than this 

 for securing the ultimate welfare of tho flock. 

 He could well understand why so great aa 

 authority as Dr. Copeland should, on account 

 of the greater protective power of inoculation, 

 express sometliing like a regret that, in this 

 country, it was prohibited for man. Dr. Cope- 

 try by the continental sheep. It is very I land apparently doubted the greater value of 

 destructive to the flock, and highly injurious vaccination as a protection against small-poi. 



to those animals which recover from it. 

 Professor Sim ends, of the Veterinary Col- 

 lege, London, recently lectured upon it, as his 

 experience has, unfortunately, lately been very 

 great in the treatment of this disease. We 

 find that, before ISi?, the malady had never. 



Of the justness of this doubt Professor Simonds 

 expressed no opinion ; but he thought it well 

 that it should be alluded to at a time when 

 the recent events in Wiltshire had led to so 

 much discussion on the question, and when the 

 fact of the prohibition of inoculation for man 



during the present generation, been observed had been used as an argument I'or prohibiting 

 among the flocks of this kingdom. It had it in the case of sheep. It had been forgotteu 

 long, however, been prevalent and well known by the objectors, that, iu the case of sheep, wo 

 iu several of the great sheep districts of the had no option between vaccination and iuocu- 

 contiuent. In some localities, the aflectiou latiou. Wide and extended ex])erience had 

 was, so to speak, naturalised ; iu others it had shown that vaccination was valueless as a pro- 

 shown itself, from time to time, iu wide and tection against small-pox in sheep Wider and 

 disastrous outbreaks. Within historic periods, more extended experience had, oj the other 

 the disease had probabl}! never appeared hand, shown the great value of inoculation in 

 among healthy flocks, unless there had been mitigating the severity of the disease. Small- 

 prior communicatiou, immediately or recently, pox lirst appeared among the flocks of England 

 with animals suflering from the aff'ection. One in 1847. It was introduced by foreign sheep 

 sheep would iufecc a flock ; a flock would infect sold in Smithfleld market. The disease spread 

 a district; and in this way the malady would rapidly, and committed frightful ravages in seve- 

 be spread over the area of a vast country. So ral counties during the years 1817, '18, '-19, and 

 it had happened once and again in France, 18-30. Since the latter year, the malady had not 



747 



