DISEASES OF THE OX AND SHEEP. 365 



popular notion that it is no use trying to save animals suffering 

 from lock-jaw, and that "a horse with lock-jaw is as good [or 

 rather as bad) as a dead one." On the contrary, the percentage 

 of deaths, provided that cflreful and judicious treatment is 

 carried out, should not be much higher than in other diseases. 



As we have said above, the alkaline salts, the bromides, and 

 the preparations of the alkaloid, nicotine, have, when used 

 with the greatest possible care, proved highly successful in the 

 case of tetanus in the horse. In the ox, however, the disease 

 is not so common, and the various remedies have not been 

 thoroughly tried. The difficulties of treating tetanus are 

 enhanced by the fact that, when the jaw is greatly locked, the 

 only admissible methods of administering medicines are that by 

 subcutaneous injection, or that by means of a tube passed round 

 the back molar tooth. 



It only remains to add that the flesh of oxen which have 

 suffered from any of the above three diseases ought not to be 

 used as food. 



The very painful and frequently fatal disease known as tetanus^ 

 or locked-jaw, is often manifested in sheep at first by the forcible 

 closing of the mouth, and it shows itself by constant spasm of 

 the voluntary muscles, especially those of the jaw, neck, and 

 spine. In sheep the disease is usually first shown by a peculiar 

 involuntary spasmodic movement of the head, or of one or all 

 the extremities, together with a grinding of the teeth and a 

 fixedness of the jaw. Then the sufferer becomes very stiff all 

 over, the neck is protruded, and the head kept forcibly bent 

 upwards. One leg may be drawn up and fixed in an un- 

 natural position ; moreover, violent convulsions of the head, 

 neck, and extremities may occasionally be observed, and after 

 the convulsions have subsided, a rigidity of the parts may be 

 seen. So suddenly fatal may tetanus be, that often even within 

 twelve hours from the time of being attacked the animal may 

 be dead. 



The disease may occasionally break out in sheep which have 

 been shorn, and hence these animals should be kept without 

 food for a few hours before the process of shearing is carried 

 out, and after it they should be sheltered for about a week. 

 Otherwise tetanus, or inflammation of the lungs, or erysipelas 

 may supervene. Thousands of ewes, after lambing, and even 



