42 DISEASES OP SHEEP. 



changes into an inflammation of the' throat or lungs, this 

 being the most reliable indication of the near approach of 

 death. Death generally occurs in from sixteen to twenty 

 days, seldom sooner, and then only in cases where the pox 

 has receded or changed into inflammation of the throat, or 

 when the afflicted is of a very tender age. The diseased 

 carcass putreiies in a very short time and causes a pestilent 

 stench. When dissected, a great many pox are found upon 

 the mucous membranes of the nose and windpipe, upon the 

 lungs, the liver, the intestines, the tripes ; which pox, how- 

 ever, have not exactly the same appearance as those of the 

 exterior pox, looking like flat-formed sores. The pox, not 

 always appearing of the same exterior form, have been 

 classified accordingly, and difierent names have been adopted 

 to distinguish such different forms ; as, for instance, con- 

 fluent, gangrenous, flat, brown, blue and pestilent pox. 

 Such a classification is, however, entirely unnecessary, as 

 there is only one kind of sheep pox ; the difference in the 

 progress and exterior appearance depends upon exterior 

 and interior conditions and incidents, and not upon the in- 

 trinsic nature of the pox itself. To prove this it is only 

 necessary to state the fact that the so-called confluent and 

 gangrenous pox may be transferred by contagio'n to animals 

 afilicted with innoxious pox, and the latter may, by inju- 

 dicious treatment or with intent, be changed into the most 

 malignant and so-called flattened pox. The most proper 

 classification appears to be that of " innoxious" and " ma- 

 lignant" pox, or perhaps "regular" and " irregular" pox. 

 The so-called "stone pox," which seldom occurs, has noth- 

 ing to do with this disease, and its name as " pox" is im- 

 proper. The so-called stone pox consists in small knots of 

 the form of millet-seed, containing a small quantity of 

 yellow matter, which dry off in a period . of four or, five 



