400 
Lamenesses of Sheep and Lamhs. 
be traced to cracks in the dry horn, similar to those occurring in 
sandcrack in the horse, or to undue wearing away of the horny 
sole, from friction with the hard dry soil. Such cases are gene- 
rally accompanied by much inflammation of the interdigital 
sebaceous glands. 
Foot-rot does not invariably depend upon an overgrowth of 
horn. On the contrary, it sometimes results from the horn being 
unduly worn, thus exposing the quick to filth and moisture. 
This is of common occurrence amongst sheep that have been 
driven long distances upon hard roads. Tlieir feet are bare, 
battered, and painful, and if previously overgrown they are now 
cracked and torn, affording jeady lodgment for dust or other 
foreign bodies. 
And now we approacli the much-debated subject of contagion. 
Most shepherds, as well as the majority of sheep-masters, and 
many veterinarians believe the disease to be decidedly conta- 
gious. They consider that animals will take the disorder by 
travelling over a road previously traversed by unsound stock, or 
by being penned in yards previously occupied by such stock. 
Tliey believe that the contagion will sometimes lurk in a pasture 
and affect sound sheep placed ujion it, even after long intervals 
of time. They record cases of rams communicating the disease 
to whole flocks of ewes. They enjoin many precautions for 
keeping tlie sound and unsound stock separate. They highly 
approve of the judgments given by various courts of law, both 
in this and other countries, in which the contagion of the disease 
has been admitted, and damages awarded for loss and injury 
sustained by the introduction of unsound sheep amongst a pre- 
viously healthy flock. But these conclusions are, we believe, 
erroneous. They are established on insufficient data, and on 
imperfect and partial observations. 
The common foot-rot, above described, is, I believe, not con- 
tagious. It does not exhibit the characters of a truly contagious 
disorder, and its occurrence and spread can be simply and 
rationally explained without referring it to contagion. 
The very decided opinions commonly entertained regarding 
the contagiousness of foot-rot have in part resulted from its 
being frequently mistaken for the contagious murrain, which 
much resembles it. This opinion is strengthened by the state- 
ments occasionally made of the disease being communicated to 
cattle, pigs, and poultry. Gasparin, in his ' Manuel dc I'Art 
Veterinaire,' says " it occasionally spreads to the pigs, dogs (?), 
and even the poultry," and I have heard various sheep-masters 
express a similar opinion. But such phenomena, although ob- 
servable in murrain, which affects all the cloven-footed domes- 
ticated animals, does not apply to ti'ue foot-rot. The rapid spread 
