Ansemia in Sheep, &c. 
207 
VIII. — Anmnia in Sheep, known also by the terms " Wasting^* 
^'■Hunger Rot,'' " Blood Eat," Sfc By Professor RoBEETSON, 
Principal of the Royal Veterinary College. 
This affection is deserving of more consideration than has 
hitherto been bestowed upon it, considering its very extensive, 
probably universal, distribution wherever sheep are kept, 
together with the considerable yearly losses, which I believe 
might with proper dieting be greatly lessened. The disease is 
not confined to any particular breed or age of sheep, nor to 
any limited district of Great Britain ; while it is recognised 
as a disturbing factor in the calculations of stock-owners over 
extensive territories in the Western States of the New World. 
It appears as one of those diseases of the assimilatory system 
generally, which within late years have been brought more 
prominently under our notice through the very considerable 
changes in stock management which have marked the progress 
of modern agriculture. 
No doubt certain breeds and particular classes of sheep seem 
greater sufferers than others, while in certain districts the dis- 
ease is more constantly observed than in others. Of the different 
classes, young sheep, " hoggetts," both fattening and store ani- 
mals, and breeding-ewes furnish the greater number of victims. 
The explanation of the frequency of its appearance in these 
classes and over particular localities is usually not difficult, and 
is understood by reference to the influence of dietetic causes 
chiefly. 
Definition of the Terms. — Anamia is employed to indicate that 
diseased state in which there is deficiency in amount of the cir- 
culating blood, local or general ; it also includes deficiency of 
certain of the essential constituent-elements of the blood, par- 
ticularly of the formed elements, the globules, and of the albu- 
minous. From the obvious physical changes, the blanched and 
attenuated state of the muscular structures, with the deficiency 
in amount and altered character of the blood, as well as some 
other local features exhibited during life common to this and 
the parasitic liver-disease known as " rot," the names of " Mood 
rot " and " hunger rot " have come to be employed. The defi- 
nition given of the term ancemia is purely conventional, while 
the condition thus expressed exhibits itself under many varieties. 
We may conceive of a simple deficiency in volume of the cir- 
culating blood ; such, however, rarely or never occurs alone, for 
with the reduction in amount there is alteration in the relative 
amount of several of the essential constituent-materials. 
Varieties and Nature of Ancemia. — The most commonly en- 
countered manifestations of ansemia are those where, in addition 
