238 
Splenic Apoplexij. 
died suddenly, a second on the loth, and a third on the 16th. 
These are the three animals previously spoken of as having been 
examined pout mortem by Mr. Blake, and the viscera of one of which 
were foi-warded for my inspection. They were part of a lot of ten 
bought on February 14th, at Bath fair, of the breeder. On then- 
arrival at Sock, seven were selected from them and placed in the 
yards, and the remaining three were turned into the pastures, the 
suspected fields being avoided. These, with the four still in yards, 
•were well at the time of my visit. The hay supplied to the animals 
came from different fields, and only about two loads of it from 
No. -30, none of which, it is thought, has yet been consumed. 
I come now to the evidence obtained with reference to the deaths 
of the sheep on this ftirm. 
In June, 1861, there were 205 shearling wethers grazing on 
ditferent parts of the farm, and having free access to Ko. 30. 
Fifteen of these died between a Wednesday and Saturda}-, in con- 
sequence of which ninety were selected from out of the remainder 
and sent to the metropolitan market on the Saturday, four of which 
died on the journej'. On the Monday following— the 1st of July — 
thirty more of the sheep were sold to a dealer, three of which died 
in a day or two afterwards. On this same day, also, Mr. Bradley 
lost two more out of the number remaining in hand. Those left 
were now put on vetches, which were rather a poor crop, and they 
were kept on them consequently only for a week. After this they 
returned to the pasture grounds, but were prevented going into 
No. 30. No further deaths took place. Since this time, other 
sheep on the farm have died at inegidar intei-vals, down to 
February 1st, amoimting in all to about thirty. 
On the 5th of March last Mr. Bradlej', with a view of an-esting 
the progiess of the malady, and to test the preventive properties of 
salt in doing this, applied 9 cwt. per acre, of this material to the 
field No. 30. He then drew out ten shearling-wethers from 140, 
and turned them into the field on March 7th. One of these animals 
died on the 15th. After this the nine were removed for five days, 
and then turned into the field again, without any additional death, 
however, up to the day of my visit. The experience of Mr. Bradley 
seems to show that if sheep are allowed to pasture on the suspicious 
grounds only for a few hours, they will take a sufficient amount of 
deleterious matter to produce their death a day or two afterwards. 
He considers the after-grass not to be so dangerous as that first 
grown, but he has no experience of bulls being less susceptible of 
the affection than other cattle. 
Splenic apoplexy is essentially a blood disease, consequently it - 
is not difficult for a jsathologist to understand that it may arise 
from a variety of causes, any one of which is calculated to efl'ect 
changes either in the quantity or condition of the several con- 
stituents of the fluid. 
In investigating the causes, I was led to inquire into the water 
supply to t!ie cattle when in the yards, especially as the three last 
animals had been lost while they had been exclusively confined to 
