REMARKS ON THE SHEEP POX. 
621 
and herds ; and I say herds, because I saw only yesterday an in- 
stance in which a cow had had a very similar affection, and was 
just recovering without any treatment having been adopted, the 
attack being but a slight one ; still the character of the disease 
was sufficiently manifest. 
With the description of the malady I have no fault to find, but 
with the deductions therefrom I must differ in toto. The axiom of 
the divinely inspired writers, that what was, what is, and ever 
shall be, holds in this as in every other instance; for the dis- 
ease which has been described as “ NEW” is nothing more nor less 
than the old “ sheep-pox,” or variola ovina, a disease very often 
assuming an epizootical character, and, like all the exanthemata , 
contagious in a very considerable degree. 
Let us look at the data whenoe the deductions that the disease 
is “ new to this country” are drawn, and we find that certain 
sheep, which are described as Spanish sheep or “ merinos,” are 
brought from “ Tonningen, on the coast of Denmark,” and others 
from “ Hamburgh ;” that they are sold in Smithfield market in 
different lots, some of which lots are affected and others are not ; 
that shortly after purchase, some of the Spanish sheep are found to 
be affected with an exanthematous disease ; and in about a fort- 
night after its appearance shewed itself also among some Down 
sheep with which the Spanish sheep had been commingled ; that 
many died, some recovered, and some were not affected. Now, out 
of these imperfect data, the conclusion is jumped at, that a disease 
“ new” to this country has shewn itself. “ Oh ! wonderful, wonder- 
ful, and most wonderful wonderful ; and yet again wonderful, and 
after that out of all whooping !” 
Is any thing known of the previous state or condition of these 
animals 1 — how had they been fed, lodged, or tended ] Was any great 
change existing between their then management or food, or comfort, 
or general position, and that to which they had been accustomed I 
None of these essential points for investigation appear to have been 
thought of — nor, of the effects likely to have been produced by their 
having been confined on board of ship in their transit to this coun- 
try, is any notice taken beyond that there was " a large cargo.” 
This circumstance might reasonably be expected to have drawn 
some attention ; but no ! — this is too trivial a point to require inves- 
tigation, yet this alone is sufficient to account for the breaking out 
of the malady. The change from a northern climate to a more 
southern one, to say nothing of the extreme from such a climate, 
even though it be summer, to the heat of a ship, the animals 
crowded together giving off effluvia in increased quantity ; the 
disturbance of the equilibrium of health from the unusual posi- 
tion in which they were all at once placed, and a variety of other 
