550 REPORTS ON THE* INFLUENZA 
determination to the chest, and often effusion into the covering 
of the heart, with masses of coagulated blood in its right cavities. 
The immediate cause of death seems, in most cases, to be from 
congestion and effusion into the ventricles of the brain. 
With respect to the treatment, it is, perhaps, unnecessary for 
me to enter into it in detail, there being but one opinion enter- 
tained as to the most beneficial mode to be adopted; and as this 
will, no doubt, be most fully given by Mr. Bennett (with whose 
opinion of the disease I am happy to find my own very nearly 
coincide), I need only add, that early bleeding from the jugular 
vein to the extent of a pint, or more, according to the strength 
and age of the animal, together with the use of Glauber’s or 
Epsom salts in thin gruels, have effected many recoveries, and 
are the only means of cure to be trusted to. 
In chronic cases, where ulceration is present in the nasal 
passages, astringent and antiseptic injections may be beneficial, 
such as tar-water, or tobacco-water with turpentine, or weak 
solutions of blue vitriol. It is of importance to pay attention 
to the food and drink of sick or convalescent sheep : burned 
feed is the most desirable — tepid drinks and abstinence from 
cold water. 
Relapses on change of weather are frequent, the convalescents 
being for a long period extremely weak ; bleeding all the sheep 
throughout the flock, upon the appearance of the disease in a 
few, as a preservative measure, is by no means safe practice, 
unless the flock is very high condition. The use of tar, recom- 
mended by some as an application to the nostrils of the sheep, 
cannot be of much benefit, further than that its antiseptic 
properties may, when applied to a sound sheep, destroy the 
virus or morbid secretion which the animal is liable to come in 
contact with when grazing amidst an infected flock ; and so far 
as this, it may be a means of protection from contagion, but it 
can be of no use as a remedy to the affected. It is difficult to 
ascertain the number of sheep which have been affected , died , 
and recovered, since the commencement of the epidemic. But 
it is supposed that not more than twenty-five settlers have had 
their flocks attacked, and that the total of deaths from the 
disease have not exceeded seven thousand. 
At stations where remedies were efficiently and skilfully 
administered, three patients out of five were generally saved; 
but the proportions appear to vary exceedingly at different 
places — perhaps in most instances they may be stated thus : — 
That, in a flock of 300, the number affected would be 100 : 
died 45, recovered 55. 
/ 
I have the honour to be, 8cc. &c. 
