108 
Translations and Reviews of Continental 
Veterinary Journals. 
By W. Ernes, M.R.C.V.S., London. 
Journal des Veterinaires du Midi, for August, 1859. 
ON THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OE THE 
INOCULATION OE SHEEP. 
By M. Lafosse, Clinical Professor. 
The object of the inoculation for variola in sheep was to 
ascertain its prophylactic and also benign character, as com¬ 
pared with the actual disease. 
The observations which led to the belief that variola, 
whether arising from inoculation or natural causes only sub¬ 
jected an individual to one attack of the disease, and also 
when it resulted from inoculation it was more benign than 
when the attack was spontaneous, have been generally 
accepted. 
The first of these observations has, however, been declared 
false by Rochelubin, a veterinary surgeon of great repute; 
nevertheless, the second attacks are very exceptional, and 
therefore do not nullify the general rule of the immunity 
obtained by inoculation. As to the question whether inocu¬ 
lation produces a disease less fatal than the natural form of 
the affection generally, seems to be undecided. 
As to the general advantages of inoculation, there are as 
yet no statistics which give accurately the mortality of the 
variola ovina. M. Delafond, in a memoir, in which his 
sympathies with inoculation are too manifest to be doubted, 
states the mortality in France to amount, without distinction 
of age or locality, to from twenty to forty per cent. In 
Prussia, on the contrary, it was found in 1823, that out of 
51,981 sheep attacked, the mortality was only seven per 
cent. What is the reason of this difference? Are we to 
presume that in France the statistics are taken indifferently 
on imported and indigenous, or acclimated sheep? 
It is well known that among sheep imported from Algeria, 
when attacked by this malady, the mortality is frightful. 
It would, therefore, be no wonder if the loss were greater 
from the malady in these departments where the importation 
