SHEEP DISEASES : CAUSES, NATURE AND PREVENTION. 
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The former is characterized by a whitish furred eruption in the 
mouth, with a little fever and diarrhoea, and runs its course 
quickly without producing any material injury to the system. 
The latter is accompanied by malignant eruptions in the mouth 
and on the lips, bleeding ulceration, and often great destruction, 
with eruptions about the body, diarrhoea or dysentery, and even 
putrefactive fever, and the formation of abscesses about the head 
and in the lungs (pyaemia). 
These diseases are often looked upon as contagious in charac¬ 
ter; the truth is, probably in most cases, that they are all pro¬ 
duced by the same cause, i. e ., originating outside the body. 
Eczema of the lips (eczema labialis) is usually attributed to 
the irritation of fine particles of gravel or sand, aggravated by 
long-continued wet: but while recognizing this as a cause, I am 
of opinion that in some instances it is due to indigestion or to 
stomach irritation, and probably to the irritating action of pollen- 
grain. Of itself, eczema is a mild affection. It occurs in the 
form of crops of small bladders (vesicles) in the lips, accompanied 
by some local inflammation and slight fever. If it is neglected, 
or the cause allowed to remain in operation, serious results may 
and do ensue. The lips become enormously swollen, misshapen 
and tender, and the skin chapped and ulcerated ; small abscesses 
form along the sides of the face, and in the long run suppura¬ 
tion of the glands of the neck takes place; the lungs also be¬ 
come the seat of abscesses, which produce death and render the 
carcass not only useless, but dangerous if consumed by man. 
Whenever eczema makes its appearance the pasture should be 
changed, a little laxative and alterative medicine administered 
and some protective agent, such as carbolised lard, smeared over 
the lips of the affected animals. 
Carbuncle is not of such frequent occurrence as eczema, but it 
is common in lambs, especially during the autumn months, in 
certain districts. It is commonly known as “ hair and hoof’’ and 
“ orf ”; and while the lesion is not strictly of a carbuncular char¬ 
acter, I have retained the term on account of its use being war¬ 
ranted bv custom. 
•j 
The actual nature of the disease has not yet been explained ; 
