O14 
culty in assigning the abomasum as the seat of | acter; for it often attacks the sheep of one farm, 
the disease. 
Braxy, then, is an inflammation of the abo- 
masum, reed, or fourth and true stomach. The 
inflammation generally commences about the 
pylorus, or duct of communication with the 
small guts; and rapidly spreads over all the folds 
and inner coats of the abomasum. The trans- 
mission of digested food through the pylorus is 
soon stopped ; and the heat and swelling of the 
abomasum and its contents speedily increase. A 
considerable quantity of serum is engendered 
about the bottom of the abomasum by the com- 
mencement of the inflammation ; and this is 
rapidly augmented by the progress of the disor- 
der throughout the interior of thestomach. The 
portion of food which was within the abomasum 
at the commengément of the disease, is, in some 
instances, found parched and exsiccated, while 
both the internal folds and the external surface 
of the organ containing it are a shapeless mass 
of serum and extravasated blood. As soon as 
the food ceases to pass through the pylorus, the 
upper portion of the intestines becomes inflated 
with gaseous matter of a strongly sulphurous 
smell; and the inflammatory action speedily 
passes into this portion of the intestines and 
into such adjacent organs as suffer pressure from 
the attitude in which the suffering animal is 
placed. 
“ Braxy, says Mr. Carmichael of Raploch, “ is 
not contagious, nor does it early exhibit premoni- 
tory symptoms. The whole flock seems safe and 
well at night, and next morning twenty, perhaps, 
of the best (for the fattest are noticed to fail first) 
are found dead, within a small compass of ground, 
with no external marks of violence, and all lying 
in such a situation as to preclude the possibility 
of accident, but all at the same time presenting 
one and the same appearance. On examination, 
the body is found much swollen, and of a very 
deep red colour, particularly the side which is 
lying undermost, the whole intestines being 
highly inflamed, the membrane of fat enveloping 
the great gut extravasated with blood, and large 
globules of water interspersed ; and, on turning 
out the intestines, a quantity of blood and serum 
is found floating within the body. The liver is 
healthy, and the gall-duct full, the heart distended, 
and the interior cavities filled with coagulated 
blood, even while the body is still warm. The 
lungs are very much distended, and the wind- 
pipe full of froth or frothy mucus, resembling 
soap-bubbles, which are largely suspended round 
the nostrils. The kidneys are much inflamed, 
the bladder is generally empty, the anus-duct 
full of very hard feeces, and the small or anterior 
portion of the intestines inflated with gas. The 
contents of the stomach, or first bag, are exceed- 
ingly dry and compressed, while that of the great 
gut is quite moist, as if fermenting, with a highly 
offensive smell.” But the disease, though not 
contagious, frequently assumes an endemic char- 
BRAXY. 
and passes by those of a neighbouring farm, and 
sometimes carries of so many as one-fourth of 
one large flock, while it scarcely touches another 
of the same breed, of similar age, and in similar 
circumstances. 
The symptoms of the attack and of the earlier 
stages of braxy are very often unobserved; and 
even all symptoms intermediate between health 
and death are sometimes unnoticed. Many sheep 
seem well at night and are found dead in the 
morning ; and many more, on being attacked, 
withdraw from the flock, and conceal themselves 
among brushwood or in other shelter, and are 
not missed or discovered before they die. But 
the symptoms, when observed, are described as 
follows by the Ettrick Shepherd :—“ The loss of 
cud is the first token. As the distemper advances, 
the agony which the animal is suffering becomes 
more and more visible. When it stands, it brings 
all its fore-feet into the compass of a foot; and 
sometimes it continues to rise and lie down al- 
ternately every two or three minutes. The eyes 
are heavy and dull, and deeply expressive of its 
distress. The ears hang down; and, when more 
narrowly inspected, the mouth and tongue are 
dry and parched, and the white of the eye in- 
flamed. The belly is prodigiously swelled, even 
so much that it sometimes bursts.” Sir George 
S. Mackenzie more summarily describes the 
braxied sheep as “ restless, lying down and rising 
up frequently, at intervals standing with its head 
down and its back raised, and appearing to run | 
with pain.” When only one or two sheep of a 
flock are attacked in the course of a week, they 
not uncommonly are attacked in the morning, 
struggle on all day, and die in the course of the 
night ; but when many are attacked, or when 
they seem to fall beneath braxy as an endemic 
pest, they very often pass through all the phases 
of the diseases in about ninety or a hundred 
minutes. 
Any remedy for braxy, in the vast majority of 
instances, is obviously quite unavailable or even 
altogether absurd. Most braxied sheep, long be- 
fore their diseased condition can possibly be ob- 
served, are far beyond all possibility of cure. 
Only very mild cases, which happen to be de- 
tected in the very earliest stages of the disease, 
can be medicinally treated; and even these af- 
ford but a forlorn hope of success. A large 
quantity of blood ought to be drawn from any 
part of the body, either by notches made across 
the under side of the tail, or by venesection of 
any of the principal veins, but especially of the 
jugular vein or of that under the eye. An ounce 
of Glauber’s salts, or even a handful of common 
salt, dissolved in a quart of cold water, ought 
then to be poured down the animal’s throat ; and 
on the second day, a clyster of broth with a good 
deal of salt ought to be thrown up to clear the 
lower intestines, and as much nitre as will lie on 
a shilling should he dissolved in an English pint 
