Investigation into the disease of sheep called "scrapie" (Traberkrankheit, la tremblante) : with especial reference to its association with sarcosporidiosis / by J.P. M'Gowan ; with an appendix on a case of Johne's disease in the sheep.
- M'Gowan, J. P. (John Pool)
- Date:
- 1914
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Investigation into the disease of sheep called "scrapie" (Traberkrankheit, la tremblante) : with especial reference to its association with sarcosporidiosis / by J.P. M'Gowan ; with an appendix on a case of Johne's disease in the sheep. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![The next reference of importance to the disease in Germany is in a paper by Cassirer (3) in 1898. He made a careful clinical examination of five Traberkrankheit sheep, and the following are some of his observations :— In accordance with what is already known, the chief symptom I have been able to determine in the animals is a paresis, which generally begins at the hind- quarters, increases in intensity here during the course of a few weeks, and also spreads over to include the fore-quarters. At first this consists of an awkwardness and incerti- tude of movement, so that one could well speak of it as a kind of ataxia, if the jerking in carrying out of the movement was not also present. Later on the loss of the power of moving increases so much that the animal can only stand and walk with difficulty, and finally it is unable any longer to get up from the lying position. It must, however, be carefully noted that a complete paralysis of the muscles of the extremities affected has never been observed, and that the undoubted weakness of the muscles must be attributed in whole or in greater part to the general condition. [Italics mine—J. P. M‘G.] The patellar reflex, which we examined regularly, as comparison with that of numerous healthy sheep showed, was normal. The’ Achilles tendon reflex was elicited in. some cases, in others not, but this corresponded with the condition in normal animals. In case I. the electrical reactions were normal in the affected sciatic region, and we have every reason to believe that in the other cases above the same holds good. We could not find any local muscle atrophy in the region of definite nerves. Dealing with other symptoms, there are difficulties in estimating the state of sensation in such an animal, and it is not necessary to go into it any further. We could only once find signs of a blunting of sensibility, and that in the last days of life of sheep V. Here the blunting of sensibility to needle-pricks can be explained best by the general severe condition which then already has brought about a very definite damage to the constitution as a whole. As regards the symptoms of gnawing and rubbing, which one has to look at as an expression of paresthesia, in some cases these were present, in others not. The function of the bladder and of the rectal centres and nerves seemed always to be intact. As regards other symptoms, it was several times noticed that, either spontaneously or by delicate stimuli, one could easily excite a chewing movement. For some time we believed that we had discovered that the reflexes of the skin muscles, especially in the posterior part of the body of the “trotting sheep,’ were increased ; further observations, however, showed that this symptom is not constant and is modified by various other circumstances—thickness of skin and wool. As an important symptom other observers have mentioned the great excitability and fear in “trotting” animals. It is quite to be understood that we were not always able to verify clearly this sign of increased psychic irritability in our animals, as we were observing](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b32862040_0039.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
