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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![It is a curious but very noticeable fact that in England, Germany, and France, the most accurate descriptions of the clinical symptoms, &c., of the disease are not by the modern but by the older writers. This has been shown for England and Germany by the extracts given above. Bénion’s (8) (1874) description of the disease as it occurred in France is now given :— La tremblante, further named in France the “trembling” disease (maladie tremblotante), the “convulsive” disease (maladie convulsive), the “mad” disease (maladie folle), the “staggering” disease (maladze chancelante), disease of nerves (mal de nerfs), vertigo (brandillon), “shakings,” “lumbar prurigo”; in Germany the “gnawing,” the “whetting”’ or “shrugging” disease is a non-febrile disease of long duration which exists among sheep, more rarely among goats. The affected animals are timid and easily frightened ; the sensitiveness of the spinal nerves is considerably augmented ; there gradually appears a certain weakness of the hind-quarters, with paralysis finally, and the fatal termination supervenes with considerable emaciation. Gerard [senior], Roll, Roloff, Wehenkel, and Lafosse are the authors who have best discussed the disease. . . . Etiology —This disease attracted attention only when the rearing of high-bred sheep was undertaken on a large scale and had spread widely. It had been observed only in isolated cases before the intro- duction of foreign breeds; its spread was intimately associated with the refinement and softening of these animals. One meets a special predisposition to the development of the disease amongst animals descended from parents affected with the disease, as well as from those which have been admitted too soon or too late to breeding. It shows itself then in this case as a hereditary affection. The same predisposi- tion exists also among high-bred animals which are very susceptible to unfavourable external conditions, especially if one has brought about this quality by feeding on very nutritive plants and by luxuriant vegetation. The disease appears most frequently at the age of two to three years, and attacks by preference the males, more especially, some say, if they are used too frequently for breeding ; as occasional causes one thinks of such things as too rich feed, de. . . . The wiew formerly held of the existence of a contagion as the cause of this affec- tion has not been confirmed by the latest observations. Locality has “a certain influence on the appearance of the disease. According to Roloff, this disease is not the necessary consequence of the grading up of sheep: the disease is not of a contagious nature: the predisposition to this disease can be transmitted hereditarily, but this transmission is not constant. Among individuals predisposed, the disease is pro- voked by the action of some chance cause which need not be, however, in all cases a condition absolutely harmful. . . . [Italics mine.— J. P. M‘G.] Symptoms.—One usually recognises two varieties of this disease. In one the convulsive phenomena predominate; in the other lumbar](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b32862040_0045.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
