The rot in sheep : its nature, cause, treatment, and prevention : illustrated with engravings of the structure and development of the liver-fluke / by James Beart Simonds.

  • Simonds, James B. (James Beart), 1810-1904.
Date:
1862
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The rot in sheep : its nature, cause, treatment, and prevention : illustrated with engravings of the structure and development of the liver-fluke / by James Beart Simonds. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    may have to be continued throughout the entire summer and autumn. The fondness of animals for salt will lead them to partake readily of an amount which may under certain circum- stances be productive of considerable mischief. We would therefore put agriculturists on their guard respecting an abuse of this valuable agent. Very recently we investigated a case where a number of ewes began suddenly to “ cast their lambs” about three weeks before the time of parturition, all of which were dead. The most search- ing examination into the circumstances of their feeding and management failed at first to throw light on the cause. No objection could be taken to the condition of the animals, their apparent state of health, or to the quality or quantity of their food. Observing, however, at a subsequent date, some of their faeculent matter to be softer and larger in amount than ordinary, and also to contain a little blood-coloured mucus, we at once sus- pected some cause of intestinal irritation, and made a remark accordingly. This drew from the shepherd the expression, “ I don’t think they are right in their insides, for they drink so much.” A clue was obtained ; further questioning brought out the fact that several “ double handfuls ” of salt had been given twice a day with their food for many weeks. We took no objection to this, but requested the shepherd to bring one of the “ double handfuls” of which he spoke. This done, we weighed it, and on calculating the quantity, found it to exceed three- fourths of an ounce daily to each sheep. It immediately occurred to us that the blood of the; ewes was so saturated with salt that it was unfitted for the continuance of the life of their lambs, and hence the cause of the premature labours. We forbad entirely the further employment of salt, making no other alteration with reference to the food or manage- ment of the animals. As was to be expected, the ewes continued to bring dead lambs for about a fortnight afterwards, when a living one was born. This was followed by others, with an occasional dead one in a state of decomposition from long reten- tion. But the evil was checked, the cause was removed, and the rest of the flock subsequently brought forth an average number of healthy living lambs. We need add little more respecting the employment of salt in the prevention of rot, except to take objection to the suggestions which have been made to sow it on the land, with a view of destroying thecercarice. If one application of it in a year would do this, even should the herbage suffer for a time, we, perhaps, should not be found to dissent from the practice. But when we remember that the natural history of the Distoma hepaticum reveals the fact that brood after brood of cercarice is being pro- duced from ova, cast daily out of the bodies of rotten sheep,
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