THE SCAB.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 180, 9 June 1879, Page 2

THE SCAB.

By Dr. Hector, Director of the Colonial j ]... Museum.] ' igous to the mange in the lower animals, | and to tho itch in man, is'the greatest ( Bcamge-to: jvliick flocks. aro. liable. A- . dfeease I , 'B(mi)ar if notidpn liu jits' . nature lias lipeii known"fi'6m'tte eSrJiest '< pastoral history., of Europe. The oplnior is held by some authors that it may origi nato from various causes, such as bat. keep .;6r.lstiirMon;. : pfpd,ucing '•» low con dition of the flock; but there is abundan i proof that in the Southern Hemisphere this disease is entirely due to contagion, and, as prevention is better than cure, wherever flocks to bo infec ■ ted every precaution should be taken t >' • isolate the diseased sheep and prevent contiict \)ith' the --cleiih. TTo L tliis 'pile, legal enactments, if vigorously carried 011, by to chec c-' the evil] which cannot' lioweter bo thoi - ouglily exterminated until the whole country is fenced;; >• - ~?£ _ 1 The cause of scab' in sheep is tlje presence of minute insects belonging 10 tho natural order Acaridce, or true The sheep-scab insect, Dermatodectijs ovis, is aWit}tefortio.tfe of an inch jn length, the-male'"bcing r ilightly small :r ! than the female. soffeskiiped -bof\ie)j" .styleUike. formii g them tO: bui,'pY ; benejiti;|lie jlcii) ,ai d iury, thojiiselvea ivitliiii'tlie ihteguiiici|s of the : . aiiinVixl ! ,thpy; infest.'!'. 'A. i l ed sppt marks the place'where' the[iihsect enters the skin. ~ On tliu.,tenth.'oij:twelfth 4y •:this.:Bpofc.,begim' ; ttf;SweU, (\hij., aipushle rapidly forms.,-twliicli■;abolit. the sixteen ;h daybreaks, and tho female appears wi;h pi'ogehy-bf-fl'bmteightnto.ten: young aenrattached to hei* legs; i'oThbsoVjmmediat|y Tatli-roW 1 ben'eatli tli& skin 1 where:, they an their turn i grow and pi'Opogate. These nunierOfls ; 'pustiilesy :: as : 'tlley''"dry, faun hard cruste}! scab ; hence, the name of tpe disease'.''The'eicess'lve irritation produced .by .the ■.presencft of those acari induces object , and also "to bite' itself wherever it can reachj itearing;, tho. %vpob and producing |he precence rebogßked"."' :: .•••..•.'* j Tfie ;i ffiiial' ! pi'igreß's' diHliOi'iliiease isj as follows. '. Tiife" ttppeai'ancc of'the scab -in its earlier rißtams ■; is,i}idi.qated. .by .» fougji. ' 'iiillamcd' condition and" i e l c(disli : liue of tlb skin. mm<Mf ekamined the sjrin also feels granular to the touch. Thpso granulations aro the germs of the pustijles; which contain the acari at a later stage of

extensive' crupti'oir<sf pliituhis is detected about the upper parts of the back and towards the shoulders, and the slnep furiosly scratches itself against every pp, stump, tree,,oivpthcr object in the vay. The pustules I 'Sji&ediTy ripen, break, md run together,- forming the charcteri >tic iucrusta'tdtidii orVsciity -uTlie skin inuleji': the scab is raw and sore, and continue? &tVuntil the scab dries and scales off. The aciirus or pHrasiaicidliiisect, which hat] its reception'in tlio pustule, as soon as itlio ;liijlicr;.jlrics moves j>way. t9 <v of the sldn, and, ijp a new point of inflamation and a furtlfei'j extension ofthe,, disease. j.„ yi . Th© 'slfiftiAg itsj position, the acdrus . .spreads the scab all over the sheep's body, 1 dVar ous haVe' 'beeh- -scratching themselves, the insect, is, transferred to the fleece of {any sliqep Jliiit'touches the'sp'ot ;jand 'IF 4ut oile' 1 ][>airy- ! maleand :: femaloj'i or a pregnant ajpne,.effect a lodgment on tlio fleece o't a : cleaii : slieep,'"M' qiiilcifly do thcy;pipwgate;thiit in a few wjccks from the first infection" the sheep will he ■; '.covered \Vith ilidsS parasites; ,;'iho sheep in this diseased state quickly loses cijndii! iionii.its aliiii; :liecomcs W&i and sore-looking, its fleece harsh, rugged) pi, torn off in patches, its gait feeble' imcl' appearance repulsive,j and at no Very distant period it succumbs to the disgusting disease. i The scab insects which are hatched at the later peri'otl- 'of ! tlie summer generally survive over the winter, and whether fed <oll..th?. juices oj. .the. sheep's.skin, .or ex- • the moistpre obtainable „ '.on 1 {lie 'Vriibl)ihg-placds J tb' which i they 1 !((lliijrei' ; 'tlidy ofteni rolai'h" Mici&rit Vital- • 'ityMh'the etaliihg'Springito'goneiitc the ! : sdiib agaiivin sheep whiqhwere.!apparently I. oi'.iaotuallyimadq .cleau itf/the, autumn or (i . winter; .pi:eyious)y,. >. .Wlipre the latter has ! tlie^case^-that,is J( ' : thero has •{, teijii-a positive cure 6r efacticaltoii of the !' -dijsoftee 1 '.iind'it JieH v b : rtlfdl^s3-;Vetiu ; n3|again " %t\i tliti bjifcniiig : wtivhitli'-cif ! sj.¥riii^ —the cohragi6ii'' ; 'has ; {)TObitblyvbcen,Teproduced I s byithe 'riibbing-pltices- fretjuentedliy the ' sheep. All such rubbing-places should •thMoj'O'be purified bjv.fire, and thisiciui , ; ,]be, | aiK|-.inqs|;, conveniently effected by setting fire to the'grass 'aWd sdhib bn.tjhe .. iruiii i-oii pastuiujtjrxjiufd.-) The young j acaruSj if- kept- apart from all moisturb',5 'qtiicMy']fenslles"aM ! 'ffibS up; butilhe 1 i isurvMli i of-ithp"adult: < ins?,# ■ from the 1 autiimn, ( ,to,the r , following spring is sullij cient to ''show that great perscvfcijaii6e . must be exercised in the efforts to -c'vacli-' ).- ; <ate.tliescab. .... ; I The disease will' rtappear again and ! again, and'somb so-called cleansing solu-

;MpnSj:ney : qv.dp.:?%.ii; ( of the disease by destroying the young acari burr rowing : diiep'"in "the sheep's skin.; whijst other applications, which are sufficiently destructive to the immature insects, cannot! bo applied cjt'ectiyqly without at the same time doing mischief to the health of .the :to : the. staple of the wool. _ Except.in:-a-very early stage scab is easily distinguished from all other cutaiiq-. the one hand by the symptoms desscibeiL above, which are peculiar to scab;; and, on the other, by contrast with the distinctive cappcaranccs.su well .known to persons of ordinary experience among sheep, whicl) denote grass seeds, wounds, fever sprits'; l)riqklj;;liea|j,- I |,'ind rtijliberSj. : tlie r orily ailscab. is.ivt all liitely to be mistaken,'' lH | ,(rr. B ! t Cure.—ln tlio words of ''the cul ; e''offji:ab lies of; .tins. inscct."""TliiS ! ira simple and most iitlpoi;-.; tant .yipw" of the case, and the only is : tl»?fe foAietlJf'aiid i the. sinlplssF'niothod of application.?! WawSusi-substanceS Jkate.vbqen Iv.ecqmab- thiKpW 'of'jjciibj's'dmfeOf th'eiil/'Siioli as'compknds 1 "of Siltftrtiiate,' being, ojj,! l ii , \'ery i danfr^pii^ : ffdtufe,--i'e(itiiririg''"grfeat" j udgm'prit' airtHai'e 1 iW' tlieii -: apj)j /rqbaccOj 'hiiff'als.q its advocates; {out, in fi is ofa fiMdhj ot.desij, «abaQ®fid/iii^d ; ilip_^stern r 'of* ; the animal to.. ™ciiit'is atflEiSth'.'Wdeath maVcreslrlt i , Tjlie obiecTto be attained, therefore, in" by insects is the destruction of the insect by a substance which will be harmless to the sheep if absorbed into the system. Sulpliui offers all the requisites of,an innocuous application for sheep, and at

the sumo tunc .1 cerinin specific for- the destruction of all insect life; but for this purpose it must be applied in the form of a soluble salt by its combination with some alkali, juoh as soda or lime. •There (1 oußt ItrnFEfiereai value" of Gissard's; Fluid, bpwdenersj -oniMydepends:on sirtpnul" in.|a si\t?)it as cures 'for. scab] rest on iWsaine basis.' [ The manufacture of soluble sulphur" as hyposulphite of lime is so simple that any shepherd could do itwith little instruction.' The following is one of tho best processes in use: Take in the proportion of one quicklime, and slake it carifully' wjJßiut an excess of water. Crush the slaked lime; ..with (i, lie^yy i roller, , and ,p[iss it i o remove' all tho small lumps,' Acid to "it £\f , 6'pai i lB by weight of flowers of sulphur, mixing tho ;twp t ,tlw^ouehly^. pi. again : passinglliehi through- the sieve; 's&ki' to insure perfect incorporation. Shovel the mixture thys obtained into a boiler containing boiling tiiin-watery''in tho proportion of 91b, of the mixture to every ten gallons of water, and, stirring well from the bottom, keep on' the boil for half an hour, when the liquor is ready for uso. , ; Or auptjiep, ipetjigd..is,to. put the sulphur mtoihq'ptey .pib(!ji mjiiutes, ■liine the liquid is'of tWcolor of This latter method is preferred for making small quantities. The temperature of the clip should be maintained at llOdeg. to 120deg,i, in tho dip for two minutes, during which time their heads should be ducked twice, and the into the fleece with a cruch. Tho process of dipping should be repeated within fourteen days.