SHEEP AND THEIR DISEASES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 2924, 11 April 1891, Page 4

SHEEP AND THEIR DISEASES.

Pahasitm: Disease or Linus.—(Con tinueii.) Kkitihhsc now to the parasitic disease of I he lunirs of sheep, it is clear that there arc two distinct stages of tbe atlVctio-i, the. one mistaken for true tubercular disease, aud the other when the worms arc fully developed, aud lodged iu the air passages. Waldingcr was probably the first to give a good account ol the latter stage, but the nature of the lirnt was not biought to light until IS 10, when La Ifarpe, uf Lausanne, examined (lie all'ected lungs, anil discovered the ova aud young worms in the solid deposit, aud recognised them as analogous to the stiongylus tilaria, met ui'h when full grown in tbe air passages, and something in the act of piercing from tho luugs tissue through the mucous membrane into tho bronchia.

Unaware of La Harpc's discovery, Dr Kirolani, in 18-13, when prosector tu Professor Alcssaudrini in tho University of l>ologna, was struck with l.liu tip- eariincc presented by some shceps' lungs he hail purchased on thu butcher's stall. Many strongyli existed iu tho bronchia, uuil grey nodules or tubercles on the surface of the lungs. Thcso nodules Ercolaui fjund to contain small worms aud eggs, in which the young strongyli were iu a state of development, already alivo aud active. iSiuce then Ercolani has made some inter esting observations on tho teuacity of life of tho young strongyli. Those parasites show signs of lifo on being moistened after drying for thirty days, and at other times after bavins; been immersed iu spirits of wine at liOdeg. or in a solution of alum and corrosive sublimate. Ercolaui, moreover, says that the ova, abundant iu the mucus uf tlio bronchial tubes, containing worms, sink into the air vesicles, become coated by an albuminous material, and thus aro imbedded in the lung tissue. This would lead us to believe that when worms are swallowed by bealthy sheep they immediately find they way into the windpipe. I must confess I doubt this. Of courso tho eg<*s of the worms developed in tho lungs arc deposited in tho lungs again, or may move indirectly into tho system of another animal, but. the migration from the mouth or alimeutary canal to the lungs, certainly requires a more complete explanation than has hitherto bean given. The number of embryo worms mot with in the lungs of one sheep is sufficient to infect, a whole floolc, so that the diseaso has manifested itsely as enzootic or epizootic.

Perhaps as early as La Hnrpe and Ercolani, did Dr C. Radcliff Hull, of Torquay, investigate the question. In IS-jti, in the British and Foreign MedicoChirurgical Review, Dr Hall sny.s, " For iifteeu years past. I have been in the habit of noticing the Itinys in bnrcher.-' shops and slaughter-houses. I have never seen it single fpceiincii nf the Innir (if a fiillaniwn i-lvcp Hint whs entirely free from ruh'/'iit: ili.-rii. r. The di-ease is not hereditary, since tin? ItiTitr- 1 in young lambs are h "ill I by. Nor, 1 conclude, is it restricted to liny specific locality, since I have found it at. every place in Great Britain. France, Germany, and Switzerland that T have happened to visit. The lungs, then, of any full-grown sheep, taken indiscriminately, will he found to contain, and often to bo thickly studded with, small nodules, varying in size from a pin's head to a barleycorn, or larger. The cysts arc full of clear fluid, and contain eysticerci hailing upon an epithelial lining membrane. The lirni, soft deposits ei-.nsist of granule cells and molecular lnattor, in which minute linearis liko worms are found. The gritty nodule is one or other of tli".-r, which ba.s undergone calcareous transformation, The particular point b'.'.iring upon my oiibjir.f, is, that the pulmonic iitfeiitioii does not. prevent the sheep from funiitiliing excellent mull.ou.'' Further on iMr [{all has introduced a diagram to show the eh mges imderi.'uiiig lu'jund the germs of t In- si I'Mtittyliis ni the lung tissue, and i.'ivs that I here is nothing durirnr the lifcl ime of the alieup to lead us to infer thai. it. siilKmii pain, distress, or constitutional disturbance during the formation of this bniiiid.iiy of plastic inflammation around llie nodules iu its blll!J.<.

I.'r Kaiihe exhibited at the Pathological Society, on Tuesday, November o, IBSV, the lungs of three sheep affected with the disease, and he carefully described the tijvji bill changes due to the parasites.

On examining tho sheep shuifhtercd, we lind that tlie larger number of them are fit iind robust,, yielding wholesome meat, but their is likewise a aud nut 11 small one, conveyed to the butcher, because feeding caunot improve thorn, aud to allow them time would be to allow them time to die by the disease. That the development of the gennsin the lungs is always unattended with the slightest inconvenience, is not the cusp, and thouzh the worms may not have found their way into tho nir passages, the chancres goin" on in tho early stages of the disease are associated with symptoms of spasmodic cough, irritation in tho throat, and occasionally, as some of th« small worm; get free and coughed up into the nasal chambers, tho sheep may bo seen rubbing their head mid nostrils mi the ground and aiiillling to remove theemse of the irritation. It rarely happens, [ believe, that largo aenumulationn of worms in the lungs do not lead to emaeition, nn.rmia, and defective nutrition, with groat, debility nod dropsy, unless tho animals aro sutl'ooatod by n lump of worms closing the windpipe. It has been thought by some that the ci/iiitiluliuual comlitiuu uiui>t prccttlu tbu

'lop'isitnn of tin-' k'l-rriH ami the devnlnp. imtit. of ilir a'l.iiijfyli in tin' ri'.spirainrr but tint, t!iiis nut currec* 1 . if piovrd t>v tlit' iiiinii 1-< t:<>iitiiiiiirijr tn thrive until, by tiw nuiiibiT uf full-irro\vi> vviiim-, Iliu breathim is <li-( 11 rhL-il t tin: iihuo() are tormented, hu I fallback iu untidituu. Ollu r pani»itii« ticuit inula to in the liver nr in tlit" aliin'iitarv '"ili'il, and tin: animal fails iuln a slats nf Incur, willi a miiiiifcitt ti-iiil".'iu:y tn dropsy.

(■.) iii < tliu prevention and treat, iuulll of this disease, it is only liuccKiry to in'l l'-'it'■, in l.lic lirf-t. Pl icf, tin: dungi'iattending the feeding of yiuir sheep on llio second and third crop'i, ofi'lover, after the lirst liasi been fed oil by older sheep. To prevent l.he disease, von ri quire frpsh and Hound pasture, iiud if may bo necessary to supply a considerable i|iiantity of artificial food. To cure tliu disease, inhalation* of chlorine kus are recommended or tho internal administration of camphor and turpeutine, in oil or ether. Souml food, such as oats, lim-eed-cake, cottoncuko, turnips, &<:., iiiunt be allowed, with ferruginous toniei". Tho iron may be given to the extent of ton or twenty grain* daily to each lamb, with a drachm of com iron salt..