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Vol. III.
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OF SCOTLAND.

155

times, ami afterwards cut, and the bleeding has certainly atendency to prevent inflammation.

II. Braxy or Sickness , is one of the most fatal distempersof sheep. It is for the most part confined to lambs or hogs,and begins to make its appearance earlier or later, accordingto the state of the weather, but commonly in October andNovember. In a hog-fence, or pasture, capable of keepingthirty score of hogs, there is, in some years, a loss of fromthree to four score, and there have been instances when theloss has been much greater. This disease is commonly sospeedily fatal, that there is seldom time to apply any remedyafter the symptoms have been perceived.

These symptoms are thus described by Mr Hogg :—“ Thefirst visible token of this distemper, which is alike applicableto all its cases, is the animal’s ceasing to chew the cud, whichit does sometimes for several hours before any thing else canbe observed to ail it. As the distemper advances, the agonywhich the animal is suffering becomes more and more visi-ble. When it stands, it brings all its four feet into thecompass of a foot, and sometimes it continues to rise and liedown alternately every two or three minutes. The eyes areheavy and dull, and deeply expressive of its distress. Theears hang down; and when more narrowly inspected, themouth and tongue are found dry and parched, and the whiteof the eye inflamed. The pulse beats strong and thick; thebreathing is not very short, but attended with panting, andseeming difficulty; the urine is high-coloured, and the blooddark and thick .”—“ All sheep affected by braxy of any kind,will not bleed to any extent on opening a vein.”

When the body is opened, there seem to be different va-rieties of this malady, but all of them exhibit marks of in-flammation and mortification. According to these appear-ances, Hr Duncan, in the memoir already alluded to, dividesbraxy into two varieties ; the boxecl sickness, and sickness ofthe fesh and blood.