Sturdy in Sheep

Southland Times, Issue 11751, 2 June 1891, Page 4

Sturdy in Sheep

(N. B. Agriculturist.)

* A Shepherd from the Far North,' in a ifßgtby letter, propounds his views regarding •turdy. From t&e accepted t< aching that the brain kydatid results frotn a tape- worm, he nobesiUtiogly declana that he * differs en--lire)y';but be effers no other explanation of the disease, contitteat either with ccience or obaervstioa. He evidently misapprehends tbe subjects ke aitsmpta to diecosr, as wel M the primal onditiosa of animal life. •Btnrdy, ke oracularly dtclarw, 'proceeds from tke state tkat tke ttimach is in, tbrongb such exposnres as ... bad ■•Bjsbos, we*, stormy weather, or feeding on ' iH*, ill-drained ground.' Mo possible condition .of stom*ch can produce either tht cXß3uruscrrebral*s b>daiid or its OV4. Bucb liviog entities must ooaie from » heir natural patent tfeock. ihere )■ a La'iu proverb, ■which says, 'Oat of no ting, nothi ix >s made.' Thefia' i* m<xor bleth* very living ihm. ■kail produce its own kind. Grapes do ro ••me from tkornr, n>.r figt from thistles. The • sffdsttd oocorriag in the brain, of sheep, like •very other animal, must have a parent. It cannot* as urged, come from any ' state of tke stomach,' nor from 'bad seasons,' nor Mldniaed grootid ' To develop the diieate, the rape-worm ova must be introduced into the) stomach of the kost ; and this , again, Bjesapposes its preservation in the bad mmob and its distribution on the wet gromad. These are merely the conditions for tfeji favourable reception of tke seed or ova, without wbich the hydatid c&nnot •slat.

Despite oar correspondent's incredulity; it lea* certain tkat a tape-worm is the parent of the brain hydatid of sheep as that ewes are the parents of the lambs he tends, or tbat the agfs in general use are produced by the domestic poultry— an apt illustration, which Jtt, tither wittingly or unwittingly, misap. prcactda; Observation and experiment alike prove tke origin of the hydatiJ. Sheep kept on dry pastures, and protected from all ebaaoes of parasitic dueatc, aa has previously tmin »uted, fesve repeated y been fed with Upe>woruM from dogs or otner animals, and teftfewmontkß have become sturdied. Couvsraely, dogs pnrged to clear ike bowels of ny tape-worms or tkeir ova, have been made to swallow the brain kydatid, and the ova, fa due course, within tbe bowels grow into aatare tape- worms. These facts kave been repeatedly proved to demonstration, and our correspondent, witk a little trouble and, patieaee, can verify tkem for kimseif. He appear* to suggest tkat tke sturdy hydatid developed from the tape* worm, which, in kis view, seems a somewhat different creature, ■ay have some other origin. It differs lea* from its parent than ihe pupa or chrysalis 4iflers|fre>ai tke perfected fly , and experiment, as. well as practical observation, prove thai If tape- worms were stamped out tkere would b« bo brain kydatid in sheep. ' The experience of flockmasters has folly •odoned tbe conclusions of scientific experiment. Ob dry soils, unfavourable to tht preservation and distribution of tapc-wora ova, sturdy i» Jtxceedingly rare. In various waim chmatcs, as well as in localities wherr tftpe-worm does not occur amoojrst dogs 01 •tkar aumalr , sturdy is unknown. A dose of oil aad aeca but given oecasioaally to the skapkerds* and other dogs, has ef ectively •tamped out sturdy m many sheep-runs— where it existed exiens vely. On t&e other k«nd t as has already been pointed out, wet •oil, sitoatioor , or icasonr, which precerve the ova and tke embryo forms of the tape-

worn, BOUblj inert *<c the prtTilence of , atardy. Aawosd correspondent — < JP. B." wifa* letter i»i!sa»bsjoit«l— «t*t«g tkftt

foxes and rabbits, presumably infested with tape-worm, are numerous, furnish double the cases of sturdy that occur in the other portions of bis flock.

The brain bydatid of sheep is not the only bladder worm produced from tape-worm*. A large and formidable tape-worm (tsenia echinocoens), infesting d^gs, wolves, and ev»n man, in it* juvenile form occurs as a bydatid both in man and animal* ; and in nearly half the ca«es this bydatid in its protecting cyst in located in the liver. la Iceland and OreenUnd tkis seri"n« form of disease attacks large number* <f the population, and its prevalence is obviously traceable to the(ftcttbat the peaiantry disregard cleanliness and sanitary arrangement*, and on an average, own over six dog*, which the late Professor Cobbald stated ' share the same dwelling, eating off the same plates, and enjoying many other privileges of intimate relationship. 9 f be»e canto* f ri«od«, it is also remarked, iv th» proportion of 28 percent, are infested with sexually mature tape, •rormr. Food and water are nence contaminated with the ova and embryos, and the worm in its perfected intestinal form, as well as in its juvenile hydatid state is thus propagated both amongst men and animal?. One of the puzzling problems connected with the prevalence of sturdy has been the manner iv which the bydatid gets into tae brain. Wherever dog*, foxet, hares, rabbits or,otser animal* infe«ted with tape-worm roam, myriads of eggs are distributed. Such ova, although onr correspondent thinks otherwise, are [known to be endowed with great vitality, and are preserved for weeks, and perhaps even for months, if they have suitable moisture, and such shelter as old foggage provides. A very large proportion, however, perish. Oar correspondent credits sheep with wonderful acumea in discovering and avoiding tape-worm ova. He is evidently not aware that they are minute bodies, invisible to the unaidedjeyesigbt, and free from smell or taste. Thousands accordingly might be scattered on the herbage without being perceived eitfctr by sherp or shepherd. Of tbote taken up with the graft*, and •wallowed by adult sheep and cattle, scarcely any appear to obtain the conditions requisite for their development- The more tender tissues of lambs and hoggets afford, however, more »uiiable lodgement and pabulum. Experiment and micro* copic observation have shown that the tape- worm ova within the intestines of the host, hatch six-hooked embryo*, which bore their way into the blood vessels, and being no larger than the blood cells, are carried, like them, throughout the circulation. Particular nutrient and other matters in the circulation, alike or plants and animals, are attracted to, and taken up by, particular textures. Some tape-worm hydatids, as abovft stated, preferably take up their abode in the liver. Between tbe brain of the sheep and tsecceaurus cerebralis there is, however, a tpecial affinity. The eiubryo, on reaching tbe brain, works its way out of the capillary vessels. Tbe irritation it produces in the cerebral tissues learit, as such irritation frequent y doer, to outpouring of lympb, and gradual formation of tae existing sac, in which one or more hydatids speedily grow. Instead of lodging in the brain, the embryo is occasionally found in other parts of the body. Our corretpondent mentions their discovery in tbe >pinal cord, and cannot understand how the* should get there. But their transport is effected in exactly the same wsy as to tbe brain. The rseaurus occaiionally occurs in the brain of cattle. The somewhat similar bladder-worms found in the liver and longs of ruminaots and other animals, as already indicated are not tbe progeny of the taeDse caenurns, but of the (senje echinococcus, ami occasionally of other tape-worm*. Our correspondent may be congratulated on bis having^this sprintr, few jaaes of sturdy in his flock. °In bis vain endeavour to prove that the tspe-wcrm and the aydatid have nothing to do nitfa each other, he triumphantly re-

marks that his * do«j has nevertheless bei n very bad wi'h t»pe- worms, and al>o a good number of rabbits on tbe farm,' As is his wont, be is not explicit as to whether the rabbits ai well as the dog are infested with tap«-worm. Probably from eating the >,rain bydatidi of former seasons, both dog and rabbits are now psraeitically affected, and unless proper precautions are observed, tbe ova from them will in doe course again increase bit crop of sturdy c*ses, and impress bin), perhaps, with Bounder views of tbe natnre and prevention of thi disease.