Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1881-09-14

of this disease" this real or supposed
malady," as he terms it keptically-that
| refused to find in the grub sufficien
cause of death. Time after time, when
some animal had died an agonizing death,
proracted through three or four days,
with unmistakable symptoms Of mental
alteration. l made careful examination
of the brain. in the course of which |
would, casually. come upon one or more
of these " fat. Unlocking worms" mot in
the brain, but in the nasal cavities), but so
reluctant was I. after Randal's sarcastic
comments upon the ignorant farmers
autopsy, to believe that they were the
root of the troubles, that invariably dis
missed them with cursory glance and
sought for some more occult cause In the
brain itself. And never found thing
else! Not a case did | ever examine
where | discovered anything whatever
aillng the sleeps head except this plain
and simple ailment of grub IN the head,
which the celebrated doctor of laws treats
20 cavalierly. He seems to take so much
pleasure in his book in imagining and
picturng some occult malady,as apoplexy,
epilepsy, hydatids on the brain and the
like, that | was not satisfied with such Il
plain, obvious, not to say ignorant and
vulgar, cause of death as grub in the head.
refused to believe that they were of any
importance. l wanted to find hydatid.
must have hydatid. A sheep ought
not to die from any cause SO coarse and
palpabe to the senses that an Ignorant
farmer could find it by splitting open the
carcass with an AK; so searched dligent.
~. whenever | had an opportunity, for a
hydatd, or an apoplexy, or ut least an
epilepsy-anything at all which would be
little more respectable than grub in
the head. But | never found ii. Dr.,
Randall, with his nglish-borrowed ideas
and his occasional imprac liability, is
mainly responsible for this.
The conclusion | have reached, there
fore-and doubtless most of my readers
have arrived at the same for themselves,
before they read this ARTICLES, that one
grub is an adequate cause of death to Il
sheep. IT is certainly Il remarkable phe
nomenon that single parasite no larger
than 1t is, cUntinlng its attacks wholly to
the bony cavities of the front portion of
the skull, or. rather, to the thin periosteum
which invests them-as | take it for
granted every well informed reader is
aware that the worm does not invade the
brain it,elf-prOducing no visible lesion OF
structure, no destruction of tissue, nothing
but inflammation OF this membr lining
lie bones of the skull, should be able to
Kill the sheep. Perhaps, after all, it Is
not surprising that Dr.. Randall, with hi,
sIngularly limited experience in this
matter, should have been incredulous as t.
The effects of the presence OF the grub in
the sleeps head. Nothing could more
strongly demonstrate the extreme sensi
tiveness of the nerves and the tissue.
situated in the head, so lear the brain, the
fountain head, or rather the recipient anC
| dttermiDer of sensation.
Rtnd tifs book, as above intimated. j!
impregna'ed with English ideas and facts
Now, everybody knows that the climatic
and atmospheric conditions of England
us well as it's systems of feeding an,
cropping, are radically different from tn,
American. The English atmosphere i,
Il mp. ours is dry and electric. The ten
dency in England is to plethora, to con
gestlon, to apoplexy; in America 1t is tt
ue vous and klndI ed disorders. Our eli
mate and soil are the prolific parents OF
parasites, both internal and external
Hence Randall's work puts US on oul
guard against apopectic and kindred dis.
eases, whereas we need to maintain 4
vigilant lookout for parasitic troubles
his book has doubtless caused no little
'oss TO shepherds by not putting them Oh
he right track in their search Tor diseases
and It's causes.
In another paper shall have something
10 Say of symptoms and treatment.