lamsiekte, noun

Forms:
laamziekte, lam-sikteShow more Also laamziekte, lam-sikte, lamziekte, lumsiehte.
Origin:
Afrikaans, South African DutchShow more Afrikaans (earlier South African Dutch lamziekte), lam paralyzed + siekte disease.
Pathology
Botulism, a paralytic disease primarily of cattle, caused by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, and usually resulting from the eating of decomposed organic material, especially bones, in phosphorus-deficient areas; gallamsiekte; lamesickness. Also attributive. See also lamesick.
1790 tr. of F. Le Vaillant’s Trav. II. 78The first [malady], called at the Cape lam-sikte, is a real palsy.
1798 S.H. Wilcocke tr. of J.S. Stavorinus’s Voy. to E. Indies II. 64The lamziekte, is when the cattle are not able to stand.
1809 J. Mackrill Diary. 61Laam ziekte, The lame distemper comes on slowly & deprives the Bones of all medulla & strength.
1812 A. Plumptre tr. of H. Lichtenstein’s Trav. in Sn Afr. (1928) I. 49A disease among cattle called the lamziekte (a sort of murrain of the most pernicious kind, since the animal infected with it becomes entirely lame).
1896 Cape Argus 2 Jan. 6Cattle are dying from lamziekte on many farms.
1911 L. Knoblauch in Farmer’s Weekly 18 Oct. 194About 1880..we again totalled 180 head of cattle. Then all of a sudden lamziekte broke out, and in 18 months’ time my father had not a cow to milk.
1937 S. Cloete Turning Wheels 272Quarter evil, lamsiekte in which cows went about eating bones and animal refuse, struck at them.
1948 Cape Argus 6 Nov. 1The Division of Veterinary Services..will shortly make available a new, improved and concentrated lamsiekte vaccine.
1962 F.C. Metrowich Scotty Smith 225One of the farm boys arrived and informed his master that two of the donkeys had died of lamsiekte.
1975 G.P. West Black’s Veterinary Dict. 418The best means of preventing lamziekte is to feed sterilised bone meal to cattle during the winter months.
1978 S. Afr. Panorama May 37Years ago Theiler noticed that cattle suffering from ‘lamsiekte’ (paralysis disease)..were prone to chew old bones and carrion.
1989 J. du P. Bothma Game Ranch Management 233Botulism, also known as ‘Lamsiekte’, is caused by the toxins of a bacterium Clostridium botulinum. The bacteria multiply in putrid and decaying bones that lie around in the veld. If these bones are eaten, usually by cattle with a phosphate deficiency, the toxins produced by the bacteria are absorbed and cause paralysis of the nervous system.
Botulism, a paralytic disease primarily of cattle, caused by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, and usually resulting from the eating of decomposed organic material, especially bones, in phosphorus-deficient areas; gallamsiekte; lamesickness. Also attributive.
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