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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 July 2009
Sheep scab has existed from early times. It was known to the ancient Greeks and Romans ; it was familiar to the Hebrews ; and writers on agriculture in the Middle Ages were acquainted with its ravages, and suggested means of preventing and curing it. Laws to control the disease were introduced in Britain at the beginning of the eleventh century, and subsequently other countries also adopted legislative measures against it. Regulations have been renewed and amended from time to time to conform with the progress made in the studies of the disease and its cause. The strictness with which they are applied vary in accordance with the economic importance of the sheep industry in any particular country, and their success as preventive measures is dependent upon their stringency and upon the co-operative support given to them by all sheep-owners.