Herd survival was necessary for human survival during this Celtic period of time. Horses, cattle, and sheep would have been top of the list. Now sheep had a special problem with liver flukes. (Fasciola hepatica) which had to be checked along the way. This parasite inhabits the bile passages of the livers of sheep, cattle, and other grazing animals. If enough flukes are present, severe damage to the liver results. Sheep may sicken and be judged unfit for future benefit. The following figure is taken from the book titled "introduction to parasitology" by Auther Jones, 1967. On page 139, the following figure is modified to show how sheep may appear after infection.
In this stage, it would be obvious what sheep of the herd would be infected. Certainly no one watching or grazing the sheep would know the cause and have effective treatment. Just slaughter the sheep with one less to shear. This liver rot must stop.
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