139 



up ferinentatioii iu the paunch, which compress \he 

 womb and kill or displace the foetus. 



Acute diseases, manifested by colicy pains or eircu- 

 latorv disturbances, may be followed b}' abortion. Dis- 

 eases of the rectum and urinary organs, as diarrhoea 

 and intiammation of the kidneys, bladder, etc., are pre- 

 disposing causes. Parasites, like worms in the intes- 

 tines, liver or lungs, and lice, are accessory causes. 



Medicines injudiciously administered to ailing ani- 

 mals are as liable to cause abortion as the affliction. 

 Large doses of purgatives are to be avoided, also an- 

 other class of drugs known as ecbolics, rye-smut, corn- 

 smut ; cotton-root bark; cotton-seed, and cotton-seed 

 meal, probably possess to a slight extent the active 

 principles of cotton-root bark. Evil elfects from this 

 source have been overestimated, (irain smuts, seeds, 

 leaves, etc., containing medicinal principles, must be 

 consumed in enormous quantities usually to cause deli- 

 terious effects upon healthy organs. Taking for ex- 

 ample, the smut of rye (ergot), which is the most po- 

 tent of the class; it is said to require 10 pounds of the 

 select drug to produce acute poisoning in a 750-pouud 

 cow. Such enormous quantities are not likely to be 

 consumed at one time. The chief danger is in pastur- 

 ing cattle ('(mtinually on pastures where smut is abun- 

 dant. A moderate quantity is consumed each day, 

 without bad effects at first, but after a few days the 

 active medicinal principles in the smut will have ac- 

 cumulated to such an extent as to cause chronic pois- 

 oning (ergotism), and abortion. Chronjc poisoning 

 from rye smut is rare, and it is questionable if corn 

 smut ever has that effect. Drugs, like Spanish fly, 

 which irritate the urinary organs, and purgatives which 

 stimulate the involuntary muscles of the rectum to ex- 

 cessive action should be given to pregnant animals with 

 caution, if at all. 



Sudden fright, thunder storms, chasing by dogs, and 



