158 



mals, and uot allowed service by a bull kept for general 

 use. Some young or old bull ready for castration maj 

 be used to test such cows. 



MILK FEVER. 



Dropping After Calving. — Parturiant Fever. 



Cause. — The cause is unknown. 



Opinions on this part of the subject are very numerous 

 and varied. Some claim the disease is caused by the 

 growth of bacteria in the udder or the elaboration of 

 bacterial products which are absorbed into the circula- 

 tion. Others hold that it is due to a bloodless condition 

 of the brain or, on the the contrary, to the congestion 

 of the brain. 



The view once held that the shock at the time of 

 calving could be responsible for the disorder is hardly 

 tenable, since it seldom, if ever, occurs in connection 

 with difficult parturition. More recent investigators 

 have turned their attention to the modification of the 

 blood, finding it extremely rich and dense, so dense in 

 fact, that the red blood corpuscles are reduced fully 

 one-half normal size. Whether this is due to the blood 

 being surcharged with albuminous and fatty matters 

 stored up for the formation (sf colostrum or first milk, 

 failing to be excreted by the udder, or whether the cur- 

 rent of nutrition intended for the foetus failing to find 

 its way out through the usual channel, reacts on the 

 system through the blood, has not been determined. 



Another line of argument purports to establish the 

 theory that toxic products are produced in the womb 

 and absorbed, leading to a form of intoxication. The 

 arguments adduced are interesting. The fact is pointed 

 out that the os uteri or neck of the womb (7) is open 



