The Question Box. 373 



that therefore the larger the veins the greater will be the yield of 

 milk. As we have already seen, the milk is not ready formed in 

 the blood; it cannot be said, therefore, that these veins convey 

 milk. These veins have, it is true, a visible connection with the 

 two anterior quarters of the udder, from which they return blood 

 toward the heart. But like the other veins of the udder (the ex- 

 ternal pudic, and obturator) these only carry blood back from the 

 udder to the heart, they don't bring any blood to the udder. 

 Their connection with the udder is that of vessels which carry 

 back into the general circulation, the blood which has already, in 

 the udder, given up various of its constituents to form milk, not 

 that of vessels which carry to the udder the materials out of 

 which milk has to be formed. Their size in heavy milkers in- 

 dicates that a very large quantity of blood circulates through the 

 udder, so that even its unused surplus requires such capacious 

 vessels to carry it back into the general circulation. The great 

 size of these veins further indicates that the whole circulatory 

 system is constructed on a large and generous scale, and that 

 there is a great store of blood, and behind that a great power of 

 digestion and assimilation, conditions that are absolutely essen- 

 tial to a liberal yield of milk. In this way the size and even the 

 duplication of the milk veins become valuable indications of the 

 probable milking qualities, though they convey neither milk nor 

 blood to the mammary gland. 



What is the Schmidt treatment for milk fever? Is it a sure cure? 



Mr. Dawley. — The Schmidt treatment has not been in use long 

 enough to say thiat it is a sure cure. I have tried it in one case, 

 with a home-made apparatus and saved the cow. The reports in 

 relation to the results from the treatment are most encouraging, 

 it is based on an entirely novel idea as to the primary seat of the 

 d.isease. Heretofore the veterinarian's attention has been directed 

 to the uterus (womb), as being the medium through which the 

 poison was admitted to the circulation and carried to its secondary 

 seat of operation (great nerve centres) where its death-dealing de- 

 pression was exhibited^ and although very vigorous efforts were 



