124 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



ment was noted in from thirty to sixty minutes after the infusion 

 was made. Animals that were entirely comatose and that were 

 breathing with difficulty and were snoring, whose tongues were 

 paralyzed and were unable to move were, in some instances, upon 

 their feet and eating within an hour. 



Other veterinarians in various countries have adopted this treat- 

 ment and have found it to be exceedingly satisfactory. The leader 

 in this reform in Pennsylvania is Dr. W. H. Ridge, who has equipped 

 himself fully for the treatment of cows by this method, and has 

 succeeded in curing several cases of parturient paresis, all, in fact, 

 upon which he has used this new treatment. Several other veter- 

 inarians have had equally good results. 



In carrying out this treatment there are several important pre-, 

 cautions to observe in relation to the sterilization of the imple- 

 ments and the washing and disinfection of the udder' and teats 

 of the cow and of the hands of the operator. If these well-known 

 surgical precautions are not observed, infection of the udder may 

 follow, and although the cow may recover from parturient paresis, 

 she may be permanently injured as a dairy cow. Therefore, no one 

 should attempt to carry out this treatment who is not thoroughly in- 

 formed and accustomed to the proper use of antiseptics and the dis- 

 infection of the surgical utensils and the skin. 



The mode of operation of the various substances that have been 

 found to act so beneficially, has not been satisfactorily explained and 

 cannot be explained until there is more definite knowledge as to 

 the precise nature of the toxin which is supposed to be formed in 

 the udder and which, when absorbed, produces in cows the com- 

 plex group of symptoms known as parturient paresis. The disten- 

 sion of the udder with any fluid or gas that may be injected into it 

 appears to give a certain amount of relief. It may be that relief 

 from this cause is due to the compression of the veins of the udder, 

 due to the distension and pressure upon the tissues outside of them, 

 and by thus shutting off the current of blood leaving the udder, 

 the carriage of toxins from the udder is prevented. It may be that 

 the toxin of this disease is very readily oxydized and destroyed, 

 and that it is on this account that the oxygen infusion is so bene- 

 ficial. In this way one could also explain the beneficial results 

 that follow the infusion of air and of fluid mixed with air. If the 

 theory of the formation of toxin is correct, the substance that is 

 injected to neutralize and destroy this toxin, should pass into the 

 branches of the ducts of the udder as deeply as possible. The 

 oxygen gas may be forced more directly into the glands than a fluid, 

 and to this extent, other things being equal, it is likely to be more 

 beneficial. It may be that there is an infection of the udder with 

 anaerobic bacteria, and that these are destroved or rendered harm- 

 less by oxygen. 



