EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 331 



ants caunot be accomplished without producing serious injury to these 

 membranes, especially to that of the vagina. No medicinal agent that 

 can be safely used on the vaginal mucous membrane is likely to have 

 any appreciable direct effect upon the bacterial life in the deeper layers 

 of the membranes. The best that can be hoped for is a cleaning of the 

 mucous membranes and a removal of the products of the diseased pro- 

 cess and that of the bacterial growth that is going on. A flushing out 

 process is desired and the solution used must be non-toxic and non-irri- 

 tating or injury will be done. If the animal has cleaned well the safest 

 solution that can be used is physiological salt solution made by adding 

 1 ounce of table salt to 1 gallon of clean water that has been boiled and 

 cooled. The solutions of potassium permanganate, iodine and cresol 

 already referred to may be used. The solution used should be warmed 

 to about body heat before injecting. For the first injections after abor- 

 tion, as much as 10 quarts of solution may be introduced if the uterine 

 contractions are sufficiently strong to force the solution out, otherwise 

 care should be taken not to introduce too large a quantity. Thereafter 

 1 to 3 pints may be safely used. Where a large quantity is used it should 

 be siphoned off after it has remained in contact with the mucous mem- 

 brane for a few minutes. This is a difficult procedure but sometimes can 

 be accomplished by holding the hand in the mouth of the uterus and 

 keeping the end of the rubber tubing used in introducing the solution 

 near the floor of the uterus. The attendant now fills the funnel, grasps 

 the rubber tubing just below the funnel between the thumb and fore- 

 finger and lowers it at the same time. When the funnel is lowered to a 

 point below the end of the tubing in the uterus and the pressure is re- 

 leased, the solution in the uterus will be siphoned out. The mouth of 

 the uterus must be held open during this process in order that air may 

 be introduced. Sometimes the solution will cease to flow from the 

 uterus. This may be due to the end of the tubing being pulled out of 

 the solution in the uterus or it may be due to plugging the end of the 

 tubing with fragments of the afterbirth or with a fold of mucous mem- 

 brane of the uterus. 



In making uterine injections a policy of gentleness and scrupulous 

 cleanliness must be adopted and every effort made to avoid injury to the 

 genital organs. In making vaginal injections it is not necessary to in- 

 troduce the hand into the vagina, the tube is introduced into the vagina a 

 distance of six to eight inches and one to two quarts of the solution are 

 used for each injection. 



It will be seen from the above that to properly treat the genital or- 

 gans with antiseptics is a careful and troublesome process and one not 

 entirely free from danger. As a safer and less troublesome, and equally 

 effective, process we have adopted the use of sour whey. Sour whey is 

 used with a high degree of success in human medicine in the treatment 

 of gonorrheal infections and has met with success in our hands in the 

 treatment of aborting animals. It is without injurious effects upon the 

 genital mucous membranes and may be left in the uterine cavity. It 

 does not seem to be necessary to use large quantities of it as is the case 

 with the use of other antiseptics. Its good effects are probably due to 

 the ability of the lactic acid organism and the products of its growth 

 to prevent putrefaction and the growth of disease-producing organisms. 



