324 Jonnidl of Af/rim/fiire, Victoria. [10 June. 1916. 



Victoria; this would mean 45,000 cases of abortion; then we will have an 

 account something like this — 



Loss of calves 1st year ... ... 45,000 



Diminished milk yield from 45,000 



cows, say, I of 300 gallons ... 4,500 000 gallons. 



In the 2nd year h of these fail to get in 



calf, and the other ^ abort — 

 Loss of calves ... ... ... 45,000 



Total loss of milk, 22,500 cows, say, 



300 gallons each... ... .".. 6,750,000 gallons. 



Diminished yield from 22,500 cows, 



^ of 300 gallons ... ... ... 2,250,000 



Convert this into money value, and a loss of between £300,000 and 

 £400,000 per annum is evident. I have not so converted the figures, 

 for who can say the value to the industry of a calf just born; to the 

 farmer it is worth what he can get for it, but there is another value to 

 be considered and that is the potential one, of motherhood to raise a 

 subsequent generation. Whatever the figure taken the loss is sufficiently 

 serious to justify our attention to the cause. 



Abortion may be classified under two headings, v:z. : — 



1. Accidental, when owing to injury or disease of mother or foetus, 

 the fcetus may be expelled prematurely. 



2. Contagious abortion, due to changes in the foetus and its mem- 

 branes induced by a specific organism, which brings about its expulsion 

 without any material evidence of disease in the mother. 



It is the latter form we are chiefly concerned with, but I would say 

 to all, until you have satisfactory proof that an abortion is accidental, 

 it would be wise to consider it as contagious. The reason for this will 

 be more clearly seen at a later stage. 



Cause. 



The organism, which can be isolated, and has been shown to be re- 

 sponsible for this disease, is a very small bacillus which does not form 

 spores, and which can be grown artificially without much trouble. Cor- 

 rosive sublimate or perchloride ol mercury has been shown to be per- 

 haps the best agent to destroy it, but in internal secretions, and inside 

 the womb, it may retain its virulence for many m.onths. 



Injections of pure cultures into the vagina of healthy pregnant cows 

 will induce abortion in eight to ten weeks, or feeding with the same, will 

 bring about the event in one to two months. In any case the change 

 that is set up is an inflammation of the womb, and the membranes, 

 which causes an extensive exudate to form between the uterus of the 

 mother and the membranes surrounding the foetus. This leads to a par- 

 tial detachment of the foetal membranes, with the consequences that 

 abortion, or premature expulsion of the foetus, may occur at any stage 

 of gestation. 



Natural infection may take place from the external genitals, a bull 

 that has served a cow recently aborted will transmit the organism to the 

 cows he next serves; further, bails, stalls, bedding, camping places, &c., 

 which become contaminated by the discharges from the vagina will serve 

 as convenient means of transmitting to other cows which occupy the 



