LECTURE XLV. 



PARTURIENT PARALYSIS (MILK FEVER) 



Causes. — Predisposing, and precipitating. 



Predisposing. — Age (maturity) heavy feeding and milkmg 

 qualities, pregnancy, easy delivery, lack of exercise and consequent 

 lack of physical wear, high temperature in stables. 



The cow that is in the prime of life, with her third or fourth 

 calf and that is a heavy feeder and milker is the one most subject 

 to this disease. Cows in thin flesh, that have been under fed dur- 

 ing pregnancy, are not liable to have this disease. Neither are 

 young heifers nor old cows. 



Precipitating. — Delivery, injury to genital organs sudden in- 

 crease of gland activity in the udder, costiveness (both as cause 

 and result) ; anxiety; exposure to cold and damp. 



Schmidt's theory is that certain chemical poisons are formed 

 in the udder, absorbed into the blood and circulated throughout the 

 body, reaching the brain and spinal cord through the general cir- 

 culation, and producing the general symptoms of paralysis of sen- 

 sation and motion. Dr. Schmidt has noticed that the erreatest 

 mortality occurs when the disease appears very soon after birth, 

 and incidentally that is the period of most abundant colostrum in 

 the udder. If the poisons develop very rapidly and absorb rapidly 

 into the blood, the animal may die suddenly; if they develop slow- 

 ly, they may be gotten rid of by being neutralized or excreted. 

 According to Schmidt's theory, this disease has its origin in an 

 unusually large secretion of colostrum and the poison is a product 

 ■of chemical decomposition of the colostrum. Chemical composi- 

 tion of the poison is probably variable, as the poisonous effect 

 seems to vary. Cows brought to the highest state of milk pro- 

 duction pass the limit of physiological conditions, and are very 

 •easily disturbed by taking cold, abundant diet, excessive quanti- 

 fies of water or digestive disturbance (Schmidt). 



Symptoms. — Early or warning, and diagnostic or positive. 



