DISEASES OF CATTLE 211 



swelling of the skin, will often close the orifice. So with the hot 

 iron. If the urethra of the male is impervious it can rarely be 

 remedied. 



INFLAMMATION OF THE URACHUS (NAVEL URINE DUCT). 



This may originate in direct mechanical injury to the navel in 

 calving, or shortly after, with or without the lodgment of irritant 

 and septic matter on its lacerated or cut end. The mere contact with 

 healthy urine, hitherto harmless, can now be looked on as becom- 

 ing suddenly irritating. The affection is usually marked by the 

 presence of redness and swelling at the posterior part of the navel and 

 the escape of urine and a few drops of whitish serous pus from the 

 orifice of the urachus. In those cases in which urine is not dis- 

 charged a tender swelling, like a thick cord extending upward and 

 backward from the navel into the abdomen, may be identified. The 

 navel enlargement may be considerable, but it is solid, does not 

 gurgle on handling, and can not be done away with by pressing 

 it back into the abdomen, as in a case of hernia. 



In cases at first closed the pus may burst out later, coming 

 from the back part of the navel and the swelling extending back- 

 ward. In other cases whitish pus may pass with the urine by the 

 ordinary channel, showing that it has opened back into the bladder. 

 In other cases the umbilical veins become involved, in which case 

 the swelling extends forward as well as backward. Thus the dis- 

 ease may result in destructive disorders of the liver, lungs, and, 

 above all, of the joints. 



The disease may usually be warded off or rendered simple and 

 comparatively harmless by applying antiseptics to the navel string 

 at birth (carbolic acid 1 part, water and glycerin 5 parts each, or 

 wood tar). Later, antiseptics may be freely used (hyposulphite of 

 soda 4 drams, water 1 quart) as an application to the surface and 

 as an injection into the urachus, or even into the bladder if the two 

 still communicate. If they no longer communicate, a stronger in- 

 jection may be used (tincture of perchlorid of iron 60 drops, alco- 

 hol 1 ounce) . Several weeks will be required for complete recovery. 



ABSCESS OF THE NAVEL. 



As the result of irritation at calving or by the withered cord, 

 or by licking with the rough tongue of the cow, inflammation may 

 attack the loose connective tissue of the navel to the exclusion of 

 the urachus and veins, and go on to the formation of matter. In this 

 case a firm swelling appears as large as the fist, which softens in the 

 center and may finally burst and discharge. The opening, however, 

 is usually small and may close prematurely, so that abscess after ab- 

 scess is formed. It is distinguished from hernia by the fact that it 

 can not be returned into the abdomen, and from inflammations of 

 the veins and urachus by the absence of swellings forward and back- 

 ward along the lines of these canals. 



Treatment. Treatment consists in an early opening of the ab- 

 scess by a free incision and the injection twice a day of an astringent 

 antiseptic (chlorid of zinc one-half dram, water 1 pint). 



