DISEASES OF THE GENEEATIVE ORGANS. 167 



All irritant poisons cause abortions by the disorder and inflamma- 

 tion of the digestive organs, and if such agents act also on the kidneys 

 ctr womb, the effect is materially enhanced. Powerful purgatives or 

 diuretics should never be administered to the pregnant cow. 



Among other causes of abortion must be named the death or the 

 various illnesses of the fetus, which are about as numerous as those 

 of the adult; the slipping of a young fetus through a loop in the 

 navel string so as to tie a knot which will tighten later and interrupt 

 the flow of blood with fatal effect, and the twisting of the navel 

 string by the turning of the fetus until little or no blood can flow 

 through the contorted cord. There is in addition a series of diseases 

 of the mucous membrane of the womb, and of the fetal membranes 

 (inflammation, effusion of blood, detachment of the membranes from 

 the womb, fatty or other degenerations, etc.), which interfere with 

 the supply of blood to the fetus or change its quality so that death 

 is the natural result, followed by abortion. 



Treatment. — Although the first symptoms of abortion have ap- 

 peared, it does not follow that it will go on to completion. So long 

 as the fetus has not perished, if the waters have not been discharged, 

 nor the water bags presented, attempts should be made to check its 

 progress. Every appreciable and removable cause should be done 

 awa}'' with, the cow should be placed in a quiet stall alone, and agents 

 given to check the excitement of the labor pains. Laudanum in 

 doses of 1 ounce for a small cow or 2 ounces for a large one should 

 be promptly administered, and repeated in three or four hours 

 should the labor pains recur. This may be kept up for days or even 

 weeks if necessary, though that is rarely required, as the trouble 

 either subsides or abortion occurs. If the laudanum seems to lack 

 permanency of action, use bromid of potassium, or, better, extract 

 of Viburnum i)imnifolium (black haw), 40 grains, at intervals of 

 two or three hours until five or six doses have been given 



CONTAGIOUS ABORTION. 



Contagious abortion (also known as epizootic abortion, enzootic 

 abortion, and slinking of calves) is a disease affecting chiefl}'^ cattle 

 and to a lesser degree other domestic animals, and characterized by 

 an inflammatory condition of the female reproductive organs, which 

 results in the expulsion of the immature young. 



History. — This disease has been known in England and continental 

 Europe for many years, and descriptions of it are mentioned in the 

 writings of Mascal, Lafoose, Skellet, Lawrence, St. Cyr, Ziindel, and 

 Youatt. In the early part of the eighteenth century British veter- 

 inarians recognized its contagiousness, but it remained for Franck 

 (1876), Lehnert (1878), and Brauer (1880) to produce the disease in 



