INFLAMMATION OF THE UMBILICAL CORD. 735 



to fifteen calves born within a few days of each other and kept together, 

 half the number has become affected with this inflammation of the navel, 

 and the remainder has escaped. 



. It must be remembered, too, that the discharge from one diseased um- 

 bilicus may afford sufficient material to infect a great many newly-born 

 animals, should circumstances prove favorable. 



Not only may contamination take place through actual contact with 

 objects soiled or impregnated by such infective material, but the air itself, 

 or flies, may prove media for its conveyance to the umbilical wound. 

 There may also be a special infection, as a consequence of over-crowding 

 in badly-ventilated dwellings — something analogous to the puerperal in- 

 fection observed in certain maternity and other hospitals. 



A malignant and a benignant form of omphalitis have been described by 

 various authorities ; but the distinction, if it really exists, is of no prac- 

 tical importance, and it is perhaps advisable, in so far as treatment is con- 

 cerned, to consider the disease always as malignant. It would appear to 

 be fully ascertained that septic infection gives rise to a far more serious 

 and destructive inflammation than that due to entrance of the air, or an 

 aerial ferment, into the wound or open vessels of the cord. 



As has been remarked, this inflammation of the umbilical cord is more 

 frequent in calves and lambs than in foals ; and the reason for this is 

 probably due to the fact that in the former there is a dudics Arantii^ which 

 is absent in the latter. There may also occur a kind of aspiration of air 

 into the umbilical vein. However this may be, it must not be forgotten, 

 when considering the etiology of omphalitis and its frequency in differ- 

 ent species of animals, that putrid or septic diseases are much more com- 

 mon in Cows and Ewes than Mares, and that the latter do not so often 

 receive manual assistance during parturition ; so that they are less liable 

 to parturient fever and other septic disorders which might involve their 

 offspring. 



When the remains of the umbilical cord are once fairly dried and 

 shrivelled, omphalitis is very seldom, if ever, v;itnessed. 



Ulrich {Canstatfs Jahresbericht, i860, p. 41) reports that he saw a wide 

 outbreak of the disease in a flock of lambs, many of which died from 

 abscess in the liver. He attributed the outbreak to feeding the Ewes on 

 rape-cake. Changing the food to oil-cake, and administering Glauber 

 salts to the Ewes checked the malady. Franck is inclined to think that 

 infection may have had something to do with the outbreak. 



Treatment. 



T\i^ prophylaxis oiovc\'^\i2X\\\% or purulent phlebitis of the umbilical cord, 

 is very important, and must be based on our knowledge of the etiologv of 

 the malady. This we have just alluded to. Cleanliness is absolutely ne- 

 cessary, and the young creature should be protected from every possible 

 source of septic infection. The danger of infection may be greatly obvi- 

 ated, if the extremity of the umbilical cord be dressed with a concentrated 

 solution of carbolic acid, which destroys atmospheric germs, keeps away 

 flies, and renders putrid matters innocuous, while it quickly shrivels up the 

 cord itself. This preventive treatment is strongly to be recommended for 

 lambs, and particularly when there have been abortions among the Ewes, 

 retention of dead lambs or the placental membranes, or any other likely 

 cause of putridity on a sheep-run or pasture. The same measure is appli- 



