194 The Care of Animals 



During the period of heat, the milk secretion, if 

 the animal is giving milk, is usually lessened. Sexual 

 ■excitement is exhibited by the female jumping upon 

 other animals, and appearing more or less nervous 

 and excited. The mucous discharges from the vagina 

 seem to have an odor that is attractive to males and 

 causes sexual excitement in them. 



STERILITY 



sterility, or impotence, is inability of an animal to 

 reproduce its kind. In common language, such an 

 animal is "a non- breeder." In the male, impotence is 

 usually due to an absence of the spermatozoa, or male 

 cells. This condition may be associated with advancing 

 age or excessive service ; in some cases it is a con- 

 genital defect, — that is, a defect peculiar to the indi- 

 vidual. In those males in which the impotence is due 

 to debility, rest and nourishing food combined with 

 good tonic medicines, especially those which contain 

 nux vomica, comprise the best treatment. There is no 

 specific medicine for the treatment for this condition, 

 and all hope of recovery is to be based on strengthen- 

 ing and toning up the whole system. In other cases, 

 impotence in the male may result from some malfor- 

 mation or disease of the genital organs. A thorough 

 and careful examination should be made in order to 

 discover the cause. When there is doubt as to the 

 cause of impotence, the male maj- be allowed sexual 

 intercourse and some of the spermatic fluid collected 

 and examined under a compound microscope. If 



