Biological Therapy 121 



to parturition, the external genitalia of the mother should 

 be thoroughly washed and disinfected. 



A point of utmost importance is the care given the new- 

 born calf. All efforts should be made to prevent its coming 

 in contact with contaminated material. The udder of the 

 mother should be thoroughly washed before the calf is al- 

 lowed to suckle. It is essential that the calf should be al- 

 lowed one or two nursings from the mother, regardless of 

 the conditions under which it is later kept; this for the rea- 

 son that the collostral milk materially assists the young calf 

 when help is so urgently needed. The care given the umbili- 

 cus is equally important, since streptococcus, so frequently 

 present as a secondary invader, generally gains entrance at 

 the umbilicus. Since this condition seriously complicates the 

 disease, it is strongly advised that the umbilicus be thor- 

 oughly disinfected, after which it should be tied with ster- 

 ilized silk. 



Although sanitation is of the utmost importance, we 

 should not place too much confidence in controlling the dis- 

 ease by this method, because even though sanitation were so 

 thorough as to prevent all possibility of infection from this 

 source, the birth of a few infected animals would again con- 

 taminate the stables. 



ANTI-CALF SCOUB SEBUM 



undoubtedly offers the most rational treatment in herds 

 where the disease is prevalent. In these cases all animals 

 should be given a subcutaneous injection of ten to thirty 

 mils anti-calf scour serum as soon as possible after birth. 

 This may be repeated in two days to good advantage. 



In case symptoms of calf scour appear, from thirty to 

 one hundred mils of serum, depending upon the severity of 

 the infection, should be administered each twenty-four hours 

 or oftener, until improvement is marked. In herds where the 

 infection is known to be severe, symptoms of calf scour may 

 appear in an occasional individual, notwithstanding the use 

 of serum, since in such herds many animals are harboring 

 myriads of B. coli at the time of birth. While best results 

 cannot be expected in these animals since they have been 

 infected in utero for a considerable period, this fact offers 

 the best reason for the use of serum in large quantities and 

 as soon as possible after birth. The most serious cases are 

 those in which symptoms appear earliest. 



