Infections of the Ovum, Embryo, and Fetus 527 



recorded experiences. A few biologic vendors offer abor- 

 tion serum, but it has attained no popularity. There is no 

 reason to assume that such a serum can produce favorable 

 results. 



Abortion bacterins (killed cultures of B. abortus) have 

 been tried by Bang, McFadyean and Stockman, and other 

 leading investigators. In all recorded tests they have failed 

 utterly. The phenomenon of abortion lends itself readily to 

 patent medicine methods. If at the close of an abortion 

 storm abortion bacterins or distilled water be injected sub- 

 cutaneously, the abortion ceases or the rate is very low. 

 The eighteen heifers charted in Fig. 175 were in a herd 

 where for a number of years the abortion rate in heifers 

 varied from 30 per cent, to 50 per cent, or upward. After 

 the use of the bacterins the abortion rate was the most dis- 

 astrous in the history of the herd. In spite of the clear and 

 indisputable proofs recorded of the absolute uselessness of 

 abortion bacterins, several American biologic houses make 

 and sell them under wholly unjustifiable claims. Some even 

 offer to refund the sum paid for the preparation for each 

 cow that aborts after the administration. This is perfectly 

 feasible, since so far as manufacturing costs are concerned 

 the vendor can refund upon 50 to 75 per cent, of the animals 

 and have a good profit. Some abortion bacterins are very 

 cheaply made. I submitted a number of samples purchased 

 upon the open market to bacteriologists for examination. 

 Nearly all were greatly contaminated with other bacteria, 

 usually a mixture of three, four or more kinds. One sample 

 consisted of an almost pure growth of a long streptococcus. 

 As the bacteria were presumably dead, the species probably 

 made no difference. 



Abortion vaccines, or living cultures of B. abortus, given 

 non-pregnant animals one or two months prior to breeding 

 have been tried by numerous leading experimenters and 

 have been recommended by some. Sir Stewart Stockman, 

 with a group of lay collaborators, has been the chief sup- 

 porter of this plan. Stockman 1 apparently conducted no 



1 Sir Stewart Stockman, Epizootic Abortion, Rep. 10th Internat. Vet. 

 Congress. 



