Cervicitis 617 



per cent, of the heifer abortions should be attributed to 

 causes existing at conception. Analogous conclusions must 

 follow regarding cervicitis causing sterility. There are 

 then three outstanding causes of cervicitis : 



1. In cervicitis existing when the heifer reaches puberty, 

 present observations indicate that infection existing at this 

 date is referable to invasion of the fetus or of the calf dur- 

 ing the nursing period, which will be discussed under 

 "Congenital Infections of Calves." 



2. Coital transmission of infection by the bull. This 

 has been discussed while considering genital infections of 

 bulls. In one large herd where intense cervicitis involved 

 over 60 per cent, of the cows, treatment was of little avail 

 until finally the bulls were examined, slaughtered, and 

 healthy bulls substituted. The bull is frequently the chief 

 and by far the most important infection-bearer. 



3. Imprudent handling of cows for sterility. I have 

 observed some very intense outbreaks where the spread of 

 the infection appeared to be due to the veterinarian who 

 was handling the cows for sterility. Those veterinarians 

 who have led themselves to believe that in the post-puer- 

 peral period it is safer and more effective to douche the 

 uterus with 0.6 or 0.7 per cent, soda or salt solution, if 

 they do not sterilize their uterine catheters or other in- 

 struments before using upon each cow, constitute a serious 

 peril to the animals they handle, and, so far as I have been 

 able to understand some outbreaks I have seen, frequently 

 do incalcuable harm. 



Once the infection has become implanted, the chief ele- 

 ments in intensification are coitus and parturition (or abor- 

 tion.) I have douched the uteri of several cows two, three 

 or more days after coitus, and have always obtained muco- 

 pus in the returned fluid. Whether this is the invariable 

 rule, I do not kow. The same cows do not have such muco- 

 pus without coitus. It is not the effect of estrum. 



The influence of parturition or abortion upon cervicitis 

 is very marked. The contractions of the uterine walls force 

 the fetus against the cervix and push its walls apart. The 



