General Infections of the Genitalia of Sheep and Goats 733 



care for her new-born, or resorts to cannabalism as ob- 

 served in swine. It is not impossible that the repulsion of 

 the new-born by its mother is often due to disease — that the 

 fetus has suffered from dysentery due to an infection pres- 

 ent in the uterine cavity of the mother and the new-born is 

 repulsively covered with filth, having an odor unlike that 

 which is natural to the species. In swine, necrotic embryos 

 are expelled with pigs. The scavenger sow devours the mac- 

 erating embryos and the pigs, having the same filth smeared 

 over them, are also eaten. 



The lambs in the flock observed largely suffered from 

 dysentery. Their development was tardy, partly because of 

 the intense infection, but largely because the ewes, due to 

 illness, had little milk. Many of the weaker lambs died 

 from one to two hours up to three or four days after birth. 



The post-mortem appearances of fetuses dead in utero and 

 lambs which perished shortly after birth were analogous to 

 those of bovine fetal cavaders and calves dead from dysen- 

 tery. Outbreaks of disease in new-born lambs are not rare 

 and run essentially parallel, in cause, symptoms, course, re- 

 sults and post-mortem findings, to those diseases of the calf 

 having their foundations in infection during intra-uterine 

 life. They suffer from dysentery, pneumonia and arthritis. 

 Each of the three consequences may result from post-natal 

 infection, but the most basic cause is to be sought in the 

 intra-uterine infection of the pregnant animal. The infec- 

 tion grows through the chorion and amnion, gains the am- 

 niotic fluid, and, being swallowed by the embryo, begins its 

 destructive career by inducing gastro-enteritis with dysen- 

 tery or, in some cases, sepsis, whether the storm breaks 

 ante- or post-natal. 



The handling of the infections of new-born lambs is to 

 be based upon the principles laid down for calves and does 

 not require repetition here. Serologic handling has not 

 been placed upon a secure basis, so far as known. The serum 

 sold for dysentery in calves, given in proper dosage, would 

 probably prove beneficial. The objection will at once be 

 raised that such a course would be illogical because in the 



