y8o Diseases of the Genital Organs 



his observations that the stallion transmitted an infection 

 which led in many cases to abortion some months later and 

 which in other cases persisted throughout the span of intra- 

 uterine life and continued in the foal after birth. This is in 

 harmony with my observations. Nevertheless some stal- 

 lions showing no genital lesions clinically are frequently 

 highly infectious. According to the intensity of the infec- 

 tion, there follows death of the spermatozoa, ova, fertilized 

 ova or small embryo (sterility), metritis with death and 

 observed expulsion of the fetus (abortion), or puerperal 

 metritis and retained fetal membranes in the mare, and 

 arthritis, dysentery or other disease of the foal. 



The general infections of the genitalia of horses conform, 

 therefore, so far as can now be seen, to those of cattle and, 

 what is more important, conform to the fundamental laws 

 of general genital infections in all mammalia. Among the 

 genital infections of mammals, certain specific diseases ex- 

 ist, such as syphilis, dourine, canine venereal tumors, chan- 

 croid or vesicular venereal diseases of man, horses and cattle, 

 gonorrhea and others which involve largely or exclusively 

 one species of animal, producing specific lesions which serve 

 to differentiate clinically the infection from all others. 



There are other infections which invade the genitalia of 

 all mammals, each of which may and do exist in the genitalia 

 of several species of animals. They do not necessarily cause 

 visible harm but, when intensified by bad physical or sexual 

 hygiene, may attain high virulence and produce a great va- 

 riety of lesions. They may invade and interfere with the 

 function of any organ or tissue in the genital system of 

 either sex of any age. The invasion is not necessarily direct 

 through the genital tract. The fetus swallows the infection, 

 derived from the uterus of the mother, with its amniotic 

 fluid. Again the new-born swallows any infection emanat- 

 ing from the uterus which may flow down the tail or thighs 

 and reach the exterior of the teats. In many cases the in- 

 fect ion enters fhe body of the new-born through the navel 

 wound, in which case arthritis becomes the outstanding 

 clinical phenomenon. But the arthritis of navel infection. 



