824 Diseases of the Genital Organs 



similar therapeutic power to the artificially produced calf 

 scours serum. If this proves, upon further study, to be 

 true, it would logically follow that the blood of an adult 

 horse would, as a rule, contain valuable antibodies for those 

 common or non-specific infections menacing the life of the 

 new-born foal. Another interesting possibility, in stables 

 where arthritis and dysentery are common, is that blood 

 may be drawn from mares in advanced pregnancy a few 

 days prior to expected parturition, serum prepared, and 

 with 0.5 per cent, phenol added, retained in a refrigerator 

 until the foal is born, and then given immediately. 



F. Rupture of the Tendons and Synovial Distensions 



OF THE NEW-BORN FOAL 



There occurs not infrequently an interesting and usually 

 mortal disease in young foals, expressing itself clinically by 

 the rupture of the extensor pedis longus tendons, and by dis- 

 tension of the synovial cavities, especially of the great femo- 

 ro-tibio-patellar synovial sac. The character of the disease 

 is as yet unknown. It is unquestionably intra-uterine in 

 origin. The symptoms become obvious within one to several 

 days after birth. It is placed among the intra-uterine in- 

 fections, not so much because of evidence of its infectious 

 nature, as because its etiology is unknown and because cer- 

 tain clinical facts vaguely suggest that it is due to infection. 

 I have observed the disease mostly in localities where uter- 

 ine infections of mares are common. In one stable under 

 my care, there were born two foals annually for two years 

 and each of the four foals suffered from rupture of both ex- 

 tensor pedis longus muscles. The symptoms observed con- 

 sist essentially of loss of power to extend the carpus. When 

 born the foal shows nothing notable so far as yet observed, 

 except that there is apparent feebleness. It gets up or. if 

 unable to do so, stands when helped to its feet, but walks un- 

 steadily, the carpus constantly tending to bend forward. 

 There is no recognizable anatomical defect in the carpus 

 such as the ordinary bent carpus often seen in now-born 

 foals. The entire cause of the symptoms appears to be in the 



