334 THE NATURE AND TREATMENT OF 



ers, however, would do well (now that the disease is very 

 common) to feed oif cattle so affected or predisposed, when it 

 is possible to do so, and not to breed from such stock, as it is 

 generally difficult and sometimes impossible to remove the 

 tumors when once formed. It would also be for their interest 

 to pay less attention to the direct treatment, by entrusting that 

 in the hands of a practitioner, and to attend more to the neg- 

 ative treatment, such as blood-letting, avoiding refrigerants, 

 such as nitrate of potash, and all other medicines that tend to 

 diminish the fibrine of the blood, particularly all mucurial 

 preparations, and, in general, to avoid every thing formerly used 

 in the treatment of scrofula in the human subject. But this 

 they will not always attend to when any thing is wrong with 

 any of their cattle ; they must not merely get direct treat- 

 ment, but without due discrimination they must share and 

 share alike," 



CORDS IN YOUNG CALVES. 



A disease to which the above name is given, occasionally ap- 

 pears among young calves. It is an inflammatory affection, 

 and particularly manifests itself in contractions of the sinews, — 

 tendinous structures ; hence the name — cords. White contends 

 that calves are most liable to be affected by this disorder during 

 the first days or weeks after they are dropped. If they outlive 

 five or six weeks, they are seldom in any danger. Calves that 

 suck their mothers are not so liable to the disease, as those 

 which are reared by hand. The greatest number of calves 

 that fall a sacrifice to this disease, if not the whole of them, 

 are those which are closely confined to the house from their 

 birth, without ever being exposed to the free, open air. It is a 

 well-known fact, that calves which are dropped and remain in 

 the fields are in little or no danger. — Farmer's Magazine, vol. 

 iv. p. 59. INIr. Lawrence, in his Treatise on Cattle, observes, 

 that " a complaint called the cords has recently destroyed a 

 number of young calves in Scotland, both such as have been 

 calved abroad and under shelter. Those which are brought up 



