Infections of the Ovum, Embryo and Fetus 537 



tainedl in front of the atretic area, causing great disten- 

 sion. Of the fifteen animals in this group in which vaginal 

 atresia was not caused, six (40 per cent.) are pregnant, one 

 possibly pregnant, and eight (53 per cent.) non-pregnant, 

 with fair prospects for conceiving. The instance affords a 

 good illustration of the results attained from erroneous ad- 

 vice given to laymen who, however intelligent and sincere, 

 fail in their application. 



Advising laymen how to handle surgically a cow which 

 has recently aborted is much like a Doctor of Medicine ad- 

 vising a carpenter how to diagnose and handle appendicitis 

 in a member of his family, with the saws, chisels, and other 

 implements at hand. The owners of cattle view the prob- 

 lem from another angle. Certain veterinarians are sup- 

 ported by public funds, and stockowners feel they have a 

 right to demand of these public servants advice regarding 

 abortion. These veterinarians have for so long taught the 

 public to believe in abortion as a specific infectious disease 

 that they can give no advice of value without clashing vio- 

 lently with the thoroughly established misconception. 



There is nothing known at present beyond general good 

 care which can in the least exert favorable influence upon 

 an infection already existing in the utero-chorionic space of 

 a pregnant heifer or cow. After abortion has occurred and 

 the uterus, cervix, and vagina are open to surgical invasion, 

 the skilled veterinarian can do much to cleanse the genital 

 tract of injurious infections. The good which may be ac- 

 complished at that time is not based upon the theory that 

 abortion is a specific infectious disease, but that all abor- 

 tions are due to an infection or to the joint action of several 

 infections. At present the known remedies against abortion 

 are alike effective in all infections which may lead to the 

 death of the fetus and its expulsion by the uterus. The 

 handling of the infections of the genital canal calls for the 

 application of the general principles of surgery. Those 

 cases of cervicitis and metritis existing during pregnancy 

 and inevitably continuing after abortion call for the same 

 method of handling as those not associated with abortion 



