560 Diseases of the Genital Organs 



possible, the freedom of the genitalia of both sexes from 

 dangerous infections. Finally, when genital infections in a 

 herd are intense, as indicated by such phenomena as abor- 

 tion, sterility, retained fetal membranes, calf dysentery and 

 pneumonia, the advent of septic metritis may frequently be 

 avoided by assuming that each animal is importantly in- 

 fected and that each should be handled immediately after 

 the expulsion of the fetus as an infected animal, without 

 awaiting the development of the material evidences of dis- 

 ease. It is better practice to assume that each of ten cows 

 is importantly infected at calving time and so handle them, 

 even though only one is dangerously infected, than to treat 

 them as sound and allow the one badly infected animal to 

 develop mortal disease before notice is taken. 



D. Placentitis. Cotyledonitis. Retained Placenta. Retained 

 Fetal Membranes 



Metritis can not readily exist in the pregnant uterus with- 

 out involving the cotyledons or placentules, nor can the con- 

 verse well be true — that the cotyledons may become import- 

 antly infected without the intercotyledonal mucosa partici- 

 pating. Retained placenta is therefore a type of intra- 

 uterine infection which has become established during preg- 

 nancy and becomes clinically recognizable after the fetus, 

 alive or dead, has been expelled. The cotyledons may be 

 more notably involved than the inter-cotyledonal or non- 

 placental mucosa, but the only practical difference between 

 the various types of puerperal metritis and retained fetal 

 membranes is that in the latter the endometrium is hidden 

 everywhere beneath the chorion, the necrotic fetal mem- 

 branes quickly undergo putrefaction, and the retention of 

 the membranes imprisons the pus in the utero-chorionic 

 cavity, thus preventing its discharge and largely concealing 

 its presence. 



When parturition ends, in a healthy cow, the moment thai 

 the umbilic cord parts the life of the chorion ceases. 1 1\ as 

 naturally occurs, the chorionic end of the umbilic cord is lei 

 alone when it has parted, the blood contained within the 



