Metritis. Metro- Peritonitis 803 



There is scant need for internal medication except for the 

 uterine douchings already described. The disease is based 

 upon intra-uterine infection. When that is controlled, the 

 animal usually improves rapidly and recovers completely. 

 Should symptoms arise demanding medication, the details 

 should be adapted to the individual case. If the sepsis ap- 

 pears profound, it can probably best be overcome by large 

 doses (1 oz. or more) of potassium iodide or quinine. Con- 

 stipation or intestinal atony can be most safely overcome 

 with minute doses of eserin or arecolin combined with 

 strychnine. 



B. Metritis. Metro-Peritonitis. 



The placentitis or endometritis of the preceding article is 

 necessarily an intrinsic infection which, so far as known, 

 has existed within the uterus at least throughout pregnancy. 

 There occur some cases of metritis differing in type from 

 that described above and referable to either intrinsic or ex- 

 trinsic infection. In veterinary practice the practitioner is 

 not ordinarily responsible for introducing infection, through 

 imperfect technic, into the genital tract at the time of par- 

 turition. The veterinarian rarely invades a uterus not al- 

 ready importantly infected. He interferes in dystocia only, 

 and dystocia in animals is due chiefly to infection within 

 the uterus, causing atony of its walls, or to death or serious 

 illness of the fetus from the same infection which destroys 

 its power to assume and maintain the correct direction and 

 position of its extremities. In such cases the veterinarian 

 does not introduce the primary infection, but may add other 

 forms of bacteria more perilous than those already present. 



When intra-uterine infection causes the death of an al- 

 most or wholly mature fetus, especially if the fetus presents 

 by the breech, there may occur no visible effort at expulsion, 

 but instead, the fetus undergoes rapid emphysema. The al- 

 ready badly inflamed uterus rapidly becomes worse owing 

 to the presence of the decomposing fetal membranes and 

 fetus. Under such conditions the walls of the uterus gen- 

 erally become paretic, greatly thickened and hard. Por- 



