« 

 Influence ot Castration Upon Milk 231 



fat, Wryssmann and Peter (Schweiz. Milchztg. 1902, No. 30) 

 found the milk of cows in estrum, in general, somewhat richer in 

 cream. They showed especially in several cases that the per cent 

 of fat was decidedly higher for one or two days before estrum than 

 during it. Also G. vSchroeder (Milchztg. 1874, No. 104) and 

 F. Schaffer ( Mitteil. d. Naturf. Ges. in Berne 1884 u. Milchztg. 

 1885, S. 151) found that the milk of cows in estrum showed a 

 high percent of fat. In the same publication the latter mentions 

 a case of continued nymphomania, in which the per cent, of albu- 

 minoids and solids was very high, and the rising quality of the 

 cream markedly weak, for w^hich two reasons were suggested. 

 on the one hand the increased density, on the other, the want of 

 large fat globules. 



The influence of castration upon the milk, and especiallv in 

 cases of nymphomania, is, according to all the above investigators, 

 favorable. Still our literature contains but few contributions upon 

 the matter. Dieulafait (Journ. d'Agric. Pract. 1864 I., P. 519, 

 ff. ), as well also as L. B. Arnold (Milchztg. 1873, S. 337) has ob- 

 served, by castration experiments, that the solid contents of milk 

 increased and the flavor improved, but the quantity decreased. 

 The analy.ses made by these investigators vary in their contents 

 within the boundaries of normal milk. Since castration, espec- 

 ially in nymphomaniac cows, is very common in Switzerland, the 

 analysis of the milk from these appealed strongly to us. 



For the investigations, milk was taken from nymphomaniac 

 and castrated cows. On the whole, the experiment animals 

 under our control were constantly in good general health, the 

 udders completely sound and the milk macroscopically normal. 



As experiment animals there were used the cows. Stor, Reh 

 and Graf ; Stor and Reh during n3-mphomania, and Stor and 

 Graf after their castration. 



Cow No. I, Stor, Simmerthal breed, about 10 years old, in 

 medium condition. The cow calved the last time on June 24, 

 1903, and -Still yielded in January, 1904, three liters of milk per 

 milking, and weighed 620 Kg. Since early in December, 1903, 

 she had shown well-marked nymphomania, but on account of 

 the experiment was not handled. Castration occurred on Feb- 

 ruary 18, 1904, and the results were favorable. The first milk 

 taken for chemical analysis, after castration, was on May 3, 1904. 



