904 ■ Veterinary Obstetrics 



the bacteria themselves, the disease may run a favorable course, 

 with complete recovery in a comparatively short time. When 

 the bone marrow is involved, the disease becomes more serious, and 

 a fatal termination is probable, as is also the case when the dis- 

 ease assumes a purulent character and abscesses form in or about 

 the articular capsule. 



Upon post-mortem examination the synovial membranes of 

 the joints are found reddened and thickened, and the superficial 

 epithelium destroyed. The synovia is of a dark yellow color, or 

 purulent in character, while the tissues outside the capsule are 

 infiltrated. Scattered here and there are small purulent cen- 

 ters. The articular cartilage may be eroded and destroyed, and 

 the epiphy.ses of the bones may have undergone purulent de- 

 struction. 



Handling. Our first care in the handling of the disease should 

 be the thorough and repeated disinfection of the genital tract, in 

 order to prevent further absorption of septic material from the 

 original source. If the fetal membranes, or fragments of them, 

 still remain in the uterus, they should be removed. If some of 

 the cotyledons are necrotic, and destined to slough away, the pro- 

 cess should be hastened by their removal, and the organ thorough- 

 ly irrigated with antiseptic .solutions. 



Reliable antiseptics should be applied to the affected articula- 

 tions by means of a large pack of cotton, jute or oakum, kept 

 constantly saturated with the di.sinfectant. In .some instances 

 where the bone is extensively involved, it has been recommended 

 to apply the thermo-cautery in small punctures. When ab- 

 scesses form about the joint, they should be treated according to 

 surgical principles, though as a general rule they cannot be suc- 

 cessfully handled. 



Internally the animal may receive antiseptics, among which 

 de Bruin especially recommends camphor and turpentine. 



b. Metastatic Tendovaginitis. Under this title de Bruin 

 describes an inflammation of the tendon sheaths of cows during 

 the puerperal state, occurring chiefly in the great flexor tendons. 



The symptoms consist of a stiffness in the gait, with evidences 

 of pain, accompanied by loss of appetite and of milk secretion, 

 and a tendency for the animal to remain in the recumbent posi- 

 tion. Examining the animal locally, the veterinarian finds the 

 tendon sheaths hot, swollen and tender. The disease mav co-exist 



