MEDICINAL TREATMENT 199 



introduced into the womb. This procedure should be practiced 

 once a day for 10 days. After this, twice a week as long as the 

 discharge continues. Cows that have aborted should not be 

 bred again within a period of three or four months after the 

 abortion occurred. The foetus and the afterbirth of aborting 

 cows contain innumerable bacteria, hence they should be burned 

 or deeply buried. Unless this precaution is taken the infection 

 will be carried from one place to another. Lime should be 

 placed in the gutters to prevent the bacteria from spreading by 

 surface drainage. Barns or stables that become infected should 

 be thoroughly disinfected. The cattle should be removed and 

 the barn left empty for four or five days. All bedding and 

 litter should be removed and the walls and floors should be 

 scrubbed and then sprayed with a strong disinfectant solution. 

 One of the best disinfectants for stables is lime wash. To 

 improve the germicidal properties of lime one may add six 

 ounces of chloride of lime to every gallon of the lime wash. 

 This mixture may best be applied by using a spray pump so that 

 the disinfectant may be forced into the cracks and crevices. 



The bull may be prevented from carrying the infection by 

 disinfecting the penis and sheath before and after each service. 

 The long hair around the opening of the sheath should be 

 clipped and the surrounding parts bathed with a mild anti- 

 septic solution. 



In disinfecting the bull a small rubber hose will be found 

 quite serviceable, one end of which is inserted into the sheath 

 and held together by the hand so that the fluid will not imme- 

 diately escape. In the other end of the hose a funnel is inserted 

 into which the antiseptic solution is poured. In this way the 

 sheath pouch may be easily irrigated. Mild antiseptic solutions 

 should be used for this purpose. Infectious abortion may be sup- 

 pressed by maintaining strict preventive measures. 



Medicinal Treatment. — Many drugs have been used in the 

 treatment of abortion but none have proved to be of much value. 

 Certain drugs have been given credit for preventing abortion 

 in given herds, yet, no doubt, the same results would have been 

 obtained had no medicine been used. Carbolic acid and meth- 



