DISEASES OF YOUNG CALVES. 247 



escape of urine and a few drops of whitish, serous pus from the ori- 

 fice of the urachus. In those cases in which urine is not discharged 

 a tender swelling, like a thick cord extending upward and backward 

 from the navel into the abdomen, may be identified. The navel 

 enlargement may be considerable, but it is solid, does not gurgle on 

 handling, and can not be done away with by pressing it back into the 

 abdomen, as in a case of hernia. 



In cases at first closed the pus may burst out later, coming from 

 the back part of the navel and the swelling extending backward. In 

 other cases wdiitish pus may pass with the urine by the ordinary chan- 

 nel, showing that it has opened back into the bladder. In other cases 

 the umbilical veins become involved, in w^hich case the swelling ex- 

 tends forward as well as backward. Thus the disease may result in 

 destructive disorders of the liver, lungs, and, above all, of the joints. 



The disease may usually be warded off or rendered simple and com- 

 paratively harmless by applying antiseptics to the navel string at 

 birth (carbolic acid 1 part, water and glycerin 5 parts each, or w^ood 

 tar). Later, antiseptics may be freely used (hyposulphite of soda 4 

 drams, water 1 quart) as an application to the surface and as an 

 injection into the urachus, or even into the bladder if the two still 

 communicate. If they no longer communicate, a stronger injection 

 may be used (tincture of chlorid of iron 60 drops, alcohol 1 ounce). 

 Several weeks will be required for complete recovery. 



ABSCESS OF THE NAVEL. 



As the result of irritation at calving or by the withered cord, or by 

 licking witn the rough tongue of the cow, inflammation may attack 

 the loose connective tissue of the navel to the exclusion of the urachus 

 and veins, and go on to the formation of matter. In this case a firm 

 swelling appears as large as the fist, which softens in the center and 

 may finally burst and discharge. The opening, however, is usually 

 small and may close prematurely, so that abscess after abscess is 

 formed. It is distinguished from hernia by the fact that it can not 

 be returned into the abdomen, and from inflammations of the veins 

 and urachus by the absence of swellings forward and backward along 

 the lines of these canals. 



Treatment consists in an early opening of the abscess by a free 

 incision and the injection twice a da}'' of an astringent antiseptic 

 (chlorid of zinc one-half dram, water 1 pint). 



INFLAMMATION OF THE NAVEL VEINS (UMBILICAL PHLEBITIS). 



In this affection of the navel the inflammation may start directly 

 from mechanical injury, as in either of the two forms just described, 

 but on this are inoculated infective microbes, derived from a retained 

 and putrefying afterbirth, an abortion, a metritis, a fetid discharge 



