132 SPRINGTIME SURGERY 



from the stump it may be efficiently disinfected 

 and desiccated by the application of tincture of 

 iodine, but this needs be done with great care, 

 lest the skin about the navel be blistered. Iodine 

 is not wholly safe in the hands of the layman, and 

 it is the layman who must usually care for the 

 navel of the new-born under directions from the 

 veterinarian. 



While we frequently see glowing accounts of 

 how navel infection in new-born animals has been 

 cured by this or that veterinarian by bacterins or 

 other very remarkable remedies, the conservative 

 veterinarian would as yet prefer secure prophy- 

 laxis to glorious, sensational cures. He may not 

 get as much money out of it, but he will gain 

 much in satisfaction and in professional standing. 



