118 SPRING-TIME SURGERY 



stumps. Thus the vessels are promptly out of 

 harm's way. The mother next gives the navel im- 

 portant attention by licking. This act is gener- 

 ally supposed to be purely cleansing but it is very 

 much more. When intact, the naval cord is 

 largely made up of the gelatinous, semi-fluid 

 Whartonian gelatin which if left in the cord 

 affords an excellent breeding ground for patho- 

 genic microorganisms. This fluid, under normal 

 conditions, slowly oozes from the stump of the 

 cord and the latter finally desiccates, but the 

 mother greatly hastens this process by a kind of 

 tongue-massage. The fluid is forcibly pressed out 

 during the licking process. This is especially em- 

 phasized in the cow with her rough, prehensile 

 tongue, with which she exerts much force. In 

 harmony with this, calves suffer far less from 

 navel infection than do foals, whose navels get 

 less tongue massage from the mother. In fact 

 naval infection in calves is seen mostly in those 

 early removed from their dams and this natural 

 care of the navel by the mother prevented. 



Ligation Harmful. — Many veterinarians and 

 most veterinary obstetricians advise or practise 



