GRANULAR VENEKEAL DISEASE AND ABORTION IN CATTLE. 51 



In one herd during a period of 10 years 61 heifers were bred on 

 the premises for the first time, of which 3, or 5 per cent, failed to con- 

 ceive and 58 became pregnant. Among the 58 heifers in first preg- 

 nancy 21 animals, or 36 per cent, aborted or calved prematurely. 

 Nine of the 21 aborting in first pregnancy did not conceive a second 

 time. Ten, or 48 per cent, of the heifers aborting during first preg- 

 nancy had reached, at the date of compilation, the termination of 

 second pregnancy with two abortions (20 per cent). Thirty-seven 

 heifers calved from their first pregnancy, of which 25 (67 per cent) 

 had terminated their second pregnancy at the date of compilation. 

 Of these 25, 4 (16 per cent) aborted. 



One of the four heifers which calved from the first pregnancy and 

 aborted from the second had retained placenta, which should be 

 accepted as indicating that the abortion infection had then seriously 

 invaded the pregnant uterus. Adding her to the first group of 10 

 heifers which aborted during first pregnancy and conceived again, we 

 have a total of 11, with 3 abortions, making 27 per cent of heifers 

 aborting during first pregnancy and reaborting during second preg- 

 nancy. If we deduct this heifer from the group calving normally 

 from the first pregnancy and aborting during the second, the total 

 is reduced to 24 animals, of which 3 (12 per cent) aborted. In other 

 words, the vital statistics of this herd indicate that a heifer which has 

 aborted or given birth to a premature calf or in which calving has 

 been complicated by retained placenta is more than twice as liable 

 to abort during her second pregnancy as is a heifer which has calved 

 normally from her first pregnancy. 



The statement is frequently heard that after two abortions a 

 marked immunity is acquired. Our data emphatically contradicts 

 this. Few cows ever conceive after a second abortion. A large 

 proportion of them succumb to metritis (placentitis with retained 

 placenta), many fail to breed again, and many others are sold to the 

 butcher or are otherwise excluded from the herd. 



Regarding premature birth and retained placenta as equivalents 

 of abortion,, 4 animals in the herd aborted twice or oftener. Of 

 these 4 reaborters, one was sold after the second abortion, another was 

 sterile for a year and then bred regularly, the third bred regularly 

 for seven years. The fourth cow aborted her first pregnancy and 

 had retained placenta, her second pregnancy resulted the same; she 

 was sterile her third breeding year; gave a premature birth with 

 retained placenta her fourth breeding year; and a calf and retained 

 placenta and fetal metritis in her fifth breeding year. The common 

 belief that abortion induces immunity to future abortions is one of 

 the most unfortunate errors which has been allowed to creep into the 

 question of abortion in cattle. One abortion predisposes to re- 

 abortion. 



