110 BOVINE OBSTETEIOS 



influenced, becomes asphyxiated, and may die. The cause has 

 had a two-fold action ; on the one side, uterine contractions are 

 produced ; on the other, death of the foetus by blood surcharged 

 with carbon. 



There are many disturbances which may follow when the 

 blood is laden with carbon dioxide, as tympanites, chronic 

 indigestion, pneumonia and many others. They may produce 

 abortion. It is an old fact that certain food, liable to produce 

 indigestion and other disturbances, may cause abortion ; for 

 instance, great quantities of hot distillery slops, frozen turnips, 

 clover. They act indirectly by causing circulatory disturb- 

 ances, or directly (see 2). 



2. The presence of certain materials in the blood, irritating the 

 uterine nervous system, and in this manner possibly producing 

 contractions. The detrimental influence of various food stuffs 

 and many causes belong here. 



(a) Mouldy food. Many fungi living upon the most com- 

 mon plants are accused of producing abortion. It is astonish- 

 ing how well a cow stands mouldy hay. We often see the 

 owner feed his cows hay which is full of dust, without bad 

 effects. Only certain fungi exert an unfavorable influence upon 

 the uterus. Ergot of rye (secale cornutum), when present in 

 large quantities, is an ecbolic. In all probability other auxil- 

 iary causes must be present, as experiment shows that secale 

 cornutum only produces contractions when labor pains are 

 already present. The Ustilago family contains some fungi 

 which act directly upon the uterus, as Tilletia caries of wheat, 

 also Ustilago carbo and Ustilago maidis. Gerlach reports the 

 following observation : Animals aborted the second and third 

 day after eating the almost black chaff of rusty wheat, Tilletia 

 caries ; in five weeks, ten cows aborted which had eaten more or 

 less of such chaff. 



According to Haselbach, eleven cows aborted in eight days 

 after having been fed with corn covered with rust. 



[Experience in this country and my own observations 

 failed to prove the abortive properties of Ustilago maidis. 

 — W.] 



