194 Diseases of the Genital Organs 



clean. So far as I could learn, the foundation for the de- 

 bility was his failure to carry a reasonable supply of water 

 a few paces. A change of caretakers promptly relieved the 

 condition, and within a month cows began to show estrum 

 and conceived promptly. 



C. Obesity 



Abundant food and a high state of nutrition must not be 

 confused with obesity. Obesity is not vigor, but may. be the 

 reverse. Vigor and an abundance of fat may coexist and 

 are not incompatible. While obesity may sometimes cause 

 sterility, it is far more frequently true that sterility causes 

 obesity. That is, if a cow or heifer is sterile, she does no 

 work, has abundant food, and is perhaps closely confined in 

 the stanchion. No special functional activities are present, 

 such as the secretion of butter fat or other product, which 

 would consume the extra nutrient materials taken in the 

 food. Consequently the animal takes on an abnormal quan-- 

 tity of fat. 



In many cases the obesity of sterility apparently has a 

 more interesting significance than the mere conversion of 

 redundant nutritive material into fat. This is preeminently 

 notable in cattle. The sterile heifer or cow frequently has 

 irregular, lumpy deposits of fat, especially great, irregular 

 lumps about the external iliac and ischiatic tuberosities. 

 The hair becomes rough and lustreless. The form of the 

 body becomes coarse and uncouth. If the genital organs are 

 examined, no great departure from the normal is found. 

 Perhaps the ovaries are rather small and the genital system 

 is wanting in tone. The animal may be dull and estrum ca- 

 pricious. 



The cause appears to be a disturbance of endocrine secre- 

 tions, probably a faulty secretion of the ovaries themselves, 

 which so modifies the nutritive system as a whole that fat 

 deposits are made in a manner quite in conflict with the gen- 

 eral physiologic laws of nutrition. Physiologic heifers or 

 cows may carry quite as much fat as the obese, sterile ani- 

 mal, but it is more evenly distributed, the coat retains its 



