202 Diseases of the Ge^iital Organs 



dicative of a relative over-use under existing environment. 

 There is no question but that a breeding male may be readily 

 over-used and that such is a frequent occurrence, but more 

 commonly the use is relatively excessive because of bad man- 

 agement, where proper handling of the male would enable 

 him to make the number of services demanded, safely and 

 efficiently. 



My belief is that most males are called upon to copulate 

 too frequently. The most hygienic rule for reproduction in 

 the higher mammals is monogamy, and any departure from 

 that ideal is necessarily at some peril. Since great sires 

 which have cost heavily are expected to repay their owner 

 by begetting a large number of highly valuable young, poly- 

 gamy is crowded to its limit, and beyond. There are two 

 fundamental facts bearing upon sex hygiene which every 

 breeder should know and heed. Most breeding animals of 

 both sexes carry important infections in their genital tracts, 

 and coitus stimulates and heightens genital infections. The 

 number of copulations which a bull or stallion may safely 

 perform depends first upon the degree of infection or dis- 

 ease in his genital organs, and, second, upon his general 

 health and vigor. While many accounts are published of 

 the great numbers of copulations made by various bulls or 

 stallions, or the large number of progeny to their credit, 

 they constitute an infinitesimal proportion of the total. 

 Clinically we observe bull after bull breaking down genitally 

 under what would appear to be very moderate use. Ad- 

 mittedly the infection was probably there already but the 

 repeated copulations served to vitalize it and establish seri- 

 ous disease, precisely as coitus intensifies syphilis and gonor- 

 rhea. Moderate work of the male during the breeding sea- 

 son is not injurious, but favorable. It is a constant observa- 

 tion that a male breeding animal which is regularly exer- 

 cised or moderately worked is capable of rendering a greater 

 number of effective services than one which is closely con- 

 fined. 



Some writers condemn such foods as oil cake and malted 



