41 8 Diseases of the Genital Organs 



present state of our knowledge is to let the body alone, un- 

 less it is greatly prolonging the estrual period, and to hope 

 that there may be a spontaneous control of the condition, 

 possibly assisted by giving careful attention to the cervix 

 and uterus if they are participating in the general infection 

 present. 



7. Hypertrophy of the Corpus Luteum 



Much has appeared in the writings of some veterinarians 

 regarding hypertrophy of the corpus luteum in cattle. They 

 have not as a rule defined precisely what is meant by the 

 term. In examining thousands of cattle in the abattoir, I 

 have observed but one true case of hypertrophy of the cor- 

 pus luteum, and in that case the body was black instead of 

 yellow and the cow was pregnant. This eijlarged corpus 

 luteum is shown in Fig. 131. 



There is another type of corpus luteum, however, which 

 has been described in the two preceding paragraphs as 

 hemorrhagic corpus luteum and cystic degeneration of the 

 corpus luteum, in which the gross volume of the body may 

 attain an indefinite size. I have not been able to observe 

 that the actual volume of true lutein tissue has been ma- 

 terially increased. It is impossible, however, to differen- 

 tiate clinically between a true increase of lutein tissue and 

 an increase in the size of the corpus luteum because of the 

 presence of an old, hard blood clot of such consistence that 

 it cannot be distinguished from lutein tissue. It is well 

 then to retain the designation "hypertrophy of the corpus 

 luteum," as a clinical phenomenon, whether it is due to the 

 addition of a blood clot in the lutein tissue or to cystic de- 

 generation in the center. When such a corpus luteum is 

 present, it is almost invariably associated with sterility and 

 inhibits estrum for an indefinite period. Upon clinical ex- 

 amination the operator recognizes in one of the ovaries an 

 abnormally large corpus luteum. In many of these cases, 

 if he will palpate very carefully, cystic degeneration may be 

 recognized, although not yet far advanced. Such corpora 

 lutea attain a diameter of one to two and one-half inches or 



