472 Diseases of the Genital Organs 



ment. If a heifer, her udder enlarges, verifying the assump- 

 tion of pregnancy. Then comes a recession in the evidences 

 of approaching parturition. The abdominal enlargement re- 

 cedes imperceptibly for week after week, the enlarged udder 

 slowly resumes its pre-conceptional volume and appearance, 

 and the time for parturition draws near and passes by with- 

 out trace of sexual function of any kind. The general health 

 is unaffected. 



Vaginal exploration reveals a typical uterine seal of preg- 

 nancy. Rectal palpation, if by chance made soon after the 

 occurrence of the hemorrhage, reveals the uterus filled with 

 a rather firm, doughy, even mass, deeply embedded within 

 which a fetal cadaver (or sometimes twins) may be recog- 

 nized. As desiccation proceeds, every stage is encountered 



Fig. i68 — Complete Desiccation of Fetus following Inter- 

 Placental Hemorrhag-e. 



up to the completion of the process, shown in Fig. 168. Then 

 one may palpate per rectum the limbs, ribs, head, hollow 

 orbits, and all skeletal detail^. The completion of the desic- 

 cation will naturally vary. In a fetus twenty-four inches 

 long from nose to base of tail, I think the completion of the 

 process requires six to eight months. 



Bang has procured cultures of the B. abortus from the 

 desiccated debris. He does not state that other bacteria 

 were or were not present. I am not aware of other bacterial 

 search. 



