534 Diseases of the Genital Organs 



cent., but 60 per cent, showed intense pyo-cervicitis and 

 were sterile. The quarantine of the 15 per cent, of aborters 

 could cure the cervicitis neither in these nor in the 45 per 

 cent, of cows having cervicitis which had not aborted. 

 Quarantine could not influence favorably either the quaran- 

 tined or the remainder of the herd from which the aborters 

 were removed. Clinically the scheme for controlling abor- 

 tion by the quarantine of aborters has failed completely. 

 It has been the common measure applied throughout the 

 civilized world for more than fifty years, a period during 

 which the virulence of the infections of the genital organs 

 and the economic losses sustained have increased enor- 

 mously. The quarantine of aborters has been attempted by 

 the most intelligent, earnest and competent dairymen and 

 breeders, whose losses have been, if anything, greater — 

 certainly no less — than the losses in the herds of the most 

 careless and ignorant. Although quarantine of aborters 

 has been conscientiously and faithfully applied to many 

 herds since the theory of specific disease became established, 

 no record is extant, so far as I am aware, where the quar- 

 antine of aborters has favorably influenced reproduction. 

 If failure in practice is competent argument against a the- 

 ory, then the theory that abortion is a specific contagious 

 disease of cattle, and that quarantine based upon that the- 

 ory is a valuable sanitary measure, falls to the ground. 



Some of the devotees to the theory of the specific charac- 

 ter of abortion have recently turned to another quarantine 

 scheme consisting of the diagnosis of the alleged specific in- 

 fection by the agglutination and complement-fixation tests 

 of the blood of each animal in a herd. Quite naturally they 

 have advised that, in assembling herds and in making addi- 

 tions thereto, these tests should be applied to all purchases. 

 It has already been pointed out that the line of demarcation 

 between infected and non-infected, as indicated by these 

 tests, has been fixed by absolutely arbitrary means and that 

 the agglutination and complement-fixing power of the blood 

 from infected and non-infected animals is absolutely un- 

 known. Even if it were admitted that abortion in cattle is a 



