658 Diseases of the Genital Organs 



calf with white scours generally acts specifically to ameli- 

 orate the disease. I have found no record, however, of any 

 control experiments to show that the blood serum from a 

 horse not immunized or fortified by means of artificial in- 

 oculation with the organism would not have a like effect. 

 A more direct test perhaps is the use of killed cultures of 

 artificially grown bacteria. Limited observations seem to 

 indicate that these act specifically under conditions not yet 

 fully determined and may give to the calf, under some con- 

 ditions, a more enduring resistance to diarrhea. 



Since white scours is not clearly defined, its symptoms 

 can not be accurately described. There is no epoch during 

 which the line of demarcation between health and disease is 

 as dim and hazy as in young calves. The healthy calf, when 

 born, has a glossy brilliant coat of hair, soft and velvety to 

 the touch ; its body is of even contour and plump ; and the 

 calf is up and playing in an hour -or two. Its intestines, 

 especially the rectum, contain a pound or more of rather 

 hard, yellowish or greenish to greenish-black meconium 

 consisting of biliary salts, exfoliated debris, hairs, and fre- 

 quently a swarm of bacteria. The great variation in size of 

 the meconial pellets, in their adhesion to each other, and in 

 their degree of desiccation, sometimes suggest that their 

 character is largely dependent upon the quantity and nature 

 of the infection present. Dysentery may exist at birth or 

 may develop at any hour post-natal. When a cow or heifer 

 has very severe infection in her uterus, the fetus when bom 

 is exceedingly dull and languid. It is unable to get up or to 

 stand when helped to its feet. Perhaps no diarrhea is pres- 

 ent. It may in fact die of calf septicemia. If death is held 

 in abeyance, the calf generally develops violent dysentery. 



Other calves, born apparently well, proceed to break down 

 with diarrhea in a few hours to eight, ten or more days. 

 The later in life the attack, the less stormy its course. When 

 violent dysentery is impending, the first indication of the 

 coming storm is a sudden rise in temperature. At this epoch 

 the calf is not notably ill, the feces are not thin, and there is 

 no marked loss of appetite. But this in severe cases is not 



