B44 DISEASES OF THE NEWLY-BOEX. 



the causes producing the condition in dairy cows are identical 

 with those inducing the same affection in sheep. 



It has been conclusively proven that the introduction of a 

 cow to a herd will often be followed by abortion of a number of ' 

 the members composing the herd, that is to say, if the new-comer 

 is from a herd where abortion has frequently taken place. 



It was also found that a bull which served cows that had 

 aborted was liable to carry the infection to other previously 

 healthy cows, with the consequence that while they would con- 

 ceive and carry the foetus for a certain length of time, the ma- 

 jority would abort, or be prematurely delivered about the seventh 

 month of gestation. 



A Scotch commission, selected to enquire into the causes 

 and devise methods for the prevention of abortion among dairy 

 cows in Scotland, made a voluminous report in which the con- 

 clusion was drawn that it was virtually a contagious affection, al- 

 thoug'h they were unable to isolate the particular germ respon- 

 sible for the trouble^ but it was shown that the introduction of 

 small quantities of the vaginal discharge from an aborting sub- 

 ject into the vagina of a healthy pregnant cow would be invari- 

 ably followed by abortion on the part of that animal. In fact it 

 was only necessary, to soil the posterior parts and tail of a healthy 

 pregnant subject with the foetal membranes from an affected 

 animal to shortly produce the same condition in the former. It 

 was also apparent that the contagium was very active in the 

 foetal membranes and tissues of the prematurely delivered calf, 

 and that these being allowed to remain in the field or on compost 

 heaps were a constant source of danger to pregnant animals. As 

 has previously been stated, so far all experiments have been con- 

 ducted to deterinine the nature of this affection among cattle — 

 dairy cows in particular. Tke loss to the dairyman having as- 

 sumed large proportions, the production of milk was seriously 

 curtailed by its ravages. While this condition among ewes has 



