232 Cattle ProUems. 



ordered condition of tlie blood circulation, giving rise to 

 such accidental heat and premature coupling, or coupling 

 entirely out of the normal season. 



How, or from what circumstances does this premature 

 coupling, and the false heat that leads to it, arise ? This is a 

 pertinent and important question, and requires as consis- 

 tent and reasonable an answer as, under the circumstances, 

 it may be practicable to give. 



When cows abort at any period of pregnancy, from 

 udder-supply artery engorgement — as explained in the 

 chapter on that subject — the demand for blood nutrition 

 by the embryo is abruptly terminated by the premature 

 expulsion of the embryo and placenta from the breeding 

 organ together. The demand for blood nutrition for the 

 embryo being thus suddenly terminated by abortment, a 

 rapidly-produced condition of engorgement in the uterine 

 and ovarian blood-vessels is the result. 



In any case of abortment, after the third or fourth 

 month, the degree of engorgement arising from the sud- 

 denly arrested flow of blood to the embryo, must be great 

 in extent in the ovarian region. But, when abortion 

 occurs about the fourth month, or later, the glut of 

 blood that engorges the uterine and ovarious blood-ves- 

 sels is increased, according to the lateness of the period 

 at which it occurs, and the size of the embryo when the 

 abortion takes place — the degree of engorgement being 

 according to the size of the embryo, because the quantity 

 of blood whose flow is arrested is according to the size of 

 the embryo when its demand for nutriment suddenly 

 ceases from abrupt abortment. It appears certain, then, 

 that wlien abortion occurs as late as the middle of preg- 

 nancy, as happens in many instances, the extent of en- 

 gorgement by a sudden glut in the blood-vessels of the 

 breeding organ, and in the proximate vessels of the 

 ovaries and oviducts, must be extreme, and of course 



