CONDITIONS FOLLOWING PARTURITION. 125 



parturition. It is said to be most frequently observed 

 in Cows in poor condition ; primipars often suffer. It 

 is not always recurrent. If the pregnant Cow is 

 attacked, it is thought to be usually about the middle 

 of the period of gestation, when recovery may follow 

 "without premature labor being induced. 



Symptoms in the cases of Mr. Clark, recorded in the 

 ■"Journal of Comparative Pathology and Therapeutics," 

 and referred to by Dr. George Fleming, are as follows : 



" Foaming at the mouth, champing of the jaws, 

 prominent, staring eyes, excited expression, head very 

 often turned to the side ; sometimes licking at the fore- 

 leg, stall, or some imaginary object. Some Cows I 

 iiave heard bellow, others do not do so ; there was 

 twitching of the body and limbs (clonic spasm), 

 difficulty of respiration according to intensity of the 

 attack. The convulsions generally last two or three 

 hours, and in the majority of cases do not reach the 

 ■stage of coma, although I have had cases which have 

 •done so." 



Few cases have been reported in the other animals. 



Opinions as to etiology and pathology differ: 

 neurosis, due to reflex irritation of the spinal nervous 

 system ; albuminuria ; acute cerebral anaemia ; irritation 

 of the vasa-motor centre, resulting from an anaemic 

 <;ondition of the blood, produced by the retention of 

 ■effete material which the kidneys had failed to remove ; 

 renal insufficiency ; reflex irritation of uterine nerve- 

 centres ; excessive lactation, etc. 



Treatment. — The recommendations are: venesection, 

 •diuretics and laxatives, belladonna, chloral, etc. 



