THE DANGERS AND INFECTIONS OF COITION. 



Injuries and dangers to animals during copulation or prepara- 

 tory thereto, involving both sexes, are not uncommon and are fre- 

 quently of a serious character. They include physical injuries 

 to both male and female, the transmission of infectious diseases 

 of a general character and that of specific venereal disorders. 



I. Physical Injuries. 



In the wild state, severe and fatal battles between rival males 

 are not infrequent and the same prevails to some degree among 

 domesticated animals, although, as a general rule, if several males 

 are kept together with a number of females they lose much of 

 their combativeness without, however, completely eradicating it. 

 The author has seen an instance of a fatal fray between two 

 rams which had been regularly kept together. 



When a strange male wanders into a herd or group of females 

 with which a male is regularly consorting there is at once a de- 

 termined fight between the two, which ends only with one or the 

 other becoming vanquished. In these battles, injuries of the 

 most diverse character occur, according to species and chance. 

 Their only prevention depends upon the proper confinement of 

 male animals. 



In most countries there ^re laws against the running at large 

 of male animals but, by custom, these are not enforced against 

 carnivora, an exception which should be overcome by the con- 

 finement of all females. 



There are further dangers, chiefly to the male, of injuries in 

 attempting to escape from or break into enclosures in order to 

 reach females, especially with horses and cattle. The appear- 

 ance of a female in estrum near by the enclosure of a male is a 

 signal for him to make violent attempts to escape from his con- 

 finement and reach the female. It is consequently of importance 

 that enclosures intended for the confinement of male breeding 

 animals should be especially secure and, as far as possible, all 

 elements avoided in their construction which would endanger 

 the animal in an effort to escape. 

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