I02 Veterinary Obstetrics 



these organs and tissues. The disinfectants used must not be too 

 irritant to the highly sensitive mucosa of the genital passages, 

 since they induce straining, inflammation, adhesions and other dis- 

 agreeable consequences. Disinfecting douches, ointments, pow- 

 ders and tampons have been commended, all having a common 

 aim. Among douches there have been suggested 2 to 2j^ "/o solu- 

 tionsof lysol, creolin and similar drugs; .5% silver nitrate, .1% 

 potassium permanganate, 5% ichthyol, etc. Likewise, with pow- 

 ders, a wide variation is available, such as zinc sulphate, alum, 

 tannin and others, reduced by mixing with starch or other inert 

 powder. In this group, we should also mention iodoform, be- 

 cause of its local anaesthetic action, its weight, which would 

 cause it to drop into the depressions between the elevations of 

 the mucosa, and its comparative insolubility, causing it to re- 

 main in position for 24 and more hours, presumably to be slow- 

 ly converted into iodine. It has one very .serious objection in the 

 dairy, its odor, which is at all times liable to taint the milk. If 

 it is to be used, great care should be taken in its application, 

 some. person other than the milker applying it, since his hands 

 inevitably become somewhat saturated with the drug. 



It may be best introduced by means of a gelatine capsule, to 

 be later broken and the powder liberated. Other drugs, like lysol 

 and creolin, require cautious handling in the dairy, to avoid the 

 contamination of the milk. In the use of tampons, the vulvo- vagi- 

 nal cavity may be packed with gauze or cotton saturated with a 

 disinfectant. Usually animals resist the presence of a tampon in. 

 the vulva or vagina and tend to expel it. 



Some experienced practitioners praise auti.septic ointments very 

 highly. They may vary greatly in composition and consist of 

 well nigh any disinfectant, incorporated with a heavy fat, like 

 cocoa butter, wax or tallow. The latter is very cheap and may 

 have added to it a little wax in order to give it the proper firm- 

 ness. Along with the desired antiseptics, the mixture may be 

 placed over a fire and brought to the melting point, when all in- 

 gredients are mixed, and, while still soft, may be molded into 

 suppositories, say in form of a candle, about one-half to one inch 

 thick by five to eight inches in length. Such suppositories are 

 very readily introduced through the vulva, and, unless containing 

 highly irritant antiseptics, are well borne by the patient. 



