Hypertrophy of the Corpus Luteum 229 



The artificially aroused estrum is identical with that occurring 

 normally and the percentage of impregnations is as high as in 

 spontaneous heat. The artificially aroused estrum appears in 

 50 % of the cases on the evening of the third day or on the morn- 

 ing of the fourth, in 20 % from 4-10 days, and in 10 % from 

 10-28 days after the operation. In 20 % of the operated animals, 

 estrum failed to appear. At the point from which the persistent 

 yellow body was dislodged there often develop, but not always, 

 one or several new corpora in the course of a few days, which, in 

 case estrum fails to appear, should again be pressed out. 



IV. Hypertrophy of the Corpus IvUTeum. 



In this region there is observed not rarely a condition which, 

 up to the present, has not been considered in veterinary litera- 

 ture as a cause of sterility in cows, the same consisting of a 

 hypertrophy of the corpus luteum. 



The animals which have been affected with this lesion have 

 been young cows and heifers, which have in all cases suffered, a 

 few weeks to 2 to 4 months previously, from infectious granular 

 vaginitis and, after recovery, in spite of estrum having recurred 

 regularly and normally every three weeks or in rare cases every 

 19-20 days and having been regularly bred to healthy bulls, first 

 to one and then another, yet fail to conceive. All animals 

 affected with hypertrophy of the yellow bodies show as a rule a 

 shortened estrual period of 12-15 hours duration. Rarely, it is 

 normal or persists for 48 hours and is too severe, and as a rule 

 these animals show for 2-4 days after estrum a voluminous dis- 

 charge of sanious mucus, which is always prognostically bad for 

 conception. Examination reveals normal tone and tension of 

 the sacro-sciatic ligaments, constant traces of infectious granular 

 vaginitis, constricted vulva, normal os uteri and uterus. 

 . One of the ovaries, and indeed almost always the left, appears 

 normal ; the other, even when examined only a few days prior 

 to the appearance of estrum, is found affected with one to three 

 greatly hypertrophied corpora lutea, and presents prominent, 

 -deeply fissured, clearly defined outgrowths, as thick as one's 

 thumb and as much as 4 cm. long, spherical, papilliform or wart- 

 like, at times soft, in other cases firm, elastic in consistence. 



Our method of handling consists either of administering daily 

 :for 6-10 days before breeding, 25-40 grammes of powdered 



