Infectious Abortion of the Cow 507 



more readily cleansed. The entire preputial region should be 

 scrupulously cleansed and disinfected. 



Great care should be taken at all times by owners of dairies or 

 herds of breeding cows to prevent' the introduction of the infec- 

 tion into the herd. One of the most common means for intro- 

 ducing abortion from a distance is the purchase and introduc- 

 tion into the herd of new cows or bulls for breeding purposes. 

 New breeding animals should always be kept isolated from the 

 general herd, until it is evident that they are free from any in- 

 fection. It may even be advisable to thoroughly disinfect the 

 genitals of new breeding animals, as a precaution, before using 

 them for breeding purposes. 



It is important also, if the owner of a herd desires to eradicate 

 abortion from his premises, that he shall not introduce new ani- 

 mals while the disease is active. Should it become necessary to 

 purchase new animals, they should be kept apart from the in- 

 fected herd and cared for by persons who do not come in contact 

 with the other animals. Neither should an owner sell animals 

 which have aborted and buy new ones, with a view to getting 

 rid of the disease. He can much more readily control the disease 

 and eradicate it from the premises, by keeping the infected herd 

 and applying means which we now regard as reliable for control- 

 ling the malady, than by disposing of the aborted animals and 

 procuring new ones. 



It is still more unfortunate, and to be vigorously condemned, 

 for the owner of an infected herd to sell his cows for breeding 

 purposes, without imparting to the buyer a full knowledge of 

 the circumstances. Unscrupulous dealers may thus spread and 

 distribute the infection over a wide area of country. The selling 

 of cows which may be bearers of infectious abortion for any other 

 purpose than immediate slaughter should be strictly prohibited 

 by law and, so long as it is not, a sense of moral duty should 

 prevent an owner of such cows from selling them in a way to 

 render dissemination of the disease probable. 



C. Abortion in Other Domestic Animals. 



Infectious abortion in other domestic animals than the mare 

 and cow is not very common, but we find instances recorded of 

 comparatively severe losses from this disease in sheep, goats and 

 swine. In these animals the disease has not been extensively 



