Parturient Paresis in the Cow 



921 



Somewhat rarely it may attack cows belonging to the dis- 

 tinctively beef breeds, but even then it is usually in those which 

 are heavy milkers. 



The disease occurs usually in adult cows, rarely in the young 

 or aged. Harms, citing Bavarian statistics, gives the following 

 table of the ages at which 127 cows were attacked by milk fever. 



At the age of 3 years ___ 



4 " 



5 

 6 



7 

 8 



9 

 10 

 II 



[2 

 13 



14 



I 



4 

 20 



14 

 22 

 18 

 22 

 12 



3 

 6 

 2 

 I 



15 " — 2 



Harms, quoting Haycock, gives the following duration of 

 time after parturition, at which parturient paresis made its 

 appearance. 



5 times immediately after calving. 

 8 " 20 hours " 



We have diagnosed parturient paresis, both before and during 

 parturition. In these cases all the cardinal symptoms of the 

 malady presented themselves, and the course and termination were 

 identical with those usually observed. 



Harms, early in his career, diagnosed cases of milk fever before 

 birth, during the act, and as long after parturition as 30 days ; 

 but later he concluded that he had been in error and had been 

 dealing with spinal meningitis or hydrocephalus, two diseases 

 which he regarded as very difficult to differentiate from milk fever. 

 According to his view, parturient paresis in the cow does not 

 occur at all before the fetal membranes have been expelled. He 

 cites other practitioners, however, among whom is Thomsen of 

 Flemsbury, who had a cow fall with paresis while he was remov- 



