262 Veterinary Elements. 



has been proved to be due to a germ, consequently anti- 

 septic measures are the ones to adopt in order to be suc- 

 cessful. The disease tends to run out in a herd in the 

 course of three or four years, unless freshly infected cat- 

 tle are brought into the herd; sterility (barrenness) fre- 

 quently follows this disease, a condition thought to be 

 due to an acid condition of the uterine contents caused 

 by the germ of this disease. Abortions usually occur 

 during the third or the seventh month of pregnancy, 

 and are detected by the swelling of the udder, a dirty 

 reddish purulent discharge from the genitals, a decrease 

 and change in the character of the milk, and the dead 

 fetus, which is generally expelled three days after the 

 appearance of the discharge. Abortion early in the preg- 

 nancy is often undetected until a short time before the 

 date of calving, when the stockman is quite surprised to 

 find the animal showing signs of heat. The treat- 

 ment of this serious disease is mainly preventive, all 

 pregnant animals should be removed from those aborting 

 and the separation should be complete. Disinfection 

 must be carried out as follows: All cows should have 

 the external genitals thoroughly washed with a solution 

 of corrosive sublimate, one part to 2,000 of water, or a 

 half to two per cent, solution of carbolic acid or creolin; 

 those animals that have aborted should have a couple of 

 quarts of one of the solutions injected into the vagina 

 and uterus. The washing of the external genitals should 

 take place daily, once or twice a week will be often 

 enough for the injections, depending on the amount of 

 the discharges. All fetuses, soiled bedding and dis- 

 charges should be destroyed, the stables should receive 



