1905.] 



Milk Fever. 



617 



prevention and treatment, is given in the Board's leaflet 

 (No. 96), and reference is made to a successful method adopted 

 by a Danish veterinarian within the last few years which 

 has considerably increased the percentage of recoveries. A 

 "Farmers' Bulletin" (No. 206) recently issued by the United 

 States Department of Agriculture gives a detailed account of 

 this treatment, of which the following summary may be of 

 interest : — 



Numerous theories have been advanced by various investi- 

 gators as to the direct cause of milk fever. Schmidt, of 

 Miihlheim, claimed that it was due to an auto-intoxication, 

 produced by the absorption of toxins from the uterus. This 

 theory was superseded in 1897 by that of J. Schmidt, of Kolding, 

 Denmark, who claimed that the disease was produced by the 

 absorption from the udder of leucomaines, resulting from the 

 decomposition of the colostrum. He advocated the injection 

 of the udder with an aqueous solution of potassium iodide, 

 which method was followed by an immediate decrease in the 

 mortality to a very marked degree. The great success attendant 

 upon this line of treatment at once gave the theory general 

 recognition, and this very difficult problem was at last thought 

 to be solved. Within the last few years injections of 

 etherized air, oxygen, and sterile atmospheric air have 

 been used with wonderful success, To Andersen, of 

 Skanderborg, belongs the credit of first having made use of 

 plain atmospheric air. The results were astonishingly success- 

 ful. Thus out of 914 cases treated in Denmark 884, or 967 

 per. cent., were restored to health. The record of 140 of these 

 animals shows that recovery occurred in the average time of 

 6§ hours. Of this number 25 cases required a second injection, 

 while in three it was necessary to give a third treatment before 

 they were able to get on their feet. The treatment is practically 

 harmless, as the statistics of the above-mentioned 914 cases 

 show that only one cow was affected with a severe attack of 

 caked bag, while in four other cases a milder inflammation of 

 the udder was apparent. The method of injecting filtered air 

 into the udder is easy of manipulation, requires but little 

 time, and is readily accomplished by means of a milk fever 

 apparatus constructed for the purpose. 



