On Abortion in Coivs. 



81 



will betray a high degree of excitement ; this, especially to preg- 

 nant animals, cannot fail to be injurious. 



Over-feeding seems sometimes to cause abortion, by promoting 

 such a state of system in the cow as is unfavourable to a healthy 

 development of the foetus. It is not animals in a plethoric habit 

 of body that are best adapted for breeding ; indeed it is a common 

 remark that fat cows have generally smaller calves than those not 

 in such high condition. Large quantities of rich and stimulating 

 food may favour the deposition of fat in a pregnant cow, but her 

 circulating blood, by being highly charged with nutritious material, 

 becomes less adapted for the requirements of foetal subsistence. 

 In some parts of the country where cattle are fed on low marshy 

 ground, or on land yielding rank and succulent herbage, such 

 as grows on meadows occasionally flooded, abortion will occa- 

 sionally occur to a great extent. It seems here to be induced by 

 the irritating or stimulating action which the herbage of these 

 localities exercises on the bowels, which action, being of prolonged 

 duration, ultimately influences the uterus. There is great sym- 

 pathy (so called) between the uterus and digestive organs ; they lie 

 in close connection with each other, are formed of the same kind of 

 muscle and membranes, and are supplied with blood-vessels and 

 nerves from the same common centres. Among organs in the animal 

 frame so related, there is always a strong disposition to become 

 affected, each in its own way, by much the same common causes 

 of disease, provided those causes act with sufficient mtensity. 

 An opinion obtains in some localities that abortion is produced 

 by cattle drinking the water of particular streams and springs 

 which contain an undue amount of mineral material. Some 

 waters are known not to agree with animals, more especially 

 with man and the horse, and it is quite possible they may exer- 

 cise an injurious effect on cows also, but whether any waters 

 which cattle will usually drink are really capable of producing 

 abortion, observation and fair experiment have not yet, in our 

 opinion, sufficed to prove. It is very rare indeed that cattle^ if 

 left to themselves, will eat any kind of plants which produce 

 injurious effects on the system ; their exquisite sense of smell 

 and instinctive knowledge cause them to avoid deleterious vege- 

 tables as food. We know of no cases in which abortion was 

 fairly traceable to the action of acrid or poisonous plants. 



Treatment of Abortion. 



This is to be considered under two heads ; first, the preventive, 

 and, second, the remedial treatment : the former is to be enforced 

 when certain symptoms present themselves, which, as has been 

 before shown, threaten abortion, and is also to be applied to pre- 



VOL. XII. G 



