Abortion in Cows. 
443 
I did not know much about cattle, but that we had no similarly 
infectious disease in the human subject ; and that as he was a 
member of the Royal Agricultural Society, I should advise him 
to send a sample of his hay to their Botanist for examination, 
as it might be caused by a fungoid growth named Ergot, which 
attacked grasses as well as our food-cereals. 
Unfortunately at that time I was practically unacquainted 
with the appearance of ergot in its growing state, though I was 
quite familiar with the mature specimens used in medicine, 
which are gathered from the cereal rye. 
I saw no more of this gentlemen, Mr. H., for some months. 
When we next met, he told me he thought I was right in 
my view of the cause of the abortions. I asked him if he 
had sent his hay to be examined, and found he had not ; 
but that he had seriously considered what I had previously 
said on the subject, and had determined to test the hay him- 
self, which he did by withholding his own hay from the 
cows and substituting purchased hay. From that time, and 
without any other known change in their surroundings or food, 
his remaining in-calvers carried their calves to the full period 
of gestation. 
This apparent success led me to make further enquiries, and 
I soon found what a terrible scourge this malady had been to 
farmers in this district, and how little it was understood by 
them. 
I considered some of my spare time would not be ill spent 
in collecting all the obtainable information respecting this 
malady from those whose herds had been affected by it. With 
this end in view, I drew up a number of questions which I 
put systematically to my informants, the answers to which I 
duly entered in my notebook. These questions have been 
added to as experience has suggested. 
About this time I read an article on this subject in the 
Society's 'Journal,'* in which the writer considered that bad 
water and bulls were frequent contributors to this malady. He 
also " believes that ergot is often innocently blamed — and 
further, that instead of being a frequent cause of abortion, it is 
an exceedingly rare one." 
I therefore made especial enquiries as to the merits of these 
three possible agents in the production of this malady, as well 
as the locally universally assigned cause, viz., infection. 
As a guide to my readers in perusing the frequently long 
and, I am afraid, somewhat tedious histories of the local out- 
breaks, I will briefly state that my experience is quite at 
* Second Series, vol. xxi., pp. 502 et seq. 
2 G 2 
