Abortion in Cattle. 
733 
one of the earliest writers (1786) on cattle, Clater, may be 
I referred to. This author writes in very general terms. He 
I speaks of abortion as one of the curses of the breeder, refers 
' to some of the common causes, and speaks also of the epizootic 
! character which the disease sometimes assumes. Even at that 
early period, it was clearly recognised that the affection did 
present the character of a contagious malady. 
Youatt, in 1834, enters into details ; he refers to the suscep- 
tibility of cows above that of other animals of the farm. After 
speaking of the common causes of sporadic abortion, accidents, 
climatic changes, certain kinds of food, violence, and excitement, 
he gives the history of a remarkable case which he quotes from 
the French veterinarian Chabert. A farmer at Toury, in France, 
had abortion among his cows for thirty years, before it came 
imder the notice of this expert. On inquiry into the history of 
this case, it appeared that, thirty years before, the farmer had 
purchased a cow from a distant part. The animal, on being 
brought into his herd, aborted, and other animals followed. 
Subsequently he lost a considerable number of calves in this 
way. From time to time he had animals removed, and filled 
up their places with fresh stock. Still, every year a certain 
proportion of the in-calf cows aborted, and this continued 
during the whole period of the thirty years which intervened be- 
I tween the purchaseof the cow and the attendance of the veterinary 
expert Chabert. The advice given was to get rid of the whole 
of the stock, and start afresh. The farmer saw the reasonable- 
ness of this suggestion, adopted it, and abortion entirely ceased. 
This case was quoted in 1834, and it brings us very close 
indeed to the results of the researches which have taken place 
within the last few years. 
Keference must next be made to a paper in this Society's 
Journal for 1851, written by Mr. Barlow. • This gentleman 
was at the time a demonstrator of anatomy in the Edinburgh 
Veterinary College, and there is no doubt that his untimely 
death about 1855 robbed the veterinary profession of a very 
distinguished ornament, and one of the most rising men of the 
time. He gives an account of certain cases which came under 
his notice, and writes a very able description of the causes, 
symptoms, and methods of prevention. He starts with this 
statement : — • 
From various inquiries which have heen made, and from the statements 
of travellers and other persons competent to speak on the subject, it seems 
that among the vast herds of wild cattle inhabiting- large tracts of country 
on the continents of the Old and New AVorld abortion is unknown. 
' R.A.S.E. Journal, Vol. XII., Part I, 1st Series, 1851, pp. 64, 72. 
