March 2, 1903.] 
Supplemetit to the "Tropical Agriculturist," 
G49 
being able to cope with the waste products in the 
blood during the time of rapidly rising lactation, 
especially us the liver and in fact all the glands in 
the animal economy have been in a state of cora- 
paraf.ive quiescence curing the dry period — the 
light food the animal gets when dry is suddenly 
altered to stimulating food — and this condition 
may give rise to the auto-intoxication that 
produces the symptoms that we all so well know, 
and the eight principal symptoms have been put 
before you when contrasting them with puerperal 
eclampsia, so I will go on to the treatment niid 
sequelas. This much then can be said of milk 
fever, that it may be considered a genuine auto- 
intoxication cau^d by the accumalation or manu- 
factue in the system of toxic material during the 
first stages of lactation. This circulating through 
the blood causes the symptoms of poisoning of the 
whole system of the animal. In relation to tin's 
theory I would point out that only good milkers 
are attacked, and that those which have been 
dry tor some time are more liable, especially those 
that have been fed on rich food when dry, and 
cows that are hardly ever outside the byre. These 
sort of cattle, after an easy calving, go at the 
milking in a hurry (as we may say), and arrive at 
the height_^of lactation very quickly, and iu this 
way the intoxication occurs, owing to the over- 
burdening of the liver and kidneys with work. 
Just avS when the air we breathe is polluted with 
a certain amount- of Co2 we show the effects of 
Co2 poisoning, so, when the toxic material gets to 
a certain percentage in the blood of the cow she 
shows the symptoms of ])oisoning. Of the 
percentage that it takes I can't say, but this is the 
theory 1 hold in regard to milk fever, and upon 
this I base my treatment, and whether it is a 
product of casein, ueuclein, albumen, or what, I 
am not prepared to say. Clearly it is the province 
of our scientists to elucidate such , problems, for 
the general practitioners have neither time, money, 
nor appliances to do so. 
2'i-eattnent. — I have tried a lot of remedies in 
milk fever ; I have tried the following injections 
into the udder and they have proved fairly effi- 
cacious. 
li Chinosol from 40 to 60 grs., according to 
size and weight of cow ; boiled water 2 quarts. 
Aud after milking the cow, clean and disinfect 
the udder and teats, when about the blood-heat 
I inject one-fourth into each teat. I also give 
the following every three hours alternately if the 
cow can swallow, and if in a weak state I give 4 
oz. spt. ammon. arom. in 1 pint cold water, aud if 
she can't I inject with the stomach pump. 
1^ Liq. ammon. ucet, cone, (1 in 7) 3ii. 
Spt. ether uitrosa gii. 
Aqua gxii. 
Then R Whisky 5"] ) or spt ammon. arom. giij. 
Aqua gxii. 
I sometimes use the following injection, which 
is also very good : 
R Iodine resub. grs. iv. 
Pot. iodide 4 to 5 drs. 
Boiled water 2 qts. 
To be used as the foregoing. The drenching 
part of the treatment must be doue with great 
cate. 
The sequelae are : mechanical bronchitis frora 
regurgitatinji of the food, mammitis, metro- 
peritonitis, from giving drastic purgatives ; piiea- 
monia, bruised knees and hocks, fatty degener- 
ation of the muscles of the thighs from bruises, 
paralysis, choking at drenching. If a cow has 
tuberculosis in a latent form and takes milk fever 
she is sure to die. I sometimes empty rectum 
and bladder, end this sometimes gives the animal 
relief ; I also sheet up the animal well, as there is 
a tendency to a sub-normal temperature. I Jiave 
tried stimulating embrocations along the spine 
when tlie cow was long in getting up, and when 
symptoms of paralysis are sliown 1 prescribe doses 
of nux vomica. A great deal of success lies in 
the monner in which the cow is nursed. I give 
the attendants orders to turn the animal every 
four hours or so, but sometimes they neglect to do 
this very necessary part of the treatment, with 
the result that the cows get knees, hocks, &c. 
bruised, and then when she wants to rise she 
can't because of the sores and bruised condition of 
the muscles. There has been more success in the 
treatment of this disease in late years than before. 
Now, gentleman, I think I have taken up your 
time sufficiently, and I will come to a conclusion 
by saying that the lot of a country veterinary 
surgeon has its bright fide as well as its dark side. 
He generally gets his clothes more soiled and is 
generally not so stylishly got up as his city 
brother; we have as a rule more dirty work and 
smaller pay tor it, and we must appear in harmony 
with our work. 
I beg to thank you all tor your patient hearing, 
and I trust that my effort will be rewarded by the 
members all participating iu a good discussion. 
GENERAL ITEMS. 
The following descriptions of methods by which 
bones may be more or less^adily reduced to powder 
without the aid of a crushing mill deserve quota- 
tion : "A simple plan is to pack the bones, layer 
by layer, with freshly calcined wood ashes in a 
barrel aud keep the mixture moistened for some 
months. * * * * quicker method is to boil 
the bones in an iron or copper boiler with strong 
caustic lye. The proportion of bones and lye to be 
used is roughly 15 parts by weight of bones to 5 
parts by weight of caustic soda, or 7 parts by 
weight of caustic potash, dissolved iu 15 parts by 
weight of water. The boiling should be done for 
two or three hours. But even without boiling, 
the bones will become disintegrated by being 
simply kept in the caustic liquor for about a 
week. Another method of softening bones is by 
mixing them iu heaps with quicklime and loam. 
A layer of loam 4" deep i^< first spread, and on this 
is put a layer of bones 6" deep, aud above this a 
layer of quicklime 3" deep. The layers of loam, 
bones, and quicklime are repeated until the heap 
reaches a convenient height, when it is covered all 
over with a thick layer of earth. Holes are then 
bored in the heap from the top and water poured 
down them to slake the lime. The mass will 
become hot and remain so for two or three montlis, 
after which the bones will become friable, and the 
whole heap may then be mixed up aud spread us 
mauui'e on laud," 
