74 
DROPPING AFTER CALVING. 
15/4.—Much improved, and the vaginal discharge of a healthy 
character. 
16/4.— Better; and milks well, considering her sufferings. 
20/4.—Quite well; gives four gallons of milk night and morn¬ 
ing. 
Remarks .—I could add a great number of similar cases to the 
two reported, but I am unwilling to occupy your pages by a mere 
repetition of medicinal effect on a particular organ. Ergot of 
rye has never yet failed (in my practice) to stimulate the uterus 
of cattle, whether the muscular power of that organ was ex¬ 
hausted by previous efforts, or torpid from peculiar temperament. 
Cases have occurred when I have thought it advisable to bleed 
freely just when the medicine was communicating its energy to 
the uterus; particularly when the vagina was much swollen, or 
the bladder full of water, or when there appeared much rigidity 
of the muscles, &c. The reason of such treatment will be plain 
to an intelligent practitioner, and no other ought to administer 
the ergot of rye. In apportioning the dose, the state of the cow 
must be taken into consideration. If for expelling the placenta, 
the beast feeding well, &c., I now give, in thick gruel, ergot of 
rye powdered 3ij ? carbonate of ammonia 3j, and juniper berries 
3ss; this is repeated in twelve hours, and again on the second 
day if requisite. If there is straining, I omit the ammonia, and 
give a drachm each of the ergot of rye, digitalis, and emetic tartar, 
with half an ounce of powdered juniper berries, repeated every 
twelve hours for two days, if necessary. But if there is inflamma¬ 
tion of the uterus, I give no ergot of rye to expel the placenta, 
but bleed freely, use fomentations, and injections of warm 
water, give tartarized antimony, nitre, and digitalis, and the 
cleansing leaves the uterus, without so much risk of destroying 
the animal. 
CASES OF DROPPING AFTER CALVING. 
By Mr. G. Bainbrjdge, Saffron Walden. 
The months of February and March 1883 afforded me several 
cases of fever, or, what is commonly called, dropping after calv¬ 
ing. The most frequent state in which I found my patient was 
down, and unable to rise; the pulse full and frequent; the ears 
hot; the nose dry ; the head doubled back ; the animal moaning 
and expressing great pain ; insensible, or at least not taking any 
notice of her calf; the respiration seldom much and oftener not 
at all affected. I immediately bleed to the amount of two gal¬ 
lons, or in some cases more; and give a draught composed of 
