ON PUERPERAL FEVER. 
321 
6/A.—Doing well; rather inclined to be constipated; appetite, 
however, returning; also much stronger. She milks freety. 
R Mag. sulph. Jiv, sulph. sub. Jiv, pot. nit. 5j : divide into tw'o 
parts, one to be given immediately, the other on the 7th. 
^th .—Quite recovered, except a little weakness. Ordered the 
setons to be kept in for a week. 
Case II,—Was a cow, in good condition, and of the finest York 
breed, belonging to a gentleman. I had seen her about ten 
days previous to her calving, and abstracted four quarts of blood. 
On September 1st she calved without the least difficulty, and was 
turned out into the close for an hour in the afternoon, in an appa¬ 
rently perfectly healthy state; but, on the foreman’s arrival a short 
time afterwards, he found her down, and unable to rise. I was 
immediately sent for, and, on my arrival, I found her totally pa- 
ralvzed in the hind extremities, and the abdomen much distended 
with gas: she had voided no faeces. I ordered venesection four 
quarts, and injections which produced a copious discharge of faeces. 
1 inserted setons as in the former case, and dressed them with the 
same liniment. I left her down, covered with straw, and under a 
tent, ordering her to be milked frequently. 
Sept. 2^/, A.M.—Still down, and the bowels rather inclined to be 
costive. I repeated the dose, stimulated the setons, threw up in¬ 
jections, and milked frequently. 
3(7, A.M. —She had risen during the night, and eaten a little 
mash and hay, and walked into a hovel. The calf sucked freely. 
Doing well, but weak. 
4//i.—]Much better and stronger, eats freely, and milks freely. 
Ordered the setons to be kept in. I called a few days afterwards, 
and found her perfectly recovered. 
All the cases that have come under my observation and treat¬ 
ment have been cows with long backs, wide hips, and carrying a 
great deal of carcass, and nineteen out of twenty of them expelled 
the foetus without the least assistance; thus proving to me that 
the womb has nothing to do with the malady. What, then, is it ] 
and what is its cause I I believe it to be simply this :—The pro¬ 
gress of gestation is .very gradual, consequently producing no ap¬ 
parent effect upon the spine; for as the foetus enlarges and the 
w'omb elongates and expands, so does the spine adapt itself to its 
burden. But the expulsion of the foetus is so sudden, that tlu' 
spine returns to its original situation and state too rapidly, after 
having rid itself of its weight. The spinal marrow in some mea¬ 
sure becomes injured, and, perhaps, sufficiently to produce paralysis. 
I have attended many cows in difficult parturition, but not one of 
them was afterwards attacked with this diseasf*. The practice 
which I have here stated somewhat at length 1 always pursue ; 
VOL. XIII. U U 
