264 
J. E. BROWN. 
ACUTE METRITIS, 
By J. E. Brown, V S., Oskaloosa, Iowa. 
This is the time of year when the attention of the country 
practitioner, here in this great horse-breeding State of Iowa, 
is constantly being called to the above disease, and, from the 
many disastrous results of it, it is well that we give the sub¬ 
ject some special thought. 
Farmers and stockmen are making a very great error in 
breeding their mares too early ; colts are foaled in April, 
March, and even February. The weather is cold and wet, 
and comparatively few of our farmers and stockmen are suf¬ 
ficiently provided with suitable stabling. The result is, the 
mares are exposed to the disagreeable weather, chill, conges¬ 
tions and inflammations of the lining membranes follow ; even 
if the delivery has taken place without undue labor and ex¬ 
ertion, metritis, peritonitis or metro-peritonitis is established 
and the lives of many valuable brood-mares sacrificed. 
One of the peculiarities of the disease, to me, has been its 
special fatalities during certain years, while similar cases 
other years, seemingly just as violent, and with the same gen¬ 
eral surroundings and treatment, were attended with a large 
percentage of recoveries. One year especially I remember of 
seeing a great many such cases, many of which seemed beyond 
any possible chance of recovery, and yet in nearly every case 
the treatment yielded satisfactory results. I have been unable 
to detect any reason for this difference, and frequently wonder 
if other practitioners had had the same experience. 
The disease is usually ushered in with a chill, and fever 
following, and as we commonly see it has been in progress 
some little time ; as the urgent symptoms come on, ordinarily 
somewhat slowly, there is loss of appetite, suppression of 
milk, restlessness, slight abdominal pain, looking back at the 
flanks, breathing is quickened, pulse 70 to 90 and weak, 
temperature 103° to 106° or even higher, occasional straining, 
at which times will be ejected per vagina a reddish-brown or 
chocolate-colored fluid, very foetid, and thickened shreds of 
