STERILITY OF MARES. 
567 
This mare being- of some value on account of “ blood lines,” 
the owner was anxious to have her in foal, and to accomplish 
that end I suggested that the horse be permitted to serve 
another mare during the following oestrum of his mare and 
that I be allowed to transfer the semen by mechanical means 
to the mare in question : during the following month this was 
accomplished, the mare conceived and completed a successful 
gestation. 
In this instance the semen was transferred with a curette, 
the temperature being maintained through the medium of hot 
water. 
From the above mentioned and other experiments, I am 
led to the following conclusions : First, in a perfect physiolog¬ 
ical condition of the mare, the zoosperms reach the cavity of 
the uterus by their own movement; Second, the least pathol¬ 
ogical condition may, and often does, obstruct the movement 
of the zoosperms, thereby preventing their entrance into the 
uterus; and further, that certain secretions, the products of 
pathological conditions, destroy the vitality of zoosperms, 
thereby preventing their passage through the vagina and 
cervical canal, and should they reach the uterus they there 
encounter pathogenic secretions that destroy them. 
Sub-acute and chronic cervical hyperasmia are probably 
the most frequent and fruitful causes of temporary sterility, 
due in an astonishing large number of instances to continually 
recurring abortions. By recurring abortions, I mean that 
the abortion occurs regularly after each conception within 
from twenty-one to sixty days, and this fact is common to 
both mares and cows, but on account of the very small foetus, 
escapes the notice of the attendant, even if it passes onto a 
clean floor, which is rarely the case. 
Suspecting the above facts several years ago 1886 I com¬ 
menced to obtain information relative thereto, by making 
careful enquiry of all intelligent breeders of my acquaintance ; 
I soon found, however, that not one of them even suspected 
such an event. 
Mr. McK-, a very intelligent breeder of cattle, had 
at this time two cows that were continually being bred at an 
