778 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
November 21 
" MILK FEVER” IN COWS. 
On page 741 , a Canadian reader of The 
R. N.-Y. (W. O. E.)gave a brief account 
of his experience with “ milk fever” in a 
cow and a mare. In conclusion, he said : 
Tlie next time I have a beast attacked under 
such circumstances, I shall ask the veterinary, 
thoroughly to disinfect the generative tract, 
making sure, at the same time, that no portion 
of the afterbirth or membraues is retained. I 
shall do this because it seems to me that these 
caseB are of the same nature as those that are 
known under the name of puerperal fever in 
lying-in women. To me, it seems as though the 
best preventive must consist in the most 
scrupulous and thorough antiseptic precautions 
against infection. For, if my suspicion be well- 
founded, the disease is of microbial origin ; the 
germ, or germs, that serve as its essential cause, 
entering the system byway of the open surface 
left after the detachment of the afterbirth, hav¬ 
ing first, however, probably infected the usual 
discharge, in which they would multiply, under 
the favorable conditions that it affords, with 
frightful rapidity. 
The following comments have been 
made by readers: 
I think that W. 0 . E. is right in his 
proposed treatment. My veterinarian is 
very successful, and his treatment, as I 
understand it, is on this line. 
Illinois. n. B. gurleb. 
The Whole Thing Explained. 
W. O. E. is confounding two distinct 
diseases that occur in cows during the 
puerperal stage; parturient apoplexy 
or parturient collapse, popularly called 
milk fever, an acute non-febrile disease 
peculiar to cows; and parturient fever 
or puerperal fever of cows and, also, of 
the other domestic animals, a febrile 
disease due to the absorption of septic 
germs. Both of these diseases, as well 
as other fevers occurring during the 
puerperal stage, have been designated, 
puerperal fevers, by various writers ; 
but at present, a well-marked distinc¬ 
tion is made between them. In the case 
of milk fever, it is a misnomer, as the 
disease is not a fever, but simply an 
apoplexy or collapse. It is the parturient 
fever that corresponds, in cause and 
nature, to the septic puerperal fever of 
woman. 
In the case of the cow, the diagnosis 
of milk fever by the veterinarian was, 
undoubtedly, correct. With the mare, 
nothing is given that would indicate that 
the veterinarian’s diagnosis was not also 
correct in this case. 
Parturient apoplexy (also called puer¬ 
peral apoplexy), is essentially a disease 
of plethora in heavy milkers, and rarely 
affects other than cows of the improved 
milk breeds. Parturient or puerperal 
fever affects all breeds, and is not de¬ 
pendent upon the milking powers or the 
plethora of the animal. Parturient 
apoplexy has never been observed to 
occur at the first calving, seldom if ever 
at the second, and rarely after the 
seventh ; most commonly at the third to 
the sixth calving, when the cow is in 
her prime and her miltfing powers fully 
developed. Puerperal fever has no age 
limit, being just as liable to occur at the 
first or second parturition. 
Parturient apoplexy almost invariably 
follows an easy, rapid, natural delivery, 
where there was little or no danger of 
laceration or injuries to the mucous 
membrane of the uterus and vagina, and 
when the afterbirth is expelled at the 
propei* time. It never follows a difficult 
parturition, or when the afterbirth is 
retained, both of which conditions are 
most favorable to the septic infection of 
puerperal fever. Parturient apoplexy is 
rarely accompanied by a fever, while a 
septic infection is almost invariably fol¬ 
lowed by a well-marked febrile condi¬ 
tion. In parturient apoplexy, the post¬ 
mortem appearances are mostly of a 
negative character, so much so that no 
changes would be detected by the un¬ 
skilled observer. The generative organs 
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are, usually, little changed, except the 
slight normal congestion which is always 
present so soon after calving. 
In puerperal fever, the generative 
organs show marked, extensive, patho¬ 
logical changes. The uterus is more or 
less distended with a dark-colored fluid, 
in an advanced state of decomposition, 
and emitting a very disagreeable odor. 
The walls of the uterus are thickened, 
deeply congested, and more or less soft¬ 
ened. The lining mucous membrane is 
greatly changed, usually of a dark or 
dirty-brown color, and often marked by 
blood extravasation and ulcers. Similar 
lesions may extend to adjacent organs, 
or implicate the whole abdominal cavity. 
It will thus be seen that W. O. E.’s 
proposed antiseptic treatment would be 
suitable as far as it goes, for the puer¬ 
peral fever, but that it would have little 
or no effect upon parturient apoplexy. 
Parturient apoplexy is, essentially, a dis¬ 
ease of an over-plethoric condition of the 
blood. Calving is, of course, the imme¬ 
diate exciting cause, while high feeding, 
idleness and costiveness are accessory 
causes. 
Treatment should be directed to the 
depletion of the blood as quickly as pos¬ 
sible. In the earliest stages, bleeding 
is the most effectual method. An active 
cathartic should be given (two pounds 
Epsom salts with four doses of carbon¬ 
ate of ammonia and one dram of nux 
vomica) and be followed by repeated 
rectal injections of warm soap-suds until 
a free movement of the bowels is estab¬ 
lished. Keep the animal propped in as 
nearly the natural position as possible, 
with bundles or bags of hay or straw, 
and turn two or three times daily. 
Remove the milk every few hours. Ice 
or cold water to the head is very bene¬ 
ficial, while the body and legs should be 
warmly clothed if cold. Rub the spine 
with ammonia and oil liniment. Tincture 
of aconite in 25 to 30 drop doses every 
four hours is often beneficial. In ex¬ 
treme weakness, whisky or carbonate of 
ammonia in two to four dram doses may 
be given every four hours. Satisfactory 
treatment of the disease requires the 
personal attention of a competent veter¬ 
inary surgeon to watch and treat the 
symptoms as they appear or change. 
Prevention is to be sought by reducing 
the feed of susceptible animals for two 
or three weeks before calving, and ad¬ 
ministering a dose of salts just before, 
or as soon as possible after, calving. 
F. L. KILBORNE. 
An Indispensable Treatment. 
The term, milk fever, is frequently 
used in an indefinite way, and applied 
to more than one form of disease. 
Probably the term is best restricted to 
a disease of a trivial nature, accompany¬ 
ing certain functional changes which 
occur about the time of parturition. 
The composition of the mammary secre¬ 
tion is materially changed at this 
period; colostrum gives place to milk, 
and it has been held by good authorities 
that this change is always attended 
with a mild form of fever which, or¬ 
dinarily, passes off in the course of a 
few hours, or days at farthest. 
The term, parturient fever, is applied 
to a type of disease more nearly identi¬ 
cal with puerperal fever of woman. 
There is genuine sepsis in these cases, 
attended with exudations on the uterine 
mucous membranes, the accumulation 
of an ichorous liquid of a highly offen¬ 
sive character, oedematous condition of 
the pelvic connective tissue and the 
walls of the genital organs generally; 
not infrequently, the whole body shows 
the signs of septic poisoning. The con¬ 
dition of the organs at this period pre¬ 
disposes the animal to septic infection, 
and this last must be regarded as the 
real cause of the train of symptoms. 
Thorough cleansing of the cavity, the 
removal of shreds of membranes or 
other adhering matter, followed by in¬ 
jections of antiseptic solutions, form an 
indispensable part of the treatment. 
M. STALKER. 
BREEDING FOR SEX. 
DOES THE WEAKER PARENT DETERMINE? 
It is claimed by some breeders that, in the ma¬ 
jority of cases, the sex of offspring is determined 
by the weaker parent. For example, if, at the 
time of service, the cow is, to a marked degree, in 
a poorer physical condition than the bull, the 
calf is more likely to be a heifer, or vice versa. 
Does your observation confirm this theory, and 
is any reliance to be placed on it ? 
“ No "—After a Careful Trial. 
I think that there is nothing in this 
theory. In 1881, I studied Prof. Manly 
Miles’s Principles of Stock Breeding. In 
this book, he has a chapter devoted to 
sex, and gives a number of theories in 
regard to the regulation of sex, among 
them the theory mentioned above. Since 
that date, I have watched the breeding 
records to which I have had access, to 
see whether any of the theories given 
would find confirmation. None has been 
shown to be correct. Sometimes, for a 
year or two, the breeding records seemed 
to show that a certain theory was cor¬ 
rect, and then, perhaps the next year, 
the results would be reversed. I have 
known some bulls whose offspring were, 
usually, bulls, and others whose get 
were, mostly, heifers, no matter what 
the age or condition of the cows. Some 
cows will produce heifer calves with 
almost uniform regularity, and others 
will regularly have bull calves without 
any ascertainable reason. I think the 
determination of sex is a subject about 
which we know absolutely nothing. 
Ellerslie Farm. h. m. cottrell. 
The Stronger Parent Prevails. 
Under ordinary conditions, and with 
only a few animals, it seems impossible 
to get any hints in regard to the govern¬ 
ment of sex ; but when we come to large 
numbers of animals kept under some¬ 
what unusual conditions, we do seem to 
get some light upon this vexed question. 
One of my students owns a large island 
off the coast of South Carolina, upon 
which, from time immemorial, consider¬ 
able numbers of swine have run wild 
Here, it has been observed, time and 
again, that sex goes, in a large majority 
of cases, with the stronger parent, as do 
also the other characteristics. Seasons 
of scarcity of food quickly destroyed or 
weakened the females to a much larger 
extent than it did the males, and the 
(Continued on next page.) 
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