636 
R* H. HARRISON. 
and the womb which has been surcharged with blood, contracts 
after the expulsion of the foetus ; and at the same time as the 
foetus is expelled, the intra-abdominal pressure is much lowered, 
there must be an excess of blood thrown back on the mother. 
This is manifested by the hyperaemia of the brain and spinal 
cord; this latter condition is demonstrated by post-mortem ex¬ 
amination, when it is found that the hyperaemic condition has 
passed on to inflammation, and as a result we find a collection of 
serum in the ventricles of the brain, and often m the meninges 
as a result of stasis. 
The patient very shortly after calving, as a rule, lies or falls 
down, and is in a state of delirium, which quickly passes into a 
condition of coma, becoming more and more profound, until 
death intervenes from paralysis of the centers of respiration and 
circulation, or from carbonaemia. It is a noteworthy fact that in 
this condition both the voluntary and involuntary muscles are 
more or less affected, a gradual extending of paralysis becomes 
more and more complete. 
The treatment laid down in human and veterinary works is 
depletion by means of cathartics; venesection has been for a 
long time discarded. It is well to bear in mind the great mag¬ 
nitude of the stomachs in cows, and that they are in a state of 
partial or complete paralysis, so that enormous doses of acute 
cathartics have no effect, or their action is to taidy. 
I have followed a method of treatment during the last few 
years which has a percentage of 60% when I have been able to 
utilize it. Cases otherwise treated 80% have died. 
I wish to simply lay the procedure before the association 
with the results obtained, as a suggestion, so that if others try 
it and get results, we may have gained a means of saving valu¬ 
able dairy stock, and help our profession to something new and 
useful. 
Proceedure .—Animal treated in natural position. The blad¬ 
der is emptied carefully by catheter, the fseces m rectum and 
lower bowel evacuated by copious enematas, the nostrils and 
mouth cleaned free from mucus and dirt. An application of ice 
