86 
PURE BRED DRAFT HORSES 
soon be munching at it when the milk is gone, and in this way will soon 
be eating grain. Unless the foal is early started on grain, he will gen¬ 
erally become pot-bellied, and after such an appearance is acquired, it 
takes considerable time, good feed and care to overcome it.” 
3. Common and Infectious Diseases, and Other Axlments 
Purulent Infection of the Navel 
“Purulent infection of the navel is greatly favored by many of the cir¬ 
cumstances attending the birth of the young animal. When it is born in 
a stable or barnyard, or in surroundings where filth and dirt are abun¬ 
dant and omnipresent, there is constant exposure to infection of the new- 
made wound. Whenever the animal lies down, especially in sternal re¬ 
cumbency, the new-made wound comes in direct contact with infected 
bedding, decomposing feces or urine, or with other filth which may 
chance to exist at such a point. 
. . The herbivorous mother habitually cleanses the broken cord 
by licking, and thereby withdraws from it a large part of the Whartonian 
gelatine, thus favoring the early desiccation of the stump. It appears that 
in spite of the fact that the mouth usually abounds in pathogenic bacteria, 
the process of licking the navel is, according to clinical observations, com¬ 
paratively safe and tends to protect the navel against infection. We 
observe infection of the navel most frequently in the foal, whose mother 
pays less attention to the naval than do other domestic animals. 
“Purulent infection of the navel very frequently arises, also, as an in¬ 
direct result of ligating the umbilical cord. The danger from ligating the 
cord consists usually of two principal elements—the infection of the 
wound by careless ligation, and the providing of a breeding ground for 
bacteria by the inclusion of the Whartonian gelatine.” 
“From a surgical standpoint, nothing can well be more dangerous to 
the new-born than the careless or filthy ligation of the umbilic cord by a 
layman or a veterinarian with dirty, infected hands and an unclean 
ligature . . . 
“. . . If the cord is tightly ligated, the gelatine is firmly enclosed, and 
its fluid portions cannot escape readily and permit proper desiccation of 
the stump. Even if the ligature has been applied under other antiseptic 
precautions, but retains the Whartonian gelatine, the procedure is at 
once in conflict with surgical practice, because this substance constitutes 
an excellent medium for the growth of pathogenic bacteria . . . The 
danger from infection is further emphasized if the ligature is placed at a 
point too distant from the umbilicus, thus increasing the amount of tissue 
in the cord which must undergo desiccation or putrefaction. The greater 
the amount of moist-tissue, the mare probable is putrefaction, and the 
less likely is desiccation to occur. 
Ligation possesses yet another danger, in the possible incarceration of 
the two umbilic arteries and the urachus. If the ligature is applied very 
tightly before the cord is severed, the retraction of the arteries and 
urachus into the abdominal cavity may be prevented. Being retained in 
the navel, the open ends of the arteries and urachus are freely exposed, 
and rendered more subject to infection during putrefaction of the tissues. 
“. . . When a ligature is applied to a dormant or dead tissue like 
the umbilic stump . . . the stump goes on to putrefaction or desicca¬ 
tion, as circumstances may favor. The application of a ligature about a 
mass of dead tissue cannot prevent infection of the necrotic mass on 
either side of the ligature, but may greatly favor putrefaction by confin¬ 
ing fluids within the parts. When such bacterial infection and decom¬ 
position occur in the necrotic tissues of the cord, the more or less dor- 
