INFECTIOUS ABORTION OF MARES. 
305 
The history of the outbreak, coupled with the symptoms, 
served to quite fully confirm the suspicion of infectious abor¬ 
tion. 
The results of the antiseptic treatment point strongly to the 
belief held by most observers that the disease is essentially one 
of the foetal membranes and foetus, gaining access to these 
through the vulva and vagina, and serve to confirm results of a 
similar treatment carried out by several investigators in infec¬ 
tious abortions of cows and ewes. Although several mares 
aborted after the treatment had been applied, it is quite safe to 
assume that the infecting agent had already gained access to 
the foetal membranes before the application of the treatment, 
which could not then be of any possible avail. 
The disease having apparently ceased, Mr. H. again bred a 
part of his mares, and on December 29, 1896, reported that he 
had ten healthy foals of the previous spring, and that all mares 
bred seemed safely in foal, no abortions having occurred so far 
as discovered since those above recorded. 
The origin of the affection in the herd of Mr. H. could not 
be clearly traced, but the malady seemed to be prevalent to some 
degree among mares on neighboring farms. 
Mr. H. had on his premises also several mares which had 
come from the herd of Mr. D., where the disease had raged to 
such an extent, in the summer of 1891, that practically all mares 
aborted. 
In view of the success recorded by various observers with 
the plan of treatment here outlined and the confirmatory obser¬ 
vations in this outbreak, it appears that when the disease exists 
among animals of sufficient value, its control and eradication 
may be undertaken with reasonable hope of success. 
The Veterinary Journal (England) for July has a 32- 
page article by James Hunter, F. R. C. S., F. R. S. E., on 
“ Sporadic Pneumonia in Cattle,” it being called forth by Dr. 
Theobald Smith’s contribution to the recently issued report of 
the Bureau of Animal Industry. 
