PARTURIENT PARESIS. 
577 
doses of 4 to 5 grammes, a special stimulating effect upon the 
heart’s action. 
I am consequently disposed to prefer this to the other reme¬ 
dies. If no great danger of death is impending the cardiac 
power can probably be roused by abundant rectal injections of 
salt solution. As remarked before, in milk fever absorption of 
fluids takes place with great rapidity, at least in the most pos¬ 
terior parts of the rectum. But internally one can use laxative 
medicines and cardiac stimulants in the form of drenches only 
in those cases where the power of deglutition remains. From 
the standpoint of prophylaxis, the secretion of milk dare not be 
forced, except for pressing reasons, by milking before calving 
or by absolutely clean milking after calving during the first 
two or three days. 
It is also highly probable that a dose ol potassium iodide, 
given shortly before or immediately after birth, through its ac¬ 
tion upon the products of tissue change in the udder and its 
power of lessening the milk secretion, can act as a preventive. 
On the other hand the infusion of potassa iodide solution in the 
udder, as a preventive, must be regarded as too delicate, since 
this should as a rule be administered by a veterinarian only. 
Through the foregoing studies and the experiments based 
thereon I hope to have lifted the veil which shrouded the here¬ 
tofore enigmatical cause of milk fever; I hope further to have 
pointed out the source of the cause, as well as to have devised a 
specific, practical method of handling. 
It would be highly desirable if by further experimentation 
there could be found a more neutral acting, best of all a medi¬ 
cine having a more stimulating effect upon the organism, espe¬ 
cially upon the heart’s action, with the same antitoxic powers 
as potassium iodide, a remedy, which the udder could, at the 
same time, bear equally well. If, for example, the effect of the 
suprarenal capsules (oposuprarenalinum) offered by Merck,* 
which it is claimed antitoxically increases the cardiac power 
as well as increasing the blood pressure by contracting the ar- 
* Jahresbericht 189. (The preparation was not yet in commerce on May 22, 1897.) 
