REPORTS OF CASES. 
749 
REPORTS OF CASES. 
“ Careful observation makes a skillful practitioner , but his skill dies with him. By re¬ 
cording his observations, he adds to the knowledge of his profession, and assists by his facts 
in building up the solid edifice of pathological science. ’ ’ 
LACTATION IN A VIRGIN MULE. 
By Robert W. Ellis, D. V. S., New York City. 
Upon visiting the stables of one of the sub-contractors of the 
underground road of New York City, which contained a very 
large number of young mules just shipped up from a Kentucky 
mule-breeder’s farm, my attention was called to a mule whose 
mammary glands were distended with milk, and a remedy to 
check it requested. I immediately became interested, and ex¬ 
amined the mule carefully to try and discover whether she was 
pregnant, had given birth recently, or was at her period of 
oestrum, but could find nothing that would lead me to believe 
either or any of such conditions existed. She had been milked 
that morning at six o’clock, but at my request a young Cuban 
who was taking care of the mules readily milked me a quart 
bottleful, it then being about the middle of the forenoon. This 
milk I took to a chemist to test for me in regard to its compo¬ 
sition, as I thought of reporting the case, and supposed it would 
be interesting to have such a report accompany it; but the 
chemist allowed the sample to perish before he got around to 
it, so no test was made. I did not administer any medicine to 
