112 
J. G&RTH, ,TR. 
aniline and abortion was fourteen hours. It was discovered that 
certain poisons can gradually penetrate into the body of the young. 
Lead was found in the embryo of mothers, who were working in 
rooms in which the air was impregnated with lead. It cannot be 
doubted that the child suffers where the mother lives in a poisonous 
atmosphere. Statistics collected by Dr. Constantin Paul, show 
that seven hundred and eighty-five (785) children were born dead, 
respectively aborted, out of one thousand (1,000) born by women 
employed in lead factories. Is it not very likely that similar cir¬ 
cumstances may take place among our domestic animals ? And it 
is very probable that through the continual partaking of small 
quantities of poisons, such as septic substances, which are often 
scattered extensively in stables, a similar pernicious state should 
gradually form itself in the embryo without injury to the health 
of the mother ? 
I do not wish to state any other cases, which are apt to be 
followed by abortion, such as mechanical injuries, physical influ¬ 
ences, or the placenta becoming diseased, diseases of the ovary, &c., 
but will pass directly to the consideration of infectious abortion. 
Cases of abortion have for a long time been observed, where 
none of the above mentioned causes were known to produce them. 
Cases have been noticed in model stables, where animals aborted 
by soured food, one after the other, whilst in neighboring stables 
no abortions were observed, by the same food, and the same 
dietetic regimen. We may often observe abortion to extend in 
a certain succession from one cow to another. Whilst changing 
of food has little or no action, in these cases, abortion may, never¬ 
theless, be suddenly checked, by removing those animals which have 
not yet calved, into another stable. It is natural that observa¬ 
tions of this kind can only be made at large farms, possessing a 
number of cattle, where a number of animals calve at the same 
time, or at short intervals. On small farms, where young calves are 
only born at very long intervals, this singular progress is less ap¬ 
parent ; Johne* has observed and described a case of this kind, 
where through a sewer, abortion spread from one cow to another. 
*Sacli8. Jaliresbericbt liber das Yeteriuarwesen 1872. S 134. 
