This treatment may be changed by substituting other antiseptics, and by prompt separation of the calf from the infected stable and dam. It is also important to disinfect thoroughly and often the cow stable and calf-pen, to remove instantly any calf that may show signs of scouring or general disorder and to purify its pen and leave it unoccupied for some time.
It should be added that the period of danger is in the first few days after birth, and while the umbilicus is still unhealed. If scouring should come on later it is much more amenable to treatment. A seclusion of the calf for one week is usually sufficient to secure its escape.
NOTE ON BACTERIOLOGY AND TREATMENT OF HÆMOGLOBINÆMIA IN THE HORSE.
As supplementary to the article on hæmoglobinæmia (vol. II., page 437) the later bacteriological investigations of Lignieres must be noted. A superb Percheron, after two days of idleness, went to work at 10 P. M., was attacked at 1 A. M. and died at 3 P. M. Inoculations from blood, spleen, liver, kidney, bone marrow, myelon and subarachnoid fluid from the loins to the bulb proved sterile, excepting that made from the subarachnoid liquid on a level with the bulb, which yielded a rich culture of a streptococcus that appeared to the eye as small granules. It proved ærobic and anærobic, stained well with Gram’s (I) solution, coagulated milk, acidified the culture, formed small, round, grayish white colonies on peptonized gelatine, without liquefying, failed to propagate on potatoes, but grew well in serum and bouillon.
Two or three drops proved fatal to mice, producing, when thrown into the peritoneum a highly acute parenchymatous nephritis with bloody urine. Very few microbes were found in the kidney. There was loss of control of the hind limbs and extreme nervous irritability.
Intravenous injection of 300cc. of the culture in a powerful stallion produced hyperthermia, 102° F. on the second day, 104° on the third, 105° on the fourth, on the sixth day he became paraplegic and died on the seventh.
A second horse, which received 150cc., was sick for several days, but without paraplegia, then appeared to recover, but three weeks after he became paraplegic with albuminous urine and died next day.
In neither of the horses was the urine sanguineous.
Carnivora, swine, ruminants and birds proved insusceptible. The guinea pig succumbed to intraperitoneal inoculation, and the rabbit to intravenous.
It is to be noted that hæmoglobinuria was lacking in both experimental equine cases, and though this may be so in mild casual cases, the same is not true of violent and fatal ones. It is, therefore, evident that further research is necessary in this direction.