ABORTION IN COWS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 190, 6 May 1908, Page 2

ABORTION IN COWS.

. medieval: cure discounted! In these twentieth: century; days of so called enlightenment • (writes. our NVairarapa correspondent), when nearly. everything is said to be judged from a purely ; sbientifip '. point, of it is astonishing: to read ' of old-time, superstition, which lis almost ■ accepted as truth. A case ,in ; point was '-'. recently reported, in which' two farmers implied that tho burning of' an aborted calf • in the presence of the entire herd l had stopped'tho spreading of .'the'disease.' < ': With a view of settling this matter orico • and for all time, so far. as tho. Dominion , is concerned, . our Wairarapa representative, asked Mr. J.. A. Gilruth, Chief Govern-" inent Veterinarian, his opinion 'on tho subject; and received the following statement: —"As contagious abortion is. due to "> a specific microbe which exists •_ and produces deleterious 'results within -the womb, . the idea that burning the aborted foeti in tho presence of; cows will prevent a recur- ' renco of the disease, arid .so presumably, ; destroy; all-the microbes in tho' vicinit-jy is-' N a statement that might: hnvo been believed in the days of witchcraft, but cannot be soriously considered to-day. Coincidences, it - must be admitted, do not furnish'' satisfactory proof, aiid when they: are opposed to . coninionsenso 0110 cannot treat: .them : seriously." .' .. •''•'.■■■ i ■ )■> . ; In connection with tho foregoing, ' it is not'.implied, of course, that an aborted foetus should not bo : burnt, or otherwise destroyed. That should always be done. It is also very well known that cows aborting, should- bo isolated, as .should owe 3 in cases of inversion of the womb. . ■