MILK FEVER, PARTURIENT APOPLEXY, or PARTURIENT PARESIS. A disease of cows, espe cially good milkers of improved breeds and in good condition at time of calving. As the most important predisposing causes of the disease veterinarians have long, recognized confinement in improperly ventilated stables, high temperature, electrical disturbances, constipation, mature age, and calving. Later writers regard the cause as ptomain poisoning originating in the qdder and affecting the brain and central nervods system. The disease never follows the first calving, and rarely follows the second. One attack seems to predispose toward another. It appears in two forms, apoplectic and torpid. In the apoplectic form the coy suddenly becomes dull, allows the head to droop. and staggers in attempting, to walk, falls, and lies either on the breast-bone, with the head turned around to the right. and resting on the muzzle, or stretched out on the side. The pupil of the eye is dilated, and the head and horns are hot; the bowels and bladder soon become torpid or completely paralyzed, and fail to operate unless recovery takes place.
In the torpid form there is no marked fever and no congestion of the head. The animal slowly becomes drowsy and weakened, falls down, and, unless relieved, finally succumbs. Insensi bility is a pronounced symptom in the later stages of both forms.
The usual treatment consists in the adminis tration of Epsom salts, and doses of 20 to 30 drops of tincture of aconite. Ice is applied to the head in the apoplectic form. After the symptoms of fever and constipat-ion abate, stimulants are administered until the eow is able to stand. Recently satisfactory results have lx.en obtained from a method known as the Schmidt treatment. which consists in injecting an infusion of ten grammes. of potassium idodide into the udder. If no improvement is noted. the dose may be repeated after 24 hours. A large per centage of eases recover from the first dose. modification of the method, which has also given good results. consists in giving hypodermic in jeetions of iodide of- potash.