Contagious Abortion of Cows

In the opening pages, listeners are drawn into a world of early‑twentieth‑century farm life where sudden, unexplained losses of unborn calves worry cattlemen across the country. The authors, two seasoned researchers at the University of Illinois, lay out the problem as a contagious form of abortion that has long haunted herds, describing how it is recognized worldwide yet still puzzles many American producers. Their tone is straightforward, aiming to give practical insight to anyone involved in livestock care.

The narrative then shifts to a series of laboratory investigations that identify a distinctive bacterium as the likely culprit. Detailed yet accessible, the text explains how scientists isolate the germ from aborted tissues and what its unusual oxygen needs reveal about its behavior. Finally, the authors offer clear, step‑by‑step recommendations for isolation, sanitation, and herd management, giving farmers concrete tools to protect their stock while demystifying a complex disease.