616. The size of the fat globules in the milk of diseased cows

The results of examining the fat globule size in milk samples from thirty-one cows which were in-patients in a Veterinary Hospital, have been recorded. Eleven of these cows did not develop a body temperature over 102·4° F., and samples collected on the second day after admission and 5 days later were examined and compared. Although the rise in yield was significant, the differences in fat percentage and fat globule size were not. The other twenty cows developed raised body temperatures, and the association between body temperature and milk composition was considered in the following temperature ranges: 104° F. or over, from 102·5–103·9° F., and 102·4° F. or below. The results showed that a rise in body temperature was accompanied by a fall in yield and also by an increase in the fat percentage and in the average fat globule diameter.