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Based on the widespread use of homeopathy in dairy farm practice when treating mastitis, a blind randomised controlled trial (RCT) was conducted to assess the effectiveness of homeopathic treatment of clinical mastitis on four dairy farms. The study considered specific guidelines for RCTs as well as the basic principles of individualised homeopathy and involved 180 lactating dairy cows. Evaluation of cure rates was based on clinical investigation of the udder and on laboratory analysis of milk samples. In culture-positive cases, the antibiotic treatment provided suboptimal bacteriological cures (60–81 per cent) but was more effective than individualised homeopathy (33–43 per cent) whose effects appeared little different to those of placebos (45–47 per cent) (P≤0.05). On the cytological cure level, all three treatment methods were similarly ineffective: antibiotic being 2–21 per cent, individualised homeopathy 0–8 per cent and placebo 3–13 per cent (P≤0.05; P=0.13). Antibiotics, individualised homeopathy and placebo had similar effects on bacteriological and cytological cure in cases of culture-negative milk samples (P>0.4) and Escherichia coli infections (P=1.0). The study results implied that the effectiveness of individualised homeopathy does not go beyond a placebo effect and successful treatment is highly dependent on the specific mastitis pathogen. Thus, antimicrobial or alternative remedies used should be based on the bacterial culture of the milk sample. Trial registration number NTP-ID: 00008011-1-9, Pre-results.

Purpose: The technique of impression cytology using cellulose acetate filter paper as a debriding agent was evaluated. Methods: Lesions were assessed using a slit-lamp biomicroscope before and after the impressions were taken and appropriate antibiotic therapy was started. The filter paper impressions were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and examined by light microscopy. The 72 corneal ulcers and three cases of suture infiltration around exposed corneoscleral cataract-related sutures were effectively debrided. Five of the six foreign bodies and all of the filaments in the six filamentary keratitis cases were removed with minimal damage to the surrounding cornea. Results: Results of microscopic examination showed that the cells that were transferred to the filter paper were primarily the affected cells. In corneal ulcers, the degenerated epithelial cells, inflammatory cells, and organisms were removed. The inflammatory cells superimposed on affected epithelial cells in suture infiltration and the filaments of filamentary keratitis were removed. In cases of superficial corneal foreign bodies, the foreign bodies overlying a sheet of degenerated epithelial cells were lifted up. Conclusion: "Impression debridement" improves the quality and efficiency of debridement for most of these conditions, with much less risk to the surrounding tissue than the conventional techniques. Besides being an adjunct to therapy, it simultaneously provides replicas of the lesions that give accurate histologic details after microscopic evaluation.