THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



397 



gest tliat this might possibly be attributed to the food 

 being deficient in elements which are found concentrated 

 in oil ; in support of which, I explained that, in my treat- 

 ment of dairy cows, I have completely satisfied myself that, 

 by adding to ordinary food beans or other materials pecu- 

 liarly rich in albumen, but comparatively deficient in oil, I 

 enrich the milk, not only in curd, but also in butter, to a 

 far greater extent than is contained in the oil of such addi- 

 tional food. 



Lehmann (Leipsic, Becond edition, p. 271) states: "On 

 theoretic grounds, I have long been satisfied that fats be- 

 long to the most active agents in the metamorphosis of 

 animal materials (of digestion) •, and, by numerous experi- 

 ments and observations, I have completely assured myself 

 of this" (that what had been matter of subjective^ had, by ex- 

 periment, become matter of objective, certainly). 



These experiments he explains, and cites others by 

 Elsasser, which show that the digestion is materially 

 assisted by an admixture of fat. I learned from Dr. 

 Thompson that cod-liver oil is composed almost wholly of 

 carbon and hydrogen, with a smaller per-centage of oxj'gen 

 than other fats. I did not ascertain from him, nor do I 

 find in his " Lecture to the Medical Society" (a copy of 

 which he kindly presented to me) the relative proportion 

 of oleine and margarine fats. In Royle's " Materia 

 Medica," there is a proximate analysis of this oil by Dr. de 

 Jongh, which gives : 



Of oleic acid . , . . . . 74" 



Margaric acid ,, „ .. 11'75 



Glycerine.. .. _ .. .. 10-17 



Butyric and acetic acid . . ., "11 



Other substances. . .. .. 3"97 



100- 



This analysis shows a far greater per-centage of oleine, 

 compared with margarine, than any other fat I have seen 

 noticed. 



That the nutritive effects of materials for food depend 

 much on their proximate elements, I need only adduce the 

 composition of the grain and straw of wheat, which are 

 very similar in their proportion of ultimate elements, whilst 

 the predominating proximate principle of the grain is starch 

 (73 per cent.), that of straw woody fibre, of which it con- 

 tains 61 per cent., with only 36 of starch. That oleine is 

 more easy of consumption (more available for respiration), I 

 refer to Lehmann, vol. i., p. 121, where he states that the 

 fatof animals being found to contain a greater proportion 

 in comparison with the fat of plants, may probably be attri- 

 butable to the oleine being more easy of consumption. 



My attention was drawn to some experiments of Dr. Leared 

 — published in the Medical Times— imm which it appeared 

 that the oleine of cod-liver oil agreed better with several 

 of his patients than the oil in its natural state, from which 

 he drew the inference that the effect of margarine was ex- 

 crementitious ; this can only apply to patients whose organs 

 are weakened. My observations on feeding tend to the 

 conclusion that if you afford animals an adequate supply of 

 BUgar, starch, and olein fats for their respiratory and other 

 functions, the margarine of the food will be converted into 

 and stored up in animal fat to the extent which the system 

 is capable of absorbing. I am, however, clearly of opinion 



that on a deficiency of food or incapacity of the organs 

 from disease or other causes to supply the wants of respira- 

 tion, the stores of solid or margarine fat are laid hold of and 

 consumed. In the spring of 1853 I sold some fatted cattle 

 to Mr. Freeman, of Otley, with whom I had frequently 

 dealt; he reported that they did not contain the quantity 

 of loose fat which he had been led to expect from their 

 touch and his experience of my feeding. Having told him 

 that they had recently suffered from soreness of mouth, by 

 which with evident symptoms of appetite they were 

 Ijindered from eating the necessary quantity, Mr. Freeman 

 remarked that he well knew from experience that cattle 

 which had recently suffered from this (known here as the 

 mouthand-foot-sore complaint), were deficient in loose fat. 

 I may also here state, as a matter of some physiological in- 

 terest, that cattle which have been partially damaged in the 

 lung from previous attack of pleuro or other causes are in- 

 variably found deficient in their store of loose fat. 



It will be observed that cod-liver oil contains in the same 

 space the greatest proportion of elements which, in combi- 

 nation with the oxygen of the air, are necessary for the 

 support of vitality, and with this by far the greatest propor- 

 tion of olein in comparison with other oils in their natural 

 state ; and it seems worthy of remark that this oil is held 

 in the greatest esteem for pulmonary complaints ; next to 

 this, and almost in equal repute, is pure olein. 



From what has been premised, it will be found that from 

 consideration of the symptoms of ijleuro-pneumonia I was 

 led to suppose an abnormal consumption of the elements 

 which support respiration. I have sought to meet this by 

 a supply of food particularly rich in such elements, and in a 

 form most available for their purpose. My observations on 

 the effects tend to confirm my opinion that by this means 

 I supply in food what would otherwise be abstracted from 

 the system with greater labour to the organ and with im- 

 poverishment, thereby weakening the ability to resist dis- 

 ease. 1 am therefore encouraged to ofifer it for the consi- 

 deration of those who give their attention to pathological 

 chemistry. 



If any owners of cattle should adopt my treatment, I urge 

 the most scrupulous attention to the treatment here pre- 

 scribed for the sick animal. I am clearly of opinion that 

 one of the animals which died might, by a greater obser- 

 vance of this, have been restored. 



In the course of the foregoing observations, I have made 

 frequent allusion to Lehmann's " Physiological Chemistry." 

 About a year since 1 obtained this work on loan for a 

 short time from a member of the Pharmaceutical Societj'. 

 A perusal of such portions as seemed likely to afford me the 

 particular information I was then in quest of, disclosed to 

 me the pen of an author, master of his subject, and of great 

 research and acquirements. With some difficulty, and 

 through the kind assistance of others, I have recently ob- 

 tained the whole work, three volumes, the first and second 

 in German, the third in English. I learn that in both 

 languages it is out of print. I cannot but hope that ere 

 long another edition of a work, every page of which is re- 

 plete with information of peculiar interest, will be pub- 

 lished. 



Barley Hall, 



