194' Journal of Agricultural Research voi. x. no. 4 



bryo that would be introduced when feeding whole wheat, the result is 

 likely to be an early abortion. The calf is now dropped at six to eight 

 months; this demonstrates that the increased mass of the toxic material 

 produces this disturbance at a somewhat more rapid rate. 



This result was particularly likely to occur where no other grain -was 

 used with the embryo. With both com meal and com stover in the 

 ration the detrimental effect of the wheat embryo was nullified, at least 

 for a single gestation period. 



It is an interesting fact that in the wheat milling industry the embryo 

 passes into wheat bran in small amounts but in much greater quantities 

 in wheat middlings. The wheat flour that is used for bread making has 

 the least content of embryo of any of the wheat by-products. 



In an attempt to obtain an anatomical picture of the condition respon- 

 sible for the physiological disturbances as already described, Dr. Bunting, 

 of the medical school of the University of Wisconsin, kindly consented to 

 make a histological study of the tissues from a number of the abnormal 

 calves. In general, no striking lesions were revealed. Livers and kid- 

 neys showed some degeneration (hydropic) changes, but the nervous 

 tissues gave the most evidence of the presence of an excessive amount of 

 fluid, a condition of edema. This histological picture was analogous to 

 that of beriberi, the result of feeding polished rice, and it also simulated, 

 if it was not identical, with that obtained from the spinal cord of pigs on 

 certain rations as described in a previous publication (5). The edema 

 was observed between the membranes covering the cord, around the 

 blood vessels, and around the nerve cells. In these instances the nerve 

 cell and their nuclei were shrunken, the latter staining more intensely 

 than normally. No abnormalities in medullation of the fibers of the 

 cord as demonstrable by the Weigert stain were observed. While the 

 observations did not point to anything especially characteristic, it is 

 probable that the motor disturbances observed in the animals can be 

 referred to the edematous condition of the nervous tissues. 



The cause of beriberi is ascribed to the absence or deficiency of certain 

 essential factors in the diet, particularly to water-soluble B. In the 

 case of excessive wheat feeding it would appear that the essential causal 

 factor for disaster to growth and reproduction is a toxic substance which 

 either interferes with the utilization of materials necessary for the full 

 development of the nervous system of the animal or directly with the 

 normal functioning of this tissue. This would account for the bhndness 

 observed in some of the heifers and also for the failure of muscular 

 coordination apparent in the new-bora calves produced on rations of 

 large whole-wheat content. 



It was also apparent that rations producing an early delivery of 

 offspring would usually lead to a failure of the animal to remove prop- 

 erly the afterbirth, with its attending dangers of infection; and an 



