GAQ Abstract Report of Agricultural Discussions. 



swallows Ms food in a mass. Cliaff is partaken of in the same manner. 

 In these circumstances a change of food becomes necessary, and acts 

 beneficially. It is not necessary to give astringents, because they do 

 not strike at the root of the evil. Eemove the cause, then, and the 

 effect will cease. 



DiARRHCEA EeGARDED AS A SyMPTOM OF DiSEASE. 



Now, not only these several causes, and a number of others to which 

 I have not referred, are productive of mischief ; but diarrhoea is also 

 very often symptomatic of other diseases. If I wanted the best illus- 

 tration of this which science affords, I should direct attention to the 

 circumstance of sheep becoming affected with the malady which we 

 term cattle-plague. Here we have a disease which in the sheep is 

 invariably, I believe, associated with dysenteric purging. Hence, we 

 get an apt illustration of morbific matter carried into the organism of 

 an animal, and so deranging its entire system, as to lay the foundation 

 of a fatal attack of diarrhoea. I have thus thrown out a few hints with 

 regard to some of the causes which produce derangement of the intes- 

 tinal canal, and I know I have done so very imperfectly. I will only 

 say, in concluding, that among our most useful astringents for arrest- 

 ing diarrhoea are galls. Next to the use of astringents stands the 

 neutralisation of the acid secretions which come from the mucous 

 membrane of the alimentary canal in all cases of diarrhoea — without 

 reference to the causes that produce it — by means of ant-acids, j)articu- 

 larly bicarbonate of potash, which is a most effective agent. If we 

 feel a disturbance or a lax state of the bowels coming on, we shall 

 frequently find that by abstaining from food and taking a good bold 

 dose of carbonate of soda, the complaint will be checked at once ; for 

 the simple reason that the carbonate neutralises the acid secretion 

 which exists, even without reference to the causes which have given 

 rise to the diarrhoea. 



The Chairman asked the Professor if he had ever analysed the hair- 

 balls of which he spoke ? 



Professor Sijionds had only examined them microscoj^ically. They 

 were composed entirely of vegetable hairs ; the mucus of the intestines 

 glued the hairs together, and converted them into a species of felt. 



The Chairman, in reference to tape-worms, said he saw one, 24 feet 

 long, which came from a dog of his, last summer. 



Professor Simonds : In oxen these worms attain an extraordinary 

 length. True, they were not common to the ox, but he had seen them 

 come from that animal double the length to which the Chairman re- 

 ferred. The worm known as Taenia elongata was so designated in 

 consequence of its immense length. 



The Chairman said, among sheep about twelve months old, bred in 

 the mountains, there was a disease known by the name of " the sick- 

 ness." These sheep lived on coarse food and experienced a good deal 

 of wet and cold ; and the loss from this cause was very severe in the 

 hilly districts of the north. When he was amongst the hills some 

 time ago he advised the farmers to give their sheep peas, beans, and 

 things of that sort, and the farmers now said that he was the best 



