﻿40 BULLETIN 1138, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



TESTS WITH CALF THYMUS AND HOG CHITTERLINGS. 



The thymus gland of the calf is the true sweetbread. Chitterlings 

 are that part of the intestinal tract of the hog used as food; and 

 the product used in these tests was cooked chitterlings. In Table 25 

 are reported the results of the feeding tests with tne above-named 

 tissues. The ration containing 15 per cent of calf thymus had a 

 low antineuritic value, the average survival period being only 23 

 days, and the ration which contained 25 per cent of the tissue had 

 only a fair value, the average survival period of the birds being 34 

 days. 



The chitterlings tested had a fair antineuritic value. All the 

 pigeons w T hich were fed the ration containing 15 per cent of the 

 chitterlings developed polyneuritis by the thirty-ninth day, and the 

 three birds that received 25 per cent of the tissue in their feed all 

 developed polyneuritis by the fifty-second day. The fourth bird 

 in this pen died a few days after the start of the test from an unknown 

 cause. It appears that the calf thymus and hog chitterlings tested 

 had practically the same antineuritic value. 



The changes in the weights of the pigeons during the test are 

 shown in Figures 41 and 42. 



Table 25. — Experimental feeding of dried calf thymus and hog chitterlings with polished 



rice. 



Thymus and chitterlings rations. 



Pigeon 

 No. 



Survival 

 period. 



Change 

 in weight. 



Result. 



PEN 79. 



92 

 93 

 94 

 95 



Days. 

 15 

 35 

 26 

 14 



Per cent. 

 -7.3 

 -24.4 

 -19.6 

 -14.3 



Polvneuritis. 



Do 



Do 



Do 



Died. 



Polvneuritis. 

 Do. 



Average 





23 



-16.4 











PEN 80. 



88 



89 

 90 

 91 



25 



55 

 35 

 22 



-14.2 



-24.5 



+ .7 

 +6.6 



Removed account badlv in- 



Do 



fected eyes. 

 Fair condition end of test. 



Do 



Polvneuritis. 



Do 



Do. 











34 



-7.9 











PEN 81. 



15 per cent chitterlings 



9 

 10 

 11 

 70 



19 

 15 

 39 

 19 



-10.3 



-6. 7 



-34.3 



-15.4 



Polyneuritis. 



Do 



Do 



Do 



Do. 

 Do. 

 Do. 







23 



-16.7 











PEN 82. 



25 per cent chitterlings 



13 

 15 

 16 



17 

 46 

 52 



-.6 

 -22.4 

 -14.8 



Polvneuritis. 



Do 



Do 



Do. 

 Do. 



Average 





38 



— 12.6 









