Kidd V. Royal Agricultural Socieft/ of England. 545 
and I rather understoiid Mr. Seymour to be asking how does fermentation 
begin — what causes it. 
Mr. Seymour : Precisely so. Once yon have got fermentation, I can under- 
stand the distension, and tiie disease, and the death. 
Mr. Justice Blackburn : Quite .so ; and I understand your question to he, 
what starts the fermentation in the case you are alluding to, not what follows 
after it when once it has begim ? 
Mr. Seymour : Yes, my lord. (To the Witness) You may take feimen- 
tation from a thousand other causes, excluding the cake altogether.— 
A. You must take each cause into consideration in answering a question 
of that kind. For ex-imple, supposing that you give mangold wurzel to an 
animal and it imperfectly masticates the mangold wurzel, the ordinary appli- 
cation of the heat and moisture, as it were, of the rumen, is sufficient at once 
to set up fermentation in mangold wurzel badly masticated ; the same with 
regard to turnips, and the same with regard to potatoes. 
Mr. Justice Blackburn : Yes, but what prevents it being set up in man- 
gold which is properly masticated ? — A. The function of the rumen being 
properly performed. 
Q. That is another step. How does it prevent it? — A. The ordinary func- 
tion of the rumen is that of expelling the food into the mouth that it may be 
re-masticated. That is one function. The other is emitting its contents Ironi 
time to time into the other stomach, by ordinary peristaltic action. These 
functions are interfered with under the circumstances to which the learned 
Counsel has alluded. 
Mr. Justice Blackburn : I do not think it is quite explained in your ans^ver. 
Mr. Seymour : I wdl read you a line or two from a lecture of your own. 
In the ' Veterinary Record,' speaking of " hoven," you say, " This disease 
may occur at any period of the year, if cattle are subjected to a certain altera- 
tion of diet. It, however, takes place more often in the spring and autumn ?" 
— A. That is a Lecture before the Agricultural Society. 
Q. It gives us a very graphic account of the swelling and distension of the 
cow, and so on ? — A. It was a popular lecture, you must remember. 
Q. Popular 1 But being by an able Professor, I have no doubt there was no 
popular fallacy in it ? — A. Thank you for the compliment. 
Q. " The disease may occur at any period of the year if cattle are subjected 
to a sudden alteration of diet." Now, I want to get you to this. We start with 
this principle : that, on the authority of Professor Simonds, the disease may 
occur when cattle are subjected to a sudden alteration of diet ? — A. Yes. 
Q. Now I want to know this, chemically speaking, where tympanitic action 
arises from a sudden alteration of diet, how does the chemical action begin in 
the rumen? What is it that sets the mischief afloat? — A. The suspension 
of the function of the rumen for the time being. 
Q. What susjiends the function of the rumen ?— J. Why the impairment 
of the nerves supplying it. 
Q. What produces that impairment of the nerves? — A. The direct effect 
on the coats of the rumen of the material that is taken. 
Q. What produces that direct effect ?—A. It depends entirely upon what 
the agent is. If I take badly masticated food — if I swallow food myself, as 
I said just now — a certain quantity is digested, and another quantity goes into 
fermentation. I cannot go beyond that. 
Q. I am not upon that, I am ujion an alteration in diet? — A. Well, but 
then an alteration in diet frequ'-ntiy leads to an imperfect mastication of fo<id ; 
and I had reference to neither hay nor straw, nor anything of that kind, but 
to turnips or mangold wurzels, when I wrote that. 
Q. But would turnips alone, or mangold wurzels alone prodnce an effervc - 
cence ? — A. To be sure. 
VOL. VI :r. — s. s. ^ 
