664 Kidd V. Royal Agriculhiral Society of England. 
who trace it from having on many occasions attended the cattle, that it is one 
of the common causes of suffering attended with the same identical symptoms 
which this cow seems to have exhibited before she died. When they talked 
of blood-poisoning, one was anxious to know how they made that out. But 
it is explained afterwards that the blood-poisoning is merely the predominance 
of carbon in the blood, which prevents the oxygen and the carbon meeting 
together, aud helping the course of digestion. You have, therefore, no doubt, 
chemical influences acting which produced that blackening and poisoning in 
the animals which is called blood-poisoning. But the same thing occurs 
always in tympanitis, from whatever cause that may have been produced. 
Therefore it is that I say you have in this case that which has made it clear 
to demonstration, that (unless you can be satisfied on some other theory which 
is set up) there is enough to account for all that you heard of by the sug- 
gestion that this was a case of ordinary tympanitis. 
Then, what have you on the other side ? You have on the part of my 
friend plenty of conjecture. He says I am theorizing : 1 say he is. I say on 
his side you have nothing but conjecture, nothing but an idea that because 
something may have been in the cake, which no human being has been able 
to see or discover, and as to which you must come to the conclusion that it 
was there before you can support their theory, that because something may 
have been there which, if it was poisonous, and was there to such an extent 
as to produce a sensible effect on the nerves of the rumen,'might account for the 
symptoms, therefore that which may be, must be, and hence it was that which 
caused the fermentation and indigestion of which this cow died. Now, what 
have you on the other side ? We have called before you a number of vete- 
rinary surgeons, beginning with Mr. Holmes, who for thirty years has occupied 
more or less important positions in his business. He was chosen (it shows at 
least that he was a man of education, intelligence, and knowledge) to be vete- 
rinary surgeon to the cavalry in India, and men chosen for so important a 
position as that of keeping the horses of our Indian cavalry in good health 
are not young men in their profession or imknown men, they are generally 
well-educated men, and men in whom people have confidence. Before he 
went out to India he was practising here, and since his return he has spent 
his life as a practical man in the duties of his jjrofession. True, he has not 
written learned essaj's in agricultural reviews, he has delivered no beautiful 
treatise or lecture illustrated with handsome pictures and engravings like 
Professor Simonds ; he has filled no philosopher's chair ; he has drawn no 
rapturous plaudits from the students of the college, but he has done this — he has 
quietly pursued the practice of his profession and learned the valuable lessons 
of practical experience, and has given you that which 1 venture to say you will 
not disregard in considering }''our verdict in this case : he stakes his professional 
reputation, in the acquirement of which he has gro'mi grey, upon this, that this 
cow died from tympanitis, and that that arose from the alteration of the food. 
It is all very well for my friend to speculate about the particular time which 
intervened. Gentlemen, when that food was given by these labouring men 
called here they kept no note about the time. They spoke of its being about 
this time and that time, but half an hour sooner or later might bring the time 
nearer to the opinion which Mr. Holmes gave ; and I venture to say that, in 
justice to him and to Mr. Kidd, whose witness he is, you will consider your- 
selves bound to accept these statements of men who at the time had not 
their particular attention called to it, and which, after all, are given with a 
certain vagueness as to the particular and exact hours and minutes ut which 
certain food was administered, with extreme caution. And for this reason, all 
the more that two or three of the witnesses my friend called admitted that 
the cake had been laid aside or that there had been no supply lor ten da)'s. 
One of them, indeed, got into the box, and very inaccurately, as I believe, saiil 
