ACORN-POISONING. 
25 
the animal, when yon may be sure of seeing it. There is 
great tenderness across the loins; with slight pressure it 
would almost bend its back to the ground. In neglected 
cases, and those which were almost sure to terminate fatally, 
there was a good deal of discharge of blood and yellowish 
matter from the nostrils. The cases above recorded were the 
worst, and had to be treated, but finally recovered. They 
generally terminate one way or the other in about four or 
five days. 
Post-mortem . — Rumen enlarged ; full of a brownish mate- 
rial, which on close examination proved to be acorns com- 
bined with rough grass and leaves ; some of the acorns were 
only broken in half; mucous membrane highly congested, and 
in some places destroyed ; reticulum empty. In each animal 
there was a large coagulum of blood (in one instance, two) 
at some part of the body, generally near to the kidneys or the 
stomach; the omasum was full of hard feculent matter, the 
mucous membrane readily peeling off. The mucous mem- 
brane of abomasum highly congested, and full of fluid. Heart 
and lungs healthy ; no effusion in the chest. Intestines only 
slightly discoloured, and almost empty. The kidneys showed 
great destruction, being black in colour and easily broken up ; 
in some instances this discoloration extended into the muscular 
structure underneath. The liver seemed pretty healthy. 
From Mr. F. Earl, of Shifnal, we have received several com- 
munications, from which we quote the following remarks : — 
I was this morning called to Patshull to see some beasts — • 
they have lost several, I think, from eating acorns. The ani- 
mals have been feeding in the park for some time past, and 
present a very poor appearance indeed ; they look very dull and 
dispirited, their bellies are tucked up, giving them a very gaunt 
appearance ; there is an entire loss of appetite ; they do not 
appear to be in much or any pain ; the breathing is natural, 
and the pulse but slightly quickened and rather feeble, but 
when moved they show symptoms of cerebral disturbance, 
staggering gait, &c., and if driven for a short distance reel 
about like a drunken man, fall and die as it were of apoplexy. 
I opened one this morning five minutes after death, and much 
to my surprise found the three first stomachs in a perfectly 
normal state, also the whole of the viscera, with the exception 
of the abomasum, which was in a highly inflamed condition. 
The whole of the intestines, especially the large ones, were of 
a deep purple colour. The omasum, as before observed, was 
quite healthy ; there was a small quantity of soft ingesta 
between the leaves, but no hard impaction whatever ; the 
