21 
A FATAL DISEASE AMONG CATTLE IN DORSET- 
SHIRE. 
By “ Agricola.” 
As in every direction near here cattle of various ages have 
during the present autumn and winter season succumbed to 
a most intractable complaint, I beg to direct your attention 
to the matter. 
Having had some calves die quite suddenly, I, as usual, 
made a pos-t-mortem examination, and was astonished to find 
that none of the great organs presented any signs of lesion. 
The rumen, however, was distended with what seemed to 
be a crude kind of food ; and on looking over the article 
“ Ox ” in Morton's f Cyclopsedia of Agriculture/ I hit upon 
the following, which so exactly met my case, that I cannot 
forbear quoting it : — 
“Distension of the rumen with food , though not usually 
attended with such acute symptoms in the early stage (as in 
meteorisation), is still more formidable, being more difficult to 
relieve. It is fortunately, however, much rarer to be met with, 
and occurs principally with stall-fed beasts. It is important 
to distinguish between distension of the rumen with gas and 
with food, although it is somewhat difficult to do so, the 
symptoms being rather similar. When, however, the disten- 
sion is produced by solid matter, the swelling of the abdomen 
is not so great, and the distress is not so urgent, although 
the danger may even be greater." 
In our own case we found the final scene was heralded by 
coughing and difficulty of breathing, upon which the animals 
died so suddenly that two dropped dead in the road on their 
way to the shelter of the farm buildings. 
What is curious is that the six strong calves which had 
been done well during a trying season, and had all got 
through the foot and mouth disease most favorably, were 
seized one after the other at intervals of a few days, and 
with all the symptoms were so alarming that all we could 
do was powerless for good. We have since learned that 
our neighbours have suffered to even a more alarming extent, 
losing cattle of all kinds and ages. 
The matter may perhaps be considered to possess more 
than ordinary interest now, inasmuch as if any of the cattle 
so seized had been eating acorns the results would have been 
referred to that cause. 
