SUDDEN DEATH OF TWO HORSES. 
675 
abdominal pain. He has since been slowly improving, but 
requires great care and watching. The bowels responded 
to the medicine, but not freely. 
A post-mortem examination of No. 1 was made by Mr. 
Statliam and myself directly after death. The bowels were 
found to be distended with gas. All the faecal matter was 
pultaceous. A few traces of inflammation were met with on 
the surface of the intestines. The stomach was gorged with 
well masticated food. Many patches of inflammation existed 
on its mucous coat. 
On the following morning we made a post-mortem ex- 
amination of No. 2. In this animal more inflammation was 
found, both in the intestines and the stomach. This organ 
also was very much distended with food. 
On learning that the horses had all partaken of brewer's 
grains over night, I was of opinion they might have been 
sour, and when mixed with other vegetable matter in the 
stomach, had set up fermentative action ; hence the genera- 
tion of gas and the cause of illness, but upon examination 
the appearances did not seem to prove this theory to be cor- 
rect. No plants or vegetable matter were found in the 
pasture which were likely to have caused poisoning ; but it is 
pretty evident that the cause of illness and death, be it what 
it may, was the same in all the cases. 
No suspicion is entertained of anything having been given 
maliciously. 
The grains had been on the premises about a month, and 
both the pigs and cows had been fed regularly with them, 
without any ill effect being produced. The horses, however, 
had not had any of them before this time. 
[We learn from Professor Tuson, to whom the above com- 
munication was originally sent, and also the stomach with its 
contents of No. 2 patient, that his analysis failed to show 
the presence either of mineral or vegetable poison. The his- 
tory of the cases distinctly points to the presence of delete- 
rious matter in the alimentary canal, and no reasonable 
doubt can be entertained that the whole of the mischief re- 
sulted from that cause. The sour grains when mixed with 
fresh grass and other vegetable matters would doubtless pro- 
duce tympanitis, but still it does not appear that death re- 
sulted from asphyxia or from local inflammatory action. It is 
not unlikely that the absorption of noxious materials into the 
circulation had much to do with the fatal consequences.] 
