450 ON “ STAKING,” OR “ BOUND, IN CATTLE. 
ralysing the stomach; but we well know that cattle are often 
“ staked’’ by eating almost any sort of grass, especially of a dry 
and husky nature, that grows about hedges, and which may have 
been the case in these instances. 
It appears to me that when the maniplus, or third stomach of 
cattle is quite filled and hard, like many of the foregoing cases, 
medicine has veiy little effect in expelling the contents, as the 
stomach must be completely exhausted by the distension and re¬ 
peated efforts to expel the ingesta; for when the cavities between 
each leaf become filled, and the food will not come out by the 
usual contraction, all the repeated pressure does nothing more than 
force out the fluid, and make what remains harder and harder. 
In some of the two-years-old there was upwards of two pounds 
of castor oil, two or three pounds of Glauber’s salts, an ounce of 
Barbadoes aloes, with spirit of turpentine and ginger, and re¬ 
peated small doses of warm water, raking, clysters, &c., but to 
no purpose ; and in one case it is very likely that the medicine 
had an injurious effect. Vide case II. 
I am inclined to think that it is very improper to let them have 
meat of any description, though they will eat it, as tliev 
sometimes will; for it must only increase the distension of the 
paunch, and, in some cases, the third stomach; but the only 
thing admissible is warm water, to soften the ingesta, and purging 
medicine to increase the secretion and stimulate the stomach to 
contract on its contents, and to bring on purging. 
Clysters, I think, are but of little use, as the faeces in the in¬ 
testines are generally soft, and the bowels are sufficiently sound 
and active to expel what is likely to be injurious. 
Bleeding to any considerable extent is improper, as it must ul¬ 
timately weaken the system generally, and lessen the secretion in 
the stomach. There was nothing in any of these cases that in¬ 
dicated a repetition of bleeding. There was no effusion or gan¬ 
grene, but merely a little distension of blood-vessels. These 
deaths, I believe, are occasioned solely by the exhaustion pro¬ 
duced by the disease, as there was little or no injury or lesion of 
the parietes of the stomachs. 
