REVIEW.—CATTLE PATHCLOGY. 
301 
were those of colic, accompanied by tympanitis, diarrhoea, and 
paralysis of the hind limbs. He also relates some cases of the pecu¬ 
liar state of atony to which the digestive organs of oxen were re¬ 
duced by the same means. Some accidents that happened at 
Brunswick from giving to cattle the refuse after the distillation of 
brandy from potatoes that had germinated, induced that celebrated 
chemist, as well as physiologist. Professor Otto, to examine some 
of the berries of the solanuin tuberosum, or common potatoe; and 
he obtained “ a pearly white pulverulent substance, alkaline in re¬ 
action, and capable of uniting with acids. One grain of the sul¬ 
phate of solamine killed a rabbit in six hours, and three grains a 
stronger rabbit in nine hours.” These cattle, like the hog just re¬ 
ferred to, exhibited paralysis of the hind extremities, as well as 
decided tympanitis*. 
Grass piled up in recesses of the stable or cow-house, and left 
unturned during a few days, has undergone a species of fermen¬ 
tation, which has produced dangerous hoove in cattle that after¬ 
wards ate of it. The same thing has also occurred from the 
weeds of gardens and corn-fields. The undue use of farinaceous 
substances, as barleymeal, oatmeal, &c., has caused this disease, 
probably because this kind of food precipitates itself by its proper 
weight to the bottom of the stomach, whence it is difficult to raise 
it again to the mouth for the purpose of rumination. Detained in 
the paunch, they after awhile undergo a species of fermentation, 
and tympanitis is the result. A well-informed veterinary surgeon 
has asserted this at one of the concours; and he says that the gur¬ 
gling sound attending the extrication of the gas can frequently be 
heard—that nothing but an incision into the paunch, and the re¬ 
moval of the food, will save the animal, and that he has seen this 
farinaceous mass bursting out at the moment of puncture. 
“ I have also seen,” says the Professor, acorns, and wheat, and 
barley produce analogous effects; but I have been able to save the 
patients without incision or puncture of the paunch; and then, in 
order to prevent a return of the complaint, I have advised the 
farmer to crush the acorns, and to mix them, and the barley and 
the wheat, with hay-chaff, grossly cut, and completely enveloping 
them. I remarked that, after this, the kinds of food referred to 
were returned more easily to the mouth for the purpose of rumina¬ 
tion. I have even been induced to believe that this proceeding 
has prevented the accidents to which we have been referring. 
Some experiments by M. Gasparin have proved that animals that 
have been fed entirely on sliced beet-root return this substance to 
the mouth for the purpose of remastication ; whence we may con- 
* Vide Roc. de Med. Vet. 1834, p. 49. 
VOL. XIII. R r 
