FOISONING OF PIGS WITH COMMON SALT. 125 
condition, and were sent to Messrs. Wood and Mathews, of 
Barton, for analysis; and as, when Mr. Bass left Barton, at 
six o’clock, their labours were not over, instructions were 
forwarded for Mr. Taylor, veterinary surgeon, of Barton, to 
bring their report to Byrkely Lodge that evening. 
While waiting for this report, I stated without hesitation, 
that the whole of these pigs had been destroyed by common 
salt, grounding my opinion on the state of the stomachs 
1 had examined, and other similar cases which had fallen 
under my notice. Mr. Bass and others said it was not so. 
I inquired if any brine had been sent out of the house b y 
the cook to the pigs ? I was answered in the negative. I then 
asked to see the man who prepared the food and fed the pigs 
the night before; on his appearance I inquired if he fed the pigs 
last night. He said “ Yes.’’ “ What did you give them ?” 
“ Boiled potatoes, barley meal, and wash from the cistern.” 
“When did you boil the potatoes?” “Two or three weeks 
back.” “ How came you to do that ? v “We had a quantity 
of potatoes we thought would not keep sound.” “ Do they 
keep when boiled ?” “ Yes, with the addition of common 
salt to them when they are broken down.” “ Had the 
potatoes you gave the pigs last night been prepared with 
salt?” “Yes, in the usual way.” “What quantity of salt 
do you use to a bushel of potatoes ?” “ I cannot say; we 
spread it upon them with a shovel, putting a layer of pota¬ 
toes and then a layer of salt.” Surely this was very strong 
evidence in favour of salt being the poison ! 
Shortly after this, Mr. Tavlor arrived from Barton, with 
the report of Messrs. Wood and Mathews that they had 
utterly failed to detect any mineral or other poison. This 
circumstance, of itself, was a great relief to Air. Bass and 
those present, although they could not believe that salt had 
been the destroying agent. 
Upon this Mr. Bass wisely resolved to send the stomachs 
and food to Dr. Alfred Taylor, for analysis. As I understand 
that Dr. Alfred Taylor has kindly furnished you with a copy 
of his report, you will perceive that he also fails to find 
any mineral poison. 
I cannot now refrain from stating that the first cases of 
this kind which came under my notice, and I then made a 
post-mortem inspection, happened as far back as June, 1807. 
These arose from the brine of a large dairy establishment 
finding its way into the pigs’ food. All the stomachs dis¬ 
played the same peculiar marks of acute gastritis so faith¬ 
fully described by Dr. Alfred Taylor, in his report of Air. 
Bass’s pigs. I am, Gentlemen, yours truly. 
To the Editors of the ‘ Veterinarian / 
