252 
POISONING OF PIGS BY COMMON SALT. 
with several cases during the last twenty-one years, and have 
found some difficulty—first, in proving the salt to have been 
given ; secondly, to induce the owner to believe that death had 
resulted from the salt given, or that it was poisonous when 
mixed in excess with food. 
I send three cases of such poisoning, which have occurred 
during the last six years, if you think them worthy a place in 
your Journal. 
July 29th, 1853.—I was requested to see four white pigs, 
belonging to G. Nottidge, Esq., of Yardley Lodge, near this 
town. The symptoms presented were—a staggering gait, 
sickness, frothy discharge from the mouth, shortness of 
breath, coldness of ears and legs, with occasional fits of 
shivering. There were also dark livid spots on the sides and 
backs of the animals. I pronounced them at once to be cases of 
poisoning by salt, which had been given or put in their food. 
This was denied. I then examined the wash, and although 
slightly fermented, there was nothing in it sufficient to produce 
the symptoms under which the pigs were labouring. The 
animals soon died, and some time afterwards it was ascertained 
that brine had been put into the cistern. 
The second instance occurred Feb. 28th, 1858, at Mrs. 
Deacon’s, Mabledon Park. The pigs presented the same 
symptoms as those already described, with this addition—that 
they were continually walking round and round the sty, 
knocking their heads against the wall, and appeared in a 
comatose state, being insensible to either light, sound, or 
touch. I had no hesitation in stating these to be poisoned 
by salt, but could not, at first, find by what means the salt 
had got into their food, the man who had fed them knowing 
nothing of it. Upon my stating to the bailiff my decided 
opinion that salt was the cause, he went into the house and 
told the kitchen-maid, that when she cleaned out the pork 
tubs he wished her to save the brine for him. She replied, 
“Y r ou are too late, as I cleaned the tubs out yesterday.” He 
then asked, “ What became of the brine ?” She replied, “ I put 
it into the cistern with the wash for the pigs.” In this in¬ 
stance the pigs recovered in a day or two, having only par¬ 
taken of a small quantity of the wash. The third instance 
happened July 5th, 1858, at Meopham Park, the residence of 
J. T. Herring, Esq. (the celebrated animal painter). This was 
clearly proved to be the effect of liquor in which a round of 
beef had been boiled the day previous, and which was given 
to two fine sows, both forward in pig. I was hastily sum¬ 
moned, and found one sow dead on my arrival, and the other 
lived but an hour or two after. 
