Dec. 1915 
Beriberi and Cottonseed Poisoning in Pigs 
491 
were fed a ration of 9 parts (by weight) of steamed polished rice and 1 part 
of tankage, and four a ration of 2 parts of corn meal and 1 part of cotton¬ 
seed meal. On October 24 the ration of the latter pigs was changed 
to equal parts by weight of com meal and cottonseed meal. None of 
these pigs had received rice or cottonseed meal before they entered the 
experiment. 
On September 8 one of the pigs on rice began to breathe with difficulty. 
On the 10th this condition was pronounced, and he refused to eat. On 
September 14 these symptoms rapidly became more severe, paralysis de¬ 
veloped, and the pig died shortly before noon. The ante-mortem symp¬ 
toms were what one would expect to see in an acute case of so-called 
cottonseed poisoning. They were, in fact, the symptoms of wet beriberi. 
The post-mortem examination show r ed serous fluid in the pericardial sac 
and in the thoracic and abdominal cavities. The heart was enlarged 
and the cardiac muscle congested. The lungs were decidedly edematous 
and mottled with a fair number of small subpleural hemorrhages. The 
liver was intensely congested and enlarged. The spleen was apparently 
unaltered, but was dark in color. The stomach showed several erosions 
in the mucosa, and the walls were thickened. The small intestines were 
slightly congested. Many of the mesenteric glands were enlarged and 
congested. Both kidneys were congested, especially at the apices, which 
were deep cherry-red in color. The bladder was distended with urine, 
which contained a large amount of albumin. Except for the large 
quantity of albumin, this is exactly what one would expect to find in a 
beriberi necropsy. It is also what is found in an acute cottonseed-meal 
necropsy. 
On September 21 four additional pigs were placed on the same steamed 
rice and tankage ration (9 :i). On September 29 one of these pigs became 
sick and on September 30 it refused to eat. He recovered and regained 
his normal appetite, but died on October 29, after having been on the 
rice diet for 38 days. The ante-mortem symptoms corresponded closely 
to those of the first pig to die, but the post-mortem examination did 
not give such clear-cut results. The sciatic nerves of this pig were 
dissected out immediately after the post-mortem examination and, 
after being treated by the Marchi method, showed considerable degen¬ 
eration of the nerve fibers. 
The writers believe that pigs fed a ration in which rice is the chief 
component will develop beriberi as do human beings, but much more 
quickly. Weight is given to this belief by the experience of Moore, 1 
who lost pigs fed on “ rice meal” 2 from a disease which Had wen 3 suspects 
to be beriberi. 
1 Moore, P. H. Hog-feeding experiments. In Canada Exp. Farms Rpts. [19123/13, p. 611-613. 1914. 
-Preliminary note on the effects of feeding rice meal to pigs. In Canada Dept. Agr. Rpt. Vet. 
Dir. Gen. [19133/14, p. 137-141. 19*5- 
2 Apparently not the rice meal of our Southern States. 
8 Hadwen, S. Notes on the pathology and symptoms of rice-meal fed pigs. In Canada Dept. Agr. Rpt* 
Vet. Dir. Gen. [19133/14"p. 140. 1915. 
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