EXTENT OF THE EVIL.

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latter; for thousands of slop-fed cows having in a single year become so diseased as to be of little use for the dairy, they are slaughtered and eaten by our citizens. But it is not here designed to go into detail. It is sufficient that the entire system, when first assailed, was not only rife with evil in all its tendencies and effects, but was of great extent, and had become firmly established by its connections, and the various interests which it had drawn to its support.

CHAPTER XIII.

EVILS OF UNNATURAL FEEDING DEMONSTRATED FROM THE

PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF THE COW.

Digestive organs of ruminant animals.-Teeth.-Salivary glands.—

Esophagus. -Rumen.-Reticulum.-Omasum.-Abomasum.— Process of rumination.-Liquids pass into the fourth stomach.— Digestive process.-In the different stomachs.- Gastric juice.— General deductions.

HAVING in the preceding chapter presented some general views, we now proceed to a more particular examination of the subject. In order to place it in its true light, let it be remarked, first, that the cow is an herbivorous and a ruminating animal; pasturage, of course, or gramineous matter, is its natural and appropriate aliment.

Reasoning a priori from the physical formation of the cow, as it is a ruminating animal, it were easy to demonstrate that its digestive organs are peculiarly adapted, and were designed by nature, for solid food; and consequently that distillery slop and food of that description is the most unnatural aliment which it can receive into its stomach.

The digestive organs of the ruminant class, such as the cow and sheep, are more complicated than those of any other animals. In the first place, they have cutting or incisor teeth which are admirably adapted for cropping grass or pasturage. The upper external portion of these teeth, is convex, rising straight from the gum, while inwards they have a concave surface, gradually diminishing in thickness, and terminating in a sharp edge which is covered with enamel, so as to produce and retain the sharpness necessary for separating herbaceous substances. They have also large mo

THE COW'S STOMACH.

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lares, or grinding teeth, fitted for comminuting grassy fibres, or food which requires long and difficult mastication, in order that the nourishment may be extracted from it; and for this purpose we find the enamel, or harder portions of the teeth, distributed over and throughout their texture. Besides this, they have large salivary glands, for the purpose of moistening and lubricating the food preparatory to swallowing, and to aid in the second process of mastication, during which the food is reduced to a pultaceous state; while in carnivorous animals, these glands are either wanting, or of a much smaller size.

But the considerations drawn from the stomach of the cow, are still more striking and conclusive, and will be better understood by referring to the following plate. The œsophagus is marked (a), which gradually enlarges as it descends, and apparently runs into the rumen or paunch, but in fact terminates in a canal ; (b) represents the œsophagus slit open at the commencement of the œsophagean canal, to show its communication with the first and second stomachs.

The first stomach (c) is usually called the paunch or rumen; it is placed immediately under the termination of the gullet, and is much the largest of the four. Externally, it has two sacs or appendices, and internally it presents four divisions separated from each other by deeply projecting duplicatures of the coats of the stomach. The rumen of animals fed on herbaceous food, is seldom or never empty; it is in constant motion, and by its macerating process prepares its contents for future digestion.

The second stomach, marked (d), is called the reticulum, and is a globular appendage of the paunch, only it possesses a thicker muscular coat. Its inner surface is arranged in irregular pentagonal cells, shallower and wider than those of the honey-comb, but nearly resembling them; hence this stomach is sometimes called the honey-comb.

118

INTERNAL VIEW OF THE COW'S STOMACH.

Each of these divisions, especially the sides and base, is covered with minute prominences or fine papillæ, which are secreting glands.

The third stomach (e) is the smallest, and is called omasum, or manyplus. It has a globular shape, and has a thinner muscular coat than the former. The internal structure of this stomach is very singular. It consists of numerous broad laminæ, sent off from the internal coat in a longitudinal direction, alternately varying in breadth, and covered with small granular papillæ.

The fourth stomach (ƒ) is the abomasum. It is of pyriform shape, and is next in size to the rumen. It has large longitudinal folds covered with villi, like the digestive portion of the stomach of the horse. The muscular coat of this stomach is still thinner than that of the former. The inner surface of the three first stomachs, is covered with a cuticle, whilst that of the fourth is lined by a true mucous or secreting membrane.

(g) Denotes the duodenum or first intestine.

(h) Marks the place where the biliary and pancreatic ducts enter the duodenum.

It may be well in this place to remark, that by an examination of the first plate, but more particularly of the second, a singular provision will be noticed by which the food can be received into the first and second stomachs, or be carried on to the third or fourth, as is the case, after herbaceous substances and aliments of that description are thoroughly ground down by the process of rumination. (a) Is a continuation of the œsophagus through the stomachs. (b) Marks the progress of the œsophagean canal, which is slit from the base of the gullet to the third stomach, in order to show the continuous roof of the canal. (c) Is the prolongation of the same canal, into and through the third stomach or manyplus, which may be known by

INTERNAL VIEW OF THE Cow's STOMACH.

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its leaves and serrated edges. (d) Indicates the continuance of the canal into the abomasum or fourth stomach, which terminating at the pylorus, or lower orifice of the stomach, opens into the duodenum.

(a) The œsophagus. (b) The commencement of the œsophagean canal. (cc) The rumen. (dd) The reticulum. (e) The omasum. (f) The abomasum. (g) The duodenum.

The curious arrangement last referred to, is farther illustrated in the first plate. The arrow (i) points out that section of the œsophagean canal, through which the gullet communicates with the rumen.