The record-union., 1895-11-21
THAT ELK GROVE CATTLE BLIGHT.
DR., Harkness Has Something More to
Say About It.
He Does Not Believe the Cattle Died
From Eating Sand-Thinks
1t Was Fungi.

DR.. H. W. Harkness, President of the
Academy of Sciences in San Fran
cisco, who recently investigated the
cause Of some fifty head of cattle dying
near Elk Grove, in this county, sends
to the Record-Union his views at length
on the subject. He says:
Eds. Record-Union: In a late number
OF your paper 1 noticed that Dr. McCOl-
Inn attributes the death of the cattle
on the Erhardt ranch to the presence
Of a large quantity of sand and
gravel in the stomachs of said animals.
With all due Difference to the doctor,
as a veterinary student, 1 beg leave
to enter a decided protest against the
acceptance of his diagnosis.
The writer was present in the room of
the Board of Supervisors when the
doctor made his verbal report to that
body. He then stated, if my memory
serves me, that he had discovered in
each of the stomachs of two animals
which had been slaughtered an i'm
mcnse ball of sand or gravel weighing
thirty to forty pounds.
The doctor exhibited a sample of the
material which 1 should say would
weigh about one pound, said sample
being a part of one of the large masses
of sand and gravel he had described.
With a desire to investigate q case which
presented such novel features, l i'm
medIately determined to visit the spot
Supervisor Jenkins kindly volunteering
10 bear me company. On arriving at
the farm we were met by the owner of
the cattle and with him examined the
digestive organs of two of the animals
which had but recently been slaugh-
tered. In each case the contents OF the
Iaunch (rumen) appeared to be nor
NAL. The reticulum was filled with
liquid, but contained no solid matter
In the manyplies practically the
third stomach I discovered a cOndi-
ton both novel and interesting. In
both instances this organ was found
to be crowded to its utmost capacity
with food which had been subjected to
the second process of maSticatiOn. AT
this point the process of digestion had
evidently been arrested, this accumu-
latlon of food had distended the organ
to its utmost limit, and by its presence
had excited a violent Inflammation. To
such a degree had this progressed that
the mucous membrane lining the stom-
ach could be detached without effort.
No traces of sand or gravel could be
found in this organ, but Mr.. Erhardt
informed us that a small amount of
sand and gravel was found in one in
stance, in the next or true digestive Stom-
ach. Mr. Erhardt informed US LnaI ne
himself removed all of this material
and presented it to the doctor, further
stating that the whole amount thus
obtained would not exceed one and a
quarter pounds in weight.
After careful search | was unable to
find any more of this foreign material.
The important question which now pre-
sented itself to me was this: To what
malefic influence must we attribute
this abnormal accumulation of food in
the folds of the manyplies which was
followed by the arrest of the digestive
function, which in turn have led to
the destruction Of the mucus lining
of the organ? Upon inquiry, Mr. f. in
formed me that the stricken herd We're
a portion of a band of nearly two hun