POISONING BY MOLASSES REFUSE.
Molasses refuse is much used about Paris and in the department of Le Nord for fattening or simply for feeding animals. Added to rough fodder, even of poor quality, the refuse renders it palatable, and thus forms an economic food; it also improves the condition of animals with broken wind. Its poverty in nitrogenous materials (the refuse consists of 60 per cent. of hydrocarbons; 10 to 12 per cent. of potash and soda salts) renders it necessary to enrich it in this respect. Moreover, only a limited quantity should be given. If given in larger amounts than 2 to 2½ parts per 500 parts of body weight it may produce bad effects. In this case the earlier symptoms point to interference with the urinary apparatus, the digestive apparatus being affected later; both accidents are due to the potash and soda salts present in the refuse, and may become so well marked as to constitute true poisoning.
The symptoms consist in abundant diuresis, resulting from the excess of potash and soda salts, and are followed by albuminuria. Superpurgation is usually present.
Lesions. On post-mortem examination one finds lesions of irritant gastro-enteritis, and of chronic nephritis.
Treatment consists in withdrawing the molasses refuse, and giving milk, mucilaginous fluids, barley-water, and cereals, which soothe the kidney.
DISEASES PRODUCED BY DISTILLERY AND SUGAR FACTORY PULP.
This disease, which is very common in France and Germany, results from feeding on distillery and sugar factory residues, consisting for the most part of beet pulp.
In 1860 Guionnet described it under the name of disease of the abomasum, and more recent work by Butel, Rossignol, and Arloing has thrown a great deal of light on its exact nature.
Causation. Guionnet attributed the injurious action of beet pulp, etc., to excess of acidity, due to the addition of sulphuric acid during manipulation in the factory; but it has since been shown that this acidity, if existing, is specially due to various fermentation products, the results of lactic, butyric, and acetic fermentation, etc.
Rossignol regarded the symptoms as wholly due to the excessive proportion of water, viz., 90 per cent.; but this does not explain the general symptoms of poisoning.