Animals: Marlene's Whistle

Man has one stomach compartment; the cow, four. Its highly complicated digestive structure enables the cow to enjoy foods that man could not digest, but there is one serious drawback: only with the greatest difficulty can a cow belch. Many a cow has wandered into an alfalfa field, gorged herself, then begun to swell & swell & swell. For the cow that has become discontented by too hearty eating of green alfalfa farmers heretofore have had only one remedy—jamming a pitchfork or other sharp instrument into the cow's stomach. This relieves the bloat but distresses the cow. Last week in Bennington, Neb., Dr. Jeter Johanna Christiansen was successfully demonstrating a more scientific, less painful bloat-cure. Into the left side of a cow named Marlene Dr. Christiansen made an incision the size of a 50¢-piece. Into this hole in Marlene's stomach he inserted a perforated aluminum cylinder fitted with a ball valve and spring. Then he sewed Marlene up, leaving the valve end protruding from her side. A few days later Marlene was treated to a large meal of alfalfa. She soon began to swell. Before the swelling reached dangerous proportions there was a gentle whistling sound from Marlene's left side. The swelling subsided, Marlene looked relieved. Dr. Christiansen began inserting whistles in other Douglas County cows (150 of which have died of bloat this year) at $2 per whistle, including a cap to cover the valve so that the cows will not have cold stomachs in winter.