The flesh of animals which have laboured under disease, has, on many occasions, done much harm, and is liable to be much more injurious than flesh which is merely putrid from being too long kept. Flesh merely putrid much more seldom proves hurtful, as, long before it can be very pernicious, it becomes so offensive that it cannot be consumed. Moreover, food which has acquired a slight taint, is more easily digested, its fibres become less tense, less hard, and more easily divided and dissolved in the stomach. But the most important injuries of the kind have arisen from the use of diseased grain. On the Continent the rye sometimes becomes diseased, and the grain throws out a fungus somewhat like the spur of a cock. Rye thus deteriorated, when used for food, has produced disease of a very serious character. Persons who partake of it suffer great pain of stomach, fiery heat in the extremities, and very violent convulsions. This spurred rye produces mortification of the extremities, of a very remarkable nature. The late celebrated surgeon, Mr Pott, thus describes these affections. “At the extremity of one or more of the small toes, in more or less time, it passes on to the foot or ankle, and sometimes to a part of the leg, and in spite of all the aid of physic and surgery, most commonly destroys the patient. It is very unlike to the mortification from inflammation, or to that from external cold. In its severer attacks, however, the constitution seems to be generally contaminated, the mind and body become equally debilitated, there is great irritability and a tendency to convulsive action.” Rye thus diseased produces another distemper, which partakes of the nature of typhus fever and that of plague: it is called by the French “Mal des ardens,” and is generally considered one of the worst forms of the pest. That disease is marked by the most virulent character, and has, on many occasions, committed the most fearful ravages. It commences with a sensation of burning, prostration of strength, delirium, and vehement headach; a bad form of erysipelas attacks the skin, ending in suppuration, matter forms in the armpits and groins, and these symptoms almost invariably terminate in death. There is good reason to believe that the fungus or cock-spur is the product of disease in the plant. It is about the size of a cock-spur, is coffee-coloured, and may be readily detected when the farmer is disposed to use his eyes.