Rate of Passage of Inert Materials through the Digestive Tract of the Bovine

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Abstract
A knowledge of the rate of passage of inert materials through the digestive tract is of importance ill digestibility studies. This information is necessary to determine how long feeds may exert an influence where rations are changed from one feeding r6gime to another in order that proper interpretation may be given to the results. The development of a method for determining this rate of passage also offers a means for investigating the comparative costive or laxative effect of feeds. Hoelzel (1) studied the rate of passage of inert materials through the digestive tract Of rabbits, guinea-pigs, dogs, cats, albino rats, white mice, pigeons, one monkey, one hen, and one man. The test materials included rubber, cotton thread (knots), seeds, glass beads, pieces of aluminum, steel, silver, and gold. The rate of passage of these inert materials was found to be more or less proportional to the specific gravity of the test materials, the heavier materials passing more slowly than the lighter ones. The rate of passage also varied considerably in the different species and individuals. Burnett (2) used 50 cc. of French millet seeds in studies with man, noting the number of hours five or more seeds were first and last seen on the surface of the naturally dejected feces. He considered 14-85 hours a rapid rate and 62-134 hours a normal rate. Alvarez (3) used glass beads in determining the rate of passage of food residues through man and found on an average 75 per cent of the beads were passed in 96 hours. Cugnini (4), cited by Burnett (2), placed powdered Brazil nuts in the food of horses in 33 tests. The first appearance of the marker varied between 15 and 24 hours and was last seen from 74 to 195 hours. Reed, Huffman and Addington (5) obtained the rate of passage of Sudan III fed to four heifers. The first and last appearance of the dye was determined from the color of the filtered ether extract of the feces. The first appearance was from 12 hours and 45 minutes to 16 hours. The last appearance was from 47 to 51 hours. Fish (6) fed Sudan III in butter to a cow and found that the dye first appeared in the feces 16 to 17 hours after feeding and the last appeared from 48 to 92 hours. Ewing and Smith (7) fed rubber discs to steers as markers. Some of

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