40 



arrival practically all of the birds were more or less affected, and 

 a dozen or so were in a moribund condition. All the birds 

 were injected and the local lesions treated with tincture of iodine, 

 the injection being repeated on the fifth day. Marked improve- 

 ment was noticed as early as the second day after the first in- 

 jection and complete recovery resulted in the course of one to 

 two weeks in practically every case, even four of the dying ones 

 making a complete though slower recovery. There was but slight 

 constitutional reaction to the treatment, some of the birds being 

 temporarily dejected and a few developing diarrhea which was 

 easily checked by means of sulphate of iron in the drinking 

 water. 



Without question the treatment in this case proved an unquali- 

 fied success, some of the recoveries being quite remarkable. 



An outbreak of a far more virulent form in a flock of young 

 turkeys is now under treatment in Nuuanu valley in Honolulu. 

 The vaccine treatment was applied without delay and it may 

 Safely be said that without it there would not be a turkey left 

 alive today in the infected flock. As it is, only one bird has been 

 lost so far, and nearly all the remaining ones are well on the way 

 to recovery. The bird that died became blind in both eyes, from 

 the tumors invading the eye sockets, and probably starved to 

 death from being unable to find its food. It was very weak at 

 the time of the first treatment, but, though the eyelids were af- 

 fected, it was not expected that the lesions would so rapidly in- 

 vade the sockets as to completely destroy the eyesight. Conse- 

 quently no instructions were left with the caretaker in regard to 

 special care of the bird, and it was lost. 



A number of the remaining ones are, however, encouraging 

 illustrations of the most marvellous effectiveness of this modern 

 similia similibus treatment which, as stated, consists in the injec- 

 tion, hypodermically, of a solution made from the crusts of the 

 sores that form on the heads of the affected birds. This solution, 

 which would cause a fatal attack of the disease in a healthy bird 

 in a few days after injection, if used in its original strength, is 

 attenuated by heating for one hour to a temperature of 137° F. 

 The heating so reduces the virulence of the infection that its in- 

 troduction into a healthy bird produces a hardly noticeable attack 

 of the disease, but one which confers permanent immunity 

 against future attacks. At the same time, but for less obvious 

 reasons, it seems to have a strong curative eff'ect on already 

 affected birds. 



While but few opportunities have so far presented themselves 

 for experimentation, the fact has been established that birds so 

 badly affected that further treatment seemed useless, have, after 

 the first injection, entered upon a straight road to recovery that 

 is almost unbelievable, and, while sore-head or chicken pox may 

 seem an insignificant disease and of small economic importance, 

 the overwhelming significance of these recoveries, as a promise 



