FOURTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART X. 731 



ease varies from 2 to 3 days to as many weeks in the acute cases, 

 while chronic form may continue for several months. The average 

 death rate is from 50 to 60 per cent of the flock. 



Treatment. — The treatment of fowls affected with diphtheria re- 

 quires much time and patience, and as a rule does not pay. It is bet- 

 ter to kill those affected, bury or burn their carcasses, disinfect th^ 

 poultry houses, and in that way eradicate the contagion as soon as 

 possible, even if the whole flock must be sacrifled. 



If it is decided to treat the sick birds, they should be removed from 

 the flock and put in a comfortable, well-ventilated room which may 

 be easily disinfected. Make a solution by dissolving 2 drams of com- 

 mon salt in a quart of warm water, and with a soft brush or a pledget 

 of absorbent cotton dipped ia this solution gently brusn or rub the 

 false membranes until they are disintegrated and loosened from the 

 underlying tissues. Sometimes it is necessary to scrape them off with 

 a spoon or knife, but it must be done carefully so that bleeding will 

 not be caused or the sensitive tissues injured. After the false mem- 

 brane has been removed, moisten a pledget of absorbent cotton in a 2 

 per cent solution of lysol or carbolic acid and apply it for a minute 

 or two to the diseased surface. A solution which gives good results 

 is made by dissolving 35 grains of chlorate of potash and 2 grains of 

 salicylic acid in 1 ounce of water adding 1 ounce of glycerin. This 

 may be applied to the diphtheritic spots three or four times a day with 

 a pledget of absorbent cotton. 



Another solution which is often recommended is made by dissolving 

 16 grains of permanganate of potash in half a pint of water. A very 

 good and also a harmless solution consists of II/2 ounces of boric acid 

 and 1 ounce of powdered borax (biborate of soda) dissolved in 1 quart 

 of water and applied warm. The two last-mentioned solutions may be 

 used to wash the eyes or may be injected into the nostrils. Argyrol 

 may also be used as recommended in contagious catarrh. 



If large swellings appear beneath the eyes, they should be opened 

 with a clean, sharp knife, the contents of the cavity removed, and 

 the space frequently washed with the boric-acid-borax solution men- 

 tioned above. 



Many persons think that the treatment is not complete without 

 fumigation. To accomplish this vaporize tar water or oil of turpentine 

 in the room by dropping it slowly on a hot brick or stone after 

 the doors and windows have been tightly closed. If the operator 

 remains in the room with fowls, he can easily determine when as 

 much of the remedy has been vaporized as can safely be used and 

 should stop at that point. The tar water is prepared by stirring two 

 tablespoonfuls of wood tar in a quart of warm water and letting the 

 mixture stand for a few hours. 



The cages and the room in which the sick birds are kept should be 

 disinfected daily with a 5 per cent solution of cresol or carbolic acid. 



BIRD POX (chicken POX). 



Bird pox is a condition characterized by an eruption of nodules 

 varying from the size of a millet seed to that of a pea, which occurs 



