6o6 



THE BOOK OF POULTRY. 



s.ble extent. It very often commences as roup, 

 and has been confounded with that disease ; but 

 it is a true diphtheria, propagated by a bacillus 

 which has been isolated by Loffler and others, 

 and the truth seems to be that the mucous 

 surfaces already inflamed, and the system 

 already weakened by the roup, are peculiarly 

 unable to withstand infection from the diph- 

 theritic bacillus. Even in a recovered case, the 

 disease so greatly affects the strength and 

 constitution that such a bird should never, 

 if possible, be used for breeding; and it is, 

 moreover, by no means certain that the disease 

 is not communicable to man. About 1S95 that 

 question was believed to be settled in the 

 negative; but further investigations since have 

 revived the doubt, though the general opinion 

 of bacteriologists in America still is, that cases 

 which have been observed there of a sort of 

 diphtheritic sore throat rather common among 

 poultrymen working amidst an outbreak, is of a 

 much milder type and distinct from diphtheria 

 in man. Of course cases which have begun as 

 roup will have been treated as such, and the 

 treatment will so far have been good ; some 

 have thought, in fact, that hydrogen peroxide 

 freely applied from the first, has often aborted 

 or prevented further growth of diphtheric mem- 

 brane. As soon as any such growth is found, 

 however, the diseased surfaces should be assidu- 

 ously painted or swabbed several times a day. 

 A thoroughly good lotion is one of the earliest 

 we gave, as follows : — 



Carbolic acid i drachm 



Sulphurous acid solution ... j drachms 



Tincture perchloride of iron 4 ,, 



Glycerine ... ... ... 4 „ 



With this paint all the sore places, morning and 

 night, also removing any membrane that will 

 come off pretty easily, and burning all such care- 

 fully. Now and then a drop may go the wrong 

 way and choke a bird, but this can be avoided 

 with care, and some such dressing is necessary. 

 Quite as good an application, and often better, 

 is to make a swab of cotton wool tied on the end 

 of a stick, and well swab the mouth all over, 

 especially diseased places, with hydrogen 

 peroxide, full strength : it should not be taken 

 from the bottle, but some poured into a saucer, 

 not to contaminate the bottle, throwing away any 

 not used, and burning every swab after use. 

 Remove, as before, any of the growth that comes 

 readily. Open and squeeze out swellings on the 

 face, and cleanse with the same fluid ; but if 

 necessary to cleanse the eyes, use for this a 

 dilution of two parts water, or a solution of boric 

 acid 15 grains to the ounce. After this dressing, 

 touch all parts, except the eyes, with aristol 



powder ; or, stiil better, apply witn a brush a 

 2 per cent, solution of formalin in glycerine, or 

 resorcin in glycerine of the same strength. On 

 the whole these last dressings are the most 

 efficacious of any we know. For the throat 

 tincture of iodine may also be used, if it 

 happens to be at hand, and other things are not. 

 For internal use, get from any chemist a bottle 

 of his ordinary sore-throat mixture of potass- 

 chlorate and perchloride of iron, and give about 

 a si.xth to a third (according to size of the bird) 

 of the ordinary human dose every three hours for 

 two days — all chemists make a mixture of this 

 kind, but rather differing, and each will state his 

 own dose, which will turn out about the same 

 in the end. Some may prefer to try a homely 

 treatment much used in France, and easily 

 carried out. Equal measures of tar and tur- 

 pentine are mixed, and, the house being well 

 closed at night, enough of the mi.xture is burnt 

 to fill it with thick black smoke, so plentifully 

 as to " black " the birds. They sneeze and 

 cough violently ; and, though this remedy is not 

 equal to the foregoing in advanced cases, it has 

 often proved effective when employed in good 

 time, the false membrane being detached, and 

 the throat returning to a healthy state. It also 

 appears to stop infection of the rest. Whatev'er 

 form of treatment be adopted, feed on the very 

 best soft food mixed with weak brandy and 

 water, and if the bird seems very ill give a raw 

 egg and brandy once a day. When conva- 

 lescent, nourishing food and tonics will be 

 called for. All dead bodies, as well as foul 

 swabs and rags, should be carefully burnt. 



There are one or two other diseases which 

 rather resemble diphtheria, and no doubt often 

 pass as such. The mouth is sometimes found 

 coated with a sort of white " thrush," and occa- 

 sionally the air passages and the throat are 

 infested by microscopic vegetable moulds of 

 the Aspergillus family, which are found in quite 

 thick growths, an eighth of an inch deep, or 

 even more. These last are generally yellowish, 

 with a pale green cast. As a rule, however, 

 these growths when present are lower than the 

 throat, and not therefore to be observed during 

 life, though readily seen under the microscope 

 whenever found post iiwrtein. Diphtheritic treat- 

 ment would probably be as good as any, but 

 any treatment is rarely successful in such cases, 

 which are, fortunately, not common. It is of 

 chief practical importance to remember that 

 these vegetable microscopical growths are 

 generally introduced through the medium of 

 " musty " grain or straw, on which they may 

 often be found. 



Dropsy. — The abdomen is sometimes found 



