Diseases of the Respiratory System 155 



pears to be a contagious germ disease as it often affects a 

 large number of birds kept together. 



Quite possibly this is not a separate disease but is either 

 a severe form of cold occurring in many individuals of a 

 flock which has been exposed to unfavorable, unsanitary 

 conditions, or is a mild form of roup. Affected birds should 

 be isolated. If diarrhea is present give one-half to one tea- 

 spoonful of Epsom salts dissolved in water. Treatment the 

 same as for colds. 



Prognosis. — Most cases recover in a week or ten days. 

 Severe cases die in a day or two or sometimes within a few 

 hours after the appearance of the first symptoms. 



Roup 



Veterinarians have distinguished two diseases belonging 

 to this general class of troubles as follows : (a) roup or 

 contagious catarrh when only catarrhal symptoms are 

 present, and (b) diphtheria, diphtheritic roup and canker when 

 diphtherial patches and false membranes are formed. The 

 bacteriologists Harrison and Streit,^ consider these different 

 stages of the same disease. This view has been quite 

 generally accepted. Gary ^ and several other workers ^ not 

 only consider these as one disease but also believe that sore- 

 head, chicken pox or epithelioma contagiosum is also a form 

 of this disease. Evidence for the identity of " avian 

 diphtheria " or " diphtheritic roup " and chicken pox is 



1 Harrison, F. C, and Streit, H., "Roup." Ontario Agr. Col. 

 and Expt. Farm Bull. 125. 1902. Ibid., Bui. 132. 1904. 



^ Gary, C. A., " Chicken Pox or Sore Head in Poultry." Ala- 

 bama Col. Sta. Bui. 136. 1906. 



^ For example, Kingsley, A. F., "Epithelioma Contagiosum." 

 Amer. Vet. Rev., 30. 1907. Hadley, F. B., and Beach, B. A., 

 " Controlling Chicken Pox, Sore Head or Contagious Epithelioma 

 by Vaccination." Proc. Amer. Vet. Med. Assoc, Vol. 50, pp. 704- 

 712. 1913. 



