47 DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 



ially the abdomen, which is also painful upon pressure; 

 the appetite is lost; the fowl becomes very weak; 

 death may take place in a few days, or it may assume 

 a chronic condition, in which stage a liquid will be 

 thrown out from the inflamed membrane causing what 

 is known as "Abdominal Dropsy," which is character- 

 ized by the abdomen's becoming enlarged and feeling 

 soft like a water bottle. 



Treatment is scarcely profitable, except in very 

 mild cases; the bowels should be emptied at once by 

 giving one or two teaspoohfuls of castor oil, then, if 

 in the first stage, aconite may be given; put ten drops 

 of tincture of aconite in a glass of water and give 

 one-half teaspoonful every two hours for a day, fol- 

 lowed by giving tincture digitalis prepared the same 

 as aconite, for a few days. In cases where there is 

 fluid in the abdominal cavity, tapping may be resorted 

 to; this can be done by puncturing the lower part care- 

 fully with a small trochar or hollow needle, followed 

 by giving one grain of iodide of potash in a teaspoon- 

 ful of water, twice a day. The food should be laxa- 

 tive but nutritious. 



LIMBER NECK— PTOMAINE POISON. 



This is a disease which usually attacks fowls very 

 suddenly and rapidly proves fatal. 



Cause is supposed to be ptomaine poison, which en- 

 ters the system by fowls eating maggots or decom- 

 posed meat, such as a carcass of another fowl or 

 some oth^r anima), or epoiletl meat that has bten 



