DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 53 



bird must be placed in a cool, comfortable, well-venti- 

 lated place, and a physic of 20 to 40 grains of Epsom 

 salts in a spoonful of water be given, followed by two 

 or three grains of bromide of potash three times a day 

 as long as necessary. 

 The diet should be light and easily digested. 



APOPLEXY. 



Apoplexy is due to rupture of a small blood vessel in 

 the brain. 



Causes are very much the same as in congestion of 

 the brain. The fowls are often found dead on the 

 nest, when it is supposed to be due to hard straining; 

 others will drop dead during violent exertion, or will 

 drop dead from the roost. 



Treatment: The attack is so sudden that treatment 

 cannot be resorted to, but for preventive measures the 

 food should be limited, and not of a fat-producing nat- 

 ure, and the fat should be reduced by compelling exer- 

 cise. Twenty grains of Epsom salts should be dis 

 solved in a little water and mixed with soft feed twice 

 a week for each fowl. 



EPILEPSY OR FITS. 



Epilepsy or fits is a condition characterized by a sud- 

 den loss of consciousness, with convulsions, fluttering, 

 and jerking. It appears to be a sudden explosion of 

 nerve energy, the cause of which is not well understood 

 but is often due to reflex irritation from intestinal 

 worms, or indigestion or it may be due to some abnor- 

 mal condition, or tumor, in the brain. 



