502 DISEASES, PARASITES, AND ENEMIES 



Post-mortem Examination.* Whenever birds die from un- 

 known causes, the poultryman should make a post-mortem exami- 

 nation, and try to determine from the general condition of the 

 internal organs the exact nature of the disease. This may prevent 

 any further outbreak, and the experience acquired by dissecting 

 and studying the birds will enable the poultryman to do it each 

 time more accurately. He should be so familiar with the normal 

 appearance of the organs as to detect at once any unnatural con- 

 dition. The majority of birds which die are victims either of 

 simple diseases or of complications which have decided internal 

 and visible characteristics, and with a little study such post- 

 mortem examinations will prove both interesting and instructive. 



The following procedure is recommended in making such an 

 examination: Lay the dead bird on her back, braced up on a piece 

 of inch board; extend the wings and legs, and fasten with sharp 

 nails to the board. Pluck the feathers from the breast and abdo- 

 men; then take a sharp knife, and cut the skin on the median line 

 from the crop to the vent, taking care not to cut through the flesh 

 and rupture any of the organs. 



Next take a pair of blunt-pointed, sharp scissors and cut the 

 flesh away from the abdomen, cutting the ribs on either side of 

 the breastbone, so that it may be taken out entire. In doing 

 this be careful not to injure the organs or to make them bleed. 

 After the sternum (breastbone) is removed, the entire cavity of 

 the body is exposed, and the organs will be seen lying in their 

 natural position. Now study each organ, taking the uppermost 

 first, and ascertain if it is normal, or, if not, what is the cause. 



The liver is the most prominent organ, and in the healthy bird 

 should be rich reddish brown in color and free from any specks or 

 blotches. It should be firm in texture, neither excessively large 

 nor shrivelled up. Both lobes should be approximately of the 

 same size, and the gall-bladder normal in size, bright green in 

 color, and not ruptured. 



The heart should next be studied. It should be firm in texture, 

 free from an excessive accumulation of fat, and not excessive in 

 size. Both lobes should be of the same size; if not, it may indicate 

 heart failure. There should be no tubercles or nodules on the 

 heart nor in its sac ; either presence may denote tuberculosis. 



The lungs are next studied, and will be found on either side 

 of the heart at the back. They are pink in color, and composed 

 of spongy tissue. The lungs should always be examined for nodules 



"This method described by Raymond Pearl, Maine Experiment Station. 



