230 POULTRY DISEASES 



died at the same time that a woman who cared for them had died 

 of "bulbar paralysis." Eight fowls, in another case, showed the 

 same symptoms and died after eating home-canned string beans 

 which had caused the death of a woman w^ho had tasted them. And 

 in still another case seven fowls died after eating home-canned 

 apricots which had also caused the death of five people. 



In all cases in human and fowls the symptoms and the course 

 of intoxication w^ere the same as those of botulism and in the 

 histologic examination of one case, after autopsy, showed the typical 

 thrombosis and hemorrhages which have been shown to be char- 

 acteristic of the condition. The organism recovered from the fowls 

 were identical in morphological and cultural characteristics to the 

 Bacillus botuUnus. The toxin from these cultures produced typical 

 symptoms when fed to other fowls. The birds become dull, inactive, 

 refuse to eat, remain quiet; their feathers are ruffled, and the 

 birds gradually become weak. This is manifested in the legs, wings 

 and finally in the neck, so that they are unable to stand: drop 

 the wings; the neck is limber, the beak rests on the floor and 

 finally prostration results. Death usually occurs in less than 

 twenty-four hours after feeding. It has ^^een found that the Bacillus 

 hotulinus may develop in decaying vegetables so that limber neck 

 due to this organism may be obtained from thi^ source as well as 

 decaying meat. 



CORN COCKLE POISONING 



Chickens eating large quantities of corn cockle, in ground 

 form, incorporated in their feed in the form of mash, have 

 been poisoned. 



The seed contains a poison, sapotoxin, which causes a severe 

 inflammation of the entire digestive tract, including the crop. 

 Great prostration and death follow. 



