CANKER OR DIPHTHERIA. 95 



hospital, free from draught, and a slight aperient given of from 

 one-third to half a tea-spoonful of Epsom salts. Meantime 

 obtain at once from the nearest chemist a bottle of ordinary 

 chlorate of potass and perchloride of iron mixture every 

 chemist makes it up, and any will do and also a bottle of the 

 following dressing : 



Carbolic Acid - . - 1 drachm. 



Sulphurous Acid - 3 



Tinct. Perchloride of Iron - \ oz. 



Glycerine - - i oz. 



With a camel-hair or sable pencil touch all the parts which 

 show sores, morning and evening, with this latter dressing; 

 and six hours after the salts, begin to give one-quarter ordinary 

 adult doses* of the chlorate and iron mixture, feeding mean- 

 time on the best soft food, unpeppered, but mixed with warm 

 brandy-and-water : an occasional egg-and-brandy between two 

 fowls is also of much service. Great care must be taken in 

 anointing the throat ; and occasionally a bird may be so 

 irritated by a drop " going the wrong way " as to choke and 

 die. These cases cannot be helped, some such dressing being 

 absolutely necessaiy ; but for bantams and chickens the lotion 

 may be diluted with one-third water. If the mouth and throat 

 appear healing, while there are sores outside which make no 

 progress, these may be treated with lunar caustic as an alter- 

 native. When the worst symptoms are alleviated, after 

 treatment must be guided by circumstances, according as there 

 may be diarrhoea or the reverse ; or roup may remain and have 

 to be prescribed for. It is also probable that any improve- 

 ments in diphtheric practice, as prescribed by any competent 

 medical authority, might be attended with success in this 

 disease. 



A treatment occasionally successful has been the 



* These and other quantities refer to fowls of good size and vigour. 

 Smaller fowls and bantams may have from two-thirds down to one-third of 

 the quantity. 



