Name of the Disease 



This disease, owing to the variety of names which have been 

 given it, has been much confused by a number of writers. Our 

 experiments and experience with the disease prove quite con- 

 clusively that the so-called roup, chicken pox, diphtheria, canker 

 are one and the same disease. Other investigators (Carnwath) 

 succeeded in producing diphtheritic or croupous membranes in 

 the mouth by pure pox material and pox lesions from the ma- 

 terial taken from the diphtheritic or croupous membranes. 

 These results have been substantiated by Schmid, Uhlenhuth, 

 Manteufel and Ratz. 



Both forms of the disease are very frequently observed in 

 the same flock of birds. During the warm months of the year 

 or in warm climates, the prevailing, form is the pox lesions on 

 the comb and wattles, while in the cold months or in a north- 

 ern climate, the croupous or diphtheritic form predominates. 

 Cohabitation of birds shows that a pox-infected bird introduced 

 into a flock will produce either the croupous or diphtheritic 

 form, or chicken pox; or vice versa, a fowl affected with the 

 croupous or diphtheritic form will transmit the regular chicken 

 pox. As experiment has shown the various types of the dis- 

 ease are but manifestations of a single clinical entity, and 

 therefore the disease should be designated by one name. The 

 name proposed by the writers is "Infectious Epitheliosis of 

 Birds." 



Prevalency and Distribution of the Disease. 



The disease is found affecting nearly all birds, especially 

 chickens, turkeys, peafowls, pheasants, guineas, pigeons, spar- 

 rows, quail, etc. It is not so frequently observed in ducks, 

 geese and swans. The disease is widely distributed, appearing 

 in practically all countries where birds are found in any con- 

 siderable numbers. In the United States the disease is quite 

 general, but more prevalent in the northern states, especially 

 during the colder months. In the fall when the cold, damp 

 weather begins outbreaks occur quite generally, and poultry- 

 men often refer to the early inception of the disease as a cold. 

 The intensity of the disease usually increases until the warm 

 weather makes its appearance, when it diminishes and lies 

 •dormant, to reappear at the first cool, damp weather in the 

 fall when the birds are more closely confined. 



