Poisons 83 



appetite, thin, often bloody feces, slow and difficult breath- 

 ing, unsteady walk, trembling and convulsions, expansion of 

 the pupils. Death ordinarily occurs in a very short time." 

 Treatment should be with sulphate of iron, calcined magnesia, 

 or large quantities of milk. Salmon also recommends white 

 of egg and flaxseed mucilage. 



The special symptom of copper poisoning is diarrhea, the 

 copper giving a blue or green color to the feces. Evidence 

 of violent pain may follow with collapse, convulsions or 

 paralysis. The circulation and respiration are weak. 

 Usually fatal in a few hours. Large quantities of milk, 

 white of egg, mucilage, and sugar water are recommended. 



Lead and zinc poisoning occur chiefly from eating paint 

 skins. The symptoms so far as they have been observed in 

 poultry do not differ greatly from those seen in copper 

 poisoning. The treatment recommended by Salmon is the 

 same as for copper. With lead poisoning the sulphates of 

 soda, potash or magnesia are recommended with the object 

 of forming insoluble sulphate of lead. 



Mercury Poisoning. — Mercury poisoning occurs chiefly 

 through drinking bichloride (perchloride or corrosive sub- 

 limate) solution or eating mercurial ointment. The bi- 

 chloride solution is a common antiseptic and is sometimes 

 carelessly left where the birds have access to it. Ammoni- 

 ated mercurial ointment is used to free the birds from lice 

 (cf. p. 205). It is sometimes left where birds can get at the 

 supply. More frequently poisoning results from the too 

 free application of the ointment. If it is left in lumps on 

 the feathers the birds will eat it. In man mercury poison- 

 ing is known to occur from too frequent or too long con- 

 tinued use of bichloride as a disinfectant, especially for 

 large wounds. In the fowl it is not probable that such 

 extensive treatment ever occurs. It is possible, though very 

 unlikely, that poisoning due to ammoniated mercurial oint- 



