Diseases of the Reproductive Organs 265 



The most serious thing about prolapsus is that if not dis- 

 covered very shortly after it occurs it is almost sure to result 

 fatally, because the everted portion will become so badly 

 infected as to cause blood poisoning, or the protruding mass 

 of tissue will be picked and torn by the other birds in the pen 

 until there is no hope of repair, whatever the treatment. 



Treatment. — As stated above, the advisability of treating 

 prolapsus depends upon its degree and duration before dis- 

 covery. 



In treating this condition the first thing to endeavor to 

 do is to remove the cause. That is, if the bird is constipated 

 give it a rectal enema of warm soapy water, followed by ^ 

 teaspoon of Epsom salts by the mouth. If there is a lump 

 of feces lodged in the cloaca this should be carefully removed. 

 The protruding mass of tissue should be washed with warm 

 1 to 1000 bichloride of mercury solution, or a warm ^ per 

 cent cresol solution. After the protruding parts are 

 thoroughly cleansed they should be well greased with vase- 

 line, or with the ointment already recommended (p. 55). 

 Then with the fingers well greased an effort should be made 

 to replace the protruding mass in the body. In doing this 

 one should proceed with the greatest gentleness. In most 

 cases with care and patience it is possible to reduce the 

 prolapsus, that is, to get the extruded tissue back into the 

 body in approximately its normal position. 



After the parts have been carefully replaced in normal 

 position the next point to be considered in the treatment 

 is to insure that they shall stay there. That is to say, it 

 is necessary some way to bring about a healthy degree of 

 contraction of the muscular walls of the oviduct so as to 

 hold the parts in place permanently. In order to do this 

 Salmon recommends the use of ergot. Robinson follows 

 Salmon in this recommendation. It should be said, however, 

 that it is doubtful whether this treatment is advisable. 



