CHAPTER XXI 



Poultry Surgery 



It is proposed to consider in this chapter only those 

 common pathological conditions of poultry which demand 

 surgical treatment for their cure. At the outstart it should 

 be said that poultry bear and recover from surgical operations 

 very well. The common practice of caponizing, usually 

 done without any aseptic precaution whatever and with small 

 losses from infection, is sufficient evidence of this. Probably 

 no mammal would bear opening the abdominal cavity (which 

 is done in every caponizing operation) with such entire and 

 nearly uniform freedom from ill effects as attends this opera- 

 tion with poultry. The reason why poultry make such 

 excellent surgical subjects lies in their marked resistance to 

 all pyogenic (pus producing) germs. 



The Treatment of Cuts, Tears and All Open Wounds 



Very severe wounds may be successfully treated by adher- 

 ing to the following procedure : 



1. Thoroughly wash the hands in warm water, using 

 plenty of soap, before handling the wounds at all. After 

 the hands have been well scrubbed, rinse them thoroughly in 

 a pan of 1 to 1000 bichloride of mercury solution (p. 54) and 

 dry with a clean towel. 



2. Pull out the feathers in the region around the wound, 

 and thoroughly cleanse it, using first warm water, and follow 

 this with warm 1 to 1000 bichloride solution. A piece of clean 



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