Our Infirmary. 135 



energy to the limbs and tone to the mind, which, toge- 

 ther with plain and nutritious food we take to be the 

 great secret of health. 



The only other case which came under our treatment 

 was a case of asthma, which, as already stated, we failed 

 to cure. Bechstein says that it is a disease easily cured ; 

 for my own part I doubt the fact. The remedies we 

 used were those generally prescribed for the human 

 patient, and for a time they seemed to afford a tempo- 

 rary relief. The disease, however, appeared to us to 

 be untouched, and to return with every vicissitude of 

 the weather. Our bird, so long as she remained under 

 our immediate care did well enough, and might pro- 

 bably have lived a long while ; but a few weeks in other 

 hands, without the special attention she had with us, 

 sufficed to seal her fate. The remedies we tried were 

 the homoeopathic preparation of ipecacuanha, phos- 

 phorus, bryonia, and sulphur, in tinctures of the first 

 dilution ; but though some appeared to give relief for 

 a time, they did not effect a cure. I have seen many 

 birds similarly affected, and variously treated but with 

 the same result. Still Bechstein says " a favorite 

 linnet and goldfinch when attacked with very bad 

 asthma, were relieved and preserved for several years 

 by the following method. The first thing was entirely 

 to leave off hemp-seed, reducing them to rape-seed only ; 

 but giving them at the same time abundance of bread 

 soaked in pure water and then pressed ; lettuce, endive 

 or watercresses, according to the seasons, twice a week, 

 / giving them boiled bread and milk about the size of a 

 nutmeg. This is made by throwing a piece of the crum 



