POULTRY DISE;ASES AND THEIR TREATMENT. 



6i 



of the possible presence of the disease. Morse says : "At the 

 post-mortem examination you may have your suspi- 

 cions strengthened by finding Hver, spleen, intestines 

 and membrane uniting the intestinal folds (mesenteries) 

 studded with yellowish white cheesy nodules of various 

 sizes." Outside of the bacteriological test these post-mortem 



findings are the best 



=• .p»^„.„«^™_^->~.. - - - — — -^ — "I 



proof of the disease we „ - i 



have. The liver is af- 

 fected in nearly every 

 case of fowl tubercu- 

 losis. However, as has 

 been pointed out many 

 times in these pages, a 

 spotted condition of 

 the liver is no sure sign 

 of tuberculosis. Most 

 of the other liver dis- 

 eases of fowls cause a 

 simple blotching of the 

 tissue in which the 

 center of each spot is 

 usually depressed or 

 at least only slightly 

 raised. (Cf. Fig. i, p. 

 54). In tuberculosis 

 the liver is covered 



3. Liver of fowl 

 tuberculosis. (After 



affected 

 Ward). 



with 



with numerous raised nodules varying greatly in number and 

 size as shown in fig. 3. A section of the liver shows these 

 nodules or tubercles distributed throughout the tissue. 



Still more conclusive evidence is 

 found if the spleen is covered with 

 these same kind of nodules. The 

 spleen in health is a small rounded 

 purplish organ about ^ inch in 

 diameter. It lies just above the 

 liver in the region of the gall blad- 

 der. In cases of tuberculosis it is 

 very frequently greatly enlarged 

 and is studded throughout with the 

 yellowish-white tubercles as shown 

 in fig. 4. 



Fig. 4. Spleen from tuljcr- 

 culous fowl cut through 

 the middle. (After Koch 

 and Rabinowitsch). 



