GO0T — LAMENESS. 229 



Gout is a term applied, with or witliout reason, to swellings 

 on the legs, particularly at the joints. It will often yield to 

 painting daily with spirits of turpentine or tincture of iodine. 

 One should be tried for a fortnight, and if it fails, the other. 

 This should be combined with internal daily doses of a few 

 drops of quinine and iron mixture, or of syrup of hypophoa- 

 phite of iron. We have also known benefit follow, when all 

 other medicine had failed, minute doses of iodide of potassium ; 

 and Mr. Betty strongly recommends a drachm of bicarbonate 

 of potass or carbonate of magnesia to each pint of drinking 

 water, as correcting the acidity of the blood and tending to 

 remove the deposits. He also advises the application of 

 biniodide of mercury ointment to the diseased joints. 



Insects should be guarded against as described in Chapter 

 III. If birds do become infested with any kind, a little 

 mercurial ointment, diluted with three to five parts lai-d (most 

 diluted for small birds), should be applied behind the head, 

 near the vent, and under the wings. Petroleum ointment is 

 safer and often efficacious. 



Lameness sometimes affects pigeons quite suddenly in the 

 most mysterious manner. Mr. Fulton, whose crowded lofts 

 give him unusual opportunities of observation, states, however, 

 that he has frequently noticed, after pigeons have struck 

 hard against anything in flying, and no apparent mischief has 

 followed, this sudden lameness has occurred later ; from which 

 it is likely that the cause is severe shock, of precisely the same 

 kind as sometimes develops such serious ulterior results from a 

 railway accident. Quiet and rest are the best remedies ; and 

 it is probable that sedatives, such as an occasional ^ grain of 

 opium or | grain of bromide of potassium, might be of benefit 



Leg Weakness, see Chapter on Pouters. 



