The Diagnosis of the Diseases of Poultry 47 



will not be necessary to remove the feathers in making this 

 incision. They may be parted with the knife, which should 

 be a heavy and sharp one. The incision should be carried 

 through skin and body wall. In the region of the breast, 

 where the muscles are thicker, the incision should be made 

 clear through to the bone. The bone may then be divided 

 in the same line by means either of the bone forceps or heavy 

 shears already mentioned. An incision made as described 

 will free the whole ventral body wall except at the anterior 

 end. To free it at the anterior end it is necessary to use 

 the bone forceps and cut straight across the anterior end of 

 the body in front of the shoulders. Then the whole ven- 

 tral body wall may be lifted off and the organs exposed in 

 their natural position. In doing this one should be care- 

 ful not to injure the heart or any other organs. 



One may then proceed to the examination of- the dif- 

 ferent organs for evidence of disease. Taking first the liver ; 

 one should note whether it has any spots or is discolored, 

 or whether it is of a soft, friable consistency, a condition 

 known as "punky" liver. The healthy liver should be a 

 rich chocolate brown color, free of spots and discolorations. 

 There may of course be post-mortem discolorations due 

 to escape of bile or other causes, but these may be easily 

 recognized as such. Spots on the liver may be of several 

 sorts, either small or large nodules of whitish substance 

 studded in the liver tissue, or simply areas of different color 

 from the rest of the liver. Again there may be all over the 

 surface of the liver a deposit of white material, which indi- 

 cates excess urates from defective kidney function. As to 

 consistency, the liver should be firm to the touch, and not 

 easily friable or "punky." 



The heart should be free of excessive fat and without 

 tubercles. One of the most common diseased conditions 

 of the heart is hypertrophy, wherein the heart is larger than 



