278 DISEASES OF DOMESTICATED BIRDS 
ARSENIOUS ACID 
Lethal dose. 5 grains. 
Toxic dose. 5 grains. 
Non-toxic dose. 1 to 3 grains. 
Experiments. (1) June 10, 1918, 10 a.™. Fowl received 5 
grains of arsenious acid. 4.00 P.M. Fowl somewhat droopy. 
Droppings greenish. July 11, 9.00 a. ™. Fowl droopy. Drop- 
pings greenish and watery. 12 m. Fowl weak. Comb dark. 
1.30 p.m. Fowl dead. Autopsy notes. Food in crop and gizzard. 
Catarrhal exudate in the proventriculus. Internal membrane of the 
gizzard is necrosed and separated from wall at entrance of pro- 
ventriculus. Contents of gizzard greenish. Duodenum shows a ca- 
tarrhal condition and is pale in color. Contents of intestines are 
fluid and of greenish tinge. Liver is mottled. Rigor mortis is 
marked 1 hour after death. 
(2) July 8, 1918, 2 v.m. Fowl received 3 grains of arsenious 
acid. Result. No effect was apparent. 
(3) June 25, 1918, 10.00 a.m. Fowl received 1 grain arseni- 
ous acid. Result. No effect was apparent. 
Reinhardt fed .2 gram of arsenic and observed no symptoms up 
to the sixtieth hour. He then gave .4-gram more and the hen died 
40 hours after the last dose was administered. A second hen died 
6% days after receiving .2 gram of arsenic. 
Reinhardt observes that arsenic poisoning in hens causes lesions 
which are characteristic with reference to location and character. 
The horny epithelial layer of the gizzard is raised from the under- 
lying muscles by a gelatinous or sero-fibrinous exudate and in con- 
sequence is easily peeled off. The exudate lying beneath the epi- 
thelium, in places reaches a thickness of 1 cm. Sometimes this 
exudate consists of a serous, yellowish, clear fluid, which spurts out 
when an incision is made in the tissues. In case the epithelial layer 
has been perforated, only a small amount of gelatinous exudate may 
be present. On removing the epithelial layer, highly reddened 
areas due to corrosive action, may be observed. The proventriculus 
shows no lesions. The mucosa of the crop is somewhat reddened, 
the vessels of the intestines are injected and the contents of the in- 
testines are thinly fluid. The liver is usually yellowish brown in 
color and fragile, due to fatty degeneration. The fat, especially on 
the gizzard is somewhat edematous and soft. Frequently the fat is 
