62 THE COMPLETE POULTRY BOOK. 



The foregoing description of poultry diseases is taken from Tegetmeier's work. 

 Tliere remains, however, one disease to which neither Teget'meier nor Wright 

 have referred, yet which the American poultryman dreads more than all those 

 we have named, and this is 



CHICKEN CHOLERA. 



A new light has recently been thrown upon the nature of this disease by the 

 researches of D. E. Salmon, D. V. M., and of M. L. Pasteur. 



The Symptoms of fowl disease are given by Dr. Salmon in his report on this 

 disease to the Department of Agriculture, on investigations made during the year 

 1880, as follows : 



" The first symptom of fowl cholera is, in the great majority of cases, a yellow 

 coloration of that part of the excrement which is excreted by the kidneys, and 

 which is normally of a pure white ; it is this part of the excrement that I have 

 called the urates. This yellow coloring matter appears while the excrement is 

 yet solid ; while the bird presents a perfectly normal apj)earance ; while the ap- 

 petite is good, and before there is any elevation of temperature. Indeed, it is 

 frequently seen the second or third day after inoculation, and Uien may disap- 

 pear for a week or more, to return one or two days before the other symptoms of 

 disease. 



"In a very few cases the first symptom is a diarrhoea, the excrement being 

 passed frequently and in large quantity, and consisting almost entirely, of per- 

 fectly white urates. 



"In all cases the diarrhoea soon becomes a prominent symptom, the excrement 

 is voided frequently, consists largely of urates suspended in a thin, transparent 

 mucus, and having a deep yeUow coloration; which may, in the latter stages of 

 the disease, change to a greenish^ or even deep green color. 



" With the beginning of the diarrhoea the temperature rises, reaching 109° to 

 110° Fah., or two to four degrees above the normal ; the comb loses its bright 

 hue and becomes pale and bloodless ; the appetite is lessened ; the wings droop ; 

 the bird becomes inactive. Frequently a good appetite is retained to the last, 

 but often the bird is overcome by stupor and sleeps away the last day or two of 

 the disease; in such cases they are only aroused with difficulty, a touch or blow 

 being required. 



"In the last stages of disease they have lost greatly in weight, are exceedingly 

 weak, fall over by a touch, and walk with the greatest difficulty. Death fre- 

 quently occurs without a struggle, but in the majority of cases there are convul. 

 sions and cries. 



" The duration of the disease varies greatly. Sometimes the bird dies within 

 twenty-four hours after the first coloration of the urates, and when but one or 

 two liquid dejections have occurred ; in other cases lite is prolonged for three, 

 four or five days, and occasionally for one, or even two weeks. The crop is gen- 

 erally distended with food, and loses the ability to force this onwards to be 

 digested. In all cases except those of the shortest duration the feathers about 

 the anus become soUed with the discharges. If the birds are aroused from their 



