Diseases of Tumblers. 
i 3 i 
bottle of oil of vitrol (sulphuric acid) and a small camel-hair pencil. When all is ready, first scrape 
off with the blade of a penknife all cankered substance, cutting it off if needful, though the disease 
should not be allowed to form so much as to need this. If in doing so the skin bleeds a little, no 
matter; but in that case hold the head down so that none of the diseased blood runs into the 
mouth. Then paint over the diseased place with the acid, and apply the gag at once, and hold the 
bird in the hand for half an hour. The gag, by preventing the mouth closing, not only insures the 
due action of the cautery, which is not then weakened by the saliva, but causes less suffering by 
confining the action of the acid to the place first touched* After half an hour the bird may be 
released, and unless the case be a very bad one, will be cured. If it is so bad as to defy this 
treatment, the case may still be generally treated successfully (supposing it in the corner of the 
mouth, where the majority of cases are) by simply excising the part. This operation usually 
requires a portion taken away from both the upper and lower mandibles, or rather from the soft 
parts at their bases, thus excising a V-shaped piece. Care must be taken to cut away every 
particle of diseased growth, after which the wound is to be bathed with cold water, mixed with one 
half of Condy’s Red Fluid, until the bleeding ceases, when it is to be daily dressed with a little zinc 
ointment until cured. In all such cases, or indeed when any operation involving pain is to be 
performed, the legs should be tied, and a stocking or other bandage employed round the body to 
prevent struggling. 
Sometimes canker shows itself at the root of the tongue, in which case the only chance of 
cure is in painting with vitriol ; but as in this case the saliva hinders the efficacy of the treatment, 
and the suffering must be great, we do not think more than one application justifiable ; in fact, if 
it be not sufficient, neither are more likely to be so. In other birds, again, the disease manifests 
itself in the throat ; but in this case, unless allowed to go very far unchecked, it may usually be 
cured. The treatment is simply to excise the diseased place, cutting it in fact clean out from the 
outside. This is easily done by first plucking the feathers, then drawing out the skin with the 
fingers (taking care the windpipe is not involved), and cutting out what is necessary. The wound 
is to be dressed as before, and, strange to say, the opening thus made almost always closes in due 
time, and there seems little risk if the bird be kept out of cold and draughts till after recovery. 
It is best after such an operation to keep the bird in a small box or basket, in which it cannot turn 
round until the wound has begun to cicatrise, after which the zinc ointment should be continued 
every day for about a week. If all has gone well so far recovery is almost certain, unless the disease 
has gone so far as to taint the blood of the whole bird as it were. Sometimes canker is caused by 
the point of the tongue being crooked or twisted, and this continually irritating the lower part of the 
mouth causes a growth to form, which ultimately becomes cankerous. When this is the case, the 
crooked part of the tongue should be cut off, when the cankered place will gradually heal. 
We very much doubt if the disease so well known as gout, or swelling of the feet and legs, be 
not another form of the same disease of the blood that causes canker. It is almost incurable ; but 
* The smart of such an operation must at first be fearfully intense, and many may think it would be better to kill than inflict 
it, though we have the authority of surgeons for stating that after a few minutes the pain decreases. We could not do it ourselves. 
Still, it may be remembered that animals have not the pain of anticipation, which adds so greatly to the sufferings of man ; and their 
frantic struggles for life may be held to show that if they could choose, they might probably prefer it at the price of half an hour’s 
agony. We may, however, suggest that it is possible, and we may say even probable, that the strongest carbolic acid might have 
the same effect as the sulphuric. If so it has the advantage, that while the smart is great when first applied to wounds, the pain 
very rapidly decreases ; after which feeling is destroyed altogether, and healing is promoted in a most marked manner. For these 
reasons, carbolic acid is frequently employed by surgeons in dressing wounds, and we cannot but suggest that all its properties — 
cauterising, anesthetic, antiseptic, astringent, and healing — give much promise of its successful application in this case. If so, the 
difference in pain would be immense. — [Ed.] 
