THE SKELETON AND ITS JOINTS 347 
example is given. (Fig. 42.) (See also Tuberculosis 
section — Garni vora. ) 
A cockatoo died from acute miliary tuberculosis ; the 
upper thoracic and lower cervical vertebrae are involved 
in an S-shaped scoliosis which reduces the height of the 
thorax by perhaps a centimetre. Thorough dissection 
was not made, the trunk being kept as a museum specimen 
and for study in event another avian scoliosis occurred; 
but from palpation, separation of the muscles and 
stretching of the spinal column it does not appear that a 
tuberculous osteitis of the vertebra existed. It seems 
that this may be due to congenital deformity or old injury. 
A white-nosed coati {Nasiia narica) suffered with gen- 
eralized tuberculosis which also affected the wrist joint 
with a caseous and ulcerative arthritis. 
Gouty arthritis has been recorded but three times, 
although on several occasions small uratic deposits in 
tendon sheaths have been observed in birds ; gout has not 
been seen in mammals. An illustrative case in a Boat- 
billed Heron {Cancroma cochlearia) will be given in the 
section on gout. 
Arthritis as an acute infectious disease such as 
rheumatism of the human being, has not been observed, 
but copious examples of acute, subacute or chronic mono- 
articular inflammation are recorded. Nearly all of these 
have a definite explanation — traumatism or acute general 
disease, and there are a few cases of polyarthritis with 
chronic disease. Notable among the last are two instances 
of chronic dry ossifying arthritis and synovitis, one with 
tuberculosis, the other with actinomycosis, both occurring 
in ungulates. A third case similar in character deserves 
special mention. The Indian elephant ''Bolivar" 
{Elephas indicus) died from pulmonary tuberculosis, 
myocarditis, nephritis and hepatic cirrhosis. The joints 
of all extremities showed atrophic arthritis with fluid, the 
synovial membranes being ulcerated or retracted and 
fibrotic. The articulating surfaces where not roughened 
