146 
Avian  Toxicology. 
5  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
(  February,  1921. 
terial  content  decreased  three  hundred  sixty  times  during  the  proc- 
ess of  desiccating. 
It  is  hoped  that  this  preparation  will  help  a  good  deal  in  over- 
coming some  of  the  difficulties  with  which  health  officers  meet  in 
eradicating  smallpox  in  the  Philippines. 
DR.  GALLAGHER  ON  AVIAN  TOXICOLOGY.* 
Dr.  Gallagher,  of  the  Pathological  Division,  Bureau  of  Animal 
Industry,  has  recently  conducted  some  very  interesting  researches 
upon  the  susceptibility  of  fowls  to  various  toxic  substances.  He 
finds  that  fowls  which  weigh  between  3  and  4  pounds  exhibit  about 
the  same  susceptibility  to  poisons  as  do  medium  sized  dogs.  Fowls 
are,  however,  more  resistant  to  calomel,  strychnine,  and  tartar 
emetic  and  are  less  resistant  to  phenol,  salicylic  acid,  and  potassium 
cyanide. 
The  resistance  of  fowls  to  strychnine  is  very  remarkable. 
Gallagher  reports  that  2  grains  of  the  sulphate  administered  to  a  5- 
pound  bird  were  not  toxic  while  this  amount  was  lethal  when  given 
to  a  3 3^2 -pound  fowl,  all  doses  given  per  os. 
Tartar  emetic  was  lethal  in  15  grain  doses  and  toxic  in  10  grain 
doses ;  3  grains  of  mercuric  chloride  were  non-toxic,  4  grains  killed 
in  3  days ;  calomel  was  non-toxic  in  30  grafin  doses ;  fluid  extract  of 
ipecac  was  non-toxic  in  45  minim  doses,  toxic  in  one  dram  and 
lethal  in  2  dram  doses ;  1  to  2  grains  of  potassium  cyanide  were 
lethal  while  toxic  effects  were  produced  by  %0  to  V2  grain.  Potas- 
sium permanganate  was  lethal  in  30  grain  doses ;  salicylic  acid  was 
non-toxic  in  15  grain,  toxic  in  30  grain,  and  lethal  in  30  to  75  grain 
doses;  15  grains  of  santonin  were  non-toxic;  150  grains  of  sodium 
chloride  was  the  toxic  and  lethal  dose. 
An  interesting  and  important  set  of  experiments  revealed  the 
facts  that  fowls  are  not  visibly  affected  by  drinking  solutions  of 
several  remedies  in  the  following  concentrations :  mercuric  chloride, 
1-6000,  phenol  1 -1000,  potassium  permanganate,  1-500  and  crude 
catechu,  1-500,  the  solutions  being  furnished  the  birds  for  18  to  21 
days. 
J.  F.  C. 
*/.  Am.  Vet.  Med.  Assn.  v.  54:  pp.  337-56,  1919- 
