6 THEA U DU BrO NSB U Elie sien 
ganisms” which cause Trichomoniasis. In this connection let us quote from 
the textbook “Veterinary Parasitology” by Dr. Geoffrey Lapage’: “Tricho- 
monas gallinae is present in 80 to 90% of adult birds without affecting 
their health, but pathogenic strains may kill an adult in 10 days. Infected 
adults are a source of infection in younger birds which suffer more. Little 
is known of the mode of infection.” On page 31 he adds: “It is a general 
truth that young animals of all kinds are more susceptible to the effects, not 
only of parasitic animals, but of bacteria and viruses also. It is customary, 
for this reason to recognize a form of resistance called AGE RESIS- 
TANCE.” He adds: “One of the most important causes of the reduction 
of resistance, or the failure of a host to develop it in sufficient strength, is 
MALNUTRITION. Many hosts of all kinds harbor parasites, whether they 
be parasitic animals, bacteria or viruses, that do not, so long as the host 
remains vigorous and healthy, do them appreciable harm.” 
Now a quotation from the textbook, ‘Principles of Bacteriology and Im- 
munity”*® by Wilson and Miles, page 862: “This is one example of a general 
phenomenon — namely, the INCREASE IN VIRULENCE OF RELATIVE- 
LY AVIRULENT STRAINS of bacteria by serial passage in susceptible 
laboratory animals — which is well established and frequently exploited 
in bacteriology.” On page 737‘: “When the protozoon is parasitic and patho- 
genic, it is usually the multiplicative phase that produces the pathogenic 
effects in the host. If the host is not well adjusted to the parasitic species, 
even slow asexual multiplication of the protozoon may inflict considerable 
injury, but usually when the rate of multiplication is slow, the host has 
time to develop a resistance to the parasite and its effects are proportion- 
ately less severe.” 
Let us now apply the above facts to an average “dove season.” An esti- 
mated total of 20,000,000 doves were “harvested” last year (1957) in the 
United States. Since up to 50% as many” as are bagged have been shown 
to be crippled and unretrieved, we get a total of at least 27,000,000 killed. 
As a consequence, perhaps 7,000,000 dove nests with eggs or young are left 
with one or no parent. When the young have lost even one parent, most 
students of the subject agree that they either starve, or, if of sufficient 
size to forage for themselves, feed before their natural age resistance has 
developed. Thus they are exposed to the Trichomonas gallinae with the 
handicaps of both malnutrition and the lack of age resistance. The Tricho- 
monas grows and multiplies in the susceptible host and not only kills the 
host but, more important, has now produced a virulent strain of the or- 
ganism that now also kills normally resistant adults. The feeding of medi- 
cated grain can never reach the root of the problem. In fact, the game 
biologist working on the problem, has himself stated that those treated 
with medicated grain then have no natural resistance. W. R. Hinshaw and 
A. S. Rosenwald, University of California Extension Service, in a Bulletin 
speak of the disease in turkeys thus: “Good care is more important than 
drugs.” Are we, therefore, to be committed to a program of feeding medi- 
cated grain to sick wild birds to get them into the shooting season in order 
that they can in turn produce another crop of immature and susceptible 
birds to which we can feed more pills ad infinitum? In some areas, at least, 
