The Effect of Salt and Carbolineum in Producing Ascites in Turkey Poults

THE occurrence of ascites, or water belly, in recent years at the Pennsylvania State College Turkey Research Farm led to the investigations described in this report. Other workers have described the role of sodium compounds in the production of water belly in young poults and chicks. Scrivner (1946) produced experimental edema and ascites in poults by administering sodium chloride and sodium bicarbonate in feed or water in certain proportions. Doll et al. (1946) observed the toxic effects of sodium chloride solution on baby chicks. Selye (1943) reported on the extreme sensitivity of chicks to the presence of comparatively small doses of sodium chloride in the drinking water. Ewing (1947) observed that a 2 percent level of salt produced a 38.4 percent mortality in turkey poults. Witter (1936) reported on the injurious effect of sodium bicarbonate in chicks. The authors have not doubted the fact that salt is a factor in . . .