Abstract
Those of us who work with exotic bird
diseases are repeatedly faced with the
lack of really definitive information on
the subject. Pathologists like myself, who
come from a background in poultry
disease, are especially aware of the deficiency
as compared with the enormous
amount of information and continuing
research which is characteristic of the
poultry field. This situation is easily
understood when a few basic facts of life
are recognized. Most information on
disease , its true nature and treatment,
comes about in response to a need. The
poultry industry has traditionally known
how to attract the attention of research ers
who are interested in seeking solutions
to their problems. They have also known
how to finance such formal research,
because research is usually cos tly in both
money and men. Consequently, research
in the field of poultry diseases is about as
advanced as the state of the art permits.
This is in glaring contrast to the situation
in pet and exotic birds . With a few notable
exceptions, most research has been
conducted by a few interested professionals
or laymen who are motivated by
necessity or curiosity. Traditionally , even
the valid information which comes from
this sort of individual effort has not been
made known to the other workers in the
field in any sort of organized basis.