ON FEVERS AMONGST HORSES, CATTLE, ETC, 263 



all the surfaces over which they pass. The patient may be 

 carried off within two days from the attack, milder cases extend 

 to a week, and others lingering beyond this time die from a 

 complication of the local manifestations in various parts and 

 organs of the body. 



Glos-o.nthrax of cattle and sheep usually appears very suddenly 

 without the exhibition of previous signs of systemic disturb- 

 ance. Sometimes it has been thought the introduction of the 

 morbid poison may be traced to the existence of other forms of 

 anthrax, or foot-and-mouth disease, in the immediate neighbour- 

 hood, when the grass or other food may be tainted with the 

 products of one of these diseases. If this conclusion is correct, 

 we may regard ylos-anthrax as a septic form of carbuncular 

 diseases due to a variety of inoculation. Constitutional disturb- 

 ance is evident at once, followed by extreme depression, stupor, 

 or the animal is wild and frantic, and shortly becomes comatose. 

 The mouth, tongue, and fauces are swollen and of a dark, livid 

 colour, and a copious discliarge of limpid saliva flows first, which 

 shortly becomes purulent and bloody. The mucous surfaces are 

 involved in a general inflammation, and a large crop of pustules 

 appear, which, after bursting, expose excoriations which are 

 angry and gangrenous in appearance, the surrounding tissues 

 growing darker as the disease advances. The swelling increases, 

 and includes the nose, face, and neck, and death usually takes 

 place in about thirty-six hours. A jjost mortem examiufition 

 establishes the character of the affection ; it discloses extravasa- 

 tions of blood among the tissues, ecchymosis and blood stains, 

 with effusion of fluid in the serous cavities, and rapid decompo- 

 sition of the body. The local signs comprise extreme swelling 

 of the tongue and fauces, with sloughing of the membrane, 

 and more or less gangrene and even mortification, while the 

 surrounding tissues are implicated in considerable swelling from 

 sub-cutaneous dropsy or extravasation of fluid. 



In order to render this part of the subject more useful and 

 intelligible, further investigation is required. There is much 

 yet to be cleared up by patient observation and careful study, 

 and not the least valuable part of the resulting information will 

 be the light thrown on the prevalence of certain diseases in 

 mankind, as influenced by those of animals, particularly some 

 diseases of a pandemic nature, which may possibly be found to 

 arise from the quality of the flesh food which finds its way to 

 the shops of our large towns and cities. 



An equally important branch of information, much needed 

 by the agriculturist, is tliat which directs him to the prevention 

 of anthrax diseases. Tliey are not, as a rule, capable of cure, 

 but precautionary measures are usually simple, readily under- 

 stood, and, for the most part, practicable. As repeated observe- 



