152 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. EKjc. 



necessary to administer in order to confer a serviceable degree of im- 

 munitj, and, I'urlher, whether it may be possible to simplify the pro- 

 cess of vaccination by successive injections of a few cultures of pro- 

 pressive degrees of virulence. 



In conclusion, we wish to express our thanks to Dr. M. T. Ravenel 

 and to Dr. 11. C. Campbell; to the former for the originals of most of 

 the culture used, aod to both for ge«ieral assistance during the pro- 

 gress of the experiments. We also wish to thank the authorities of 

 the Veterinary Hospital and of the Pepper Clinical Laboratory of the 

 University of Peniisylvania, who have generously furnished the 

 State Live Stock Sanitary Board with a laboratory and with other 

 facilities, without which its research work would have been impos- 

 sible. 



Anthrax.- — Anthrax has occurred in the following counties: Brad- 

 ford, Chester, Clarion, Cumberland, Erie, Franklin, Jefferson, Lan- 

 caster, Lycoming, McKean, Perr^-, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wayne, 

 Warren and Wyoming. There have beeo from one to twenty deaths 

 from each outbreak. The use of anthrax vaccine has continued to 

 afford valuable protection to animals necessarily exposed to the dis- 

 ease. There are still localities and farms in the State where it is 

 impossible to raise cattle without the protection of vaccination 

 against anthrax. Such vaccination not only protects the animals 

 that are vaccinated but, by keeping them from contracting the dis- 

 ease, the infection of the soil is prevented and thus new centers of 

 infection are kept from occurring. The number of animals that it 

 has been necessary to vaccinate is G88. In view of the public im- 

 portance of preventing outbreaks of this most dangerous disease it 

 has been considered justifiable to carry out such vaccination at the 

 expense of the State, and this has been done in every case. No 

 animal has died of anthrax during the past year after it has received 

 the double vaccination. 



The act passed by the last Legislature to provide for the preven- 

 tion of the spread of disease from the carcasses of animals that 

 die of dangerous or virulent disease, has proved to be of 

 great value. This act makes it necessary for the owners 

 of such animals to care for their carcasses. If the carcass 

 is neglected and is permitted to lie on top of the ground the germs 

 of the disease that are spread from it by currents of water, by insects, 

 by large animals or even by the air, may serve to infect a large area. 

 The a.ct referred to provides a penalty for neglect of such carcasses 

 after the owner is notified as to their existence; and it provides 

 further, that where such neglect occurs the carcass shall be disposed 

 of by the State Live Stock Sanitary Board or thelocal board of health, 

 or, in the event that there is no local board of health having jurisdic- 



