A BACTERIOIvOGICAIv STUDY OF METHODS FOR THE 

 DISINFECTION OF HIDES INFECTED WITH ANTHRAX 

 SPORES 



By F. W. TiLLEY, 



Senior Bacteriologist, Biochemic Division, 



Bureau of Animal Industry ' 



INTRODUCTION 



The number of hides and skins imported into this country each year 

 amounts to many millions. Since these come to us from all quarters of 

 the globe, it is evident that there is danger that they will bring with them 

 infectious material which may cause disease among animals and human 

 beings. 



On account of the great resisting power of the anthrax spore, hides 

 and skins imported from countries where anthrax is prevalent are regarded 

 as especially dangerous ; and inasmuch as methods of disinfection which 

 will destroy the anthrax spore may be expected to kill other organisms 

 with ease, considerable attention has been devoted to the problem of 

 securing a disinfectant that will destroy the anthrax spores without 

 damaging the hides and skins. Among the numerous processes which 

 haA^e been suggested, that devised in 1910 by Seymour-Jones (16)- has 

 attracted much attention, while more recently the Schattenfroh (12) 

 method has been declared by various investigators to be equally efficient 

 and by some even more so. 



As Eurich (i, 2), Ponder (9,10), Seymour- Jones (16), and others have 

 pointed out, the spores of anthrax are found chiefly in connection with 

 blood stains, and as these, together with other material with which the 

 spores are likely to be associated, are colloidal in nature, the problem, as 

 Seymour-Jones expresses it, is to get at the anthrax spore "when imbed- 

 ded in a gelatinous, albuminous, or other colloidal body without injury to 

 the material or fabric to be disinfected." 



OUTLINE OF SEYMOUR -JONES AND SCHATTENFROH METHODS OF 



DISINFECTION 



Seymour-Jones (16) proposes to attain the desired result by the use 

 of mercuric chlorid and formic acid. He holds that the acid causes the 

 hide and the various associated colloidal substances to swell, absorb 

 water, and become soft and tender, thus furnishing favorable conditions 

 for the action of the mercuric chlorid. Under these conditions he con- 



i The writer desires to express his obligations to Mr. F. P. Veitch, Chemist in Charge. Leather and 

 Paper Laboratory, Bureau of Chemistry, for the work done under his direction in tanning pieces of disin- 

 fected hide, and to Dr. E. C. Schroeder, Superintendent, Bureau of Animal Industry Experiment 

 Station, for facihties afforded in carrying out the experimental work upon animals. 



- Reference is made by nmnber to "Literature cited," p. 9i~9*- 



Journal of Agriculture Research, Vol. IV", No. i 



Dept. of Agricidture, Washington. D. C. Apr. 15, 1915 



(65) 



A-is 



