Notes. 487 



Preventives of Anthrax Infection. 



Of all the animal diseases in the rnioii llial retard our ])ro<^-ress 

 towards the <>'oal we li;i\-e set before us, South Africa a meat- 

 exp<,rtiiio' country, the one presenting' the greatest diHiculty rs that of 

 anthrax, which is not oidy the cause of serious mortality in live stock, 

 but is also a menace to hnman life. It is a nuitter which concerns 

 the whole community, Un- the interests of public health as well as 

 those of the stock ownei' are involved. And the disease is spreadin<i' 

 unfortunately, constituting' a sei'ious danf-'er to our exi)ort trade, for 

 the ])revalence of anthrax in a country is viewed with mistrust by 

 other countries injportin<i- its pioducts, as such products (avooI, hides, 

 etc.) may carry the <ierm of the disease. In this country the disease 

 is heinp- perpetuated through carcasses of aninuils dyin<i' of anthrax 

 being" leff to lie on the veld, or, w(»rse still, being cut u]) for tlie sake 

 of the meaf and the hide. It is surprising that more deaths do not 

 occur through the cartdess liandling or the consuni])ti(Ui of anthrax 

 carcasses, unless it is that the native community, who ai'e the greatest 

 offenders, enjoy a considerable deg'ree of immunity from the disease. 

 In the latter res])ect it is wtdl known that natives addicted to eating 

 the meat have a stiong belief in the efHcacy of certain herbs as 

 ])reventives of infection, but despite this the disease is fre(|uently 

 communicated to the eaters, to the gi'eat danger of its spread through- 

 out the neig'hbourhood. 



The efHcacy of these alleged preventives of anthrax infection has 

 engag'ed the attention of J)]'. Lt'wis, the Assistant (lovernment Analyst 

 at the Government Lab(uato]ies, Bloemfontein, and of Mr. (libbs, 

 tlie Pathological Assistant ther(\ Si)ecimens wcic obtained or certain 

 of the herbs used by Transkeian natives when eating anthrax-infected 

 meat, who contend that by taking these herbs or infusions thereof 

 with or before the nu'at, all dangei- of infection is destroyed. Indeed 

 the belief in the efhcacy of these herbs is not uncommon among 

 magistrates, missionaries, and tra(hvrs who have lixcd for any leng-th 

 of time in native districts, and cdlour is lent to the natives" claim by 

 the low mortality among iliem. so far as is known, in comparison 

 with the general practice of infected meat eating carried i)ut. The 

 specimens of these herbs obtained for experiment at the Bloemfoiitein 

 laboratories were identified by Dr. Schonland, Albany Museum, 

 (jrrahamstown, as follo^\s, the name by which they are known to the 

 natives being given in each case: — 



1. Rinne.f ecJ/loultiii us. Meisu. (i-])olo lenkonyana.) 



2. Acocanthci'd rvncnola, var. sprrhihih.s. (?stlunga Xyenibe, 



Ubuhlungu benyoka.) 



•"). leucrnnn A fncanii in . Thunb. (Huhlungu benyusha.) 

 4. Cluyfia Jietero/iJiylla. AVild. (liuhlungu benambo.) 



Very careful tests of the herbs were cariied out by Messrs. Lewis 

 and Gibbs, from the results oi which they concliule that numbers 1 

 and 2 have no practical effect on the growth of anthrax; and that 

 numbers 3 and 4 prevent growth in dilutions of 1:50, buf not in a 

 dilution of 1:100, and can have little or no effect in that direction 

 under the conditions wliich thev are irsed 1)y natives. Thus 



