Annual Report for 1912 of Royal Veteinnary College. 2G'J 



When one considers the large number of cattle, sheep, 

 horses, and swine — all animals susceptible to anthrax — in this 

 country, a total of 840 cases in the year appears to be small. 

 In reality the losses from the disease would probably be insig- 

 nificant were it not that the seeds of it are frequently introduced 

 from abroad in imported feeding stuffs, and especially in linseed 

 and cotton cake. 



Glanders. 



The following Table shows the varying incidence of glanders 

 in Great Britain during the last eight years : — 



Year Outbreaks Animals attacked 



1905 ... 1,214 ... 2,068 



1906 ... 1,06G ... 2,012 



1907 ... 854 ... 1,921 



1908 ... 789 ... 2,433 



1909 ... 533 ... 1,753 



1910 ... 351 ... 1,014 



1911 ... 208 ... 501 



1912 ... 173 ... 314 



It is very satisfactory to note that during the past year 

 there were fewer outbreaks and fewer cases of glanders than 

 during the preceding one, although that was in this respect the 

 best since the disease was first dealt with under the Contagious 

 Diseases of Animals Act. Between 1874 and 1905 the number 

 of reported outbreaks per annum fluctuated considerably, but 

 in 1904 they reached a total of 1,529. The decline which then 

 began must be set down to the voluntary effort which the 

 owners of many of the large London studs made to ei-adicate 

 the disease by carrying out systematic tests with mallein, but 

 the excellent results obtained during the last four years must 

 be placed to the credit of the Glanders Order which came into 

 force on January 1, 1908. The most important provision of 

 this Order is the one which places restrictions on the movement 

 of every horse known to have been in an infected stable, and 

 which enables the local authority to maintain these rest;-ictions 

 until a mallein test has removed the suspicion attaching to the 

 animal. Indirectly, therefore, the Order compels the owner of 

 horses among which glanders has broken out to allow the 

 whole of the animals that have been exposed to the risk of 

 infection to be tested with mallein. The horses that react to 

 the test are then slaughtered, full value being paid to the 

 owner when the post-mortem examination shows that it was 

 not affected with glanders, and half value in the contrary case. 



It is obvious that this method of tlealing with the disease is 

 bound to succeed provided (1) that there is honest notification 

 of suspected cases, and (2) that the mallein test is a reliable 

 means of diagnosis. With regard to the latter point it is a 



