FOURTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT 91 



sub-cutaneous tissue is sprinkled with ecchymoses. An oedema 

 of the connective tissue of the neck, or about the trachea, is 

 often very marked. The muscles vary in color, but usually they 

 are darker than normal, and like the skin, they often become 

 sprinkled with ecchymoses. The heart muscle shows the same 

 changes. The internal organs contain a large quantity of blood. 

 The heart cavities are filled with dark colored non-coagulated 

 blood. All the larger veins are also filled with blood having the 

 characteristic tarry-like lustre. The spleen is usually enlarged. 

 The pulp is soft, more or less liquid, and stained a dark red color. 

 The capsule is tense, and is frequently sprinkled with ecchy- 

 moses. The liver and kidneys are highly congested and some- 

 what enlarged. The lungs are greatly congested, oedematous 

 and show areas of intense haemorrhages. On cross section the 

 lungs present a dark reddish or blackish appearance, and the 

 color does not change but slightly when exposed to the air. The 

 mucous membrane of the larynx is greatly thickened from 

 oedema. The trachea and bronchi contain much bloody froth 

 and mucus. The brain is often studded with minute haemorr- 

 hagic spots. 



It is important not to confuse this disease with a number of 

 non-specific disorders, and accidental causes of death. The sud- 

 denness of the attack may tend to mistaking it for poisoning, 

 heat apoplexy, death from lightning. In all of these cases the 

 doubt following the post-mortem can be easily settled by a bac- 

 teriological examination which if the disease be genuine anthrax, 

 will reveal the presence of anthrax bacteria. If the diagnosis 

 cannot be determined by the anatomical changes, or if these 

 changes appear doubtful, the positive diagnosis can then be made 

 only with the finding of the anthrax bacteria in the blood. 



Prevention. — In all cases of anthrax occurring in ranges or 

 corrals, the well animals should be removed from the land where 

 the animals became infected and carefully quarantined for a 

 period of three or four weeks. Only by careful isolation and 

 safe disposition of the dead animals, can the spread of the dis- 

 ease be checked. All infected buildings, corrals and ranges 

 should be carefully disinfected. 



The disposition of dead bodies in an outbreak of anthrax is 

 a matter of great importance. In all cases they should be 

 burned, if possible ; if not, they should be buried deeply and cov- 

 ered with quicklime before the dirt is replaced. The ground 

 around where the animals have lain, and buried, should be thor- 



