142 Twenty-Second Annual Report of the 



The principal centers of anthrax infection in the State of New 

 York seem to be in the counties of Oneida, Cattaraugus, Chau- 

 tauqua, St. Lawrence, Saratoga, Delaware, and in and about 

 Orange county. In these districts vaccine is quite generally used, 

 but losses continue on premises where this means of prevention is 

 not resorted to or where new districts become involved. 



The transmission of anthrax to the human family is not infre- 

 quent, and a number of cases have been recorded during the past 

 year. In some instances these are traceable to direct contact with 

 infected animals, but more often to infected animal products, such 

 as hides, horns, hoofs, etc., and consequently cases are not in- 

 frequent among tannery workers, wool sorters, etc. 



Among animals, this disease is usually acquired by susceptible 

 individuals that feed on lands or fields which have become in- 

 fected in the past from the overflow of streams, thus carrying 

 anthrax spores to grazing lands, or by direct contact with diseased 

 animals. Because of the spore form of the germ heretofore men- 

 tioned, the recurrence of infection from year to year on these 

 premises is to be expected and preventive treatment (vaccination) 

 is therefore strongly recommended. 



The careful disposition of carcasses of animals that have died 

 of anthrax is important. Owing to the great resistance of the 

 organism to disinfectants, the bodies of such animals should be 

 either burned or deeply buried. The former method is unsatis- 

 factory and expensive unless a considerable quantity of inflam- 

 mable material is obtained, and therefore the burying method is 

 usually adopted. This involves the digging of a grave or trench, 

 which should be at least five feet deep. The cadaver should be 

 covered with lime or some active disinfectant in order to insure 

 quick decomposition and destruction, and fencing around the 

 burial place is recommended, if animals will have access to it. 

 The use of pastures, fields, yards, pens, etc., where animals dying 

 from anthrax have been kept, should be avoided if possible. This 

 frequently cannot be done and the only resort is to immunize by 

 the necessary treatment, animals which are to be placed upon such 

 premises. It often happens that this infection is distributed by 

 the careless handling of carcasses of animals dying from the dis- 

 ease and the consequent distribution of the virus therefrom. 



