PAPERS ON MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH 275 



Two other diseases, anthrax and foot and mouth dis- 

 ease, may be spread not only by cattle, but also by the 

 other domestic animals which are subject to infection. 

 There occurred during the calender year 1922 in the 

 United States 89 cases of human anthrax, of which Illi- 

 nois had four. The disease is well under control, al- 

 though present in various parts of the country. Foot and 

 mouth disease is rather rare in man, due principally to 

 the immediate destruction of infected animals. Milk is 

 a possible source of danger, but proper pasteurization 

 will prevent infection. 



Contagious abortion among cattle is very prevalent, 

 but its relation to human welfare is not yet settled. 

 Huddleson has shown the presence of abortion bacilli in 

 milk from infected cattle, and Park and others have 

 shown as high as 25 per cent of individuals giving agglu- 

 tination reactions to this organism. In several states the 

 problem is considered of public health importance and 

 tests for the disease in cattle are performed by the 

 laboratory of the State Board of Health. The writer at 

 one time observed a herd of cattle badly infected with con- 

 tagious abortion where the wives of three successive 

 herdsman gave premature births to children. Pasteuri- 

 zation of milk is a proper safeguard to the public. 



Trichuriasis, primarily a disease of hogs, has played 

 a considerable part in the world 's history. The old Jew- 

 ish law against eating pork was in all probability the re- 

 sult of havoc wrought by this disease. Great epidemics 

 in Europe have been caused by the parasite, trichinella 

 spiralis, and some forty years ago it caused international 

 complications between this country and Germany, with 

 the result that American pork was barred from German 

 markets. The danger from eating raw pork is today 

 common knowledge, yet from 0.5 per cent to 2 per cent 

 of the population of civilized countries show trichina 

 embryos at post mortem examinations. 



Glanders, very common in horses, is rather rare in 

 man. The two classes of persons likely to be infected are 

 hostlers and laboratory workers. Recently a case in Illi- 

 nois was drawn to the attention of the writer through 

 laboratory examinations. The disease was not suspected 



