ANTHEAX, OE CAEBUNCULAE FEVEE. 279 



vinces Lie'ge has suffered most. Many, indeed, had no such 

 disease amongst their stock, but from time immemorial anthrax 

 had been enzootic in the province of Lie'ge, and especially at 

 la Hesbaye, le Condroz, and le Pays de Herve. In hot sea- 

 sons the destruction is greatest, and this is supposed to be 

 due to malarious emanations. The disease prevails where 

 there is much clay, and the sub-soil very stiff and retentive. 

 Professor Verheyen, the reporter, spoke to me of this when 

 I was in Belgium, and said, " Dans les parties de la Belgique 

 on il y a le Charbon les paysans ont un roubinet dans 

 la cave." He meant by this that water was obtained in 

 large quantities by merely tapping the soil at no great 

 depth. 



Certain it is that in the United Kingdom drainage has led 

 to the diminution of anthrax, and from some districts it has 

 been extirpated in this way. 



It is, however, singular, that wet seasons are not favour- 

 able to the development of the disease. Such seasons are 

 not attended with sufficient heat, and, in countries where 

 carbuncular affections are very malignant, as in Prussia, they 

 commit less ravages in wet years. But Hildebrandt has 

 shown that the districts most free in hot seasons suffer more 

 than usual when the fall of rain is great, and vice versa. 



With reference to the year commencing 1st April, 1853, 

 and ending in March, 1854, Gerkch says that carbuncular 

 affections had been rarer than usual. Indeed, similar reports 

 were published from 1851 to 1857, and this was attributed 

 to low temperature and abundant rains. In the year 1855- 

 56, the disease prevailed to a far greater extent in certain 

 districts. In the summer of 1857 they were very severe. 



From 1851 to 1857 the most severe outbreak occurred in 

 1852-53, when 107 circles suffered from carbuncular affec- 

 tions, but in the summer of 1857 the number rose to 125 



