268 VETERINARY HYGIENE 



Ireland. The number of outbreaks has gradually dropped from 

 854 in 1907 to 209 in 1911, and other figures are as just stated. Of 

 large cities London has always been particularly badly affected, 

 though the disease is now decreasing year by year. Hunting noted 

 that during a period of 7 years 89 per cent, of the total outbreaks 

 of glanders occurred in London and its vicinity. 



As to seasonal incidence Hunting has remarked that in his 

 experience more cases were seen from July to October than at any 

 other time of the year, and that this was probably due to the fact 

 that horses become more fatigued then than during the winter. 

 The probability is that more cases tend to become clinical during 

 the summer months than at other times. 



Glanders is infrequently seen in young animals, since before 

 maturity is reached they are not often brought into contact with 

 affected animals. There has been a good deal of controversy as 

 to the natural method of infection in the horse. Some have main- 

 tained that this occurs by inhalation owing to the fact that lesions 

 in the lungs are rarely absent and in many cases exclusively present, 

 but it is now generally admitted that ingestion is the common 

 method. The disease is spread to healthy animals by contamina- 

 tion of food and drinking water with nasal or other discharges 

 which contain the bacilli. Once the disease has entered a healthy 

 stable and for a time remains undetected, it is easy to understand 

 how the contagium may be unwittingly spread by the indiscriminate 

 use of stalls, mangers, grooming tools (especially cloths and 

 sponges), and by water pails and common watering-troughs. 

 Public water-troughs in London at any rate may play a not unimport- 

 ant part in disseminating glanders, but Hunting, while admitting 

 that some cases may have arisen from their use, says that such 

 instances must be few and far between and that the closing of 

 them would do far more damage than would the possibility of 

 glanders. 



Imported Russian ponies sometimes introduce glanders into 

 mines. In 1913, 6 outbreaks were discovered under the Mines Act 

 and the 6 ponies concerned were imported from Russia.* Again 

 in 19H of 19 outbreaks in collieries 11 were caused by Russian 

 ponies, f 



Glanders is sometimes (more rarely than formerly) introduced 

 among the carnivora of menageries by feeding with products con- 

 taining glanders lesions. Cases are occasionally met with in human 

 beings (knackers and grooms handling diseased animals), and in 



* Cd., 7423, 1914. 

 t Cd., 8043, 1915. 



