GENERAL CHARACTERS AND NATURE. 185 



In every appearance of the naturally produced disease, it is 

 argued, the state of animal habit is inclined to partake of the 

 plethoric rather than the antemic ; that the nutriment supplied 

 to the animal, whatever be its form, is never below the require- 

 ments of the organism, generally in excess ; that the greater 

 number of seizures are among animals the digestive and 

 assimilatory organs of which have not attained the maximum 

 of vigour, and are consequently not so fitted to resist any strain 

 thrown suddenly on them — they are young, or at least have 

 not reached maturity. The offspring of animals attacked 

 with anthrax, which were in utero at the time of the attack, 

 seem to enjoy an immunity from the disease throughout their 

 course of life ; while the preservation of their life in the uterus 

 has been attributed to the filtering action of the foetal mem- 

 branes. 



Although interchangeably transmissible among the various 

 susceptible species, inoculation with anthrax material from one 

 animal or species may produce different manifestations of the 

 disease from those noticed in the case from which the virus 

 was taken. We notice also, that in the transference of the 

 niateries morhi through different species a certain attenuation 

 occurs, or, at least, the ultimate is not usually as severe as the 

 original attack. In some interesting cases reported in the 

 Veterinarian for December, 1873, the outbreak was originally 

 noticed among sheep ; the victims of the disease formed the 

 food of certain dogs which usually took their meals in a field, 

 from a pool in which the horses of the farm received their 

 supply of drinking-water. While pasturing in this field one 

 horse and then another died, and their carcases, which showed 

 proof of anthrax, were so disposed as to be above the source of 

 potable water used in the stable. Within a month five more of 

 these horses fell victims to anthrax ; probably the poison had 

 been conveyed by soakage from the carcases to the water, and 

 thus to the healthy animals. 



iEtiology and Pathology. — Though in connection with no 

 department of medicine has more real work been done and 

 positive results arrived at during the past decade than in the 

 study of anthrax, we find ourselves now encountering many 

 difficulties in attempting to explain all the phenomena in 

 its causation. That the study of the life-history of the 



