186 ANTHRAX. 



vegetable organism ' bacillus antliracis ' is inseparable from 

 the study of anthrax proper, is now a matter beyond question ; 

 and though, as we before stated, this disease in Great Britain 

 at least does not claim a very important part in hippopathology, 

 we shall further on give some little consideration to the more 

 essential points connected Avith the bacillus. 



In the Q-ole of inducing causes undoubtedly conditions 

 telluric, atmospheric and meteorological play a very important 

 part, though we must allow that these are subservient to the 

 growth and development of the bacterial organism, apart from 

 the effect they may have in rendering the subject of attack 

 suitable soil for these. In matters agricultural and horti- 

 cultural the consideration of the adaptability of the soil to 

 habits of the plant is certainly a matter of no secondary im- 

 portance, and we think we should err if we lost sight of the 

 fact that a certain condition of animal constitution is essential 

 to the taking root and flourishing of our vegetable. And in 

 the study of no disease has this been more clearly shown than 

 was done in the experiments of Pasteur Avith anthrax-inoculation 

 in fowls. These creatures were long credited with possessing, 

 by virtue of their high temperature, an immunity from anthrax, 

 as they resisted the ordinary inoculation. To prove the depen- 

 dence of this on the thermometric state, the illustrious patho- 

 logist immersed a fowl, into which some anthrax virus had 

 been introduced, in cold water to lower the temperature ; in a 

 short time it had died, and its blood, spleen, liver, lungs, etc., 

 were found swarming with bacilli. Other fowls uninoculated 

 were kept in the water with the former, with in them negative 

 results, while a counter-experiment substantiated the former. 

 Colin also found that young birds, whose temperature is 

 normally lower than adults, were susceptible. 



Rats fed entirely on an animal diet resisted inoculation, 

 while some fed on bread readily contracted the disease. Again, 

 certain individuals prove refractory to all inoculation and even 

 intravenous injection ; and this is apparently substantiated by 

 the well-known experiments of M. Chauveau with Algerian 

 sheep, in which, though the instances were numerous and 

 carefully followed out, the disease could not be induced by the 

 ordinary artificial means of inoculation : in these cases virus 

 taken from the same vessel, and at the same time, proved their 



