History 



The disease has from time immemorial been 

 invariably confounded with glanders (farcy) and ulcera- 

 tive lymphangitis, in whatever part of the world it has 

 appeared, and even with the assistance of mallein and 

 modern science, veterinarians of nearly every nationality 

 still continue to make the same mistakes. Since the 

 commencement of the nineteenth century, about 1820, 

 French veterinarians have recognized the disease under 

 the names river farcy, farcin en cul de poule^ Curable 

 or benign farcy, a particular form of farcy character- 

 ized by the appearance of sores exclusively on the skin, 

 and any attempt that was made to classify the disease 

 almost always resolved itself into simply recognizing it 

 as glanders (farcy) of the skin. H. Bouley, in an 

 article dated i860, recognizes no other diseases resemb- 

 ling glanders (farcy) except traumatic thrombosis of 

 the lymphatics and the well-known complications of 

 strangles and horse pox. 



In 1865 Pearson studied the disease in Sweden, 

 and he declared that the farcy of the north was not 

 real farcy, but only a form of lymphangitis which 

 yielded to treatment. Delormi, in 1867, described 

 several cases of a benign form of farcy, which in no 

 case terminated in glanders, and he hesitatingly questions 

 the identity of true glanders and glanders (farcy) with- 

 out ever suspecting the existence of any other form of 

 farcy. 



The question of the diagnosis was raised again in 

 1870 by French veterinary officers who observed a 

 special form of epizootic farcy both in Algeria and 

 France. Barrier Senior was of the opinion * That the 

 Algerian farcy was a particular disease of the lymphatic 

 system,' and his statement to that effect was almost 



