26o" BACTERIA. 



the nasal discharge of a glandered animal to the mucous 

 membrane of the nose or mouth. There are, undoubtedly, 

 cases recorded of glanders occurring in the human subject, 

 but these are not so numerous as they might be if it were 

 possible to put all those cases described as acute or chronic 

 bood poisoning under their proper heading. An old friend of 

 mine, the late Dr. Howard Bendall, in a Thesis presented 

 for the degree of M.D. in the University of Edinburgh, 

 1882, described a case of acute farcy in man, and collected the 

 records of 68 similar cases, a number that might now be 

 very considerably added to. Of all the cases of acute farcy, 

 47 in number, only 6 were cured ; whilst of 21 more chronic 

 cases no fewer than 1 5 recovered or were partially cured : the 

 acute cases run a very rapid course, the duration of the disease, 

 however, varying from 4 to 47 days, the average course of 

 the disease being from 2 to 3 weeks. In chronic farcy the 

 patients died in from 50 days to 14 months, whilst of those 

 that recovered, the disease lasted as long as two and a half 

 years. It has now been proved beyond doubt that this 

 disease of farcy in man is due to the action of the same 

 bacillus that is found in the glanders of the horse, this 

 minute organism having been found both in the blood and 

 in the contents of pustules taken from a man affected with 

 farcy. 



Cattle are completely immune against glanders as regards spontaneous 

 infection, and only localized ulceration, which rapidly heals, follows inocu- 

 lation. The goat is somewhat susceptible to the disease, though it 

 appears to occupy a position between cattle and the horse in this respect. 

 Sheep are fairly susceptible, but the disease runs its course very slowly, 

 and appears to resemble the chronic farcy in man. Lions, tigers, 

 and cats may all become affected, the disease in such cases running a 

 very rapid course. Dogs react to the poison very much as do rabbits. 

 So markedly is this the case that it has been suggested that the glanders 

 bacillus might be attenuated by passing it through the dog before it is inocu- 

 lated into horses and asses. It should be pointed out, however, in connec- 

 tion with all these experiments, that if a very concentrated virus, such as a 

 pure cultivation of the bacillus, especially in considerable quantities, be 

 inoculated even into a rabbit, a generalized disease may be set up, whilst 

 a weaker virus, such as that contained in the discharge from the nasal 

 mucous membrane of a horse, will produce nothing but localized symptoms. 

 (This element of quantity can never be ignored in making experiments 

 with bacteria of any kind.) Field mice are extraordinarily susceptible 

 to the glanders poison, whilst white mice and house mice are quite exempt. 

 The pigeon appears to be the only bird that is at all susceptible to the 

 disease. 



