CHAPTER XIII. 



ANTHRAX. 1 



OTHER NAMES. SPLENIC FEVER, MALIGNANT PUSTULE, 



WOOLSORTER'S DISEASE. GERMAN, MILZBRAND; 

 FRENCH, CHARBON. 2 



Introductory. Anthrax is a disease occurring epidemically 

 among the herbivora, especially sheep and oxen, in which 

 animals it has the characters of a rapidly fatal form of 

 septicaemia with splenic enlargement, attended by an 

 extensive multiplication of characteristic bacilli through- 

 out the blood. The disease does not occur as a natural 

 affection in man, but may be communicated to him directly 

 or indirectly from animals, and it may then appear in 

 certainly two and possibly three forms. In the first there 

 is infection through the skin. Here there is a local lesion, 

 the "malignant pustule," which may lead to widespread 

 oedema and lymphatic affection attended with fever, dysp- 

 ncea, hsemorrhagic enteritis, and often with a fatal result. 

 On the other hand, the affection may remain local and 

 recovery may take place. In the second form infection takes 

 place through the respiratory tract. The symptoms start with 



1 In even recent works on surgery the term " anthrax" may be found 

 applied to any form of carbuncle. Before its true pathology was known 

 the local variety of the disease which occurs in man and which is 

 now called " malignant pustule" was known as " malignant carbuncle." 



2 This must be distinguished from " charbon symptomatique," which 

 is quite a different disease. 



