282 ANTHRAX. 



in some it is much more common than in others. In 

 Britain the death-rate is small, but in France the annual 

 mortality among sheep was probably i o per cent of the total 

 number in the country, and among cattle 5 per cent. 

 These figures, however, have been largely modified by the 

 system of preventive treatment which will be presently 

 described. In sheep and cattle the disease is specially 

 virulent. An animal may suddenly drop down, with symp- 

 toms of collapse, quickening of pulse and respiration, and 

 dyspnoea, and death may occur in a few minutes. In less 

 acute cases the animal is apparently out of sorts, and does 

 not feed ; its pulse and respiration are quickened ; rigors 

 occur, succeeded by high temperature ; there is a sanguin- 

 eous discharge from the bowels, and bloody mucus may be 

 observed about the mouth and nose. There may be 

 convulsive movements, there is progressive weakness, with 

 cyanosis, death occurring in from twelve to forty-eight hours. 

 In the more prolonged cases widespread oedema and ex- 

 tensive enlargement of lymphatic glands are marked features ; 

 and in the glands, especially about the neck, actual necrosis 

 with ulceration may occur, constituting the so-called anthrax 

 carbuncles. Such subacute conditions are especially found 

 among horses, which are by nature not so susceptible to the 

 disease as cattle and sheep. 



On post-mortem examination of 'an ox dead of anthrax, 

 the most noticeable feature one which has given the name 

 "splenic fever" to the disease is the enlargement of the 

 spleen, which may be two to three times its natural size. 

 It is of dark-red colour, and on section the pulp is very 

 soft and friable, sometimes almost diffluent. A cover-glass 

 preparation may be made from the spleen and stained with 

 watery methylene-blue. On examination it will be found 

 to contain enormous numbers of bacilli mixed with red 

 corpuscles and leucocytes, chiefly lymphocytes and the 

 large uninucleated variety (Fig. 74). Pieces of the organ 

 may be hardened in absolute alcohol, and sections cut in 

 paraffin. These are best stained by Gram's method. Micro- 

 scopic examination of such shows that the structure of the 



