446 BACTERIOLOGY. 



for obtaining cultures from tissues in general, but it 

 must be remembered that the organism is a strict anae- 

 robe, and will not grow under the influence of oxygen 

 (see methods of cultivating anaerobic species). 



In certain superficial respects this bacillus suggests 

 bacillus anthracis } but differs from it in so many impor- 

 tant details that there is no excuse for confounding the 

 two. 



NOTE. From what has been said of this organism, 

 what are the most important differential points between 

 it and bacillus anthracis ? Inoculate several mice with 

 small portions of garden earth and street dust. Isolate 

 the organism that agrees most nearly with the descrip- 

 tion here given for the bacillus of malignant oedema. 

 Compare its morphological, biological, and pathogenic 

 peculiarities with those of bacillus anthracis under sim- 

 ilar circumstances. 



Still another pathogenic organism that may be present 

 in the soil is 



THE BACILLUS OF SYMPTOMATIC ANTHRAX; 



bacterie du charbon symptomatique (French); Bacillus 

 des Rauschbrand (German). It is the organism con- 

 cerned in the production of the disease of young cattle 

 and sheep commonly known as " black leg/ 7 "quarter 

 evil/ 7 and "quarter ill/' a disease that prevails in cer- 

 tain localities during the warm months, and which is 

 characterized by a peculiar emphysematous swelling of 

 the muscular and subcutaneous cellular tissues over the 

 quarters. The muscles and cellular tissues at the points 



