ANTHRAX. 



In Germany, veterinary and agricultural authorities agree that 

 the results have not met with the success which has been claimed 

 for vaccination in France. Experiments were undertaken for the 

 German Government, and in one set of experiments twenty-five sheep 

 \vriv vaccinated with the first vaccine without an accident, but three 

 died five days after the second vaccine. In another experiment two 

 hundred and fifty-one sheep were vaccinated with only one death, 

 and subsequent inoculation with virulent anthrax proved that they 

 had immunity. 



Six head of cattle were vaccinated .without any loss, and six more 

 were used for a control experiment. Inoculation with virulent virus 

 proved fatal to the control animals, but the vaccinated were pro- 

 tected. These, with other animals similarly vaccinated, amounting 

 in all to two hundred and sixty-six sheep and eighty-three head of 

 cattle, were then turned out to graze on infected pastures with two 

 hundred and sixteen unvaccinated sheep as a control experiment. 

 Within five months four of the vaccinated and eight of the un- 

 vaccinated sheep died of anthrax, and one of the vaccinated and one 

 of the unvaccinated cattle. 



The result of these experiments led to the following conclusions : 



(1) That the first vaccine is mild and harmless. 



(2) That the second vaccine, even in the hands of experts, is 

 dangerous and often fatal. 



(3) That sheep are more affected than cattle by the injections, 

 exhibiting fever and other indications of illness. 



(4) That cattle and sheep which recover from the vaccination 

 have an immunity against anthrax when tested by experimental 

 inoculation. 



(5) That vaccinated cattle and sheep tested by exposure to 

 natural infection by grazing on infected pastures contract the 

 ilist-ase in the ordinary way. 



(6) That the time for which immunity is conferred has not been 

 determined. 



In England, Klein tested the vaccine, with the result that animals 

 either succumbed to the vaccine, or to virulent anthrax after recovery 

 from the vaccine. Protective inoculation has also been employed in 

 a few instances by leading agriculturists, but with very unsatis- 

 factory results. 



Stamping-out System: In Germany the conclusion is that 

 the safest measures are destruction of carcasses and disinfection, and 

 that inoculation will have no effect in lessening the loss caused by 

 this disease. 



