258 AGRICULTURAL BACTERIOLOGY 



interior has a semi-liquid consistency due to the breaking 

 down of its structure. Hemorrhages or areas in which the 

 blood has passed from the blood-vessels into the tissues are 

 often noted in the internal organs and on the membranes. 

 Blood often issues from the natural openings of the body. 



The carbuncles are at first hard, hot, and painful, but 

 later, due to the death of the tissue at the center, the fever 

 subsides, and no pain is evidenced by the animal when the 

 carbuncle is opened. The exudate is tarlike in color and 

 consistency. Gangrene, due to a secondary invasion of 

 the abscess with putrefactive bacteria, is often noted. In 

 the case of the hog, swelling of the tissues of the throat is 

 commonly present. The carcass does not become rigid; 

 bloating and decomposition occur more quickly than in the 

 case of death from other causes. 



The sudden death of cattle or sheep, accompanied by 

 black non -coagulating blood and an enlarged darkened 

 spleen, should always lead to a suspicion of anthrax. The 

 absence of these typical lesions is not to be considered proof 

 of the absence of anthrax. 



The disease is a true septicemia in that the organisms 

 are to be found in great numbers in every portion of the 

 body at the time of death. The absolute diagnosis of the 

 disease is made by finding the anthrax bacillus in the tis- 

 sues, and, in some cases in which the post-mortem changes 

 are not typical, this is the only way in which the diagnosis 

 can be made with certainty. 



Whenever an animal has died and anthrax is suspected, 

 the temperature of each animal in the herd should be taken. 

 All that show a temperature of 104 F. or above should 

 be allowed to remain in the infected quarters ; the remainder 

 of the animals should be at once removed. 



Before the transmissible nature of the disease was rec- 

 ognized, extensive epidemics were common. Prompt sep- 



