304 ANTHRAX; AND HYDROPHOBIA. 



cillus passes through the intestinal wall without producing 

 disease. 



Gastro-intestinal anthrax infection and wool-sorters' dis- 

 ease are forms of " internal anthrax. 77 



The so-called wool-sorters 7 disease is an infection with the 

 anthrax bacillus, or its spores, occurring through the respira- 

 tory tract as a result of the sorting or picking of infected wool. 



In all forms of " anthrax 77 with a general infection, the 

 bacilli are found in the blood, and especially in the internal 

 organs, such as the liver, spleen, and lungs. The accumula- 

 tion of a large number of anthrax bacilli in the capillary 

 vessels is a not infrequent cause of thrombosis and rupture 

 of the vessel. Late in the disease the bacillus is also found 

 in the urine, bile, and feces. 



The organisms are not very numerous in a malignant pus- 

 tule. If death occurs it is due to a general infection and 

 septicaemia. 



Heredity : Transmission from the mother to the foetus has 

 been described. Intra-uterine infection was described by 

 Marchand. One observer infected the rabbit 7 s foetus in utero. 

 If the mothers escaped the disease, they were immune for 

 some time afterward. 



Immunity : One attack of anthrax confers a very temporary 

 immunity. It is possible to immunize animals experimentally. 

 Pasteur manufactured two varieties of vaccine from attenu- 

 ated anthrax bacilli and succeeded in immunizing rabbits. 

 He found that such injections conferred absolute immunity to 

 a subsequent subcutaneous inoculation of the animal with 

 anthrax. But the blood-serum of these animals so immunized 

 did not have the power to confer immunity to other animals. 



Prophylaxis : Prophylaxis against anthrax consists in thor- 

 ough disinfection of the bodies of animals and men dead of 

 the disease ; their complete isolation while sick ; and careful 

 disinfection of all the excreta and discharges. The best 

 disinfection of the dead body is incineration. This will com- 

 pletely eliminate the possibility of infection from that par- 

 ticular body. Suspicious hides should be thoroughly disin- 

 fected before they are handled in any way. 



Diagnosis : An examination of the blood or of the material 



