294 CLINICAL BACTERIOLOGY. 



it may actually be realized would appear from the observa- 

 tions of Bellinger, who succeeded in finding anthrax-spores 

 in the bodies of worms collected from the anthrax-fields of 

 the Bavarian Alps. The view of Pasteur was vigorously 

 attacked by Koch. At the depth at which anthrax-cadavers 

 are usually buried (from y 2 to I meter) the temperature, 

 even in the hottest summer-months, is only between 14 C. 

 (57.2 F.) and 18 C. (64.4 F.), a temperature that is 

 extremely unfavorable for sporulation. According to 

 Soyka, the addition of porous particles of earth to artificial 

 cultures furthers spore -production quite materially. Then, 

 it is further to be borne in mind that the temperature of the 

 buried cadavers is certainly raised somewhat in consequence 

 of the putrefactive processes taking place. Kitasato buried 

 gelatin-cultures and agar-cultures of anthrax in the earth 

 and showed that at a depth of one meter sporulation pro- 

 ceeded in the months of June, July, and August. The 

 conditions provided experimentally and artificially are, how- 

 ever, not entirely comparable with those observed prac- 

 tically. Animals dead of anthrax are, or were formerly, 

 first dissected and skinned, the secretions, the blood, etc., 

 being spilled indiscriminately ; burial also is not effected 

 immediately ; in brief, abundant time and opportunity are 

 afforded the bacilli, at least in summer, to form spores. 

 The cadaver, which is now buried, contains not only 

 mature forms, but also permanent forms ; quite apart 

 from the fact that numerous anthrax-bacilli are already 

 present upon the surface of the earth in consequence of the 

 various manipulations at the place where the autopsy was 

 held. It is true that if the animal is buried at a depth of 

 two or three meters immediately after death, without further 

 manipulation, the formation of spores would certainly be 

 entirely prevented ; for, then, one of the most important 

 conditions for spore -formation namely, unobstructed ac- 

 cess of oxygen would be completely wanting. 



In addition to earth-worms anthrax-spores may be dis- 

 seminated by means of snails, flies, etc. Further, the 

 diseased animal furnishes during life sufficient material for 

 subsequent infection through the feces and the urine, which 

 contain the bacilli in large number. In these, and also in 

 vegetable culture-media, the bacilli, which are so indifferent 

 with relation to the nature of the nutrient material, multiply 

 abundantly, and in summer also form spores. The excre- 



