QUAKTEK-ILL. 305 



QUARTER-ILL, BLACK-LEG, OR CHABERT'S DISEASE. 



Quarter-ill, black-leg, strike, symptomatic anthrax, quarter- 

 evil, sarcophysema hsemostaticum bovis, infectious emphysema, 

 are a few of the numerous names applied to a specific disease 

 affecting cattle and sheep, and due to the presence of an 

 organism, the Bacillus Chauvcci. 



Quarter-ill was, until recently, supposed to be an external 

 manifestation of splenic fever (anthrax), that in young cattle 

 anthrax was always thus developed, whereas in older ones the 

 disease was located in the spleen. 



This disease is fortunately not nearly so common in Scotland 

 as it is in England, France, and other countries on the Continent; 

 but owing to better drainage of the land it is less common than 

 formerly, even in England. 



It occurs much more frequently in young than in old animals, 

 as is well illustrated by the following record by M. Hess of 

 989 cases : — 



374 cases in animals aged between 6 and 12 months. 



439 „ „ 1 and 2 years. 



83 ,, „ 2 and 3 „ 



65 ,, ,, 3 and 4 „ 



10 ,, „ 4 and 5 „ 



18 „ „ 5 and 6 „ 



Not only is it less frequent in old animals, but it is also less 

 fatal to them. Animals affected under two years old almost 

 invariably die, but animals over that age frequently recover : so 

 much is this so, that many affirm all animals over three years 

 of age to be free from danger of contracting this disease. 



But this conclusion, however, must not be implicitly believed 

 in, as the following statements by Hess show there is even 

 danger though the animals are beyond the stated agQ. 



Out of 36,000 animals, from six to twelve months old, 350 

 died of the disease ; of 13,000 animals, from one to three years 

 old, 500 died ; and of 135,000, from three to six years of age, 120 

 died ; giving us the following per-centages of total mortality — 



Between 6 and 12 months, "972 per cent. died. 

 „ 1 and 3 years, 3 '845 „ „ 



., 3 and 6 „ '08 „ 



