Rabies. 75 



Lehnert states that the calf of a cow affected with anthrax re- 

 mains "well, although it may suck the mother through the entire 

 course of the disease. 



Even though milk offers a splendid nutritive medium for 

 the anthrax bacillus, an increase of bacilli only occurs during the 

 first three hours. Keeping the milk at room temperature for 18 to 

 24 hours, is followed by the death of the bacilli (Caro). At the 

 beginning of souring the vegetative forms of the virus are quickly 

 destroyed; the spores however remain active (Inghilleri). If 

 anthrax bacilli are cultivated in milk, coagulation occurs under the 

 rennet action of the peptonizing bacterial ferments. The coagulum 

 again slowly dissolves, and the milk separates into fat and whey. 



Less important than anthrax is rabies, as this disease occurs 

 much more rarely in cows. According to Nocard and Bardach 

 the milk of animals affected with rabies contains the virus. Never- 

 theless the danger to man from the ingestion of such milk is hardly 

 probable, since it is impossible to affect experiment animals by 

 feeding fresh milk (exceptions are rats and mice). A nursing 

 infant of a woman affected with rabies remained well, although 

 it was fed with the milk of the patient until one day before her 

 death (Bardach). The uninjured mucous membrane of the mouth, 

 pharynx, and the intestinal tract does not offer opportunity for 

 infection. This opportunity is afforded only when destruction of 

 tissue and small wounds permit the entrance of the contagion. 

 Thus for instance Galtier succeeded in producing rabies through 

 rubbing brain material of rabid animals into the mucous mem- 

 brane of rabbits. According to the observations of Virschikowsky 

 the rabid virus is destroyed by the gastric juice. 



Very little, or nothing at all is known relative to the special 

 relationship of other infectious diseases to milk, as for instance 

 malignant catarrhal fever, croup of cattle, the blood diseases of 

 cattle caused by spirochaetes, trypanosomes and piroplasma, or in- 

 fectious vaginal catarrh and infectious abortion. In the presence 

 of infectious vaginal catarrh and contagious abortion the milk 

 secretion is supposed to be diminished. 



It should be remembered that in such affections the passing 

 of the disease agents from the blood into the milk is possible. 

 [That the bacillus of infectious abortion is eliminated by the milk 

 has been definitely established. See Bureau of Animal Industry 

 Circular No. 216]'. 



In a case of icterus in a woman Mayer observed the passage 

 of bile acids, especially taurocholic acid into her milk. 



Finally two other diseases should be mentioned which may 

 be transmitted from animal to man: 



1. Milk Sickness. A rather peculiar disease, called "milk 

 sickness," is found in the central part of the United States, where 

 it at times occurs as an epidemic among cattle and people. In 

 cattle, the first indication of disease is dullness, followed by violent 



