SYMPTOMS 137 



and fro and finall}' goes into convulsions followed by stupor 

 and death. If the lungs are congested there is difficulty in 

 breathing, more or less wheezing, panting, groaning, palpita- 

 tion of the heart, small and frequent pulse, cyanosis of the 

 mucosaof the head, bloody discharges, hematuria, staggering 

 and finally convulsions and death from suffocation. Occasion- 

 ally there is a partial remission of the symptoms, followed by 

 relapse. It has been observed that occasionally there are pre- 

 monitory symptoms preceding the acute attack, consisting of 

 slight digestive disturbances and diminished vivacity. Burnett 

 found the anthrax bacteria in large numbers in the blood dur- 

 ing this stage. He likewise found them to be present in the 

 blood of the more chronic cases during the febrile period. 



3. The subacute form is known as anthrax fever or 

 intermittent anthrax. The symptoms are the same as in the 

 other forms, except that they are more sharply defined and^ the 

 course is longer. The disease lasts from one to seven or eight 

 days, the average being about forty-eight hours. The high 

 temperature, the congestion of the lungs or brain complicated 

 with intestinal disturbances, especially colic, are usually well 

 marked. In epizootics where the peracute or acute form 

 ushers in the disease, the later cases usually are of the sub- 

 acute variety. 



Anthrax with visible localization. These forms usually 

 result from infection of the skin and mucous membranes. 

 The lesions are spoken of as carbuncles and often there is 

 marked local edema of the skin. This form is common in 

 manv horses and sometimes it occurs in cattle. It is reported 

 to occur in other species. The carbuncles are circumscribed, 

 cutaneous swellings which are at first hard, hot and painful. 

 Later they become cold and painless, with a tendency to 

 become gangrenous. The edematous tissue becomes doughy, 

 cold to the touch and painless. Frequently fluctuating swell- 

 ings of the skin occur. The duration of this form of the dis- 

 ease varies from four to fifteen days. Ordinarily it is not so 

 fatal as internal anthrax. 



When the infection is on the mucous membrane the 



