INFECTIOUS DISEASES II3 



GLANDERS. 



vj 97. Characterization. Glanders is one of the most 

 important diseases of horses, asses and mules and when trans- 

 mitted to man, one of the most fatal diseases of the human 

 species. It runs an acute or chronic course attacking the lym- 

 phatic S3'Stem more especially in the upper air passages, lungs, 

 or skin. The disease is characterized by a strong tendency to 

 the formation of small neoplasms or nodules which are likeh' 

 to degenerate into ulcers from which exude a peculiar sticky 

 discharge. In the very acute cases a considerable rise of tem- 

 perature and general debility may accompany the formation of 

 the lesions. Glanders of the skin is known as farcy. It is 

 known in Germany as Rotz or Rotzkrankheit and in France as 

 morve. 



B3' direct inoculation several species of animals may be in- 

 fected. Thus the disease has been reported in goats, rabbits, 

 sheep, guinea pigs, field mice, and several of the wild animals, 

 especially those of the cat tribe. Swine and pigeons are very 

 slightly susceptible. Cattle, white mice, rats and domestic 

 fowls seem to be immune. 



§ 98. History. The theory of the contagiousness of glan- 

 ders was much doubted at the beginning of this century. The 

 view taken at the Alfort \'eterinary College was that glanders 

 might arise spontaneously from an attack of strangles. This 

 view was far more widely accepted than the theor}^ of its con- 

 tagiousness, which was stoutly supported b}- the Veterinary 

 College of Lyons. It was not until Rayer (1837) had demon- 

 strated the transmissibilit}^ of glanders to man, and Chaveau 

 (1868) had shown that the virus was contained chiefly in 

 the firm component parts of the infective material, that the 

 fact of the infectious nature of the disease was accepted. 



The theory of the spontaneous origin of glanders was 

 widely accepted in Germany. vSixty years ago it was believed 

 that glanders could be produced by the injection of pus, and 

 that strangles could develop into glanders. Glanders was looked 

 upon as a tubercular disease, scroiula, p3'aemia, diphtheritis, 

 general d^'-scrasia, and cachexia, respectively. \'irchow was 



