316 A MANUAL OF BACTERIOLOGY 



A Government scheme for treating anthrax-infected 

 wool in State disinfecting stations has recently been 

 introduced. It consists essentially in treating the wool 

 (1) with hot alkaline soap solution, (2) passing through 

 rollers, (3) a second treatment with the soap solution, 

 (4) again passing through rollers, (5) warm 5 per cent, 

 formalin for half an hour, (6) washing, and drying in a 

 hot-air chamber. The New York State Board of Health 

 prescribes sterilisation of hair for shaving brushes by 

 three hours' boiling in water or three hours' autoclaving at 

 10 Ibs. pressure. 



Cases of anthrax, resulting in many deaths, have been 

 reported in the United States from tanneries dealing with 

 hides imported from China, and a number of cattle have 

 been infected by drinking water from rivers and creeks 

 receiving the waste liquors from these works. 



Houston 1 detected the anthrax bacillus in a catch-pit 

 in a hide factory at Yeovil, and in sewage and effluents 

 and in the mud of the Yeo. It has also been met with 

 in linseed cake and oats. 



Toxins. The Bacillus a-nihracis forms little or no toxin 

 under cultivation. Various tox-albumins, proteoses and 

 alkaloidal bodies are stated by Hankin, Brieger and 

 Frankel, and Sidney Martin to be obtainable from cultiva- 

 tion in a particular culture medium, such as alkali albumin . 

 Anti-serum. An anti-serum for anthrax was prepared 

 by Marchoux by immunising sheep by vaccination and 

 then inoculating with progressively increasing doses of 

 virulent anthrax cultures. Sclavo's anti-serum is pre- 

 pared by first immunising asses with a vaccine and then 

 inoculating them with increasing doses of virulent 

 cultures over a prolonged period. This serum is now- 

 used in the treatment of anthrax in man, and should 

 always be employed, 60-80 c.c. being injected intra- 



1 Second Rep. Commis. on Sewage Disposal. 1902, p. 31. 



