ANTHRAX. 475 



these germs, owing to the fact of earth worms bringing them to 

 the surface. Hence, the dead bodies and excreta of such animals 

 should, if possible, be burnt. 



Anthrax germs will retain their vitality for years when kept 

 in a dried condition. The action of boiling water, and of certain 

 antiseptics, such as corrosive sublimate and carbolic acid, destroys 

 them. 



PERIOD OF INCUBATION.— Gerlach has shown ' that the 

 period from inoculation to the time the disease manifests itself, 

 varies from two houi^s to three days. It appears, from the experi- 

 ments of Toussaint, that the larger the amount of virus received 

 by an animal, the more rapid will be the course of the disease. 

 Forty-eight hours is considered to be about the ordinary period of 

 incubation. 



DURATION. — The usual apparent duration of the attack, in 

 fatal cases, varies from twelve to forty-eight hours. Some cases 

 terminate fatally in as short a time as three hours; while others 

 may linger on for five or six days. 



IDENTIFICATION OF ANTHRAX.— In order to verify the 

 conjecture that a horse has died from anthrax, we may inoculate, 

 with blood obtained from the horse in question, other animals, 

 such as rabbits, mice, or guinea-pigs. Th.e last-mentioned are 

 very susceptible to this virus. 



If the blood of animals suspected to be suffering, or to have died, 

 from anthrax, be required for microscopical examination in order 

 to determine the nature of the disease, it is well to take it shortly 

 before (when the attack is at its height) or shortly after death ; 

 for the microbes of anthrax disappear proportionately to the extent 

 to which the bacteria of putrefaction invade the carcase. Pro- 

 fessor McFadyean points out that although anthrax germs will be 

 found in the greatest number in the fresh spleen ; that organ is not 

 very suitable for examination ; because it is one of the first to 

 be attacked by putrefactive bacteria, which, owing to their re- 

 semblance to the bacilli anthracis, make recognition difficult, 

 especially to persons who are not trained microscopists. He 

 therefore counsels that in all cases in which we have reason to 

 believe that putrefaction (owing to the length of time after 

 death) has begun in the body of an animal suspected of having 

 died of anthrax; we should, in preference to blood from the 

 spleen, select that from the ear or foot, both of which continue 

 free from putrefactive bacteria, long after the invasion of the 

 spleen. For the purpose in question, we may cut off and take 



