494 



GrENEEAL DISEASES. 



an error that was chiefly due to the fact (which was then unknown 

 to scientific men) that many cases of the disease ran a long course, 

 without showing any ouitward symptoms; and that outward 

 symjjtoms were often readily developed by predisposing influences. 

 All doubts respecting the specific nature of this disease were re- 

 moved by Loffler and Schiitz, who discovered the micro-organism 

 of glanders in 1882. The next great step in advance was the pre- 

 paration of mallein (p. 614) in 1891 by Kalning and Hellmann. 



STATISTICS. — ^Half a century ago, glanders was common all 

 over Great Britain and in the Army, from which it was eliminated 

 in 1891 by Dr. George Fleming, who was the Director of the 

 A. V. D. The mounted branches of the Service became again 

 infected, to a comparatively large extent, at the beginning of 

 the late South African war. The following table shows the 

 prevalence of glanders in the whole of E,nglaiid, and also in 

 London, during the past seven years. 



As these recorded cases are practically restricted to those which 

 show clinical (outward) symptoms, the number of affected animals 

 probably exceeds 20,000. 



" In Scotland, glanders is practically confined to Lanarkshire. 

 The returns for Scotland for ten years show 1,344 horses attacked, 

 of that number no less than 1,265 occurred in Lanark" (Hunting). 



The term clinical, or outward symptoms, refers to the charac- 

 teristic ulceration in the nostrils, discharge from the nose, and 

 swelling of the gland or glands between the angles of the lower 

 jaw; and to the swelling of the limb or limbs in farcy. A horse with 

 one or more of these symptoms is said to be " clinically affected." 



VITALITY OF THE VIRUS OF GLANDERS.-^The microbes of 

 glanders are incapable of preserving an independent existence out- 

 side the animal body for a long period, because they are quickly 

 destroyed by temperatures which are respectively below and above 



