MALIGNANT PUSTULE 263 



spleen examined. If this is found to be much enlarged, and so 

 soft that it can hardly be handled without rupture, there is a high 

 probability of splenic fever, which the history of sudden death, 

 with or without symptoms, coupled with a sanguineous discharge, 

 increases. To confirm the diagnosis, some smear preparations 

 should be made from the spleen and blood, and can be stained and 

 examined on arriving home. If slides or cover-glasses are not 

 available, the ear or a small piece of the spleen may be removed 

 and taken home, where the specimen may be examined. When 

 material is sent from a distance for examination the ear should be 

 forwarded. 



The smears may be stained with Loftier 's blue and by Gram's 

 method with eosin. Methylene-blue staining gives the most 

 characteristic appearances, according to McFadyean. A smear 

 preparation is made, not too thin, is air-dried, and then fixed by 

 passing once through the Bunsen flame. The film is stained in a 

 1 per cent, aqueous solution of methylene-blue for ten minutes 

 and then lightly rinsed and dried. The anthrax bacilli appear as 

 blue rods surrounded by a pale violet capsule. If the post-mortem 

 has been made shortly after death no spores are visible. Unless the 

 material be quite fresh large saprophytic bacteria somewhat resembling 

 anthrax are always present and must not be mistaken for that 

 organism ; by the McFadyean method of stain these saprophytes 

 do not show the violet capsule. If a hanging-drop preparation can 

 be made, a characteristic is the non-motility of the bacilli. 



The stained preparations can be kept and produced in a court of 

 law if necessary. Cultivations can also be made from the spleen, 

 but the necessary culture media are not of course usually forth- 

 coming. Finally, a guinea-pig or mouse may be inoculated sub- 

 cutaneously in the abdomen with a particle of the spleen, and after 

 death examined microscopically and by culture methods. 



As regards the disposal of the carcase of an animal dead from 

 anthrax, this should be burned if possible, but, failing this, it may 

 be buried in a deep pit, preferably with plenty of lime. All traces 

 of blood and discharge must be carefully mopped up with a strong 

 lime-wash or solution of chloride of lime, or other reliable 

 disinfectant. 



(2) In man. In malignant pustule, smear specimens should be 

 prepared from the fluid of the vesicles or with the scrapings from the 

 incised pustule, or sections of the excised pustule may be made, 

 and stained, some with Loffler's blue, others by Gram's method 

 with eosin. The bacilli are not often met with in the blood, except 

 shortly after death. Examination of the blood-serum of the case 



