CHAPTER XIII. 



ANTHRAX. 1 



OTHER NAMES. SPLENIC FEVER, MALIGNANT PUSTULE, 



WOOLSORTER'S DISEASE. GERMAN, MILZBRAND ; 



FRENCH, CHARBON. 2 



Introductory. Anthrax is a disease occurring epidemically 

 among the herbivora, especially sheep and oxen, in which 

 animals it has the characters of a rapidly fatal form of 

 septicaemia with splenic enlargement, attended by an 

 extensive multiplication of characteristic bacilli through- 

 out the blood. The disease does not occur as a natural 

 affection in man, but may be communicated to him directly 

 or indirectly from animals, and it may then appear in 

 certainly two and possibly three forms. In the first there 

 is infection through the skin, in which a local lesion, the 

 " malignant pustule," occurs. In the second form infection 

 takes place through the respiratory tract. Here very 

 aggravated symptoms centred in the thorax, with rapidly 

 fatal termination, follow. Thirdly, an infection may 

 probably take place through the intestinal tract, which is 



1 In even recent works on surgery the term " anthrax " may be found 

 applied to any form of carbuncle. Before its true pathology was known 

 the local variety of the disease which occurs in man and which is now 

 called " malignant pustule" was known as " malignant carbuncle." 



2 This must be distinguished from " charbon symptomatique," which 

 is quite a different disease. 



