2 BULLETIN 340, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



the soil with the virus by the proper disposition of the carcasses of 

 animals that have died of the disease, the destruction of the virus 

 contained in the soil by its proper drainage and cultivation, and the 

 prevention of outbreaks through the immunization of the susceptible 

 animals. 



In order to attain the greatest success in the control and eradica- 

 tion of the disease, it would appear that the best results can be ac- 

 complished only through proper attention to all of the above factors. 

 The execution of these measures would require the earnest coopera- 

 tion of the stock owners, but even then, on account of the peculiar 

 geographical conditions of certain parts of the country, the drainage 

 and cultivation of the land would not always be feasible, and our 

 efforts must therefore be directed principally toward the sanitary 

 measures and protective vaccination. The enforcement of proper 

 sanitary police regulations in connection with the control of anthrax 

 would no doubt effect a material reduction of the disease, but un- 

 fortunately it is rather a difficult task to obtain the cooperation % of 

 the interested parties. 



The proper disposition of the infective material, particularly the 

 carcasses, should be considered of the utmost importance, .since such 

 material constitutes the greatest source of danger toward the spread- 

 ing of the disease. Drainage from the soil polluted by infected 

 carcasses may carry the infection to> distant points and deposit the 

 spores over large areas hitherto uninfected. Buzzards and other birds 

 (Dalrymple), dogs, and even flies may also carry the infection from 

 such sources into uninfected localities. Therefore, in an effort to 

 control the disease, an educational propaganda must be carried out 

 and stringent compulsory measures adopted for the proper disposi- 

 tion of the infective material from premises where the disease appears 

 among the stock. 



PROTECTIVE VACCINATION. 



A material reduction and a checking of the disease may be suc- 

 cessfully accomplished by periodical vaccination of all stock in in- 

 fected localities. This method, even if practiced alone, would have 

 splendid results in minimizing the losses from the disease in anthrax 

 localities. However, such vaccination must be carried out regu- 

 larly and irrespective of whether the disease has already appeared 

 on the premises. 



Fortunately we have at our command various methods of vacci- 

 nation which have proved highly efficient in the production of im- 

 munity from anthrax. As a matter of fact, this was one of the first 

 infectious diseases in which protective vaccination was successfully 

 demonstrated, and we are indebted to Pasteur for devising the pro- 



