274 MANUAL OF BACTERIOLOGY. 



in America. In susceptible animals inoculated with virulent 

 cultures of the anthrax bacillus septicemia is produced. Large 

 numbers of the bacilli are found in the blood, and may be 

 crowded together in the capillaries of the Hver and kidneys. 

 Men are occasionally affected, especially those whose occupation 

 brings them in contact with cattle or with the hides and wool of 

 animals that die of the disease. The infection usually occurs 

 through wounds of the skin, where it produces a localized 

 inflammation known as malignant pustule. Anthrax of the 

 lungs Or "wool-sorter's" disease may be acquired by inhalation 



Fig. 78. — Bacillus of Anthrax. Stick-culture in Gelatin. — 

 {Gimther.) 



of material containing the spores of the bacilK. Infection by 

 way of the intestine occurs occasionally but is less common. 

 Laboratory workers engaged in studying the anthrax bacillus 

 have been accidentally infected in a number of instances. 



The anthrax bacillus, owing to its large size, was the first 

 of the pathogenic bacteria to be recognized, and its study has 

 furnished the basis for much of our knowledge concerning the 

 infectious diseases. It was for anthrax that Pasteur developed 

 the idea of making a protective vaccine, shortly after he had 

 produced a similar vaccine for chicken cholera. There is 



