222 Veterinary Medicine. 



blown dust, yet undoubted cases of this kind are rare or unrecog- 

 nized. The animal origin of the disease, as regards man, makes 

 this largely an industrial affection, attacking shepherds, cattle- 

 men, horsemen, farmers, drovers, butchers, veterinarians, tanners, 

 and workers in hides, wool, hair, bristles, furs, hoofs, bones, rags, 

 felt, glue, and even leather. The sound skin is sufficient protec- 

 tion, but the slightest abrasion may form an infection atrium. 

 Workers in tanneries and those who live near them are notoriously 

 subject to anthrax. The hides must of course be drawn from an 

 anthrax region. Russian, Armenian, South American, Austral- 

 ian and African hides have an especially bad reputation. The 

 British Medical Journal, May 21st, 1898, records cases occurring 

 in postal clerks whj had to handle foreign parcels bound with 

 strips of hide. Prou.st records cases from handling Chinese goat 

 skins (Bull, del' Acad, de Med. 1894). Infection may also occur 

 through leather made from infected hides as proved experiment- 

 ally on Guinea pigs. 



Hair has long been recognized as a frequent medium of infec- 

 tion and outbreaks among brushmakers' have been recently 

 recorded by Gerode, Sarmont and Chauveau. (Compt. Rend, 

 de I'Acad. des Sc. 1893). Trousseau reports twenty cases iii 

 Paris, all contracted from South American horse hair. Wool 

 from infected countries is often dangerous and has given rise to 

 special names for the disease (wool-sorter's, rag-picker's) which 

 may be developed in the lungs from inhalation of the dust. In 

 the same way those who handle bones about fertilizer, glue and 

 rendering works, are particularly exposed. The agency of insects 

 in man is undoubted. In sixty cases recorded- by Dr. Bell, fifty- 

 four were on the face, two on the hands, one on the wrist and 

 one on the forearm. This is mainly due to blood-sucking flies, 

 yet Heim incriminates the coleoptera as well (Compt. Rend, de 

 Soc. de Biol. 1894). Wounds of all kinds contribute to inocula- 

 tion, hence, the presence of burdocks, thorns. thi,stles and the 

 like in the matted wool or hair is often a direct cause of infection. 



The infection may be transferred on surgical instruments, and 

 in these days of hypodermic medication the greatest care is neces- 

 sary to prevent infection through the needle. 



As in animals man suffers from ingestion and inhalation of the 

 bacillus ; and sometimes widespread mortality conies in this way. 



