308 ACUTE GENERAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES 



spleen pulp will contain the capsulated rods, which may be 

 determined by proper staining. 



Prognosis. — ^The prognosis of anthrax is bad. The mor- 

 tality is 70 to 90 per cent. In subacute cases recovery takes 

 place occasionally, and usually quite unexpectedly, beginning 

 on the second or third day. Nearly all peracute and acute 

 cases die. In cutaneous anthrax an early surgical treatment 

 of the carbuncle is occasionally life-saving. 



Treatment. — A medicinal treatment is rarely of value. 

 Internally coal-tar products (creolin, lysol Bi) five times 

 daily are recommended. Turpentine, chlorin water, hydro- 

 chloric acid, and calomel have been tried with small success. 

 Surgically the carbuncles may be slit open and injected with 

 antiseptics (bichlorid of mercury 1 to 2000 in alcohol for 

 horses; iodin tinctiu-e in cattle). 



Vaccination. — In infected districts only should protective 

 vaccination with living anthrax bacteria or spores be practised, 

 as the indiscriminate and unskilful use of such vaccines can 

 readily lead to a permanent infection of the premises and the 

 further spread of the disease. The Bureau of Animal 

 Industry has perfected a satisfactory method of protecting 

 against anthrax. It consists in giving healthy animals 

 (cattle or horses) simultaneous injections of (a) an immuniz- 

 ing sermn, and (b) a vaccine prepared from anthrax spores. 

 The animal is thus immunized by a single "double treat- 

 ment," requires to be handled but once, and the losses follow- 

 ing the administration have been small. The vaccine, con- 

 sisting of spores, has excellent keeping qualities, retaining 

 its potency for a long time. The dose of the serum and spore 

 vaccine of the Bureau of Animal Industry is: Serum (10 

 c.c), injected subcutaneously into one side of the body, 

 followed immediately by a subcutaneous injection of spore 

 vaccine (1 c.c.) on the other side. Sheep which are highly 

 susceptible to anthrax are given in similar manner serum 

 (10 c.c.) and spore vaccine (J c.c). No animals showing 

 high temperature should receive spore vaccine. Such an 

 animal should be separated from its fellows and injected 

 subcutaneously with serum alone (30 to 100 c.c.) . Animals 

 treated with serum alone should be revaccinated several 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



