TETANUS 933 
14, Monier anp Wasupurn. Foot-rot of sheep; its nature, cause and treat- 
ment. Bull. No. 63, B. A. I., 1904, p. 39. 
15. Or. Ueber die progrediente Gewebsnekrose bei Thieren. Deut. Med. 
Woch. Jahrg., Bd. XXVIII (1902), S. 287. 
16. Repp. External ulcerative ano-vulvitis of cattle; a preliminary report. 
ra Rev., Vol. XXVI (1902), p. 595. Also Proc, Am. Vet. Med. Assn., 1902, 
p- i 
17. Scumoru. Ueber ein pathogenes Fadenbacterium (streptothrix cuniculi) 
er Ztschr. f. Thiermed., Bd. XVII (1891), 8.375, also, Cent. f. Bakt., Bd. 1 (1895) 
18. Sreppom. A cattle disease in Marshall County, Kansas. 15th Ann. Rept. 
B. A. 1., 1898, p. 382. 
TETANUS 
Synonyms. Lockjaw; trismus. 
Characterization. Tetanus is an infectious disease in which the 
specific organisms remain at the place of introduction. The disease is 
an intoxication with tetanus toxin. It is characterized by spasmodic 
contractions of the muscles referable to the nervous system and by 
the absence of obvious tissue changes. It is caused by B. tetani. 
All mammalia including man are susceptible. It occurs most fre- 
quently in horses, asses and mules; next to them in the smaller 
ruminants such as the sheep and goat; it appears least often in the 
dog. It is reported to occur rarely in birds. Pigeons and fowls are 
said to be naturally immune. The human species is very susceptible. 
History. Tetanus is one of the diseases that was recognized and 
described before the Christian era. It was not clearly differentiated 
until the discovery of its specific cause in 1884. 
Geographical distribution. Tetanus is reported to be more preva- 
lent in the hot climates than in the temperate ones, while in the very 
cold latitudes it is rarely if ever encountered. It is more frequently 
met with in some districts than in others. Although very common 
in certain localities, it is, on the whole, a somewhat rare disease. 
There seem to be no statistics by which its frequency can be deter- 
mined in this country, but in certain of the European armies this has 
been noted. In the Prussian army, it is reported to occur once in a 
thousand cases of sickness among horses. At Wirtemberg, Hering 
reports it once in 3000 cases of disease among the horses in the 
cavalry. It has also been noted that in some veterinary hospitals 
it does not occur for long periods, while at other times several cases 
may appear in rapid succession. It is, however, a wide-spread disease. 
