HISTORY 195 



SYMPTOMATIC ANTHRAX. 



Synonyms. Black quarter ; black leg ; quarter ill ; quar- 

 ter evil; Charbon symplomatiqiie ; Rauschbrand. 



§151. Characterization. Black quarter is an acute in- 

 fectious disease of cattle characterized by the development of 

 an emphysematous swelling of the subcutaneous tissues and 

 muscles. The lesions are usually located upon and ordinarily 

 extend over the greater part of a hind quarter or a shoulder. 

 The disease does not spread from animal to animal by simple 

 contact but the infection takes place apparently from a com- 

 mon source, the soil. The virus seems to exist in the soil in 

 certain localities only. Like tetanus, it is a disease following a 

 wound infection. 



Symptomatic authrax is a disease of cattle, sheep and goats 

 although the two latter species are rarely attacked. Guinea 

 pigs are very susceptible to inoculation. It is reported that 

 horses, asses and white rats develop local lesions when inocu- 

 lated subcLuaneously with the virus. Other animals seem to 

 be immune. In cattle, it rarely occurs in the very young, 

 under six months, and in adults after the fourth year. 



§ 152. History. It is supposed that black quarter has 

 existed for hundreds of years although it was not until late in 

 the last centur}' that it was positi\-eh' differentiated and recog- 

 nized as a distinct and specific disease. The descriptions given 

 in many of the earlier epizootics designated as anthrax corre- 

 spond more exactly with the present knowledge of black quarter 

 than they do of anthrax. 



In 1782, Chabert classified the various anthracoid diseases 

 recognized at that time, into three groups, viz.: (i) anthrax 

 fever or where the disease manifested itself without external 

 swelling ; (2) true anthrax, or where the lesions consisted at 

 first of small, hard and very painful swellings followed or 

 accompanied by fever and other generalsymptoms and (3) 

 sj-mptomatic anthrax or where the swelling was preceded by 

 a rise of temperature, loss of appetite and symptoms of general 

 depression. This classification obtained for nearly a century. 

 Boutrolle, in 1797, refers to a disease which he called ma/ dc 



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