Anthrax. 249 



hsemorrliagic extravasation, make a thin film on a cover-glass by 

 drawing across it the straight edge of another one, dry the film, 

 then pass it three times through the alcohol flame, film down- 

 ward, stain in anilin dyes, clear with acetic acid and examine. 

 The bacillus is large (5 to 20/x by i to 1.5/*), nonmotile, of uni- 

 form thickness throughout, and sharply cut off at the ends. The 

 bacillus of blackquarter is shorter, often club-shaped because of 

 spore in one end, has rounded ends, is flagellate, motile and gas- 

 ogenic. That of malignant oedema is much thinner, has rounded 

 ends, sluggish movements and is gasogenic. The bacillus suId- 

 tilis (hay bacillus) is short, thick, with rounded ends, each bear- 

 ing a flagellum and is motile. The proteus vulgaris (common 

 septic saprophyte) is small, short, with rounded ends and very 

 active movements. If the subject is dead we may examine the 

 blood, or the scraping from the cut surface of the spleen, liver, 

 kidney, congested lymph gland or other part bearing the lesion. 



If we find in the carcass exudates, gelatinoid or bloody (espe- 

 cially the latter), petechise, dark, uncoagulated blood, brighten- 

 ing little on exposure, blood-gorged spleen, congested or hsemor- 

 rhagic condition of one or more internal organs, muscle or con- 

 nective tissue (particularly of the lymph glands), if the muscles 

 of the loins, quarters, thighs, diaphragm, or elsewhere, are soft, 

 as if parboiled, salmon-colored, clammy, friable, or if re\ddish, 

 yellowish, brownish, with petechiae, and capillary embolism, the 

 case will require critical examination. If the first examination 

 fails to show bacilli, repeat it from different lesions until tho- 

 roughly satisfied of their absence, or until another cause for the 

 condition has been discovered. The blocking of the capillaries 

 with bacilli in the various lesions is a most important point, never 

 to be overlooked. 



In case of uncertainty, inoculation of a Guinea pig, mouse or 

 rabbit should be made. The blood or scraping from the seat of 

 a lesion is made into an emulsion, if necessary, and injected sub- 

 cutem. A single bacillus will destroy a mouse or Guinea pig in 

 from one to four days, and the blood shows the characteristic 

 bacilli. 



One must, however, preclude the possibility of septic bacteria 

 excluding or obscuring the bacillus anthracis, by taking the in- 

 oculating material from the blood of the living animal, or from 



