Glanders. 271 



its ravages greatly hampered the army movement in Afghanistan 

 in 1879 ; from the United States it entered Mexico in army horses 

 in 1847, and became very prevalent in the armies during the Civil 

 War of 1861-4, and was widely scattered over the whole country 

 on the sale of the army horses and mules. Since that time, as 

 before, it has been most prevalent in the car stables of our great 

 cities, though it has also gained a wide extension in many great 

 horsebreeding establishments in the Rocky Mountain region, 

 where however it proves much less destructive than in the East. 



It is unknown in Australia, whence it is excluded by a rigid 

 system of quarantine. 



Susceptibility of Differetit Animals. Horses, asses and mules 

 are the most susceptible, and it is only exceptionally that the 

 disease is contracted casually outside the class of solipeds. The 

 Guinea pig and rabbit are susceptible to glanders in the order 

 named and the former is especially available for experimental 

 diagnostic inoculations. The goat, cat and dog sometimes con- 

 tract the disease from living in stables with glandered horses, but 

 infection is much more certain when they are inoculated. The 

 pigeon is also susceptible. In the dog the disease is rarely fatal, 

 but the ulcerations tend to heal in 14 days and recovery ensues. 

 In sheep and goats too, many cases recover though in other cases 

 an internal infection takes place followed by death. Swine are 

 comparatively insusceptible, but they may be successfully inocu- 

 lated when in ill health and low condition (Spinola, Cadeac and 

 Malet). Cattle and chickens have uniformly proved refractory 

 even on inoculation. White and house mice and rats, have proved 

 immune, also linnets and chaffinches and the frog at ordinary 

 temperature. If however the frog is placed in water at 30° C, 

 he may be successfully inoculated and, though it does not prove 

 fatal, the bacillus -may be found in the blood and tissues after a 

 lapse of 50 days. 



Etiology. As already stated this disease is due to the presence 

 of a microorganism, the bacillus mallei. Many secondary causes, 

 however, contribute to its propagation. The activity of move- 

 ment and commingling of horses has been already noticed. 

 Crowding in close yards where the animals bite each other, snort 

 out the virulent discharges on each other and eat and drink from 

 the same troughs, leads to a rapid extension. Even on the west- 



