376 PRINCIPLES OF VETERINARY SURGERY 



the disease that occurs in man. Human erysipelas is caused 

 by the introduction of the streptocpccus, isolated and studied 

 by Fehleisen, into a cutaneous wound or abrasion. 



AVhether the disease affects animals or not is a debatable 

 question. It seems that certain observations warrant an af- 

 firmative answer, while others on the contrary, appear to ■ 

 establish the fact that so called, erysipelatous conditions in 

 animals are the work of entirely different agents than the 

 streptococcus. However in veterinary medicine the name 

 "erysipelas" is applied to describe a series of afflictions that 

 have a doubtful relation to each other, and some recent ob- 

 servations seem to connect them with the same pathological 

 state. These observations try to connect erysipelas with a 

 special disease characterized by rapid swelling of the head, 

 whether accompanied with phlegmonous and gangrenous 

 swellings or not. 



SUSCEPTIBLE ANIMALS.— Moler, Hoffman, Lucet, 

 Cadiot and Semmer, all have either observed the above dis- 

 'ease in the horse or have published reports on it. In the ox, 

 erysipelas has been described by Rychner and Forassassi, 

 and Nuvoletti, Lucet, Cadiot and Frohner have seen it in the 

 dog. According to Frohner it is no longer unknown in the 

 hog. 



ETIOLOGY. — As in man the disease should be a com- 

 plication of cutaneous abrasions, through which the micro- 

 organism should penetrate. Semmer has observed it in the 

 horse after flexion crevices produced by severe cold. Lucet, 

 Malzew, and Semmer have made a bacterial study of the dis- 

 ease in the horse with the following results; Lucet isolated 

 a micro-organism having the characteristics of Fehleisen's 

 streptococcus, that existed in small numbers in the blood, 

 sp'enic and ganglionic pulp, and in large numbers in serum 

 from the seat of inoculation. His microbe took the Gram 

 pnd the Weigert stain, was cultivated in broth, on gelose and 



