ANTHRAX. 461 



fully developed, and even death ensue, without the rods (bacilli) being 

 found, except in very small numbers, in the blood. 



The anthrax germ gains entrance into the blood, as a rule, by 

 means of the forage the animal eats, or by the water he drinks, 

 as has been frequently proved by the fact of the disease having 

 been communicated by contaminated drinking water. Pasteur, 

 when experimenting on animals to whom he gave forage moistened 

 with a fluid containing these germs, found that the animals' 

 liability to contract the disease in this manner was greatly in- 

 creased when their mouths were sore, and when the food contained 

 rough substances, such as thistles, which are apt to wound the 

 mucous membrane of the mouth. He also found that the mouth 

 was almost always the part which first became affected. These 

 microbes can seldom gain entrance into the system of the horse by 

 means of the breathed-in air. Flies taken from the dead body of 

 an animal which had died of anthrax, are capable of communicating 

 the disease by inoculation. Although the microbes of anthrax may 

 be carried directly from one animal to another, the vast majority 

 of cases occur from transference at a time when they were living 

 outside of the animal's body, as, for instance, on infected pasture. 

 In human beings anthrax is sometimes carried by dust from in- 

 fected hides or wool, in which case the anthrax germs begin their 

 assault on the air passages. 



An attack of anthrax, like one of small-pox in the case of human 

 beings, confers almost complete immunity from a subsequent one. 



Want, of drainage and insanitary conditions seem to be the 

 two great influences which favour the spread of these bacteria, 

 in the same manner as they do other low forms of vegetable life. 

 Thus, draining, clearing, and tilling land infested by these disease- 

 producers, has, in a great number of cases, rendered such pastures 

 healthy. The game may be' said as to covering the floors of 

 infected stables with concrete, and draining and ventilating 

 these abodes. 



In many hot countries, the seeds of anthrax seem to remain 

 permanently in pastures favourable to their existence, and in such 

 cases appear to need only certain conditions of climate to make 

 them assume a virulent form. Hence, in such countries, it would 

 be manifestly impossible to prevent the occurrence of the disease by 

 destroying the affected animal. Although the micro-organism of 

 anthrax may maintain its existence outside the animal body for a 

 considerable time in England, it does not appear capable of 

 becoming a permanent resident in our pastures ; and consequently, 

 " stamping out " acts well in this country. 



Evidences, as regards Loodiana fever, are rapidly accumu- 



