IMMUNISATION AGAINST ANTHRAX. 315 



The Disposal of the Carcases of Animals dead of Anthrax. — It is extremely 

 important that anthrax carcases should be disposed of in such a way as to pre- 

 vent their becoming future sources of infection. If anthrax be suspected as 

 the cause of death no post-mortem examination should be made, but only a 

 small quantity of blood be removed from an auricular vein for bacteriological 

 investigation. If such a carcase be now buried in a deep pit surrounded by 

 quicldime, little danger of infection will be run. The bacilli being confined 

 within the body will not spore, and will die during the process of putrefaction. 

 The danger of sporulation taking place is, of course, much greater when an 

 animal has died of an unknown disease which on post-mortem examination 

 has proved to be anthrax, but similar measures for burial must be here 

 adopted. In some countries anthrax carcases are burned, and this, if practi- 

 cable, is of course the best means of treating them. The chief source of 

 danger to cattle subsequently, however, proceeds from the infection of fields, 

 yards, and byres with the offal, and the discharge from the mouths, of anthrax 

 animals. All material that can be recognised as such should be burned along 

 with the straw in which the animals have lain. The stalls or buildings in 

 which the anthrax cases have been must be limewashed. Needless to say, the 

 greatest care must be taken in the case of men who handle the animal or its 

 carcase that they have' no wounds on their persons, and that they thoroughly 

 disinfect themselves by washing their hands, etc., in i to 1000 solution of cor- 

 rosive sublimate, and that all clothes soiled with blood, etc., from anthrax 

 animals be thoroughly boiled or steamed for half an hour before being washed. 



The Immunising of Animals against Anthrax. — Having ascer- 

 tained that there was ground for beUeving that in cattle one 

 attack of anthrax protected against a second, Pasteur (in the 

 years 1880-82) elaborated a method by which a mild form of 

 the disease could be given to animals, which rendered harmless 

 a subsequent inoculation with virulent bacilli. He found that 

 the continued growth of anthrax bacilli at 42° to 43° C. caused 

 them to lose their capacity of producing spores, and also gradu- 

 ally to lose their virulence, so that after twenty-four days they 

 could no longer kill either guinea-pigs, rabbits, or sheep. Such 

 cultures constituted his premier vaccin, and protected against the 

 subsequent inoculation with bacilli which had been grown for 

 twelve days at the same temperature, and the attenuation of 

 which had therefore not been carried so far. The latter consti- 

 tuted the deuxikme vaccin. It was further found that sheep 

 thus twice vaccinated now resisted inoculation with a culture 

 which usually would be fatal. The method was to inoculate a 

 sheep on the inner side of the thigh by the subcutaneous injec- 

 tion, from a hypodermic syringe, of about five drops of the 

 premier vaccin ; twelve days later to again inoculate with the 



