240 



CLINICAL DIAGNOSTICS. 



III. Anthrax, Blackleg, Malignant Oedema and Wild-und 

 Rinder-seuche. 



On account of their rapid course, the clinical diagnosis 

 of these diseases is often impossible ; besides, the symptoms of 

 the different diseases are often much alike and hence a dif- 

 ferentiation impossible. Although a microscopical examination 

 of the blood (or exudate) of animals that died of one of these 

 diseases suffices to recognize their character by finding the 

 characteristic organisms, still there are cases where an inocu- 

 lation alone can decide the question. We use rabbits for this 

 purpose and inoculate them cutaneously (!) in the ear, with 

 blood or exudate from the animal or carcass in question. If 

 the rabbit dies the disease is either anthrax or Wildseuche 

 because blackleg and malignant oedema are not transmissible 

 by means of cutaneous inoculation. The differentiation 

 between anthrax, and Wildseuche is made by a bacterioscopic 

 examination of the dead rabbit. It is also worthy of note that 

 in Wildseuche there is always a severe tracheitis. 



In case the rabbit does not die, it is 

 again inoculated ; this time subcutaneously; if death 

 follows, it was a case of malignant oedema because rabbits are 

 immune against blackleg. The presence of blackleg can be 

 demonstrated by inoculating a Guinea pig with the suspected 

 material ; death following in a few days after inoculation. 



We can expedite matters by simultaneously inoculating 

 one rabbit cutaneously and another rabbit and a Guinea pig 

 subcutaneously. If all three animals die we had anthrax (or 

 Wildseuche) if only the two subcutaneously inoculated ani- 

 mals die it was a case of malignant oedema, and in case it was 

 blackleg only one animal, the Guinea pig, is sacrificed. 



*If we desire additional proof by having the blood of a 

 suspected anthrax carcass examined by a second person we 

 may boil a potato, upon cooling cut it in halves with a steri- 



* [This method is commonly resorted to in Germany.! 



