STATE HYGIENE 561 



over it, there is no longer any painful uncertainty, hesita- 

 tion, prolonged doubt, serious errors in diagnosis, or any of 

 the difficulties of the pre-mallein days. With a certainty, 

 which for practical purposes is complete, glanders can be 

 picked out, and, moreover, with astounding rapidity. It is 

 now only a matter of a few hours, whereas before it was 

 months. 



In mallein we have an agent of immense power in skilful 

 hands ; it is a chemical substance obtained from the glanders 

 organism, which on injection into a glandered horse gives 

 rise to a swelling and rise of body temperature, but in a 

 non-glandered one has no effect. The rise in temperature 

 and the swelling constitute a reaction, in this case a double 

 reaction, but we may often have to depend upon the swelling 

 alone, viz., a single reaction. 



It is only from its hygienic aspect that we can consider 

 mallein, the stamping out of glanders cannot take place 

 without it, and no consideration of the stamping -out 

 question can be made which does not refer to the use of 

 mallein. 



Mallein is a simple chemical agent in skilled hands, but 

 a very dangerous substance in the unskilled ; dangerous, 

 not because it threatens life, but because its effects may be 

 wrongly interpreted and lead to disaster. The questions of 

 judgment and experience are inseparable from mallein 

 operations. 



If the rise in temperature is of so much importance, it 

 is clear the body temperature of those for testing must be 

 ascertained beforehand, and none subjected to the test 

 which are not normal. 



Nothing but practical experience can teach what amount 

 of swelling is permissible consistent with perfect freedom 

 from disease, and the character and nature of a swelling 

 which indicates a glandered from a non-glandered animal. 



All this is the duty of another section of our science to 

 teach ; it is alluded to here as the public either refuse to 

 admit the value of mallein, or go to the other extreme and 

 regard it as a test which can be applied by anyone. This 



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