Diagnosis. 861 



findings in the various organs, usually afford sufficient indica- 

 tions for a diagnosis. On the other hand, in localities which 

 have been free from the infection the disease is recognized 

 with certainty only on autopsy or from animal inoculations, 

 while the clinical symptoms arouse only well founded suspicion. 

 Infectious anemia is indicated especially by changes of a sep- 

 ticemic character, such as hemorrhages in the serous mem- 

 branes or in the mucous membranes, further by the regular 

 discoloration of the bone marrow of the bones of the upper 

 extremities (not to be mistaken for the normal inclosures of 

 red marrow!), degeneration of the parenchymatous organs, 

 swelling of the spleen and edematous infiltration, without other 

 changes in the organs. The complement fixation has no 

 diagnostic value (Hempel). 



From the standpoint of differential diagnosis the catarrhal 

 form of influenza barely comes into consideration, in spite of 

 the fact that its symptoms resemble the acute form of infectious 

 anemia not a little. Nevertheless it can always be easily ex- 

 cluded, above all on account of its rapid extension in the 

 affected stables and by the fact that its course is almost always 

 rapid and favorable; in influenza the catarrhal symptoms pre- 

 dominate while hemorrhages in the mucous membranes are 

 absent. The disease may be mistaken for anthrax in the acute 

 form of infectious anemia in the living animal as well as on 

 autopsy. Contrary to infectious anemia however, in anthrax 

 the rise of temperature is rapid, and at the same time cir- 

 cumscribed, rapidly extending inflammatory edemas appear not 

 infrequently on certain parts of the body, also colicky pains 

 are not infrequent, the conjunctivae are cyanotic, there is 

 dyspnea, and the disease usually terminates in 1 to 3 days. 

 If death occurs later than after 10 days anthrax may be ex- 

 cluded on post-mortem on this ground alone, aside from the 

 slight anemic indications in the subcutis, and in certain internal 

 organs, which in anemia are already perceptible after such 

 a duration. On the other hand in cases of death resulting 

 within a short time, the bacteriological examination of the 

 blood or test inoculations are confirmatory. Enzootic spinal 

 meningitis, the nature of which cannot be yet considered as 

 definitely cleared up (see Vol. II), corresponds as described in 

 its original by Schlegel, clinically and anatomically with anemia 

 to such an extent that it can be excluded with certainty only 

 by careful bacteriological examination or by animal inocula- 

 tion. The piroplasmosis of horses is differentiated by the 

 distinct icteric discoloration of the visible mucous membranes, 

 but especially by the microscopical demonstration of piroplasma 

 in the blood. At the same time however it is advisable to be 

 cautious, as in the acute cases of infectious anemia fragments 

 of nuclei re.sembling piroplasma may be present in the red 

 blood cells; besides this, the piroplasmosis of horses cannot 

 be transmitted to healthy animals. Sclerostomiasis in its 



