t6o 



Notice to Stock Owners. 



[JUNE, 



under his charge an animal affected with, or suspected of,, 

 anthrax is required by law to give notice of the fact with all 

 practical speed to the police. 



Failure to give such notice renders a person liable to a fine of 

 £20, and in certain circumstances to a month's imprisonment 

 with hard labour. 



Where an animal is attacked with anthrax its inclination is to 

 separate itself from its companions. It stands almost immovable,, 

 with head depressed, and usually declines every kind of food. 

 If carefully watched, rigors, or shivers, will be seen to pass over 

 the body ; there may be swellings (around the throat) which 

 are extremely hot to the touch, the eyes have a fixed and 

 staring look, and if carefully examined, a small quantity of 

 blood may sometimes be found trickling from the nose, or upon 

 the voided faeces of the living animal, and death follows as a 

 rule very rapidly after these symptoms are observed. Cattle 

 are peculiarly susceptible to this disease. 



In all cases where an animal is found to have died suddenly 

 from an unknown cause it is most important that the carcase- 

 should in no circumstances be cut, until it has been determined 

 that the animal did not die of anthrax. If the carcase were- 

 to be skinned or cut up, there would be a very great risk of 

 communicating the disease, through the agency of the blood 

 of the diseased animal, not only to other animals on the farm; 

 or on other premises where the animal may have died, but even 

 to any persons who handled the carcase. 



Where an animal dies of anthrax there is generally to be 

 found, almost directly after death, a slight oozing of blood from 

 the nostrils or some other of the external openings of the 

 body. Such blood should at once be destroyed, and also any 

 drops of blood which may have escaped from the carcase to 

 the floor of the shed or to the soil, inasmuch as every drop 

 of blood of an animal which died of anthrax contains large 

 numbers of the spores which cause the disease. For the 

 purpose of destroying the spores contained within the infected 

 blood a strong solution of carbolic acid should be used, and all 

 the external openings should be plugged with hay saturated 

 with the same solution. 



After these directions have been carried out, care should be 



