HEMORRHAGIC SEPTICEMIA. a 
spring the entire herd of buffaloes was vaccinated with material 
prepared from the pure cultures obtained in Washington. ‘Two 
vaccines of different strengths were prepared. The vaccine for the 
first inoculation was prepared by growing the organism 5 days at 
49.5° C. (108° F.), while the second was cultivated at the same tem- 
perature for only 2 days. 
This experiment was probably the first instance in which auto- 
genic vaccines were used in the United States for the prevention of 
hemorrhagic septicemia, and its success was so marked that similar 
steps were taken afterwards to check outbreaks among cattle, sheep, 
and goats, so that at the present time bacterins for the inoculation of 
infected herds and flocks are prepared by several firms which manu- 
facture biological products and may be purchased in all parts of the 
country. 
Anthrax appeared in several counties in Texas in 1913, and during 
the investigation of the outbreak two cases of hemorrhagic septi- 
cemia were discovered, one in a horse and the other in a sheep. The 
organisms recovered were identical with the bacilli, which recently 
have been recovered from outbreaks of hemorrhagic septicemia in 
cattle and goats. 
During the fall and winter of 1915-16 many cases were reported 
to the Bureau of Animal Industry in which young stock cattle that 
had been purchased in carload lots at some of the large stockyards 
had developed hemorrhagic septicemia within a few days after their 
arrival. At the same time two flocks of sheep and one of goats were 
found to be affected with the disease. Cultures of either the hemor- 
rhagic septicemia group of organisms or cultures closely related to 
the colon or paratyphoid B group were recovered from these cases. 
CAUSE OF THE DISEASE. 
The organism of hemorrhagic septicemia, the Bacillus bipolaris 
septicus, belongs to the group in which the bacilli of chicken cholera, 
swine plague, and rabbit septicemia are to be found. This group is 
known also by the name Pasteurella. The individual organism is 
an ovoid, nonmotile, polar-staining bacterium with rounded ends, 
1/38000 of an inch wide by 1/20000 of an inch long, sometimes seen 
in pairs or chains, but usually appearing singly. . It stains readily 
with the stains usually used in bacteriological work, and in many 
cases shows deep staining at each end, while the middle of the bacillus 
shows but little coloring. It forms no gas and quickly destroys itself 
while growing on solid culture media by the development of acids. 
The organism may be cultivated readily in bouillon and on agar 
and gelatin. The reaction of the medium should be slightly alkalin 
or neutral. It does not liquefy gelatin, coagulate milk, or produce 
indol. 
