340 
GLANDERS IN THE HUMAN BEING. 
disease of the absorbents and glands, or by purulent collections 
in the joints, or in various parts of the body. The disease may 
commence in this manner, and thus terminate ; or it may pass 
into the state of chronic glanders, or, in other words, the affec- 
tion of the respiratory passages characterising simple glanders 
may be superadded ; or it may commence in this latter form, and 
be followed by the symptoms more especially marking the 
chronic form of farcy. In either case the matter produces, as is 
shewn by the experiments of Mr. Coleman and others, acute 
glanders or farcy indifferently. 
12. iv. The Nature of this disease may be inferred from the 
history here given of it. It is evidently the result of a specific 
morbid matter, contaminating the surfaces and parts to which it 
is applied, affecting the organic functions, and giving rise to the 
changes characteristic of it. The state of the blood has not been 
sufficiently attended to in the history of the cases which have 
been put upon record. In several of those that occurred in 
Germany, the blood taken at an early period of the disease 
appears to be cupped or buffed ; but it afterwards seemed defi- 
cient as to crasis, or partially dissolved, and very dark. In the 
variety of farcy, the absorbents as well as the glands appear to 
much affected, probably owing to the passage of morbid matter 
along them ; but there is much yet to learn as to the history of 
the disease, and the lesions which it occasions, and still more as^ 
to its treatment. 
13. v. The prognosis of the acute varieties of glanders is ex- 
tremely unfavourable ; all the cases yet observed in the human 
subject having terminated fatally. The chronic states of the 
malady seem not less dangerous. Two or three of the&e, which 
have been recorded, appear to have recovered. In one of those 
mentioned by Mr. Travers, the patient was cured by means, one 
of the principal effects of which was to produce frequent vomit- 
ing. Dr. Elliotson remarks, in his last paper on this disease, 
that its occurrence in the human subject is by no means of ex- 
treme rarity ; and that since the publication of his former paper, 
upwards of a dozen cases have been mentioned to him by medi- 
cal men. 
14. II. T reatment. — Our knowledge of the treatment of 
this malady has not been much advanced by the experience we 
have hitherto had of it in the human subject. The prophylactic 
means are, however/made sufficiently evident by the recognition 
of its cause. There can be no doubt that it is communicated to 
man only by contact of the morbid matter proceeding from 
another person or animal suffering from it ; and it would appear 
that the infection is most certainly produced by this matter being 
