98G 
Analysis of Continental Journals. 
By W. Ernes, M.B.C.V.S., London. 
EXPERIMENTS WITH PHENIC ACID AND CARBONOUS BLOOD. 
Recueil de Medecine Veterinaire, June^ 1869. 
In the last number we gave a short account of a malady 
which annually affects the cattle in the mountainous district 
of Auvergne, w'hich experiment has shown to be of a car- 
bonous or carbuncular nature (anthrax). According to 
analysis, the alteration of the blood in carbuncular affections 
is identical with that produced when the blood is left to itself 
in a vase exposed to the air ferments and putrefies. 
A fact acquired by science is, that phenic acid (carbolic) 
possesses the power of preventing the development of the 
phenomena which terminates in putrefaction. This led to 
the idea of experimenting with carbolic acid on the disease 
of the mountain. 
To this effect on the 11th of August four sheep num¬ 
bered 1, 2, 3, and 4, were inoculated with the blood of one of 
the rams of another experiment which had died the previous 
evening. Nos. 3 and 4 were inoculated wfith the saliva, the 
operations in all were made by six punctures on the inside of 
the thighs. On the same day, at six in the evening, 100 
grammes of phenic w^ater, containing twenty minims of the 
pure acid, was given to Nos. 1 and 3. 
On the 12th, No. 1, a black-woolled ewe, very lean and bad 
shape, was found to be dull and ill, another dose of phenic 
water was given. The three others showed no symptoms of 
illness. At five o'^clock in the evening there was no change. 
The following days the state of No. 1 seemed not aggra¬ 
vated, notwithstanding it died on the l6th at 2 p.m. 
At the autopsy, four hours after death, the following was 
found : chronic lesions in the peritoneum; the small lobe of 
the liver adhered to the pariety of the abdomen by means of 
an abscess formed in the omentum, the corresponding surface 
of the rumen was wasted. The mesentric ganglia tumefied 
as well as the lymphatic glands. The heart seemed hyper¬ 
trophied; the liver was bloodless, and crepitated under the 
scalpel; the spleen was not tumefied. The blood which had 
escaped in the abdomen was of a pale colour, and like jelly 
examined by the microscope, it contained no bacteria. 
The three other sheep of the experiment survived, moreover 
