586 
" WOOLSORTERS 5 DISEASE.*’ 
case by that gentleman and those in attendance, but the 
animal died about 10 o’clock on Wednesday morning. The 
circumstances of the case being of so singular a character, 
and from a belief that the cause of death bore some affinity 
to that found in f woolsorters’ disease,’ a post-mortem ex¬ 
amination of the carcase was made on the next day, when 
Dr. Bell, of Bradford, Dr. Roberts, of Keighley, and Mr. 
Collins, veterinary surgeon, of Bradford, were invited to be 
present, and took part in the examination. 
<e The result clearly demonstrated the cause of death to be 
splenic fever, differing only in form from that usually accom¬ 
panying death in woolsorters and others coming in contact 
with infected wool. Instead of the disease having been con¬ 
tracted through the medium of the lungs, as is usually the 
case in men, it was found to have operated upon the bowels, 
spleen, and heart of the beast, but death, within much less 
than twenty-four hours from the commencement of illness, 
resulted. 
t( Dr. Bell, who made an analytic examination of the blood 
taken from the animal, found it to literally swarm with the 
minute organisms familiar to anthrax. 
“ The discovery thus made materially tended to determine 
the question as to how the animals had contracted the disease. 
It appeared that the two fields in which the heifer, as well 
as the animals which had previously died, had pastured, 
received the ’sud-w r ater from the Harden Mills, which, after 
being conducted to them, was distributed in various direc¬ 
tions by means of extemporised trenches. At Harden Mills 
Van and Cape mohairs are freely used, and it will be re¬ 
membered that only a month or two ago two woolsorters 
employed there died from symptoms unmistakably identified 
with blood-poisoning. The water in which these wools is 
washed, however, seems to have been drunk by the heifer, 
and presumably by the other animals as well, with the fatal 
results described. 
“ It is a question of some interest how far infection is likely 
to be carried into the milk given by animals w r ho thus refresh 
themselves without contracting fatal consequences, or into 
the flesh which is being fattened for market. Another 
phase of the disease, to which attention has been directed 
in previous cases, was very marked in the case of a sorter 
of Persian and Bokhara wools, employed by Messrs. Feather 
and Son, of Bradford. This was a case of anthrax in the 
arm. A fornight ago a little spot on the left arm was all 
that was perceptible, which becoming inflamed, increased the 
man’s inability to follow bis employment; otherwise, he felt 
