W. A. THOMAS. 
495 
ANTHRAX IN NEBRASKA, 
By W. A. Thomas, B.V.M. 
The outbreak of anthrax here, last summer, first appeared the 
21st of August, about one mile from Lincoln, in a fine herd of 
fifty cows and one bull. In two weeks thirty head were dead, 
and, ultimately, but ten cows were left in the entire herd. A 
few died in other herds. The last case that I attended was a cow 
that died the 24th of October, after being sick six days. She was 
the only one in the herd that took the disease. 
The season for some weeks previous to the outbreak had been 
very dry and hot. 
The pasture is bottom land which is sometimes inundated, and 
contains some marshes and ponds. It is also underlaid with im¬ 
pervious strata of clay. Salt Creek, a sluggish and muddy 
stream, passes through this bottom. A few small, scattering 
trees, with the sunflowers, along the banks, served as the only 
meagre protection for the cattle during the heat of the day. 
Symptoms. — Agalaxia; anorexia; adipsia ; in most cases hem¬ 
aturia ; staggering gait; head pendent; in one instance turning and 
licking one arm and then the other ; leaning against a post, fence 
or tree ; rising with difficulty or not at all when decumbent; tremor 
of muscles in the flank and shoulder; staring eyes; respiration 
and temperature various; legs usually cold ; pain on pressure 
over the metacarpals; on no other portion of the body could I 
detect pain on pressure except in one case upon the abdomen ; 
sometimes swollen beneath the jaws; no emphysema; pulse 
strong, usually 80 to 95 per minute; muzzle generally moist; 
alvine excretions normal except a peculiar brown color, rarely 
bloody ; a few cases somewhat constipated ; death usually within 
one to four days, with or without convulsions. 
Necropsy. —Muscular tissues softened ; portions of the peri¬ 
toneum have a yellow infiltration ; blood thin, coagulates tardily 
and is of a blackish red color. A little blood is usually found in 
the ventricles of the heart. In one instance, (twelve hours after 
death) I found blood in these cavities firmly clotted. Pericar- 
