48 
D. Mr EACHRAN. 
The Dominion of Canada has unquestionably one of the most 
healthy climates in the world, and that most free from contagious 
epizootic diseases. 
Although anthrax has never at any time during the last six¬ 
teen years, or since I have been in the country, occurred to any 
alarming extent, yet every year sporadic cases, or at least a few 
animals on isolated farms have been reported, and several out¬ 
breaks of it have been investigated by me more especially in the 
Province of Quebec, and recently in western Ontario. 
Appreciating the vast importance of our great cattle interests, 
and the necessity for preventing unfounded rumors of disease 
being spread, I respond with pleasure to your instructions to 
furnish you with an account of this disease, in such a form as 
may piove useful to farmers and stock owners, by explaining its 
true nature so far as it is know to scientists. 
Synonyms .—The disease is known by an endless variety of 
names in the different countries or districts in which it occurs, 
and assuming under different circumstances and in different ani¬ 
mals a variety of forms, thereby increasing the number of mean¬ 
ingless and confusing terms which are applied to it. In this 
country it is best known by the term splenic fever, or splenic apo¬ 
plexy, and charbon or maladie de sang, and when it assumes the 
carbuncular form with localization of the disease in the quarter, it 
is called “ black leg,” or “ black quarter.” 
The term anthrax is perhaps not the best which could be 
adopted, for although to those who have kept pace with the pro¬ 
gress of pathological anatomy the name appears quite correct, yet 
we do not find the disease assume in all cases the eruptive char¬ 
acter which is ordinarily associated with the term anthrax. As 
the terms splenic fever and splenic apoplexy express the disease 
very inadequately and often improperly, I prefer to use the term 
anthrax. 
History . In the book of Exodus, 9th chapter, we find a 
plague sent by God on the cattle of the Egyptians “ and it be¬ 
came a boil breaking forth with blains upon man and beast,” 
which undoubtedly was a disease of the same type as anthrax. 
Mr. Fleming points out a very vivid description of this disease by 
