The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1882-03-18
Blackleg in Cattle.

ouDyec' on winch Ine ITtOune has often
advised it seems needful to take it up
once more. First, there are twovarieties
of the disease both dependent on the
presence in the system of minute veg
etable organisms (bacteria) which have
acquired the dangerous facility of living
and increasing in the blood and tissues
OF the animal body. One form of the
malady is the malignant anthrax proper
the malignant poStule of man
caused by an organism which exists in
the blood and vital fluids in the form of
microscopic staff-shaped bodies as well
as spherical ones. This type is readily
communicable to all species of warm
blooded animals unless they have
already been rendered unsuseeptible by
an earlier attack. The second form is
associated with a microscopic organism
which is found in the spherical form
only in the blood and animal fluids, and
which has not been found to attack
readily other animals than cattle.
Both are equally dangerous to cattle;
the first is quite as dangerous to man
and other warm-blooded animals.
Whether the germs in both diseases are
but varieties of the same organism re-
mains to be seen; what is more imme-
diately to the point is that both appear
to follow the same law of development,
and to depend on the same general
conditions for the maintenance of their
virulence. This is most nveterate if
secluded from air, but is gradually lost
nthe presence of free air and moisture
Hence, the germ once introduced or de-
veloped in soil of close, impervious
and compact kind, in one overcharged
with the remains of animal or vegeta-
BILE life, or in one habitually water
logged, is preserved indefinitely, while
in one which is naturally dry. open and
porous, or which has been thoroughly
underdrained, it sooner or later loses its
virulence.. In accumulations of litter or
manure, in LIQUID manure tanks, in
close cellars and the like it is more like
ly to be preserved than elsewhere. To
check the progress of the malady, there
fore, and prevent new attacks, the ex-
posed cattle should at once be moved to
soil which is thoroughly drained and
pervious to moisture.
The carcasses of the dead and all the
products of the sick should be burned,
or if buried at all it should be in a drv,
porous soil, with covering of quick
lime to favor speedy decomposition, and
securely fenced in so that no other cat
tie can approach the place, nor eat the
grass grown upon it for several years.
If damp or impervious soil only is at
tainahle for burial, then burning the
carcasses is far to be preferred When
pasture has once had an outbreak of
blackleg it cannot be considered safe
for several years to come The purif-
cation OF such pastures may be expe-
dited by placing them under rotation
OF crops and stirring the soil as fire.
luently as possible, so as to expose the
germs to the air and lessen and remove
their virulence by changing the medium
in which they grow. The grand princi-
pie is never to be lost sight of, that it
is the habit they acquire of using up
little oxygen in their growth, which fits
these germs for growing in the blood,
ana 1t Is the habit of using up much air
that units them for survival in the ami
NAL fluids where little air can be found.
The stock which has been exposed to
infection of blackleg, whether from sick
animals or infected pastures or places,
may attain some measure of protection
from taking daily in the food or water
some dsnfectant which will check the
development of any germs that may be
present on the mouth, throat, stomach
or bowels. For this purpose one drachm
carbolic acid and three drachms sui
phate of iron may be dissolved daily in
the drinking water of each adult animal
or sprinkled in its food. Or one drachm
of iodide of potassium and one-half
ounce chlorate of potassia may be used
in the same way. If there is any
tendency to costiveness it should be
counteracted by roots. apples, potatoes,
soft mashes, or by daily doses of two or
three ounces of Glauber salts Con-
stipation usually begets fever and
fever strongly predisposes to the
reception of the anthrax germ. Young
animals are always most liable to the
disease, partly because their tissues are
soft and impossible, but largely no
doubt because they have not had an OPP
portunity to become insusceptible
through an earlier mild attack Young
growing animals should therefore be
kept apart from pastures where blackleo
habitually occurs, and if they must be al
any time exposed to even the slightest
extent care should be taken to keer
them in the most vigorous health, and
to prevent them from becoming sud
denly plethoric.
To prevent the evil effects of rapid
ly increasing plethora it is desirable tC
feed well at all times, and never allow
the subject to get into too low condi-
ton. The use in this connection of lin.
seed cake has the double effect of keep.
ing the beast constantly thriving anC
counteracting all costiveness and fever
Some seek the same result by giving
az Il /