The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1917-06-30
ANTHRAX OR cH>sesBON DISEASE

along the banks OF the Delaware RlV
or for a distance of 40 miles in New
Jersey and Delaware, destroying from
70 to 80 per cent of the farm stock
The great morocco industry on thl
river draws infected hides from India
China, Russia, africa, and Soutl
America, and the spores are carried
and distributed by the hides.
Delafond studied the vitality Of an
thrax bacilli in 1860 He placed some
blood from a sheep dead of anthra5
in a glass container to which free
access of air was granted. This was
kept in cool place at temperature
ranging variously from 45 degrees te
so degrees F. 90 degrees to Is de-
graes c.. When examined at the
lend of the fourth day it was found
that the length of the filaments was
increased, but that their diameter hac
remained unchanged. After eight te
ten days their length was four or five
times as great as when first brought
under observation, thus proving that
a veritable growth off the bacillus had
taken place outside of the animal
body and without the presence of an
imal heat.
In letter from China to the Lon
don Lancet we read:
The disease which has been destroy
ing cattle throughout this district
continues it's ravages, though with
diminished virulence, probably be-
cause there is now scarcity of sus-
ceptible cattle. The mortality has
varied from so to rs per cent of the
infected animals. To determine the
extant of the disease | made inquiry
as to the number Of hides exported
during the first three months OF this
year. They say that more than $780,
900 left Peking, and that half mil
| lion would not be too high an estimate
| for the whole district. AS no cattle
are being slaughtered, this repre-
5ents, approximately, the loss of cat
| tie from the plague.
The foreign firms that export hides,
wool, bristles, and hair are in the
hands of chinese middle-men who
roam about the interior buying here
and there from the agricultural class
es. i have been over some of the
/ factories in Tientsin and have OBJ
served the steps they take to clean
the stuff before it's export. Bristles
and hair are thoroughly well boiled
in soda solution, wool is roughly car
ded and shaken free of as much dust
as possible by machinery, and hides
are sortcd out and packed with naph-
thaline. The exporters claim that any
further disinfection than is now given
would spoil their goods and increase
their expenses.
The real difficulty does not lie with
the Bacillus anthracis but with its
spores, whose. natural resistance IS
increased by their being embedded III
the grease and dirt of the material
while it is being dealt with in whole
sale bulk in China. There can be lit
tie doubt that the passage home
through the Indian Ocean and the Red
Sea in the warm hold Of a ship is all
conductive to their propagation and
preservation, so that when the time
comes for bristles and hair being
carded and separated out by workers
at home these spores are liberated IN
an active condition, ready for human
infection to a much greater extent
than is the case in China.
Aside from the danger Of direct in
fcction to animals pasturIng on in
fected areas, there exists the added
danger of inoculation through the
agency of hay or other crops that
have been grown upon infected areas
o. land. Th4 process of drying ana
curing the hay or forage does not
lessen this danger, for drying favors
the development Of spores. and these,
mingling with the dust and fragments
Of the dried forage, may be taken up
1, l. rIn
cause serious damage simply by be-
ing eaten by susceptible animals.
FORMS OF THE DISEASE.
The disease may appear in one of
three forms-apoplectic, acute, OF
subacute.
The apopletic form is most fre-
quently seen attacking cattle or sheep
e. the beginning CT an outbreak be-
fore the animals of the vicinity have
, developed any degree of natural i'm
munity to the infection. Here the
animals present symptoms of cerebral
apoplexy. They reel and fall, bloody
liquid flows from the body openings,
| and death soon follows. If the body
is opsned and search is made for evi-
dence of disease, it may be quite I'M
possible TO detsct any defnate LESSONS
or any change in the tissues.
The acute form Of the disease de-
velops more slowly, but becomes well
established in twelve to twenty-four
hours after the premonitory symp-
toms are noticed. In these cases the
fever is intense (104 degrees to lot
| degrees F. The animal is greatly
Frustrated. Cerebral conges ion
| co,,7nc exoifaY,oont which ic rollnwcd
by drowsines5 and staggering gait.
There is frequent passage of bloody
urine, followed by eonvuisions and
death. In this type Of the disease, as
well as in the apoplectic form, post
mortem examination of the carcass
may fail to reveal any definite les
ions.
The third form of anthrax, the sub
acute, is the most common. The SYM
psoms are like those of the acute
form except that they are Of slower
! development. Instead Of becoming es-
! tablished In twelve TO tHentyfour
| hours. one TO seven days may be re-
quired. The fever is very high. Ser
ious colics are eften present. Local
| anthrax turnors appear externally
/ first near the shoulders, neck, and
/ head, and are usually due to local IN
/ Jury or bruising, which gives rise to
/ q collection ef baciih within the blood
vessels of the Part, whose resulting
/ Inflammation gives rise to the swell
ings or carbuneles. These tuno~s are
! at first hard ard cireumscriEed. bui
later becpne cold, insenable, d7fuse
and fiuctuating- An examination q
e L. r