The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-09-02
The CONTROL Of
cHARB0N o. ANTHRAX
New Method of Simultaneous Treat
ment Prepares the Way for Grad
ual Elimination Of the Disease.

Washington. D. c.. Sept. REPORTS
tnat have been received recently by the
department OF agriculture indicate
mat the losses from Charlton or an
thrax during the present season will
reach or exceed the maximum amount
: lost In any previous year. The con-
troll OF the disease Is difficult but not
impossible. according to the experts
eof the bureau of animal industry.
/. In certain sections of the country.
: notably the overlooked bottom lands
OF tho South, anthrax Is one OF the
= most destructive maladies TO which
cattle and horses are subject. With
= the cattle tick 1t forms one of the
great drawbacks TO stock raising over
wide areas which are otherwise ex-
ceilently adapted to the industry.
But. like the cattle tick again, an
thrax can be controlled readily. BY
this simultaneous injection of anti AN
thrax vaccine and serum. method
similar in principle to that employ ed
sin the control OF hog cholera. animals
: are rendered immune to the contagion.
The systematic use in arthrax-infected
regions OF this simultaneous method
should conf1ne the disease to ever-nar-
rowing limits until ultimately the dan
ger of widespread outbreaks is past
and the germ ceases to be serious
! menace, just as smallpox has ceased to
scourge civilized communities. With
tho eradication Of anthrax among AMI
mails will go its danger to man as we'll
! The chief obstacle TO the attainment
: OF this goal Is the difficulty that Ia AL
WAYS experience in securing the rapid
and general adoption of measures to
, which the people are not accustom ed.
The efficacy OF the simultaneous treat
ment In rendering cattle immune TO
anthrax Is now as well established as
the efficacy Of arsenical baths In I'D
ding them of ticks. but this fact has
yet 70 be demonstrated in practical eb-
: sect lessons tc the great bulk of stock
. raisers In the infected districts Ear
lter work with anti-nnthrax vaccine
In less perfected form has also
created a certain prejudice which must
be overcome before the value OF the
new treatment is universally retog-
MAD
Simultaneous Treatment Marked
Improvement.
The simultaneous treatment recently
perfected represents a great advance
In the control Of the disease In this
method carefully standardized spore
vaccine IL injected into one side of
the animal and at the same time the
protecting serum into the other. In
this way more immediate and more
protracted immunity Is. secured than
by the use Of either the vaccine or the
serum alone. II is also now possible
for the first time 20 ntandardize the
dose--that Is. to estimate exactly the
strength OF the injection of the vac
cine. Furthermore, this vaccine pre-
pared from the spores Of the germs
instead OF from the germs themselves.
retains its effectiveness for n much
longer period Of time than The earlier
vaccine.
Cost of Treatment small.
TIVE general adoption OF this method,
Il "a now believed should result In the
gradual elimination Of anthrax. The
rsn'tirtte serum and vaccine can be
r,a~usectured and soid according to
- Information now available, at a
cest ~ arnroximatelv Atty cents per
s~'~~aI which will PIT the remedy at
49, s'~no~el Of every stock owner In
49, injected regions. enabling him to
h-va hts stock treated for the proven
t~-anir1sT h~rcnes affected with char
tsw emeN large quantities of serum
a'~na, without the spore vaccine. must
~ sset. as a curative dose. that the
r~'~s fHr curing an animal may reach
from So 10 as high as $40. II Will
therefore he seen that economy de-
mands the preventive treatment OF the
%~nosed animals rather than the cura-
five treatment Of those which become
III. The enores are unususiflv resistant
70 many of the common disinfectants;
they are not affected by ordinary
weather conditions. and they are capa-
HI. % persssttng I'm the ground, inH in
fecsed pastures. for example. for many
years II however. they are prevented
from multiplying IN the bodies OF
diseased animals, ultimately they must
disappear
All carcasses dead Of charbon should
be burned or buried and covered with
lime. Infected stables and premises
should be thoroughly disinfected.