The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1917-06-30
With Special Reference
To It's Suppression.
NATURE AND HISTORY OF
THE DISEASE

fection due to specific bacilli which
may attack every species of domestic
mammal, and for this reason may be-
come one of the greatest scourges OF
animal life. Man is by no means I'M
nune. although, fortunately, the NAL
adv as it appears in the human sub
iect is usually less acute than the
form seen in cattle and sheep. This
IS probably due to the fact that the
LESSONS in man occur most frequently
from infection of the surface of the
hands or feet, while cattle and sheep
are more likely TO swallow the infec-
tious germs with their food, thus CIV
ing the germs immediate entrance IN
to the animal system, where they can
exert their most harmful influence
without check or control.
Historians record an outbreak OF
antrax in the south of Europe in 1913
which started with the rattle and
spread from them to the populaca,
ultimately becoming Verltable
scourge and causing the death OF
more than 10000 people. From this
it is very evident that the disease was
far more virulent and far more IN
clined to attack all species Of mann
mails during these earlier centuries
than it is at the present day. 1t IS
even recorded that many deer and
other varieties of game animals were
destroyed during these early periods.
At the present time cattle and
sheen are the chief sufferers, and the
outbreaks appear to be limited to an
imals that run upon low moist lands
Of q more or less mucky character. In
certain regions of the country, where
the land is mainly hilly, it has been
found that pastures exist IN which
there are W5t, low places, and that
anthrax appears every season among
the cattle of these farms if they are
allowed to pasture upon these damp
areas, but when COED fences are built
around them and the stock is kept up
on the dry portions Of the pasture the
disease quickly disappears. Should
the fence become broken down, allow
ing cattle to invade the infected area
ut certain seasons of the year, they
are very likely to contract anthrax.
In fact, certain plats of ground OF this
dascr. p ion have been found to retain
the germs of anthrax for several
years, circumstance which has led
many investigators to declare that the
anthrax organism has the capablllty
of growing from year to year without
anv artificial aid or cultivation, II on
" planted upon suitable sell; that 1t
will sprout and grow, producing the
plant and later the seed, thus prov1d-
ing a perpetual source of Infection
for the stock that may chance to be
allowed to Engar on this area OF
growing anthrax plants.
Because of the remarkable tenaclty
with which certain plots of ground
retain their infection, Pasteur in 1880
reached the conclusion that the car
cases of animals dying from anthrax,
even though deeply buried, retained
their many infectious organl5ms and
supplied them with such an amount
cE nutrimant that they continued to
multiply for years, and IN this way
produced an immense underground
supply Of Virul2nt anthrax organisms.
He decided further that these living
infectious germs might be brought to
the sGrfaca at any time through the
agency of the earthworms, and that,
having reached the surface, they Of
fered a very serious menace to any
live stock that might wander into
that vicinity. These suggestions were
very generally accepted by the medl-
cal fraternity and for some years
were taught as illustrative of the
manner IN which anthrax Turks III Ger.
later Investigations by Kitasato have
shown that spore formation by an
thrax bacilli is very Incomplete at a
depth of IS to 20 inches below the
surface of the ground, and at even
greater depths must be greatly sup
pressed by the presence of the pro
duets of decomposition. Koch has
further stated that earthworms are
incapable of taking up anthrax spores
and bringing them to the surface.
Nevertheless, the fact remains that
certain circu1n scribed areas Of ground
remain dangerous to stock FROM year
to year. 1t is still an unsettled queS-
ton whether the anthrax germs grow
and multiply each season upon infect
ed lands when conditions of moisture
and warmth become Favorable or
whether the ground becomes infected
at some certain time with baciill,
from which spores develop, which re-
main near the surface of the ground
for years or until taken up by some
susceptible animal.
Careful experiments have proven
than anthrax bacilh flourish and re-
tain their virulent properties IN
stagnant water for at least twelve
months, and certain authorities CLAIM
to have observed them multiplying
with no other nourishment than that
afforded them by muddy water.
A look at some of the most serious
" infected localities in this country
will help us to understand the cond-
tions which tend to parpetuate the
infection Upon the rice plantations
of the South, where the fields are an
nually submerged to favor the start
ing of the rice plants, many OF the
animals used in the cultivation Of the
crops contract anthrax and die as q
result If driven over the. infected lands
after the water has subsidad and a
few days of hot weather have inter
vened.
Where tanneries are located upon
or near te streams there is great
danger that anthrax will be brought
TO them upon hides and then be scat
tered over the low lands lying down
stream from the point where the tan
ming process. is carried on. This state
OF affairs exists especially near to
those tanneries which work upon goat
or sheep pelts from foreign countries.
Injection in the form of spores adj
heres to these hides so psrsistents.y
that ordinary fumigation fail to de-
H. ~