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Infection from the consumption of anthrax flesh
ABSTRACTS AND REPORTS. encephalon a blood clot the size of a walnut was found attached to the pons varolii, lying on the basilar process. Section into the lateral ventricles showed inflammation of the choroid plexus, with hydrocephalus. The velum interpositum was also inflamed. Nothing abnormal had been noticed previous to this illness. The owner had had him eight years in his possession. Once or twice recently, however, he had stumbled and travelled heavy in hand, but otherwise he was a very willing animal. He was well fed and looked after, the work being heavy. The first attack no doubt was due to congestion, and the relapse to apoplexy resulting from rupture of the blood-vessels weakened by fatty degeneration.
STATISTICS REGARDING TUBERCULOSIS IN CHILDHOOD. BOLTZ (Inaugural Dissertation, Kiel) gives the following figures regarding the proportion of tuberculosis among children. Out of 2576 children, whose bodies were submitted to a post· mortem examination in Kiel between 1873 and 1889, there were 424 cases oftuberculosis, or 16·4 The following table shows the percentage at different ages. 0·0 per cent. Still-born children . 0·0 Up to 4 weeks old . 0·9 " " 5- 10 " . %.
"
3-5 months old
,,6-12 " " 1-2 years old ,,2-3 " ,,3-4 " ,,4-5 " ,,5- 10 " ,,10-IS
"
S·6
IS·3
26·S
33"°
29.6
"
" "
"
3 1 •S
34·3 " . . . 3°·1 " Tlziermedicinisclze Rundscllau, Dec. 1890.
INFECTION FROM THE CONSUMPTION OF ANTHRAX FLESH. ABOUT the middle of August last the German daily papers contained reports regarding a peculiar case of blood-poisoning. A butcher and his mother were brought to an hospital in Berlin on the 13th August, and on their admission they declared that they must have been bitten by flies which had been in contact with diseased cattle. Both patients had at nearly the same spot on the right fore· arm an inflammatory tumour, which Dr Rotter diagnosed as anthrax. The woman died three days after her admission to the hospital, and the post-mortem verified the diagnosis. In stained preparations from the original lesion on the arm, the cubital and axillary glands on the right side, spleen, liver, and blood, anthrax bacilli were recognised. Through pure
ABSTRACTS AND REPORTS.
37 1
cultures and direct inoculation the infectious material was proved to be virulent anthrax. The man was also so ill that on his admission it appeared doubtful whether he would recover, but after extirpation of the axillary glands on the 16th August, and subsequent treatment of the diseased arm with carbolic acid, a rapid improvement took place, and the patient completely recovered. Culture, inoculation, and sections showed that anthrax bacilli were present in the axillary glands, but they were absent from the blood. At first both patients obstinately asserted that they had been bitten by flies. It was, however, subsequently ascertained, and admitted by the butcher himself, that he had on the 6th August bought and dressed the carcase of a bull that was killed because of illness. It is a fact of special interest that flesh and sausages from this bull, including a piece of sausage made from the liver, had been consumed by people in the locality, apparently without any injurious effect. An examination of the animal's skin and of a piece of liver sausage was made at the Hygienic Institute, but it was not then found possible to recognise anthrax bacilli in these parts.-Zeitschrijt liir Fleisch- lind Milchhygiene, Dec. 1890.
DESTRUCTION OF BACTERIA IN THE BLOOD. THE conditions under which bacteria are destroyed in the blood have lately been examined by Professor Fodor of Buda Pesth, who has obtained some very interesting results. His experiments were mainly conducted with anthrax bacilli. He found that the bactericidal power of arterial blood was much greater than that of venous blood; also that bacteria were more easily destroyed in fresh blood than in that which had been standing for some time. An atmosphere of oxygen or of carbonic acid made no difference, neither did the deprivation of the blood of all gases. Again, it made no difference whether the blood was at rest or in circulation. The temperature, however, had a great effect, the greatest destructive power being between 100.40 and 1040 F. Above 1040 there was a marked decrease of the bactericidal power. There was found to be a great difference, not only between animals of a different genus, but between different individuals of the same genus. Various chemical substances were introduced into the blood together with cultures of virus, with the following results. Hydrochloric acid had but little effect; acetic acid and quinine diminished the bactericidal power; common salt slightly increased it, also carbonate of ammonium; while a marked increase was produced by phosphate, carbonate, and bicarbonate of sodium, and by carbonate of potassium. It appeared therefore that alkalinisation of the blood by artificial means might be applicable for the purpose of preventing the development of the bacilli of infectious disease in the organism. A large number of experiments were undertaken with the object of elucidating this point. Rabbits were given large doses of bicarbonate of sodium either by the stomach or by intravenous injection, and half an hour afterwards an intravenous injection of anthrax culture, further doses of soda being regularly administered three times a day. It was found that only about one-sixth of the animals so treated contracted anthrax, though a good many died either from catarrh of the stomach or from some other cause; more than a third, however, entirely recovered; while other animals to which the same quantity of culture was administered invariably died from anthrax. It would thus appear that alkalinisation by means of drugs offers some prospect of being useful as a remedial measure in cases of infectious disease, at all events in anthrax.-Tlte Lancet.
STATISTICS REGARDING TUBERCULOSIS IN CHILDHOOD. BOLTZ (Inaugural Dissertation, Kiel) gives the following figures regarding the proportion of tuberculosis among children. Out of 2576 children, whose bodies were submitted to a post· mortem examination in Kiel between 1873 and 1889, there were 424 cases oftuberculosis, or 16·4 The following table shows the percentage at different ages. 0·0 per cent. Still-born children . 0·0 Up to 4 weeks old . 0·9 " " 5- 10 " . %.
"
3-5 months old
,,6-12 " " 1-2 years old ,,2-3 " ,,3-4 " ,,4-5 " ,,5- 10 " ,,10-IS
"
S·6
IS·3
26·S
33"°
29.6
"
" "
"
3 1 •S
34·3 " . . . 3°·1 " Tlziermedicinisclze Rundscllau, Dec. 1890.
INFECTION FROM THE CONSUMPTION OF ANTHRAX FLESH. ABOUT the middle of August last the German daily papers contained reports regarding a peculiar case of blood-poisoning. A butcher and his mother were brought to an hospital in Berlin on the 13th August, and on their admission they declared that they must have been bitten by flies which had been in contact with diseased cattle. Both patients had at nearly the same spot on the right fore· arm an inflammatory tumour, which Dr Rotter diagnosed as anthrax. The woman died three days after her admission to the hospital, and the post-mortem verified the diagnosis. In stained preparations from the original lesion on the arm, the cubital and axillary glands on the right side, spleen, liver, and blood, anthrax bacilli were recognised. Through pure
ABSTRACTS AND REPORTS.
37 1
cultures and direct inoculation the infectious material was proved to be virulent anthrax. The man was also so ill that on his admission it appeared doubtful whether he would recover, but after extirpation of the axillary glands on the 16th August, and subsequent treatment of the diseased arm with carbolic acid, a rapid improvement took place, and the patient completely recovered. Culture, inoculation, and sections showed that anthrax bacilli were present in the axillary glands, but they were absent from the blood. At first both patients obstinately asserted that they had been bitten by flies. It was, however, subsequently ascertained, and admitted by the butcher himself, that he had on the 6th August bought and dressed the carcase of a bull that was killed because of illness. It is a fact of special interest that flesh and sausages from this bull, including a piece of sausage made from the liver, had been consumed by people in the locality, apparently without any injurious effect. An examination of the animal's skin and of a piece of liver sausage was made at the Hygienic Institute, but it was not then found possible to recognise anthrax bacilli in these parts.-Zeitschrijt liir Fleisch- lind Milchhygiene, Dec. 1890.
DESTRUCTION OF BACTERIA IN THE BLOOD. THE conditions under which bacteria are destroyed in the blood have lately been examined by Professor Fodor of Buda Pesth, who has obtained some very interesting results. His experiments were mainly conducted with anthrax bacilli. He found that the bactericidal power of arterial blood was much greater than that of venous blood; also that bacteria were more easily destroyed in fresh blood than in that which had been standing for some time. An atmosphere of oxygen or of carbonic acid made no difference, neither did the deprivation of the blood of all gases. Again, it made no difference whether the blood was at rest or in circulation. The temperature, however, had a great effect, the greatest destructive power being between 100.40 and 1040 F. Above 1040 there was a marked decrease of the bactericidal power. There was found to be a great difference, not only between animals of a different genus, but between different individuals of the same genus. Various chemical substances were introduced into the blood together with cultures of virus, with the following results. Hydrochloric acid had but little effect; acetic acid and quinine diminished the bactericidal power; common salt slightly increased it, also carbonate of ammonium; while a marked increase was produced by phosphate, carbonate, and bicarbonate of sodium, and by carbonate of potassium. It appeared therefore that alkalinisation of the blood by artificial means might be applicable for the purpose of preventing the development of the bacilli of infectious disease in the organism. A large number of experiments were undertaken with the object of elucidating this point. Rabbits were given large doses of bicarbonate of sodium either by the stomach or by intravenous injection, and half an hour afterwards an intravenous injection of anthrax culture, further doses of soda being regularly administered three times a day. It was found that only about one-sixth of the animals so treated contracted anthrax, though a good many died either from catarrh of the stomach or from some other cause; more than a third, however, entirely recovered; while other animals to which the same quantity of culture was administered invariably died from anthrax. It would thus appear that alkalinisation by means of drugs offers some prospect of being useful as a remedial measure in cases of infectious disease, at all events in anthrax.-Tlte Lancet.