3

individual peculiarities of constitution, according to the channel by
which the virus has gained access to the system, and to the amount of it
which has been introduced. These variations will be briefly noted later on

Charbon is always sudden in its appearance, manifesting itself by
grave symptoms, which run a rapid course, and very frequently have
a fatal termination; but at times we meet with cases running an
apparently abortive course, the sudden and startling symptoms subsiding
almost as suddenly as they appeared and the case terminating in
recovery. In some cases so sudden is the appearance and so grave the
character of the symptoms, and such is the rapidity with which death
takes place, that we have been led to confer on it the name of apoplectic
Anthrax, charbon foudroyant, and miltzbrand apoplexie in Europe,
and in parts of India "Goli-ki-sat." This form of the disease is gener-
ally supposed to be caused by the infection of the animal with the
"spores" of Anthrax, and Friedberger and Frohner state that it can
be induced experimentally by causing an animal to ingest them. In
these cases, from the first appearance of any disturbance to the death
of the animal, ten minutes or a quarter of an hour only may elapse, and
we often find a number of animals left apparently healthy overnight dead
in the morning. This form of the disease is most commonly met with
amongst sheep and oxen, and at the beginning of an outbreak, the first
cases almost always being the most severe. In these cases of apoplectic
Anthrax, the animal generally commences to shiver, staggers about, or
goes round in a circle, bleeds from the nose and often also from the
anus, breathes very rapidly, and finally falls to the ground, where, after
a few convulsive kicks, it dies, blood nearly always issuing from the nose
and anus after death. These symptoms sometimes also come on whilst
the animal is at work or at pasture. Other cases run a much slower
course, the symptoms being much less rapidly evolved, and the disease
lasting for from 2 to 24 hours.

Following the reception of the virus of the disease into the system
we observe the period of incubation, variable in duration, and during
which no important symptom has betrayed the serious changes which are
occurring at least when the entrance has occurred at a point which is
hidden from view, as in cases where Anthrax is spontaneously contracted
by animals ingesting the germs with their food at pasture, etc., and
at its termination general symptoms of the disease suddenly appear; for,
when the virus gains entry by the digestive organs, or by the respira-
tory tract, the local disorder which it gives rise to is not visible. In
other cases, however,—as, for instance, when the germs have been absorb-
ed by the bucco-pharyngeal mucous membrane,—our attention will most
probably be attracted to the lymphatic ganglia in the vicinity, and more

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