Mr. John Spear's report to the Local Government Board upon the so-called "woolsorters' disease" as observed at Bradford and in neighbouring districts in the West Riding of Yorkshire.

  • Spear, John.
Date:
1881
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Mr. John Spear's report to the Local Government Board upon the so-called "woolsorters' disease" as observed at Bradford and in neighbouring districts in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    “ Out of nine cases in all, either of malignant pustule or of supposed internal anthrax, seven of which were fatal, experiments were made with seven, and in four only were any results obtained, by inoculation of rodent animals, which are well known to be highly susceptible to the disease. “ Yet in all the fatal cases the microscopical examination revealed the presence of bacilli in one or more of the fluids or tissues of the body. The apparent discrepancy, which tends to throw discredit on the diagnostic value of microscopic examinations in these cases, is at once explained when the length of time which elapsed between death and the inoculation experiments is considered. For when decomposition has already set in before the post-mortem is made, it is exceptional to produce results by inoculation with the blood or other fluids. This fact is so well known, and the delay in obtaining post-mortem examinations was so evidently likely to prejudice the result of the inquiry, that I did not expect any results from the earlier inoculations, and urged very strongly the importance of early exami¬ nation of the body. The result is seen in the fact that whilst in the three earlier cases [Cases 11, 20, and 22], of internal anthrax no result was obtained, in every one of the later ones the inoculation experiments were successful, and, as I shall show, the intensity of the poisoning was proportional to the shortness of the interval between death and the examination of the body. It is important to mention this fact, lest an erroneous view should be taken of the results ir. these cases. In all of the three animals, both the microscopical and experimental results were conclusive of the nature of the disease,” Animals at Harden. (Page 22 in text of Report.) (Dr. Greenfield’s Report.) “ Material was received from three out of four cases of animals which died at Harden Grange, from ? two cows and one sheep. All of these proved to be cases of anthrax. “ I. Cow No. 2 (A. Lot, page 23). Died June 30th, fluid received at on July 3rd. Fig. 6, Bacilli from the spleen, a ; and pericardial serum, h; of cow No, 2. “ Peritoneal serum contained a very few long bacilli of the usual characters. “Pericardial serum contained a large number of typical bacilli. “ Spleen, a moderate number. “Inoculations with the pericardial fluid and the spleen produced typical anthrax in the guinea pig. “II. Cow No. 3 (B. Lot). Died July 4th. Material received July 7th. “ Serum taken from the cellular tissue in front of the trachea 24 hours after death was deeply blood¬ stained, and contained a considerable number of bacilli in various stages of degeneration, the majority more or less granular. These bacilli from 13 to 35 ^ in length, some, however, being longer. Fig. 7. Bacilli in blood from the spleen of cow No. 3, a. Long flexuous filaments. b. Part of a filament containing spores. c. Spore-containing filaments, d. Groups of spores. “ Serum from the pericardium swarms with similar bacilli in various stages of spore formation, no other bacteria being observed. “Blood from the spleen contains very numerous long rods, some degenerating, others containing spores, also masses of spores. “ Inoculation with the fluids from the pericardium and spleen produced anthrax in the guinea-pig. “III. Sheep which died at Harden Grange July 27th. Fluids received at 10 p.m., July 28th, 34 hours after death. Examined and inoculations made at once. “ Pleural serum, blood-stained. No signs of decomposition under the microscope ; it contains numerous very long bacilli, measuring from 50 y. to nearly 200 /*, and forming beautiful convoluted masses as in the pleural serum of J. G. (Case 30). In all other respects they resembled ordinary anthrax bacilli.