observations on glanders and mallein

3
CLINICAL ARTICLES. large kitten. The abdominal muscles and skin were separately sutured, and the wound treated antiseptically with dry dressings. For the next four days the patient went on well, seemed lively and bright, and took a little milk; but on the evening of the fourth day she became rather dull, and was found dead the next morning. Post-mortem revealed septic peritonitis to be the cause of death. EXCISION OF MAMr-LE. CASE I. 20th August r895.-\Velsh terrier, five months old, suffer- ing from severely contused mamma due to the animal having been run over by a cab. CASE II. 21st August 1895.-Fox terrier, nine years old, suffering from abscesses in the mammce. CASE III. 26th August I 895.-Retriever, suffering from enor- mous enlargement of two of the mammce, which had followed as the result of a kick. She was in great pain, and could scarcely walk; when resting she was compelled either to sit up or to lie stretched out on the side. CASE IV. 9th December 1895.-Irish terrier, about three years old, suffering from an induration and abscess of the mamma. In all four cases the animals were ancesthetised with chloroform, and the offending parts carefully removed, hcemorrhage being arrested by means of ligatures or artery forceps, and the parts afterwards sutured, a space being left for a drainage tube. After-treatment consisted in the application of antiseptic dressings, and in each case a good recovery ensued. In each of Cases 1., II., and IV. one complete mamma was removed; in Case II I. two mammce were involved and were excised, the mass removed weighing 2 lbs. I It ozs., and the wound requiring forty-three sutures to close it OBSERVATIONS ON GLANDERS AND MALLEIN. By" OBSERVER." \VHEN any new remedy is recommended to be tried it is not uncommon to hear the phrase "if it does no good it can do no harm," used as an argument in favour of its adoption. Now, although it must be admitted that this style of reasoning is very often mis- leading, yet the logic of facts makes it clear that the remark is perfectly true as regards the use of mallein. If the mallein is sterilised, which it ought to be, and care is taken to disinfect the syringe and needle, no harm results from injecting it subcu- taneously. This is no haphazard opinion or hastily arrived at conclusion, but is based upon the experience of over r 500 experiments, in not one of which was there the slightest bad result; no abscess formed at the point of injection, nor did any constitutional symptom result. In the face of this experience the washing of the skin of the neck over the seat of inoculation, which is by some foreign authors so much recommenued, appears to be unnecessary. While mallein produces a very marked effect upon glandered

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CLINICAL ARTICLES.

large kitten. The abdominal muscles and skin were separately sutured, and the wound treated antiseptically with dry dressings. For the next four days the patient went on well, seemed lively and bright, and took a little milk; but on the evening of the fourth day she became rather dull, and was found dead the next morning.

Post-mortem revealed septic peritonitis to be the cause of death.

EXCISION OF MAMr-LE.

CASE I. 20th August r895.-\Velsh terrier, five months old, suffer­ing from severely contused mamma due to the animal having been run over by a cab.

CASE II. 21st August 1895.-Fox terrier, nine years old, suffering from abscesses in the mammce.

CASE III. 26th August I 895.-Retriever, suffering from enor­mous enlargement of two of the mammce, which had followed as the result of a kick. She was in great pain, and could scarcely walk; when resting she was compelled either to sit up or to lie stretched out on the side.

CASE IV. 9th December 1895.-Irish terrier, about three years old, suffering from an induration and abscess of the mamma.

In all four cases the animals were ancesthetised with chloroform, and the offending parts carefully removed, hcemorrhage being arrested by means of ligatures or artery forceps, and the parts afterwards sutured, a space being left for a drainage tube. After-treatment consisted in the application of antiseptic dressings, and in each case a good recovery ensued.

In each of Cases 1., II., and IV. one complete mamma was removed; in Case II I. two mammce were involved and were excised, the mass removed weighing 2 lbs. I It ozs., and the wound requiring forty-three sutures to close it

OBSERVATIONS ON GLANDERS AND MALLEIN.

By" OBSERVER."

\VHEN any new remedy is recommended to be tried it is not uncommon to hear the phrase "if it does no good it can do no harm," used as an argument in favour of its adoption. Now, although it must be admitted that this style of reasoning is very often mis­leading, yet the logic of facts makes it clear that the remark is perfectly true as regards the use of mallein. If the mallein is sterilised, which it ought to be, and care is taken to disinfect the syringe and needle, no harm results from injecting it subcu­taneously.

This is no haphazard opinion or hastily arrived at conclusion, but is based upon the experience of over r 500 experiments, in not one of which was there the slightest bad result; no abscess formed at the point of injection, nor did any constitutional symptom result. In the face of this experience the washing of the skin of the neck over the seat of inoculation, which is by some foreign authors so much recommenued, appears to be unnecessary.

While mallein produces a very marked effect upon glandered

CLINICAL ARTICLES.

horses its effect upon non-glandered animals, whether affected with any other disease or not, is practically Ili!. A few cases illustrating this may be mentioned.

CASE I. A horse, apparently healthy, with a temperature of 100'5

0 F., was injected with mallein on the Saturday night. Next morning the temperature was 105°, but otherwise he appeared all right. At the thirteenth, sixteenth, and twenty-fourth hours the thermometer registered the same high temperature. There was not the slightest swelling on the neck. Next morning he was found to have a swollen near hind leg and high temperature; he was, in fact, suffering from an attack of lymphingitis. The disease ran its usual course, and when again injected a fortnight later, neither local nor constitutional reaction ell sued, thus proving the real character of the case.

CASE II. The animal was injected on Saturday night, tempera­ture lOlo, apparently healthy and well.' Next morning the tempera­ture was the same and there was no swelling on the neck. At the thirteenth hour the temperature was 1040, and the animal was off its feed; in the afternoon and evening temperature still high and appetite gone. No swelling on the neck, but the quickened pulse and the yellowish colour of the visible mucous membranes showed the nature of the illness-an attack of bilious fever. After its recovery this horse was again injected with mallein, but gave no reaction, either local or constitutional.

CASE I I 1. The horse had a severe attack of spasmodic colic, twelve hours after injection. There was an increase of temperature about 3°, and also some swelling on the neck which did not subside for two or three days. A second injection with thiq horse gave negative results. The persistence of the swelling on the neck was considered to be due to injury when rolling about in pain.

A careful study of these cases is interesting and instructive from more than one point of view.

In each of them, and in many others which could be mentioned, the disease ran its usual course, neither aggravated nor cut short by the mallein. These cases also show the importance of having the local as well as the constitutional reaction.

The possibility of curing glanders by repeated doses of mallein has been discussed by some foreign authors. If this be possible it will prove a great triumph for medical science. A good deal can be said on both sides of the question. At present opinions should be given and received with great caution. The improvement seen in the condition of horses which have reacted to mallein proves at least that it has produced a beneficial effect, and favours the idea of ultimately curing. Another point which may be said in its favour is the fact that mallein detects the disease in its earliest stages, and thus places the patient in a most favourable position to recover. Putting out of the question animals which show visible signs of glanders, and dealing only with those that appear healthy but react to mallein, it seems only a fair inference to assume they are healthy or cured when they cease to react.

Having a bearing upon this point, the following experience is interesting. Two horses working together as a pair gave a typical reaction to mallein, and were isolated. During the following six months they received four injections qf mallein. The last

CLINICAL ARTICLES. 159

time there was neither local nor general reaction. One of them was slaughtered and old-standing tubercles were found in the lungs. The other animal was kept for another twelve months and was then destroyed. Before its death a dose of mallein was injected and unexpectedly produced a good reaction, although the horse had been kept free from any fresh contagion. In this case also old-standing tubercles were found. Now both these horses might have been considered cured when mallein ceased to cause a reaction, but the subsequent test of one of them indicates that this failure to respond to the mallein was due to some temporary cause.

It would be important if we could ascertain the probable length of time that will elapse before clinical symptoms of glanders or farcy develop in horses that react to mallein. It is, of course, obvious that this will vary according to the surroundings and circumstances of each case, but we were hardly prepared for the long time our experience has demonstrated.

Nearly two years ago twenty horses were isolated because they had reacted to mallein. They still appear healthy, but when reinjected a very short time ago they all gave a good reaction, proving that they are still affected. Present appearances indicate that they are likely to become useless through their limbs becoming worn out before any signs of glanders or farcy appear. The apparently long time the disease slumbers has caused some horse-owners to express strong doubts as to the correctness of the action of mallein. This is scarcely to be wondered at. They see horses which science has marked as being affected with what has been so often described as a terribly dangerous and contagious disease fulfilling all the requirements of healthy animals for years without any evidence of this malady.

We know from old authors that under favourable circumstances horses would work for years even after some of the clinical symptoms had become developed. But little is known about this phase of the disease where the clinical symptoms are absent. That mallein which detects the disease also retards its progress appears a feasible theory.

Our old-fashioned ideas of the period of latency and the virulence of glanders have been very much upset by the use of mallein.

CLINICAL NOTES OF THREE INTERESTING CASES.

By WILLIAM M. SCOTT, M.R.C.V.S., Bridgewater.

STRANGLES IN THE HORSE, FOLLOWED BY PY.l~MIA AND LATTERLY BY SEPTICJEMIA.

ANGINA, cynanche, adenitis, and pyogenic fever are a few of the more modern terms applied to that long-recognised and time-honoured equine disorder commonly known by lay and professional men under the everyday term of" Strangles."

Scientifically it is defined as a specific eruptive fever. When the disease runs its natural course, without any complications setting in, the case generally terminates favourably. But, unfortunately, some