ANTHRAX.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1664, 20 January 1904, Page 23

ANTHRAX.

MR GILRXJTIFS IMPORTANT DIS-

COVERY.

Mr J. A. Gilruth, Government Veterinarian, who returned! cn Friday from the -Science Congress in Dunedin, contributed an important paper whilst at the Congress in reference to the treatment of anthrax. Mr Gilruth has, during the past twelve months, conducted a series of experiments with the object of rendering the anthrax bacillus innocuous, and as this work lias proceeded, he has discovered that the animals inoculated with anthrax bacilli mixed Avith the foreign organism employed in these experiments may thus be rendered completely immune from anthrax. This important discovery was explained before the Congress by Mr Gilruth. avlio gave a demonstration of the method. Two rabbits Avhich had been immunised were given liberal doses of pure anthrax cultures, Avithout showing any ill effects. Another rabbit received a tenths, of a cubic centimetre of \-irulent dntlirax, mixed AAuth a fifth of a cubic centimetre of a ndn-pathogenic microbe, and its condition remained normal. On the other hand, a fourth rabbit, inoculated at the same time Avitb a twentieth of a cubic centimetre of anthrax alone, died thirty hours afterward, a fact Avhich proves that the anthrax cultures administered to the other animals must have been very virulent. As the bacillus of .anthrax is ahvays capable of killing a rabbit or guineapig in less than thirty-six hours Avhen used alone, Mr Gilruth states that from the results of mixing this bacillus Avith a foreign bacillus, the folloAving conclusions can be drawn:—Guinea-pigs, rabbits, and probably other animals, can completely resist the inoculation of large doses of virulent anthrax bacilli, proAuded these organisms are mixed in stated proportions Avith certain other organisms which are themselves non-patho-genic. If complete resistance is not exhibited, death is delayed very considerably Avhen the organism mixed with the anthrax bacilli is. possessed of some pathogenic properties, or if a local reaction occurs. To secur'd effective result, the anthrax bacillus must be mixed Avith the other micro-organism, for if they are injected under different parts of the skin no resistance occurs. An animal Avhich has suffered Avith absolute impunity the injection of a large dose of anthrax bacilli mixed Avith the foreign organism may later on succumb to a much smaller dose of pure anthrax culture, should this be administered before the immunity has fully developed; but in spite of this, the successful experiment in the case of the tAvo rabbits, which Avere given repeated doses of both anthrax and Gaertner bacilli in increasing quantities, proves that immunity may be conferred against very large doses of pure anthrax bacilli. If this phenomenon be further investigated, Mr Gilruth adds, it may possibly afford a surer and more satisfactory method of conferring immunity against anthrax than the methods now in vogue.