ANTHRAX IN PERSIAN WOOL

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 9752, 25 May 1903, Page 1

ANTHRAX IN PERSIAN WOOL

BOILING AND BAKING THE ALIEN BACILLUS. The recent deaths from anthrax at Kidderminster, which were attributed to infection from Persian wool, have caused some little anxiety to dealers m carpets. As a matter of fact, however, very little Persian wool is used iii the manufacture of British carpets, and what is used is subjected to such rigorous cleansing treatment that no bacillus of anthrax or any other disease could possibly survive to be spun into yarn and woven into carpet.. It is m the uncleansed fleeces that any danger lies, and there too only m the accompanying dust and dirt; but that the danger is small is shown by the remark of one -of the chief importers of Persian wools : "In our sample room we constantly handle and open up the fleeces, and yet during the past 25 years we have never known a case of indisposition resulting from this 'work, although no precautions are taken such as would be the •case m a mill." - In the mills the wool is subjected to a succession of hot baths of high, temperature, and is afterwards baked for ;20 minutes m a hot press. In the earlier ■stages, when the fleeces are opened out 'the dust is carried off by powerful pneu-' tjnatic tubes and destroyed.