Infectious disease: Anthrax: Brain: Haemorrhagic meningitis

A 1917 autopsy specimen from an officer in the British army in France who until the day before his death was in robust health. On this day he cut his left cheek while shaving, and later in the morning he noticed a swelling beneath his jaw which increased rapidly. At 4 o'clock in the afternoon he was shivering and complained of epigastric pain, this was unrelieved by morphine. By 10 pm his mental state was becoming obscure and there were signs of cerebro-spinal irritation. He rapidly became comatose and died at 9 am the following morning.