The Winchester home journal. [volume] (Winchester, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1858-02-06


but has never met with one; ant
finally has given it up as q hopeless
case. think now if the Doctor were
to live to the age Of the antideluvians
his wishes might perhaps never be
! gratificd.
My experience in regard to milk
sickness in the county of Franklin has
been much greater than that of my
friend, Dr. Shapard. | settled as
practcing physician at Winchester
Franklin county. forty odd years ago.
The country at that time was just
being cleared up and put into cult
walton. Our cove lands near the
mountain were Of rich, alluvial soil,
and very heavily timbered. In some
of these coves the cattle We're subject
to disease, supposed TO be produced
by some poisonous matter, which they
obtained in those localities. The
poison remained in the system and
did not *isibly effect the animal, and
when the milk or beef, under those
circumstances, was used, it became
poisonous to the human system. AS
the first cases were mostly produced
from using the milk, the disease took
the name of Milk-sick. Many cases
Of this kind came under my notice in
the first years of my practice; but as
the cove lands began to be cleared up
and put into cultivation. the cases
began to diminish, until finally none
were to be met with. The last case
that remember to have seen, occur
red some sixteen or seventeen years
ago.
The districts to which the disease
was confined, were limited. 1t exis-
ted in a small cove known as
Morris's cove, about six miles north of
Sewanee, with bluff barrier inter-
vening, almost impossible. This cove
is owned by Maj. Rutledge, who au-
thorizes me to say, that he intends
having it cleared and put into cultiva-
ton in the course of the next summer,
50 that if there should be any poison
there, it will be entirely
eradicated. Travelling southwest
with the mountain, the next place
where it once existed is Atkins cove.
This is situated some six or seven
niles northwest of Sewanee. The
cove is now in cultivation and the
disease unknown. The next cove we
meet with in the course of the noun
ain, is Talley's. This lies west Of
Sewanee, and is nearest to it. At no
line has the poison ever been known
o exist in this cove, as can be fully
proven by citizens who have resided
here almost from the first settlement
# the country. Pursuing the direc-
ion of the mountain. the next place
where the poison once existed, is in
he neighborhood Of the Tunnel. =
This has been cleared and put into
cultivation. and the poison destroyed,
10 case having occurred in this local
ty for upwards of thirty years, as is
hown by the certificate of ]. B. Haw-
Tins, who resides near the spot. and
whose statement is appended to this
ard. | will just here state fact
ncontrovertible, and which ought to
atisfy the most skeptical on the sub
ect of milk-sickness: During the
ime of the construction of the Nash
lille and Chattanooga railroad through
he Sewanee mountain, which occu-
bed a space Of three years, and per-
laps not less than two thousand per-
ons at all times on the line between
Jowan and Iullahoma, eating the
milk, butter, and beef from the adjoin-
ng districts, and not a solitary case of
nilk.sickness occurred. A large num-
,er Of hands were also employed on
he Sewanee Railroad for consider
lble length of time, and in like man.
Ter making an indiscriminate use of
milk, butter, and beef, with like re-