Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1870-08-09
The Cattle Disease.

j, w
reference to the disaster which has beallen
the COWS OF Salem and vicinity, says
"Wbether local iu its origin, and akin to the
disorder prevalent in Stafford two years ago:
whether rinde1pest, or the so called Spanish
fever introduced by the Texan cattle, others
may decide.
| have looked somewhat into this matter,
and will give you my decision, which is this:
that tho terrible and fatal disease alluded to,
has been produced entirely, and alone, by the
ticks with which tho Texas cattle were loaded
when they came to the ueighborhood.
Some six hundred Of them were landed from
the cars at Salem, in the month of June, at
different times, and were grazed on the ext( n
siye common, (made by the war; lying 10 the
east, and south east OF that place; aso, on the
field of MIR. JAS s. Thomson on the farm OF
pied by MIR. Htfficbower, and for short time
at Meadow Grove. The common was also
crazed by nearly all the COWS of the village,
and of some persons living near.
When these cattle arrived, and all tic time
from their birth as far as is known, they were
perfectly healthy, but were covered with Texas
ticks distended with blood: which ticks, as
each one Of them became iull, were constantly
falling off upon the grass.
Now the nature Of these ticks Is, that cach
one Is filled with thousand, or more oVa or
eggs and during the process of filing them
selves with the warm blood, these oVa become
| hntchcd and feed upon this blood; and at a
certain period, longer or shorter, (tho exact
period not known by the writer the skin OF
the old tick breaks upon, and thousand or
| more young ticks come OUT, leach are about as
biz as pins point climb upon and occupy
| the grass, and arc ready to attach themselves
| to any animal that comes along.
When the grass becomes filled with them,
| as was the cas-, in this common, and 10 the
other fields spoken OF, COW grazing therein
would swallow many millions in the course CT
day; and her body would become covered
| with them externally. But several weeks
would necessarily elapse before these minute
| creatures could be observed under the ha'r CT
the COWS, or their presence within would be IN
dictated by symptoms Of disease. About the
last week in July, however, some OF the COWS
| of the village became sick, and by the ird OF
August, instant, every one OF them was dead,
| (excsptipg three or four that grazed in another
| direction, and also all Of Mr.. Thomson's, all
of MIR. lIeth blowers, with two fine work steers
| and splendid young bull; and several Others
| OF the neghborhood; making in all between
sixty and seventy head.
The first symptoms Observed were weak.
ness aud staggering in walking, great gentle
ness, a discharge of blacksh or bloody uino,
| loss of appetite and of the ability to chew the
end. most rapid falling off, and sudden dry
| ing IN of the milk. The breathing 1cas uaaf-
fctcd, the discharges from the bowels were
| natural, and there was no manifestation OF DIS
order of the brain.
Such were the symptoms OF those that were
not inordlnateIy physickcd; but SO great was
the anxiety Of some OF the villagers to save
| their iavorites, that they tormcnted them with
remedies until they became mad and furious.
| The post norton appearances were as lot
lows The first stomach, or MANIFOLD, was
| packed with unchcwcd and undlgcstcd grass,
| hard and dry, and its mucous surfaces we're
spotted over with rcd points, resembling flee
bites. Amongst the contents were seen great
number of what some observers thought were
small seed but others declared were manifest.
ly small ticks, dead, as they were precisely like
| the ticks upon the bodies OF animals that graz
| ed in the same pastures after being killed by
certain applications The gall bladder was ex-
| ceedipgly distended with thin, blackish fluid;
| and was increased to foot in length. and near
six inches in breadth. Though the secretion
! of the liver was so much changed, no organic
| defect was discovered ty any OF the observers.
! The spleen was dark, enlarged, and very soft
almost like black cot OF blood, some said !;
| others likencd it to putrid flesh. The kidneys
were congestei, and inhamed, and IN one IL
| stance there was an abscess IN one or thcm.
| The bladder wgs generally dstcndcd with the
same kind Of blackiSh UT inc that was dlscharg
| cd before death. The lungs 1rcrc unaffected.
| None Of the Observers examined by me agree
| with II. in regard to the lungs and bowels, and
| the rinal sac. Ills autopsy was made upon q
COW that had been dead eighteen hours, and
was dragged some distanc, from the village.
The duration Of tho disease alter the symp-
| toms Of the attack were first noticed, was, with
a few exceptions, from one and i half to i've
| days.
| That the above described disease was pro.
| duced by grazing after the Texas cattle, none
| need doubt; but that it was of the nature OF an
| infectious pleurO- pneumonia, or Spanish lever,
| or 1inderpest, or any thing oil that sort, this
writer denies for the following reasons: 10
the first place, these cattle are reported to have
been perfectly we'll before they left Texas, and
| if they had not been, it is not likely that any
| dealer would have riSked their purchase. They
| continued we'll on the journey they were well
when they reached Salem, excepting the ticks,
and the many scars left by them; and they
have all continued we'll, as far as heard from,
to this time, and are rapidly improving on our
pastures 1t is impossible, then, that they
could have impaired by infection to other cat
| tie, diseas, they did not have themselves,
and are not known to have ever had.
| Secondly, there were two HUNDRED or more
of these cattle carried to Mr.. Hcfhebowcr' 5,
soon after their arrival at Salem, and grazed
| two weeks on one OF his fields. Three weeks
alter they had been removed from said field,
| Git having been in the meantime drenched with
six or seven rains) Mr.. Hefllebowcr turned
upon it his work oxen, fine young hull, and
eight mich COWS The last week in July they
commenced being sick, and by the first Of
August they were all dead. The horses which
he erazed in the same field were covered with
ticks, but were not made sick.
| Bu1weI, the blacksmith at Lawlcr shop,
had two COWS, one Of which graEed up the road
towards Salem, aud on the common: the other
down the road towards Lawreuce's old tavern.
They met together every hight, and parted in the
! Tbn RI at ur11nl fnuor1c S,lom