Daily Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1876-1884, 1881-10-16
Danger in Wool Sorting
From the Pacific Rural Press. ]


Mr.. Naud's death, as we learn, was
caused by a very curious circumstance. i
seems that he was sorting wool in his loft,
and that some of it had been clipped from
scabby sheep, and it was consequently
poisonous. after handling this affected
wool, he touched portion Of his person
which was bleeding, and thus inoculated
himself with the poison from the wool.
Hi. blood was thoroughly imprognated
with the poison, and Mr.. Maud became a
victim to pynmia. Los angeles Express.
The death of u prominent citizen
OF Los Angeles through poisoning,
from contact with diseased wool,
leads us to remark that the fatal
tiles from this source are frequent;
20 much SO that "wool sorters' dis
ease" is q term used to describe y
meiady which occurs among those
engaged in sorting wool for the
large manufactures in Great Brit
ain. 1t is held there that the dis
ease is impaired by handling fieeces
taken from sheep which have died
through disease. The Los Angeles
authorities hold that in Mr.. Naud's
case, the blood poisoning came
from soabby wool, and was impart-
ed directly to the circulation
through bleeding wound. The
foreign disease is more subtle in it's
action than this. AS, however,
death has come to one of our cit
liens through unhealthy wool, we
have thought 1t timely TO present
some facts concerning the regular
'wool. eorters' diseased as it is
known abroad, in order that sli
may know how danger may some-
times be incurred.
A report to the British Parlia-
ment last Summer by Prof. Brown,
clerk OF the veterinary department
of the Privy Council, states that
inquiry, recently conducted, has
established the fact that the wool
sorters' disease. which was first OBJ
served forty-three years ago, when
the import of mohair commenced,
is form of anthrax, u disease
which is due to the presence of u
microscopic plant (the Bacillus On
thrdcis) in the fluids of the body.
Anthrax is essentially an affection
of the lower animals, but is
as communicable to man
as to the lower animals
by thu introduction OF the spores of
the Bacillus anthracis into the
blood. Anthrax, ia the form of
spIenic fever, has long been known
in Great Britain as dieease which
occurs occasionally among farm
stock. The affection does not,
hnuavor IN unN avtant Inv,
contagioD, and, as rule, does not
extend beyond the farm on which
the outbreak occurs. The disease
is more virulent in some parts OF
Ireland than il is in England, and
on the Continent it sometimes pre-
walls extensively. The Siberian
plague, which was rife in Russia
last Summer, was one of the most
virulent and fatal forms of this dis
order. 1t may be remarked that
anthrax is one OF the diseases
which are distinguished by periods
of excessive prevalence and de-
cline.
1t may be accepted as a fact that
the use of wool, hair and other SUBJ
stances from animals which have
died of anthrax, in agriculture or
manufactures, Is attended with
danger to men and animals. This
fact has given rise to many propo-
sitions In great Britain for the pur-
pose of excluding the diseased wool
from the country if possible, but as
yet nothing thoroughly practicable
has been brought forward.
Farmers are warned of the
danger which attends the em-
ployment of the refuse of the wool
mill as top dressing for pastures,
but it does not appear how the
wool-sorters can be protected from
contact with the occasional fleece
from d dead sheep, which is thrown
In with better wool. 1t would be
well for our sheep and wool hand
lers to keep in mind that in some
cases it is highly dangerous to
handle sheep which have died
from anthrax, q malignant fever
which ia especially dangerous.