Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-07-16
MIX sickness.

A correspondent of the Atlanta C0nsts-
tuition, who has been travelling in the
Georgia mountains and valleys bordering
on the line of Tennessee, after describing
the picturesque beauty of the situation
and surroundings of Blairsyllle, thus
alludes to fatal sickness common in
that region of Georgia and Tennessee
called milk sick"
81 believe the medical fraternity have
pooh pooled it out of consideration as
they are prone to do anything they do
not understand. But the sufferers die
all the same, and no law of cure they
have applied has been successful 10
certain coves, which are gradually being
known and fenced in, but where the
heritage is exceedingly rich, there ex-
lists some poison which affects the milk
of COWS. There are several peculiar
features about it. If the cow be giving
milk it does not affect the animal
but only the milk--if butter is made
the buttermilk is free from it, and
may be used with impunity. This poison
does not diffuse itself through a mass of
butter, but collects together at one place
90 IllaJ u UOZSu ptISOuo POI t0AO
of the butter, and yet only one or two
be affected by the poison. After the
sun has dried the dew there is then no
danger of the milk being affected. The
citizens there feel satisfied that 1t is not
owing to any vegetable growth, but min
eral in its character. Ii this land be
cleared up this poison affects the corn
grown there, enters fodder and shucks,
and thus poisons the milk. The symp
toms in man are peculiar = first
great giddiDess, with weakness, and
apt to be accompanied by fainting on
any effort; after awhile this is succeed
ed by vomiting, persistent in its charac-
ter, obstinate constipation and low fever,
all of which terminate in death. Dry
cattle become affected, but show no
signs until driven for some distance, and
then they develop somewhat the same
train of symptoms as man, followed by
death. Their intestines have been eX-
amined and the contents found to be
perfectly dry and hard. The people
have pleasant test and curative which
is not only absolutely diagnostic, but a
certain cure. So the patient is given
half tumbler of liquor-after waiting
half an hour, if he is not affected,
they give another and continue until
he begins to feel it. have
been assured by perfectly responsible
gentleman of Bairsville that he has
given q preacher, a Methodist at that
one quart of whisky within very short
time without its producing any effect
If the liquor given does not affect the
patient it is disgnoStic of milk sick"
and being also curative they push it
until the patient begins to "feel his
liquor" They consider that the poison
has then been overcome and they cease.
These cases always recover if taken early,
whereas. if they are treated "secundem
artem," they invariably die. am in
debted for this information to highly
intelligent citizens of Union county,
and obey express the fear that
in the cities where much of this
fresh mountain butter is sold occa-
sional deaths occur from this unknown
disease. In some of the butter making
sections of East Tennessee they are
careful not to eat the butter which may
be tainted, but keep that to ship off to
some city, where it will not be heard
from again, except in the shape of a
fatal case, which the doctors could not
unravel. These are the facts, and l
imagine that possibly some cases occurr-
ing in Atlanta. which physicians have
diagnosed from scarlet fever to yellow
fever, may be attributed to some such
cause. There is little rose connected
with the thorn, however, which the
boys appreciate. In former days boys
carried whisky for fear of snake bite.
Now they have the additional privilege
of carrying it as prophylactic against
Milk sick