The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1883-07-19
IN KANSAS.
The Deadly Texas Screw Worm
Attacking Human Beings.


where the air is dry and pure, lives
an insect known as the screw worm
hy. 1t is small and active. This
fiy is the terror of ,be Texas cattle.
A fight between hot-blooded Texas
cattle generally terminates in one OF
the animals being severely wounded
As the smell of the blood drifts down
the @4ldsy Gwhteh- eess!sssl y-bfow onJ
the pIaiusl it attracts the screw flies,
and they course through the air,
eagerly following the trail anxious
to deposit their eggs in the wound.
These flies do not alight in deposits
ing their eggs, but as they fly rapid
Iy and closely to the iujsEed animal,
which evinces the utmost terror
when the buzz of doom fills the air,
they drop a galatinous substance
which adheres to the wound. The
eggs, to the number of hundreds,
are contained in this substance. 1t
is said by the Texas cattle breeders
that the eggs hatch in twenty-four
hours. Promptly on Matching, the
worms burrow into the flesh of the
living animals. More flies deposit
eggs. More screw worms are hatch
ed. They also barrow into the flesh.
A succession of crops of screw
worms follows rapidly, and the un~
fortunate animals is devoured alive,
as they honey comb the flesh. The
cattle, unable to endure the pain,
become crazy and roam the prairie
dangerous members of bovine soci
ETY., until death lays bis kind hand
on them. Several persons were at
tackled by screw worms. One of the
cases that terminated fatally was full
ly reported in the Kansas and Ms
omj Valley Medical InCteG. 1t is
wort thy of note. The patient had
long suffered from ozens. On the
evening of Aug. %, 1882 this man
complained of a tickling sensation at
the base of the nose, tina: was
promptly followed by exhaustive
sneezing. This in its turn was fol-
lowed by intense pain in the region
of the eyes and cheeks. The phys,
icians in attendance mistakenly sop
posed the pain was the result of
ozena. On the evening of the Gath
of August there was sudden and
profuse discharge from both nostriis
and the mouth. Instantly all pain
ceased. There was no longer any
involuntary discharge. The pus
was with difficulty expectorated.
The soft pallet had been destroyed,
and the tongue could no longer be
used in speech. When this stage of
the disease had been reached, a
screw worm, much to the estonish-
ment of the attending physician, fell
from the mouth of the dying man.
Oae after another, in obedience to
the laws of their nature, full grown
screw worms wriggled from his nos
triIs and mouth until $50 of them
crswled from the honey combed head
and throat. The man died. An
examination showed that the heshy
mart of the interior Of his head had
been almost all devoured The sec
6nif case occurred at SaliDa Kansas
On the 23d of August DR.. K E.
Switzer of that town was called to
attend a woman suffering from a
severe pain across the bridge of the
nose. After careful examination OF
the case, the Doctor was unable to
explain the cause of the pain. Again
he examined the patient. ln the
left nos,ril be saw q small corrugated
ball that was apparently revolving
slowly. The ball resem bled tiny
walnut. The Doctor saw an occa-
sional pointed black head protrude
from the wriihing mass. Promptly
he administered chloroform to the
woman. With the aid of forceps
he removed sixty five worms. From
the time of the discovery of the
worms until the last was removed
two days passed. ln this short
time, though the worms sluggish
from the effects of the chloroform,
they had sufficient vigor to destroy
the partition of the nose. This wo>
man fully recovered. Several other
cases occurred in Kansas last year.
As far as can learn as the peo>
pie who we're attacked had ca!tarrb,
a disease very prevalent Oh the
wind swept plains west of the Mis-
souri, River. 1t is highly probable
that the fully developed flies, when
moving through the air in search of
places to deposit their eggs, struck
a catarrhal trail, followed it to its
source, and deposited their eggs in
the nostrils of the unfortunates
while they slept Kerosene oil
has proved effectual. 1t instantly
kills the worms. Ii the worms
through the ignorance of the physi'
clans, are allowed to remain uhdisn
turbed for severed days it is exceed
iugly doubtful if any remedy can
reach them. 1t may be that an
enormously strong man could endure
the pain and could rally from the
exhaustion follow Jog intense physi
cal sufft ring until the worms feeding
or his flesh arrived at perfect mstu
rity and crawled from their burrows
to screw themselves into the ground,
from which they emerge as flies in
L