Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-08-03
miscellaneous.
Alarming Disease i. Kansas.
The DEADLY TEXAS SCREW WORN Al
LACKING HUMAN BEINGS.

| The DEADLY TEXAS SCREW WORN AT
| LACKING HUMAN BEINGS.
In letter 10 the New York Sun. dated
Medicine Row Range June 90, Mr.. Frank
Wilkeson says: On the plains of Texas,
where countless half wild cattle feed. and
where the air is dry and pure. lives an in
sect known as the screw-worm-hy. 1t is
small and active. This fiy is the terror OF
the Texas cattle. The long-horned brutes
are quarrelsome The males fight savage
IL, sometimes to the death. The females
are far from being peaceful animals. A
| fight between hotblooded Texas cattle
generally terminates in one of the animals
being severely wounded. As the smell Of
the blood drifts down the winds which
ceaselessly blow on the plains, it attracts
the screw flies. and they course through
the air. eagerly following the trail. anx-
ious to deposit their eggs in the wound.
These flies do not alight in depositing
their eggs but as they fly rapidly and
closely to the injured animal, which
evinces the utmost terror when the buzz
of doom fills the air they drop gelatinous
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 "a hours. Promptly on
Matching the worms burrow into the flesh
of the living animals. More flies deposit
eggs. More screw worms are Matched,
| They also burrow into the flesh. A sue
cession of crops of screw worms follow
rapidly, and the unfortunate animal is de-
voured alive.as they honeycOmb the flesh,
The cattle, unable to endure the pain, be-
come crazy and roam the prairies, dan
gerous members of bovine society, until
death lays his kind on them. have been
informed by the cattle breeders who Craze
their stock on the staked plains, that the
animals seem to realize the danger that
they are in when wounded. and have been
known to seek safety in flight, but that
the flies follow the scent in the air as
hounds follow fox. and the wounded
animals are generally overtaken.
On the great plains lying eastward OF
the Rocky Mountains and included in the
arid belt cattle are bred on large scale.
1t is not the custom t. close herd the
stock in any portion OF the grange. There
is branding roundup in the spring, Il
beef roundup in the fall and in Texas
an additional roundup preparatory to the
spring drive of salable cattle to the
northern grazing grounds. During the
greater portion ofIhe year the cattle roam
at will. A few cowboys ride the range
and pretend to keep note of the locati-
ties where their employers brands are
feeding. 1t can be easily seen that under
this careless management the losses re-
sulting from attacks of screw worms can
be quite heavy, and still be unknOwni to
the owner of the brand. When cattle are
| found suffering from the attacks of these
worms, they. If the tunnelling of the flesh
has not progressed too far. are thrown to
the ground, and a rude and generally I'M
successful attempt is made to exterminate
| the parasites by a free use OF citrin Oint-
ment. This ointment will destroy the I'M
Matched eggs. but its efficacy in killing
the living worms is disputed.
| The screw worm is little over half an
inch long. 1t is corrugated and exceed
ingly hard. When put under the point
OF a knife and pressed upon the worm
slips from under steel and flies through
the air as though made of rubber. I'm.
agine Il white hali-inch screw having a
pointed black head instead of the slotted
one. That is fair representation of the
screw worm.
For ten years Texas cattle have been
driven to Kansas to feed on the grasses OF
the plains lying in the arid belt. For
years they have been driven to the north
ern portion of the Indian Territory to
Craze on the untaxed ranges OF that great
grazing land. Until last year there was
no trouble in Kansas from screw worms.
The stories told by Texas drivers of the
suffering of the cattle on the southern
ranges made but little impression on the
men in Kansas. That these flies would
ever follow the Texas cattle up the trails
to the comparative northern country OF
Kansas was unsupported BY the most
gloomy minded of the Kansas people
Even II suspected, they never. in the mos.
appalling flights oftheir dark imagina.
tons. thought that the flies would change
their habits and select the nostrils of hui.
man beings to deposit their eggs in, but
such is the case.
1t is probable that the long-continued
southwest winds OF last summer waited
the flies from the vicinity of the heards
ly settled portions of Kansas. AT
any rate the mature flies were far east OF
the dead lines" and far north OF the Ar
hausAS NiNeI uufinS poTiiOn vi asst sum-
mer. Several persons were attacked by
screw worms, One of the cases that ter
minated fatally was fully reported in the
Kansas and Missouri Valley Medical In
dex. 1t is worthy of note. The patient
had long suffered from ozena On the
evening of August p. 1882. this man COM
planned OF tickling sensation at the base
of the nose. that was promptly followed
by exhaustive sneezing. This in its turn
was followed by intense pain in the eyes
and cheek, The physicians in attendance
mistakenly supposed that the pain was the
result of ozena The discharge from the
nostrils was purlent and tinged with blood
and exceedingly offensive. The breath
of the patient was revolving. 1t ma, be
that his condition was so extremely Of
iensive that the attending Physician did
not make an examination that would have
revealed the presence Of the disturbing
cause. For two days the man suffered
intense pain. All remedies administered
failed to give relief. On the evening of
the oath, OF August there was sudden
and profuse discharge from both the nos
trils and the mouth, Instantly all pain
ceased. There was no longer any in
voluntary discharge. The pus WAS with
/ 1if3icultv oxnoctnrudad The soa ,~.,...