Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-11-07

Will Equine Virus Prevent the Spread
of the Disease in Tan.
From the New York Sun.

From the New York Sun
Scarlet fever among horses has lately attracted
a good deal of attention among medical men,
especiaIly with reference TO its effect on the
health al human beings. Each of the three lead
ing medical societies of this city, the Academy
of Medicine the County Medical society, and
the Pathological Society. has a committee inves-
ti-ating the subject and Or. John C. Peters is
chairman of each committee. Speaking on the
subject, Dr. Peters said:
The first great acquisition Of information on
ills subject IN modern times was through the
INVESTIGATIONS of the celebrated DIR. Pcrcval
vino was veterinary surgeon in London in
1874 He described the disease he had met
II a an army surgeon. He drew the attention
al the celebrated pr. Copeland to the subject.
and pr. Copeland after Investigating of
the cases. published articles about it. He took
the position that scarlet fever originated in
horses first. and was communicated from them
to man.
The first description OF scarlet fever in horses
Is "a far back as 1914. and the earliest account
We have If scarlet fever IN mankind is A. H. 1910
From 1914 tn 1910 there i an unbToken chain of
evidence of the existence of scarlet fever in
horses. simultaneously with utbreaks in human
bein-s. and sometimes connected with diphtheria
in horses In 1Jl4 IL p"St.lentia disease among
animals. something like measles but more par
ticulary resembling scarlet fever, was described.
Their" eruption on the face. ears ana neck
attended with severe sore throat In 1910
severe sore throat reached many horses and IT
like scarlet fever and dipttheria In 1917
Mercurias described malignant sore throat
and disease resembling scarlet fever. which he
said originated among horses ana was tra 1smiS
S!blc To man. In 1918 they had one of the s,reat-
est outbreaks OF scarlet fever aud Dip herla
among human beings that has ever ii da-
scribed. In 1910 the sa,c2 tang happei cd &C
cG.ai~2-.rtI w,tn the eplZoOty among hon IS. 1t
was attributed To the poisoning OF the toI ,tatns
and witches were burned as the cuprlts. These
cases mainly in Portugal SPAN. and
Italy. In ltl2 there was disease of horses
marked by high fever. swelling OF the throat
drop-y and disease OF the kidneys There were
symptoms OF scarlet fever then. which were
attrInuted To the poisoning of the wafer In
112l Their" was what was called scarlet fever in
man. and most violent epZ0otic in horses. In
1121-2S Rutty. one of the most distinguished
medical writers OF the time, described a disease
among horses in Dublin and other parts. of
Ireland where there was sore throat among
both horses and men. The clothes of men car
fled the pe>tIiCnce. In la3 there was scarlet
fever epidemic in England and Scotland. and
there was also the epiZoOty among horses
which WAS described as scarlet fever. Hnxham.
a great medical writer. described an epidemic of
the same Kind the same year. Knight multiply
examples for the following century.
From 1851 down ali the principal writers on
veterinary medicine have descriptions of scarlet
fever among horses They admit two varieties
one of which is mild and the other malignant
The latter is said To come from horses of bad
constitution living in filthy stables. The latest
writers on the subject are DIR. Williams profess
sor of veterinary medicine in the Royal College
III Edinburgh and Dr. Robertson. OF London.
Or. Robertson taxes the peculiar view that
scarlet fever originates spontaneously among
horses. We have generally supposed that scar
let fever among human Kind comes from con-
tagion- think it much more probable thai
what he describes scarlet fever are but the
first stages. and that We have to look for real
scarlet fey-r among cases OF pnk-eye' and
'strangleS.
''ln the past summer visited q number of
large car and omnibus stables in pursuit OF in
formation on this subject | found very few
eases found that majority OF the veterinary
surgeons and fOremen of the stables denied all
knowledge at the disease, but on speaking to
thu found that they described it; yet they
Thought IT Was not Contagious.
My cEf2nati". @f :...:s i that re ;,i--s-- j.
contagious. but il is not observed because the
horses are bought in small numbers five to ten
at time. These viii get the disease in their
turn hat those which have had il before will not
take IT. The disease which the new horses get
Is called the dl~tcnper and is attributed to the
1oui T eli the stables irritating the ewes noses
:2v ;Itru;iys ri tie horses. | feel pretty sure
that Some OF these hcrStS have scarlet fever.
There are nO means OF disinfectin- the stables /
believe that the disease viii be folli.,t LARGELY in
the sales stables
Il found some of the veterinary surgeons
quite familiar with the measles in horses There
IL pressing Need of more attention To The cleans
Ing and ventilation OF stables. one thing |
Observed s. very peculiar. winch that in
some al the private stables. apparently clean
there was obviously great injury done BY the
Use oi straw infected by eXcremeut. MANY
nne lrivdt" stables. from this cause and from
lack e: ventilation. Were worse than livery and
car stables There II Il amentate lack Of dis
lnIecttHts, which are cheap. and which are
necessary 10 protect human beings from the
spread Of disease. we'll a. to save the lives of
valuable horses There are 100000 horses in
New ork, and 1000 of them die every year
There is no intelligent inspection Of the stables.
as there should be. and the board of health
Goes not attend 10 the subject as il should. |
must make an exception of the Fourth and
MaiisOn avenue car stables. which found very
clean. and tie horses We're very healthy The
stables clean and ventilated. They use disn-
fectantS
The most remarkable results have been OBJ
tanned by ID. j. W Stchler of Orange. n J.
He had SOME equine virus sent to him by Dr.
Williams OF Edinburgh. Dr. Stickler inocu-
lated twelve children. who were afterward ex-
posed To the disease of scarlet fever and did not
tahe IT. That was last May or June He has
lnOculated two young colts and reproduced the
disease among them. He failed with calf.
sho"i iiS that the horses were more susceptible
of the disease. Another set OF children were
laOcuIaled. ali OF whom Hcrc living in the same
room where u cas-, of scarlet fever had broken
out some who had been exposed befor. the
REGULATION took the disease nut q majority
escaped Here Was oUlv one case that looked
Ike IL lure. Dr. Stickler will cultivate the
NiTus d"d prove his experiments He is sure TO
Dett with great opposition and possibly as
much - Jc4neF did but have no doubt he has
made discovery as great a. Jennrr's and one
thai vii! prove as signal an epoch in the history
OF medicine