The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1883-06-29
Some Causes of Animal Diseases.
Germantown Telegraph.

Germantown Telegraph.
1t was formerly general belief, es-
pecially among farmers, that many
diseases, such as slabbering in horses,
staggers in sheep, and many diseases
in cattle were produced by certain
weeds or heibage in the food, especial
ly the pasture they consumed. 1t may
be that in some cases it is so, and in
fact we are quite confident that slab
bers are caused by certain weeds in
August pastures, if not by some of the
early autumn grasses, Still, with the
progress of discovery it has been found
that plants are not nearly so much to
blame az we one time supposed. 1t
was for instance once an almost uni
versal belief that the Texan cattle fever
was brought about by some small fun
gold vegetation which existed in the
Texas prairies but commission ap.
pointed by the Department of Agricul-
ture, went to Texas and reported that
there was nothing whatever to warrant
the belief. So with the staggers in
sheep, which 20 often proves fatal
disease, and subjects sheep, raisers to
great loss. 1t was common to attrib-
ute it to plants and which was called
by the sheep, breeders stagger bush on
this account. Besides this, various
other plants in other sections have been
supposed to produce the same disease.
But now it is known very clearly that no
plant has anything to do with it, but that
it results from small wormy parasite,
which after developing in its early sta
ges in the stomach of the animal, works
its way to the head and feeds on the
sleeps brains. All this is well known
now, but it is not so well known how
these parasites are produced, and are
scattered about so as to be introduced
into places which were once free from
it. The clue was furnished some few
years ago in the case of the
trchina at work. 1t was found that a
parasite often found home in
the flesh of the hog, and fearful results
followed on the human frame in many
cases. There was no doubt but the
very same insect could be COM
municated from the animal eaten to the
human system. But subsequent exper-
ments proved without the slightest
doubt that high heat totally destroyed
the enemy aud that therefore meat that
was thoroughly cooked was innocuous
Since then it has been placed beyond
question that some fearful parasites that
once in while infest the human system
come from imperfectly cooked beef.
Raw beef cures have been popular with
some empirical mendicants, and the
parasites which have followed have
been matter of calculation with no
doubt as to the origin.
The great question has been how
these troublesome things first get into
these animals Some time ago, in
some anatomical lectures in Philadel-
phia, DIR. Joseph Leidy,who probably
stands at the head of his branch of sci
ence in this country, gave it as a re-
suit OF his own personal researches,
that animals which eat raw meat
cats, dogs, and-so o-forth-take in the
eggs with the raw meat they eat, which
pass through their system unchanged
and that then the eggs become scatter
tered eventually among the herbage
and again are taken into the system OF
herbivorous animals and in this way
plants are often blamed for results
which really are in no way connected
with them. DIR. l., Is strongly of opin
ion that where focks and herds are fol
lowed as business, no herbivorous an
imal that may be connected with the
establishment should be fed on raw
food, but that the meat they eat shoulc
be as well cooked for them as for hu
man beings,
How far these views may be true o.
not we are unable to say but as the
result of the studies of one of the bes
scientist and most thoughtful men o
the day, they are worthy of respect
These diseases are very troublesome
when they once get into lot of cattle
and any simple thing which does no
take much time or money TO attend to
is usually well worth observing.