The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1884-09-04

VITA Prot. stalker o. the Cattle Disease
ct xe 1Gsxs.
Dies Noinss Special: Prof. n Stalker, state
veterinarian, was found in tho city the other
day, and was immediately coralled for IN ex-
PLANTATION Of tho cattle disease outbreak at Le
Mars:
II found, " he said, ''that large number Of
cattle had died; that in almost every case the
attack was fatal In company with the resi-
dent physicians, I at once set about ascertain
ing the cause. We made thorough clinical OK
animation. followed BY post norton. I found
the disease was true Texas fever: The next
step was to ascertain the source Of infection
Inquiry disclosed the fact that nearly all the
cases were those Of town cows, which
were driven every morning to = Ger
tain range to feed through the day,
and were returned 1t night Knowing that
the disease could only be communicated in
one way, further inquiry showed that nearly
two months ago herd Of cattle from abroad
was ted on the range several days. Examina-
ton OF the records ct the Office of the railroad
company showed that several cars Of cattle
were unloaded at Le Mars and fed several days,
when they were reloaded and sont to Dakota
From the date Of their feeding on this range to
the time of the outbreak of the disease among
the native cattle was fifty-two days, which l
have found is the incubation period of this dis
ease. How much further south those cattle
came from I cannot trace; but they were evil
IDENTITY Southwestern CATTLE"
diee" - ' '' - >' - ~
mo; it is a,sineular fact that such cattle
in fact, all these Texas cattle-are apparently
in perfect heslth. This particular herd were
tat, sleek and in prime order for the butcher.
Their meat is, in fact, wholesome and health
full. They are never sick, and do not impart
the disease by contact The disease is not in
They carry the disease in their body, in their
spleen and kidneyn From the focal and uri-
nary discharges, on the ground where they feed,
is transmitted tho disease to Northern or
native, or unacclimated cattle, to use that term
to express my idea The virtue ends With .
tie attacked with the disease will nc: transmit
it to the other cattle by contact Sick and well
cattle may be stabbed together with no danger:
herd Of other Southern cattle might have
not have been affected at all The people there
were disposed to discredit my statement Of
this anamolous condition and nature OF the
disease. To satisfy them one of those Southern
cattle was found. He was in splendid con-
dltlon. Arrangements were made for dispos-
y
the presence or the local physicians
and health authorities, he was killed
and post norton examination made. Before
commencing, described infinitely what ex-
pected to find The examination verified my
diagnose precisely The spleen was quadrugle
condition found in all these Texas cattle It is
the effect Of the climate in which they live and
the water and food they get"
lis there no cure for it among native cat
tie?
II have found medication of little or no avail
It is uniformly fatal One or two frosts seems
to destroy the virus on ground where these
cattle have fed"
How about that herd sent out to Dakota !;
will they not cause the same results they did
here?"
1T is not improbable; still going 80 far
north they may become changed in physical
condition, so that the virus they leave behind
may lose its destructive force. However, I
would not be surprised to hear oftrouble from
that section"
''What have you determined as to the cause
Of the recent mortality among horses in Pot
tawattamie county,"
II have not yet arrived at q satisfactory con-
clusion. After q very careful clinical examina-
ton decided the fatality was the result of some
toxicant; that the animals were all affected
alike, and that they all had been feeding in q
certain locality on bottom land I spent several
days searching the locality where they grazed
for some known poisonous weed, being salts
fed that the trouble came from something
eaten. I could find nothing to which to attri-
butte it, but did find weed growing quite
luxuriantly which belongs to the family of
very poisonous weed and of which the
horses there cat quite freely and seem to
that the horses in other sections, or on the
college farm would not eat it, or even
taste it, 80 could not test it's effects l
think, therefore, the taste and liking Of it is
acquired, like that for tobacco or opiates by
shall further test it, as have a useless horse
at my infirmary to which I propose to give =
decoction of that weed. So soon as the nature
is correctly determined, remedy can be sug-
gestedL Prevention can be had by keeping
ton is better than cure-in fact the chances
of cure are very slight"