, 1884-07-10
TIE MILK SICKNESS.
rhe Dread Disease Which Was Once
the Pioneers Mortal Fee.
Locality and Habitat of n Deadly
POison-The "Tremblcs - of The
Brute, the SsMTIk sickness"
of Man.


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Deep in tie shaued r cesses Of the almost
unli uiUed forests an J along the timber-lined
st. q ms that melnder through tbs vast
praIries of the west, there lnrked an
underworld poison, alike fatal to man
and beast, An interesting and most
significant fact in re alton to the
locality an habitat OF this deadly poison, is
tlat it occurred only in PLACES where the soil
was still In its virgin state, and that it disap.
peaied Immediately after the en- tivation OF
tie soil IL appeared unable to perpetuate
Its aggressive and dangerous life, where the
sunlight OF heaven was permitted to slime.
Therefore, through the stalwart energy and
ent rpIise OF the woidman an his nx, the
dark, gloomy aud infected forests, which it
claimed as Its home, have been transformed
into waving fields ami cheerful pastures, and
this pestilentiaI pois m, Whatever it may
have Ueen, has taken its a ght, and its dangers
are no longer felt or feared.
The disease producsl by this poison oc-
CURED orr ,inslly in the herbIvora--the OK,
horse, sheep, etc.-but was to
the carnivnrous animals aud birds which had
fed vi on the flesh OF o.her animals dead
from the disease, as the Dig anu the Vultuse.
The 1csh aud milk OF d ssased animals wero
cal able, when eaten, Of impartinS til. dis
ease To others; the coz, through her milk,
poisoned her calf aud po.soueI the people
who drank the milk or ATE Of the butter
made OF the milk. When the poison had
once lseen intro uced into the system, it had
tue rOperty OF self propagation and OF i'm
pattIns the game intensely poisonous prop
critics from one animal u another, and was
rapaLle Of pcrpetu iting the disea 6 in a coz
tinuous chain OF animals as one should ca;
ne flesh oil RnoJ er; thus, each pnan | of thu
Il sh 81 a dog when hat been poi,onei by e
pound OF hesli Of the COW would poison tho
~vul.ure. aud so through u loug chain of nnt
mails, The last pound oil q .sh partakeno of beng
as ia a ly poisonous US that taken from Cue
irst affected animal
Their il no known miFcral or vegetable
priuciI le winch, when taken into the system,
can thus multiply i.seIf an ~prrpetuate it,
poisonous principle Its origin can be ac-
coun ed fnr only on the germ theory of dis
ease. Toe disease III man derived its name from
he wel-es'ablisLe TACT TINT 1t was p o.
duced Ly cat ng the FISH or milk, butter or
cheese ma, lie from the milk of COWS or oth.r
animals which had become pc suned
N Consequence OF fiequenting certain
limited ia. g,s or uncu uvsted pastures-
IL was called "milS s.cRneas,' and tho
euue % denomlnated It res" Through its
muuai DIES ruction VI large numbers of no.
tntstc ami as ami its fa,alIty among the
cfriy settlers, IL Was one OF the mCst proni.
Htll tIeLltNb u IL pAOsltIlAJ vi lnc plO-
neers-
Ii tine beginning the symptoms were not
we'll market, So that the milk VI flesh Of
,cnlly uiseased animals M gIt bc inudvert
eutty eaten un Ter the sition tnat the
annual WIS in good bealIh. Their most at
trac i've md heaity-look ing condition, even
their extreme fntaess, did not give complete
u,suruEcs Of tier exemption from
tie ~,.isease. In this state they Were
often fcuud to lie sick, suffering
Ion tie .oss OF appetite and energy, with
ue.r eyes red and wutory, and tp sta & /,
.mb e, IalI down IN convul.ions aud die.
sheep W hen seized with n paroxysm Of the
~ n.bl,s 81 woll stru. gle as il trying 10
tIee themselves from the grasp OF y ms ter
r,ble enemy, an would soon surIvn,er and
TALL down. utiering the most plaintive llsHt-
Ing, us II sui, ring intensely painful dist ess-
Tha farmers bnd a test Tor the heal, hull
ness of b.ef cattle just Oft the wild range;
it may be designate as the fatigue test
[ have often seen the test apple. 1t CON-
ss,ed in plcc ng tie animals III a field or lot,
nnd Logs, with coats an hats off, were
directed 10 chase them al ound and urge them
TO t, cir greatest spec. II, after a long
base, tne catt.e d d not evince signs of mus
GUAR weakness, stagger, trernble, and tall
down, they were pronounced healthy, and at
once slaug htered and their beef 9 ten with
the utmost feeling of security against the
disease.
Any u tempt, on tho part OF a man not
July recovered from an attacl, to walk or
run last would induce II parUxysm of tremb-
ling, attended by great muscular prostratiop
and cbility. lie would be compelled to sit
down aui rest, or fall down. Active physi-
cal xpIt on, stimulated by excitement, would
imlned atcly Ell, AMER life. A farmer lived
- H.. IL
"tremhies." A neighbor passed along the
Iuad, with a dog following him. The sick
,og did I, t see the other until it had passed
some uistance Ltyund the house. Tue old
haLit OF chasing every dog that came in sight
Of the farm had become second nature,
and So stimulated him to ran after, catch
ami punish the intruder, that he started
81 at his greatest poss BILE speed, but,
before catching up with the strange dog. he
was 8 en- to fall down, tremble as " it'll a con-
~vulsior and, before the farmer could walk
TO " here he fell, was d. ad- Dogs which had
eaten OF poisoned fl sh became, in a few days,
80 stiff an be plCss that they could nos get
over a three-ra,l ftnte, and we're utterly un-
fit for the chase Of game, or to drive stock
from the & ldI ork-oxt could endure
Lut It'll, travel or work. Horses once af-
fevt d--thou sh locking ere worthless
for work or travel, and traders could not
specd item back and forth to exhibit tn III
super or ga is, but lad to trade them stand
ing. II a mau star ed to ride o a ueighbor's,
a few miles away. Lis hos IS was liable to
give out on the road nnd leave him to walk
Tome.
In the primitive days, when 1t was
claimed that men were more honest
than nav, it was not always an easy
matter 10 determine just In what par. icular
n, ighbOrhood the lUisInous principle was
located, as the story has Lecn current FIR
tbIr y yeais tat travellers or lanl buyers,
81 ekiig homes in the ". vt, found it very
difficult to catch up with tie place where ii
ba its hab .~tatiOn; That in answer to their
questions as to whether the neighboI bood
whs troubled with 1t, they Invariably re-
ceiNed the assurance hat tue disease did not
exist tn re. but "over ut Joues', five miles
RiVad, it was bid" Farmers then appeared
to lie as reldy to SUI pres tie existence OF
this d seaSe near them as ctuinercial men
aUu new Il aptIs are to suppress The existence
OF epidemic or con agiouS diseases in the
great marts OF business. Tie disc $50 was
known ia North Carolina more than 100
years n o. aud as emigration Towel west
ward 1t was found to exist IN Tennessee, Ken
lucky, and has ~revaile in these states, as
well as in Indiana, lliino r. NJ ssoqri, Ala
bsma, Virginia AID pIrhni 5 several western
states Othei Than thos mentioned.
Olive Harper says that but few women
writers are handsome.