The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1888-09-01
DISEASEFROM BEASTS.

which affect animals are capable of
being contracted by man is no long
sfa matter for discussion. We see
evidences of its truth on all sides and
we make use of the knowledge in Or
der to protect ourselves from other
diseases to which mankind is subject.
Thus we take the matter efigendered
by the e6%pox and by inoculating
ourselves with it protect ourselves
from that great scourge of former
days-smdllpex. 1t is well known,
too, that Pasteur asserts his ability
to secure the immunity of the human
subject from hydrophobia by inocula-
hing with attenuated hydrophobia
virus; but it Is by no means yet
proved that his efforts have in q sim
gle case beef successful. The late
Mr. Darwin relied upon the fact that
animals arc subject to many OF the
diseases which are fflet with in man.
kind for one of his chief argu-
ments in favor of the identity OF
origin Of IMAM and those below him
in the scale of creation. Thus not
only hydrophobia and smallpox, but
CHAMBERS, cholera and certain skin
diseases, can be communicated from
animals to man. In addition to
these strictly contagious affections,
the lower animals are subject to 9TH
sr diseases to which man is liable.
Among these are consumption, ca
tarrh, apoplexy, inflammation OF the
bowels and certain affections Of the
brain and spinal cord, causing con-
vulsions, tremor and paralysis.
PARASITIC INFECTION.
Among the most important dis
eases which we contract from the
lower animals are those which are
due to parasites of various kinds. As
these sometimes produce fatal results
and as they are oil more or less pre-
ventable 1 propose to restrict what l
have to say at this time to the con-
sideration of some of those diseases
which are due to the presence of vati-
GUS organic beings which man de-
rives from the domestic animals
which minister to his wants.
Most farmers are familiar with what
is called measled pork, but few per-
sons outside of the medical profession
know in what the condition really
consists. The general belief is that
il is a disase similar to the
measles to which the human
race Is subject. With that dis
ease, however, it has no analogy. A
hog that is measly is inhabited, 30 to
speak, by numerous organisms,
,alledin learned phraseology cysticer.
Gus, or, in the vernacular, bladder
worm, which name is due to the fact
that it's body consists of o vesicle
which is large enough to be visible to
the naked eye. This body has COM
parativelylongneck and around head
TO which numerous hooks are at
tached, by means of which it can adj
here to any part OF the body in which
it may settle. Besides the hog it is
met with in sheep. The
chief danger to man arising from the
existence of this parasite is due to
the fact of it's prediction for the hog.
1t is destroyed by a temperature of
Ito degrees Fahrenheit and as we do
not often eat our mutton without
first cooking it (although mutton
hams dried and smoked are some
times taken without being cooked
We are not very liable to set these |
organisms into our system from this |
source. Certain classes of our pOpu-
Iation, however, are in the habit of
eating pork which has been subjected
to no more thorough cooking than |
such as has been afforded by the |
smoke house, and this is never suf-
6cient to kill the cysticercus. |
AS q consequence the animal
obtains a Judgement in the human
body and if it is content to make it's |
way to the muscles and remain there
quietly it does little or no harm. But |
it's habits appear to be migratory,
and hence it not frequently makes |
excursions into the eye or the brain |
or other important organs, giving
rise to serious symptoms and fire.
uuently causing death. 1t appears
to have particular liking for the
brain and especially for that most |
part of this organ-the |
gray matter. Epilepsy, acute mania, |
and stupor are the conse-
quence of it's presence and death |
usually ends the series of morbid dis
Surbances.
A great difficulty in the way of the
successful treatment of diseases
caused by cystieercus is due to the |
fact that we have no means of recog- |
nizing their presence in the brain I'M
til we come to make post-mortem
examination, the symptoms which
they produce not being distinguisha-
BILE during life from those caused by |
the morbifc factors. 1t has, how
ever, been removed from the eye by a
surgical operation, but we are not |
in the present state of our |
in perforating the |
skull in a search for these ami