The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1888-12-21
Thinks Montana Horses as Healthy as Any
in the United States, and Explains
About the ''Unknown Disease"

To the Editor Neu North. Vest:
SIR In your last issue you reprint an item
from the Bozeman Chronicle in which l am
quoted as saying that the disease which has
been called the unknown horse disease is
's%epizootic pleuritis," and that I predict a
general prevalence of the disease next
spring. There is evidently a mistake some
where or other in this item. In the first
place, 1 have never said that the disease
which some people are pleased>to call the
unknown disease" was epizootic pleuritis;
secondly, I have no reason whatever to
think that our horses will be visited in the
spring with any greater amount of disease
than might be ordinarily expected; and,
thirdly, I rave not seen any disease in the
Territory since July, August and September
of last year which was not easily diagnosed.
During these months there was in several
places of the Territory outbreaks Of disease
among horses of an obscure character. At
the request of the Governor of the Territory
and the Board of Stock Commissioners, 1
made arrangements with an eminent Eastern
pathologist to scientifically inquire into the
cause of these outbreaks, but by the time
such arrangements were completed the out
breaks had abated, and satisfactory cases for
experiment could not be found. Careful
: notes, post and ante norton, were made at
! the time by the late DR.. Parsons and myself,
and upon these notes ! compiled a lengthy
| paper which I read before the o. S. Veteri-
nary Sanitary Convention at Chicago last
month. AS yet 1 have failed to meet a
Veterinarian to whom the trouble was
familiar. Now since the time of these ont.
breaks every disease among horses has been
| termed the unknown disease" To the non.
professional observer many different diseases
| appear one and the same, but the educated
| Veterinarian need have no difficulty what
ever in differentiating between these out
breaks and anything which has since ap.
peared. However, that does. not alter the
| fact that many diseases. well known to the
veterinary profession for hundreds of years,
have since been termed "unknown." Let
me try to explain how absurd this is. Dur
ing the past few months I have examined
cases of unknown" horse diseases in the
| Gallatin valley, and found severe cases of
influenza with more or less of its many
forms and complications. On Mizpah creek,
Custer county, I found that form of influ-
enza known as epizootic pleuritis. In an
other part of the Territory I found the
]s'unknown' to be a hoof disease, "Furuncle,"
and in another place it turned out to be a
bad outbreak of CHAMBERS, and so l conld go
on and state where l had found cases of
Paralysis. Pyogenic Fever. Azoturia,
"Loco" poisoning, ("Loco" can hardly he
termed poisonous; it affects animals in much
the same way that the opium habit affects
~people), Scarlet Fever, Ergotism, etc, but [
think this will be sufficient to convey my
meaning.
Taking into consideration the number Of
horses in Montana, the exposures to which
they are subjected, and the little care they
receive, l consider them as healthy as any
in the Union, and l unhesitatingly state
that We nave no worse diseases among our
horses to-day than can be found in almost
every State or Territory from Maine to Cali
fornia. Yours truly,
HERBERT HOLLOWAY, V. s.,
Territorial Veterinarian.
HELENA. NJ. T., Dec. IL, 1888.