Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1892-04-19
ANIMAL PARASITES.
Efforts Being Made by the Gov
eminent to Destroy Them.
billions OF Dollars Lost Each Year
Through the Depredations OF Insect
PoGts-Sources ~ Destruc-
tive Diseases.

~NSNNNt SNN
American hog to be shut out Of Europe
so long arc from rats, has given new
impetus to tho pursuit of q line of in
vestigation which has been claiming
the attention of the United States gov
ernmcnt, says n Washington correspon-
DEM of the New York Sun. DR.. Lcucll-
hart, the great Lcipsic professor who
made the discovery, n~sccrtaincd by the
dissection of rats that forty per cent. of
them were infected by trichinGo. Rats
are cannibals. They cat their own OH
spring and each other, and spread the
infection. Whether they ever die of
trichinosis is not known, although it
makes them lame sometimes. Pics de-
vour thcro and contract the complaint.
Human beings in their turn cat the
pigs, and the trichinD develop, with
fatal results frequently. The disease Is
reclxopcd the most deadly known, mas
much as it kills in sixty per cent. Of all
cases. Among the animals attacked by
1t arc cats, dogs, horses, bears and rab-
bits, although how they get the para
sites is uncertain.
The department Of agriculture is at
present giving earnest attention to the
study of animal p-raGitG5, with q view
of finding ont methods for fighting
against GCrHc ( t..cEa which cause IL
loss of man: !rili * Of dollars yearly
to farmers. II made u bic discovery
recently il RI t!oa to The fetal disease
of cattle ca.,-l Tc:;;0 fever, which
is caused l. = ~rainutc animal
called Il ~pv":""OcH, nat feeds On
the rcd c"c;r".''J in tho blood
and de%tro-3 ;',"r. iIcccnt develop
mentsC Of In .v:l"l ..vN-,al tho p%rotozoa
as producer, Il 49, . complaints. 1t
has been u3GI: t..1rl hat the cause of
malaria is y 49, "".,"n which feeds on
the blood ca "l":, &nd another mi
crosopic foe Of t,'-H & ";cription is respon-
siblc for cH"t n fo"caS of dyscntcry.
Undoubtedly r.any disorders not now
understood will eventually be referred
TO 4 similar OTigiH.
The department is trying to discover
means for combating another parasite.
which causes Il loss Ct nearly three mil
lion, five hundred thousand dollars n
year in cattle slaughtered in Chicago.
1t is the dreaded heel fly, which lays its
erGs on the backs Of the animals, the
worms Matched from them boring
through the skin and remaining buried
lOE ScNCIIl lIlOilO-lo la GIC ISoh. oIl
emerging they fall to the ground and
i,rm the c~hrysalis condition, come out
-; perfect flies, ready to lay their eggs
on the backs Of other cattle. that being
their only method of reproduction. If
n hide at the market has more than five
holes made by the worms it is rated as
of second quality, and the meats sell for
n cent less q pound in gross.
Another insect. known in the west as
tho gad1ly attacks horses. laying his eggs
on the animal. Tho horse liclIS linn
self and conveys the eggs to it's stomach,
where they are Matched, the worms
clinging to the stomach walls. Very
often they bore through the stomach
and kill the horse. A parasitic worm
Known as the liver flulke attaches itself
during Il certain stage of it's being to
the liver and lungs of cattle. During
its early growth it goes through n series
Of astonishing metamorphoscs, develop.
ing n new self inside of it's old self in q
different shape several times. Finally
It leaves the body of the beast, and
what becomes of it is not known pre-.
cisely; but there is no doubt that it is
transformed into a species of snail that
~ ~ WV PA1NST - WI JtIlllIN u
lay its eggs in suob spots, where the
cattle lick them up, thus completing the
cycle Of it's being.
Only n beginning has been made by
this government in the work of fight
'nT the parasites of animals. BY al
ways coudemning the pigs which arc
infected with trichin@ the disease will
I've rendered less common neelnies
and gadfies are combated successfully
and destroyed by spreading tar oint-
ment over the bodies OF tho beasts at
tackled. In its labors the bureau of ami
nal industry of the department. of ag,
riculture devotes its attention first tc
studying the life history Of each para
site, In order TO find out at what stage
Of it's existence the enemy con be Mt
lacked to the best advantage. Having
procured q full knowledge Of the habits