Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1894-09-30

INsv.psper Bulletin No. le.l

Or The evening Of September 9th
tbe attention Of Tho writer wa called
70 "A epidemic disease prevailing
.amon2sA Ne milch COWS on tho ranch
q Mr.. Morris Cohn in Carson Valley,
Douglas county. On tho twelfth OF
!tho month and on tho fifteenth and
sixteenth, visits were made to the
herd, which had been removed to the
State line at the South end OF Lake
Tahoe. Autopsies were held on sev.
eral animals and subsequently micro.
scopic examinations we're made OF
the blood and other tissues. Tho re.
suit attained, together with a careful
study OF tho symptoms, led to tho
diagnosis Of Southern Cattle Fever
or Texas Fever. Tfere was no hcsita-
ton an to the accuracy OF the disgno.
els, AL facts pointing directly to that
disease. 1t will not be the purpose
OF this article to go deeply into the
history Of and outbreak nor ogive IN
extended account Of the various
features OF the disease. Tho objects
OF thU paper will be to review tho his
tory Of tho disease in brief, to give
The characteristics Of the disease. to
discuso it's cause and means of dis.
s%emination, to state briefly the leading
features oithe disease, to announce
the treatment recommended. and to
relate the measures to prevent it's
future establishment in the State.
In june 1894, Mr.. Cohn imported
from San Louis Obispo, California.
four hundred head Of mich COWS, APP
parently in excellent condition, with
possibly a single exception. which
one gave some evidence of the dis
case, and placed the N in a plstur,
with a herd OF one hun ircd and sixty
eight healthy cows. In the month
Of July a few OF the native cows be.
came eick and died. In tho month
OF August moro cows and in greater
number also sickeI,ed and died and
up to September sixteenth but forty
four OF the original one hundred and
sixty-eight native cattle remained.
At that date theywere dying at the
rate OF seyon or eight a day and II
goodly portion of those remaining
were afflicted with the fatal illness.
Being fine milch cows, i. is not IN ex.
travagant estimate to place the loss
at four thousand dollars. 1t is inter.
Getting and important to note ut this
point that not one Of the the import.
ed California cows took sick and
died. g 40
This fact in itself when definitely
ascertained, was almost sufficient evi.
dence TO establish the diagnosis Of
Texas foyer.
= Az defined by Drs. Salmon and
Smith Of the Bureau Of Animal In.
dustry. Department OF Agriculture,
Washington, D.. c., Texas fever is a
specific foyer communicated By cat
tie which have been recently novel
north1ard from the infected district,
or which iB contracted by cattle TAX.
On into the infected district from
other parts OF tho world. 1t is char.
aractcrized by the popularity that
animals which disseminate the affec.
tion are apparently in good health,
while those which sicken and die from
it do not as a rule infect others.
1t il accompanied by high fever.
greatly enlarged spleen, destruction
OF the red blood corpucles, escape Of
tho colorinR matter Of the blood
through the kidneys, giving tho urine
a'deep red color, by yellownos Of the
mucus membranes and fat, which is
seen more especially in fat cattle. by
tho rapid loss Of strength, and by
fatal results in a large proportion OF
tho cases
SO for as the writer has been able
to find, this summer marks the first
introduction Of tho disease into the
State. lin tho past, great losses have
been experienced in tho Western
Statcs lying to tho east Of Nevada
the disease being introduced by the
driving of Southern cattle through
thom; but in moro recent years the
Losses have been greatly diminished
by regulations governing the move.
mont Of Southern cattle. as issued
yearly blythe Secretary Of Agriculture.
1t Ia claimed by Drs. Salmon and
Smith that the disease is due to the
action Of a parasite protozoan. a mi.
%croscopic animals OF the lowest type
and not exceeding M twenty thou
sa1dth Of an inch in diameter, which
lives within and ultimately d~estroye
the red ~corpuscles OF the blood. The
blood corpuscles are destroyed in i'm.
mcnso numbers, and great quantities
OF waste products are found in the
blood, which tasks the organs Of OK
erection 10 their utmort limit TO &c.
nd Of them, failing in the largo ma
iority Of cases. The further and
special consideration of the result,
will bc referred to below.
A further interesting feature Of the
disease lie tho means for its disscminn
ton. Results Of experiments. con
Quoted under the direction OF the
above mentioned gentlemen, has led
them TO announce that it's usual mod,
Of dissemination is through tho medi.
alton Of a cattle tick found parasite,
upon cattle OF tho Southern States