The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1901-04-25

Cure for South African Horse Sickness
A discovery of considerable interest
and Importance is, says the Times,
announced in the annual report to his
government of Dr. Alexander Eding-
ton. government baeteriologist at Ora
Jamestown Cape Colony He claims
that it is a perfect and complete so
luton to the problem of protecting
against Inconsistencies horses which
have to live in unhealthy districts in
| South Africa AS in the case OF rim
derpest among cattle, DR.. Ellington re-
| lies upon incubation with the virus
| OF the disease to render horses i'm
| mune from the ma1ady. In virulent
| form, it has energy great that
no horse can, practically speaking,
| Withstand it, whether it is communi-
Gated naturally in the veldt or by arti-
hc1al means. But when the virus has
| been attenuated a different condition
| obtains The problem over which the
| baeteriologist spent much time and
| labor was how to overcome the ex-
| IRENE variation of susceptibility in
| various horses. 1t was found that the
same attenuated virus that would kill
some animals only set up mild fever
in others Still, the experiments went
on. and Dr. Ellington at last esta blish-
ed the right principle of starting with
virus which had been less reduced.
Serum taken from animals that had
recovered from the disease was tried,
but it possessed no apprecia BILE anti
| toxic property Then serum was OBJ
ta1ned from horses which, after re-
covery, had been inoculated with doses
of virulent blood; this showed marked
results. OF course the old difficulty
of adapting the virus to the suscepti-
bll1ty OF the animal remained, but the
system finally adopted was this: Blood
OF the highest order of virulence is
, carefully standardized and preserved /;
1t VIII keep its powers unchanged for
, | two years. Standardized serum is sup
, | piled, which, bottled in presence of an
antiseptic, will keep for long periods
| A definite amount of viru1ent blood Is
, | mixed with so &C. of serum and in
I | Jected under the horses skin; some
| days later a smaller dose with the
| same proportions is given; at a later
+ | date the process is repeated with z
reduced quantity of serum; and l.
f | days later pure virulent blood is in
f jected. Thus, the animals system is
i | gradually fortified against disease by
5 the introduction OF virus of increasing
a power; the sickness is at first produced
t | in the form of fever with higL tenn
perature, but in few days norma
= state of health ensues, and in man,
S cases horses have been inoculated will
e enormous doses of virulent blood
: without showing any ill-effects-dose:
T enough to have destroyed them out o
: hand unless they had been Injured tt
the poison by the cumulative injec
v tons Il am happy to say observes
g the doctor that this method leaves
+ little to be desired, and affords a per
feet and complete solution to the prob
|. lem of protecting horses which hav'
e to live in unhealthy districts in Sout1
t Africa According to the Cape Times
t Dr. Ellington is setting up all the ma
: chinery and appliances necessary tx
e the practical application of the meth
q cd, and expects shortly to be able t.
meet any demand for material and ap
e paratus. In view of the number of pre-
: pared animals which it will be neces
sary to maintain, some additional
stabling will be required, and provi
sion made for better water supply
and the report expresses hope that
: in view of the enormous benefit which
> must accrue from the application o
this discovery, the Cape governmen
will approve of this expense
Tapeworms in Poultry.
- TapewOrmS sometimes infeSt pOu1tr!
70 fhof