Evening star., 1902-08-25
A NEW DISEASE
The Spotted Fever of the
Rocky Mountains.
DR.. C0BB'S REPORT
LIMITED TO THE MONTHS OF
SPRING.
Confined to Small Area of Territory
Probably Ticks of the Gopher
Carry the Infection.
DR.. COBB'S REPORT

reports publishes an interesting report from
Surgeon ]. o. Cobb on an Investigation
made by him into the so-called spotted
FEVER OF the Rocky mountains, a new dis
case in the Bitter Root valley of Montana
and several other places. On June %. last.
Surgeon Cobb was directed TO proceed to
Missoula, Montana. to investigate an out
break Of the fever prevailing in that dis
trict. When he got there he found two
physicians from the Montana state board OF
health already on the field. These two
scientists. had, prior to Dr Cobb's arrival
worked out many details concerning the
cause of the disease and its methods Of
transmission. Surgeon Cobb. however gives
a most interesting account OF the disease
DIR. Cobb says that for seventeen years the
disease has been known among local prac-
| titioners I'm the valley and tradition reports
that IL has been known among the inhabit-
ants from year TO year back to the early
settlements OF the whites. peculiar fact
is that so far as can be learned there have
never been fatalities from the disease
among the Indians.
Limited to Spring Months.
The following are portions Of Surgeon
Cobbs report:
The disease has always been limited to the
spring months. no case being reported later
than July 20, and none earlier than one case
on an uncertain date In January. There is
some doubt attached to the January case.
which is supposed to have occurred several
years ago. Uusally the first cases appear
in March, shortly after the first warm DAYS
Every one with whom l talked is unani-
nous in the positive statement that the
disease only occurs in the spring months
including. Of course, the few warm DAYS i'm
March. In few instances the disease has
appeared In February. but in every case the
month was very mild, having number OF
warm days.
''All clinical experience goes to show that
the disease is not conta gious or infectious.
1t Is, therefore. without doubt an iuocul-
able disease, as an intra-corpuscular para
site has been found constantly present in
the blood of each examined case this year.
The organism resembles very closely Theo-
bald Smiths Texas cattle fever organism.
and il is certainly reasonable to believe.
from the knowledge at hand. that this dis
ease is introduced In man I'm the same way
and i'm like manner as i'm the Texas cattle
fever organism, viz, by the tick.
Confined to Distinctive Area.
During this spring there were more IA
tallties than usual in the locality infected.
and the matter was early brought before
the state board of health. This board Sc
cured the services Of Drs. Wilson and
Chownning. psychologists of the University
Of Minnesota. TO go TO Missoula and work
up the disease These gentlemen have gone
so lar IN their experimental Work as 10 be
able to show that an entirely new disease
has been encountered, and one never before
described.
Briefly and substantially. their investiga-
tions 60 to show that the disease is con-
fined to the Bitter Root and Lolo valleys.
covering an area Of about twenty miles
in width and forty miles I'm length. Very
queerly. too. they find that the disease Is
confined to one side Of the valley. the west
side. So far l believed that no authentl-
Gated case has been contracted on the east
side of the river.
'Now. having found an intra-corpuscular
organism in the blood of their cases. the
next step was to find the host, and here
they were astoniShed to learn that Il was a
common belief among the people OF the
valley that the disease In certain localities
was caused by the bite of the tick Clin-
ically. they found this idea correct, inas-
much as positively. every patient gave his
tory or showed evidence OF being bitten by
the tick. Even the early cases in March
or the exceptional cases IN February II Is
claimed that on warm days the tick can
be found and patients claimed that they
were bitten. The evidence was further
strengthened by the fact that I'm many. |
think I'm nearly all, the places where the
tick adhered and bit the skin. the site Of
moculation, was followed by decided In
flammatory reactions. not a few instances
having been recorded where a large area
sloughed out entirely.
Cause of Infection.
AS lGnOfeuS OF persons are Dllten WIN
ticks throughout this portion OF the state
and as a great many are bitten by ticks
from this infected locality and compara-
lively few contract the disease. 1t was fair
to presume that all ticks did not harbOr the
parasite This naturally led them 10 the
presumption that the host was not the
tick, but some animal Infested by ticks.
II the infected animal were the horse. COW,
deer, sheep other ranging animal. then
one would expect to find the disease gradu-
ally spread over a wider area from year TO
year.
Not to go further into the details Of the
matter, they found that The gopher (Which
in this section Is the ground suuirren was
infested with ticks, and it is well known
that this animal will not cross water eX-
cept under extraordinary circumstances.
This being true, 1t would give the necessary
explanation why the disease was confined
to such small locality and why its limita-
tion seemed to be so clearly defined The
next step was to obtain a great number OF
these animals for examination. This part
of their work is uncompleted, but they have
found enough to make them believe that
the gopher of this particular section has I'm
some way become infected with this organ
ism and that 1t has acquired or inherited
immunity. An intra-corpuscular organism
has been found in the blood Of some OF the
gophers from this locality, while the or
ganism has not been observed in the blood
of these animals obtained elsewhere. or
even from those just across small river.
Not the Mosquito.
"A further interesting observation is that
the first cases follow closely the appear
ance OF the spring crop OF ticks. and the
disease subsidies promptly upon the disap-
pearance of the tick. which is usually about
the 1st of July. This is a very strong point,
for, laying aside the difference I'm the elm
ical features OF the diseases which have
nothing In common with malaria, II seems
nearly positive proof that the mosquito can
be eliminated a factor. For il ii were
the mosquito one would naturally expect
to find the disease increase and spread with
the advancement Of the summer season
the mosquito season. However, all this
has been carefully gone into by these gen
tlemen and will be published by them short
ly in detail
"CIinically. the disease is very odd. There
was only one remaining case. It being thirty
miles up the Bitter Root valley He was IN
the ninth day Of the disease. and had the
peculiar rash which the people for some
time have named spotted fever ex-
amined the heart and lungs, and there
seemed to be no complications of these or
gans. Besides the blush spotting Of the
skin. the conjunctivae are markedly infect