The Minneapolis journal., 1902-08-13
DEADLY TICK BITES.
Minneapolis Medicos Probe the
Mystery of Spotted Fever.
AN INSECT CARRIES CoNTAGIoN
Every Infected Person They Exam
ined Had Been Bitten by the
Poisonous Tick.

That the spotted fever of the Rocky
Mountains, one Of the most deadly dis
eases known, is due to the bite OF
tick which has previously bitten some
small animal Is the, conclusion just an
nouced by two Minneapolis physicians who
returned from Montana last week. They
were investigating the cause Of this lit
tie known disease at the request Of the
Montana state board of health.
The Investigators were DR.. Louis B.
Wilson, assistant bacteriologist OF the
Minnesota board of health and demon
strator in pathology at the state univer-
tsity, and DIR. William M. Chowning also
a demonstration in the same department at
she university.
Observations were made in the Bit
ter Root Valley near Missoula. Mont, OF
thirteen cases of the mysterious disease.
Nwelve of the thirteen patients died. On
shhe body of each victim were found the
Smarks of recent tick bites and Drs. Will
Fson and Chowning were convinced that 1t
twas through the ticks that a v1rulent
hgerm had been conveyed from some small
smammal. What that mammal Is the doc
stors are not yet prepared to say: But
Micks were discovered upon the bodies of
kwell nigh every wild or domestic animal
Aexamined in the infected district.
This prevalence of the tick Is proof OF
,Ahat, in itself, the creature is not dan
sgerous If it's bite were fatal, many re-
kgions about the Rocky Mount aims would
Ebe uninhabitable.
{ Hence the observers concluded that the
ptioks are merely carriers Of spotted fever.
They must transfer a fearsome malady
Ffrom some obscure animal and presum-
Aably an animal that is not domesticated.
A West Slope Malady.
Spotted fever has appeared, so far, al
fmost exclusively west OF the Rocky
mount aims in the states Of Idaho, Montana
and Wyoming.
1.-THE cases in Montana say Drs. Will
Bon and Chowning in their preliminary
report, 'tare confined to the eastern foot
hills OF the Bit ter Root Mountains Even
here the disease is rare. Although the
anortality rises to 80 per cent, the total
number of deaths recorded within nine
teen years has been only 25O.
:, "The first case observed in the Bitter
Root valley occurred in 1878, when few
white men we're living there. Apparently
the fever was unknown to the Indians.
"Trhe disease confines it's ravages to the
sprtng months. Persons Of all ages and
of each sex are alike susceptible. The
earliest recorded case began March II, the
Ratest July 20.
."Ticks also appear in the same region
fat the beginning Of spring, become most
Numerous about the middle Of June, and
adisappear about the middle Of July.
urrhe occurrence Of spotted fever In 1so-
Aated cases in a district sharply limited on
tpne side by a river would indicate the con-
Eeyance Of the germ to man by tenn
Mporarily parasitic animal that travels
Slowly and that is not carried far by the
wind"
Moreover, the blood of all the patients
who died contained parasite as yet un-
identified. This parasite resembles most
the bacillus Of Texas fever, which, is con-
veyed to cattle through the bite Of ticks,
Finally, all of the patients examined had
been bitten by ticks, as already mentioned
The symptoms of spotted fever resemble
in some particulars those of typhoid. The
distinguishing mark of the Montana
scourge is the purple spots which appear
within two to five days after Fremont
tory chill. These spots, of a dark blue or
.purplish color, increase in size and run
together until patients are covered with
alternate lines of purple and white, SO
that the corpse of spotted fever victim
appears to have been turned to mottled
marble. Death usually occurs between the
sixth and the fourteenth day.
An autopsy reveals evidence Of acute in
zeotion. The only popularity, besides the
smarblng of the skin, Is the presence in
9the blood Of strange parasite, a. hema-
to0oon resembling the micro organism Of
Texas fever.
Quinine and calomel is the usual treat
ansnt. 1t does little to delay the fatal end
Next season Drs. Wilson and Chownine
Will resume their investigation with the
particular object of discovering an ade-
Huate remedy.