The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1903-05-01
THE LUMPY JAW SCARE.

THE LUMPY JAW SCARE.
The affliction of number of people in Oregon
with lumpy jaw, has caused furore throughout
that state amounting to the more susceptible to
almost panic The subject has been made much
of in the daily press which have widely advertised
it with sensational articles. An authoritative de-
scription of this disease especially prepared for
The Ranch is timely and is given below
Lumpy jaw affects people the same as cattle,
malignant tumor having as it's center vegetable
growth which extends progressively outward al
fecting all tissues alike 1t is essentially local
affection. In cattle it is more frequently seen
about the face because it is always introduced into
the body by infected grains or grasses. During
the time of shedding teeth the cattle are apt to
have particles of grass bearing this vegetable
parasite caught between the coming teeth and
unshed portions of the old teeth. The growing or
this fungus produces Inflammation OF the It's
sues surrounding it, resulting in a swelling which
appears in the form of the very familiar lumpy
jaw.
Should this piece of infected grass or grain Sc
cure Judgment in any other part of the body the
result would be the samoan effort OF the 1nd1-
vidua connective tissue cells of the body to shut
off disease process and prevent its further
spread. All these tumOrs resulting from lodgment
of the vegetable parasite will be seen to be sur
rounded on the outside by thick and very resist
ant wall of connective tissue. Toward the inside
of these tumors the tissues softer and perme-
ated by channels and SineWS filled with puS, which
tend to seek opening toward a point OF least
resistance. In the case of cattle when the tu-
NOR is located on the jaw, this opening may be
external in which case the pus bearing the small
quantities of the infective agent would be spread
about upon the grass other feed and form
menace to the breath of the animals associates.
Or should the opening be within the mouth, so
that the pus would be swallowed by the animal, a
general dissemination of the disease in the partc-
ular individual would result 1t is this latter form
of the disease that is supposed to be the most
common in people. Statistics showing that the
lungs and bowels are the most frequent site for
the location of the actinomyatic tumors in the
human family. From this it is to be presumed
that the fungus is inhaled upon minute particles
of grain, in which the location would be with
in the lungs or is inserted upon pieces of the
food and that some pre-exsting wound in the
digestive tract has afforded favorable point for
Judgment and growth of the fungus.
1t is highly improbable, pointed out by Ore
CONS state board of health that the eating of
meat ever causes the disease, for, stated by
Dr. Hutchinson secretary of the board, the trans
mission of the disease from animal to animal by
incubation is next to impossible. Dr. Hutchinson
states that cultivation of this parasite in ami
NAL tissues produces such an alienation OF its
virulence that an intermediate period of cultiva-
ton growth upon vegetables or plants is necs-
sary before it can again become actively infectious
to either animal
Oregon, and in fact all states, are to be con-
graduated that the youngest board of health has
as it's executive officer a of such known abil-
ity that he can afford to ignore the spectacular
feature of actinomycosis and handle this question
wholly upon rational and sanitary grounds