The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-10-13
EXPERT MAKES REPORT ON
SPOTTED FEVER.
KNOWN IN OTHER STATES
Wyoming, Idaho and Nevada Also At.
fected-Apparently Worst in
Bitter Root Valley.
Although the people of eastern Mon

Although the people of eastern Mon
tana know nothing about spotted
fever" except as far as knowledge
has been acquired by reading and
talking with those who have been
in the affected regions, still they are
interested in the matter, as it is one
that concerns the entire state. Last
summer when Investigations were
making into the scourge by experts
and men eminent in the medical pro-
fession everything published concern
ing their researches was read with
interest, although but little could be
learned. The first statement to be
made public by any of the %investiga-
tors appears in the current number of
American Medicine and is the report
of Doctor John X. Anderson of the
Marine hospital service, who was in
the Bitter Root valley last spring
and made an investigation of the
peculiar disease. His was the second
investigation, the first having been
made by Doctors Wilson and Chown-
ing of the University of Minnesota.
Concerning the causes and distri-
button of the disease Doctor Anderson
says:
"The disease has been known in
the valley of the Bitter Root for
about 20 years. 1t is sharply local
lied on the west bank of the Bitter
Root river, no cases having occurred
on the east side Of the river in persons
who had. not visited the west side.
Certain places in the valley seemed
to be more heavily infected than 9TH
ers. Nine cases have occurred in
the canyon of Rock creek, about 20
miles east of the Bitter Root.
Also in Idaho.
"The disease has been known in
Idaho for a number Of years, the first
published description OF the disease
having been made by DR.. e. E. Maxey
l in the Portland Sentinel October 9,
A1899. In Idaho the disease prevails
throughout the entire valley of the
Snake river, it's tributaries and the
foothills of the neighboring noun
tains. The disease has been reported
in the valley of the Quinn river, Ne
vada; at Cody and Meeteetse, Wyom.
ing. and in eastern Oregon. The dis
ease has note been reported south of
40 degrees or north of AZ degrees.
1t prevails at an average elevation
of from 5000 feet to 1000 feet above
sea level.
Gases occur exclusively in the
spring and early summer. The ear
Hest case. in the Bitter Root valley
was March IL, and the latest July 20.
All occupations that cause a person
to be exposed to the bite of ticks,
such as stockmen, sheep herders,
miners, etc., and those whose occu-
patton takes them into the brush.
are especially liable to the disease.
Persons from Is to SO years of
age more often contract the disease on
account OF being more actively en-
gagged in outdoor work. The. youngest
patient was Is months and the oldest
"a years OF age. In 121 cases, &c
were males and As females"
Germ is NameG.
The germ is similar in a way to the
parasite of malaria and Texas cattle
fevers, but differs materially from
them in it's behavior. 1t is ovoid in
shape and is found within the blood
~corpuscles. DR.. Wilson has selected
as a name for the parasite, pyroplas-
ma hominis.
DIR. Anderson suggests the name,
"tick fever" for the disease, but he
says that while the facts and his con-
illusions point toward the tick as the
active agent in disseminating the
disease, the actual cause cannot be
proved until carefully-controlled ex-
periments are made on non-immune
persons.
Evidently Montana is il. favored,
for the mortality for this disease is
more than 20 per cent, as against 2
per cent for Nevada, Idaho, Oregon
m Wyoming. Death usually occurs,
the doctor states, between the sixth
and the twelfth day.
Quinine a Remedy.
A pleasing feature of Doctor An
derson's reports is that relating to
the treatment and remedy found eff
f%1cacious. He considers quinine as a
remedy to be relied upon, but it
must ho adnoinictorod hrnodo.,.:e.l1-