The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1903-04-02
STRANGE DISEASE KILLS IOWA
ass CATTLE.
Gov Cummins Urged to Order In
yestigation.


Governor Cummins has been called
upon to send the state veterinarian into
southern Iowa to investigate strange
disease that has been killing cattle by
the dozen, and whose ravages the vet
e:inarlans in that section of the state
have been powerless to check. Wayne
and Decatur counties have been most
dlsastrously affected The township
trustees at Humeston, Wayne county,
have united in demand that the state
veter' 'larian be sent to the scene of the
trouble under the section of the code
which makes it the veterinarians duty
to visit any part of the state upon the
written request of a majority of the
county supervisors. township trustees or
city councilmen interested.
The new disease has many symptoms
similar to those of hydropa obia. DR..
John j. Repp, professor of the state
college at Ames, who is also one of the
deputies of the state veterinarian, has
been called upon for an opinion by the
farmers whose cattle have been infected
by the disease. From description
1 given him Prof. Repp decided that the
disease might be rabies, but advised
that an official investigation by the vet
erlnarlan be asked for.
A local veterinarian of Garden Grove.
Decatur county, pronounced the disease
brain fever. The cattle frothed at the
mouth, bed at the nose and were yerv
herce. They refuse to eat or drink after
pelng taken with the disease. One
man reported tnat COW that he had
lad Tor years tried to climb into the
wagon to get at him when he drove
through the barn yard. The local veter-
marian recommended the application of
turpentlne to the backs of the infected
animals to stimulate the circulation of
the blood and take it away from the
brain. eostmortem examinations of the
bodies of two of the cows were held and
the investigators reported that there
was no excess of blood at the brain, no
'.sAAo VI poiSoA III tie StoAacn, ana nc
other condition that explained the
cause of death.
Captain j. S. Clark of Des Moines has
a fost ter cattle already by the rayages 81
strange disease. Captain CLARK, s farm
is near the county line between Wayne
and Decatur, and adjoining the Burling.
ton railroad. "One of my men writes
me that the people there are unable tc
solve the mystery of the disease said
Captain Clark today. "The trouble was
J first reported to me month ago. A,
that time three COWS had been killed by
the disease. Since then ten more have
been killed and there is no let up. NY
man reports that the disease is preva
lent in other localities in that part Of
the state, and that the farmers and
stock men are very much wrought up
He says that the cattley act very much
as If they were mad. they run about
IN furious state and pay no attention
to fences, running over and through
them invariably. One OF them attacks
him IN the yard and lie had difficulty in
escaping unhurt The cattle live only
about twentyfour hours after they have
been taken with the disease. There has
been mad-dog scare in that section oi
the state, but no one knows of any cat
tie having been bitten, and it is not
known how the disease could spread
among the cattle. They don't bite
though they are very ferocious. They
refuse to take food or water. ."-Des
Moines Capital.