The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-02-02
INVESTIGATORS ISSUE BULLETIN
ON "sPoTTED" FFEvER.
ALMOST TRACED TO GOPHER
Cases Of Dread Disease Occur un-
comfortably Close in This
Part Of State.

6cduSe OF the TACT that the dis
II ease has appeared on several occa
sions in am adjoining county, Car
bon. local interest attaches to the
report made by the experts who were
summoned into the state last year tC
make Investigations into the nature
and cause of spotted" fever. While
the large majority of the cases were
In the Bitter Root valley, some oc.
Cured in the Rock creek valley, near
Bridger, although the latter were iso
lated and few in number.
! The specialists who were called Eto
investigate were Doctors Louis B.
| Wilson and William M. Chowning,
both of the University of Minnesota.
Doctor Westbrook, also of the same
university, and Doctor Cobb Of the
United States marine hospital service,
were others who were conducting in
vestigations, while Doctor Anderson
was another. The latter issued a
| bulletin, published under the direction
of Surgeon General Weyman. But to
Doctors Wilson and Chowning be-
longs the credit for having discovered
the cause of the peculiar disease by
tracing the germ to a woodtick.
Give It a Name.
To the germ the doctors have given
the name of "pyroplasmosis hominis,' .
to distinguish it from those that pos
sess similar characteristics, but which
have never been known to transmit
disease to human beings. These al
lied germs are found in cattle, sheep,
dogs and horses. The most familiar
one is the parasite that causes dis.
ease among cattle, which is known as
"tick" or Texas" fever.
Its History and Nature.
AS far as has been learned, the first
known case of spotted" fever was
recorded in 1873. A thorough inves.
tigatiOn has failed to discover any
existence of this disease among the
Indians who formerly inhabited the
infected districts. Doctors Wilson and
give the same description
- 'ne aocatioh of the disease as has
oeeA given by Doctor Anderson. II is
found in limited portion of the Bit.
'ol Isoo'~-elley. in the Rock croel,
salley' near Brldger, boes. in this states
and in the Snake river valley Idaho
in Wyoming. Nevada a@a Oregon
Two types of the disease are re1,x.
n1zed-the severe, in which the
"spots" are distinct, and the milder
form, in which there are no 'spots. N
In all recorded cases there is the hiE1
tory of tick bites, which seems to
associate the disease definitely with
these insects. It has never been
transmitted from one human to anoth-
en- Age and sex appear to have no
influence. In no case has there been
any apparent connection between the
food or water supply and the infec-
ton. It's period of prevalence is be-
tween March and July, when the ticks
ire active. Never having been trans
n1tted from man to man and as 1t has
oeen found that infection does not oc-
'ur either through the digestive tract,
he respiratory or genito-urina. sys-
ems, and as the tickbite history ex.
SITS in every case, the conclusion is
[ef1nite that infection comes alone
rom these creatures. The exact ma.
ure of these infectious ticks has
lot yet been positively ascertained.
n the opinion of the experts a new
ariety has been discovered. OF the >
0 or more varieties of ticks it is
e1ieved that only one variety trans
hts the disease.
Probing for Source
Future Investigations will be in. the
irection of ascertaining the host" J
the poisonous ticks. It has been n
lily demonstrated by scientists that n
lembers of the aFachnid family N
pend q portion of their existence in n
le bodies of warm-blooded animals. D
hese are termed the "hosts" of the G
sects. The problem it is now sought
solve fs whether the infection orig.
afes from association with the D
Neykt -