The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1906-05-09
SPOTTED FEVER
This Dreaded Disease Appears
Again in the West
DOCTOR> BAFFL D

The Medical Fraternity is Entirely at
Sea Concerning Causes, O lgin and
Nature of the Disease. Natives
Generally Attribute it to
the Wood Tick.
Passed Assistant Surgeon King, OF
! the public health and marine hospit-
al service. has jus5 been sent from
Washington to MIsscu'a, Mont, to
Investigate new outbreak Of ''spot.
sed fever" 81 d the medical world is
ones more "up in the air" over this
strange and deadly disease. What cause
it? What will cure 1t? Aad what
will prevent it are questions that the
physicians have been vainly trying to
answer tor thirty-hve years, and today
with the history Of hundreds OF cases
TO guide them, the learned fraternity
is as much In the dark as 1t was in the
early '70's, when the cattlemen Of the
Bitter Boot valley fell victims OF the
nalady. Under the various names Ct
"blsck measlos," blue disease, vi black
fever" 'tick fever, and spotted fe-
Ver," scores OF doctors have investiga-
ted each new outbreak and generally
have no1 come to the conclusion that
all the iornaef Investigations made by
their brethren were conducted upon
erroneous premises and therefore we're
just little less valuable than Of no
value whatever. In the first place
nearly all the scientists agreed that
the common wood tick was responsible
for the disease. In 1903 Dr.. John e.
Anderson, OF the marine hospital ser
vice, wrote q 80 page pamphlet on the
subject and said the TICK was the
cause Two years later Dr.. Charles
Wardel Stiles, Of the same burea,
wrote booklet OF 120 pages upon the
disease and declared that there
vas nothing to support the theory
that the tick is to blame either for
the fevet's start or finish. After ex.
smining the records OF several hun
dreds Of cases and personally watch
ing score Of it here. Dr.. Stiles reach-
ed the conclusion that mo satisfac-
cory specific treatment is known'' tor
the spotted fever, and added: r have
40 new theories to present regarding
the cause, transmissicn, and origin OF
she disease. -
In spite O. the fact that Dr.. Stiles
does not believe that spotted fever is
caused By the tick, Throughout the
Western country where tt Is most pre-
valent, the tick Is more than the rat
tlesnsks. Many OF the pilgrims and
dwellsrs In the valleys nearly die from
fright when they dad trick upon
their person and often when they are
bitten by the pestifercus insects, take
to their beds, Declaring that death has
marked them, when they are really In
perfect health.
In the Bitter Boot Valley, which
many physicians regard as the home
OF spotted fever, nearly all the cases
occur on the western SIDE OF the river
In the months OF April, May and June.
Both sexes and all ages are subject to
the disease, and, according to the rec
ords, about 10 per cent OF the cases
termine in death. About five or six
days afGer being bitten by the tick,
which 10 given credit for the start Of
she disease, the patient takes to his
bed with heavy chill, headache and
nausea. Soon after the spots begin to
appear upon the wrists and ankles
and later upon the arms, legs and
sbout the waist. Nosebleed, sore
bhroat, fever rising 70 1oe at times,
and swelling Of the joints them fol-
low In succession or simultaneously,
and often hacking cough serves to
make the patient more missra BILE.
Often the symptoms closely resemble
syphus fever and spinal me nights.
Dr.. Kings Investigations into the
,auses and results Of the latest out
break Of the disease will be watched
With great deal Of interest by the
entire medical profession The fact
1hat the fever mas In recent years:
>ften spread into Utsh: Idaho, Neva-
Ia and Oregon from Montana, makes
Zach fresh appearance OF the disease
5he more alarming. Unless remedy
8 found that viii cure it, some physi-
,ians believe there is danger OF wide
spread epidemics occurring through
>ut the West.
Nest OF tee doctors Who have given
'tudy 10 the disease agree that it is
lot contagious and that it occurs
,hiefy In the months OF April, May
snd June.
The spots that come with spotted
ever first appear about the ankles
Ind waist and by the end Of the first
1eek they extend over the entire
,ody. There is no regularity about
heir appearing or the feet first, as
;ome times the first spots appear on
he hands. The spots are bright red
md are halt as big as an adults finger
1ail. The spots fade as the fever SUBJ
'idss. but il the patient is exposed to
,old CT becomes chilly the spots can be
Ieen for several months afterward, al.
;hough Lot as red as at first. There
s much irregularity regarding the
disappearance.
Yes Ten Times.
4 young Womal In Mtllerton, N.
z, Thursday received an cffar #