Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1910-09-29

the skin of the feet and, making it's
way TO the intestine, establishes itself
there as a bloodsucker.
Such problems keep the government
health authorities moving. AS soon as
one is solved another turns up-as, for
instance, in the case of the mysterious
spotted fever" which has been max
ing so much trouble lately in the
mountainous regions of Montana and
adjacent Rocky Mountain states. 1t
is an entirely new complaint, but eX-
tremely fatal, four out of every hve
persons attacked by 1t in the Bitter
Root valley (where 1t assumes It's
most virulent form) passing speedily
from the sick bed to the burying
ground. A characteristic symptom is
an eruption of pimply red spots all
over the body.
Investigation has proved that this
disease is due to a germ" of some
sort-presumably a bacterium, but so
minute as not to be visible under the
microscope-which is carried by
certain species of wood tick. There
is no question of the accountability of
the tick, for the malady has been sue
cessfully transmitted, in an expert
mental way through the medium of
its bite, from guinea pig to guinea pig
| from monkey to monkey and even
| from human being to human being (in
| two Cvolunteer) instances. Some of
| the insects were brought to Washing
| ton end encouraged to lay eggs which
were duly hatched by Dr. Stiles; but
/ it does not appear that more than a
very small minority of them, in a
| state Of nature, are infected These
/ exceptional individuals probably ac-
quire their infection by biting some
/ animal which harbors the germ, but
what animal that is. nobody knows.
! Speaking Of volunteers, there seems
| never to be any lack of them, where
! risks have TO be run in the experiment
/ tai study of diseases. II does not mat
| ter how deadly the malady may be.
! there are always men ready 10 take
| their lives in their hands for such pur-
| poses. often without reward. Such
was the case when a call was issued
IN Cuba. in 19O0 for soldiers willing
TO expose themselves 20 the bites OF
mosquitoes carrying the infection OF
yellow fever II was the case again
| recently when Capt Charles r. Craig
OF the army medical corps. wanted
men in the Philippines for "A practical
test of his theory that dengue. or
| "breakbone" fever. owes It's distribu
tion Co a mosquito OF another species
the nlght-nyiug culex fatigans. an IN
sect already positively known 10 be
the carrier OF the parasite thread
worm which causes elephantiasis.
Wherever one looks. IN the study oi
diseases. one finds animals OF various
kinds acting as the carriers OF the
germs which make tho mischief Sci
ence as yet has made only a beginning
in this sort OF investlgative work Tn,
I Anopheles mosquito Is known 70 be
the sole conyeyor and distributor ol
tho malaria microbe; but whore dit
the mierobe Of malaria como from
originally Il Is. as everybody knows
a protozoou + 10 say. an anima
organism of a low form. but its or
igin Is a puzzle.
The same thing might be- said o
the bacterial parasites that cause yel
low fever and dengue. ~ is thought
they ury closely related. tho symptom.
they produce being somewhat similar
hut nobody ever saw either OF them
Like the germs of measles and scarlo
fewer. they are aa minute as "a be Ia
visible. even under high power ml
croacupe
As foe deuEue, tn dad some va,
} of comhattlus II was % special im
. portaues tFom the viewpoint ot th'
. war department because 10 was "a
very troublesome in tho phuIppIue.
breaking uut o. explosive rpldrmica.
! and tueaparitatInE vutirc ,omplnie
. foF Hshttus purposes With simu
} taufuHBueaH m0st distressing Th
manner af lta apruad Was such aa al
vioUsiF o. alEEeat Hn ufgct aseugy
! aud salvA At.stua. alsaya muat plet
. Uuu where and uhru duurIa IA