The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1910-09-17

uAScoSe WHICH udu appeared among Tue
sailors on four other boats plying in
the Delaware River. 1t was found up
on investigation that the sufferers in
these cases also had been using new
straw mattresses, while those who
slept upon old mattresses had not
been attacked by this strange malady.
Seventy other cases were reported
from twenty different homes about the
same time. In every case it was found
that the sufferer had either slept up
on new straw mattress, or freely
handled one. No other persons in
these households were afflicted. All
Of the discriminating mattresses were
traced to four leading mattress max
ers. 1t was found that all had OBJ
tanned their straw from dealer in
Salem County, N. J. Part of the
straw came from New Jersey and
part from Southern Indiana.
A mattress was opened and the
straw sifted through the meshes OF
fine flour sieve upon large piece OF
plate glass covered with white paper.
The siftings were closely scrutinized
under strong electric illumination. A
slight motion was soon detected. The
culprit was on the point of being dis
covered, apparently. The moving par
ticles were touched with a needle
moistened in glycerine and trans
ferred to a glass slide. Then the mi
onn1iod on6 tha n9rti.
cles were discovered to be mites OF
exceedingly minute size.
Several other experiments were
then undertaken. DR.. GOldberger ex-
posed his barred left arm and shoulder
for one hour between two mattresses.
Sixteen. hours after this application
of vivisection to a human being those
portions Of his body which had been
exposed began to break out after the
manner of those who had been suf-
fering from the ailment. Then three
volunteers slept upon the mattresses,
and each one DEVELOPED the same
symptoms at the end of about the
same period. nr. Goldberger took
some of the straw siftings and placed
them in two clean glass dishes. One
of these was held against a portion
of the body for an hour. Sixteen or
seventeen hours later the eruptiOns
appeared on the area covered by the
dish. The contents Of the other dish
We're exposed to chloroform under
bell jar. These siftings were ap-
piled to another portion of the body
Of the volunteer who had already
submitted himself to tie influence of
the contents of the first dish. No
LESSONS appeared at this point. What
ever was responsible for the eruptions
evidently was affected by chloroform.
AS last experiment five Of the
mites we're fished out Of the siftings
and placed upon a clean watch cry
stall. This was applied to the armpit
of another volunteer. At the end OF
about sixteen hours five Of the char
acteristic LESSONS appeared on the area
which had been covered by the crys-
tai.
Many Regions Afflicted.
The miscreant had been discovered,
but the reasons for his attack on hui
man beings We're still unknown. This
part Of the web Mr.. Webster under
took to unravel. The fact that
similar but less extensive epidemic
had been noted in Baltimore and that
farmers in different regions reported
a like disease after running their
wheat through a tanning mill added
interest to the search into the life
history of this predatory creature. In
the course Of the summer Of 1908, al
so, a great number OF complaints
came from the more elevated parts OF
Virginia, the upper Shenandoah VAL
ley and West Virginia, and from East
ern Ohio as long ago as 1904.
The disease appeared among those
engaged in thrashing grain which
had been stored for some time In
barns, and those who used this straw
Tor filling bed ticks or as substitute
Tor felting under carpets were like
wise afflicted. In one case berry pick
ers were attacked where such straw
had been used as a mulch for berry
plants This straw, it was found. came
rom a field which had suffered Sc
verely from an attack Of the grain
pest called the joint worm. In one
Instance six men and the animals
employed in connection with the I'M
oading of a car of straw at Pittsburg
we're attacked by the same disorder.
The infection has sometimes scared
aborers so much that they have re-
used to work where it has appeared,
md it has become impossible to OBJ
ain labor.
1t has been found by many expert