Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1912-09-14
A Report From Roy Cross
Found a Germ Of Meningitis as Deadly
to Animals n to Human Beings
-Recommends Vaccination


Laboratory, of which W. NJ. Cross is
president and Roy Cross is secretary,
and the following is the report made
by Roy. These boys are well known
to the readers of this paper and their
report will be of interest to our read
ers: The report:
We wish to report as follows on the
examination of the specimens of
tissue, cerebrospinal fluid, fluid from
the Ileum and blood received from
you September ?:
Liver: The liver contained very
large numbers of large diplococcus
in pure culture. This diplococcus
has the appearance of the ordinary
diploccus that causes meningitis in
man but is very slightly larger. 1t
also grows on the ordinary culture
medium known as plain nutrient
agar. No other micro-organism
could be found in the liver by us.
The specimen was received in good
condition and the diplococcus was
isolated from the center of the speci-
men where it was not likely that
contamination could have taken
place.
Cerebo-spinal fluid contained the
same diplococcus as to appearance
and behavior. Some communicating
bacteria were also present.
Fluid from Ileum contained dip
locccci of exactly the same appear
ance although many other types of
bacteria were also present.
Blood: Other -micro-organisms ov-
ergrew cultures made from the speci-
men of blood to such an extent that
it was not possible to identify the
diplococcus positively as the same as
that from other specimens.
These specimens indicate that this
diplococcus is the injecting organ
isms and that the greater number of
the micro-organisms are to be found
in the liver probably also in the
spleen. 1t is probable that the in
lection is through the intestinal tract
by means of the food and drink.
Suggestions for combating the
epidemic. To prevent the disease
with no infected horses on the farm;
Do not allow any horse to use any
water bucket, trough, tank, etc that
has been used by horses of visitors to
the farm or by horses belonging TO
neighbors.
Keep horses from mixing with
neighbors horses.
Have separate tank or bucket for
horses belonging to visitors or neigh
bors- Clean out such buckets or tanks
with a solution of chloride of lime or
of permanganate of potash.
| IN Or vic r n
your own horses.
When horses are driven to town or
elsewhere bucket should be taken
along for water or feed. Do not take
water from common tank but draw
the water. Common watering tanks
should be abolished in those districts
where the epidemic prevails until it
is over.
If infected horses are on the same
farm have a separate stabling place
from the well horses.
When a horse becomes infected
thoroughly scrub out all tanks,
troughs, buckets, etc with a solution
of bleaching powder or of potassium
permanganate in the proportion of
about one pound in ten gallons of
water. Likewise disenfect the man.
gers after removing all litter. Keep
tie stalls cleaned well. The food
should be fairly rich in fat or oil.
When the first symptoms develop,
give the horse a dose of one ounce of
salicylate of soda. Repeat this dose
once or twice per day. Inject it into
the rectum if the horse cannot swall-
ow. The salicylate of soda should be
dissolved in about pint of water.
The ordinary salicylate of soda cost
ing about 35 TO so cents per pound
will do.
In pastures where the disease ex-
lists or has existed it would be well to
add bleaching powder to the water
holes in the proportion of about one
pound per 1000 or 1000 gallons of wat
er. If this is too expensive or i'm
practical the horses should be kept
from the pastures If this epidemic
continues in spite of anything that
is done, the best thing to do is to try
the vaccine treatment, the vaccine
being made from the bacteria them
selves and given in the dose of IL, 600
TO 3,o00 million. The vaccine cannot
be expected to cure the sick horses
after the disease is fully developed
but 1t may be expected to prevent
the disease or very materially
alleviate it.