Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1912-10-10
NATURE | OF DISEASE
IS UNKNOWN
INVESTIGATIONS OF CAUSE OF
THE DEATH OF HORSES IN
KANSAS AND NEBRASKA.

Inc disease which has Killed
thousands of horses in Kansas, Ne
braska and South Dakota this sum-
mer has not, so far, been reported
in this state. But it is we'll for far
mers with valuable horses to be
posted as far as possible on the
symptoms of the disease and the
probable. cause. DR.. Van Els of the
North Dakota Agricultural college,
who has been studying the pesti-
lence among the horses in Kansas
writes to the Dakota Farmer the
following concerning his investiga-
tons:
During the last few weeks there
has occurred an extremely fatal dis
ease among the horses of Kansas
and Nebraska. The disease appar-
emily originating in Oklahoma or
southern Kansas has spread with
great rapidity to the north, finally
crossing the southern boundary of
the state of South Dakota.
This entrance of so fatal dis
ease into our territory may warrant
of brief discussion of it in these col
umns, even if it may seem presump-
tuous to deal with the subject about
which so little is known. This lit
tie, however, is quite sufficient to
deserve our closest attention.
Nature of Disease Unknown.
The nature of the disease under
consideration is absolutely un-
known. The symptoms clearly indi-
cate that they arise from certain
disturbances of the central nervous
system, yet a naked eye examina-
tion of those organs discloses very
little in the way of changes from the
normal Owing to the disturbances
seen in connection with the brain
and spinal cord, the disease is COM
monty referred to as cerebro-spinal
meningitis, although careful obser-
walton will convince any one that
there is little reason for this name
as the membranes enclosing the or
gans mentioned are not inflamed or
materially changed in any way. It
is often seen that the blood vessels
of the enveloping membranes are
overfilled with blood, but the same
is usually the case in other parts of
the body, and the fact must be as
cribed to the mode of death of the
animals examined. This is not un-
commonly accomplished by the ces-
sation of the respiratory function,
and this usually brings about the
accumulation of a dark blood in the
smaller veins of the body.
May Not Be Due to Nervous Organs.
While apparently the greater part
of the disturbances has it's seat in
the central nervous organs, it is by
no means certain that they are pri-
marily involved, as it is we'll possi-
BILE that the symptoms are due to
some agent introduced or original
ing in some other part of the body.
In the light Of our present knowl-
edge, nothing definite can be said
about either the damage done to the
animal body or the cause of the dis
ease, and all speculations regarding
the same should not be countenanc-
ed until proved to be true by scien-
tific experiment. ., d.
However, the explosive nature Of
the outbreak and it's more or less
rapid spread over large area OF
country strongly point out the direc-
tion in which the cause of the trou-
BILE must be looked for.
When large number of animals
in given area suddenly sicken, we
do not go far astray by ascribing
the trouble to some form of infec-
tion or to the eating Of some poison
ous substance.
/, Mouldy Fodder, One Cause.
In the opinion of many the theory
last named finds favor principally
because the disease SO closely sim
ulates that caused by the feeding Of
mouldy fodder.
The spreading Of the disease over
= given territory however, seems to