The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1913-08-08

Kansas Commission Makes Its
Report on Disease.
VACCINE REALLY HARMFUL.

Strange Malady Which Killed Twenty.
five Thousand Horses In Westerr
Kansas 10 Found to Be Neither Con-
tagious Nor infeetious-May Not Re-
cur For Years.
The horse plague which killed more
than $4,000 horses and mules in west.
ern Kansas was not an infectious or
contagious disease, but a poison caus.
ed by unusual climatic conditions.
There is no known cure for 1t. 1t is
not likely to occur again for years,
and yet 1t may come at any time.
This is the report OF the special com
mission Of the University of Kansas
named by Chancellor Strong and Gov
ernor Stubs last fall to investigate
the disease. The report Is based on
the work Of the commission at its re-
search station at Ness City, Kan. The
government had a station at Dodge
City, with sixteen Investigators work
Ing, and the agricultural college had a
station at Hoxie, and the three sets
Of investigators concurred in general
with the findings Of the university
commission, which were submitted to
Governor Hodges of Kansas.
The university commission was CON-
posed Of Professor 8. ]. Hunter, state
entomologist: w. X. Trimble, associ-
ate professor Of clinical pathology; DR..
A. l.. Skogg Of Kansas City and N. p.
Sherwood, instructor In bacteriology.
In its detailed report on the disease
which caused such heavy losses to
Kansas farmers the commission said:
Disease Not infectious.
This disease. so far as known, is
not contagious, not infectious, has not
been transmitted from horse to horse
nor from horse to man.
mo specific organisms Of virus have
yet been found or described that can
be considered as the cause Of this dis
ease. 1t has not been produced In
horses experimentally by means Of
TRANSMISSION or incubation from sick to
well horses. The pathologic findings
are not those Of any known infectious
disease.
"No evidence has arisen to indicate
that In water alone is to be found the
cause Of this disease. Its nature sug-
gests a poison introduced from without.
The cause Is associated with molds
and parasitic fungi growing on grains
and other vegetation. 1t occurred only
among horses grazing In pastures, fed
upon lately cut, improperly cured for
age. One attack OF the disease does not
immunize the subject against a second
attack. Prophylaxis or preventive
treatment, through the exercise of
proper are In feeding only pure water,
well cured forage and grain In limited
quantities during the period of the out
break, is the only proved means of
dealing with the disease. Where these
precautions have been carefully needed
this sickness has ceased.
Recurrence Depends on Climate.
"A return Of the disease Is, In our
opinion, dependent upon the recurrence
Of climatic conditions similar to those
VI TIC past SchSOu. lHdt ID, the pOlSOu-
Gus conditions in the pastures and in
the forage are due to the excessive
moisture and humidity, accompanied
by high temperatures. These climatic
conditions are unusual to the region
at the season Of the year when this
disease occurred. Whenever these eli
matte conditions prevailed over Kan
sas areas, usually dry at that season.
this forage poisoning occurred among
horses. The changes observed In the
microscopic examinations Of the brain
and spinal cord indicate some kind Of
an intoxication process and not a dis
case caused by bacteria such as men
nights or infantile paralysis.
Under the guise Of the word vaccine
preparations. some of
which have proved to be positively
harmful. have been promulgated and
sold at large prices. Drugs and spe-
cifc have proved practically worth
less and in some cases positively harm