Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1913-07-19
HORSE PLAGUE is
FOUND INCURABLE
Kansas Commission Makes Its
Report on Disease. i
VACCINE REALLY HARMFUL.


Strange Malady Which Killed Twenty
five Thousand Horses In Western
Kansas Is found to Be Neither Com
taaious Nor lnfeetious--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 poison cans-
ed By unusual climatic conditions.
There is no known cure for It. IL Is
not likely to oecur again for years,
and yet it may come ut 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 station at Dodge
City, with sixteen investigators work.
ing. and the agricultural college had a
station at IIoxie. and the three SETS
Of Investigators eoncnrred in general
with the findings Of the university
commission. which were submitted to
Governor Hodges OF Kansas.
The university commission was com
posed Of Professor S. J. Hunter. state
entomoloeist. w. X. Trinble, associ-
ate professor OF clinical pathology; Or.
A. l.. Skogg Of Kansas City and n. p.
Sherwood. Instructor In bacteriology.
In its detailed report on the disease
which caused sach 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.
"No Specific organisms Of virus have
yet been found or described that can
be considered MS the cause of this dis
ease. il has not been produced in
horses experimentally by means of
TRANSMISSION or incubation from sick to
well horses The patlologic findings
are not those of any known infectious
disease
mo evidence has arisen to Indicate
that in water alone Is ia be found the
cause Of this disease. lis nature sug-
gests poison introduced from without.
The cause is associated with molds
and parasitic fungi growing on grains
and other vegetation. Ii occurred only
among horses grazing in pastures, fed
upon lately cut, improperly cured for
age. One attack of the disease does not
imihunize the subject against q second
attack Propliylaxis or preventive
treatment. through the exercise Of
proper care 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 tue llNNt NtdNTIl. Illdl ~, lnt pDlSpli-
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 20 the region
at the season of the yeaf 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 ana not dis
ease caused by bacteria such as mem
nights or infantile paralysis
Under the guise of the word vaccine
commercial preparations, some of
which have proved to Ike 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