The Dickinson press., 1914-08-22
DR.. C.C JACKSON WRITES
ABOUT DOUR|NE IN HORSES.

Belheld, N. d., August IL, 1914.
Publisher Of FRESS:
As to the item I referred you to in
your last issue I will ask you to pub
lish the following statement at your
earliest opportunity:
As to the wholesale slaughter of
animals supposed to be affected with
dourine in this part Of. the country
is a very broad statement to be made
by any one. It seems that this state
ment may have come from the fact
that several horses have been de-
stroyed which, to the observer, were
apparently healthy and that pecu-
larities have been revealed by the
testing Of stations and mares.
Referring to the last statement is
meant instances where dourine has
been found In a large percentage Of
mares and the stations which have
ranged and been bred to these mares
were tested and found healthy, also
where a number Of mares were tested
and proved free of dourine and the
stallion which had been bred to these
mares proved to be affected with
dourine. Dourine is a disease which
takes an indefinite period Of time be-
fore every case might show or pre-
sent symptoms or LESSONS which can
be readily detected upon clinical ex-
animation and the period of time
from the time of incubation till these
LESSONS and symptoms appear is not
definitely known in every individual
case. Also the period of time from
incubation till termination of a case
cannot be definitely stated. Author
tiles differ on this question.
The government and state are
anxious to determine every case Of
dourine and this can be done only by
the means which they have adopted.
1t is possible to diagnosis those cases
of dourine where visible symptoms
are present but those cases where
animals have been %inoculated and
have not advanced to the stage where
LESSONS or symptoms are present can
only be recognized or determined by
the blood-sera (complement-fxatien)
test. It is this last mentioned case
that is dangerous from the fact that
the symptoms and LESSONS are not Wis
ible or present but will eventually
appear in time and not be noticed.
In these animals where there is no
LESSONS Containing the micre-ergan-
ism) producing dourine there is very
little chance Of c%ontagion. Our best
authorities claim that stations and
mares showing LESSONS only infect
about 40 to go per cent Of animals
to which they breed.
In regards to the efficiency and re-
liability Of the test for dourine it is
recommended by the best learned
men in this country and abroad who
make bacteriology their study. The
|test has been tried and thoroughly
proven it's accuracy before it wal
adopted.
Mckenzie and Billings counties, the
Standing Rock and Fort Berthold
reservation seems to be the centers
Of the dourine outbreak. Quite 9
large number of horses have been de-
stroyed, causing considerable fnan.
cial loss to the ranchers and farmers
also has caused considerable incon-
~venience in instances where work
horses were destroyed. In no In
stance has anyone resisted the de.
struction of dourine horses in this
state and very few rumors Of crit.
cism of the work has been reported
It is to be readily seen of what little
benefit this work would be II horses
were allowed to be put under g quar-
antine until the mares could raise
their colts or until the work horses
were held until the seasons work i
finished. s..
The Bureau and state men on this
work have had the cooperation of the
majority Of the people.interested u