Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-05-11
aHEEp FIGHT FEVER.

Df fOO0 ana CfOLHLAS, IAo -
ptudies of the United States PUBIC
health service have demonstrated tneii
value as sanitary agents. TICKS winch
larry Rocky Mountain spotted 1evel
become entangled in their long greasy
wool and die. This prevents the spread
Of the disease. No ticks = no FEVER
We have in the United States truly
American disease. So far as 1t Is known
this Is tho only disease which Is pecu
liar to the United States. It Is called
Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and Is
FOUND in practically all of the Rocky
Mountain states. 1t is conveyed to men
by the bite Of . wood tick which burye
its head beneath the skin OF its victim
and thus introduces the virus which
rauses tick fever. In many OF the
states. such as Colorado and Utah
the disease is not very fatal, only
about s per cent of the persons strick'
On with the disease losing their lives,
On the west side of the Bitter Root
valley in Montana the disease Is un.
usually severe and the United States
government. acting through the public
health service, has been endeavorine
to discover a way to eradicate II.
Passed Assistant Surgeon !. b. NC.
Clintic visited the Bitter Root valley
In the summer of 1911 for the purpose
Of studying the disease and determin'
ing II possible q way in which to stamp
It out. It was found that on the west
side of the valley in the lands which
had not been cleared of underbrush
that ticks existed in large numbers
The immature or baby ticks were
found attached to small animals. such
a. ground squirrels, weasles and chip
hunks, while the adult ticks were to
be found on cattle and horses.
DR.. McClintic laid out an area about
three miles wide and five miles long
and built dipping vat In which ne
gave all the cattle and horses In the
neighborhood an antiseptic bath every
two weeks. He also killed of as many
OF the ground squirrels, chipmunks and
weasles rs possible. The following
year, DR.. McClintic returned to con-
tinue the work, and lost his life from
the disease which he was fighting.
In 1913 another omcer volunteered
for this highly dangerous work. He
established his headquarters at Victor,
Montana. and there began operations
against the disease. In studying the
two sides OF the valley. he noticed that
whereas there were many sheep on the
east side of the valley where ROCKY
Mountain spotted fever does not exist,
there were practically no sheep on the
west side of the valley where the dis
ease appears every year. Opening into
the west side Of the valley there is q
smaller valley in which are good
many sheep. In this valley tick fever
does not exist. This set him to think
ing and he wondered IL it were not pos
sible that the ticks became entangled
In the long wool of the sheep and died
before they could reach the skin of
their victim. In this way 1t might be
possible that sheep grazing over CIV
en- piece Of land would free it of ticks.
He secured some sheep and picked all
of the ticks of of them. He then
drove them through badly tick infest-
ed country and found that they picked
up many ticks. Just as he had sup
posed, these ticks became entangled
In the long wool and died.
The following year the United States
public health service rented band OF
sheep and pastured them in that part
of the Bitter Root valley which hither-
to had had the most cases. 1t was
found that they collected large num-
bers of ticks. The sheep were care
fully dipped every ten days to kill the
ticks which they picked up, and SO
successfully did they do the work that
not single case has occurred in that
area since the sheep began their SAM
tary campaign. So well satisfied is
the public health service with these re-
suits that It has extended the measures
against Rocky Mountain spotted fever
into the state of Idaho.