American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1915-06-10
ACT As TICK
United States Public Health Service
Enlists Sheep to Fight Spotted Fever.

Besides utilizing sheep as a source
OF food and clothing, the careful stud
les OF the United States Public Health
Service have demonstrated their val
ne as sanitary agents. The ticks
which carry Rocky Mountain spotted
fever become ~entangled In their long
wool and die. This prevents the
spread of the disease. No ticks-no
fever.
We have in the United States a truly
American disease So far as il Is
known this is the only disease which
Is peculiar to the United States. It is
called Rocky Mountain spotted fever,
and is found in practically all of the
Rocky Mountain states. 1t is CON
veyed to man by the bite of a wood
tick which burys its head beneath the
skin of its victim and thus introduces
the virus which causes tick fever. In
many of the states, such as Colorado
n Utah, the disease is. not very ia
tai, only about 5 per cent of the per-
sons stricken with the disease losing
their lives.
On the west side of the Bitter Root
Valley in Montana the disease is I'M
usually yer and the United States
Government, acting through the Pub
Tic Health Service, has been ~endeavor-
Ing to discover a way to eradicate 1t.
Past Assistant Surgeon, T. B. Nc
Clintic visited the Bitter Root Valley
in the summer of 1911 for the purpose
OF studying the disease and determin-
ing If possible a way In which to stamp
II out. 1t was found that on the west
side of the valley I'm the lands which
had not been cleared of u%nderbrush
that ticks existed in large numbers.
The immature or baby ticks were
found attached to small animals
such as ground squirrels, weasles and
chipmunks, 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 a dipping vat in which he
gave all the cattle and horses in the
neighborhood an antiseptic bath every
two weeks. He also killed off as
many of the ground squirrels, chip
hunks and weasles as possible. The
following year, DR.. McClintic returned
to continue the work, and lost his life
from the disease which he was fight
ing.
In 1913. another officer volunteered
for this highly dangerous work. He
established his headquarters at Vic
tor, Montana, and there began opera
lions 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 disease appears every year. Open
ing into the west side of the valley
there is a smaller valley In which are
a good many sheep. In this valley
tick fever does not exist. This set
him to thinking and he wondered II 1t
were possible 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 a given piece of land
would free 1t of ticks. He secured
some sheep and picked all the ticks
on OF them. He then drove them
through badly tick infested country
and found that they picked up many
ticks. Just as he had supposed, these
ticks became entangled in the long
wool and died.
The following year the United
States Public Health Service rented
a band of sheep and pastured them
In that part of the Bitter Root Valley
which hitherto had had the most
cases. 1t was found that they collect
ed large numbers of ticks. The sheen
were carefully dipped every ten days
to kill the ticks which they picked up,
and so successfully did they do the
work hat not a single ease has oc-
CURED In that area since. More than
this, the of the sheep have
discovered that sheep raising In the
Bitter Root Valley is a profitable in
dustry. So well satisfied is the Pub
lie Health Service with these results
that 1t has extended the measures
against Rocky Mountain spotted fever
into he state Of Idaho.