The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1921-06-17
CURE FOR SPOTTED
FEVER HOPED FOR
STATE BACTERIOLOGIST HITCH
COCK SAVES MEN BITTEN
By WOODTICk
Experiments With Serum Are Being
Made at Capital in Effort to Com.
bat the Dread Malady; Many Al.
ready Have Lost Their Lives in
Montana Through the Disease.

A cure for the most virulent type
of Rocky mountain spotted fever. a
malady obtained from the bite Of an
infected wood tick and in some re-
gions nearly always fatal, is being
found, it is said, by DR.. E. D. Hitch
cock Of Helena, state bacteriologist.
There has been practically no
treatment heretofore tor the disease,
according to medical men, the organ
ism of the affliction having thus far
defied all attempts to define.
Belief that cure is being diseov-
cred comes from the case OF F +.
Morse, a ranchman south 0; Glasgow.
contracting the spotted fever and
reaching the stage where nope FOR
his recovery was abandoned treat
ment prescribed by DR.. Hitchcock
who was called there. - stored the
patient. At last reports, Morse was
out Of the hospital. Ray Smart. a
young man employed at the Morse
ranch. also had the disease and has
recovered. Both are declared to
have had the disease in its most Sc
we're form.
Will Take Field
DR.. Hitchcock believes that next
year he will be able to prescribe a
treatment for the disease with fair
hope of accomplishing cures. He
plans to spend much OF the time III
the Bitter Root country. where most
Of the cases are fatal. 1t is believed
that with medical attention in the
early stages of the disease the pa
tientS can be saved.
Experiments with a spotted fever
serum are being made by DR.. Hitch
cock at his laboratory at the public
health building at the capitol. The
experiments are being watched with
interest, all efforts in this direction
also having met with Indifferent sue
cess. so far.
DR.. Hitchcock is now at Victor.
comforting with DR.. r. R. Parker, as
sistant state entomologist. Dr. Park
er has control of the tick control
work in the field. This year there
have been three spotted fever cases
in the Bitter Root country, all Of
them fatal. The rate OF mortality
there is at least 80 per cent.
Three This Year
The Idaho strain of the disease and
several other strains are prevalent in
many mountain sections Of the west
and even away from the timber areas.
but they usually are not fatal. The
Bitter Root strain, however, is so
virulent that most Of the attention
has been directed at ii.
Two noted physicians lost their
lives as the result of spotted fever
work in the Bitter Root. They were
DR.. Thomas B. McClintock of the
United States public health service.
who died about 10 years ago, and
DR.. E. A McCray, who preceded DR.
Hitchcock as state bacteriologist.
DR.. McCray died in June. 1919.
as the result of an infection that set
tied in a scratch on his hand. The
infection was obtained while he was
dissecting a guinea pig that died Of
spotted fever.
DR.. Hitchcock is recognized as an
eminent bacteriologist. He is re-
serve official in the United States
navy and for time during the war
was in charge Of the meteorological
laboratory of the Thirteenth naval
district at Bremerton. Wash. 1t was
soon after leaving active service that
he came to the Montana board Of
health.