Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-08-17

q S0SlAlA6 IOu, ~. W, <Au6s 1f."llc
recent death Of a prominent official
of the Emergency Fleet Corporation
of a n ailment known as San Joaquin
Valley, disease focused the attention
of the country for an instant upon
that strange and fatal malady. OF all
the ills that flesh is heir tor
American flesh, at any rate-this one
has the fewest legatees; for no case
Of it in the fatal form has ever been
known to develop outside hat small
section of California called the San
Joaquin Valley. The disease, how
ever, while rare is not mysterious. It
Is caused by q germ which medical
science has isolated and studied. The
strange thing is that though the dis
ease is contagious, its. spread is con-
fined to a relatively thinly populated
section Of California.
1t Is not quite fair to California to
insist that the disease Is peculiar to
that fair region. San Joaquin Valley
disease exists in two forms one is the
fatal kind, in which the germ attacks
the victims lungs. the symptoms Of
the illness being 81 nearly like those
of tuberculosis that physicians have
sometimes confused the two. The
germ attacks the victims skin. A
number of cases of his latter type
have been observed In districts in the
vicinity of Chicago. Attacks of this
type are not likely to end fatally.
1t also seems reasonable to suppose
that America has no monopoly of this
affliction and that it may exist and
be prevalent in other parts of the
world. In countries in which the
medical vigil Is less expert and thor
ough than in u own, it is quite pos
sible that San Joaquin Valley disease,
as we call 1t here, is annually claim
deniable case Of it has been reported
in South America. 1t is entirely
within possibility that: the disease ex-
lists there but is identified as the bet
ter-known tuberculosis.
That a disease may be widespread
in a population and still escape de-
lection was demonstrated in our own
American experience with pellagra.
Only a few years ago this disease was
supposed by scientists to De exceed
ingly rare in the United States. But
as investigation proceeded. the sur
prising fact developed that in reality
it was one OF the commonest Of the
diseases In, the United States, thou
sands and thousands OF. Americans,
particularly, at certain seasons of the
year, suffering from 1t, and many be
ing slain by 1t.
Twenty Years of study.
The doctors Of the public health
service in Washington have been
studying San joaquin Valley disease
for twenty years. In that time they
have had the germ under the micro
scope, have grown it in cultures out
planted the INJECTION to rabbits and
guinea pigs. and have given to it q
literature OF. considerable bulk. They
have done everything but discover q
specific cure for the disease. The
cure, like that of tuberculosis, the
germ of. which. has also been isolated,
has Aluded them. The victim OF Sar
Joaquin Valley disease usually dies
after suffering for several years. A
few have vitality enough to throw 4,
Lon. Practically only adults seem Ia
bs3subject to- II.
The organism which. causes the
idttnase was not difficult to discover
tf6& FIT ia syeEetableSform rather high.
lGdT In the scale of life than bacteria
Ind being close to yeast spores Iii
fcharagb1r4stics. TheseS organisms ARK
lknoWH a blas0mtyces. Sunlight
fresh air. and ~invigorAting food. te
lWfichafhe tuberculosis germ Will otter
yield, do not seem to have much ef.
/ feet upon the blastomyces. Whence
tthessy organisms come to aiflict mar
lnobpdy knows. but. because the dis
ease they cause iss = SHARPLY local:
pect that some species OF animal liv.
inng in the San Joaquin Valley ~ serv.
Ing al reservoir of the ~contagi0n.
RAJ public health service q ~
many more formidable enemies to hui.
mdan life { fight that II ii devotinl