Evening star., 1928-12-30
ADVENTURE AND FAME COUPLED WITH HOPE
FOR SERVICE, LEAD PUBLIC HEALTH SCIENTISTS
Seven Have Died Since 1912
in Successful Fight
on Fever.
VICTORIES ARE GAINED
Three Strange Diseases
Have Taken Heavy Toll
in Laboratories.

in Laboratories.
Adventure, danger and finally fame
beset the path of the Government
scientist who sets out to master some
strange malady threatening the health
Of men.
If his crusade be carried through to
it's ultimate goal, he must stand ready
to sacrifice his own health, and on
more rare occasions, even his life.
His own peculiar knowledge and the
customary medical safeguards avail him
little for he is dealing with an unknown
and perhaps deadly quantity. The thing
he is seeking to master Is likely to over
whelm him without his knowing why
or how.
If he is successful, fame awaits him
and the satisfaction of knowing he has
contributed something material to
human welfare. If he fails he may
seek solace in this philosophy of the
United States Public Health Service:
"The scientist doesn't matter-it's the
public health that counts"
Cost In Life Is Heavy.
For more than a decade the Public
Health Service has been seeking to con-
troll three strange diseases - Rocky
Mountain spotted fever, malta fever and
tularemia-and their efforts have met
with considerable success. But the cost
in human life and health has been
heavy.
Twelve scientists contracted the spot
ted fever and seven died. Four were
seized with malta or undulant fever.
Though none of these cases was fatal,
all of those afflicted four or five years
ago still have symptoms of the disease
and are liable to a recurrence of the
fever at any time. There have been six
cases of tularemia among the personnel
of the service during the past 10 years,
but this disease Is less severe and can
now be definitely controlled. All six
recovered fully.
Spotted fever is a peculiar disease
infesting certain localities in the Rocky
Mountain region. It Is transmitted to
men by wood ticks which have pre-
viously bitten small animals, such as
squirrels and chipmunks, infested with
the disease.
Stream Is Border Line.
Spotted fever centers through West
which Is bisected by a small stream.
One of the strangest features of this
ma!ady Is that while 1t literally infests
one side of this stream, case has
never been known on the other.
Back in 1912 DR.. T. B. McClintick
contracted the disease while expert
menting and died. Similar fates were
met by DR.. McCrae in 1917. William
E. Gettinger in 1922, Henry Cowan in
1924. Miss Elizabeth Brandt, who died
in Berlin in 1927 after handling a
spotted fever culture sent from this
country, and, lastly, Leroy Kerlee, a
bacteriologist, who succumbed last
February.
Recently. however, Dr. r. r. Spencer
Of the United States Service and DIR.
r. r. Parker of the Montana State
Board of Health perfected vaccine
made from the crushed bodies of in
fected ticks. Before its discovery 80
per cent of persons contracting the dis
ease died. Now the percentage Of
deaths has become negligible.
The undulant fever germ was first
discovered on the Isie Of Malta about
| so years ago. It was supposedly found
only in goats and received scant atten-
ton until q few years ago, when 1t
broke out in dairying regions of this
country. Investigations disclosed that
it could be contracted from the flesh
| and milk of cattle as well as from
horses and pigs. .
Raw Milk Affected.
II was first discovered that the dis
ease is contracted from fresh milk
which had not been pasteurized and
was consequently most prevalent in
farming districts. Later 1t was learned
that cases resulted from handling meats
and that care had to be exercised in
this respect.
But before these discoveries were
made four Government scientists con-
tracted the disease, and none Of them
has fully recovered. They are Miss
Alice C. Evans, B. s. Stockrider, DR.
G.. G. Lake and DR.. Edward Francis.
None of these knows just how he con-
tracted the disease nor when.
Malta fever takes the form Of inter-
mittent spells Of fever which grow
weaker over period Of wears until they
finally disappear altogether.
All the men who fell victims to tula-
remia made less exacting sacrifices:
discoveries which have resulted in al
most complete control Of the disease.
It Is known, for instance, that 1t oc-
ours only in wild and never in tame
rabbits: that 1t can be contracted
from handling fresh meat, but never
from that which has been properly
cooked.
While the primary sources and causes
Of these maladies have not. perhaps,
been definitely identified. they have
been so well isolated that by exercising
slight precautions the average person
can escape any Of them with a reason
able degree of certainty
The Public Health Service feels that
this represents not a heroic sacrifice,
but only the dutiful performance Of its
mission. If the public health has been
bettered, its members are satisfied to
forego eulogies.
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