The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1928-11-08
HEALTH BOARD WARNS
AGAINST RABBIT FEVER
Advises Handlers to be on Guard
Against Infected Animals

With the rabbit season opening in
few days, DR.. R. H. Riley, director
of the State Department of Health,
advises handlers and hunters to be on
guard against sick or infected ami
mails, carriers of the disease known as
''tularemia" or rabbit fever" The
disease is also known in some parts
of the country as 'deer fly fever"
Three cases of rabbit fever were re-
ported to the State Department of
Health during the first six months of
this year, one each from Washington,
Talbot and Kent counties, and four
from Baltimore City. There were
probably others, DR.. Riley said, that
were not recognized as "tularemia."
"Tularemia," DR.. Riley said, gets
its name from Tulare county, in Cal
! ifornia, where it was first studied in
1910 by DR.. G. w. Mccoy, of the U. S.
Public Health Service in connection
with an INVESTIGATION of plague-like
outbreak among ground squirrels. In
| 1919, DR.. Edward Francis, also of the
| U. S. Public Health SERVE, and his
assistants, while Investigating an out
break of "deer fly fever" among the
residents of certain sections of Utah,
| found the disease that was affecting
| humankind to be identical with the
outbreaks previously investigated
among squirrels.
Incidentally, while engaged in the
study, DR.. Francis became infected
and contracted the disease himself.
He recovered and has continued his
studies of the disease in various sec
lions of the country. His discovery
of the sources of the disease and the
recognition for him as the outstand-
| ing authority on the subject. At the
recent meeting of the American Med
ical Association in Minneapolis he
was awarded the gold medal annually
conferred for the most important con-
tribution of the year to medical
science
The animals susceptible to tulare-
mia include in addition to wild rab
bits, hares and squirrels, rats, field
mice, the chipmunk, opossum, wood
chuck and others of the smaller ami
mails. The infection spreads from an
imal to animal and is carried from
animals to human beings in three
ways-by the bite of ticks with which
these animals are frequently infested;
by the bite of certain species of fly
and by direct infection from diseased
animals. The majority of the cases
that have been investigated have been
traced directly to the handling of in
fected animals by hunters or in dress
ing infected rabbits for the market or
for the table. Of twenty-five cases
that occurred in the City of Washing
ton, the records of the U. S. Public
Health Service show that II of the
patients had dressed wild rabbits
bought or sold in the market; had
dressed rabbits shot nearby, and one
had dressed a rabbit killed with a
club.
"The disease in human being is ac-
companed by a typhoid-like fever OF
two or three weeks duration with
great prostration and slow conval-
escence. Usually an ulcer develops
at the site of infection, accompanied
by enlargement of the lymph glands
which drain the ulcer. The diagnosis
may be confirmed by a blood test.
Should suspected cases be found in
the counties of Maryland, the labora-
tory of the State Department Of
Health is prepared to make the neces-
sary tests and will do so at the re-
quest of the local or deputy State
health officer or the family physi-
clan.
"First discovered in California IN
1910. the disease has since that date
been reported in 80 States and also
in Japan. In this country, New York,
Delaware, the New England States,
Washington State and Wisconsin, are
the only sections in which it has not
been observed. About 500 cases have
been reported with 20 deaths. The
disease occurs principally among wild
rabbits. 1t has not been found among
rabbits raised in rabbitries. Thorough
cooking of the meat destroys the dis
ease germs. Thoroughly cooked rab-
bit is accordingly harmless"