The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1929-11-07
PROBATION IS NEEDED
IN PREPARING RABBITS
There Is Possibilities of Infec-
ton With Tularemia Germs

ton With Tularemia Germs
Warning hunters and food handlers
of the danger of contracting tula-
remia, or to give it its more common
name rabbit fever" from handling
infected game, DR.. R. H. Riley, Direc-
tor of the Maryland State Depart
ment of Health, said:
Because of the possibilities of in
lection with the germs of tularemia
from sick or diseased rabbits, the
opening of the rabbit season brings
to hunters, market men and other
food handlers, the need for special
precautions in shooting, skinning and
in preparing rabbits for the table or
for other 4se. A disease correspond
ing to what we now call "tulare-
mia" or rabbit fever" has been
known to hunters and to market men
throughout the country for many,
wears, but it was not until 1910 that
mission from rabbit to rabbit and
from rabbits to human beings were
studied by DR.. G. w. Mccoy and def
nitely established, in 1919, by DR..
Edward Francis, both of the U. S.
Public Health Service.
"The disease affects wild rabbits
and other animals, but particularly
the wild rabbits, hares, squirrels,
rats, field mice, the chipmunk, opos-
sum. woodchuck, and others of the
smaller animals. The infection
spreads from animal to animal
through the bite of the rabbit tick, the
wood tick, and certain species of fly.
The insects continue to be carriers
of the infection over long period
and have been found to be a constant
source of danger. The disease has
been found so far in the wild rabbits,
only. 1t has not been observed IN
domestic rabbits raised in rabbitries.
"Tularemia is transmitted to human
beings in two ways-through hand
ling the infected animal and by the
bite of the infected insect. The infec-
ton is usually picked up by the hun
ter or food handler during the hunting
season in skinning the animal, IN
preparing it for market or for cook
ing. In the cases studied by DR..
Francis a considerable proportion
were due to the bite Of infected in
sects. Two of the cases reported from
the counties of Maryland, recently, oc-
Cured in boys who had caught and
skinned rabbit and had cut it up for
bait. The presence of the disease IN
animals that are being skinned or eX-
posed for sale can be detected by
characteristic speckled appearance of
the liver ard spleen which are dotted
with white or yellowish spots, ranging
in size from a pin point to one-six-
teenth of an inch in diameter
Here is what the U. S. Public
Health Service says about the danger
from the wild rabbits and the ways by
which it may be avoided: Keep your
bare hands out of wild rabbit-one
per cent of them are infected with
tularemia Rabbit meat thoroughly
cooked is harmless for food because
temperature of 1873 degrees Fahren-
heit kills the injecting organism
* IS Rubber gloves must be worn by
those who must dress wild rabbits.
"'Beware of the wild rabbit which
the dog or cat has caught, or which
a boy has killed with club-it is
probably a sick rabbit. The hunter
should not shoot his rabbits at the
point of his gun. Let him be a
sportsman and shoot on the run, at
rs yards, say, and the chances will
be lessened that the rabbits he bags
will be sick with tularemia.'
For the last two years, tularemia
has been included among the diseases
that are reported in Maryland. There
were eleven cases reported in the
State in 1928, in the counties and
5 in Baltimore City, with one death
in Baltimore City. There were prob
ably other cases that were not recog-
nized as tularemia."