White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1930-02-07
IMPARTIAL DISCUSSION
OF MOOTED SUBJECT

Is undulant fever among humans
on the increase in the country? If so,
is this condition due to the drink
ing OF milk from cows infected with
contagious abortion? Is there a
tendency on the part of some to
jump to conclusions without sui
ficient investigation Of the causes
and effects of the disease? What
has science been able to determine
regarding it?
These and similar questions are
interesting many people today. On
the che side we quote the following
taken from recent issue of the Ia
coma Times:
In survey of the increased Incl
dence Of undulant fever, the condi-
ton now quite definitely associated
with the contagious abortion in cat
tie, the British ministry of health
has become convinced that the dis
ease is actually increasing in ex-
tent and that this is largely due to
the spread of the disease among cat
, tie.
Contagious abortion occurs in
goats, cattle, sheep, swine, mules,
horses, dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea
pigs, rats and mice, and cases have
been found even in chickens and
ducks. 1t is apparently the disease
as it occurs in cattle, however,
which is primarily related to I'M
dulant fever in man.
In cattle, the condition may not
produce symptoms sufficient to
affect the animals general health,
although it does prevent the normal
birth of the calf.
! 1t is the general opinion that
cattle infect each other through
eating food which has been con-
terminated by litter in the COW sheds
or by eating grass in the meadows
contaminated by the products OF
the disease. The germs are also
found in the milk of an infected
COW. Sometimes COW, which is
otherwise quite healthful, but which
has become infected with this dis
ease, will secrete milk containing
the germs.
Apparently the human being be-
comes infected not only through
drinking milk taken from a cow
which has had the disease of con-
tagious abortion, but also from
handling infected cattle alive or
dead. Sometimes farmers send to
the slaughter house cows which
have become sterile as the result Of
infection.
1t is the opinion of the celebrated
authority, DR.. Theobald Smith
that the existence of the disease in
the United States in recent times is
due to the infection of cattle with a
strain acquired originally from cat
tie in the middle west and which
Became stronger in its ability 10 in
feet human beings by passing
through the pig.
Years ago the famous French ply
sician, DR.. Charles Nicolle, said that
Mediterranean fever (malta fever) or
undulant fever, is in the course of
evolution and is tending to become
chronic.
ut is malady which, on account
Of it's manifestations and it's chron-
icity, will become one of the COM
monest and most stubborn dis
cases."
We must continually remember
that diseases change exactly as do
man and animals. Apparently the
prophecy of Nicolle is being real
lied.
Another side of the picture is
presented in splendid and appar-
emily unbiased article published in
the January issue Of the Jersey
Bulletin. The article is too long to
reprint but we quote the following ex-
cerpts from it:
$50 much has been said recently
on the question of undulant fever
that review of the entire situa-
ton is worthy matter. Since the
popularized account Of the grave
danger in this disease, that appeared
in one of the ladies' magazines,
thousands of people using milk have