The Nome daily nugget., 1936-01-24

mice, squirrels, raD' bits and other rodents. Engaged thus he encountered a new germ, which eventually was named Bacillus Tu larense from Tulare county in which he first encountered it.
 Within the last two decades tulare- mia has spread practically all over the United States, and 1t has been found also in Japan, but so far not in Europe. It is a new disease and doc tors are watching 1t closely. With barely more than 20 years history behind 1t, they can't know what vari ations 1t will show, as they do know about the elder diseases.
 Rabbit fever is the more common name for it, as it is primarily disease of rabbits. The germ is transmitted from rabbit to rabbit by ticks.
 Ticks feeding on infected rabbits get the germ and transmit it through their eggs'to their young. A tick lays several thousand eggs, and each matched tick, attaching itself to a rab bit, can give that rabbit the disease. Thus 1t can easily be seen that one sick rabbit can infect whole coun tryside. In districts where rabbit fe. yer Is prevalent. it Is common to see dead rabbits scattered over the ground
 In addition to the rabbit, squirrels wild rats, muskrats, opossumS. coy otes and woodchucks can be affected with the fever. Quail and sage hens are now also falling victims. And not only the wood tick rabbit tick and rabbit lOuse, but also the blood-suck ing deer fly can carry the infection.
 In man rabbit fever is a secondary infection. He gets it through cutting or handling an infected rabbit carcass or other diseased animal. Or dogs cats, hogs and other domestic animals may contaminate their mouths by eat. ing dead infected animals and in that way transmit the disease to man. Or the mere handling of an infected tick may result in an infection.
 The occurrence of the largest mum. Der of cases in man coincide with the open hunting season for hunting wild rabbits. Hunters, cooks and market men are most prone to get it. Lab oratory workers, too, who are studying the blood and tissues of infected an. imals are apt to contract the disease. Sometimes the entire personnel in al laboratory will be victims. The infec. tion usually enters the skin through an abrasion, but in a number of in. stances no abrasion was apparent. The evidence in these cases seems to be that mere contact of the skin with in. fected blood is sufficient to bring on the disease
 The chills and fever usually start six or seven days after an infection. There Is a swelling and soreness att the spot where the germs entered the body. This sometimes forms an ulcer. The chills and fever last for about two months. Rabbit fever in man is more serious than undulant fever, which he gets from coming in contact with contagious material from infect ed cattle, hogs or goats.
 Our best way of prevention of rabbit fever in man is to avoid contact with the carcasses of infected wild animals. Sickly or sluggish small game should not be shot, except as an act of mercy. A rabbit that sits still and allows you to shoot him at your leisure makes a dangerous carcass. Apparently healthy rabbits can carry the infection. To be on the safe side, always wear rubber gloves when dressing rabbits, and do not let the blood come in contact with any part of the skin. Infected rabbits, when we'll cooked, however, can be eaten without danger of contracting the disease. The danger comes in han. ding the raw meat.
 Laboratory tests can determine whether patient has contracted rab. bit fever. The test is very similar to the one made for typhoid fever and for undulant fever.
 Science does not know of any spe- cial method of treating tularemia. So far it does not seem that vaccines are of any value. One attack evidently con- fers immunity.
 There are reports of sheep herds be- ing infected by ticks. If this contin. ues, it will mean many new ways of infecting man, through the handling of meat, hides and wool.
 We do not know how to control the disease in wild animals.