Montana oil and mining journal., 1938-03-19

to 1905, but added nothing to the work
of Wilson and Chowning. On April 81,
1906, DR. H. T. Ricketts, of the Uni
versity of Chicago arrived at MiSSoula
and began study of the disease. He
was joined soon afterward by DR.. W.
w. King Of the United States public
health and marine hospital service, and
both succeeded in transmitting the dis
ease by means of ticks.
Make Rapid Progress
After proving that ticks were car
riers of the disease, rapid progress was
made. In 1910 Camp VenuStus" was
established on Sweeney creek, two
and one-half miles southwest Of Flor
ence. DR.. Ricketts, was to have had
charge of investigation work at this
camp, but died on May 3, 1910, after
contracting typhuS fever, which he was
studying In Mexico City.
The first fatality among the scien-
tific workers on Rocky Mountain
spotted fever occurred In the summer
Of 1912, when DR.. T. B. McClintic of
the public health and marine hospital
service became III and died after q
short illness. -Four other investigators
died of spotted fever in succeeding
years as a result of their work. They
were Arthur Howard McCray, state
bacteriologist; William Edwin Gittin-
ger, George Henry Cowan and Arthur
Leroy Kerlee, all Of the United States
public health service.
Climaxing years of effort by a num-
Der of scientists, DR.. Parker and DR..
r. r. Spencer created prophylactic
vaccine In 1925, and DR.. Spencer sub
jected himself to the first treatment
to prove the effectiveness of this vac
cine. Its use in later years has un-
doubtedly saved numerous lives In the
tick-infected areas of the west.
In 1923, the state of Montana COM
pleted the laboratory at Hamilton, but
by 1880 it became evident that study
Of spotted fever could not be limited
to Montana. AS a result, the laboratory
was sold to the federal government In
1881, and has since been greatly en-
larged.
According to DR.. Parker, who is now
director OF the laboratory at Hamilton,
efforts are now being made at Hamil-
ton and at the National institute of
Health in Washington, D. c., to de
velop a vaccine by some more simple
technique than the one now used
Aim to Lessen Expense
'HThis is being DONE" he reported.
"leSS in the hope of being able to Sc
cure more effective product
than for the purpose Of simplifying
Tie IeCIlIuques leSSe01ng the expense
Of production, and making it possible
to manufacture enough vaccine to
immunize a larger number of people. |
AT present we can make enough to !
about $4,000 persons per
year.
Both DR.. Herald r. Cox of this
laboratory CHamilton) and Miss Ida !
Bengston of the National Institute of |
Health at Washington are working on |
this phase of the spotted fever prob |
lem and both have made promising |
progress. Both are using tissue culture |
technique. However, it viii be some |
time before the practicability Of this |
method of vaccine production is de- |
termined and before the suitability for /
human administration of vaccine thus
prepared viii be known"
Precautions Are Listed
While the fight against Rocky
Mountain spotted fever goes on, prog !
ress already made has done much to
remove the fear Of ticks. However,
here are several good rules for per-
sons who enter tick-infested areas TO
follow. These are:
1, Be vaccinated each year against
Ipotted fever.
2. Wear high-tOpped shoes or boots.