Texas Fever

TEXAS FEVER,. This is a malignant dis ease that has been characterized by a number of names, as Spanish fever, Texas fever, Splenic fever, and also by the general name of Texas plague. It is a disease originating in the low lands of Texas and Mexico. a contagious fever, in some respects said to resemble, in its effects on the system, the rinderpest of Asiatic Russia. It is, however, less destructive and less conta gious, since cattle affected in one pasture will not communicate it to those in an, they pasture. if divided by an impassable barrier. The con tagion is communicated by cattle passing over the feeding grounds of Texans, or by traveling over roads infected. It is destroyed by the first frost that occurs, and it is fairly- well demon strated that northern animals affected, do not communicate the disease to others. The org: n principally affected are the fourth stomach, the spleen, and the bowels, and the period of incu bation varies from four to six weeks. There is slight fever, dulness, drooping of the head, glassy and watery eyes, arched back, loss ot' appetite, cough, trembling, increased heat of the system, the urine becomes high colored. and then very dark, the mouth and rectum become a dark red or copper color, the dung is hard, and some times coated with blood. The animal continues to get worse and worse, and at length dies in a stupor or convulsions. As a rule treatment has not been found effectual. lf taken early, and the animals removed to a clean pasture, it is recommended to give them the following dose two or three times a day: One-half ounce chlo rate of potash, one ounce tincture of chloride of iron, in a quart of water, and if there is much weakness, to stimulate the system freely with whisky. As soon as the animal begins to mend, light and nourishing food should be allowed, and tbe following tonic twice a day: one-half ounce of sulphate of iron and one ounce of tincture of ginger. in a quart of water. Prof. Gamgee, who made an elaborate report of this disease to the United States goverment, upon the great out break of tbe disease in the West, in 1868, advise,s shelter. friction of the limbs, the bowels to be moved by injections and ounce doses of lauda num during the first few days, to be followed by stimulants of one half ounce of sulphuric ether, four ounces of solution of acetate of ammonia, to be given in a quart of linseed tea or water, three times-a day. The disease, where spread by Texas cattle, is so deadly that but little can be done, once it makes its appearance, except to prevent its spread. The following. from the proceedings of the National Convention. con vened at Springfield, 111., following the last great outbreak in the 'West, will serve as a guide, as the proper repressive measures. Thc action there taken seems to have resulted in the pre venting. of a repetition of the disease. The report of the action of tbe convention is taken from the transactions of the Ohio agricultural report of 1868. As early as 1849 a disease was noticed among cattle on the western borders of :Missouri, which was attributed to a contagion spread from droves of Texan cattle which about that time began to be brought into the State. For several years the importation of these cattle into Nis sonri and Kansas steadily increased, while the disease referred to prevailed only in some sea sons. lu 1858 this cattle trade WaS greatly extended and the cattle disease increased in pro portion. Sc: serious was the evil, and so mani festly did it depend on a contagion spread from imported cattle, that, in 1861, the Legislature of Kansas attempted to stay its ravages by restric tive ,enaetments. The importation of cattle was totally interrupted during the late war, but promptly resumed after its close, and with this resumption there was a return of the disease among the native cattle of Kansas and Missouri. This was followed by protective legislation in Misouri, and additional restrictions upon the trade in Kansas. During the season of 1868 Texas cattle were still more largely imported, immense stock yards had been opened at Abilene, on the Union Pacific Railroad, in Kansas, from which upwards of two thousand ear loads of cat tle were carried to the grazing States, or to the eastern market. Another route was opened by New Orleans, and up the Mississippi river by steamboat, and still another by land to the mouth of the Red river, and thence up the :Mississippi. By these routes not less than 100,000 head of Texas cattle were brought into the State of Illinois, in 1868. With this influx of cattle from Texas the Texas fever appeared with great vio lence in the States of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio in the months of June and July, and was soon heard of in other States both east and west. The loss to stockholders became ruinous in the extreme, and excitement widely prevailed. In the town of Tolouo, on the Illinois Central Rail road, 776 head of native cattle died; in the single county of Champaign, Illinois, there was a loss of 7,000 head. and in the fifth ward of the city of Chicago, the death of cows by this disease amounted to nearly 700. In some herds the loss exceeded ninety per cent., while others were wholly swept off by the pestilence. One of the most marked symptoms of Texas fever is a greatly aecelerated pulse, from forty beats in a minute, which may be taken as the average for healthy oxen and cows; in this disease it some times rises as high as 120 beats in a minute. Another symptom usually present is a decided increase of the temperature of the animal after the fever is fully developed, but this is generally preeeded during the formative stage by a chill. The excretious from the intestines and bladder are diminished in quantity and usually high colored or bloody; the secretion of milk is nearly suspended. A yellow mucous is discharged from the mouth and nostrils; the animal has a dejected look, hollow flanks, an arched back, an unsteady gait, and a rough coat. Many of these symptoms are also common to other cattle diseases. It may be presumed, therefore, that the most expert veterinarian would hesitate to pronounce a ease one of Texas lever without tak ing into account all the attending circumstances. This presents no evidence of disease of the luns:s or air passages, but little that is unnatural can be found in the first three stomachs; the fourth stomach usually shows congestion, and the intes tines are still more engorged and blood stained. The liver is not often materially affected, but the gall bladder is almost always filled with dark colored and thickened bile. The spleen is always enlarged; in health it weighs in mature animals from one pound to a pound and a half; while in eattle that die of Texas fever it some times .weighs as much as eight pounds. The kidneys are congested and their secretion in the bladder is bloody or blood stained. The con tagious character of the disease is supposed to be established by the following evidence: There is no such disease known in any part of the country through which Texas cattle have not passed, and whenever the disease has appeared among native cattle it is only among such as have pastured upon lands previously grazed or traveled over by Texas eattle, or that have used water running from a field in which Texas cattle were kept or watered. The disease does not appear to be communicated through the atmosphere alone, but only when cattle come in contact with, and can take up with their food or drink the excretions of Texas cattle. When Texas cattle have been brought from their homes during the winter months there is no evidence that the fever bas followed in their trail, but when they arrive in the northern States as late as June or July, the native eattle of these States that are exposed, die ahnost universally. Doubt of the contagious nature of this disease or of the contagion originating with Texas cattle has existed in some minds, because it is an admitted fact that some of the cattle which have been supposed to communicate the disease, have no manifestations of it themselves. Can cattle communicate a disease without having it? is urged as though it were a question impossible to answer in the affirmative. To this it may be replied that the history of some of the diseases affecting the human subject afford cases pre cisely- analogous. Prisoners confined in ill ventilated dungeons before the days of prison reform, have often given typhus fever to a whole court at the time of trial, while the prisoners themselves had been steeped so gradually in the poisonous atmosphere that their system had become aeeommodated to it, and hence they have escaped altogether, although the poisonous exhalations from their bodies have spread death all around. A person protected by vaccination

from small-pox may have that modified and trifling form of disease known as varioloid, but such a person may communicate fatal small-pox to another person not protected by vaccination. It may therefore be presumed that Texas cattle have come so gradually under the influence of the cause of the mischief or have in some way become comparatively insusceptible to its action so that they escape the deadly form of the malady, and yet can transmit its seeds to more susceptible animals. Others have hesitated to admit the contagiousness of the disease, because the attack does not appear in some cases until a long time after the exposure. This, however, presents no difficulty to persons familial. with the history of other contagious diseases. Many of them require a period sometimes definite, sometimes indetinite, after the exposure, for the incubation of the disease. This period varies greatly, and iu Texas fever it may extend to forty days, and even more. The above recital of symptoms, post mortem appearances, and evidence of the contagious character of the Texas fever, the disease must still be regarded as unsatisfactory, without additional light on the true cause and source of the mischief. Happily for us the microscope has done in this case what it has done in so many others, it has brought to view and made us acquainted with very potential agencies which are altogether invisible to the unassisted eye. Dr. M. IVlorris, of Nevt- York, one of the board of health of that city, read to the convention an exceedingly interesting paper, giving the results of examina itions with the microscope of both solids and fluids of hundreds of animals that had died or had been killed while laboring- under Texas fever. These investigations disclose the fact that the fluids of animals affected with this disease, the urine, the blood, and more especially the bile, are infested and practically destroyed by the spores of a minute cryptogam or fungous plant. These spores which take the place of seeds in more highly organized plants are mul tiplied by a simple process which admits of unlimited continuation and of almost incon ceivable rapidity. They have the form and organization of simple cells, each cell or spore under favorable circumstances would produce the little plant known to microscopists as TileNitt CarieS. the plant in turn would produce other spores but under different conditions, as for example, when immersed in animal fluids the spore does not produce a plant, but multiplies itself after the manner of simple cells. Each spore contracts at the center. then divides, and either end has at once the power and activity of its parent, and the process of multiplication hy what is called fission, goes on indefinitely, or so long as the fluid in which it is immersed has fresh organic matter to sustain the life of new cells or spores. In relation to this cryptogam, it was said to be fouud abundantly in the blood and bile of every animal that died of the fever or that was killed while suffering from its effects Cattle of the Northern States, while unaffected by Texas fever, have no such cryp togamous parasites in their fluids, but the same parasite was to be found invariably in Texas cattle, although regarded a,s healthy. It was also stated that this, or at least, allied fungous growths had been observed growing parasitically upon the grasses native to Texas, so that it might readily pass into the bodies of animals with their food. While the vigor of the animals is main tained at a natural standard the growth of the parasite is restrained, but when the animal is subjected to hard driving and scarcity of food and water, all of which diminish his vitality, then the parasite has less and less to overcome, until all the nutritious and recumentitious fluids are destroyed or vitiated. That the animal, while allowed to remain in circumstances where his vital force is unimpaired, should be able to resist the injurious influence of the parasite, hut should succumb to its attack when debilitated by hard usage is in correspondence with innum erable facts in the history of other diseases. To some in the Springfield convention it seemed incredible that a minute, and to the unassisted eye invisible organism could, by any possibility, destroy the life of an animal as strong and as large as the ox; the same doubt will probably be suggested to the mind of many who will read reports of the proceedings. It should be borne in mind, however, .ha what are called the lower forms of life, such as cryptogamia and protozoa, rank lower than other organisms only in regard to some of the manifestations of vitality, their reproductive force is vastly greater than that of more perfect beings. The structure of the cryptogam being very simple, it is almost limited in its functions to the one end of reproduction, and this is carried on with singular energy. Its attack, therefore, is not from without but from within. The nutritious fluids of the animal are assailed, and all appropriated to the uses of the little parasite until the animal that harbors its myriads must ultimately die of starvation, if death, in more violent form, does not sooner occur. Comparatively recent discoveries claim to have established that all epiphytic and epizoo tic diseases, as well as all contagious epidemics, and many of the endemic diseases to which hu manity is liable, are of cryptogamic or protozoic origin. The oidium that has almost destroyed the grape crop of Europe, the potato rot, cholera, small pox, measles and intermittent fever are notable examples said to depend on such causes. Whether these claims be all admitted or not, they open a most interesting field of inquiry for patient and truth loving investigators. It may, perhaps he some relief to timid persons to learn that no. facts were presented to the convention by the health officers of New York or Chicago, showing that Texas fever or any other sickness was given to persons who unwittingly used the flesh or milk of animals affected with this disease. Whatever entozoon should conceal himself in our food, so long as that food is properly cooked there is no probability that it can do mischief to the human subject. Carbolic or plienic acid, the product of the distillation of coal tar, is one of the most powerful antiseptics known. It is especially inimical to the lower forms of vegetable and animal life; a solution so dilute as to contain not more than half of one per cent. the acid being sufficient to destroy such organisms almost instantly. It can not be administered to any animal in large quantity, but it has been sup posed that it might be administered and taken into the circulation in quantity sufficient to destroy the parasites without materially injuring the health of the animal. The result of the experiment appears to have been in some in stances what was desired, and persons have become quite sanguine of the success of this treat ment. It is perhaps safer to say that the result is sufficiently favorable to warrant further trial; but the facts thus far observed do not justify us in regarding the carbolic acid or anything else as. a specific. This disease affords a marked exam ple of the soundness of the old proverb, that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The Texas fever can be effectually kept from any locality only by keeping out the cattle by which it is introduced. There is no disinfectant known that can be absolutely relied on to pre vent the communication of the disease. The convention,with entire unanimity, recommended to the legislatures of all States liable to be visited by Texas cattle, to pass stringent laws prohibit ing their importation or transportation during the summer months. The recommendation of the convention relative to this subject is in the following terms: Whereas. A malignant dieeaae among, cattle, known as• Texas fever, has been widely diasemi flitted by the transit of sonthwesteru cattle through the Western and North weateru States during the warm season or the year, occasion i ug great loss to our farmers. and posaibly endan gering the health of nur citizens; therefore, Reaotved, That this convention earnestly recommend the enactmeot, by ihoae States. of stringent laws to pre ven r the transit tie rough thei r limite of Texas or Cherokee cattle, from the firat day of March to the first day or November, inclusive.