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Preliminary Notes on an Almost Extinct Native Disease. 

 Trembles or Milk-Sickness. 



By Robert Hessler. 



(Abstract. ) 



The paper gave a detailed account of a five-year search for the cause 

 of the above named affection — known as "trembles" in animals, or as 

 "milk-sickness" when transmitted to man by the milk of an affected 

 animal or on eating the flesh. 



The disease was formerly common and severe, but today cases are 

 seldom seen. Five years ago a number of cattle were affected and died, 

 a farmer's family also suffered after using the milk of a cow whose calf 

 died of the trembles; the family recovered. 



In the fall of 1905 two horses grazing in an infected area became 

 sick; one died, the other recovered under active medicinal treatment. 

 From the blood of the latter pure cultures of a fungus were obtained. 

 (Cultures in tubes were exhibited.) 



On the first examination, October 10, 1905, the blood contained spore- 

 like bodies in abundance and small yeast-like bodies enclosed in poly- 

 nuclear leucocytes; the former rapidly decreased and disappeared in a 

 few days, while the yeast-like bodies increased and later on diminished 

 and disappeared by the time the horse recovered (November 19). 



Drawings of the organisms in the blood and of cultures in hanging 

 drops were shown. The pathogeny is now being worked out; the occurrence 

 of the fungus in nature (in certain wet shaded ravines) will be investi- 

 gated in the future. 



