DISEASES COMMUNICABLE IN MILK 59 



well, although it fed on the milk of a woman suffering from rabies until 

 one day before her death. 



Milk-sickness. In pioneer days, in restricted areas in the Central 

 West, this disease worked such havoc to stock and man that it was regarded 

 as a serious menace and rewards were offered by legislatures, for the dis- 

 covery of its cause. It appeared about 1800 and continued of importance 

 till 1860 when it all but vanished. The sickness has never been known 

 east of the Alleghenies nor outside of the United States. Cultivation of 

 the soil favors the disappearance of the disease. The observation was 

 early made that man might be made sick from using the milk, butter or 

 meat of animals having the disease known as the trembles or slows and 

 that probably the ailment of man was identical with that of the animals. 



In cattle the first indication of the sickness is dullness, followed by 

 violent trembling and great weakness which increases during the succeed- 

 ing day until the animal becomes paralyzed and usually dies though old 

 reports indicate that some of the animals recovered but were greatly 

 impaired by the disease. In man the disease develops marked weariness, 

 retching and insatiable thirst. Respiration is labored, peristalsis ceases, 

 the temperature becomes subnormal and the patient -apathetic. Paral- 

 ysis gradually ensues and death takes place quietly without rigor mortis. 



The early settlers had no idea of the cause of the sickness in animals, 

 but found that they contracted it, if allowed to feed in certain localities. 

 So they expected to find that some plant or mineral poisoned the stock. 

 Early students of the illness made lists of plants and minerals of the 

 areas that were known to be dangerous. Jordan and Harris solved the 

 mystery in ] 907 when the appearance of the disease in New Mexico gave 

 them an opportunity to apply bacteriological methods in studying it. 

 They isolated a bacillus from the intestinal contents of affected animals 

 and man, that was sometimes found in pure culture in the internal organs 

 of fatal cases and that, fed to dogs and calves, reproduced in part, at least, 

 typical symptoms of the slows. They call the organism B. lac'imorbi. 



Malta Fever. Malta fever is caused by the Micrococcus melitensis 

 which was discovered by Bruce in 1887, but knowledge as to the mode 

 of transmission of the disease was worked out from 1905 to 1907 by the 

 British Commission for the investigation of Mediterranean fever. The 

 disease is prevalent in the Mediterranean Basin and in the United States, 

 in the goat-raising States to which it has been imported in blooded animals 

 from Europe and Asia Minor. As yet, it seems to have been found only 

 in Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico, but it may reasonably be suspected 

 that careful diagnostical work will demonstrate the disease in California 

 and Oregon. The British investigations were undertaken because of 

 the prevalence of Malta fever in the island of Malta. It was found that 

 the specific micrococcus is contained in the milk und urine of apparently 

 healthy goats so that there is ample opportunity for man to infect himself 



