IXODIC ANAEMIA — TEXAS FEVER, ETC. 431 



" foreigner " alone, as the cause of the disease — which it induces 

 first of all by introducing some virulent secretion into the blood 

 of its host, w^hich causes fever, alteration in certain organs in 

 acute cases, the development of bodies — which may be living or 

 otherwise — into and around the blood corpuscles, diminish the 

 quantity and deteriorate the quality of the blood, and finally 

 induce death by robbing its victim of its life-sustaining fluid — I 

 am of opinion that every effort must be made to destroy the 

 tick upon the ground and upon the bodies of its hosts. The 

 female tick, fully or partly charged with ova, leaves her host and 

 deposits the eggs on the surrounding vegetation and upon the 

 ground, which there remain until they are hatched. 



During my investigations into a tick disease in Scotland, it 

 was found that old and withered grasses and decaying vegetable 

 matter of all kinds formed a cover for the ticks, and that they 

 preferred to deposit their eggs where there was an abundant 

 cover, and thus secure their non-destruction during the cold of 

 winter. Although protection against low temperature is not 

 necessary in Jamaica, there is plenty of evidence to show that 

 when decaying and withered vegetation is allowed to remain on 

 the ground there the ticks will be found, and I have been in- 

 formed, over and over again, that during some parts of the 

 year cattle will not face guinea-grass ; that when placed in such 

 pastures they will show signs of excitement, jump over the 

 fences, and thus abandon even the most luxuriant pasture. Now 

 this proves that the ticks are there in abundance, and no 

 wonder, when it is considered that guinea-grass, said to be eaten 

 down, leaves a withered stubble often two or three feet lono-, 

 which forms a cover for the tick to deposit its ova upon, where 

 they hatch, and are ready for the first cattle they may come in 

 contact with. 



I therefore think that when cattle are removed from guinea- 

 grass the stubble should be destroyed by burning. 



I am told that, when guinea-grass is burnt standing upon the 

 ground, the destruction is imperfect, and that the heat simply 

 favours tlie hatching of the young ticks, the ova or eggs being 

 under the stones, &c. If this be the case, the stubble should be 

 cut down, collected into heaps, and burnt, the ashes remaining 

 being spread over the land, and thus return something back into 

 the soil. If it be proved by analysis that the soil is deficient in 

 some essential ingredient, this should. iiQw be applied, as fertility. 



