MILK SICKNESS. 481 



mountains ; and in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, only 

 on the heavily timbered lands or marshy river bottoms in their 

 virgin condition. But the removal of the primeval forest, the 

 drying of marshy spots, and the general cultivation of the soil, 

 is the signal for its disappearance ; and thus Dr. Phillips again 

 remarks — ' In many localities where it formerly prevailed to a 

 dangerous extent within the memory of the present generation, 

 as in Green and Madison counties, in the State of Ohio, it has 

 now, by reason of the cultivation of the soil, been entirely 

 exterminated. Indeed, the disease may be said to be rapidly 

 disappearing before our extending civilisation.' 



" The recent microscopic observations of Dr. Phillips have done 

 more to elucidate the cause of milk sickness than all the wild 

 hypotheses and crude observations of a century before. He has 

 found vegetable organisms in the blood ; and as these will 

 explain fully all the peculiarities of the disease, they may be 

 provisionally accepted as the probable disease germs. He says — 

 ' In the month of June last, I had under my care a t}^ical case 

 of milk sickness. I made a careful microscopical examination of 

 the urine every day ; and upon the fourth day after the case 

 came under my care, I drew a few drachms of blood, and imme- 

 diately placed it under the microscope at the bedside, while yet 

 warm and liquid. I found it contained a great number of living, 

 moving spiral bacteria, similar in their general appearance to 

 those spiral bacteria described by Professor Lebert as abounding 

 in the blood of relapsing fever patients. I also found in the 

 urine of that patient those same spiral bacteria, and, co-existing 

 with them, the sphero-bacteria, in segments of two to six or 

 eight. I had opportunity to examine the blood of but one 

 patient ; the urine of several was obtained and examined, fur- 

 nished from patients under the care of one of my professional 

 neighbours — all showing the presence of both these described 

 forms of bacteria. I sent specimens of the blood and urine to a 

 professional friend, having a state reputation as a microscopist 

 and pathologist, and had the pleasure of receiving, within a few 

 days, a full endorsement of my observations.'^ 



" This will sufficiently account for the fact that particular 

 districts, tields, woods, waters, or plants are at times found to be 



^ It ought to be stated that Dr. Schmidt denies the existence of bacteria in the 

 blood of his cases, 



2 I 



