What the Dip means to the Desert 



Thus arose the urgent need for a simple, short- 

 interval dip. Accordingly, Baynes and Alex- 

 ander began to reduce the strength of the 

 Queensland dip, and were successfully dipping 

 at intervals varying from seven to fourteen 

 days. It was evident, however, that entire 

 success would only be possible with still more 

 frequent dipping in order to exterminate the 

 parasites. At this moment there came on the 

 scene a man who was destined to complete 

 the trinity of workers, and at the same time to 

 close the final chapter in the conquest of the 

 tick. The name of this man is Lieutenant- 

 Colonel Watkins-Pitchford, F.R.C.V.S., formerly 

 Government Veterinary Bacteriologist to Natal. 

 Watkins-Pitchford was a welcome visitor at 

 Nels Rust, and began his observations there, 

 which, together with his laboratory experiments 

 at Maritzburg, three years later, gave him the 

 key to the problem. In spite of the success- 

 ful demonstrations at Nels Rust, it was then 

 stated that as dipping could not be carried out 

 more frequently than fourteen days, and as 

 the engorged tick which conveyed East Coast 

 fever dropped off an infected animal within a 

 few days, dipping was useless to stop the 

 disease. But Watkins-Pitchford, like John 

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