U. S. D. A., B. E. Rul. 75, Part IV. A., December 26, 1908. 
MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS ON APICULTURE. 
THE RELATION OF THE ETIOLOGY (CAUSE) OF BEE DISEASES 
TO THE TREATMENT/' 
By G. F. White, Ph. D., 
Expert in Bacteriology. 
INTRODUCTION. 
Bee keying is not an industry which brings a fortune to a few, but 
is one the profits of which add comfort to 700,000 homes in Amer- 
ica. This industry, which is a pleasure and a profit to so many, is 
beset with difficulties. One of the greatest obstacles encountered 
in the successful pursuit of bee keeping is disease. There are a num- 
ber of diseases which attack the honey bee. Those which cause the 
greatest loss attack the brood. These diseases are known to the bee 
keeper as American foul brood, European foul brood, and pickled 
brood. Considerable loss is sustained also from paralysis and dys- 
entery. Other disorders of less importance are sometimes encoun- 
tered. If the apiarist is to treat these diseases effectively, he should 
become as familiar as possible with their etiology. Therefore this 
opportunity has been chosen to discuss the causes of bee diseases, as 
far as they are known, and to emphasize the importance of such 
knowledge in the treatment. 
The word " disease " is made up of two parts, " dis," referring to 
a negative. condition, and "ease," meaning a state of rest. By com- 
bining the parts we have the very appropriate word meaning a nega- 
tive state of rest. We are all familiar with health, which is the 
state of rest. It is the condition which we experience when all the 
organs of the body are, so to speak, in a state of equilibrium. An}' 
departure from this state of health is disease. You should remember 
that disease is alike in nature in all the animal kingdom and differs 
only in kind. 
To understand best the nature of disease we must study the causes 
of disease. A number of factors may combine and be responsible 
for a diseased condition. This group of factors is known as the 
••etiology." Etiology, then, means the causation of disease. Let us 
further consider the etiology of disease and use bee diseases largety 
as illustrations. 
"Read at the meeting of the National Bee-Keepers' Association, Detroit, 
Midi.. October 14, 1908. 
33 
