44 
that the father’s case was one of spotted fever. A second son was also taken sick, 
according to his mother, also with “ spotted fever.” In case these patients all had 
“ spotted fever,” we here have an instance in which 3 cases occurred in one and the 
same family during the same spring, all the patients living in the same room in a 
cabin and at least two of the patients being sick at the same time. It must, how- 
ever, be recalled that although I have the mother’s statement to the effect that all 
three had “spotted fever,” and although this diagnosis is accepted as correct by the 
neighbors, we have a physician’s opinion in regard to only one of the cases. 
Not far from the farm on which these cases occurred is the house 
in which (1904) case 5 occurred. Ashburn and I visited this house 
and obtained the information that at least one other case of “spotted 
fever,” and possibly still a third case, had occurred in this same house, 
but the 3 cases were not simultaneous, and onh^ 1 of them occurred 
in 1904. 
On page 23 (see above) mention is made of a husband and wife who 
both had spotted fever at the same time (1900) in Boise. Doctor 
Bradbury writes me that the wife was taken ill at 10 a. m. and the 
husband was taken ill at 5 p. m., the same day. 
Gates (1905, p. 112) reports two cases (15 and 16) in husband and 
wife, in 1904; the wife was taken ill about 6 da}^s later than the 
husband. 
Comparison. — Texas fever appears suddenly and, as a rule, at about the same time 
in all animals of a herd which have been exposed to the same infection together. 
In hemoglobinuria all of the cases of disease last in a given place scarcely longer than , 
14 days, then the outbreak disappears. 
Is “Spotted Fever” Contagious? | 
Idaho . — The disease is not contagious (Bowers, 1896, p. 62; Sweet, 1896; Maxey, | 
1899, p. 433; Medical Sentinel, 1899, p. 457). j 
Montana . — Authors writing for Montana admit that there is no evidence that the 
disease is contagious (McCullough, 1902, p. 225; Gwinn, 1902; Wilson and Clio wning, j 
1902a, 1903a, 1904a; Anderson, 1903a, c). Wilson and Chowning (1903a, p. 68; i 
1904a, p. 43) state that there is not even a suspicion [see, liowever, above, p. 23] of ! 
its ever having been transferred directly from one human being to another, except ' 
in one instance, in which an infant (case No. 17), born while the mother was suf- | 
fering from the disease, developed marked purjiura on the second day after birth. 
This child (case No. 17) was born 4 days before the death of the mother; early on 
the second morning after birth the physician’s (Doctor Coughenour) attention was 
called to the child’s fever and jaundiced appearance; the babe had but few spots and ! 
began to recover on the ninth or tenth day of his sickness (Wilson and Chowning, 
1903a, p. 33; Anderson, 1903c, p. 13). i 
Regarding the noncontagious character of “spotted fever,” all infor- ; 
mation which Ashburn and I obtained in the Bitter Root Valley, as i 
well as our own personal experience, are in accord with the generally j 
accepted view. See, however, the discussion on page 23, which seems | 
to open up the question as to whether the malad}^ is not contagious i 
under some circumstances. J 
» . _ .1 
Comparison. — None of the known piroplasmatic diseases are directly contagious, j 
but they must first pass through a tick, between two successive patients. ' 
