90 
Effects folloiving Tick-bites 
visitors and sailors who have been allowed on shore wdio are the most 
common victims. The severity of the disease varies considerably. 
There are generally several days during which the patient has a head¬ 
ache and high temperature, with painful and swollen glands, and in 
some cases the latter suppurate ; but even where the symptoms are 
mild, and the glands subside without pus-formation, the effect on the 
general health is most depressing, it being often several weeks before the 
person affected feels really well. Patients of this class, if they travel, 
are very liable to be quarantined by the Health Authorities as Plague 
suspects. 
It must be understood that the disease is entirely distinct from the 
form of tick fever produced by the bites of the large tick, Ornithodorus 
mouhata, in which swelling of the glands is not a noticeable feature. 
I might add that on one occasion the ‘ Raylau Castle’ came in from 
East London with five firemen who had temperature, dirty tongues, and 
enlarged glands, and the boat w.as put in quarantine for 24 hours pend¬ 
ing bacteriological examination,—they were all ‘tick fever’.” 
The second letter, dated 8 March, 1910, was written to me by 
Mr C. W. Howard, Government Entomologist, Lpuren^o Marques. It 
was not written with any idea of publication, but the writer has kindl}" 
consented to allow me to make use of it. Mr Howard writes: 
“There have been several cases of fever contracted in Lourenqo 
Marques recently, about which I should like to obtain your opinion. 
The fever always follows the bites of larval ticks which are picked up 
in a certain place just outside of the town where cattle are allowed to 
graze. 
The case which first came to my notice was that of a lady, Mrs —. 
While out walking one Sunday, in the vicinity mentioned, she picked 
up a few ticks, larvae of Booidiilus annidatus decoloratus, although at 
the time she gave little attention to the matter. Exactly eight days 
after this Mrs •—• came down with a very high fever. There was no 
clinical thermometer at hand but the fever must have gone as high as 
104° C. She had to go to bed for three days, but the remainder of the 
time she was unable to move about much. This high fever lasted four 
days, disappeared for about a da}^ and then returned for a day. The 
other symptoms were severe depression, violent headache, severe 
backache in the region of the base of the spine, an inclination 
to nausea, loss of appetite, and swelling in the glands of the groin 
on the right side, the tick-bite being on the right hip. At the same 
