144 
W. H. HARBAUGIi. 
horn, hollow-tail, wolf-teeth, black-teeth, hooks, etc., none of which have the least 
foundation in fact or reason. The tick theory scarcely explains a single one of the 
many peculiar phenomena of the disease. Ticks are not kept from cattle by a fence. 
They are found every wnere, but are simply more numerous at the South. Their 
attacks are not confined to the latter half of the summer ; nor would they be likely 
to remain on a pasture from spring to August without doing harm, and then suddenly 
cause an outbreak of the disease. Again, the post mortem examination plainly indi¬ 
cates the cause of the disease to be an agent taken into the circulation, and causing 
the most important changes in the composition of the blood.” 
The foregoing disposal of the tick theory by Dr. Salmon in 
1880 has much to commend even now, in 1895, notwithstanding 
the recent discoveries by the Bureau Investigators, in which the 
tick has occupied a prominent position. 
My ideas in regard to the cause of the disease were also 
taken from special report No. 22, in which Dr. Salmon says : 
** It may be doubted if the fever would attack animals unless 
they had eaten grass which had been soiled by the excretions 
of the Southern animals, or, at least, which had been so near 
these excretions as to be contaminated by them.” 
Now, this idea of the cause was fully supported by the 
circumstances connected with the outbreak in Col. A.’s herd. 
Up to this outbreak there never had been a case on the farm 
known to any one connected with it. Many of the cattle were 
born and raised on the place, while cattle from the North were 
put on the farm at frequent intervals with no bad results. A 
few weeks before the outbreak some strange cattle broke 
through the fence and had pastured half way of the field in 
which the herd was grazing before they 'frere discovered and 
put out. This was the only way that field could have been 
infected. Of course ticks could have been dropped on the 
pasture by these 4 strange cattle, but, as I said before, none were 
found on Col. A.’s cattle. I, of course, attributed the infection 
to the excretions of the strange cattle. 
After the outbreak of the disease, the herd was removed 
from the pasture to the stable and stable lot, where it was kept 
until after cold weather set in. In this outbreak the disease 
attacked young and old, cows that were born and raised on the 
place, as well as animals from the North. 
