REMARKS ON SOUTHERN CATTLE FEVER. 
177 
tick is not a necessary bearer of the micro-parasite is proved by 
the Bureau’s experiments of transmitting the disease by the 
transferrence of blood direct from a Southern to a Northern cow. 
We are told that the disease is spread by the young ticks. The 
old tick drops off the Southern cow, lays its eggs, the eggs are 
hatched, and the young ticks crawl on susceptible cattle and 
cause the disease. Where do these young ticks get the pro¬ 
tozoa ? Again we are told “ the young ticks, as they are hatched 
near the dead body of the female, may become infected from 
this.” But this idea is negative by the fact that they produced 
the disease with the young ticks artificially hatched. Another 
strange result of its experiments is noted as follows: “The 
crushed ticks introduced into the blood, fail to produce any in¬ 
fection whatever, while ticks from the same lots when placed on 
the skin, produce Texas fever.” 
The biological part of this subject must be left to the skilled 
specialist in the field who, with his perfectly equipped labora¬ 
tory, may in time, settle some if not all of the doubtful points. 
But I suggest that the proper course for us to pursue is to con¬ 
sider ourselves a committee ol observation, and that it be the 
duty of each member to carefully note every particular in each 
case treated, including a history of the animal as detailed as it 
is possible to obtain, and report the same in proper foim, so 
that the recorded observations may be compiled into a paper to 
be read before the association next fall or winter. 
During the coming season I hope to be able to settle some 
of the doubtful points we meet with in practice, and with the 
assistance of Prof. Niles and Prof. Hoge, I see no reason why 
we should not conduct some profitable experiments. Surely no 
association is better situated to study the disease. 
But little attention has been paid to the medical treatment 
of the disease, which to us, as practitioners, is of the greatest 
immediate importance. The investigators have devoted their 
time to the cause and nature of it. 
In the winter of 1886 and 1887 I was in the vicinity of 
Albemarle Sound, in North Carolina, getting information about 
