Let Our Motto Be
GOOD HEALTH
BY DR. LLOYD ARNOLD
Professor of Bacteriology and Preventive
Medicine, University of Illinois,
College of Medicine.
UNDULANT FEVER
The newspapers In the winter of
1034 carried accounts of the drastic
__ recommendation by
a health officer In
Salt Lake City that
all the 100,000goats
In Utah be slaugh
tered to stop the
spread of Malta
fever among resl
dents of the state.
While the eastern
central, and north
western parts of
tlie country have
sporadic cases of
Mnlta or undulant
fever constantly, they have never been
threatened with It In the epidemic
form that the dry southwest has.
Our knowledge of Malta fever came
about In an Interesting way. The
island of Malta In the Mediterranean
sea was an Important military base for
Great Britain after the Crimean wars
In IS55. There many of the English
soldiers became 111 with fever of an
unknown and puzzling origin. They
were too sick for military duty and
suffered from loss of weight, muscular
weakness and fever over long periods
of time. Then In 1SS7 Prof. David
Bruce of England discovered the germ
causing this disease and found that It
was present In goat's milk, and that
the female goat excreted the germ In
her milk. Bolling the goat’s milk pre
vented Infections. It was further
found that the germ caused abortion
In goats.
In 1897 Professor Wright of England
injected himself with a living culture
of the germs and developed the disease.
He studied the course of the ailment
upon himself and found that he could
use a blood test to diagnose the disease.
Scientists labeled the sickness ‘‘Hal
ta fever” because it was investigated
nnd worked out on the island of Malta,
But the British government objected
to the name ns reflecting upon one of
their island possessions. They said tlio
disease had been found to he prevalent
In the neighborhood of the Mediter
ranean basin and was not peculiar to
the island of Malta. They suggested
it be called Mediterranean fever, and,
working through diplomatic channels,
caused the name to he changed.
Professor Bang of Denmark in 1SS7
discovered a germ which causes conta
gious abortion in cows. Later It was
learned that this germ can cause in
man a long protracted Illness charac
terized by lever, weakness and loss of
weight, just as in the case of Malta
fever. Because of the peculiar wave
like form of tlie fever curve tills dis
ease Is called “undulant fever.”
But undulant fever Is not primarily
a disease of man. It is in reality a
disease of the unborn animal of tin
barnyard. Cows or hogs or goats will
carry the germ in their bodies, hut It
does not cause disease until they be
come pregnant, nnd then the germ
grows in the womb and causes ubor
tion of the young. The aborting call
or pig or kid contains many millions of
these germs. The mother animal does
not seem to suffer ns a result of harbor
ing these germs The cow passes the
germs Into the milk, and hence mill;
must be considered ns a source of In
fection. Pasteurizing milk, however
kills the Infection.
The veterinarian can help more In
preventing undulant fever than can the
physician. The elimination of infec
tious abortions in cattle nnd pigs nnd
goats will prevent the disease in man
So long as we have herds Infected
with this abortion bacillus, the best
way to prevent undulant fever in mao
Is to avoid contact with aborting nni
mals and to pnsteurlze milk before
drinking.
Most of the cases In Illinois are
among people living on farms who are
in contact with aborting animals. More
men than women contract the disease,
and the twenty to fifty year age seems
to be the period of greatest suscep
tibility. There ure a few cases reported
in Illinois among children but not
nearly so ninny as among adult men.
Undulant (ever i* difficult to dis
tinguish from several other diseases, but
it can easily be identified by labora
tory tests, which can be made in twen
ty-four hours.
A patient with undulant fever has
general muscular weakness, profuse
sweating, fever at Irregular Intervals
and a progressive loss In weight. But
these symptoms are by no means typi
cal of undulant fever alone. The lab
oratory test Is essential.
Treatment of undulant fever has re
mained unsatisfactory, although many
workers have been devoting much
time to It. Now comes a report from
several doctors at the University of
Cincinnati college of medicine that
they have produced a serum that has
proved satisfactory In a number of test
cases. The cure has not developed far
enough for general use, however.
C Western Newspaper Union.
Scraps,
of J
Humor
i .1 >—
A BRAVE MAN
“Papa, when you see a cow, ain’t
you afraid?"
“Of course not, Evelyn.’’
“When you see a great big worm,
ain’t you afraid?"
"No, of course not.”
"When you see a horrid, monstrous
bumble bee, ain't you afraid?”
"No, certainly not!”
“Ain’t you afraid when It thunders
and lightnings?"
“No, no, you silly child."
“(Jee, Pop, ain’t you afraid of noth
ing in this world ’ceptln’ Mamma?"
PLOWED UNDER
“Tlie new stenographer's hair Is a
decided blond. Isn't It?’’
“Vos; though I noticed a slight inde
cision around the roots."
Without Delay
Tlie sleight-of-hand performance was
not going very well.
“fan any lady or gentleman lend me
in egg?" asked the conjurer, coming
down to the footlights.
"If we'd 'nd one," shouted a man In
the audience, “you’d 'nve 'nd it before
this."
Human Life
“We never call people out to he
shot at sunrise as they do in some
parts of Europe.”
"No,” said Senator Sorghum. “The
worst we do is to let ’em take their
chances at a grade crossing."—Wash
ington Star.
He Knew Hia Fliei
Teacher—Now if there were five
Hies on a table and I killed one, how
many would he left?
Pupil—One dead one, sir.
THE LOW DOWN
Kill tor—I can't use your poem, but
you might leave your address.
Poet—If you don’t take the poem 1
shan't have any address.
More Effective
Father—Did you tell Cyril I'll cut
him out of my will if he married that
girl?
Wise Mother—No; 1 did better than
that— 1 told the girl.—Stray Stories
Magazine.
A Real Saleaman
“Are you sure," asked the woman,
"that tliis century plant will bloom In
a hundred years?”
“Positive, ma’nm," answered the
tlorist. “If it doesn’t, bring It rigid
back."
Why the Kid* Laughed
Willie not only was chewing gum
which was against the rules but he
had Ills feet out in the aisle.
“Willie," the teacher thundered,
•take that gum out of your mouth and
put your feet In.”
Word* Failed Her
M. . . and then he said I was ‘la
conic!’ ”
“Laconic! What does that mean?"
“I don’t know—but 1 slapped his
face. Just to be ot the safe side!”—
I’earson's Weekly.
Taking No Chancee
Tommy — When will the world come
ro an end. Mu?
Mother—Nobody knows.
Tommy—Well, hadn’t I better play
*ufe and finish nil this candy now?
OUR COMIC SECTION
FINNEY OF THE FORCE SSflgge Hatless-and Speechless
I WAS READW* [
WHERE A CO?"
<5oT His EAD6E
STOLE RIGHT r
OFF'Kl HIM- )
— IT TAKES A
PUMB COP
-r'Lose snmy
PART O’HIS
unyfornn or
^cjuipmem' j—
y/HERE: Trt' HECK
p\D THAT «SoT
<© W«ft«rn N«wipap#r UnloBg
^°OfA
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CAM'1* Yf\ -talk?
are YA f
THE FEATHERHEADS _Raisa tha Dough
W=LL—YbuMS BRooxS
<SoT IWTo ANOTHER.
SCR. Apr roDA'T—
, -THE TROUBL—
HE Sets »nt0
SINCE HE VJEKlTTo
._CO LL'&G-E
iEAH-EVE^ THQ EvCDERleUCB.
HE'S HAD PoM'T SEEM To KEEP
HIM OUT OP MISCHIEF- v-—'
WHAT was
IT NOW- "r
WELL—HE •PJCKT=C> UP A COUPUE
OT= SILLS' SEE, AMD, ETC. ETC
AND NOW HE’S HEUD F=OFe_ p
T RECKLESS DRiVIkjSj-<
AU_ the- naoneY
PARENTS
£,PEM"T Afsl H«M
I <£> w—tern N«wiptper Union
J WeAH—* to BEr
college BPSD -ta<£S
a LOT OF POUGH /
Fair Story
David was telling Ills little cousin
something which attracted grandma’s
attention when she heard him say:
“And there was n little boy and his
name was Umbrella.”
Grandninn told him little boys didn’t
have names like that, to which he re
plied :
“Well, grandma, this Is a fairy story
I’m telling."—Indianapolis News.
EXPLAINED
“What is the origin ot blue Monday?”
“I*ve heard it was flrst regarded blue
by Diogenes, who was turned out of
his tub on account of its being wash
day.”
A POLITICIAN |
••I don’t see why you cull Crow stu
pid. lie says a clever tiling quite
often."
“Exactly, lie doesn't seem to real
W.e It should l>e said only once."
An Elevating' Subject
“Tills paper says that a man talks
of flying to tlie moon. I>o you think
lie can?”
“Of course, lie can. Anybody can
tulk about (lying to the moon.”
Not Particular
“You only married me because my
uncle left me some money.”
“Nothing of tbe kind. I'd have mar
ried you whoever left It to you."—
Answers Magazine
Waiting
Teacher—What are you crying for,
Bobby?
Ilobhy—You told me to stand In the
corner for the present—and you have
not given me a present.
The Proviio
“Don’t you believe It is right for a
man to say exactly what he tilings?”
“Yes,” replied Miss Cayenne; “pro
vided he really thinks.”
ASLEEP AT THE SWITCH
“Latin America can’t understand us."
“Why is that?”
"We don't average a revolution once
In a hundred years."