arsenical
poisoning and in most of the cases the cause could be traced to somebody's
error or carelessness.
In regard to arsenical poisoning of human beings there is a standard
antidote, which may be obtained at any drug store with directions for use.
It should be kept on hand for emergencies. If the antidote is not at hand
the poison must be removed from the stomach by encouraging repeated
vomiting, and soothing drinks such as milk, white of eggs and water, or
flour and water must be freely given meanwhile. A suspected case of
arsenical poisoning must have the attention of a physician at the earliest
possible moment, as sometimes the poison works very quickly.
_Crude petroleum._--Various kinds of crude petroleum and emulsions of it
have been used with more or less success in destroying ticks, but on
account of the difficulty of obtaining suitable grades of oil and the
liability of injury to cattle, their use has been practically abandoned.
_Method of dipping._--The method usually adopted in dipping cattle is to
construct a narrow swimming tank with a chute at one end for the entrance
of the cattle, and a sloping exit at the other end when the cattle emerge
after passing through the vat. (See Pl. XLIX, fig. 2.) A drip chute, or
floor, is connected with the exit, where the excess of dip is allowed to
drip off the animals and to drain into the vat. Plans and specifications
for installing dipping plants may be obtained from the Bureau of Animal
Industry, Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C.
TREATMENT.
When Texas fever has broken out, all animals, the sick as well as the
healthy, should at once be removed to a noninfected pasture. While this may
not cut short the disease, it may save the lives of some by removing them
from the possibility of attack by more young ticks. Removal from infected
pastures likewise prevents a second attack, in October or early in
November, which is caused by another generation of ticks. Sick native
cattle infect with a new generation of ticks the pasture to which they are
removed, but these usually appear so late that they have but little
opportunity to do any damage; hence, sick natives do not, as a rule, cause
visible disease in other natives.
It is of importance to remove all ticks, so far as this is possible, from
sick animals, since they abstract a considerable quantity of blood and
thereby retard the final recovery.
Medical treatment of the sick has generally been uns
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