TEXAS PANIC! by Harry Haines

B-S-E spells death. Cattle or human -- if you get it, you will die.

The Washington Post calls Texas veterinarian Dr. James Robert Masterson the "World's Foremost Expert" in BSE -- Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, more commonly referred to as mad cow disease. Jim Bob, as he is known to friends and family, achieved his celebrity through a test he invented, a remarkable accomplishment considering the fact that Texas has never had a case of BSE.

Until now.

The story opens when a cow slips and goes down in a feed yard in Sagebrush, Texas, a tiny rural community sixty-five miles north of Amarillo. Bearing in mind that there are thirty-five million cattle in the Texas Panhandle, where one-third of the nation's fed beef is produced, one "downer" would hardly seem noteworthy.

But two factors escalate the seriousness of the incident. First, this is the health scare with everything -- a gruesomely exotic disease, unknown dangers, bungling bureaucrats, and a common food item found in virtually every home. And second, the sensation-hungry American press finds the story irresistible.

Jim Bob is sure they have a false alarm. BSE has to come from somewhere. Infected prions don't mutate or appear spontaneously. But "The Masterson Test" becomes suspect as the USDA struggles to confirm its diagnosis. Meanwhile the panic escalates. Cattle futures tank. Beef processing plants close. Millions of Texas cattle become worthless. Billions are at stake.

Web Person: smayes@steven-mayes-art.com -  Last modified 11/13.09

To purchse Texas Panic! click on image>