Io6 BUI^LETIN 65. 



when did all three diseases together create such mortality in this 

 cit}'? Nay, if we take the whole civilized world and compare with 

 the tuberculosis mortality, all the accumulated deaths from war, 

 famine, plague, cholera, yellow fever and small pox we find that 

 the latter are comparatively very insignificant. Yet tuberculosis 

 like every germ disease is absolutely preventible, and is allowed 

 to continue its career of death onlj- because of reprehensible 

 ignorance and criminal indifference. 



Its Prevalence in the L,ower Animals. 



Few if any diseases maintain a sway over a more numerous 

 genera of animals than tuberculosis. Among the domesticated 

 animals cattle are perhaps the most susceptible, but chickens, 

 guineapigs, rabbits, swine and goats become victims almost if not 

 quite as easily. Some have thought that dogs, cats, sheep and 

 horses are exempt, but when inoculated with tuberculous material 

 these all contract the affection readily enough. The fact that 

 they do not contract it in such numbers in the usual way is prob- 

 ably due in part to the greater amount of outdoor life which they 

 enjoy, also to the fact that they have more exercise which secures 

 for them a better developed and higher conditioned muscular 

 system, and a full stock of constitutional vigor. After making 

 all these allowances, however, it must be granted that these four 

 classes of animals enjoy a native intolerance to this disease to 

 which the first six classes mentioned are comparative strang- 

 ers. 



Among the less domesticated animals which contract tubercu- 

 losis may be named caged apes, lions, kangaroos, deer, elk, 

 gazelle, antelope, birds, and in addition the rats, mice and other 

 vermin of our houses and barns. All must, therefore, be con- 

 sidered as possible bearers and disseminators of the infection and 

 no such animal (indeed, scarcely any animal) can be left out of 

 account in any systematic attempt to root out the disease. Some, 

 however, are justly held to contribute more than others to the 

 maintenance of the affection, and in this sense, in addition to man 

 himself, we must consider as preeminently beaiers of this dis- 

 ease cattle, fowls and pigs. 



Accurate statistics are wanting to give the rates of tuberculous 

 animals in our herds, as we have no systematic professional 



