TRANSMISSION OF BOVINE TUBERCULOSIS. 205 



of professional and scientific men, but the influence of the press, and 

 the sanction of our State authorities. 



INFECTIOUS QUALITIES DEFINED. 



The extent to which the different kinds of diseased meat are liable 

 to be used will depend in a great measure upon the comparative 

 frequency that these infectious maladies occur in a given locality, 

 and the more insidious the nature of the disease the greater the lia- 

 bility of its transmission from animals being slaughtered, that are 

 more or less affected. Hence a brief alkision to the more common 

 forms of infected meat, with a review of some of the pathological 

 conditions involved, will best serve our present purpose, and possibly 

 throw a gleam of sanitarv light on this much neglected subject. 



All meat, therefore, from whatever source or condition of animal 

 it may come, that would cause sickness, disease, or death in man if 

 partaken as food, must be regarded in the light of sanitary science 

 as diseased^ and consequently unfit for human use in any form. Ac- 

 cordingly, an article of meat possessing such qualities must come 

 from an animal afllicted with some form of an infectious malady, 

 the germs of which are contained in the flesh, and are liable to be 

 transmitted. 



Hence, a disease in which a contagious virus is developed daring 

 its course, and the germs are present in the blood, renders the meat 

 from all animals thus affected exceedinslv dans^erous as an article of 

 food. In accordance with this definition there are a few diseases 

 that absolutely render these animal supplies perilous to human hap- 

 piness. Prominent among these may be mentioned malignant an- 

 thrax, tuberculosis, and small-pox. But the other maladies from 

 which our slauo-htered animals are liable to have suffered mav 

 greath' impoverish the nutritive quality of the meat, and thus ren- 

 der it unpleasant in taste and general appearance ; yet, if the flesh 

 contains no animal poison or other morbid products, no harm can 

 possibl}' come from its use when served upon our table ; and even a 

 diseased article, when thoroughl}' cooked, ma}' not prove injurious 

 to one whose digestive powers are active. 



It is not an easy matter, therefore, in all cases to decide whether 

 meat is possessed of injurious qualities or not, without a careful 

 inquiry into the history of the article, or a microscopic inspection. 

 This is true of black-leg veal many times, and of other fine-looking 



