BoVIXE TLTilOKCULOSlS IX ItS IvKLATIOX TO MaX. 127 



was not known by my father; up to that time it certainly was 

 not known by me." The organization he was speaking to is com- 

 posed of about eighty of the wealthiest and most representative 

 men in this country, who own high-class stock farms. Every 

 member had large sums in pure-bred cattle, and was vitally in- 

 terested in all such subjects, and, although many of them had 

 had tuberculosis in their herds for years, they did not know it. 

 The medical profession up to this time was in no way exercised 

 over the danger of the communicability of tuberculosis from the 

 bovine to the human race, nor, indeed, did they lay much stress 

 on the infectiveness of the disease from person to person. Then 

 suddenly all America was stirred by articles from veterinarians, 

 physicians and laymen. Later, laws were enacted, cattle commis- 

 sions appointed, inspectors were sent out, herds were subjected 

 to the tuberculin test, and animals that gave satisfactory reac- 

 tions were killed. Many physicians went to see post-mortems, 

 were convinced of immeasurable dangers, and fell into line. 

 Stock owners trembled and the public was in a panic, and saw 

 more danger in milk than in rum. The tidal wave swept over 

 the country; State and local boards of health, medical and vet- 

 erinary medical societies, agricultural societies, farmers, grang- 

 ers, dairymen, milkmen's associations, and the nail-keg and soap- 

 box aristocracy of the country store were all discussing the "new" 

 disease in cattle and its relations to man. The disease, how- 

 ever, was not " new," in fact, is one of the oldest, but it was 

 new to most of the people and it served as a great scare. It 

 was treated as if it were a most desperate scourge just imported 

 into the country, when, as a matter of fact, it was no more 

 prevalent in proportion to the number of cattle than it had been. 

 Legislative Appropriations for Stamping Out. — The chief aim of 

 health boards heretofore has been to destroy tuberculous cattle; 

 the greater tbe number condemned and slaughtered, the greater 

 the glory. No matter that it struck consternation into the ranks 

 of the proprietors of a great industry. No matter that in many 

 cases the richest blood of heredity in pure-bred herds was forever 

 lost — lost though it had cost lifetimes and fortunes to obtain; 



