1842 iiEl'UKT OF FaU.MEKs' liN'STlTUTES 



virulence of the genus are greatly diminished by the time passed 

 after milking and by the conditions under which milk is shipped 

 and manufactured. 



The conclusion is therefore evident that farmers' children v/ho 

 drink milk fresh from the cow — often warm — are (in case of 

 an infected supply) taking in larger numbers and more virulent 

 bacilli than city children to whom the same supply is sent. 



It is only the favorable environment of the country child which 

 prevents more frequent development of the disease. 



This is a phase of the subject which has received but little 

 attention but it should arouse farmers to a more lively apprecia- 

 tion of the dangers resulting from infected cattle. 



It must be born in mind that manv children dving of marasmus, 

 of bronchitis, of pneumonia, of measles and whooping cough are 

 really victims of an antecedent tuberculosis. 



Autopsies are not common in the country and statistics must 

 be gathered from the cities but they are not the less convincing to 

 the medical world. 



^Dr. Moore, professor in the Veterinary College of Cornell 

 University, says that he " personally knows of the testing of many 

 herds in wdiich the diseased animals have ranged from ten to 

 ninety per cent, of tlie entire herd. It should be stated that the 

 owners of several of these did not believe before the test that 

 tuberculosis existed among their cattle." 



A large pror^ortion of infected animals are expelling the germs 

 from the mouth or the intestinal canal. Every such animal is 

 liable to infect indirectly any milk drawn in the stable. 



A smaller proportion of infected animals' have lesions in the 

 udder from which living and virulent germs are passed directly 

 into the milk stream. 



Since there is no better known test of the presence of tuber- 

 culosis in a given animal or herd except that known as the tuber- 

 culin test, no man who has not used that test is certain that his 

 herd has no infected member or members. 



And since the bovine form of tuberculosis is readily trans- 

 mitted to children, no man who gives his children milk from an 

 imtested herd or cow can be even reasonably sure that he is not 

 infecting them with this most insidious and deadly disease. 



i"Tlie Control of P.oviiio Tuberculosis," read at the meetin-r of the New 

 York State Dairyman's Association, Elmira, December, 1906. 



