474 ANNUAL REPORT OF THK Off. £)0e. 



:it thc-ir apic-es. ..lu additiou, llie lungs coritained uiinierons miliary 

 tubercles, and some grey librous tubercles of a larger size. Microsco- 

 l)ic examination of these showed (hat they had the histology of tuber- 

 culous lesions aud conf:uiied the specific bacilli." He concludes: "It 

 followsiromtheexperiuients that it is difficult, but not impossible, to 

 set up in the bovine species a generalized tuberculosis by means of 

 pure cultures of bacilli obtained from the human subject. That the 

 two diseases are identical still remains a firmly established truth, 

 from wliich it follows that we must always take into account the 

 danger of infection from the cow to man, which, in my opinion, is 

 more likely to happen than the reciprocal infection. Contrary to 

 Koch's opinion, the generally admitted higher virulence of bovine 

 bacilli justifies us in exercisiiig a strict supervision of the milk and 

 flesh of tuberculous animals. The success of experimental infection 

 depends in large measure on the degree of resistance otiered by the 

 animal, as Xocard has suggested, and as is demonstrated by the 

 second exxjeriment. It is desirable that numerous experiments may 

 be carried out as soon as possible, and we do not doubt that the re- 

 sult will prove that the theory founded on the experiments of Shuetz 

 and Koch is erroneous and the outcome of a premature conclusion." 



In regard to the second point, Prof. Koch bases his conclusion 

 largely on the alleged rarity of primary intestinal tuberculosis, and 

 gives some statistics to support his claims. It is to regretted that 

 he neglected to quote iJie figures given by a number of other path- 

 ologists of the highest standing who have found that piimary tu- 

 berculosis of the intestinal tract is by no means a rare occurrence, 

 especially in young children. Statistics on this point have recently 

 been published by Uv. Leonard Pearson and myself in Bulletin No. 

 75, pages 62 and Go, Department of Agriculture; and further in a 

 paper presented to the British Congress on Tuberculosis from the 

 laboratory of the State Live Stock Sanitarv Board of Pennsvlvania, 

 which is attached to the report. 



Prof. Koch leaves out of consideration entirely, so far as we can 

 judge from his published statements, the findings of all these ob- 

 servers, who as we said before have the highest standing in the scien- 

 tific world. He ignores entirely the reported cases of infection 

 through food, such as those mentioned by Prof. Nocard above, some 

 of whi.h "have almost the value of an experiment." He passes by 

 the evidence alforded by such statistics as those collated by Thorne- 

 Th(u-ne, wliich show that while tuberculosis in all forms has dimin- 

 ished during the past forty-five years, the form known as phthisis 

 reaching a diminution of sixty-sjx per cent., that taJjcs menc-nterica, 

 the intestinal tubercailosis of infants, has actually increased 27.7 

 l)cr rent in children under one year of age. Admitting freely that 

 statistics are not absolutely correct aud making all possible allow- 



