No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 4Sa 



the present time milk is a vehicle by which tubercle bacilli are ofteo 

 introduced into the bodies of human beiiig." 



Means of Averting the Danger. 



''The ideal method of counteracting this source of human disease 

 would be to stamp out bovine tuberculosis, or to prevent the sale 

 of milk from every cow that is tuberculous. Unfortunately, it must 

 be admitted that at present that is unattainable. At the present 

 time probably not less than thirty per ceiit. of all the breeding and 

 milking cattle in this country are in some degree affected with tuber- 

 culosis, and to urge that the disease should be attacked on the lines 

 adopted in dealing with cattle plague and pleuro-pneumonia, is an 

 effectual method of preventing any Government from touching the 

 subject. But, although the complete aod rapid extermination of the 

 disease is impossible, it does not follow that nothing can be done, 

 or ought to be done, in the way of prevention. The disease has at- 

 tained to its present alarming proportions simply because, until 

 quite recently, altogether erroneous notions Avere held regarding its 

 cause, and because there has hitherto been the most absolute neglect 

 of the precautions necessary for its prevention. The greatest ob- 

 stacle to successful action against tuberculosis, whether in man or 

 animals, is the ignorance of the laity regarding the cause of the dis- 

 ease. The immense majority of cattle owners are not yet convinced 

 that contagion is the only cause of tuberculosis, aod very few of them 

 have yet made the slightest effort to check the spread of the dis- 

 ease. As a rule, cows and other cattle visibly ill from tuberculosis 

 are still left alive and in close association with their fellows, al- 

 though the lowest grade of common sense and prudence would sug- 

 gest that such animals ought to be promptly killed, or, at least, iso- 

 lated. It is not want of common sense, nor is it mainly lack of 

 mieaos that is responsible for this inaction; it is simply a want of 

 conviction on the part of cattle owners that tuberculous animals are 

 dangerous to their companions. 



The first thing necessary in this connection is education of the 

 people regarding the nature of the disease. It is necessary, because 

 in this country, where Parliament siever moves except by the force 

 of public opinion, the legislative action required will not be taken 

 unless the people are satisfied of its wisdom, and also because even 

 the most drastic sanitary measures enforced by the law are likely 

 to fail if they are not supplemented by the intelligent co-operation 

 of the people. The National Asociation for the Prevention of Con- 

 sumption and the Koyal Agricultural Society have been endeavor- 

 ing to disseminate sound views regarding the cause of bovine tuber- 

 culosis among farmers and others, but much remains to be done in 

 this direction. But it is not reasonable to ask that things should 



