BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTEY. 197 



accurate and reliable and affords a very valuable means of deter- 

 mining doubtful cases of glanders in horses and of bringing about its 

 eradication. 



TUBERCULOSIS. 



Tuberculosis has continued to be a subject of both administrative 

 work and scientific investigation. In 1909 and 1910 a systematic 

 tubercuUn test was made of all cattle in the District of Columbia, and 

 those that reacted were slaughtered. During the past fiscal year the 

 bureau has been engaged in making retests at intervals in order to 

 detect the disease in aii}^ animals in wliich it might have developed 

 since the first test. This work is described in the report of the 

 Quarantine Division. Only a small proportion of cases is now being 

 found, and as all cattle brought into the District except for immediate 

 slaughter have to undergo the test, it is believed that the District will 

 soon be entirely freed from bovine tuberculosis. 



Experiments in the immunization of cattle against tuberculosis by 

 means of vaccination have been continued, and while some encourag- 

 ing results have been obtained, the only methods that appear to be at 

 all reliable require the use of hving tubercle bacilli, and the bureau 

 does not yet consider such methods adapted to practical use because 

 of the danger of spreading the disease. This work has been made the 

 subject of a special article in the Twenty-seventh Annual Report of 

 the bureau. 



For several years the bureau has advocated that only animals that 

 are free from tuberculosis should be admitted to public exhibitions. 

 Following this recommendation the officials of the Utah State Fair 

 last year made a ruling Mdiich permitted only cattle wdiich were free 

 from tuberculosis as demonstrated by the tuberculin test to be shown 

 at that fair. It is hoped that the managers of other large exhibitions 

 will follow a similar course. This policy seems desirable for two 

 reasons, first, because if tuberculous animals are admitted there is 

 danger that the disease will be spread to other stock, and second, it 

 seems unreasonable and unfair that premiums should be awarded to 

 animals that are infected ^vith a contagious disease. The smallest 

 blemish will disqualify a horse in the show ling, and it seems only 

 logical that the presence of a contagious disease should disqualify 

 cattle. Certainly the owners of healthy stock should not be expected 

 to expose their animals to diseased ones at these fairs. 



About two years ago a special committee known as the Inter- 

 national Commission on the Control of Bovine Tuberculosis was 

 appointed by the American Medical Veterinary Association to study 

 the tuberculosis problem in live stock and to formulate measures for 

 dealing with it. The report of this commission was submitted during 

 the past fiscal year, and owing to its importance and the desirability 

 of giving it a ^v^de distributon it was published b}" the departmeut as 

 a circular of this bureau. The commission has since prepared a 

 simple and concise treatise on this disease, intended especially for 

 f armors and stock raisers, and it is expected that this will be published 

 by the department as a Farmers' Bulletin. As a proper understand- 

 ing of the nature of tuberculosis and the best rneans for dealing with 

 it are essential to the success of any undertaking for the control or 

 eradication of this disease, it is ])elieved that the widesnread distribu- 

 tion of this hterature will accomplish great good. 



