VERMONT AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 141 



Charts for reporting to the Bureau of Animal Industry results 

 of tests are always forwarded with the material. It is not nec- 

 essary that the temperature should be taken at the exact hour 

 indicated upon these charts, but the hours selected have been 

 considered the most convenient for the test. If the animal is 

 diseased, from six to eight hours after the injection of the tuber- 

 culin the temperature begins to rise from the normal, which in 

 cattle varies from ioi° to 102 F., and should continue to rise 

 until it has reached 105 to 107 . A reaction of 2 F. above 

 the normal may be considered as good evidence that the animal 

 is infected with tuberculosis. 



When tuberculin is to be used upon dairy cattle, a test of the 

 same herd should be made at least once every six months. Dairy 

 cows should be carefully tested by means of tuberculin, and this 

 is required at present by some of the States. Dairy herds once 

 found free from disease should not be subjected to the danger of 

 infection by the introduction of new animals that have not been 

 previously tested and found perfectly sound. The health of 

 animals and of men is vety largely dependent upon the use of 

 sanitary precautions and the enforcement of sanitary regulations, 

 such as can be adopted by the aid of a definite diagnostic mate- 

 rial like tuberculin. 



ABSENCE OF DANGER IN THE USE OF TUBERCULIN* 



As will readily be seen from the manner of preparation de- 

 scribed, there is not the slightest possible danger of infecting 

 animals or men with tuberculosis from the use of tuberculin. 

 The cultures are heated several times to a temperature a great 

 deal above that necessary to kill the tubercle bacillus, and, in ad- 

 dition, the tuberculin is diluted with carbolic acid, which is an 

 excellent disinfectant and germicide. Again, there is no danger 

 of injuring healthy animals even with quite large doses of tuber- 

 culin, as the tuberculin is apparently very readily eliminated in 

 the feces and urine. 



When tuberculin is to be used for diagnosing disease in man, 

 very much smaller doses are necessary than in the case of ani- 

 mals. From 1 to 3 milligrams are found sufficient in most cases. 



The method of injecting tuberculin upon man for diagnosis, 

 as prescribed by Dr. Trudeau, one who has had a great deal of 

 experience in its use, is as follows : 



" In applying the tuberculin test, I take the temperature for 

 several days beforehand, at 8 A. m., 3 p. m. and 8 p. m. For the 

 first injection, I usually take 1 milligram of Koch's original tu- 

 berculin [ 5 milligrams Bureau tuberculin], injected as late as 

 possible at' bedtime ; then note the temperature every two hours 



