108 ANNUAL RKl'ORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



tary Board, and in view of (lie importance of checking and comparing 

 our results with those of others who have worked in the same held, 

 I had the honor to be designated by the State Livestock Sanitary 

 Board to represent it at the international veterinary congress. The 

 meeting was the most successful that has ever been held. There 

 were presenl nearly 1,400 members from more than thirty countries. 

 All of the leading investigators in the subject of vaccination against 

 tuberculosis of cattle Were present or were represented. The exist- 

 ing status of this subject was made clear and the papers and discus- 

 sions were very interesting and valuable. It came out very clearly, 

 at this meeting, that one of the leading German writers on this 

 subject who has been very boastful and extravagant in his claims 

 on vaccination against tuberculosis does not have evidence for sup- 

 porting his claims, so that if one were to accept them as they are 

 made he would be misled and great disappointment and injury 

 might result. Unsuccessful as well as successful efforts with vac- 

 cination were reported and discussed. Altogether, the information 

 gathered in this field alone was most valuable and is now being 

 employed advantageously in our experimental and practical work. 

 The same information could not have been obtained by experiments 

 and investigations at home without a very great expenditure of time 

 and money. The congress listened with interest to an account 

 of the work in this field that has been conducted by the Pennsylva 

 nia Livestock Sanitary Board, and it was clearly evident that 

 our work is in the line of the most successful work in this 

 field that is being conducted anywhere. In addition to the 

 discussion of the subjects mentioned, other subjects of direct 

 practical importance in the work of the State Livestock Sani- 

 tary Board were carefully considered, such as the control of rabies, 

 anthrax, glanders, the relation of diseases of animals to public 

 health, the development of a system for reporting infectious dis- 

 eases of animals, and the improvement of the milk supply. A plan to 

 increase the use of milk as food, and breeding and feeding of farm 

 animals were also considered. There were a number of papers on 

 so-called tropical diseases of domestic animals and on hog cholera, 

 swine plague, foot and mouth disease and many other subjects. At 

 the close of the congress, an executive committee was appointed to 

 arrange for the next meeting to be held in 1909 in Holland. Your 

 delegate was honored by being appointed on this committee to 

 represent North and South America. • 



The act of May, 1895, places certain duties with regard to the con- 

 trol of the wholesomeness of the milk supply of cities and towns 

 upon the State Livestock Sanitary Board. The general work 

 of the State Livestock Sanitary Board in so far as it has to do 

 with the repression of disease among dairy cattle is of service in pro- 

 tecting the wholesomeness of the milk supply, and it is but natural 

 that if additional measures in this direction are to be undertaken 

 by the State that the w T ork should be placed upon this Board. The 

 secretary of the Board has repeatedly been asked by borough and 

 municipal authorities to ascertain conditions and take such action 

 as may be necessary with regard to certain herds producing milk 

 for sale within the limits of boroughs or cities. The Board is asked 

 to undertake inspections of this kind because the local authorities 

 have no jurisdiction beyond the limits of their districts. In a number 



