﻿544 
  Seventh 
  Annual 
  Report 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  tive 
  proof 
  of 
  its 
  failure 
  under 
  the 
  conditions 
  specified 
  exists, 
  at 
  

   the 
  most, 
  in 
  rare 
  cases. 
  

  

  2. 
  The 
  available 
  evidence 
  does 
  not 
  indicate 
  that 
  over 
  5 
  per 
  cent, 
  

   of 
  errors 
  exist 
  in 
  interpreting 
  its 
  effects 
  w^hen 
  applied, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  now, 
  

   by 
  the 
  ordinary 
  practitioner 
  and 
  often 
  by 
  those 
  unskilled 
  in 
  its 
  use. 
  

  

  3. 
  The 
  majority 
  of 
  the 
  objections 
  raised 
  to 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  tuberculin 
  

   as 
  a 
  diagnostic 
  agent 
  have 
  their 
  origin 
  in 
  (1) 
  the 
  errors 
  of 
  the 
  

   incompetent, 
  (2) 
  the 
  victims 
  of 
  the 
  unscrupulous, 
  or 
  (3) 
  with 
  those 
  

   who 
  seeing, 
  refuse 
  to 
  admit 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  tuberculosis 
  as 
  a 
  spe- 
  

   cific 
  disease. 
  

  

  4. 
  Full 
  information 
  concerning 
  the 
  best 
  method 
  for 
  its 
  prepa- 
  

   ration, 
  its 
  composition, 
  its 
  mechanism 
  in 
  producing 
  a 
  reaction, 
  and 
  

   the 
  reasons 
  why 
  in 
  rare 
  cases 
  it 
  may 
  not 
  give 
  its 
  specific 
  reaction, 
  

   are 
  topics 
  for 
  further 
  investigation. 
  

  

  5. 
  The 
  preparation 
  and 
  the 
  application 
  of 
  tuberculin, 
  while 
  

   simple 
  processes, 
  involve 
  a 
  consideration 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  con- 
  

   ditions, 
  nearly 
  all 
  requiring 
  technical 
  knowledge, 
  that 
  they 
  sh"ould 
  

   not 
  be 
  attempted 
  or 
  allowed 
  to 
  be 
  performed 
  except 
  by 
  those 
  

   who 
  are 
  competent 
  and 
  qualified 
  to 
  do 
  so. 
  

  

  Bovine 
  and 
  Human 
  Tubercle 
  Bacilli. 
  I 
  was 
  requested 
  to 
  

   point 
  out 
  the 
  differences 
  existing 
  between 
  the 
  human 
  and 
  bovine 
  

   tubercle 
  bacilli. 
  There 
  are 
  numerous 
  popular 
  statements 
  to 
  

   the 
  effect 
  that 
  these 
  bacilli 
  are 
  entirely 
  different, 
  and 
  con- 
  

   sequently 
  there 
  can 
  be 
  no 
  intercommunication 
  of 
  tuberculosis 
  

   between 
  cattle 
  and 
  men. 
  In 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  obvious 
  injury 
  these 
  as- 
  

   sertions 
  are 
  working 
  to 
  the 
  cattle 
  industry^^ 
  by 
  checking 
  the 
  active 
  

   progress 
  which 
  was 
  being 
  made 
  in 
  detecting 
  and 
  eliminating 
  tuber- 
  

   culous 
  animals 
  from 
  the 
  dairies 
  of 
  the 
  State, 
  to 
  say 
  nothing 
  of 
  

   the 
  sanitary 
  problems 
  involved, 
  it 
  seemed 
  desirable 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  few 
  

  

  18 
  For 
  nearly 
  three 
  years 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  gradual 
  but 
  steady 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  

   demand 
  for 
  tuberculin 
  for 
  the 
  private 
  testing 
  of 
  cattle. 
  The 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  tu- 
  

   berculosis 
  committee 
  in 
  an 
  educational 
  way 
  in 
  getting 
  farmers 
  interested 
  in 
  

   the 
  subject 
  for 
  their 
  own 
  benefit 
  was 
  beginning 
  to 
  bear 
  much 
  fruit. 
  As 
  soon, 
  

   liowever, 
  as 
  the 
  statements 
  began 
  to 
  appear, 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  agricultural 
  

   papers, 
  that 
  these 
  bacilli 
  were 
  distinct 
  species 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  disease 
  was 
  not 
  

   transmissible 
  from 
  cattle 
  to 
  man, 
  the 
  demand 
  for 
  tuberculin 
  fell 
  from 
  over 
  a 
  

   thousand 
  doses 
  a 
  month 
  to 
  practically 
  none 
  at 
  all. 
  More 
  recently 
  the 
  demand 
  

   has 
  increased, 
  so 
  that 
  this 
  month 
  we 
  have 
  received 
  calls 
  for 
  nearly 
  500 
  doses. 
  

  

  