﻿540 
  Seventh 
  Annual 
  Report 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  data 
  concerning 
  the 
  normal 
  temperature 
  variation 
  of 
  the 
  animal 
  

   and 
  in 
  the 
  completeness 
  of 
  the 
  post-mortem 
  examination 
  that 
  I 
  

   have 
  felt 
  the 
  probability 
  that 
  the 
  error 
  rested 
  with 
  the 
  observer 
  

   quite 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  with 
  the 
  tuberculin. 
  Unfortunately, 
  we 
  are 
  

   yet 
  unable 
  to 
  determine, 
  by 
  the 
  reaction, 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  the 
  disease, 
  

   so 
  that 
  a 
  beginning 
  lesion 
  no 
  larger 
  than 
  a 
  pea 
  may 
  cause 
  a 
  pro- 
  

   nounced 
  rise 
  of 
  temperature, 
  and 
  such 
  a 
  tubercle 
  may 
  be 
  difficult 
  

   to 
  find, 
  especially 
  if 
  located 
  in 
  the 
  marrow 
  of 
  some 
  bone. 
  As 
  to 
  

   the 
  second 
  class, 
  it 
  is 
  generally 
  admitted 
  that 
  advanced 
  cases 
  often 
  

   fail 
  to 
  react; 
  but 
  here 
  the 
  test 
  itself 
  is 
  of 
  little 
  importance, 
  as 
  the 
  

   disease 
  can 
  be 
  detected 
  by 
  an 
  ordinary 
  clinician 
  on 
  physical 
  exam- 
  

   ination. 
  The 
  occasions 
  are 
  quite 
  numerous 
  where 
  this 
  has 
  hap- 
  

   pened. 
  A 
  reaction 
  may 
  not 
  occur 
  in 
  rare 
  cases 
  where 
  the 
  disease 
  

   is 
  recent 
  and 
  active. 
  Medical 
  science 
  recognizes 
  individual 
  idio- 
  

   syncrasies 
  in 
  respect 
  to 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  other 
  specifics, 
  and 
  all 
  laws 
  

   in 
  the 
  biological 
  world 
  admit 
  of 
  exceptions 
  and 
  variations. 
  Why, 
  

   then, 
  should 
  tuberculin 
  and 
  the 
  tuberculous 
  animal 
  be 
  debarred 
  

   from 
  this 
  universally 
  acceded 
  privilege? 
  When, 
  however, 
  tuber- 
  

   culin 
  is 
  carefully 
  prepared 
  and 
  scientifically 
  administered 
  these 
  

   exceptions 
  are 
  exceedingly 
  rare. 
  I 
  have 
  no 
  personal 
  knowledge 
  

   that 
  they 
  ever 
  occur. 
  

  

  The 
  practical 
  value 
  of 
  tuberculin, 
  however, 
  lies 
  in 
  its 
  efficiency 
  

   in 
  the 
  arts 
  of 
  comparative 
  and 
  sanitary 
  medicine. 
  It 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  

   practical 
  application 
  that 
  difficulties 
  are 
  encountered. 
  The 
  many 
  

   details 
  and 
  precautions 
  enumerated 
  as 
  absolutely 
  essential 
  to 
  the 
  

   best 
  results 
  are 
  often 
  considered 
  too 
  tedious 
  and 
  time-consuming, 
  

   and, 
  consequently, 
  the 
  practice 
  has 
  come 
  too 
  generally 
  into 
  vogue 
  

   of 
  neglecting 
  or 
  ignoring 
  many 
  of 
  these 
  instructions. 
  In 
  order 
  

   that 
  the 
  test 
  may 
  be 
  practicable 
  it 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  necessary 
  to 
  resort 
  

   to 
  the 
  shorter 
  method, 
  even 
  at 
  the 
  risk 
  of 
  an 
  occasional 
  failure. 
  

   Moreover, 
  the 
  reaction 
  is 
  usually 
  so 
  well 
  marked 
  that 
  the 
  disease 
  

   can 
  nearly 
  always 
  be 
  detected 
  by 
  the 
  usual 
  procedure. 
  If, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  a 
  diseased 
  animal 
  escapes 
  by 
  virtue 
  of 
  neglecting 
  precau- 
  

   tions 
  in 
  making 
  the 
  test, 
  the 
  error 
  is 
  chargeable 
  to 
  the 
  method 
  

   and 
  not 
  to 
  the 
  tuberculin. 
  

  

  