148 



than 90 per cent were found to harbor the infectiiMi when first 

 tested, while nearly 80 i)er cent were fmnid to be clean l)y the 

 present test. IJesides this highly gratifying- result, every owner 

 of reacting cattle has either already sent the infected animals 

 to be destroyed or has promised to do so at the earliest possible 

 opportunity. Even the one herd with the twenty-six reactors 

 was cleaned out the same day the result of the test was report- 

 ed to the owner. It should be mentioned that every reacting 

 animal is plainly branded, and as nearly every dairyman has 

 had that same brand applied to one or more of his own animals 

 during the past two years, it is not likely that there is anybody 

 left who does not know the brand when he sees it, and is here- 

 by protected against purchasing or admitting to his premises, 

 or tolerating on adjoining premises a tuberculous animal. 



The fact that tuberculosis among the local dairy herds has 

 been immensely decreased is further demonstrated by the fact 

 that out of the 139 reactors found by the last test only two or 

 three showed physical symptoms of the disease. All of the 

 rest of those which have been killed so far showed on post 

 mortem examination but very slight lesions, so slight in fact 

 that it is very doubtful whether the affected animals could pos- 

 sibly have transmitted the disease to other animals in their 

 immediate neighborhood or surroundings. Two of the physi- 

 cally aft'ected animals were family cows, which had never been 

 tested before. Unfortunately there seems to be a definite con- 

 viction in the public mind that the family cow, or the cow from 

 which no milk is sold, need not be tested. It can therefore not 

 be too strongly emphasized that the untested family cow is an 

 extremely dangerous animal to obtain your milk supi)h' from, 

 especially in view of the fact that the tuberculous cow often is 

 a heavy milker and that even the advanced stages of tuber- 

 culosis does not change the appearance or taste of the milk. 



Not until the disease has spread to the udder and is destroy- 

 ing the milk gland itself, does the appearance of the milk in- 

 dicate the presence of the disease in that organ, while for weeks 

 before that stage is reached the milk contains millions of viru- 

 lent tubercle bacilli, even though retaining its normal a])pear- 

 ance. When to this is added that the milk from the family cow 

 generally is consumed undiluted or unmixed with the milk 

 from other cows, it becomes imperatixe that this cow. ot all, 

 should be the first one to ])e tested, especially where children 

 are fed the milk. 



Section one of the local Milk Ordinance further states that: 

 "No milk producer shall offer for sale or (leli\er for sale, use 

 or consumption, any milk without first having obtained from 

 the board of supervisors a permit to do so." That certainly 

 makes it ]dain that a ]>ermit must be obtained whether the milk 

 is sold or given away so long as it is consumed and as no per- 



