take such action in the matter as local circumstances would per- 

 mit. The vital statistics for the island showed the following 

 number of deaths from tuberculosis in children under five years : 



1910-11 11 



1911-12 10 



1912-13 8 



or in each case from two to three times as many deaths as on 

 Maui and Hawaii together. The Deputy Veterinarian shortly 

 reported having found about 25 per cent, of tuberculous cows 

 in one of the largest dairies on the island, and their subsequent 

 destruction. The mortality for the following years showed : 



1913-14 2 



1914-15 3 



or, where previous to 1913 four or five babies died from tuber- 

 culosis, only one died after but partial cleaning up of the island. 



It would seem that further proof would be superfluous, and 

 still it may be as well here to quote from my paper before the 

 Medical Association above referred to, in which a prominent 

 English pathologist after careful microscopic examination of the 

 excised glands of 72 children suffering from scrofulosis (tuber- 

 culous enlargement of the lymph glands of the neck) found 90 

 per cent, of the infection to be of bovine origin, and further 

 proved that .85 per cent, of these children had been fed on milk 

 from untested cows. 



A circular letter to the Deputy Territorial Veterinarians on 

 Hawaii, Maui and Kauai has been prepared and sent to them 

 with instructions to cooperate with the local representative of 

 the Territorial Board of Health on their respective islands in en- 

 forcing the new Sanitary Code. On Hawaii Dr. Elliot has 

 already begun testing the dairy herds in Kohala and North and 

 South Kona, having secured leave of absence from his duties in 

 Hilo. He is accompanied by a Board of Health inspector who 

 acts as advance agent, travelling several days ahead of him ar- 

 ranging dates and places for testing, and impressing upon the 

 milk producers that no license to sell milk will be issued until a 

 clean bill of health, based on the tuberculin test, has been issued 

 by Dr. Elliot. While all dairy cows have already been tested in 

 Hamakua, North and South Hilo, Kona and Kau, a retest will 

 be required before the new license is forthcoming. 



Kauai and Maui have not been heard from as yet, but energetic 

 steps will no doubt be taken there also as soon as the fact is 

 realized that the long wanted authority on which to act has now 

 been supplied. That human life is being wasted and that no term 

 less than criminal negligence can be applied to a continuation of 

 conditions which tolerate the presence of tuberculous infection on 

 premises where milk for human consumption is being produced. 



