NINTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART IX 367 
human family, is caused by some form of tuberculosis. Hence tlie nec- 
essity of municipal and state measures. 
Dr. A. D. Melvin, Chief of the Bureau of Animal Industry, has made 
the following statements of the economic importance of food-producing 
animals: 
"While the saving of human life affords the highest motive for com- 
bating tuberculosis, the prevention of financial loss is alone a sufficient 
reason for undertaking the eradication of the disease from farm animals. 
Statistics of the United States Federal meat inspection for the fiscal 
year ending June 30, 1908, covering 53,973,337 animals, or more than one- 
half of all those slaughtered for food in the country, show the following 
percentages of tuberculosis: Adult cattle, 0.961; calves, 0.026; hogs, 
2.049; sheep and goats, 0. The proportion of tuberculosis is probably 
higher in animals slaughtered without inspection. 
Reports of the tuberculin test made in the 15 years from 1893 to 
1908 by Federal, State and other oflEicers with tuberculin prepared by the 
Bureau of Animal Industry have been carefully analyzed and tabulated. 
Out of the 400,000 cattle tested (mostly dairy cattle) there were 37,000 
reactions or 9.25 per cent. 
From these two classes of statistics, it is concluded that on an average 
about 10 per cent of the milch cows, 1 per cent of other cattle, and 2 per 
cent of the hogs in the United States are affected with tuberculosis, the 
average percentage for all cattle being estimated at 3.5. 
The accuracy of the tuberculin test has been confirmed in a remarkable 
way by post mortem examinations. Out of 23,869 reacting cattle slaugh- 
tered, lesions of tuberculosis were found in 23,585, a percentage of 98.81. 
The economic loss on account of tuberculosis in food-producing animals 
is heavy. The loss on animals in which tuberculosis is found in the 
Federal meat inspection is estimated at $2,382,433 annually, and if the 
same conditions were applied to animals slaughtered without Federal in- 
spection, the annual loss on all animals slaughtered for food in the 
United States w^ould be increased to $4,354,855. The stock of animals on 
hand is also depreciated in value because of tuberculosis. Assuming that 
living tuberculosis milch cows are annually depreciated to the extent of 
one-tenth of what the loss would be if they were slaughtered, other cattle 
one-third, and hogs one-half, the total annual depreciation amounts to 
$8,046,219. The annual loss from decreases in milk production is esti- 
mated at $1,150,000, and there is also some loss from impairment of 
breeding qualities, etc. Taking all these items into account, the aggregate 
annual loss because of tuberculosis among farm animals in the United 
States is estimated at not less than $14,000,000. 
Such heavy financial losses makes the eradication of tuberculosis from 
farm animals very desirable purely as an economic matter. As the disease 
is found principally among cattle and hogs, and as most of the infection 
in hogs is derived from cattle, the main effort should be directed against 
the disease in cattle. Among the measures proposed are the following: 
Live stock owners should be educated by means of official publications, 
the agricultural and general press, lectures at farmers' institutes, etc. 
Authorities should make a systematic effort to determine to what extent 
