130 Twenty-Second Annual Report of the 



The fear which the average person has of a cow that has reacted to the 

 tuberculin test without regard to her physical condition is a serious obstacle 

 in the use of that animal for any purpose. If apparently healthy but reacting 

 cattle were permanently and clearly marked, subjected to frequent and 

 thorough physical inspection, and their milk pasteurized, there can be no 

 satisfactory reason for such an animal not being allowed to continue to be 

 used the same as before the test. 



The sale of animals which are so marked would seem to be an entirely 

 feasible proposition. The adoption of a county or district inspection service 

 would subject all such animals to proper examination at frequent intervals, 

 and the danger from them would thus be minimized. Cattle that had reacted 

 and were properly designated by marking could be given especial attention 

 by the local inspector. The opportunity for sale of such an animal would 

 be limited, since the number of people who would knowingly buy such an 

 individual would be comparatively few, and consequently there would be a 

 tendency to destroy them, the owner desiring to be relieved of them with the 

 least possible delay. This would therefore reduce the traffic in such cattle 

 very materially and would thus protect the public accordingly. This presup- 

 poses, of course, that any animal showing physical evidence of the disease 

 would at once be segregated or destroyed. By a meat inspection service in 

 connection with the above, the disposition of such individuals could be pro- 

 vided for with little inconvenience to the owner and with a minimum of loss. 

 The public would be safeguarded, while the valuable individual could be 

 retained for breeding or milk purposes without serious interference. 



As a further relief from the present requirements in relation to tuberculous 

 cattle, the feeding of calves, which are to be killed under inspection, upon 

 unheated milk from reactors would relieve the owner from much expense and 

 encourage tuberculin-testing of his stock. Here again the necessity of a sys- 

 tem of meat inspection is clearly shown. 



One objection to the tuberculin test as a means of controlling 

 or eradicating tuberculosis is due to its limited application. The 

 expense of slaughter of all animals found diseased as a result of a 

 compulsory test of dairy cattle in the State and the indemnifica- 

 tion therefor to owners would be prohibitive. The public is not 

 at this time sufficiently acquainted with the characteristics of the 

 disease to accept or adopt the pasteurization plan and use the milk 

 from physically sound reactors. 



The number of animals annually tested under the present meth- 

 ods is approximately three per cent of the total number of dairy 

 animals in the State. It will thus be seen that the protection af- 

 forded to the consumer of dairy products by the test method alone is 

 decidedly limited. Hence, the physical examination plan has been 

 suggested to reach all dairy animals, thereby detecting many un- 

 desirable for milk production in herds which would ordinarily not 



