TUBERCULOSIS. 757 



that tuberculosis mig-ht be transmitted from man to cattle. 

 The direct proof for its occurrence in the opposite way is not 

 forthcoming-, simply because such an experiment, if carried 

 out successfully, would be murder ; but, to use the words of 

 the British Medical Journal, the overwhelming bulk of 

 testimony of scientists and experts is to the etfect that in 

 tuberculous cattle there lies a real danger to the human 

 species. Flesh and milk from cattle most frequently convey 

 the tuberculous contagion to mankind. The milk will be 

 most likely contaminated if the disease is present in the 

 udder of the cow. Meat derived from tuberculous animals 

 might contain tubercle bacilli, but it is not absolutely neces- 

 sary ; it will greatly depend on the character and extension 

 of the tubercular lesions. At a meeting of the Paris 

 Academie de Medicine on March 3rd, Yiv. A. Ollivier 

 reports the following case : — At a boarding-school at Chartres 

 a cow was kept, and its milk used for three years, when it 

 was seized by the inspector on account of suspected tuber- 

 culosis and killed, when extensive tubercular lesions were 

 found. During this time six pupils died of tuberculosis ; 

 six others showed evident signs of tubercular deposits, but 

 recovered after being removed from the fatal place and kept 

 for considerable periods in the country. 



Under these circumstances we well understand why nearly 

 every European country has enforced stringent rules of 

 inspection. In France every carcase of a beast is totally 

 condemned that shows the least signs of tuberculosis. 

 Similar measures are enforced in Denmark. Germany con- 

 demns the whole carcase if the tubercular lesion is extensive ; 

 if the disease only affects one organ to a small extent the 

 tuberculous parts are cut out, and the rest of the meat is 

 sold, being officially labelled as inferior meat. I mention 

 these facts only because they are likely to be of national 

 importance for the different colonies of Australasia. Tuber- 

 culosis is prevalent in this part of the world as it is in the 

 Old Country. I first showed its prevalence in Queensland 

 cattle after the Royal Commission instituted a few years ago 

 in Victoria had arrived at the same conclusion. Now, when 

 we are trying to find a market for our surplus cattle in the 

 European countries, we naturally must expect that these 

 countries will deal not less leniently with foreign meat after 

 subjecting the Home butter to rigid inspection. We there- 

 fore can hardly hope that these countries when dealing with 

 Australian beef will be satisfied with anything short of their 



