DISEASES OF CATTLE. $3 



supervision of the cattle in their respective countries, by which the 

 disease may be discovered, and their sale as meat at the earliest pos- 

 sible moment of such as are suitable. All others, in which this is 

 found unjustifiable on account of their condition, must be turned 

 over to the knacker. 



The loss and expense of such a procedure can be best appreci- 

 ated by the expert acquainted with the extreme extension which 

 this disease has acquired among cattle, especially milch-cows. 



If any government undertakes to stamp out this disease, it will 

 find difficulties by far exceeding those connected with a similar pro- 

 cess by any other contagious malady. 



The adage, " Touch a man's pocket and you touch his heart," 

 will be more than sufficiently verified. 



In Germany, where the majority of the milch-cows are stall-fed, 

 and that, too, in poorly ventilated, ill-arranged stables, this disease 

 has acquired an extension of which we can at present make no ap- 

 preciation in this country. 



The assertion of the infectiousness of the milk from such cows 

 raised a perfect storm of abuse in Germany, which poured down on 

 the asserter's head until he died. The more ignorant, lazy, and 

 indifferent men were, the louder they abused. Many men who were 

 professors at the schools joined in the cry, " Down with him ! " 

 without ever making the attempt to prove the assertions wrong 

 by direct experiment. Succeeding experiments have, however, es- 

 sentially strengthened the assertions of Gerlach. 



As these first experiments * with reference to so momentous a 

 question are worthy of all attention, I take the liberty of noticing 

 a very few of them in this place. 



Having a cow afflicted with tuberculosis that still gave milk, 

 it was resolved to use the same to test the question " whether the 

 milk from such a cow is capable of producing a similar disease in 

 young animals when fed upon it." f 



The cow was seven or eight years old, much emaciated, respira- 

 tion difficult, and had a rough, weak cough ; vesicular respiration 

 perceptible over all parts of the thorax which inclose the lungs, but 

 numerous unnatural, especially dry " r&les " were perceptible. In 

 no place was the percussion deadened. No fever. Appetite good. 

 Daily milk quantum, 1,500 grammes. After the lapse of three 



* It is not our purpose here to go into detail with reference to these experiments, but 

 we will refer those interested to the " Veterinary Journal," London (England), vols. viii } 

 ix, and x, where they will find abundant material. 



f Gerlach, " Experiments with Reference to the Milk of Cows having Tuberculosis.' 

 " Jahresbericht d. Thierarzneischule zu Hannover," 1868-'69. 



