Tuberculosis Transmitted to People 123 



examined proved to be of bovine origin. 



In children between 5 and 16 years old, bovine infections were 

 found in 46 instances out of 177 cases examined. Out of 252 cases un- 

 dqr 5 years .of age, 201 were infected with human tuberculosis and 51 

 with the bovine type of infection, or approximately 20 per cent of the 

 deaths showed bovine infection. 



A'ccording to Dr. Park's investigation as well as tlie investigations 

 of many other scientific men prove that bovine tuberculosis is not of as 

 much importance as the human type of tube/tculosis to man still it is no 

 negligible matter. I can _ see no difference between poisoning a child 

 with such disease germs that can soley be prevented by the tuberculin 

 test and sanitation than using any other method of careless destruction. 

 Then it becomes of interest to know^ how infection gets into the milk, the 

 most wholesome food known when it is pulre, but when it is impure the 

 most deplorable source of contamination known. 



I By the cow passing the germs in the milk as it is drawn from 



the udder. 



II By germs being in the air of a barn, housing tubercular cows. 

 By particles of &oil or manure, and it makes no difference how small 



that particle or pai-ticles may be, if it falls from the udder, teats, flank 

 or tail into the milk pail, it may be carried by the milk to the child. 

 These particles get the tubercular germs in the barn or lots by the cough 

 of an infected co.w, or bv being soiled by bowel passages. 



In my opinion, the last two methods are the most frequent sources 



of infection. Such contaminati.oji of milk is disagreeable to think about 



but neve;rtheless is of too much importance to be ignored. 



Human Tuberculosis and the Public 



In my o.pinion, the pujilic is not sufficiently concerned about the 



subject of tuberculosis. When the world knocked at our door for a toll 



of the young manhood, a cloud of grief hung over our land. The 50,000 



lives which it cost us were, to say the least, spent in a cause which no 



man could apparently prevent, yet the loss of life was deplorable to 



think about. But 150,000 lives are lost annually in the United States 



by tuberculosis, and a large number of such deaths could be prevented 



by understanding how the disease goes from individual to individual. 



If an enemy was to kill off" indiscriminately that many young babes, young 



people, etc., we would spend millions to conquer them, but when its 



tuberculosis, the public is not sufficiently interested. 



