386 The Diseases of Animals 



that are free from the disease are placed in uninfected 

 quarters, where they cannot contract the disorder. It 

 has been demonstrated that nearly all calves born of 

 tuberculous mothers are free from the disease at birth. 

 As soon as the calves are dropped, they are taken from 

 the cows and placed in uninfected quarters, where they 

 are fed on sterilized milk. The calves are tested in 

 a short time, and should any respond they are removed. 

 In most cases the calves are tested several times before 

 reaching maturity. In this manner only healthy ani- 

 mals are raised for breeding and dairy purposes, and 

 tuberculosis is being eradicated from the Danish dairies 

 without the serious loss that would result from the 

 immediate destruction of all tuberculous animals. 



Professor Koch, the eminent German scientist who 

 discovered the germ of tuberculosis, thinks that tuber- 

 culosis of cattle is not communicated to man by any 

 ordinary methods, and that there is no danger of per- 

 sons contracting the disease from using the milk of 

 tuberculous cows. Nor does he think that tuberculosis 

 or consumption of man can be transmitted to cattle 

 by ordinary methods. If this view is correct, the im- 

 portance of tuberculosis resolves itself into the financial 

 question of preventing the losses among cattle that 

 result from this disease, which in itself is an impor- 

 tant one. Whether there is danger to man or not, there 

 is a strong prejudice against using the milk from cows 

 that are known to be tuberculous, especially for child- 

 ren and invalids; and it is unwise to run any risks 

 with this serious disease, considering the incompleteness 

 of our present knowledge of it. 



