236 VETERINARY HYGIENE 



in Great Britain it would be entirely impossible to consider the 

 eradication of the disease by means of the slaughter of the clinically- 

 affected animals and all reactors to tuberculin. Such measures 

 were tried in Belgium in 1895, but after two years were found to be 

 impracticable. The authorities in Massachusetts made a similar 

 attempt in the same year but the scheme had to be abandoned in 

 twelve months. 



Two chief methods of combating tuberculosis among cattle have 

 been tried, namely, the method of Bang and the method of Ostertag, 

 and of these the first has given excellent results in the countries 

 in which it has been practised. Bang's method consists in principle 

 of the slaughter of animals which are clinically affected, and of 

 tuberculin testing and isolation of reactors and of the rearing of 

 calves with milk which is free from tubercle bacilli. The herd is 

 thus divided into two portions which are kept in separate premises 

 in such a way that isolation is complete. Separate attendants are 

 provided for the reactors and the non-reactors. The calves which 

 are born of reactors are only permitted to suck their mothers during 

 the first twenty-four hours; they are then added to the healthy 

 portion of the herd and either provided with foster mothers or fed 

 with milk which has been sterilized by heating to at least 85 C, 

 unless such milk is known to be derived from healthy cows. The 

 animals belonging to the healthy portion of the herd are submitted 

 to the tuberculin test yearly, and any which react are added to the 

 reacting portion. Reacting calves are usually slaughtered. Re- 

 acting animals are gradually disposed of by slaughter. 



In spite of the difficulties, which consist of the trouble required 

 to maintain efficient isolation, and the expense (which, however, 

 need not be very great), Bang's method, if persevered with, is capable 

 of transforming a tuberculous herd into an healthy one within 

 a few years. The practicability of the method has been conclusively 

 proved by the experience of Bang himself in Denmark, and more 

 recently of Regner* in Sweden. 



In Norway a more radical method of dealing with tuberculosis 

 has been carried out since 1895. The cattle are tested and all 

 reactors are slaughtered, no cattle being imported without being 

 guaranteed free of infection and tested. Malmf states that this 

 has been rendered possible by the small size of the herds (only a 

 few containing as many as one hundred head) and by the fact that 

 the majority of animals are kept in the open air. In 1897 there 



* Hutyra and Marek, Spec. Path., Vol. I., p. 595. 

 t Report to Tenth International Veterinary Congress. 



