378 AGRICULTURAL BACTERIOLOGY. 



for children than for adults. Lastly it has recently been doubted 

 whether the bovine bacillus, even when introduced into man, 

 can produce the disease. For these various reasons it is a fair 

 inference that the danger of tuberculosis from milk is not very 

 great for adults, though it may be considerable for young 

 children. It is quite certain that for young children it is unsafe 

 to resort to the use of milk from miscellaneous cows, without 

 the precaution of pasteurization. 



Certainly the logical method of dealing with milk would be, 

 to exclude from the milk supply all milk from tuberculous 

 animals, or to allow it to be used only after pasteurization. 

 Only thus could absolute safety be assured. But this is quite 

 impractical, if, indeed, possible. A farmer who takes pride in 

 his dairy and in furnishing a special quality of milk, will pro- 

 tect his customers by periodic testing of his cattle and by the 

 exclusion of all reacting animals. But to enforce any regula- 

 tions looking in this direction in regard to the public milk sup- 

 ply, is simply impossible at the present time, and will remain 

 so for some time to come. The end could be reached through 

 the milk supply companies, by the adoption of the simple and 

 inexpensive process of pasteurizing all milk before distribution, 

 and quite possibly such may be the ultimate solution of the 

 problem. Meantime the only feasible method of treating the 

 matter is to insist that the farmer shall rigidly exclude from 

 the animals furnishing the milk supply all cows with diseased 

 udders, and to suggest to all who have a fear of using the 

 milk because of the slight danger existing in this food supply, 

 that the danger may be wholly avoided by pasteurization. 

 Whether the recently advanced views of Professor Koch, that 

 bovine and human tuberculosis are unconnected, will soon 

 modify our views in this connection cannot, at the present time, 

 be determined. 



