MILK DANGERS AND REMEDIES 141 



diseases. The significance of such a challenge to 

 current scientific opinion, and its far-reaching 

 influence if proved to be correct, was quickly 

 appreciated by the distinguished audience who 

 had gathered to hear what so great an authority 

 as Dr. Robert Koch had to say on consumption 

 and its distribution. The vital question raised by 

 the original discoverer of the tubercle bacillus is 

 still the subject of discussion, experimental inquiry, 

 and much controversy, and we cannot here attempt 

 to discuss the pros and cons for the acceptance 

 or rejection of this new theory concerning the 

 character of tuberculosis. It would, however, be 

 regrettable in the extreme if the publication of 

 this opinion were to encourage dairy authorities 

 to relax in the slightest the efforts now so tardily 

 being made by them to protect their dairy produce 

 and ensure its safety for food-supply. 



Before leaving this branch of the subject refer- 

 ence must be made to some very important re- 

 searches recently published by Professor Ostertag, 

 of Berlin, on the presence of tubercle bacilli in the 

 milk derived from cows which, whilst reacting to 

 the tuberculin test, exhibit no clinical symptoms 

 of tuberculosis. The importance of this investiga- 

 tion to farmers and all breeders of stock is evident, 

 for it has not infrequently been urged that all the 

 milk from such tuberculin-reacting cows should 



