1890.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 4. 325 



Statements like the above (if true) are alarming to us all ; 

 a revelation to practitioners of medicine, a danger that has not 

 been realized. It has been known by some scientific men, 

 who have made the subject a study before Koch's revelations 

 in 1882, that the consumption of milk from tuberculous cows 

 was full of danger to those using it. I quote a case directly 

 to the point.* In a paper read in Washington by Dr. Ernst 

 of Boston a short time since, on "Tuberculosis and Cows' 

 Milk," and how long it could be used without danger, is a 

 quotation from a letter of a veterinary surgeon in practice in 

 Providence, R. I. He says : — 



Mr W., June 15, 1878, called me to see a white and red cow. 

 Coughs, and is short of breath and wheezes. Pulse, 60 ; respi- 

 ration, 14, and heavy at the flanks ; temperature. 104°. Diminished 

 resonance of right lung, but increased in part of the same. Em- 

 ph3^sematous crackling over left lung, and dulness on percussion. 

 Diagnosed a case of tuberculosis, and advised the destruction of 

 the animal. 



December 12. — Cow in a cold rain a few days ago for about 

 two hours. Milk still more diminished tlian at a visit made on 

 September 25. Again advised the destruction of the cow. 

 Family still using^,the milk. Respiratioli, 20 ; pulse, 85 ; temper- 

 ature, 104.6". 



Feb. 55, i575. — Temperature, 104.8°; respiration, 26; pulse, 

 68. Losing flesh fast. Milk still in small quantities. Advised, 

 as before, to destroy the animal, and not to use the milk. 



May 30. — Called in a hurry to see cow. Is now as poor as 

 could be. No milk for a week. Pulse, 80 ; respiration, 40 ; 

 temperature, 106°. The cow died in about three hours. Autopsy 

 made fourteen hours after death : Lungs infiltrated with tuber- 

 culous deposit. "Weight of thoracic viscera, 43.5 pounds. Tuber- 

 culous deposits found in mediastinum, in the muscular tissues, and 

 in the mesentery, spleen, kidneys, udder, intestines, pleura, and 

 one deposit on the tongue. The inside of the trachea was covered 

 with small tubercles. 



Now we come to the result of using the milk, it being used 

 to within one week of the death of the cow. 



In August, 1879, the baby was taken sick, and died in about 

 seven weeks. On post-mortem of the child, there was found 

 meningeal tuberculosis, — deposits all over the coverings of the 

 * "The American Journal of the Medical Sciences," November, 1889. 



