530 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



buttermilk, obtained from the milk of a cow having tuberculous udder 

 (by the usual processes, but with complete precautions against acci- 

 dental contamination of articles used in the manufacture), all con- 

 tained tuberculous matter actively injurious to test animals. 



And not only this virulence, but the rapidity with which milk can 

 obtain its harmful quality, attracted Dr. Woodhead's attention. He 

 reports: "A most important point is that the spread of tubercle in 

 the udder goes on with most alarming rapidity, — this I was able to 

 observe in the cows constantly under observation ; but I have also 

 noticed on several occasions, during the interval between fortnightly 

 inspections carried on along with a veterinary surgeon, that the disease 

 has become distinctly developed. It may be, of course, that the early 

 evidence has been overlooked at the previous inspection ; but, whether 

 this is the case or not, the spread of the disease was so rapid as to 

 afford very good ground for alarm. The very absence of any definite 

 sign in the earlier stage is one of the greatest dangers of this con- 

 dition." And both Dr. Martin and Dr. Woodhead insist that no tuber- 

 culous animal of any kind should be allowed to remain in a dairy. 



The withdrawal from dairies of every cow that had any disease 

 whatever of her udder would form some approach to security against 

 the serious danger incurred by man from the use of tuberculous milk, 

 but it would not be an adequate security. The presence in a dairy of 

 a tuberculous cow, as Drs. Martin and Woodhead have shown, is a 

 decided source of danger to the public, especially having regard to 

 what we have learned respecting the rapid development of tuberculosis 

 in the udder, and the degree of danger to milk consumers incurred 

 by the invasion of the udder in tuberculous cows. 



It follows, from the observations here recorded, that it is of 

 supreme importance to the consumers of milk that the existence of 

 any tuberculous disease of the udder should be ascertained without 

 delay. Now, there is no difficulty whatever about recognizing the 

 presence of some abnormal condition in a cow's udder, and the pres- 

 ence of such condition — whatever it be — demands that the judgment 

 of a responsible expert should forthwith be obtained about its nature, 

 — unless, indeed, the owner prefers to slaughter the cow without delay. 

 If the expert finds tubercle bacilli in the milk, the cow has dangerous 

 tuberculosis of the udder. If he does not find them, he may apply 

 the further test of inoculating some susceptible animals with the 

 milk, and thereby learn the nature of the udder disease. By this 

 test he will very rarely be misled. Obviously the cow must be in 

 seclusion, and every particle of her milk must be treated as highly 

 dangerous, during any delay that can be permitted for diagnostic pur- 

 poses, and until the disease has been proved not to be tuberculosis. 



