230 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



made l)efore some of these men — who know so much in these 

 modern times — had their eyes opened to the fact that there 

 was any such disease. There was a full report made in that 

 year. They re[)orted again upon it and discussed it at length 

 in 1886, ajjain in 1887, aijain in 1889, and aaain in 1891, 

 detailino; the whole thinir. It will all be found in the 

 agricultural reports of Massachusetts, By and by it began 

 to be called tul)crculosis. What have the Commissioners 

 done with reference to it, and if we have not done anything, 

 why? Now, mark you, gentlemen, this is a lung disease, 

 but it is utterly unlike contagious pleuro-pncumonia. In 

 these modern times it is regarded as contagious, but utterly 

 unlike })leuro-pncumonia in its contagiousness. The germ 

 or bacillus of tuberculosis has little virility, as compared 

 with contagious pleuro-pneumonia. As I have already said 

 in relation to that disease, the passage of an animal along 

 the street, the })assage of an animal near where they come, 

 even with a fence betAveen them, will convey that disease to 

 a whole herd. A little calf went to North Brookfield and 

 passed through two barns, and he gave the disease to forty 

 or fifty head of cattle in each l)arn. 



Now, then, here is a disease where, to the knowledge of 

 the Cattle Commissioners, an animal might have it in a barn 

 with other cattle, standing with an animal on each side, 

 herded in the same yard or feeding in the same pasture, 

 in constant contact, and not another animal of the herd 

 take the disease. It is of very low vitality. Therefore, to 

 apply the law of contagious })leuro-pneumonia to this kind 

 of a disease, although Ave admit it is contagious, would 

 be to waste millions of money, and to })roduce no good 

 result; for, mark you, tuberculosis is everywhere. I Avould 

 not be surprised to know that there is a case in this room. 

 It is the same thing in men as in animals, and goes the same 

 way, fi-om animal to animal, from man to man, from men to 

 animals. Perhaps there is a little more danger of its going 

 from cattle to humans, because of the consumption of milk 

 by the human family ; and yet it is a disease which, although 

 contagious, is of such low vitality that it should not be 

 treated by the slaughter of Avhole herds as contagious 

 pleuro-pncumonia was treated, especially when wc know 



