104 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



we shall eventually find that the offspring of monkeys in captivity 

 are less liable to succumb to the infection than those direct from 

 the jungle, that is, of course, assuming the conditions of infection 

 and environment to be the same. 



I wish to particularly commend to your attention the investi- 

 gations and observations of Dr. Blair appended to this report, 

 pertaining to the very important question of the manner of com- 

 munication of tubercular infection among wild animals in cap- 

 tivity. From Dr. Blair's work we may safely conclude that the 

 manner of infection is precisely like that in the human. Bearing 

 this well in mind we should adopt for our guidance the same 

 fundamental precautions which are now generally recognized 

 for the prevention of the disease in the human. The key-note 

 of these is that the disease is usually communicated through the 

 agency of the secretions of the bronchial, tracheal, and nasal mu- 

 cosae, which becomes dried and mixed with the dust of the 

 habitation to finally be drawn into the respiratory tracts of other 

 animals. We must, therefore, most rigorously exclude all ani- 

 mals known or suspected to be tubercular from the cages of the 

 uninfected, and at the first signs of the disease in any animals 

 they must at once be separated from the healthy ones. As a 

 corollary, cages occupied by tubercular animals must be efficiently 

 washed and disinfected after the removal of animals sick with 

 this disease, and before healthy beasts be placed in the com- 

 partments. 



I realize that such precautions impose a very severe task on 

 those caring for the primates, and doubtless "practical animal 

 men" will make light of these suggestions, just as equally unin- 

 formed persons did of similar measures in regard to the human 

 but a few years ago. I feel certain that if these measures be 

 rigorously observed for a considerable space of time in any pri- 

 mate collection that the greatest problem in regard to the keep- 

 ing of these animals will be solved, provided, of course, that 

 originally uninfected animals can be obtained. Perhaps before 

 this shall be possible much missionary work must be done among 

 the animal dealers. 



In regard to the prevalence of tubercular disease among ani- 

 mals other than primates we feel that we may congratulate our- 

 selves. But one ruminant has been lost from the disease ; this 

 unfortunately was a valuable specimen, a musk-ox, which died 

 with extensive lymphatic tuberculosis, terminating with a pneu- 

 monia which apparently was non-tubercular. It is somewhat in- 

 teresting to consider the infection of this animal, recently from 



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