112 Tuberculosis. 



affected with the bovine type of tuberculosis, or how many of the 

 persons who fail to show any disturbance of health may harbor 

 one or more infected mesenteric glands ; likewise it is not known 

 how many children with a latent form of the disease may through 

 a special weakening, or under the influence of other infections, 

 break down later with tuberculosis, possibly even with a fatal 

 termination. 



Through the compilation investigations we know only of the 

 time (which extends over a period of 1-3-4 years in the individual 

 cases), the opportunity and the immediate results of the infection, 

 and not the further development of the same, but we do know that 

 in two children a true bovine type of tuberculosis existed. 



Therefore, although a possibility of infection was present in 

 a great number of persons, the infection has positively occurred 

 up to the present only in two children in infancy. This constitutes 

 proof that "the danger which threatens man from the consumption 

 of milk and milk products from cows affected with udder tubercu- 

 losis is very slight when compared with the danger of man affected 

 with open pulmonary tuberculosis to his fellow men." 



This conclusion of Weber may be supported without further 

 consideration. Nevertheless the danger still prevails, and al- 

 though it is slight in comparison with the danger through infec- 

 tion with the human type, it should be by no means under-esti- 

 mated; it should be considered that the danger of infection with 

 human tuberculosis is amazingly great, and the opportunity of 

 ingesting the bovine type of tubercle bacillus with milk is similarly 

 great. 



Bovine Tuberculosis in Man in General. 



Although the attention of pathologists of all countries has 

 been directed for the last ten years to infections of man with bovine 

 tuberculosis, up to the present time there are collected only 117 cer- 

 tain cases of bovine tuberculosis in children and 21 cases in adults 

 (over 16 years of age). 



Of the 117 cases in grown children 105 are accurately de- 

 scribed, and invojve the following organs : 

 60 cases of abdominal tuberculosis 

 25 cases of tuberculosis of the cervical glands 

 4 cases of tuberculosis of the tonsils 

 7 cases were generalized 



3 cases were localized in the bones and joints 

 6 cases represented lupus 



Two cases should also be included in which bovine bacilli were 

 found in unchanged lymph glands. 



The 60 cases of abdominal tuberculosis are again divided into 

 34 severe cases in which the mesenteric lymph glands, the intes- 

 tines and the peritoneum showed changes. Thirty of these after 

 generalization of the affection, terminated in death. 



