DISEASE GERMS IN MILK 97 



guarding against it is evident enough. The milk of our markets 

 certainly contains tubercle bacilli. In Berlin 30 per cent, of 

 the market milk contains them, and it is not likely that our 

 markets are in much better condition. Every dairyman should 

 recognize the force of the question how he may best protect 

 not only his own herds from this menace, but the health of his 

 patrons from the menace of the disease through the milk of 

 his cattle. The first safeguard to be taken is to use every means 

 to free his herd from the disease. The methods of doing this 

 are given in other places and cannot be dwelt upon here. 1 The 

 only way that a dairyman can be sure that no dangerous tuber- 

 culous milk is furnished to his patrons is by having all his 

 herds properly tested with tuberculin, and so treated as to be 

 sure that none of them are suffering from the disease. 



The fact that such large numbers of animals suffer from 

 tuberculosis has made it hitherto practically impossible to bring 

 about an elimination of all tuberculous animals from the milk- 

 producing herd of the public. The expense of destroying all 

 tuberculous animals has been quite prohibitive. Under these 

 circumstances milk derived from tuberculous animals has been 

 and still is being used beyond doubt. Such milk can be rendered 

 perfectly safe, however, by the process of pasteurization, which 

 will be referred to later. It should, perhaps, be stated here 

 that no bacteriological nor chemical analysis and no system of 

 dairy inspection yet devised can thoroughly guard the public 

 milk supply so far as concerns the distribution of tuberculosis. 

 Until a law requires the universal testing of all cattle and the 

 immediate slaughter of all reacting animals any public dairy 

 inspection will be futile in this respect. 



1 Harding, Smith and Moore. Bui. 277, N. Y. Exper. Sta., Geneva, 1906. 



