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families, having one mother, but two different fathers, (the first husband 

 being consumptive, the second being strong and health}^,) tlie children 

 by the consumptive father are usually stricken by the fell disease on 

 their reaching the age of puberty, while the family bjahe healthy father 

 are hearty and well, without the least symptoms of the malady — 3^et all 

 the time they have been living and sleeping under the same roof, and 

 feeding at the same table. Again, calves, newly-born, have often been 

 found to be tubercular. Where did they get the disease from ? With 

 these facts before me, I am inclined to think that the disease is spread 

 as much by heredity as by either inhalation or ingestion, and then more 

 by the male subject than by the female. 



541. Seeing that the disease is so very rife, particularly in well-bred 

 animals, as well as in dairy cows, — in fact, the extent to which it is 

 found in the latter is very appalling — I think it should be scheduled 

 under a special Tuberculosis Act, or under a separate form or order of 

 the Contagious Diseases (Animals) Act. The Government should, 

 in dealing with such cattle, have a special form for destroying them, 

 and compensating the farmer, butcher, or other parties financially 

 interested. If the disease is so frightfully spread by the use of milk 

 from tubercular cows, as is generally thought, Government should 

 then have all dairy cattle subjected to the action of the Tuberculin 

 test, (the tuberculin being prepared under Government supervision) 

 and those animals showing a rise of temperature should be separated 

 from the others, and be either fed off, or destroyed, compensation 

 being given according to circumstances. If this were done, the country 

 would be astounded when it learned the extent to which this disease 

 exists amongst our milk and butter producers. I have tried the 

 tuberculin test, both with healthy and diseased subjects, and find it 

 generally to be a good and fairly reliable diagnostic agent. I may also 

 note that I have had my attention frequently drawn to a large number 

 of rabbits that were badly affected with tuberculosis. 



542. Within the last few years a great deal has been said and 

 written on Tuberculosis. The general belief has been that the 

 microbe or parasite that causes the disease in the human subject and 



