THE MILK SITUATION IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 407 



although brief, will, on examination, be found to comprise the principal points 

 essential to the promulgation of a comprehensive and practical policy, such as 

 may reasonably be adopted by any governmental body interested in the control 

 of bovine tuberculosis. 



It is quite unnecessary, in view of the extensive knowledge already possessed 

 by all who are familiar with the efforts which have hitherto been made to secure 

 control of bovine tuberculosis, to dwell at any length upon the importance of the 

 subject or upon the conditions which led to the formation of the commission. 



In view of the personnel of the commission as selected by the American Vet- 

 erinary Medical Association, and of the fact that so much information on the 

 subject has, been made available through the work of similar bodies in other 

 countries and the researches of scientific and practical men in America and else- 

 where, the commission has not deemed it necessary to take any evidence either 

 from expert witnesses or others. 



The members fully understood that the purpose which their appointment was 

 intended to serve was less the acquisition of new knowledge regarding bovine 

 tuberculosis than the careful study of the knowledge already available and of 

 the thoughts and opinions of those most entitled to speak with authority on the 

 subject. 



The conclusions reached in this report are therefore simply the outcome of an 

 earnest and thoughtful consideration of the various modern aspects and phases 

 of the problem, with the object of crystallizing public opinion and so clearing 

 the way for legislative action. 



They realized also that they could deal with fundamental principles only and 

 that the details of any policy which they might outline must in each case be 

 worked out by the duly authorized and responsible representatives of the com- 

 munity immediately concerned. 



They nevertheless deemed it essential to study closely the history of the 

 various efforts hitherto made by such countries throughout the world as have 

 attempted to legislate on the subject. 



This naturally led to the gradual elimination of all methods other than such 

 as might reasonably be adopted by any community desiring in full light of 

 present-day knowledge to undertake the control of bovine tuberculosis. 



It was felt, in view of the prevalence of the disease, especially in some locali- 

 ties and among certain classes of cattle, the difficulty of providing a sufficient 

 number of trained officials and the large economic questions involved, to say 

 nothing of the enormous expenditure, that it would be unwise, for the present at 

 least, to seriously discuss a policy of universal compulsory testing and slaughter. 



Such a policy might perhaps be adopted with advantage by a small com- 

 munity or one in which the disease existed to a very limited extent, but, speak- 

 ing generally, especially in view of past experiences in this line, it was thought 

 better to omit it entirely from the recommendations of the commission. 



All other methods of dealing with bovine tuberculosis which have been recom- 

 mended or tried in various communities were thoroughly discussed, with the 

 object of discarding weak points and adopting such features as might be deemed 

 worthy of a place in the official findings of the commission. 



Every phase of the subject was in this way fully and freely considered, it 

 being thought best to cover the whole ground as completely as possible before 

 coming to a definite decision on any one point. 



In order to still further minimize the risk of omitting from the deliberations 

 of the commission any phase of the question four committees were appointed at 

 the first meeting to deal, respectively, with : 



(1) Education and legislation. 



(2) Location of tuberculosis. 



(3) Dissemination. 



(4) Disposition of tuberculous animals. 



The appointment of these committees proved to be of the greatest possible 

 value in concentrating the energies of the various members on those branches 

 of the subject with which they were most familiar, and their reports presented 

 at subsequent meetings enabled the commission to reach satisfactory conclu- 

 sions much more rapidly than would otherwise have been the case. 



As a means of furnishing information as to the reasons for these conclu- 

 sions and the manner in which they were reached, the commission would rec- 

 ommend that the reports of the committees should be published as an appendix 

 to this report. 



The commission recognizing after careful study that the tuberculin test is 

 the fundamental factor in any policy having for its object the control of 



