No. 4.] CATTLE COMMISSIOXERS' REPORT. 389 



in his paper on the "Coincident geographical clistrilnition of 

 dairy cattle and tuberculosis," read before the New York State 

 Medical Society, Feb. 5, 1894, calls attention to the fact that 

 in lands like Egypt the indigenous inhabitants retain immunity 

 while associating for a long time with consumptive immigrants ; 

 while on the other hand, in regions like Australia and the 

 Sandwich Islands the inhabitants have become infected after 

 the introduction of dairy cattle. The best dairy cattle breeds, 

 he argues, are the tubercular breeds, while others not classed 

 as dairy cattle are exempt from tuberculosis, owing to their 

 vigor and health. Again, in all dairy countries the prevalence 

 of tubercular consumption is a settled fact, while the only coun- 

 tries at all in doubt are those where the dairy products are sup- 

 plied from other sources than our domestic cow. Referring to 

 China, he spoke of the pure Chinese as a people who did not 

 use milk, while the Tartars in that country were meat and milk 

 consumers ; and therefore the observations of medical men are 

 confusing, and they confess that they cannot understand why 

 the disease prevails among the dominant Tartar class, and not 

 among the poorer Chinese, who, according to all preconceived 

 notions, ought to be tubercular. The doctor then contrasts the 

 conditions in Spain and Morocco, where the climatic condi- 

 tions are about the same: "Morocco, where there are no 

 European dairy cows, is exempt from tuberculosis ; while in 

 Spain and Portugal, where dairying is carried on in the 

 European style, tuberculosis prevails." 



The danoer from the use of meat of tuberculous animals 

 is small in comparison with the danger from milk, owing 

 largely to the fact that beef before being eaten is subjected 

 to a greater or less degree of heat, whereas milk is taken 

 largely in its natural form, and is used generally in the un- 

 cooked state. This, however, cannot be said of all the prod- 

 ucts of the dairy, the butter and cheese being fully as danger- 

 ous as the milk. To what extent the milk of tuberculous 

 animals contains the bacilli of consumption is an exceedingly 

 difficult question. One fact is, however, absolutely certain, 

 that the bacillus has not infrequently been found in such milk. 

 Reasoning from this stand-point, we must believe that the dan- 

 ger is considerable with milk from tuberculous cows, and should 

 never be used. Numerous experiments have been made by 



