DANISH POLICY OF ELIMINATION 303 



test to many stocks in Ayrshire and Lanarkshire, has 

 found farms with 75 and even 90 per cent, affected. 



" In only one case have I found every animal free." 



The loss by death to breeders is chiefly in yearlings. 

 The rest of the loss falls', to the stock farmers who buy 

 for dairy or feeding. 



For ten years past Danish agriculturists have been 

 working on a policy of isolation, but the impossibility 

 of diagnosing the disease at its initial stage has, till 

 Koch's discovery of tuberculin, made isolation and 

 disinfection almost useless. 



Experiments made by Professor Bang and others 

 demonstrated the enormous per-centage of latent 

 tuberculosis, and showed that " mild methods were out 

 of the question." ^ 



A law was passed in 1893 appropriating about £2'joo 

 (since increased to ;^5000), for five years for providing 

 free tuberculin tests for young cattle to owners who 

 were in a position to separate healthy from re-acting 

 animals. But the testing of whole herds was soon 

 adopted ; the advantage to the farmer of knowing 

 promptly how he stood as regards his whole stock being 

 obvious, enabling him to divide his herd and immediately 

 start upon the gradual process of clearing away the 

 disease. The veterinary surgeons being on the premises 

 for free testing of the young stock, the testing of the 

 grown stock by private arrangements is carried out at 

 small additional cost. 



The first year, 327 herds only were tested by 69 

 veterinary surgeons, while in October 1895 there had 

 been reports of tests on 1972 herds by 210 veterinary 

 surgeons. The first reluctance of the farmers has been 

 changed to an eager demand throughout the country. 



Reporting up to August of 1 896, Professor Bang says 

 the number of inoculated animals was then SSPOO out 



1 This and the succeeding paragraphs summarise the main points of 

 Professor Bang's important Report on " The Application of Tuberculin in 

 the Suppression of Bovine Tuberculosis." 



Deutschen Zeitschrift fiir Thiermedicin und vergleichende Pathologic, 

 XXII, Band. Translation made for the use of the Massachusetts Agri- 

 cultural College, U.S.A. 



