214 PATHOGENIC BACTERIA IN MILK 



From these returns we see that the number of cows having any 

 kind of udder disease varied from 3-8 per cent, to 13-2 percent. 

 These figures included cases of recently recovered udder disease, 

 and a few cases of cows removed by owners to avoid infection. 

 The presence of tuberculosis, as judged by clinical examination, 

 was found to be very small. The chief pathological conditions 

 met with were chronic induration or atrophy of the udder, and 

 a yield of milk of poor quality. It should be noted that the 

 diseased conditions included in Numbers 5, 6, 7, and 8 are of a 

 nature not likely to cause the milk yielded to be injurious or 

 dangerous to persons consuming it. It will be seen that whilst 

 there has been a decline in the number of cows stabled in the 

 metropolis equal to 22 per cent., the decline in diseased udders has 

 fallen from 13-2 per cent, in 1899 to 4-8 in June 1903. If it be 

 suggested that these figures might depend on differences in 

 veterinary opinion as to what should, and what should not, be 

 considered " disease " of the udder, the returns of Mr Shaw only 

 may be considered (viz., those from 1900 to 1903) when it will be 

 found that the number of cows with diseased or defective udders 

 has fallen from 387 to 195, and from 8-3 per cent, to 4-8 (having 

 been as low as 3-8 in the third quarter of 1902). This marked 

 decline in the number of cows found to have diseased or defective 

 udders clearly proves, in the opinion of Mr Shaw, that there has 

 been a gradual tendency on the part of the owners not only to 

 purchase animals with sound udders but also not to retain in their 

 sheds for any length of time cows which have unsound udders.^ 



Secondly, we may take Manchester, where, out of 1839 cows 

 examined in 1901 in the city cowsheds, only i was found to be 

 suffering from tuberculosis of the udder.^ Inspection was also made 

 in the same year of 1441 cows in country cowsheds whose milk was 

 consumed in Manchester. The number of cows found with diseased 

 conditions of the udder was 6^, giving an average of 4-65 per cent. 

 Of these the number which proved to be tuberculous was 15, equal 

 to a percentage of 1-04. The percentage, of course, varies in 

 different districts, and from time to time in the same district. 

 Adding together the results of a series of clinical inspections of 

 cows and bacteriological examinations of milk carried on in 

 Manchester up to 1901, it was found that out of 4031 cows (town 

 and country) 0-36 per cent were tuberculous in regard of the town 

 cows, and 0-48 per cent, in regard of the country cows. Or taking 



' See Appendix R, p. 592. 



2 Report on the Health of the City of Manchester^ 190I) PP- 238 and 248. 



