DISPOSAL OF TUBERCULOUS CARCASES 513 



Disposal of tuberculous carcases. — Should the disease be local, as 

 is frequently the case, being confined to one or more glands, the 

 flesh can be used as food with impunity. Infection from flesh is an 

 extremely rare occurrence, and most unlikely to occur if it has been 

 thoroughly cooked. This can be most relied on when it is cooked 

 in the minced form ; deep-seated portions of large roasts may not 

 be exposed to sufficient heat to kill the bacilli. 



When on post-mortem examination the disease is found to be 

 generalised, the carcase should be put into the rendering vat ; the 

 diseased viscera and tubercular masses should be burned or buried 

 deeply in lime. No restriction is necessary on the sale and 

 removal of hides, horns, hoofs, or hair. 



Nocard summarises the matter by saying that experience proves 

 the incomparable diagnostic value of tuberculin everywhere and in 

 all countries. The latest and most limited lesions are revealed with 

 the same precision, the same certainty, as those which have 

 invaded the greater part of the lungs. For stamping out 

 tuberculosis among cattle, Nocard advocates {a) the complete 

 separation of unhealthy from healthy animals ; {b) the slaughter- 

 ing without delay of those sick animals which show clinical 

 signs of the disease, and especially of cows attacked with tuber- 

 culous mastitis ; (r) the interdiction from selling tuberculous 

 animals for a destination other than the slaughter-house ; and 

 {d) the pasteurisation of all the sub-products of butter and cheese 

 manufactories. 



Objections to tuberculin. — The test of tuberculin is recognised to 

 be of great value, but it is not infallible. McFadyean states the 

 defects which have been experienced as chiefly three : {a) That 

 for a period after infection, a period that is sometimes considerable, 

 an animal will not react, {b) That in some advanced cases of 

 tuberculosis no distinct reaction is obtainable, {c) That in a con- 

 siderable proportion of cases a second reaction is not obtainable 

 for some days or weeks after the first. This immunity is rarely 

 lasting. Nocard, though recognising that tuberculin has certain 

 defects, holds that " when a cow reacts clearly to tuberculin, it may 

 be considered tuberculous." The absence of action has not the 

 same absolute value. A tuberculous cow may not react, first, 

 because the disease is very advanced, in which case clinical 

 examination will usually discover its presence ; or secondly, 

 because the animal has recently been subjected to the tuber- 

 culin test, and is therefore still tolerant to it. This latter possi- 

 bility must be taken into consideration in the case of a recently 



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