19O9 MILK COMMISSION. 43 



cows, the butter fat average of 3,281 samples in 1908 was 3.9. There is therefore 

 nothing to complain of on that score. But as to cleanliness and the sanitary 

 condition of the dairies, either in the country or in the city, Dr. Goler does not 

 claim perfection. In this your Commission, after personally visiting several dairies 

 and farms, are not inclined to disagree with him. They regard themselves as 

 unfortunate in being unable to find much in the places visited that would be any 

 inspiration to the dairymen of Ontario. 



DEALING WITH TUBERCULOSIS. 



But there is one other feature of the Eochester system which seems well worthy 

 of special notice and that is their method of dealing with tuberculosis. "Do you 

 accept the theory/' Dr. Goler was asked, "that the bovine tuberculosis is com- 

 municable to man ?" " As far as adults are concerned/' was the reply, " I have 

 never been able to positively identify the bacillus, but as far as children are con- 

 cerned, there is absolutely no doubt of the transmissibility." In fact Dr. Goler 

 went on to say that he was convinced by his own experience that fifteen per cent, 

 of the tuberculosis among children is of bovine origin. He had not yet, however, 

 thought it practicable to insist on the tuberculin test on all cattle supplying milk 

 to the city, but some six months or so ago he began a series of tests on guinea 

 pigs in the laboratory which occupies the top floor of his East avenue office. Guinea 

 pigs, which, as is well known, are peculiarly susceptible to tuberculosis, are inocu- 

 lated with a sample of milk and then left for six weeks, at the end of which time 

 they are killed. It so happened that on the occasion of the visit of your Commission 

 the time had arrived when several of these animals should lay their heads on the 

 altar of science. "See here/' explained Dr. Goler, as he exposed the internal organs' 

 to the view of your Commission, "those little white spots are lumps of tubercles or 

 tubercles filled with germs of consumption or tubercle bacilli. That is what we 

 call ocular demonstration, for it is visible to the layman who is not a doctor^ We 

 hold that that proves conclusively that the milk Was laden with tubercular bacilli, 

 and we send this ocular demonstration to the man from whom the milk came and 

 then we say to him that unless he has all his cattle tuberculin tested within a week, 

 his uiilk will be shut out of the city." Although this plan was adopted only a short 

 time ago, it has resulted in several herds being tested and several tuberculous cows 

 being disposed of. As will be explained later, the matter of tuberculin testing 

 and compensation for losses is handled by the State authorities. 



With regard to contagious diseases, Eochester has a regulation compelling all 

 milk producers to report all such outbreaks promptly to the Department, and in 

 1908 the inspector spent 28 days investigating contagious diseases in the families 

 of milkmen. 



PASSING ON TO SYRACUSE. 



Syracuse has not loomed large in the literature of the milk question and yet 

 from many points of view it proved one of the most interesting places visited by 

 your Commission. Although it is a city of only 124,000 population, its municipal 

 organization includes in addition to the health officer, a deputy health officer, who 

 devotes most of his time to the milk supply; a dairy inspector,^ veterinarian, and a 

 laboratory where bacteriological and other tests are made, all of which support 

 its claims to being distinctty progressive on the subject. As is the case in other 

 American cities, this constitutes a branch of work which comes under the super- 



