62 REPOKT OF THE No. 55 



be composed chiefly of small dealers, is keeping up an agitation for the repeal of 

 the ordinance and some of the aldermen are working in that direction. 



In the Illinois" Legislature, Hon. Edward D. Shurtleff, who is Speaker, and 

 who represents what is known locally as a "cow country," is regarded as the leader 

 in the question. To your Commission Mr. Slmrtleff said: "The Legislature has 

 appointed a Committee to enquire into the question of the tuberculin test from 

 every standpoint. The Committee met and elected me chairman, but as we do 

 not have to report until the fall of 1910, we decided that beyond collecting the 

 laws of the various states on the question, we would not do much until after a 

 trial which comes on in Montclair, New Jersey, in the spring. Montclair has a 

 mandatory tuberculin ordinance and I understand the Borden Company, one of 

 the largest dairy companies in the United States, is contesting their right to pass 

 such a statute. I am informed that the question is to be taken up very thoroughly 

 by both sides as a test case, and experts are to be summoned from all parts to testify 

 both as to the legality and to the utility of the tuberculin test. It is anticipated 

 that a mass of authoritative evidence will be submitted and we are watching the 

 outcome. Personally, I do not think the day will ever come when the tuberculin 

 test will be supreme, but we may come to a law of the physical test. The difficulty 

 with the tuberculin test is that some of the worst cases do not react, while a case 

 of mere infection would react although there was no possible chance of injury to 

 the milk supply. It is also said there is no tubercle bacilli in the milk unless there 

 is tuberculosis of the udder or generalized tuberculosis." 



STATE BOARD OF HEALTH OPPOSES. 



Opposition to both pasteurization and tuberculin testing comes also from the 

 State Board of Health. 



In December, 1908, just before the pasteurization ordinance went into effect 

 in Chicago, what was apparently the official view of the Illinois State Board of 

 Health was voiced in a lengthy article by their Secretary and Executive Officer, 

 Dr. James A. Egan, published in the Monthly Bulletin issued by the Board. He 

 first attacked "commercial pasteurization" as ineffective and a device of dirty dairy- 

 men to keep milk from souring. He secondly attacked any kind of pasteurization 

 as being injurious to the nutritive qualities of the milk, making it specially injuri- 

 ous to infants. In support of both he quoted eminent authorities, including Von 

 Behring, the eminent exponent of the theory of the transmissibility of bovine tuber- 

 culosis to man. In the third place, he disputed the efficacy of pasteurization to kill 

 the tubercle bacilli, and in this connection he adds the following: 



"We believe that the greater portion, if not all, of the milk sold in Paris under- 

 goes pasteurization; but the death rate from tuberculosis in Paris in children 

 and adults is greatly in excess of that in Chicago, where infants are generally 

 fed raw milk. The ratio of deaths from all forms of tuberculosis to deaths from 

 all causes is 1 to 4 in Paris, and 1 to 8 in Chicago. In other words, Paris, with a 

 complete system of pasteurization has double the mortality from tuberculosis of 

 Chicago, where pasteurization is exceptional; and yet pasteurization is advocated 

 as a prime means of preventing the spread of tuberculosis. 



The following table furnishes information of decided interest and value in thi*- 

 connection : 



