70 BOVINE TUBERCULOSIS AND OTHER CATTLE DISEASES. 



ter, were not found, but three excited strong suspicion. The 

 dairymen either in accordance with regular practice or on 

 account of the moral effect of the inspection, had removed the 

 cfows that persistently coughed. In the third year, the tuber- 

 culin test revealed the fact that 30 % of the cows were tubercular . 

 During work in another town in a group of 64 tubercular cows, 

 only 9 showed physical signs of tuberculosis. The writer does 

 not feel that he is making a confession of discreditable incom- 

 petency, for his experience is not unusual. In one instance, a 

 recognized expert on bovine tuberculosis examined 378 reacting 

 cows and was able to recognize only 21 as tubercular by means 

 of physical examination. 



The idea of the efficacy of physical examination to prevent 

 the presence of tubercle bacilli in milk persistently crops out 

 in the discussion of methods of milk inspection. As late as 

 May, 1907, a commission of physicians made the following 

 recommendations to the Mayor of New York (10): 



' ' The Commission believes that the essential requirement is to secure 

 from the farm a safe, clean milk. 



"Tuberculosis. — The risk of transmitting tuberculosis through milk 

 from cows to man is very slight, unless the disease in the cow is in an 

 advanced form or is present in the udder. Even this slight risk is con- 

 siderably lessened when such milk is mixed, as it generally is, with that 

 of healthy cows before it is sold. We believe that this danger has been 

 greatl}' overestimated in the public mind and that it can best be met by 

 systematic inspection and condemnation of cows revealing tuberculosis 

 on physical examination. Certain legislation regarding tuberculosis in 

 cattle now being contemplated at Albany has been carefully considered, 

 and the Commission believes that if suitable legislation can be secured 

 with adequate appropriations for the enforcement of the same, our milk 

 supply in this respect coming from the State of New York will be suit- 

 ably safeguarded. Such legislation should provide for notification of 

 city authorities of the existence of disease, which may be transmitted 

 through milk, occurring in the cows or in the families or the persons of 

 those handling milk." 



Municipal activity on the tuberculosis problem will certainly 

 accomplish nothing worth while if carried on along the lines 

 recommended above. The statements are apparently based on 

 the faulty assumption that a physical examination will reveal 

 cows affected with tuberculosis in an advanced form, and that 



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