78 MILK HYGIENE 



Moreover, tuberculosis is undoubtedly not so infre- 

 quently caused by the food (primary tuberculosis of 

 tlie intestines and mesenteric glands) as Koch affirms. 

 The available statistics concerning the prevalence of 

 abdominal tuberculosis differ considerably. While the 

 English tables show the prevalence of " tabes mesen- 

 terica " at about 10 per cent, of all cases of tuberculo- 

 sis and at about 30 per cent, of all cases of tuberculosis 

 in children, the corresponding figures for Berlin are 



(1898) 1.8 per cent, and 2.8 per cent., for Paris 

 (1897) 1.33 per cent, and 1.65 per cent., for New York 



(1899) 0.47 per cent, and 2.86 per cent, and, finally, for 

 Boston (1900) 1.14 per cent, and 4.35 per cent." 



This difference is, no doubt, largely due to differ- 

 ent interpretations of the post-mortem findings [and to 

 the different degrees of prevalence of tuberculosis among 

 cattle] but a partial explanation may also be found in 

 the fact that most of the milk in England is used in the 

 raw state. From some of the G-erman states there are 

 reports (Heller and Seitz) concerning the rather frequent 

 occurrence of ' ' alimentary tuberculosis ' ' in children. As 

 for Copenhagen, Fibiger has stated that primary in- 

 fection of the intestines and of the mesenteric glands is 

 not infrequent with children. Cases also occur in adults 

 that are most naturally pronounced to be primary 

 intestinal tuberculosis. 



In reference to the second question — the possibility 

 of the transmission of human tuberculosis to cattle — 

 investigations have been going on for some time that 

 prove that transmission may be effected by inoculation. 

 After Koch's report appeared, a great number of experi- 

 ments were undertaken to throw light upon this ques- 

 tion, the results of which are partiallj^ published. Fib- 



^^ Salmon : Relation of bovine tuberculosis to the public health. 

 1901. 



