1^6 TUBERCULOSIS 



§ 138. History. Tuberculosis is one of the oldest dis- 

 eases affecting cattle of which there are identifying records. 

 It seems to have been known to the Jewish people during their 

 Egyptian captivity and the ecclesiastical laws for many cen- 

 turies contained numerous enactments against the consump- 

 tion of flesh from tuberculous animals. In 1370, it was for- 

 bidden in Munich to have on sale the flesh of animals affected 

 with tuberculosis. A number of other cities passed similar 

 ordinances. In 1702, Florinus described the disease and 

 emphasized the then existing opinion that it was identical with 

 syphilis. This led to the practice of destroying all tubercu- 

 lous animals. In 1783, the Berlin Board of Health rejected 

 the theory of the connection of tuberculosis and syphilis and 

 declared the flesh of' affected animals to be fit for food. This 

 led finally to the cancelling of all laws throughout Prussia 

 against the use of flesh for food irom animals affected with the 

 disease. Tscheulin, in 181 6, recognized in reference to the 

 infection of meat, three degrees of bovine tuberculosis, viz: 

 I, in which the tubercles were to be removed ; 2, in which the 

 diseased parts were to be destroyed and the meat sold at a low 

 price ; and 3, those cases in which the lesions were so exten- 

 sive that the whole carcass must be rejected. 



The study of the lesions themselves gave rise to a num- 

 ber ot beliefs concerning their nature. Thus, Virchow, Schiip- 

 pel and others declared that the tubercles in cattle were lym- 

 pho-sarcomata. I,eisering considered them simply as sarco- 

 mata. Spinola and Haubner maintained that human and 

 bovine tuberculosis were identical. 



In 1865, Villemin showed that tuberculosis was due to a 

 specific infection. He produced the disease in rabbits by 

 inoculating them with tuberculous material from human sub- 

 jects. He also produced the disease by feeding experimental 

 animals and by causing them to inhale tuberculous material. 

 Chauveau, in the same year, produced the disease in cows. 

 These results were soon confirmed by Klebs, Cohnheim and 

 Gerlach. These experiments, in which the disease was pro- 

 duced in one species with tuberculous material from another, 



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