418 DISEASES OF CATTLE. --■' 



must take into consideration not only the tubercle bacillus, brtt like- 

 wise all those circumstances which make eattle more susceptible to. 

 the disease which have already been dwelt upon. It would be useless 

 to repeat here all that has been said above on the transmission of 

 tubercle bacilli from one animal to another, and on the dangers of cer- 

 tain debilitating influences. A careful study of these will show how 

 tuberculosis may, at least in some cases, be prevented. Great care 

 should be bestowed upon the breeding, the surroundings, and the 

 food of the animal, so that the latter may be put into a condition to 

 resist infection even when exposed to it. A tuberculin test should be 

 applied to all strange cattle before they are introduced into the herd, 

 and those which show a reaction should be refused. 



A rigid exclusion of tuberculous animals is all that is necessary to 

 prevent the appearance of the disease, provided cattle are not infected 

 by consumptive persons and animals, though it is probably unusual, 

 because the bacilli from man are, in the majority of cases, attenuated 

 and harmless for cattle. 



Tuberculosis in cattle must also be considered as bearing upon 

 tuberculosis of other domesticated animals, particularly hogs. In 

 Europe and the United States this disease is not so uncommon among 

 hogs, and appears to be on the increase. The reason for its existence 

 may be looked for in the feeding of pigs with skim mills, buttermilk, 

 and whey in dairies, with the offal of the abattoirs, behind tuberculous 

 cattle, and the household refuse generally. If tuberculosis is com- 

 mon among cattle it is likely to be transmitted to hogs kept in this way. 



The carcasses of animals which have died of tuberculosis should be 

 buried deeply so that they can not be eaten by other animals. This 

 is likewise true of all organs or tissues of slaughtered animals con- 

 taining tubercles. These should never be fed to other animals, such 

 as hogs, dogs, and cats, and should either be destroyed by fire or 

 deeply buried. 



When any of the animals in a herd of cattle show evident symp- 

 toms of tuberculosis, or when they are proved to be affected with this 

 disease by the tuberculin test, the best method of procedure in most 

 cases is to have the affected animals slaughtered and the stables dis- 

 infected. A large proportion of the animals which are slightly affected 

 yield carcasses which ai'e perfectly wholesome and fit for human food, 

 but in all such cases there should be an inspection by an expert at 

 the time of slaughter to determine which carcasses may be used and 

 which should be destroyed. 



The disinfection of stables may be accomplished by thoroughly 

 cleaning them, scrubbing the floors with hot water, brushing down all 

 loose dust from the walls, and tearing off all woodwork which is partly 

 decayed. Then the whole interior of the stable should be covered 

 with a good coat of lime wash containing 1 part of formalin (which is 

 a 40 per cent watery solution of formaldehyde) to 30 parts of the lime 

 wash, or 4 ounces of formalin to each gallon of lim9 wash. 



