336 Twbnty-Fiest Biennial Eepobx 



tubebctjlosis. 



With, the exception of foot-and-mouth disease, tu- 

 berculosis has been the subject of more widespread dis- 

 cussion than any other disease affecting live stock. It 

 is more universally distributed than any other disease, 

 and comparatively few localities are free from it. Com- 

 plaints are made by farmers and live stock raisers of 

 the losses sustained by its prevalence in their herds re- 

 sulting frequently in the death of animals and materially 

 decreasing the price for which the affected animal may 

 be sold, and the impossibility of determining whether 

 or not the animal is affected. Butchers, particularly the 

 packers, are at times forced to complain against the pub- 

 lic for having bought animals apparently in good health 

 when upon post mortem examination by trained in- 

 spectors portions of the carcass and sometimes the en- 

 tire carcass is condemned as unfit for food because of 

 generalized tuberculosis. I might call attention here to 

 some statistics furnished by the Bureau of Animal In- 

 dustry gathered from reports of different packing houses 

 scattered all over the country in which Federal meat in- 

 spection is maintained. During the fiscal year of 1914, 

 reports of inspections show that 8,539,021 cattle were 

 inspected at the time of slaughter, and, that 30,145, or 

 about 3.5%, were condemned on account of generalized 

 tuberculosis, and that portions of the carcasses of 45,283, 

 or a little more than 5%, were condemned for local tu- 

 bercular lesions. Tuberculosis of hogs is very closely 

 connected with bovine tuberculosis, as fattening swine are 

 so often permitted to feed with cattle, and it is most 

 probable that the disease is contracted in this manner. 

 During the same fiscal year there were 33,289,705 hogs 

 inspected at the time of slaughter and 48,252 carcasses 

 condemned for generalized tuberculosis, and portions of 

 the carcasses of 407,151 condemned for local tubercular 

 lesions. These statistics of course include animals 

 shipped into the packing houses from every part of the 

 United States, showing conclusively that few communi- 

 ties are free from this disease. Tuberculosis is caused 

 by the bacillus tuberculosis, and the bacillus causing the 

 disease in the human is practically identical with the one 

 causing bovine tuberculosis. The relationship of bovine 



