PROTECTION OF DOMESTICATED ANIMALS 585 



anthrax, which they contracted from handling the wool taken from 

 sheep that had died of that disease; likewise many were infected with 

 foot-and-mouth disease which was transmitted to them through the 

 milk of infected cows. There are a few reports that diphtheria has 

 been contracted by the pet cat from the sick child ; that birds, especially 

 parrots, have contracted tuberculosis from their attendants; and that 

 poliomyelitis has been transmitted to dogs; but these reports are few 

 in number. There is considerable literature on the transmission of 

 tuberculosis from man to fowls, but the evidence is largely circum- 

 stantial. In recent years, large quantities of human tuberculous ma- 

 terial have been fed to fowls with negative results. In like manner, the 

 reports of the transmission of tuberculosis from man to cattle are based 

 on circumstantial evidence, and they were made before the knowledge 

 of the varieties of tubercle bacteria had been acquired. 



In addition to the infectious diseases, there are a number of para- 

 sites which infest people through the medium of pet animals and meat. 



The facts seem to be clear that the danger in the inter-communica- 

 bility of diseases is from animals to man and not from man to animals. 

 This means that in the protection of animals they should be cared for 

 in such a way that their diseases can not pass from one to another, and 

 that those who attend diseased animals should take the necessary pre- 

 cautions to protect themselves. The very definite knowledge of the 

 cause of the communicable diseases makes it possible to minimize the 

 danger to man in caring for infected animals. 



To be able to properly care for animals one must understand their 

 physiological requirements. For economic reasons several species of 

 animals have become so numerous and so restricted in their liberties that 

 they must rely entirely upon man to furnish them food and shelter. 

 Presumably they have lost, through continuous living in an artificial 

 environment, much of their original sagacity for self-preservation, and 

 it is not unlikely that they are acquiring a certain amount of adapta- 

 tion to the new conditions. This intensifies the necessity of inquiring 

 into the best methods to follow in order to give dumb creation the phys- 

 ical protection that rightly belongs to it. 



The protection of animals is not different in principle from the 

 protection of man. The problems encountered are similar to those in 

 ascertaining what is best for the physical well-being of the human spe- 

 cies. If we could trace the evolution of the present knowledge of 

 hygiene and the physiological requirements of man from his early exist- 

 ence until now, we should find that the influences most effective in 

 bringing about our present conception of living conditions are the re- 

 sults of the study of those physical and biological sciences which com- 

 bined make up what is known as the medical curriculum. These sciences 

 have interpreted the needs of the body and brought to our assistance the 



vol. Lxxxnr. — 40. 



