FLESH AND MILK FROM TUBERCULOUS ANIMALS 299 
the disease at the very first discovery of an affected animal. Neg- 
lect in using the tuberculin for fear that some reacting animals be 
found in the herd is the height of folly. Half-way measures in 
handling this subject are no better than none. 
Preventive Inoculation—In recent years claims have been 
made that a method of preventive inoculation against this disease 
has been found by using dried human tubercle bacilli for rendering 
cattle immune. Considerable data have been collected as to the 
success of this method, and it seems pretty certain that a con- 
siderable degree of immunity can thus be given to cattle. It is 
yet too early to say, however, whether this procedure will ever 
be a practical method of handling the tuberculosis problem. 
THE USE OF FLESH AND MILK FROM 
TUBERCULOUS ANIMALS 
The practical question of the disposal of milk and flesh from 
tuberculous animals is constantly arising. The answer is clearly 
dependent upon whether the disease in men and animals is the 
same. Since it is generally agreed that, if not the same, the two 
are so nearly alike that they may be transmitted from one to 
the other, it is the concensus of all that the possibility of trans- 
ference through flesh or milk should be guarded against. 
Flesh.—Tubercular matter when fed to susceptible animals 
may produce the disease in the animal experimented upon. From 
this it follows that, if the human and bovine tuberculosis are the 
same disease, mankind may be exposed to danger from eating the 
flesh of tuberculous cattle. But there is no danger unless there 
are tubercle bacilli in the part eaten. The tuberculous infection 
of cattle is commonly in the lungs, intestines or lymphatic glands, 
and only rarely are the muscles affected. 
If an animal has simply a tuberculous lymphatic gland, its 
muscles are perfectly safe eating, unless they may have become 
infected by the knife of the butcher which has previously cut 
through some tuberculous mass in the animal. The danger to 
