406 



Human and Animal Tuberculosis. 



[AUG., 



which are in every respect indistinguishable from the bacilli 

 which are the cause of tuberculosis in cattle. In all such 

 cases the disease therefore is the same disease as bovine 

 tuberculosis. 



They further conclude that mammals and man can be 

 reciprocally infected with tuberculosis, and that a considerable 

 amount of the tuberculosis of childhood is to be ascribed to 

 infection with bacilli of the bovine type, transmitted to 

 children in cow's milk. The danger to the adult human 

 subject appears to be substantially less. 



In the interests therefore of infants and children, and for 

 the reasonable safeguarding of the public health generally, 

 the Commissioners urge that existing regulations and super- 

 vision of milk production and meat preparation should not 

 be relaxed ; that on the contrary Government should cause to 

 be enforced throughout the kingdom food regulations planned 

 to afford better security against the infection of human beings 

 through the medium of articles of diet derived from 

 tuberculous animals. 



More particularly, action in this sense is urged in order to 

 avert or minimise the present danger arising from the con- 

 sumption of infected milk. And in this connection it is 

 pointed out that bovine tubercle bacilli are apt to be 

 abundantly present in milk as sold to the public when there is 

 tuberculous disease of the udder of the cow from which it was I 

 obtained. This fact is generally recognised though not 

 adequately guarded against. But these bacilli may also be; 

 present in the milk of tuberculous cows presenting no evidence 

 whatever of disease of the udder, even when examined post- 

 mortem. Further, the milk of tuberculous cows not con- 

 taining bacilli as it leaves the udder may, and frequently does,! 

 become infective by being contaminated with the fasces or 

 uterine discharges of such diseased animal. Measures for 

 securing the prevention of ingestion of living bovine tubercle 

 bacilli with milk would greatly reduce the number of cases 

 of abdominal and cervical gland tuberculosis in children, and 

 such measures should include the exclusion from the food 

 supply of the milk of the recognisably tuberculous cow, 

 irrespective of the site of the disease, whether in the uddei 

 or in the internal organs. 



