8o THOMPSON YATES LABORATORIES REPORT 
continuous supply for the kittens to lap. Four kittens were fed at the same time 
with wholesome milk. 
The results showed (a) the five kittens fed with the weakest solution (i in 
50,000) showed an average increase of weight per week equal only to 70 per cent, of 
the healthily fed kittens ; those fed with the next strongest solution (b) (1 in 25,000) 
increased in weight only to 55 per cent, of that of the healthily fed kittens ; (c) those 
animals fed with the proportion containing the largest amount of formalin, namely, 
1 in 12,500, increased in weight only from 20 to 25 per cent, of the amount which 
the healthily fed kittens increased. Two of the number died after six weeks, suffering 
from emaciation, diarrhoea, and other evidence of disturbed digestion and starvation. 
The whole of the animals were kept under careful observation, and it appeared that 
the dosed animals showed general evidences of ill-health, inactivity, and so on, and 
a disinclination to feed on the preserved milks. 
There is not the slightest reason to doubt that the use for infants of milk or 
cream containing these preservatives will have precisely the same effects upon the 
infants as they have upon kittens, and the inquiry once more emphasizes the absolute 
necessity for feeding infants as nature intended they should be fed, or if that is 
impracticable, to employ pure and natural substitutes. 
Formalin, fortunately, is not largely used by milk dealers as a preservative 
adulterant. About 1,500 samples of milk were chemically examined for the specific 
purpose of ascertaining if formalin was present, but it was only found in .8 per cent, 
of these samples. 
(2) Anthrax in Tanneries. Several cases of Anthrax having occurred during 
1899 amongst the workers of the tan-yards, four of which proved fatal, a thorough 
investigation of the vats, hides, and dust of the tan-yards was made by the 
Bacteriologist and Dr. Grunbaum. The bacillus anthracis was found in large 
quantities in the gloves which the workmen used whilst cleaning the hides. The 
bacillus was also found in the vats used for macerating the hides, and in the dust of 
the yards. 
It was evident that the Anthrax was introduced from the hides taken from 
infected animals, and a special investigation was then made of the ships which brought 
over the hides from Eastern ports. This resulted in finding the anthrax bacillus in 
the dust of a hold from a ship which had contained bales of hides. Subsequently an 
investigation was made to ascertain the kind of disinfectant which could be relied upon 
to destroy the anthrax bacilli (which is one most tenacious of life), but without injuring 
the hides. 
(3) The Tuberculin Reaction. Some cows which reacted to tuberculin were 
slaughtered, and the subsequent inoculations proved the presence of the tubercle 
bacillus, although the lesions were very small, and confined to minute nodules in the 
lungs and bronchial glands. 
