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Tuberculosis in Animals, and 
liibiting the use of tuberculous meat aud milk as human 
food. 
2. Dealing with it as a contagious disease of animals, and 
adopting suppressive measures to eradicate it from the country. 
In dealing with the first part of the question it would be 
necessary for the Government to lay down some fixed, clear, and 
definite code of instructions for the guidance of sanitary authorities 
and meat inspectors. Until, however, the members of the medi- 
cal and veterinary professions hold more uniform opinions as 
to passing or condemning the flesh of tuberculous animals, it is 
not likely that any such instructions will be drawn up. In a 
recent trial at Glasgow arising out of the seizure by the sanitary 
inspector of some carcasses of cattle affected with tubercle, medi- 
cal officers of health and veterinary surgeons gave evidence and 
expressed directly opposite views as to whether the carcasses in 
question were fit for human food or not. While such conflicting 
opinions are held by different professional men, there can bo 
no uniformity of action. The result would be that meat which 
would be condemned in one place might be passed in another, 
and the bulk of the doubtful-looking meat would be sent where 
the inspection was least rigid. 
Another difficulty in the way of obtaining uniformity of 
action in dealing with tuberculous meat is, that in this country 
we have very few public abattoirs where efficient inspection can 
be carried out. A large proportion of the meat consumed is 
killed and dressed in private slaughter-houses, or imported, and 
sent into the large wholesale meat markets. The carcass of an 
animal in the earlier stages of tuberculosis would when dressed 
probably show no evidence of the disease, and would therefore be 
passed as dead meat, whereas if the inspector had seen the con- 
dition of the internal organs he might have hesitated to pass 
it or even condemned it. 
In connection with the question of the use of tuberculous 
meat and milk, the United Association of Municipal Corporations 
a few years ago sent out a series of questions to medical officers 
soliciting replies giving their opinions as to the infectiveness of 
such meat. The Association obtained very conflicting evidence. 
While some considered it highly dangerous others did not, and 
many gave no opinion at all. The Association also referred tlio 
subject to their Law Committee, who expressed the opinion that 
under Sections 11G and 117 of the Public Health Act of 1875, 
Health Officers and Sanitary Inspectors had sufficient power to 
seize and deal with tuberculous meat ; but they considered it 
desirable that tuberculosis should be included as a contagious 
disease of animals, chiefly with the object of enabling Sanitary 
