810 
PROCEEDINGS OE SECTION I. 
the disease tuberculosis, for it is beyond doubt that the measures in 
force all over the world, and particularly throughout the Australian 
colonies, for the prevention of the disease both in man and animals are 
not nearly commensurate with the scientific knowledge we possess 
whereby means are indicated for its better prevention. 
I shall direct your attention first of all to the evidence we have 
at present of the transmissibility of the disease from man to man, 
from man to animals, from animals to animals of the same and of 
different species, and from animals to man. 
That tuberculosis is communicated from one human being to 
another largely and mainly by inhalation is established. It is equally 
well established, both by chemical observation and experiments, that it 
is communicable from man to animals — to wit, to guinea-pigs, rabbits, 
fowls, &e. — by ingestion, inoculation, or inhalation of sputum of 
phthisical patients, or water in which the handkerchiefs and linen of 
phthisical patients have* been washed.* It is the established creed of 
animal pathologists, and is incontrovertible, that the disease is readily 
communicable from one animal to another of the same species — from 
cow to cow by cohabitation and inhalation, from cow to calf by 
ingestion of milk, from pig to pig by ingestion. There is also 
abundant evidence available, which it is unnecessary to detail, by which 
is clearly manifested the transmission of the disease from one animal 
to others of different species. I will relate two of a number of cases 
furnishing such evidence with which I have been personally connected; 
one in w r hich pigs and calves w T ere infected by means of milk from 
a diseased cow, and the other in which pigs were infected by the 
ingestion of tuberculous cow’s flesh, and both of which, I venture to 
think, will furnish important links in the chain of evidence establishing 
the intercommunicability of the disease. 
In the first case, nine young pigs, live weeks old, were fed from a 
trough three times a day for a period of three weeks with the milk of 
a tuberculous cow. This was not done experimentally, but for econo- 
mical reasons — the owner, a North of England farmer, preferring to 
use the milk in that way rather than to destroy the cow at once. The 
cow -was affected with generalised tuberculosis, including tubercular 
mammitis ; in fact, on post-mortem examination, the tubercular lesions 
found to exist were as extensive as any I have seen. At eight weeks 
old four of the pigs were sold in open market, and lost sight of. lour 
others were sold to a neighbouring benevolent institution *, and one, a 
sow pig, was kept on the farm for breeding purposes. I will just deal 
with the subsequent history of this sow pig. When about three 
months old a debilitating diarrhcea set in, and, in spite of suitable 
attention, food, and housing, it became more or less chronic. As time 
went on she exhibited very little growth, and did not thrive. She 
gradually developed into a veritable “ piner,” and, having exhibited 
early a sexual desire, she was put to the boar, with the object of 
promoting a thriving tendencv ; but the improvement in condition and 
growth which had. been expected did not occur. She conceived, 
however, and farrowed a week before her time, the litter consisting of 
four dead pigs and one living one which died during the day. I 
missed the opportunity of seeing these young pigs, and so could not 
determine whether they were congenitally diseased or whether their 
+ M* Guinard, Lyon Medical, 17th May, 1891. 
