670 
CORRESPONDENCE. 
ment afford to recompense each owner for every diseased animal 
le may possess? Decidedly not, nor have we any right to com¬ 
pel a man, by forced legislation, to bear this injustice. 
If we knew the percentage of tuberculous animals to be as 
small as the lecords show contagious pleuro-pneumonia cases to 
have been, then we could and ought to deal with it in the same 
mannei, but how extensive this disease is we do not know. Be¬ 
fore we can use such radical measures with this disease in cattle 
as were used against pleuro-pneumonia a few years back we must 
also legislate against the human race, dogs, cats, hogs and birds 
and not discriminate against the cow. 
Contagious pleuro-pneumonia was fought from its introduc¬ 
tion into the country by local and a little later by national legis¬ 
lation, and never was it allowed to go much beyond the Eastern 
States. Not alone that, but it was confined to a single species 
of animal. Here, however, we are confronted by a disease known 
to almost all species of animals, capable of transmission by foul 
air, impure water or contaminated food, and, if we believe some 
of 0111 best authorities, seldom by heredity. 
The piedisposition is without doubt transmitted to the off- 
spnng, but if hygienic measures are observed, that predisposi¬ 
tion is bound to be overcome in the majority of cases. 
The point made by Major Alvord that the sanitary inspec¬ 
tion of dairies is of far more importance than the destruction of 
tuberculous herds is, to my views, well taken. 
Granting that more disease is contracted by other conditions 
than by hereditary tendency (and I do not think this asking too 
much), then it is evident that only by strict sanitary and hy¬ 
gienic measures can the disease be eradicated. 
. Our legislation if confined to the slaughter of diseased and 
sick animals is worthless, though expensive, unless we have 
rigid sanitary laws to back it up. 
d here is no doubt in my mind that the milk from dairies of 
uncleanly management is responsible for a greater share of the 
mortality, especially of children, than from the infection by 
tuberculous animals. 
The following I quote from an editorial in the Medical Re¬ 
view: ‘‘ Public hygienic measures, whose utility can be demon- 
strated without a doubt, Should be carried out strictly and with¬ 
out compromise. Just as soon, however, as a proper measure of 
reform cannot be backed up with a sufficiently reasonable proof 
as to its necessity and usefulness, public hygiene may create the 
impression m certain circles as being annoying and meddlesome. 
