TUBERCULOSIS OF ANIMALS. 
63 
terest and economic utility, remains unattained. If this de¬ 
sirable unanimity could be established among us, we should 
probably not have long to wait for such an agreement be¬ 
tween the hygienists, with the meat-producing interest and 
our official agencies, as would end in the adoption of such 
measures, harmoniously and amicably adjusted, as would ef¬ 
fectively reconcile and permanently establish the interests 
respectively involved, and terminate for good the conflict 
between the claims of human health for protection and of the 
agricultural community for assurance of indemnity in cases 
of equitable need. 
It is in this spirit that we desire to speak to this congress, 
and we shall not consider that our mission has been accom¬ 
plished until the day when the necessary legal regulations 
can be carried into effect without detriment to any interest, 
or remonstrance from any quarter. 
We cannot refrain from some expression of our astonish¬ 
ment upon hearing from scientific men avowals of their doubts 
in respect to the dangers which accompany the use of tuber¬ 
culous flesh for food. There is but little agreement in their 
alleged reasons for these doubts, but they may be summarized 
in such cavilings as these: 
ist. That the identity of the nature of human and bovine 
tuberculosis has not been demonstrated. 
2d. That there is doubt touching the virulency of the 
parts used for inoculation, or at least it is very slight when 
the connective tissue is used, and almost absent when in the 
digestive canal. 
3d. That ordinary cooking is sufficient to obviate any sup¬ 
posed dangers accompairying the use of the tuberculous flesh. 
4th. That even conceding that some danger may survive 
the process of cooking, the deprivation of the amount of food 
destroyed, especially when the poorer classes are considered, 
will be perhaps more injurious to the human race than its 
free consumption as aliment, with whatever risks may be en¬ 
countered by thus disposing of it. 
5th. That it is consequently useless to impose such a seri¬ 
ous loss upon agriculture, and interpose such an embarrass- 
