166 
J. M. PARKER. 
in conjunction with the International Congress of Public Health,, 
adopted the following practical recommendations for the pre¬ 
vention of disease: 
1. The notification and registration by health authorities of all cases of tubercu- 
osils which have arrived at the infectious stage. 
2. The thorough disinfection of all houses in which tuberculosis has occurred, 
and the recording of such action in an open record. 
3. The establishment of special hospitals for the prevention of tuberculosis. 
4. The organization of societies for the prevention of tuberculosis. 
5. Government inspection of dairies and slaughter-houses, and the exteiminatio.r 
of tuberculosis among dairy cattle. 
6. Appropriate legislation against spitting into places where the sputum is liable 
to infect others, and against the sale or donation of objects which have been in use by 
consumptives, unless they have been thoroughly disinfected. 
7. Compulsory disinfection of hotel rooms, sleeping-car berths, and steamer cab¬ 
ins which have been occupied by consumptives, before other persons are allowed to 
occupy them. 
The reports and recommendations of the Committee were 
adopted. 
Massachusetts ought not to be far in the rear, and to give 
credit where it is due, I believe at least one of the local inspec¬ 
tors in Massachusetts has advised the Health officers of his 
locality to place tuberculosis on the list of contagious diseases, 
(I refer to a report by Dr. Winchester of Lawrence, to the local 
Board of Health). 
In Massachusetts the cattle commissioners are an independ¬ 
ent commission, having no connection with the Boaid of 
Health, and so far there has been no adequate legislation suffi¬ 
cient to check the spread of tuberculosis among our dairy stock. 
The same applies, though in less degree, to the action taken by 
the State of New York, for it is not enough to isolate and de¬ 
stroy infected cattle, such action alone does not strike at the root 
of the matter. Hitherto the influence exerted by the conditions and 
surroundings under which the animals are kept has been almost 
entirely overlooked. 
Seed always requires a proper soil before it will develop. 
The bacilli require a suitable culture media, and we know that 
tubercle bacillus is one of the most exacting in this respect. 
It is not sufficient that the bacilli should be inhaled, we 
