460 
AUSTIN PETERS. 
farmer’s in a district like Orange County, which somewhat 
resembles Westchester County, that about 1 per cent, of the 
cows are tuberculous, these herds being made up largely of 
hardy grades of the Ayrshire, Holstein and short-horn families. 
In Westchester County, nearer New York City, where more 
cattle of the Channel Island breeds are found, and the system 
of dairy farming more nearly resembles the milkmens’ manage¬ 
ment on the outskirts of our large towns and cities in eastern 
Massachusetts, it is safe to say that between two and three per 
cent, of the cows are tuberculous, allowing that only one case 
can be detected by means of a physical examination to three 
that will show a well-marked reaction to tuberculin. These 
figures compare quite evenly with the abattoir statistics of many 
of the cities of France, Germany, Belgium and Holland. 
I11 eastern Massachusetts we have no exact figures to give 
us statistics, but it seems to me that bovine tuberculosis must be 
much more frequent here than even in Westchester County, N. Y., 
or else I have been unfortunate enough to be called to see so 
many herds where tuberculosis exists, during the past winter, as 
to prejudice me into this belief. Since December 1st I have had 
occasion to examine 500 head of cattle in eastern Massachu¬ 
setts, of which 75 have been tuberculous, but then), of course, I 
am very likely to be called to examine creatures where the 
presence of tuberculosis is known or suspected. 
As to the prevalence of tuberculosis among cattle of various 
ages or sexes, abattoir statistics show it to be very rare in calves 
killed for veal. It is seldom seen in steers and oxen killed for 
beef; in fact, it is almost unknown among our western beeves. 
It is seen chiefly in cows slaughtered for food, and is met most 
frequently among dairy cows from the outskirts of large cities 
and towns: here it is found more among the older cows, the 
lesions being much more readily found in cows over six years 
old than among those younger. That is, overcrowding in un¬ 
sanitary stables and the depleting influences of lactation are the 
two great predisposing causes. Among certain fancy herds of 
pure-breds of different breeds tuberculosis exists to an alarming 
