65 6 
M. L. TRUMBOWER. 
culous by their owners, and earnestly advise the prohibition of 
the sale of milk from such herds until the affected animals have 
been killed. 
By the terms of the law under which our State Board of Live 
Stock Commissioners act, they can only cause to be investigated 
reported existence of disease, hence a thorough search for dis¬ 
eased animals cannot be inaugurated except in tracing out ex¬ 
posures to any reported case. 
Again, the peculiar wording of the law, regarding compensa¬ 
tion to owners of diseased animals, is such that no compensation 
can be made in cases of tuberculosis, since in appraising cattle, 
the amount of appraisement is based upon the fair cash market 
value for use for beef or for dairy purposes. Such being the 
situation the only course left for the board to pursue upon the 
discovery of this disease, is to place the diseased animals under 
quarantine until the owner agrees to destroy them. 
We dare not advocate radical measures just now, and I do 
not consider it so urgent and vital a necessity as some of our 
theorists do. 
Now a word in regard to the tuberculin test. Are we justified 
in condemning as unfit for human food every carcass that has 
reacted to this test ? If so, do we not destroy a great deal of 
valuable and productive property needlessly ? 
I do not believe that the milk or flesh is dangerously in¬ 
fected in an animal that has only a small deposit in a mediastinal 
gland, or an encysted abscess in the liver. But how can we 
determine this during the lifetime of the animal ? We cannot 
do so, therefore we have to destroy all that react, or else only 
those which manifest some physical evidence of disease on exam¬ 
ination. Would not the latter method be practically sufficient 
and exceedingly more satisfactory to the owner than the former ? 
Re-examinations would have to be made oftener, but we 
would avoid the antagonism and emnity of the owner, which 
would eventually lead to submission on his part to any measure 
we might subsequently advocate. 
If it is advisable to destroy all cattle that react to the tuber- 
