TUBERCULOSIS. 
599 
mortality SO great in the human family? For an answer one 
on y needs to consider for a moment that, as a rule, there are no 
sanitary precautions taken by families who have tuberculosis in 
tieir midst; and unfortunately by many of their family physi¬ 
cians. Not long since, the writer was informed of a family of 
mountaineers who lived in a little log hut. A member of this 
amily had tuberculosis, and expectorated on the walls, floor, 
and, in fact, wherever it was most convenient. The result is that 
there are two or three more patients in the same family. 
If there was any doubt about the disease being contagious 
US one instance is ample 'proof of the affirmative. There is no 
doubt but what a large per cent, of the causes of tuberculosis 
m man are due to the use of flesh and milk of tuberculous ani¬ 
mals. It may be safely stated that no less than fifty per cent, 
of the cases are developed from this source, which can only be 
avoided by means which I will suggest later. 
The danger of using tuberculous meat and milk is twofold, 
viz.: that of contracting the disease, and that of aggravating the 
disease in those already affected. 
It is a well known fact that the milk of tuberculous cows is 
much more dangerous than the meat, since the milk is usually 
consumed in the raw state. Meat, however, may contain the 
live germ, and even though the meat may be cooked done, the 
temperature may^ not have reached a point sufficiently high to 
destroy the germ in all parts of the meat. It was formerly sup¬ 
posed that salted meats were perfectly safe for consumption, but 
later experiments have shown that the germ may survive as 
ong as thirty days. As the salt does not penetrate all parts of 
the meat alike, some of the germs may survive even longer. Our 
European friends recommend sending tuberculous cattle to the 
butcher if not in poor flesh. This practice cannot be too 
strongly condemned, for although the lesions may be local the 
germ may be in all parts of the body, since it is circulated by 
the blood and lymph. It may be stated in this connection that 
the germ is necessarily circulated in the system for some time 
before general tuberculosis takes place. The mere fact, then, 
