2 
EDITORIAL. 
“ First, we shall study the infectious diseases. And among 
them one which is of the most important, and will require our 
close and long attention— tuberculosis. 
“ This disease attacks most of the animal species, mammalia, 
birds, and even fishes and reptiles. And a first question is, ‘ Is 
the pathogenous agent found in the lesions of these animals the 
same one which is found in man ? ’ 
“ Indeed, the various tuberculous bacilli cannot be entirely as¬ 
similated. There exist some peculiarities of culture, of aspect, 
and pathogenous properties which allow of the description of sev¬ 
eral varieties or species. 
“ Leaving aside the bacilli found in fishes, batracians and rep¬ 
tiles, whose study is not yet sufficiently advanced, we can admit 
three principal types—the human, the bovine and the aviary. 
And whether one attaches great importance to the differential 
characters, or is more or less impressed by the similarities and 
differences, or, again, grants value to the persistence or variabil¬ 
ity of the characters observed, these three bacilli are considered 
as belonging to distinct species or as belonging to simple varie¬ 
ties of one. It is the problem always discussed, even to-day, of 
the unity or plurality of tuberculosis, a problem equally interest¬ 
ing in theory and in practice. And, naturally, the question will 
be, What dangers can man run by the ingestion of the meat or 
milk coming from diseased animals? The recent works upon the 
intestinal origin of pulmonary tuberculosis brings a new spark of 
actuality to that question. Behring has stated that the milk of 
contaminated cows was the principal cause of infection with chil¬ 
dren. That opinion has been strongly discussed; it deserves long 
and minutious attention. We will give it in the course of our 
lectures. But for the present you will appreciate how it is inter¬ 
esting for physicians to be well acquainted with the characters of 
bovine tuberculosis and with the peculiarities of its bacillus. 
* 
♦ * 
“ Animals that live in promiscuity with man frequently con¬ 
tract tuberculosis, and may transmit it. By opposition to the 
