BOVINE TUBERCULOSIS. 
495 
1 believe the same is the case with all animals suffering- with 
this disease. Locality seems to exert a strong influence in the 
rapid development of tuberculosis; low and damp land seem 
ing to increase the disease very rapidly. The same may be 
said of all lung diseases. I will narrate a case which to me 
was very interesting: While inspecting cattle under the em¬ 
ploy of the Government, I was called to examine some cattle 
on a farm where there had previously been contagious pleuro¬ 
pneumonia ; one year previous, on examination, found one 
cow quite sick, but could not make a differential diagnosis be¬ 
tween pleuro-pneumonia and tuberculosis. Left to call again 
in a few days, thinking that I could tell more positively by 
that time. The next week I was surprised to find this animal 
much better, but another cow was then pining away very 
rapidly and coughing a great deal; on examination I diag¬ 
nosed this a case of tuberculosis, but not feeling positive, I re¬ 
quested the chief inspector to visit this herd and we made a 
post mortem on one of these cows, the second one taken with 
the disease, and found the most perfectly developed case of 
tuberculosis it has ever been my good luck to see, the pleura 
and anterior face of the diaphragm being completely covered 
with miliary tubercles and the lungs in the same condition. 
These cases occurred in the fall of ’88, and before the spring 
of ’89 thirteen out of a herd of eighteen had succumbed to 
tuberculosis, where all had been healthy with the exception of 
two first mentioned that were taken sick in the fall. The pas¬ 
ture and stables in which these cattle were kept were on low, 
marshy land. This is an evidence of the rapid progress the 
disease can make in a herd under such favorable circumstances. 
Gentlemen, you will observe that I have not entered into 
the minute physiological study of the disease, as I thought 
that would exhaust too much time without bringing forth the 
argument that would be of the most practical benefit to us. 
With regard to treatment, I never would advise any in cattle, 
as, to say the least, it would give unsatisfactery results and be 
a useless expense. 
