REPORT OF THE TUBERCULOSIS CONMITTEE. 
471 
public health ? No ! not in that condition. But, on the other 
hand, no one can tell when the disease may not become more 
active, and the inspector may leave behind him an animal as 
harmless to-day, which a few months hence may be in a con¬ 
dition to be a great danger to the well being of the community. 
The tuberculin used in the Poughkeepsie test came from 
the Bureau of Animal Industry Laboratory at Washington. 
I was not present when the tests were made in May, but se¬ 
cured the orders to kill from the Secretary of the New York 
State Board of Health, and took charge of the slaughtering 
and autopsies about three weeks later, in June, on which oc¬ 
casion I was assisted by Dr. John Faust, his sons, Dr. Otto 
Faust and William Faust, a medical student, and Dr. Nor- 
gaard, of the United States Bureau of Animal Industry. 
These four gentlemen conducted the tuberculin tests about 
the middle of May. 
Although I have been a skeptic regarding the utility of 
tuberculin, the experience I have recently had with it has 
changed my views a great deal, and I now believe that it may 
be a very valuable agent if properly used. 
In suspicious cases where doubt is felt as to whether an 
animal is tuberculous or not, it is well worthy of a trial; and 
in herds where a number of cases of tuberculosis are found, 
I believe it to be advisable to test the entire herd with it. I 
do not, however, believe it necessary or practicable to go to 
every farm in the country and test every single cow to be 
found with tuberculin, but if a herd be inspected in the ordi¬ 
nary way and found to be healthy, I consider that sufficient. 
In a breeding herd, no doubt, it might be advisable to kill 
every animal that reacted to tuberculin, no matter what its 
apparent condition of health might be. I am yours, 
Very sincerely, 
Austin Peters, M.R.C.V.S., 
Chief Inspector of Cattle for the New York State Board of Health. 
To summarize this report, your committee concludes that 
tuberculosis is a world-wide disease affecting in all probability 
.all classes of animals, due to a specific micro-organism known 
