532 
H. P. CLUTE. 
It was through Professor Koch’s experiment with Koch’s 
lymph or the bacillus of tuberculosis neutralized, that the vet¬ 
erinary profession came in possession of the tuberculin test as a 
diagnostic agent for tuberculosis, by its causing a rise of tem¬ 
perature in the patient affected with the disease, and no rise or 
change in those not affected. 
ORIGIN OF TUBERCULIN. 
Tuberculin is prepared by first injecting the bacillus in a 
horse, and in twenty-one days drawing off a small quantity of 
blood, which at that time contains the bacillus in a mild state 
—on the same principle that diphtheria antitoxin is prepared, or 
the virus of small-pox is passed through the bovine species to 
make vaccine to guard against small-pox, only in the latter 
cases the scabs from the pustules are taken. To doubt the prac¬ 
ticability of the tuberculin test at the present time is, I think, 
analogous to doubt vaccination against small-pox as being a 
success. 
In applying the tuberculin test, you must be very careful to 
keep the animal as near a normal state as possible, for the bovine 
species is very susceptible to a high temperature, from excite¬ 
ment, change of food, driving a few miles in warm weather or 
in hot weather; in the latter I have seen the temperature in 
many cases run up to 105° F. 
The normal temperature ranges from 100 to 102 according 
to the kind of food the animal is receiving. A steer fattened 
on corn, or a cow being forced for the milk product, often runs 
102 at normal. It is not practical to apply the tuberculin test 
in hot weather, as the temperature is liable to run up in the 
middle of the day enough to bring the animal inside the limit 
of 2 degrees, which I condemn, while many claim one degree 
and a half is sufficient. I had much rather keep a suspected 
animal not rising the required 2 degrees and retest at a future 
date. I am satisfied that the tuberculin test, when carried out 
properly, is infallible. I apply the test by taking the tempera¬ 
ture morning, noon and evening to get the normal temperature. 
