THE TUBERCULIN TEST IN MASSACHUSETTS. 
259 
Theobald Smith, of Boston ; Georg^e N. Kinnell, of Pittsfield ; 
Charles R. Wood, of Rowell, and Frank S. Billings, of Grafton. 
We publish herewith two reports, and in the next issue of 
the Review will give the details of the reports of the experts, 
which will be found very interesting reading to those who have 
been making a study of this very important subject. 
MAJORITY REPORT. 
Boston, Mass., May 25, 1897. 
Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the General Cotirt of Massachusetts. 
The joint special committee of the legislature appointed to 
investigate and report upon the post-mortem examinations of 
certain cows of Rowell and Dracut condemned as tuberculous 
under the order of the Board of Cattle Commissioners, beg leave 
to submit the following report: 
Under the authority of the order adopted by the legislature 
on April 9, the committee selected as experts to assist in the ex¬ 
amination of these animals. Dr. H. C. Ernst, of Boston ; Dr. 
Theobald Smith, of Boston ; Dr. George N. Kinnell, of Pitts¬ 
field ; Dr. Charles R. Wood, of Rowell ; Dr. Frank S. Billings, 
of Grafton. 
Your committee and these experts were present at the slaughter 
of 130 of the animals condemned as tuberculous from the Rowell 
and Dracut herds. All but i of these animals had reacted to 
the tuberculin test. Cow No. 10 was killed after condemnation 
upon physical examination. Of the 129 animals all but 
3 were tuberculous, although a large proportion of this number 
were so slightly affected as to warrant the use of their meat for 
food if slaughtered and dressed under proper supervision. 
After the examination of the condemned animals, the com¬ 
mittee, acting under further authority of the legislature in ac¬ 
cordance with the Resolve passed May —, secured and caused 
to be slaughtered all but 3 of the animals from the four herds 
from which the first lot of 90 condemned animals were taken 
and which had successsfully passed the tuberculin test. As will 
be seen by the report of the experts, of these 20 cows, 6 were 
found to be tuberculous by all of the experts and 7 by two of 
the experts. 
Your committee desires to call particular attention to the fact 
that none of the 150 animals examined had tuberculosis of the 
udder, although the disease was found in two cases in the lym¬ 
phatic gland closely connected with the udder. If these 2 cows are 
a fair average of the milch cows of Massachusetts, tuberculosis of 
the udder is not as prevalent as is sometimes feared. 
