262 
THE TUBERCULIN TEST IN MASSACHUSETTS. 
Number of animals condemned as tuberculous and slaughtered in the presence of 
your committee. ^ 3 *^ 
Condemned on tuberculin test... 128 
Condemned on physical examination. 2 
Found diseased, condemned on tuberculin test. 126 
Diseased, not found on post-mortem. 2 
[These two both showed suspicious symptoms and are being made the subject of 
microscopical examination, which is not yet completed and as to which no 
report has been made. ] 
Found tuberculous on physical examination.Fione 
Free from disease. ^ 
If the two cases which are being microscopically examined 
are free from disease, then the tuberculin test condemned as dis¬ 
eased two sound animals out of one hundred and twenty-eight, 
or 1.56 per cent, of error. Errors of physical examination, loo 
per cent. In addition to the above one hundred and thirty ani¬ 
mals, twelve of the animals embraced in the order were 
slaughtered, not in the presence of the committee, by mistake, 
and post-mortems performed by the agent of the Board of Cattle 
Commissioners in charge of the work, Mr. P. M. Harwood, who 
reported, without knowing at the time that they were animals 
embraced in this order, that they were all tuberculous. If these 
were included, it would show^— 
Condemned by tuberculin test.140 
Found diseased. 13 ^ 
Doubtful. 2 
Percentage of error (if any). 1 * 43 ^ 
thus showing the marvelous accuracy of the tuberculin test. 
As to the extent of the disease found, it varied widely, and 
we agree with the majority report that the extent of the disease 
can only be determined upon post-mortem examination, and 
that no .indication of this extent can be found either by the 
tuberculin test or by physical examination, or any other known 
means. In many cases the animals which appeared upon phys¬ 
ical examination to be in the best condition and which, there¬ 
fore, in the absence of the tuberculin test would be passed as 
sound animals, proved upon post-mortem to be the most dis¬ 
eased. it is, therefore, apparent that as a public health measure 
animals which are condemned as tuberculous by tuberculin test 
must be killed ; as whatever may be said as to the danger 
from slightly infected cases, this fact cannot be determined 
until after post-mortem examination. We, therefore, are of 
the opinion, in view of the evidence, that if the State is 
seeking to remove tuberculous cattle, tuberculin must be relied 
on to determine its presence. We are of the opinion that as a 
general proposition, at least, the sale of beef from such animals 
