o6 
SOCIETY MEETINGS. 
animal supplying the milk. (2)—From the persons who handle the 
milk. (3)—From various substances that come in contact with or are 
introduced into the milk. 
In how many ways the animal may be the source of infection, would 
require too long a time to describe, but tuberculosis and other constitu¬ 
tional diseases, local disease (external and internal) of the udder or teat, 
sufficiently suggest abundant causes of infection. These are causes 
which can be determined, we must admit, only by the veterinarian. 
Of no less importance is the inspection and direction of the care 
which should be given the animals as regards their food and water, and 
as regards the ventilation and sanitary arrangements of the stables. 
Of the sources of infection from the person, such as association with 
an infectious diseUvSe like diphtheria and scarlet fever, I will not speak 
more, but I would call to your attention the necessity of care in the en¬ 
tire milking process, the abundant opportunity for infection occurring 
then, and point out that so far as the process is one involving the hand¬ 
ling of animals and their proper treatment, it is one which should also 
be directed by competent, that is, by veterinary advice. 
Aside from the animal supplying and the person handling the milk 
great danger of infection arises from exposure, particularly while milk¬ 
ing. Dust from hay, etc., manure and dirt thrown by the tail and hoofs 
of cows while fighting flies and mosquitoes, and many other conditions 
of the dairy go to make up the principal sources of milk contamina¬ 
tion. This makes the maintenance of a separate milking room indis¬ 
pensable. 
Meat .—The conditions requiring the exclusion of meat from market 
arc numerous. Some of the most important are tuberculosis, meat in¬ 
fested with trichinae and other parasites, hydatids, hog cholera, etc. 
Too often inspections have been made by persons who have not been 
trained to observe and exclude more than the most obvious diseased con¬ 
ditions and whose only ground for fitness seems to have been that they 
had been trained as butchers. That such inspection belongs to veteri¬ 
nary medicine I think no one will dispute, and it is of such magnitude 
and importance as to make necessary for its proper performance in large 
cities the establishment of a separate division in the Health Department 
to be under the supervision of a competent and experienced veteri¬ 
narian. 
The United States Department of Agriculture some years ago es¬ 
tablished a Bureau of Animal Industry, virtually a veterinar3" bureau ; 
the chiefs and inspectors are required by law to be graduated veterina¬ 
rians. Their most important duty is the inspection of all meat to be used 
for export. The law under which they act directs that meat for inter¬ 
state trade shall also be inspected, but for want of a sufficiently large 
appropriation this is only done in some of the largest abattoirs. The 
carcasses when healthy are stamped or tagged, and those unfit for food 
are condemned. To-day nearly all of our Western beef bears the mark 
of a Government inspector, and naturally demands the highest price. 
Local Inspection .—At our large city abattoirs meat inspection is in 
force, both governmental and local, but it is from the suburban or country 
slaughter-houses we must look for the most danger. At such places 
there is no inspection and the result is that a surprisingly large amount 
of diseased meat is shipped to our city, and purchased and consumed by 
