THE VALUE OF TUBERCULIN. 
345 
between the commissioners and Mr. Shedd, the contributor of 
the cattle, which will be of general interest: 
The report then gives the correspondence between the Com¬ 
missioners and Mr. Shedd, the spirit of which is as indicated in 
the text of the document as above. 
The cattle were returned to Mr. Shedd, June 24th, and the 
experiment closed. This special report is made public at this 
time in order that every owner of cattle in New Hampshire 
may have the earliest possible information in regard to the 
result of this experiment, the minute details of which have 
been carefully noted and recorded and will be found in the 
biennial report to be issued at the close of the year. 
^ When the matter of dealing with contagious diseases of 
animals was placed by the legislature under the direction of the 
executive officer of the State Board of Health, the State Board 
of Agriculture, and the State Grange, it met with a vigorous 
protest on the part of those officers without avail. Finding the 
execution of the law thrust upon us, we have endeavored to en¬ 
force its provisions with due regard to the interest of the State 
in the matter of public health, which should be the ultimate 
result of all action legitimately taken. 
The policy outlined at the outset, and resolutely followed to 
the present time has been sustained by the result of this experi¬ 
ment an'd is being adopted in the States around us where a 
more radical policy has previously prevailed. In the State of 
Massachusetts, where more than $750,000 have been spent dur¬ 
ing the past four years and where every animal reacting to the 
tuberculin test was destroyed, the whole matter has been aban¬ 
doned. In Connecticut, where the same extravagant policy 
prevailed, the authorities are now working upon practically the 
same line as in New Hampshire. Other adjoining States are 
falling into the same line. This means the destroying of tuber¬ 
culous animals, detected by a physical examination, and the ad¬ 
vocacy of sanitary measures for the prevention of the disease. 
We have faith in tuberculin as a diagnostic agent and depend 
upon it for eertain purposes, but not as authority for destroying 
animals. It is a fact worthy of note that during all the unreasonable 
scare and extravagance around us in regard to this matter, the 
Cattle Commissioners of New Hampshire have attended to every 
legitimate call for action, made an inspection of every herd 
where symptoms of tubereulosis were reported, destroyed every 
tuberculous animal detected from a physical examination. 
