CORRESPONDENCE. 
581 
Brooklyn, N. Y., October ii, 1898. 
Hoii. R. A. Blacky M. D.^ Assistant Sanitary Inspector^ BorongJi 
of Brooklyn^ N, Y. : 
Dear Sir :—I feel I am in duty bound to call your atten¬ 
tion in the matter of the three cows taken from the stable of 
Joseph Spanier, Rochester Avenue, near Hast New York Ave¬ 
nue, Brooklyn, on the 4th instant, and destroyed at the offal 
dock, Newtown Creek, the same day. 
These three cows were subjected to a tuberculin test by me 
on September 3d, using one-half c. c. of the tuberculin as 
procured from the Department of Health, New York. The fol¬ 
lowing is an extract from my book used at the time of the three 
cows in question : 
Temperature taken at proper intervals during the day pre¬ 
vious to inoculation. —Dark red cow, horns, B. of H. tag 3653 : 
104°, i02f°, 104°. Blue cow, white face, B. of H. tag 3663 : 
io2f°, io2-i°, 103!^°. Red cow, white star, dehorned, B. of H. 
tag 3664: 1031°,'103^°, i05|°. 
Temperature taken at proper intervals during the day after 
inoculation. —Tag No. 3653: 102^, 103-!°, ^o4f°. Tag No. 
3663: ioi|°, 102°, 102°. Tag No. 3664: 103!°, ^03°, 106°. 
It will readilv be seen that in neither case was there a reac- 
j 
tion that could fairly be attributed to the test that would 
warrant me in condemning the cows ; that while in numbers 
3653 and 3664 the temperatures were too high during the day 
previous to the inoculation and could reasonably be attributed 
to the hot weather, which might possibly interfere in getting 
a satisfactory result of the test, it will as readily be seen that in 
the case of the blue cow—tag 3663—there was every reason to 
be satisfied with the result. On hearing that your Department 
had condemned them and looking over the result of my work 
I suggested on the part of the owner that they should be isolated 
and submitted to a joint re-test, but this fair offer was met with 
a threat to arrest anyone who might interfere with their re¬ 
moval. There was no desire for a moment on the part of any 
one to interfere with any official in the discharge of his duty, 
but I felt that I owed a duty to those who had engaged my ser¬ 
vices in looking after their interests. I showed your inspectors 
my record of the test as made by me, and particularly drew 
their attention to cow with B. of H. tag 3663. 
I represented the owners at the post-mortem, and, while I am 
free to admit that the two red cows showed evidence in a mild 
form of tuberculosis, the other cow exhibited no evidence what- 
