260 
L. A. MERILLAT. 
words, the function of the veterinarian as an active member of 
such a society as is being born here to-night: a society that un¬ 
dertakes the herculean task of exterminating tuberculosis from 
the human family. 
When it was demonstrated beyond doubt that human and 
bovine tuberculosis are identical the veterinarian at once be¬ 
came a more potent factor as a public sanitarian, and especially 
since tuberculosis was added to the other numerous diseases 
that are directly transmitted from the lower animals to man the 
veterinary profession has never for one moment relaxed its ef¬ 
forts in the campaign of extermination. We have been brought 
face to face with the important duty of striking directly at the 
cause or at least the purveyor of diseases, not only in the case 
of tuberculosis, but also many other diseases and conditions of 
milk- and meat-producing animals. 
And now that a movement is on foot in Chicago to wage war 
against tuberculosis we, the members of the veterinary profes¬ 
sion, are here, prepared to shoulder that share of the burden 
which belongs to us, namely, the control of the sale of tuber¬ 
culous products—milk and meat—with the’ ultimate aim of 
exterminating tuberculosis from the animals which produce 
them. 
From the very onset this soeiety will doubtless endeavor to 
exhaust every means and utilize every known weapon at its 
command to accomplish its purpose, and in doing so it is to be 
hoped that the matter of regulating one of the chief sources of 
tuberculous infection will receive early consideration. In this 
I refer to the dairies and the milk supply of our city. Tuber¬ 
culous meat, unless eaten raw or too rare, is not such a danger¬ 
ous product, but milk and butter being consumed in a raw state 
are now recognized as among the chief conductors of tuberculo¬ 
sis from the domestic animal to man by the best authorities of 
this country and Europe, and as it has already been demon¬ 
strated that tuberculosis is very prevalent among the dairies 
supplying the city with milk, it is our duty to recommend steps 
for the control of the sale of their infected products. 
