ON THE VALUE OF TUBERCULIN—No. 3. 
By C. J. POUND, F.R.M.S., Government Bacteriologist. 
There can be no question whatever that tuberculosis is the most prevalent 
_ of all diseases among the bovine species, and has been known to exist to a | 
greater or lesser extent in every country throughout the world. The following = 
will afford some idea of the ravages of the disease and the losses which must. 
necessarily accrue to those who are directly and indirectly connected with the 
live stock and meat industries. 
Between October, 1897, and January, 1899, the officers of the Board of 
Agriculture in Great Britain tested with tuberculin 1,651 herds, comprising 
48,677 animals, of which 31:7 per cent. exhibited a typical reaction. In some 
parts of Denmark tuberculosis among cattle has been shown to exist to the 
extent of from 40 to 60 per cent., and in many districts in Germany fully 80: 
per cent. of the cattle have been proved to be infected with the disease. 
According to statistics it appears that in Sweden about 20 per cent. of the 
. cattle are infected. 
Tt must not be supposed that the high percentages of disease in the foregoing 
cases are indicative of its general prevalence. As a matter of fact, in ever 
country the extremes have a very wide range. The reports from the abattoirs. 
at Baden show only 2 per cent. of disease among cattle slaughtered, while 
Paris reports 6 per cent., and Holland 20 per cent. In a large number of 
German abattoirs it is stated that 69 per cent. of the cows, 3°6 per cent. of the 
steers, and 2°6 per cent. of the bulls, and 1 per cent. of the young stock are 
tuberculous. In New York State the Inspector of the State Board of Health 
found 3-4 per cent. of tuberculous cattle out of 20,000 examined. In Baltimore 
among the dairy cattle 11°3 per cent. were found to be tuberculous. 
Wherever statistics are carefully compiled it has been clearly shown that 
tuberculosis exists to a greater extent amongst dairy cattle, which accounts for 
the comparatively low percentage of animals found tuberculous at public 
abattoirs and meat export works, where, as is well known, the majority o 
animals slaughtered are steers. . 
Dairying is the staple industry of Denmark. Moreover, it is an estab- 
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276 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Ava., 1901. 
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| lished fact that the dairy products from that country have for a great many 
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“ years commanded the London markets. When tuberculosis was proved to be 
= an intercommunicable disease of man and animals, and was further demon- 
=| strated to be very prevalent amongst dairy cattle, the Danes, in order to keep 
= up the high standard of the quality of their butter and cheese before the 
a) |: British consumer, decided to adopt more penn g ene measures with regard to the 
—| } inspection of their dairy herds. For several years the Danish Government 
| have voted nearly £6,000 annually for the purpose of assisting cattle-owners to 
aa. 
=| keep the healthy animals from those that react can benefit from the gift of 
i) 
tuberculin, together with the services of a veterinary surgeon, free of cost. 
Up to the present time over 250,000 cattle have been tested, and the whole of 
the work is under the direct superintendence of Professor Bang, one of the 
greatest authorities on cattle tuberculosis. The results have been eminently 
satisfactory, considering the simplicity and slight cost of the arrangements 
necessary to bring about success. 
In Norway and Switzerland action has been taken to supply tuberculin 
gratuitously to such stockholders as wish for it. In some of the American States 
very active measures have been taken to combat bovine tuberculosis by means 
of tuberculin. In Belgium, which was the first country to legislate on the 
subject, the Government passed a regulation permitting the use of tuberculin 
only under the special authorisation of the Minister of Agriculture, in order to 
prevent frauds which might easily be committed were anyone allowed to use it. 
Numerous experiments have been carried out at the agricultural and 
veterinary colleges, and the bacteriological and health institutes in the various. 
States in America, and throughout Great Britain and continental countries, on 
the use of tuberculin; and pamphlets, in all cases recommending the use of 
tuberculin and the prevention of tuberculosis, have been widely distributed.) 
| make use of tuberculin. Only those owners, however, who will undertake to 
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