post-mortem lesions, and he stated, rather than be mistaken he would submit the lesions to a bacteriologist with the view of determining as to whether or not the condition presented was that of tuberculosis. Dr. Robbins, Louisville bacteriologist, was supplied with part of the tuberculous tissue and he injected it into three guinea pigs, which in due time showed generalized tuberculosis. Dr. John E. Hays was engaged by Dr. Harthill to make the test, and he also reported that while he did not find the bacilli of tuberculosis, he stated that the tissue examined was undoubtedly that of tuberculosis.

This case is reported because of its public character and its relation to the milk supply of Louisville, as the cow was a bone of contention for two weeks previous to the time she was slaughtered.

The result of the experiment vindicated Dr. Purdy completely. A bitter fight has been made on him in Shelby county, because of his stand for the inoculation of cows which are used for dairy purposes.

On October 31, 1904, Mr. T. D. Money, of Finchville, Ky., was notified that Dr. M. K. Allen directed me to state that it was necessary for his milch cows furnishing milk to this city to be tested for tuberculosis, because of having been exposed to the disease. Mr. Money engaged Dr. Purdy to make the test, and it was found that four head reacted. One cow was killed for the purpose of corroborating the test, and it was found that the cow showed generalized tuberculosis. Mr. Money was notified to ship the remaining three cows to Louisville to be killed, subject to post-mortem inspection, but he instead sold them to Mr. John Glasscock, of Shelbyville, for five dollars per head. Mr. Glasscock in turn shipped these cows to Louisville, and two of them were resold and shipped to parties in Shelbyville, the third cow could not be traced, but it is supposed that it was sent to Chicago. The two cows which went to Shelbyville were discovered on the farm of a neighbor of Mr. Glasscock. One had died from tuberculosis, and the other was killed, and showed generalized tuberculosis.

The conditions as recited were reported to Dr. Mathews, President State Board of Health, and he advised that prosecution be instituted against Mr. T. D. Money and John Glasscock, and the writer and Dr. Purdy appeared before the grand jury at Shelbyville, and stated the case as reported, but for some reason or other the grand jury failed to issue an indictment.

Other herds at Shelbyville, Ky., which were held up for inspection were tested and showed negative reaction.

TUBERCULIN TEST.

Referring to partial report made in my last report of the milch cows of the Central Kentucky Lunatic Asylum at Lakeland, Ky., test

ed for tuberculosis, I beg to state that the percentage of the entire herd reacting was 63 per cent. The milk taken from eleven of the condemned cows was examined bacteriologically by Dr. Robbins, Louisville bacteriologist, and he reported the bacillus of tuberculosis in three samples.

Upon the strength of this report the State Board of Health called a meeting and ordered all cows that reacted to be immediately slaughter. ed, and the post-mortem without an exception showed that the thirtynine cows killed presented the various lesions characteristic of bovine tuberculosis.

At the request of Dr. M. K. Allen the writer recently tested the milch cows at the city alms house for tuberculosis. Of the fortyfour head tested twenty-five head (56.8 per cent.) reacted. It was suggested to Dr. Allen that all the cows which had reacted be slaughteved, but for some reason or other this has not been done. There is no doubt that more of these cows have since become infected, and that those which have not previously reacted should be tested again, after which all cattle having shown positive reaction should be killed.

The following list reports the number of hogs condemned at the Central Stock Yards and final disposition of same: 78 hogs condemned for cholera, 11 passed, 67 tanked; 34 hogs condemned for bruised, 5 passed, 29 tanked; 1 hog condemned for rupture, 1 tanked; 91 hogs condemned for pregnancy, 1 tanked, 90 released; 9 hogs condemned for pneumonia, 9 tanked.

Sheep.-11 sheep condemned for bruised, 11 tanked; 16 sheep condemned for pregnancy, 1 tanked, 15 released.

Calves.-9 calves condemned for bruised, 2 passed, 7 tanked. Cattle.-24 head condemned for bruised, 3 passed, 21 tanked; 55 head condemned for pregnant, 1 tanked, 54 released; 1 head condemned for pneumonia, 1 tanked; 22 head condemned for actinomycosis, 12 passed, 10 tanked; 8 head condemned for tuberculosis, 8 tanked. Total condemned, 358; total passed, 33; total tanked, 166; total released, 159.

Read at Meeting of Kentucky Midland Society.
BOVINE

TUBERCULOSIS AND ITS RELATION TO PUBLIC
HEALTH.

By Dr. F. T. Eisenman, President Kentucky Veterinary Medical Association, Louisville, Ky.

GEORGETOWN, KY., October 12, 1905. Tuberculosis is an infectious disease, affecting alike the human species, horses, cattle, hogs, reptiles, fishes and birds. Sheep and goats under normal conditions show remarkable immunity for tuber

culosis, but when inoculated with pure culture and kept indoors they readily succumb to the disease.

That man is most susceptible to tuberculosis is clearly shown by facts disclosed by post-mortem examinations revealing that one-third of the human race has at one time or another suffered from it. and also that one-seventh of the whole population die from it.

Among lower animals, cattle are the most susceptible to tuberculosis. The dangerous character of this disease was recognized by the Jews during their Egyptian captivity, which led to the enactment of ecclesiastical laws forbidding the consumption of flesh from cattle so affected.

In Munich, as far back as 1370, tuberculosis in cattle was recognized as a menace to public health, and as a result laws were framed forbidding the consumption of flesh from tuberculous animals.

Florinus in 1702 described bovine tuberculosis and reported that it was identical with syphilis, which resulted in the destruction of animals affected with the disease.

The Berlin Board of Health in 1783 rejected the theory of the identity of tuberculosis and syphilis, and declared the flesh of animals affected by it fit for food, and as a consequence all laws in Prussia, forbidding the use of flesh from tuberculous animals was repealed. In 1816 Tscheulin formulated the following rules for the proper disposition of carcasses infected with tuberculosis:

1.

2.

price.

Tubercles were to be removed.

Diseased parts to be destroyed and the meat sold at

3. Carcasses extensively invaded should be rejected.

a low

As early as 1865 Villemin showed that tuberculosis was due to specific infection which produced the disease in rabbits by inoculating them with tuberculous lesions taken from human subjects. He also produced the disease by the experimental feeding of animals and by causing them to inhale tuberculous material.

The disease was produced in cows about the same time by Chauveau, and the truth of his investigations were confirmed by Klebs, Cohnhim and Gerlach.

The results of these experiments of producing tuberculosis in one species from the infected material of another led to the conclusion that tuberculosis in all mammals is identical, and this confirmed the opinion that tuberculosis was a greater menace to the human species than that occasioned by the loss from the total destruction of infected cattle.

The extensive invasion of tuberculosis among the cattle of Europe and this country is truly alarming.

Statistics gathered by the National Bureau of Animal Industry show

that the disease is on the increase, and that the virulence of the bacilli from the human source has been increased by passage through cats, rabbits and calves until in each case when inoculated it became very active with bovine animals. Inoculation of bovine animals with bacilli from human sources, shows that a considerable proportion of such bacilli produced generalized tuberculosis in these animals, thus exhibiting a virulence which is not to be distinguished from that of tubercle bacilli from bovine sources.

As a result of these investigations we are taking a much broader view of the question and the slight differences that were raised, so that the distinguishing of the human and bovine tuberculosis as produced by two distinct organisms is fading away.

After all there is only one tuberculosis, one tubercle bacillus, with many variations, according to its method of culture, whether it is grown in an artificial medium or in the animal organism; but aside from these variations the bacillus is always the same, and if given suitable conditions will revert to its original form.

We should try to draw a practical lesson from these scientific investigations.

There has aready been a great deal of good done by having all rooms occupied by consumptives thoroughly disinfected, sputum destroyed, spitting in public buildings and on sidewalks prohibited. Suitable sanitaria have been provided where nothing but consumptives are treated, and in which every precaution is taken to protect the public from the infection.

Twenty-five years ago Villemin demonstrated that tuberculosis was infectious from one person to another. Veterinarians called attention to the danger of infection from the lower animals, but this was not regarded, as the old theory that tuberculosis was a hereditary disease was that still held to by the majority of the medical profession. Until the discovery of the bacillus tuberculosis, no attempt was made to control the disease; what seemed to be an impossible condition has resolved itself into a plain question of proper sanitary conditions.

There appears to be still at the present time a prejudice against the theory of infection from animal sources, as there was formerly against the infection from man to man.

In 1901, at the British Congress of Tuberculosis, in the memorial address claiming that there was a vast difference between human tuberculosis, and 'bovine tuberculosis, Koch stated that it is improbable that the disease could be transmitted from the lower animals to man. He based his assumption on the fact that he failed in every attempt to transmit human tuberculosis to the lower animals, and from this he drew his conclusion that it would be equally as impossible to infect man with animal tuberculosis.

But since that time his experiments have been proven false. Human tuberculosis has been transferred from man to other animals, and the bacilli of the bovine type have been found in the lesions of human beings.

Now that we have the plain facts, are we simply to ignore them and find fresh reasons for condoning such a menace to the public health? Are we to allow milk to be sold that is obtained from cows where fifty to ninety per cent. of the herd has tuberculosis? Must we use meat from diseased hogs and cattle? Is this to go on without the least restriction? There seems to be no immediate answer to these questions unless it is the majority of the medical profession does not sufficiently recognize and warn the people of the grave and immediate dangers which surround them from such gross oversight on the part of our law makers.

We have numerous instances of authentic cases of infection from the lower animals to man and the transmission of human tuberculosis to the lower animals.

It is a sad fact that most of the bacilli of the bovine type are found in young children. The bovine bacilli are pathologically more active, they are more virulent to most animals and the conclusion is drawn that they are more virulent to man than the bacilli of the so-called human sort.

It is a fact that human bacilli are not so virulent as those obtained from other mammalian sources, and that the human organism has the power to overcome and gradually to render these bacilli less harmful; but this influence for good is constantly being counteracted by the fresh infection with the lower animal tuberculosis. Far be it from us to discourage any of the efforts to stop this infection from man to man, but we should be more strict and careful in regard to the infection from tuberculous lower animals.

Herewith is submitted some information concerning the prevalence of tuberculosis.

Slaughterhouse statistics of Prussia show 14.6 per cent. of cattle and 2.14 per cent. of swine to be tuberculous.

Slaughterhouse statistics of Saxony show 29.13 per cent. cattle 3.10 per cent. of swine.

Slaughterhouse statistics of Leipsig City show 36.4 per cent. cattle and 2.17 per cent. of swine.-(Siedamgrotzky.)

In Belgium 20,850 animals were tested with tuberculin; 48.88 per cent. reacted.---(Strubbe.)

Denmark, 1893 to 1895-49.3 per cent. reacted. Denmark, 1896 to 1898-32.8 per cent. reacted.-(Bang.)

In Great Britain 20,930 cattle either slaughtered and examined,