The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-12-14
.TusERcuLosIs AND FOOD.
An Exceedingly Interesting Articie-Ne-
ees.it, for Rigid Meat Inspection.
VIRGINIA AGRICULTURAL AID !
MECHANICAL COLLEGE.
n....nhar yalp

ees.itv FOR Rigid Meat Inspections
VIRGINIA AGRICULTURAL AND
MECHANICAL COLLEGE.
December, 1890. J
Mr.. Editor: Permit me to say that every
newspaper in Virginia ought to publish ana
comment upon the article republished from
the Nineteenth Century" In Eclectic
Magazine" December, ls9o-"ruoercuioi
Meat and its Consequences" by Henry
Behrent, NJ. II. G. Il.
/ trust that you will lead OF and urge
YOUR brethren Of the press to follow your
example. All know the prevalence oi
phthisis or consumption and the fearful
mortality Of the dread disease. nave long
held the opinion that it is contagious. but
il is only since the great discovery OF the
parasite. the bacillus OF phthisis, mat
have been able to give a reason Tor nv
opinion. Koch has set 10 rest all DOUBT III
regard TO the cause OF the malady, While II
has been proved that the disease a. nam,
tested in the lower animals Is Identical
with that which we call consumption IN
man.
COMMUNICATED BY ANIMALS.
has further been established that tuber-
culosis Is communicated from one person 10
another and from the lower animals to man.
The blowing conclusions are stated Dy
Mr.. Behrend: THE links in the chain OF sci
entific evidence, based upon experiments
conducted through a series Of years, may be
thus formulated: On tuberculosis Is caused
by minute vegetable organism. the Dacilu.
On This organism is identical in man ana
i'm the lower animals, any slight apparent
difference being purely morphoiogical (3)
The disease is communicable from cattle 10
the human subject. CD One Of the most
frequent methods Of this communicabillty Is
the ingestion Of the flesh Of animals specin-
cally affected; and (5) the ordinary modes
of cooking do not destroy the bacillus, and
have absolutely no effect upon the sposs'
which are the chief means of its propaga-
tiOn."
AUTHORITATIVE OPINIONS.
Mr.. Behrend quotes IN support OF the de-
cislOn the bacillus is the cause OF the DIS
ease the opinions of many who are high
authority. DR.. Fleming, late principal
veterinary surgeon TO the British army:
| "From his researches Koch concludes that
| the presence of bacilli in the tubercular
masses constitutes not only concomltant
! fact in the process, but that 1t is the cause
| a cause which had hitherto been only sus-
pected, and which presents itself in the
| form Of vegetable parasite" Dr, Goats,
of Glasgow Infirmary: Il go on the footing
| that the bacillus is the agent OF the disease,
| NOT Only III DDNlUt luUtlIuiOSlS. bub hioV III
man. and that in an animal that IS tuber-
culous the distribution of the bacillus is
very difficult TO determine and quite beyond
the possibility of thorough detection"
1.-The Department Committee Of the Prlyy
| Council appointed by the Lord President in
1888 to inquire into the subject, reported
that the bacillus has been proved TO enter
the body and kill the animal by causing the
growth OF tubucIes i'm the following ways
First, by inhalation into the air passages;
second by swallowing into the alilnentary
or digestive system; third, by direct intro
duction into the subcutaneOus or submu-
cous tissues by means OF a scratch or cut.
| II is also supposed to be directly transmit
ted by Oourth) heredity."
A GOVERNMENTAL DUTY.
Koch proposed to cure tuberculosis by his
Lymph" but an ounce of prevention Is
worth more than a pound of his lymph, to
say nothing of the expense and impractical
bility Of going TO Berlin TO be lympaticised,
together with the doubt which yet hangs
over its speciicIty for the dread disease.
II is the duty Of the Government Of Viz
ginia TO take every means in its power TO
protect her citizens from contracting the
| disease, or at least to afford them the means
OF protecting themselves. That steps may
be taken 10 this end is the object | have in
asking you to publish Mr.. Behrend's article
in full. and to request its publication by
every newspaper in the State.
Ii comes home to almost every family in
the State. Let the question be agitated
and discussed everywhere, 10 the end that
steps may be taken to prevent as far as pos
sibe the Introduction of tuberculous and It's
spread.
In every county where science ia studied,
- n..r atssn.l .a
typhus and typhoid feycrs, scarlet fever
and measles. lupus and cancer, b.. Thi.
il the right line Of investigation as pointed
out by the great Pasteau, which has lead
TO such wonderful results in anthrax, and
now in tuberculosis. Pasteau, thus. restored
the silk culture 10 France; he stamped out
anthrax from his country. 1t led to the
means of Obyiating the rayages fphyloXera,
which was fast destroying the vineyards OF
France.
HYPNOrIsM.
Long years ago DR.. Mitchell. a Virginian,
the professor Of practice Of medi-
cine in jefferson College, Philadelphia,
the father of the distinguished DR..
Wier Mitchell. wrote a book adyoca.
ting the germ theory TO explain intermit-
tent and bilious feyers. lie also, it was
said, advocated the practice Of what was
called mesmerism in certain nervous dis
eases now known as hypnOtism. Every
BODY Acknowledged his great worth and
talents. but he was often spoken Of as ezra
tic-in modern phrase, crank. The truth
is that he was far ahead Of his genenera-
tiOn--science would never progress without
such cranks. They bring forth the Pasteurs
and Kochs TO illumine the world with the
light OF science,
DANGER OF DISEASED BEEF.
A piece Of beef from an animal the sub
iect of tuberculosis VIII produce in one
hundred persons who eat Of IL twenty or
thirty eases OF consumption. at Is n haz-
ardous thing for the life and health OF the
community TO allow any part OF tubercu-
lous animal 10 pass into food" Thus speaks
Mr.. Robinson. examiner in cattle pathology
for the Royal Veterinary College. Koch says
that the bacilli may make their may into
the lymphatic glands without any indica-
ton OF their presence even by the micro
scope. and that the virus may be circulating
through the healthy organs and tissues IN "A
carcases. although it is not found obviously
maniiestlng itself.
DIR. Wallace, themedical officer Of health
for Greenock: However slightly an animal
NAV be affected with tuberculosis, the en-
tire carcass Is unfit for food, and must be
condemned, and this view is endorsed by
Mr. Cope, the Chief Inspector OF the Agri-
cultural department OF tue IrlNy COUNCIL,
and by Sir Charles Cameron, Medical Officer
of Health for Dublin, who deposed the de-
pirtmentdl inquiriI.g: I'll must say that, be
the cond ton satisfactory or otherwise,
unhesitatingly condemn any animal that has
tubercle in any part OF it." see Behrend's
article. | have not space for further quo
tations. suffice ii to say that no part OF the
carcass Of an animal the subject of tubercu-
losis no matter how healthy it may appear
should be permitted to be offered for sale as
food.
NECESSITY OF RIGID INSPECTION.
How to prevent the sale OF such meat Is
the question: II it cannot be altogether
prevented much may at least be dore TO
mitigate the evil by stringen: inspection
laws and the appointment OF competent in
spectOrs. Not only should the carcass be
examined. but the animals before death at
the absttoir should be examined by physi-
clans as well as veterinary surgeons, who
shall be skilled in the methods Of diagnosis.
Animals found diseased should be killed
and burnt.
is question whether those Offering
diseas ad animals should be paid ANYTHING