The daily state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 188?-1891, 1890-05-03
COWS OR CONSUMPTION,
Tuberc IiOSiS from Milk.
Especial Cor. STATE CHRONICLE.

the most common form of consump-
ton, can be contracted by drinking the
milk Of COWS infected with that disease.
1t has been said that approximately one-
seventh OF the human race perish from
this disease. If this be true any prac-
tlcai facts bearing on the subject cannot
fail to be Of interest.
Ever since Koch first announced the
bacterial origin of tuberculosis and de-
scribed the tubercle bacilli, all subse-
quent experimentation has but abund-
antly corroborated his conclusions. The
disease, like many others, is due to a
distinctive bacillus or germ which is
readily recognizable by experts.
Probably the most common source of
the propagation of tuberculosis is the
phthlslc Sputum of tuberculouS persons
The expectorated excretum, being care
lessiy deposited on the streets or else
where, Gnstead of in handkerchiefs or
vessels, to be subsequently buried or
burned, as should always be done)
becomes dried, pulverized, and dis
SemlGated in the the atmosphere as
dust. The inhalation OF this dust
plants the death-deahng bacili in the
lungs and tuberculosis is developed In
this way it is that most eases develop in
the lungs. Koch declared that the dan
ger of getting the tubercle bacilli from
tnberculous animals, while by no means
to be underrated, was very much less
than the danger from phthisic sputum.
As tuberculous animals produce no spu-
tun,. the source of contagion here lies 10
either drinking the milk or eating the
flesh Of the animals thus affected. The
latter danger amounts to very little in
view of the cooking of the flesh, but the
danger from milk, in the light of recent
Investigations, appears to be much
greater than Koch supposed. 1t is the
result Of these Investigations that it IS
the object Of this article to cite They
were made by DR.. Harold O. Ernst, of
Boston, and are described in full by him
in bulletin issued last month from the
Hatch Experiment Station of the Mas
sachusetts Agricultural College at Am
, herSt.
! Koch asserted that tuberculosis from
cows milk needed only to be feared
when the mammary glands themselves
were involved, and that 1t was only
necessary to ascertain the existence or
r absence Of actual LESSONS of the udder,
IN order to take care accordingly. But
+ DIR. ErnSt'S experiments lead him to
$ conclude that the milk of tuberculous
s COWS is dangerous IL the absence of all
: such LESSONS whatever, and he sums up
the results OF his experiments as follows
: "1st, and empGaticaliy, the milk from
J. cows affected with tuberculosis in any
|. part OF the body may contain the virus
V of the disease.
:. End. The virus is present whether
J., there Is disease Of the udder or not.
\ 3rd. There is no ground for the asser.
r tion that there must be le>ion of the
udder before the milk can contain the
. infection of tuberculosis.
). 4th. On the contrary, the bacilli ot
h tuberculosis are present and active in q
y very large proportion of cases in the
+. milk Of COWS affected with tuberculosis
n but with no discoverable lesion of the
- udder"
= The failure to detect the bacilli in milk
from tubarculous COWS is by no means &
4 sure indication that the milk is not af
fected. DR.. Ernst, in examining IL
tS specimens of milk from COWS which pre-
lungs Or elsewhere, but which shove,
=. no signs of disease of the udder of an,
of kind, detected tubercle- bacllii in onl'
20 II specimens, and yet expresses surpIisi
that they were detected in so many
s. This uncertainty Of their detection i
in due to unavoidable dilution in the ex
s. animation. AS he says, 'the amount O
w dilution to which the organisms must b
IN subjected diminishes immensely tn
p, chance of their being found at ALL"
va much safer test, then, as 10 whether III
milk is infected or not is that Of lnnoC
ulation. Experiments in Germany wit
twenty specimens of milk from tubel
culous COWS showed that eleven out {
IL the twenty produced tuberculosis by il
g oculation IN guinea pigs, while in oni
one Of the twenty could the aclus
presence of the tubercle bac. Iii be d,
tected. OF these twenty spec. mems, fiT
~ were from cows affected with geners
er- tuberculosis Of all the organs in hig
J. degree, siZ were from COWS affected = It
N the disease in only moderate degree
=. and nine were from COWS in whic
= the disease was localized IN the lung
lo- By the incubation experiments so pt
Use cent. of the specimens from the cows
OF the first class produced tuouculOslS,
per cent. of the second class, and 33 p
er- cent. Of the third class. Such resnl
at as these, coupled with those reachc
in by Dr. Ernst, are very signiica
rs and interesting, and show the nect
al, sity of care and circumspection
as, the matter of tuberculous cattle and &
vo- milk from them. Dr. Brush, who b
made long, diigent and searchi,
uc- study of the subject, in an article re-
no before the New York Academy OF Ne,
ing cine in April of last year, declared th
ad where a community was closely co
th. nected with inbred dairy cattle, tub,
will culosis prevailed, and, vice versa,
Of. there were no inbred dairy cattle, ths
was no tuberculosis; that he
/. lieved that the disease was ori
nally derived from the bowl
for species; that he believed that 50 !
cent of all dairy cattle were affected
it, and quoted statistics showing tt
an- phthisiS was unknown wherever The
was race Of people without cattle; a
5me that, Furthermore, he believed that
e in all the cattle in this country, were TO
the killed, the disease would finally die G
- entirely here F. B. DANCY.