Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-11-10
LOOK WELL TO rag COWS.
MILK FROM DISEASED CATTLE OFTEN
CAUSES DIPHTHERIA.
Results of Recent Experiments show
That DairymeR Should Keep
Their Cows Healthy.

paper l6au before the hOydl OpCletN
of England by Dr. E. Klein in May last.
| and recently published. contains some re-
| markable facts in regard to the nature of
diphtheria in cows, and its effect upon the
milk, which are of surprising interest to
| intelligent deirymen and consumers of
| mix. The facts are more important for
| the reason that this serious disorder has all
| the outward manifestations of very COM
| mon disease among cows, known as COW
pox, or vaccine variola, and which from its
simple character rarely attracts notice
| among the owners of cows. whether they
be private persons keeping COW for the
domestic supply, or farmers. or dairymen
This simple disease is mild specific fever
which presents no serious symptoms be-
yond q sometimes announcement eruption
upon the teals of the COW, that may inter-
| fere with the operation of milking, from
| their soreness during the short continuance
of the disease. or upon the udder, W. here
| they cause no inconvenience whatever.
This disease rarely lasts longer than fif-
teen or twenty days, when the eruption
dries up forms scabs, which drop off, and
rapid healing follows. The eruption ap-
pears as snail pustules, which become
vesicies, containing a fluid serum that
| changes to pus, which finally forms the
dry brownish scab which is used by physi-
clans as the yaccinating virus Tor the pre-
vention of smallpox. These pustules ere
surrounded by red ring of Inflammation
and underlaid by somewhat hard nodule.
They become in time fiattened and de-
pressed int he center, and soon after-if not
l-ol tI,n ant of mil hx u n
leuce-dry up, as mentioned. Very SINH
lar pnslules appear as the outward and
visible symptoms of the more serious dis
ease, which is so closely related 10 the bu-
man Ciiphtheria as to be conveyable to per-
sons and animals through incubation by
the virus or through the milk. Consequent
~, COW affected with this disease may be
very easily supposed to be suffering only
from the scarcely serious cowpox or variole,
and so much injury may result from the
mistake as to call for more than ordinary
notice and precsution.
The experiments related by DR.. Klein are
IS follows: During some years past various
outbreaks of dphtheria among residents of
the city of London. in 1888, led to careful
investigations, by which they were traced
10 the use of milk taken from cows SUP
posed to be in good health, but which had
chaps or sores upon the teats. Other COWS
examined under suspicion were found TO
be in apparent God health, but had sores
and crusts on the udder and teass, No
substantial evidence was consequently
found to connect the numerous cases Of
diobthera so many, in fact, as to amount
TO an epidemic-with the actual disease in
the COWS until thorough Investigation
was made.
Ia the course of this investigation two
cows were inoculated with a culture of
diphtneria 5acilli taken from person suf
| feripg from the disease. 1t is unnecessary
| to recapitnlate the results of the expert
ment further than that after the operation
there appeared on the udder and teats red
raised pustules, which soon changed into
yesicles surrounded with the red ring
| which is characteristic of the COW pox.
| The vesicles contained clear lymph, and
| were underlaid by hard odule. The next
| day the vesicles changed into pustules con-
| tanning pus in another day these dried
into crusts with sores underneath; in two
| DAYS more the crusts became thicker and
larger, and soon fell off, leaving dry, heal
ing sores. Ali this happened in from FIVE
to seven DAYS, which is precisely the time
ia which the same manifestations occur in
the cow-pox, and, as in this disease, fresh
vesicles appeared, passing through he same
stage, constantly between the fifth and
| eleventh days after the incubation.
The milk drawn from one of the cows on
the fifth day was examined, and thirty two
colonies of the diphtheria bacilli were
found in less than one tea.poonful of it
lone cubic ceptimeter). The matter from
the pustules was found by microscopical
examination to contain the bacilli. and the
virus injected into two calves caused the
characteristic eruption of vesicles changing
| into vuotnloc apd flrv nrOsts n
The calves, too, were affected by the same
bronchial inflammation and pneumonia
| which appeared in the cows soon after in
ocuIation with the cultivated germs OF The
human diphtheria, and the presence of the
bacilli was exhibited in them as in the
COWS in the tumors formed at the place of
incubation. In fact, the whole system,
the lungs, the liver, the heart and the mus
cuar tissues were pervaded by the diph-
liberia bacilli. Thus the contagious nature
of the disease was clearly ascertained both
of the virus of human subject and from
the COWS, and also the fact that it is alb.
sorbed into the whole system including the
udder, and that it escapes in the milk and
contaminates it,
Later an accidental occurrence proved
that the diphtheIia is conveyed by the dis
eased milk in the same form, viz, the
prevalent false membrane of the throa
in animals in which this disease manifests
itself in this way. Many experiments
have been made with cats which are sub
iect to the disease in precisely this form,
and which are known beyond question to
contract the disease By infection from per-
sons, and to communicate it TO them in
turn. The milk taken from one of the in
ocuated cows above mentioned on the fifth
day after the operation was ordered to be
destroyed But this order was disobeyed,
and part of il was given to two cats. These
cats became sick, and soon after died Of
diphtheria.
This evidence goss to prove beyond ques-
ton the fact that milk of diphtheri,ic
cows carries the disease with it. and jus,i-
fies the suspicion of the physicians attend
ing the cases out e which the investigation
grew at first. No uncertainty can now ex-
list in regard to this most important matter,
aud the imminent danger that, from the
similarity between the appearances upon
the udder and teats of cows in the frequent
occurring cowpox aud in the fatal diph-
iberia, this may be mistaken for that in
more cases than persona interested may be
aware of.
SOCIAL AND PERSONAL.