Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-01-19

cuiosis and tuborculin were the cognate
and somewhat confusing subjects of yes
terday's annual meeting of the New Castle
county Farmers Institute.
There may still remain in the minds
oil the farmers and Legislators present some
confusion or doubt as to the scientific
nomenclature of tuberculosis, but there
cannot possibly remain any uncertainty
about the grave danger which confronts
the sanitary condition of the State from
the prevalence of that dread and insidious
disease which in cattle is called tuber-
culosis and in man consumption.
The terms are very nearly If not quite
synonymous and the disease in animals is
not less fatal or prevalent than in man.
About the only disease which is more
alarmingly fatal is anthrax which got a
hold i'll this State several months ago and
was only prevented from spreading far
and wide by the prompt and powerful
efforts OF the Farmers Institute DR.. Neale
DR.. Ewes and others. No department in
pathology has more pressing interest, or
Is surrounded with more difficulty than
the study and treatment of tuberculosis.
This disease comes of course from the
growth of small tubercles or round
nodules about the size Of millet
seed, the most common seats of
tubercuous process being the lungs,
the Emphatic glands, the stomach. the
liver, the brain membranes aud the bone
joints. On the assumption that tubercle
is due to introduced virus il has been at
tempted TO classify the cases according to
the probable way of ingress of the virus.
Where the tubercles are on the lungs it is
supposed the bicilli have been received
through breathing while in other cases
the germ has been introduced through the
food. Tuberculous germs once introduced
III one way or another, are more likely to
lodge and terminate IN dairy cows, in
animals confined for, long periods, de
prived OF pure air and sunlight, forced in
their feeding and milking and interfere
than in those living under different condi-
tons.
The pathology OF tnbercle has received
much benefit from the experiments to pro
luce it artiticially in animals by inocula-
ton of minute quantities of tuberculous
matter under the skin, or by mixing with
food, or by feeding with milk of tubercu-
lous cows. In 1882 DIR. Koch first an
nounced his discovery of the bicillus of
tuberculosis and experiments were made
which proved that this bicillus is the sole
exciting cause of the disease. In 1890
Koch announced his discovery of q sub
stance which had aspGciIic action on tuber-
cular processes which when properly al
minstered became valuable diagnostic
agency in that II caused in diseased ami
NAL an almost immediate rise in the tenn
perature of the body an action that did
not take place in a healthy body. This
substance is the wurld-famous Kochs
lymph or tuberculin, the discovery tof
which raised such E Juror because Of the
belief, for time, that it would cure con
sumption. But this hope has been ADAM
doned. Nevertheless 1t has Il very great
value for its diagnosive properties and
every experiment so far made with it in
Delaware has been an unqualified success.
Yesterdays was no less So
The ODiecT of VpStprIaV'a mnatiuV no
stated before, was to call attention to the
prevalence of this disease in cattle in Della
ware, as well as in other states and to
demonstrate the grave necessity for inn
mediate preventative legislation. This was
why the governor, the Legislature and
other State officials were invited to be
present, and it is cause Of great regret
among those interested in this sanitary re-
form that there were not more than IL
members of the General Assembly here.
Those of the law makers in attendance
were Senators Pilling, McNIullen and
and Houston, and Representatives Cooch,
Armstrong. Spruancc, Harrington, Day,
Dasey, Cam and Whittpck. In addition to
these were Governor Reynolds, Secretary
of State Marvel and prominent men from
all over the county.
1t was, in fact, the largest and most i'm
portant meeting Of the institute ever held
and was also locally notable from the fact
that the new recitation hall of Delaware
College, Just finished nj a cost of $15,UUn
was used for the first time aud given as
some one remarked, "A tuberculous bap-
tisnl.n The room used was the assembly
room on the first floor and oil the north
side. There were seats for only $50 per-
sons, the managers thinking that the
severe weather would keep many away
And so It did. But the crowd exceeded all
expectation, there being at least 80 per
sons present, all of them apparently deeply
interested in the object of the gathering
The morning meeting opened about Ii
O'Clock with the president, DR.. ]. j. Black
in the char and Delaware Clark as sccre-
tary.
DIR. Black in opening the institute made
q short address explaining the object of
the meeting, saying that those present
would be shown by object lessons that dis
eases most fatal and banciul in their re-
suits are lurking in many of our domestic
herds which furnish sustenanCe in such
large degree to our families and are yearly
causing the death Of thousands.
We have, he said. not only tuberculosis
so obnoxious to the human rAce-but
anthrax, more rapid, subtle, and although
more limited in its extent and operation,
yet equally destructive to man and beast
Being personally cOgniZant of the late
epidemic Of anthrax which visited q sec
ton Of this county last summer, and
knowing full well the horrors of such an
epidemic if it had gotten beyond control, I
noted the deep rooted fear which possessed
those who dealt with that trouble; and the
citizens OF this State can never too much
thank Dr. Ncale the Experiment Station
director, and Dr. IL. Z. Ewes, the veterin-
alian and their co-laborers. for the brave
rnd manly fight which they made at great
personal risk against this dread disease,
which they did entirely without State aid
of any kind.
To-day it is only dormant, thousands of
the germs and spores are only awaiting the
warm rays of summer sun to quicken
them and make them dangerous to human
life. cannot resist saying TO my fellow
citizens that they cannot act too promptly
or too thoroughly in this matter. We want
laws 10 meet such emergencies not
to meet and daily with these giant evils,
but laws TO check chem in their very in
cipiency. We should ask for no law to
take away the property of a man without
compensation. While diseased animals
should have no market value, yet the State
should assume part of the pecuniary loss
Thus we will be doing the greatest good to
the greatest number. These laws should
not be too radical, nor again should they br
too conservative. They should be radical
enough to the many and conservative
enough TO prevent trampling upon the Just
rights of the few.
The next speaker was DR.. L. W. Cooper
of Camden, president of the State Board oil
He"lth. lie also was fully alive to the i'm
porlance of the subject. He gave some
statistics of deaths from tuberculosis in
Wilmington In 1881 the mum Der of death.
from such diseases in Wilmington wa.
about to I; 1882. | to !: 1888, more than
to {; 1884, same; 1885, nearly 1 to I
1885, nearly l to O. 1887, TO about 61