The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-08-29
Experiment Station Bulletin No. AZ,
ON Bovine tuberculosis.

TUBERCULOSIS AT THE EXPERIMENT
STATION.
tuberculosis was discovered in the
station herd in January last by means
of the tuberculn test. But two cows
were out of condition, yet twenty-four
animals reacted at this and subsequent
tests. The infected animals were killed,
and the post-mortems confirmed the
test throughout, while two animals
which did not react showed no disease
upon slaughter. The distribution of
the disease was: Lungs, ninety per
cent; udder and its glands, seventy
three per cent; intestines and mesen-
teric glands, fifty per cent. Physical
examination alone did not detect dis.
ease in several cases. Six of the cattle
were bought from herds which we now
believe were affected with tuberculosis.
The disease was located at each end of
the barn. The barn was disinfected by
burning sulphur and by spraying d.
luted solution of corrosive sublimate
over the wood work. All the wood
about the managers was replaced. Eight
cen grade Jerseys were bought in April
from seven different herds, subject to
the tuberculin test. All were found
llC6 Hull ulSGdSC. IL is IulGuuGu uGTG-
after to periodically test the station herd
with tuberculin. The st,tion veterina-
rian has this year made over thousand
injections of tuberculin, mostly in this
state; 222 animals were found diseased
220 were slaughtered and found tuber-
culous. Omitting two badly infected
Vermont herds, but thirty-nine animals
were tuberculous out of 662 tested,
in eighty-one different herds. These
figures should not be taken as indicat.
ing the prevalence of the disease in this
state, since the injections were made
only in herds where it was feared dis
ease existed. The distribution of the
disease in 139 post mortems showed
eighty-two per cent in the lungs, twenty
two per cent in the mesenteric glands,
and twenty-four per cent in the udder.
PREVALENCE AND HISTORY.
tuberculosis is the general name for
class of diseases which attack various
organs and which both man and animal
readily contract. The human death
rate from all forms of the disease is
about one in four. Cattle are affected
in various proportions in different parts
of the world. The extent of bovine
tuberculosis in this country cannot be
accurately stated, owing to the lack of
systematic inspection. The disease has
been known from antiquity, both in man
and animal.
ITS SOLE CAUSE.
The sole and exciting cause of this
disease is germ called the bacillus tu-
berculOsis. 1t is a parasitic, micro
scopic, rod shaped plant which lives in
the animal body, has great vitality, re.
sists heat, cold, moisture, drought, de-
cay, and often the process of digestion.
tits killed by boiling, by long -contin-
ued heat at from 1909 TO 100, as we'll as
as by sunlight, air and certain chem
icals. Infection occurs Cd by breath
ing the germs; (2) by swallowing the
germs; (3) by their entrance through a
cut or wound. The three general
sources of infection are % the dust of
the dried spittle of consumptives or
other tuberculous matter, either
breathed or swallowed; (2) contact
with tuberculous material or people;
60 the meat and milk of tuberculous
animals.
ACCESSORY CAUSES.
The bacillus tuberculosis is the sole
cause of the disease, but there are con-
ditions so favorable to its development
that they are we'll termed accessory
causes, although strictly speaking they
are not causal. Among these condi-
tons are ~ hereditary predisposition
(2) unhealthy surroundings, poor ven
tilation, uncleanly, dark, damp, hot and
cold stabling, soiling system, lack of ex-
ercise, climatic influences; 90 faulty
feeding-under-fee overlooking,
feeding on unwholesome or indigestible
materials, over-production; (4) faulty
Notwithstanding, early, late and
frequent breeding, intensive breeding
lack of constitution; 20 ill-health, tenn
porary predisposition; (6) physical con
stitution.
SYMPTOMS.
The symptoms of bovine tuberculosis
are more obscure than those of the hu.
man disease, and often baffls detection
Any attempt TO describe them would
probably prove misleading rather thar
instructive.
LESSONS.
Wherever the germs locate in tn
body they irritate the tissue, form
ing round, nodular masses. Thes
newly-formed tubercles are usually sof
and red. In chronic cases they becom
cheesy, limy, and disintegrate and rul
together, forming yellowsh, Gaseous
pus.containing masses of various size
imbedded in the diseased organs. Tn
lungs, Innings of the chest and ABIDE
men, the Emphatic glands and the bow
els are most often diseased. Sometime