The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-04-11

pho iVbOWihS 10 SOhuOuoOu.
Charles M. Pratt, son of Charles
Pratt the founder of Pratt Institute, in
Brooklyn, has just had $4,000 worth Of
the finest Jerseys on Long Island killed
because they had tuberculosis. He did
it because these cattle all responded
to the Koch test for tuberculosis, as ad.
ministered by Professor Frank A. Rich,
state veterinarian of Vermont.
AT Professor Rich's suggestion, Mr..
Pratt also isolated number of the
herd, including two of the worst cases
of tuberculosis as revealed by the test,
for future experiments by the professor
and any others who are invited by him
to assist. Healthy cattle will first be
exposed 10 contagion from the diseased
cattle, in order to learn whether the
lymph is sure preventive of tubercu-
losis. Then cattle in various stages of
the disease will be treated with the
lymph to see whether tuberculosis in
cattle is durable, and, if so, in what
stages of the disease cures may be
made. All the expenses of these ex-
periments will fall upon Mr. Pratt.
The scene of these experiments is
Dosoris Park, at Glen Cove, l.. |. The
park is a part of the Pratt estate. 1t
contains 700 acres. The barn, stables,
and carriage house are all connected by
transverse structure, which meas
ures 250 feet from one end to the other,
and beyond the barn are 100 feet more
of covered sheds for the cattle. The
barn has always been a model of neat
ness, with its four sections, each capa-
BILE of stalling ten cows, facing central
aisle, with doors at each end and on
each side. The floor is of cement and
the walls of yellow pine.
The cattle of the Pratt estate num-
bered thirty nine up to last week. Fiji
teen of then were raised on the place,
and the rest were selected by personal
friend of Mr.. Pratt's who is Judge of
fancy cattle. This friend was assisted
ia the selection by an employee who was
brought up as practical herdsman.
Mr.. Pratt began in 1892 to collect choice
cattle. He purchased a certain strain
ofJerseys exclusively. AS fast as prac-
ticable he sold or slaughtered the cat
tie in his herd that were not 80 valu-
able. Among the Jerseys purchased
two years ago was one which soon be-
came sick. A veterinarian prescribed
for it, but it grew no better, and so fear
full was Mr.. Pratt of pleuro-pneumon
which was prevalent at that time, that
he ordered it killed. is remembered
now, although it was not regarded as
significant at the time, that the lungs
had little ulcers in them. These were
not sign of pneumonia, but of tuber-
culosis.
A few months ago one of the cattle
became little lame, and was set apart
in box stall. The veterinary physi-
clan thought she had rheumatism.
Her appetite was good, but she grew
thin, and, two weeks ago, d. NJ Nun
ger, superintendent of the estate, with
the veterinarian, sounded her lungs and
discovered that something was wrong.
She was killed and tubercles were
found in large quantity in her lungs
rms discovery was reported to Mr..
Pratt, who had just learned of the ex-
periments of Professor Rich with the
cattle OF A. r. Darling at his country
place in Vermont. Mr.. Pratt at once
made arrangements with the professor
to test all his cattle. DR.. Rich pro-
ceeded to number each animal, writing
the number over its stall. At five P.
NJ. he took the temperatures of all the
cattle, all being normal except No. 5, a
beautiful heifer, the temperature of
which at that time was 1902 4-5o. The
Koch test consists in injecting into the
shoulder of each animal a few drops of
Koch's tuberculine. If the tempera.
ture of the animal rises during the
next twelve hours more than 80 it is
certain that it has tuberculosis. The
injections were duly made the same
evening at half past eight o'clock.
NO. 5's temperature rose to 1869 the
next day, but as this was less than the
y this heifer's life was spared. She
will be one of the cattle on which DR..
Rich will begin experimenting with the
lymph. No. 6 was also a heifer only
six or seven months old, perfect
beauty.
The result of the experiment was the
condemnation of sixteen cattle to death,
three being reserved for experiment.
and three being held for future tests.
In DR.. Rich's opinion the whole twenty
TWO were Enthusiastically victims of tn.
berculosis, aud he would give certifi-
cate of good health for only seventeen
OF Inc cattle. The next day, Thursday,
was spent in consultations as to what
ought to be done. Mr.. Pratt had his
friend, Colonel r. j. Kimball, who is an
owner of cattle, go out to the farm and
see whether such severe measures were
necessary. The result of this confer
ence was this agreement: the doctor
was permitted to kill any COW he chose
and dissect it Immediately. If the COW
chosen showed the presence of tuber-
culosis, another COW could be killed,
and so on until he should cut open a
COW that had no tubercles. The doctor
agreed to this, and preparations were
made for the slaughter to take place on
Friday.
DR.. Dickerson and DIR. David Doty,
another veterinary surgeon, hailing
from Woodbury., were ON hand Friday
morning, and by noon DR.. f. A.
Wright, health officer of Glen Cove,
and DR.. Zabriskie of the same place ar
rived A large number of residents of
the locality, including several Long
Island farmers, also gathered, having
heard what was going on.
DR.. Wright was skeptical of the new