The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-07-19

SERVING TO crtdbO PSPN-
Everyone familiar with state OF local
sanitary affairs can recall numerous IN
stances of Just sdch occurrences. The
article further stated "B Walker Nc.
Keen. secretary of the State Board of
A griulture, became interested IN the case.
and If was decided to have Prof. WEIGH of
Johns Hopkins University inspect parts
Of tbe ANIMAL Mr.. McKeenshad nothing
whatever to do with the sending OF parts
# any tuberculous COW to Prof. WEIGH.
He did cause DIR. John +. Manning of
Ellsworth to procure and send to me
portions of the lung and udder of this
Blue Hill COW, and employed me to ex-
anime them. and in letter received from
him this evening he disavows in set terms
to having had any agency in the matter
further than his relations to DR.. Manning
and To me- His view of the case was, and
is. precisely that of DR.. Manning and my
self and others who know the intimate
facts.
Now as to my own connection with the
matter of examination. The impression
so generally prevails that the examina-
tions by DR.. WEIGH and myself were of
the same tissues that in justice to myself
and my own good faith in the matter, +
must crave little more space, and l have
refrained from saying anything before,
hoping that the actual language Of Prof.
WEIGH would appear as it did in your
issue of today Saturday.
l examined the specimens from the
COW, which were sent me, and reported
exactly as they were found. There was
not the slightest trace of tubercular
disease in udder or lung, and this coin
cided with the reports of both DIR. Man
ming and Dr. George HI. Bailey that there
was no evidence of any diseased con-
dition. I had no bias in the matter, ex
cept to believe in the value of the tuber-
culin test in the greater per cent of cases.
If I were to examine the same tissue
again should be obliged to arrive at ex-
actly the same conclusion, and the ex-
perience of several years in pathological
work must be allowed to enable me to
recognize normal tissue. reported upon
what had to examine Prof. WEIGH re-
ported exactly upon what he had to ex-
anime and the tissues given us were not
the same. Any such conditions as Prof.
WEIGH describes would not need a
1nicroscopical examination to indicate
its presence.
A tuberculous process which had ex-
tended beyond the limits of the glands in
+, the surrounding tissues and the Lungs,
would have presented unmistakable ap-
pearances to any one familiar with tuber.
cular disease, and been easily recognized
by the unaided eye.
DR.. Bailey and DR.. Manning are en-
phatic in stating no such condition was
present in the COW at Blue Hill. In
his letter of June 10, DR.. Manning
says the disease was said to have been
discovered in the udder. DR.. Bailey
states to me that the udder had been
wounded by wire nail; my examination
confirmed this, by finding scar tissue,
and it is significant that Prof WEIGH
makes no reference to any examination of
any udder the part first claimed to have
been the seat of the disease There are
some peculiar faAts also about the
management of the cow, as well as the
sick family. A suspected COW is killed,
the sickness of tho family from an acute
disease is used to confirm the
diagnosis of the cows disease. An autop-
sy on the cow itself is not thought of,
until the secretary of the Board of Cattle
Commissioners goes to the place some
three weeks later. Such methods do not
seem to reflect much lustre upon the
scientific practice of veterinary medicine
No discredit is, of course, to be cast up
on the report of the distinguished gentle
man at Baltimore, nor is any intended.
do insist, however, that if such tissue
as he describes had come to my hands,
any report different from me would imply
either gross stupidity or downright dis
honesty on my part, and have no inten-
ton of pleading to either.
CHAS. D. SMITH, M. D.
Portland, July II, 1897.