The herald., 1897-08-26
TUBERCULOSIS IN CATTLE
Summary of Address Read at Farmers
Institutes, by A. ]. Cook


Tuberculosis is the modern name for
what our fathers knew as consumption.
This last, in view of the almost hopeless
fatality that in many places attends the
malady, and the often rapid wasting of
the body when this fell disease fastened
its terrible grip upon it, is most appro-
pirate name, as are most names that
spring spontaneously from the people
The rapid taking off, which is the out
come of this dread foe, gives the still
more suggestive name-Quick consump-
tion. Tuberculosis-the more modern
name-is quite as apt as is that of con-
sumption. 1t arises from the peculiar
effect of the disease upon the tissues,
specially affected, rather than upon the
general wasting effect on the whole
body. Whenever an organ is attacked,
it becomes overspread or possessed with
teat-like projections, which are not un-
like boils or carbuncles in appearance.
These nipple-shaped tubercles make the
name tuberculosis suggestive of the aw-
full ravages of this dread scourse.
NATURE OF THE DISEASE
AS everyone knows, this is a microbe
malady and results from the attack on
the lungs, glands or other tissues or the
body by the simplest plants known as
bacteria or microbes. These minute veg
etables-so small that a high-power mi
croscope is required to see them at all
fasten upon the tissue, absorb from its
strength and substance and in many
cases develop poisonous elements which
may be and often are more ruinous to
health and fatal to life than even the di-
rect effect of the attack. Not all mi
crobes are our enemies; many are our
excellent friends. The microbe which
infests the roots of leguminous plants
and often festoons them with tubercies
(might we not call this leguminous tu-
berculosis?) filches from the air the free
nitrogen which is so wary and hard to
trap and combines it into available
forms to become our most valuable plant
food Other bacteria are Indispensable
in the ripening of cream and developing
of fiavors in cheese, while the microbe of
putrefaction, bacterium termo prevents
the world from becoming hopelessly
clogged with the dead waste from life
less plants and animals.
In tuberculosis the very minute mi
crobe is easily told because it colors 50
readily when treated With stains. In
case the disease attacks any mucous It's
sue, some of the innumerable germs will
be in the sputum or other mucous dis
charges and can be readily, quickly ana
certainly discovered and recognized by
the bacteriologist. Thus the cause, ma
ture and presence of the disease in such
cases is established beyond any ques-
ton of doubt
LOCALITY AND APPEARANCE
Many suppose that tuberculosis at
tacks only the lungs. This is far from
true. 1t may attack almost any part of
the body. The stomach, intestines liver
spleen. glands, reproductive organs and
even the bones are frequently regions
Of attack. Potts disease, where the ver-
tebrae, especially of the back, are the
source of affection, is only tuberculosis
of the bones. l have suffered terribly
by the inroads of this awful scourge to
very valuable herd of pure bred cat
tle The first COW that succumbed to the
infection died of tuberculosis of the
joints. Here the dread tell-tales-the
tubercles-were largely confined to
the synovial membrane-the smooth,
glistening membrane that covers the
bones at all the joints. Another COW, like
the last, showed no lesion of the lungs at
all, and outwardly no sign at all of the
disease except that one eye was trans
formed into great, angry, infiamed
tumor, which lost all semblance to an
eye, but discharged constantly through
a central perfora ton. This COW, like the
other suffered a decline though hers
was much more rapid than that of the
oh. x-,I ftrI, Clnc
almost everywhere. The diaphragm
above and below would rival Job a his
best, for angry boils crowded each other
to gain a foothold. The liver, the spleen,
the peritoneum membrane lining, the
abdomen, the ovaries and milk glands,
were all alike mass of tubercular de-
posit. 1t seemed no wonder that the
poor COW was rapidly sinking away.
The wonder was that she could exist
at all.
The tubercles are the sure index of the
disease, and as just explained, they may
appear almost everywhere. These con-
ical excrescences are not only peculiar in
form as indicated by their name, but al q
also characterized by their substance.
Their contents-the tuberculous depos-
its-are dry and mealy, much like crum-
bly, cheese or fresh, dry curd.
INDICATIONS
There are several signs that may well
make one apprehensive that the dread
: disease has come. A cough, coupled
with decline in condition. though the
latter does not always attend the truly
tuberculous cough, indicates tubercu-
lar attack of the lungs. Lameness or af-
fection of the joints indicates that these
are the seat of tuberculous attack. Tu-
mors, which upon examination prove 10
be one mass Of tubercular deposits, espe-
cially if we have reason to suspect the
disease, are unwelcome and suspicious
hints that the grim enemy is al hand.
II the tumors are attended with an en-
feebled condition then they are all the
more disquieting.
WHAT ARE SUSCEPTIBLE
Ourselves and cattle are among the.
most liable to attack of the forms in
which we are practically interested.
though monkeys and some others of the
lower animals are often victimized tits
interesting and significant that cats and
dogs are not readily overcome by tuber-
culosis. ] have in my class and labora-
tory work killed hundreds of cats and
never found but two that showed signs
of this disease. These were mother and
kitten The fret wa criyar, r,,e baao,,ea