The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-11-04
Consumption Conveyed.


A striking article in the current number
Of the Nineteenth Century discusses the
conditions under which tuberculosis or
consumption may be conveyed from cattle
10 man. The writer, Mr.. James Long,
who is an authority upon the subject, does
not hesitate to express the opinion that,
in the United Kingdom, more lives an
nualy are lost through drinking tubercu-
lous milk than would be sacrificed in war
with a first-class power.
1t is an undisputed fact that the cattie
disease. the technical name of which IS
tuberculosis, is identical with consumption
in man. The malady Is caused by the Or
ganism known IS koch's bacillus, and IS
communicate bic through the medium of this
organism from animal 10 animal ana from
animal TO man. When the bacilt esta 5lisa
themselves in the body OF q cow or OF a
human being the formation OF nodular
groW7ths or tubercles follows 1t IS COM
puted by the leading veterinarians of Eng
land that ~ per cent Of the cattle in their
country are affected with the disease, a
much higher proportion being shown by
milking cows which are housed in thickly
populated places
II used TO be supposed, however, that
Koch's bacillus was present only in milk
drawn from an infected udder, and, conse-
Quently, that there was no actual danger
to the consumer Of the milk Of a cow af
fected with the malady in any other part
Of the body. Mr.. Long, however, asserts
that there may be tubercle in an apparent
ly healthy udder. One of the experiments
upon which this assertion is based was
made in the United States by Professor
Ernst, who selected thirty-s-x cows for ex-
animation. There was no perceptiOle dis
ease of the udder in any one case, yet in
The milk of twelve the Tubercle bacillus
was discovered. Professor Theobald Smith
of the United States department of agri-
culture has expressed the opinion that milk
is free from tubercle baciln in the earlier
stages of the disease il the udder is healthy
but he adds that in more advanced stages,
even though the udder be normal, the milk
may contain the germ. We scarcely need
point out that if tuberculous milk is min
gied with milk free from the tubercle, the
bacilh are propagated with great rapidity,
and the whole fluid soon becomes infected.
Now. large proportion, practically the
whole, of the milk retailed in our great
cities is the milk OF many cattle, some
times of many herds. 1t follows that all
the milk of one retailer may sometimes be
body, may consume a fluid containing the
dreaded seed of consumption, the tubercle
bacillus.
1t appears that in 1895 the Royal Commits
sion on tuberculosis, which has been re-
appointed by the present government, is
sued a report to the following effect: First,
consumption in man is probably acquired
from animal food in an appreciate de
gree; secondly, milk containing tubercu
lous matter is responsible TO a larger ex
tent than is the meat of tuberculous an
imal formal for this appearance of tuber-
culos.s in man; thirdly, the tuoercle bac-
ILL are extremely active in the case of ami
mails or human beings fed upon milk in
which they are present; finally, inasmuch
as the consumption of unboiled or unster-
ilized milk IS attended with risk, the COM
mission recommended that all milk should
be boiled, especially where II is consumed
in large quantities. That is a precaution
which the individual consumer of milk
may take on his own account. OF course,
1t behooves the community on its part to
provide for the systematic inspection of
cattle, and for the slaughter of all animals
shown TO be infected with the disease
New York Sun.