The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-02-05
ON TUBERCULlN.
There Is Great Doubt as to Eff
cheney of Test.

cheney or est.
Not much has been heard of late re-
garding the tuberculin test adopted by
the Board of Health and put into oper-
alton in the diaries here by DR.. Shaw,
assisted by DR.. Monsarrat. It is be-
lieyed by many to be an unfallable
test but there are others in Honolulu
who believe just the opposite and
think they have some reason for the
ground taken, since they are upheld
by authorities in the States In the
Western Creamery for January, may
be found the following:
''The result of the free handed use
of tuberculin in California, where the
inspectors have no opposition, demon
strates that the tuberculin test is worse
| than useless AS stated in the last
issue, the evidence in the Alameda
| tet case was all against the eliability
of tuberculin and it was there shown
| that in herds which have been tested,
many cows in an advanced stage of
| tuberculosis were given a certificate
of health. Others were found TO be
without disease after condemnation
| and slaughter.
ct is now proven by the testimony
of A. H. Spencer, the veterinarian
who has led in the radical destruction
of dairy COWS, that the animals which
may be a source of danger, are allow
ed to remain in the inspected dairies.
The dozen veterinarians who have
| banded together as the California
State Veterinary Medical Association,
met at the office of Drs. Pierce and
Archibald, in Oakland, recently. DR..
| Spencer, the inspector from Santa
Clara county, read an essay in which
the following admissions were made:
GA COW that is in the last stages
of tuberculosis does not show any re-
action at all from the tuberculin test
On the other hand, to show the differ
ent way the test acts, | once had a
bright, thrifty heifer which | inoculat-
ed every four weeks for five months
and the reaction from the test was
greater every time. At the end OF
that time l killed her and found that
she only had one small gland affected
Again, l had another animal, al
older and less fine looking COW. Ev
cry time I inoculated her, the reaction
grew less, but when the animal wa:
killed, her liver, which if norma
should have weighed thirteen pounds
tipped the scales at over forty pounds
am inclined to think those animal!
which show the highest reaction Of
temperature are those which at the
same time have the least amount O
disease"
} There is no question but that tn,
herds which have been tested, in thi
vicinity, and given certificates O
health have the most advanced case
of tuberculosis in them and are tn
most dangerous to the public.
''The Alameda test case referred t.
in the above article is well known t.
the dairymen of this city who hav
taken a great interest in the variou
findings regarding the tuberculin ties
since the slaughter of a number o
their cows and bulls a short time ago
In the suit of the People vs. A. Con
salves, forced by the association, t.
test the validity of the milk ordinanc
of the city of Alameda, the evidenc
was almost entirely against the reli
ability of the tuberculin test. Thi
showed that three cows of the defend
ant were tested by the Oakland in
spectors and that a certificate of goo,
health was furnished, but that tn,
same COWS were tested two and a hal
months after, by the Alameda fnspec
tors, who reported two of them tuber
culous to the Board of Health. whicl
thereupon revoked Gonsalves' permit
and when he continued to sell milk
arrested and threw him into Jail On
of the cows was killed by the associa
ton and found to be free from tn
disease