St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1898-06-15
tuberculosis.

4
Until within 25 years many farmers
bent their cows out OF doors from MORN
ing until night, thus producing great
waste to the system. took every op-
nortunitv to tell them that it cost very
much more to keep up their cows flesh,
and that they certainly could not give as
much milk. used as an illustration,
"lfwe kept our doors open it would cost
Us great deal more for fuel, so it was
with cows that had to use great part
oftheir food to keep their bodies warm,
and consequently could not give so much
milk" About this time agricultural
papers began the cry, Keep your cows
warm Many Of us, without thinking
what the effect would be, went in with a
vengeance. 1t was not long before some
ofthe COWS began to show signs of dis.
ease notably those that came from Am
berst College barn. The winter of 1880
and 1881 | had a consumptive man in
my barn taking care of my cows. He
liked warm quarters and kept the cows
snug and warm. Before spring noticed
two of my cows began to cough and not
eat as heartily as they should. l stopped
selling their milk and gave it to some
calves l was raising. When warm
weather came | killed the cows and
found they had tuberculosis. The calves
however, never had the disease. About
this time convention Of physicians met
in Paris to discuss this very question in
which had become so much interested.
It was their unanimous opinion that
tuberculosis was the same as consump-
ton in the human family. well knew
that | always gave my consumptive
patients all the fresh air possible. If the
human family needed fresh air, how much
more the cow, who would naturally con-
sumo many times as much, il she was to
/ be kept in a healthy condition. From
that time until today, when home, go
/ to the barn one or two hours after my
men leave and look after the ventilation.
Ny motto now was, "Give the co Tvs
fresh air in abundance, regardless of tenn
prature." | was fearful that more OF
/ my cows would have tuberculosis, if the
same condition existed. also noted
4 that these two cows were great mixers,
/ and probably were somewhat run down.
and therefore were predisposed to take
. disease. This was before the germ
/ theory was advanced. Now they say it
is contagious, and when you get one
into herd, Others will take it.. Let us
See il it is so. These two cows stood in
different parts of my stable, yet not one
Oimy other cows had the disease, and to
prove that it is not contagious, l will
cite a few typical cases to show why the
cows took the disease. will begin with
the Amherst College barn. The cows
there had but little air space, the bulls
even less, as they were boxed in. This
stable was in basement with ventila-
ton only on two sides land high build
lngs were on one of these), and was over
amanure cellar which had no ventilation
whatever. have been in the barn when
II was hard work for me to breath, the
air was so offensive. For several springs
they found they had tuberculosis, and
killed all the diseased animals. In summer
The cows seemed well, but each winter
new cases, and more of them, were de.
vsloped, until finally all their stock was
Killed, and the old barn. however, was
lett guiltless until some fresh.air crank
came along and set it on fire. This took
away the cause of the disease, and ended
'ne breeding place of so much tuberculo'
ss' Thus this crank saved the farmers
and the state thousands of dollars. dc
not believe any ofthese cows would have
mad the disease had they been kept II
hght airy barns.
over half century ago / knew q
Young woman who had buried father
mother, her only sister, two brothers, ar
1%n1y uncle and all of her aunts but one
Inns aunt had tuberculosis over forty
years and was the mother ofsix children
Voneborn after she had marked symptoms
wsonsumption). All but one are aliv,
t quay One of the daughters slept will
Wv. .as mother for twenty years, and is wei
quay, In winter this mother was moi
" 40 we'll but as soon as warm weather
ta, she would get into her chaise ant
. "a fresh air, sometimes travelling as far
a. the Green Mountains. She lived to b.
t eighty years old Though an invalit
w., ~, over forty years.. The family Away:
s ,UoA good care to have fresh air. 1fcon
SUMPTION is contagious, why did not al
. sus iamily have it? But not one has
wer mad symptom Of it. This young
w wTman before spoken of, had a chile
S %aNn she nursed for some months. Sh'
snr died within one year with con
SIanptlon. The husband and child arr
OOth alive today.
wn. lew years ago a very small, delicat,
S hU,a,an, seamstress, had the grip, ant
SSvsvelo,ped tuberculosis. As she hat
w uSt,ed her mother and other relatives
ba 'in consumption her case looked
GS o, put an aunt with whom sh'
n M.u had lost one-third of her left lunt
ofty years before, and knew the valu'
o ,aesh air; so the seamstress was takei
s vus OF doors as soon as possible and in
b er ,. to keep crowding the air int
a an, lungs. She soon began to improve
en ua though very small woman at tn
m mu VI one year she had increased tn
iSdhsurement of her chest three inches.
to n s, ten years ago I bought GOV
st. iaekle cali. She came out OF bat
riSh u.e and thought lid not look quit
w Su', put the owner said she did not d,
uo Nm when she came in. but was all RICH
looMS.. She did not improve much il
''oks, and when urasa came 7 out he