The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-09-28
CATTLE IN GOOD SHAPE
INSPECTORS REPORT COMPARE
lively FEW CASES OF TUBER-
CULosIs IN THE CITY
HOW THE TESTING IS DONE
FUberculin LIS an Unerring Medium
for Detecting Disease, and Some
times Owners Gives Inspect
Ors Much Trouble.
HOW THE TESTING IS DONE

/ Inspectors Kirby and Pomroy, of the
city health department., are preparing a
report on the results of last years work
| among the milk cattle in this vicinity
which supply the city Tuberculosis, the
| dread disease which is the principal OBJ
ject of their investiga lions is much less
prevalent than was expected During the
year ending, Sept. 1, 4,533 cows. prac,
tically all the milk supply of the city
were examined and PSI of these were
found affected. To date 234 have been
killed and the others are in quarantine
awaiting the second test which the law
allows to the dairymen.
Among the reputable dairymen of the
city there is 10 Interference with the
work of the inspectors, but among a
small minority the inspectors are having
hard time. The tuberculin must be in
iected at night and as the inspection often
results in the condemnation of the cattfe,
especially among the more ignorant, Who
Go not properly care for their stock. the
coming of the inspector and all the
''troublei which he may incur is looked
for with dread. Apparently beth inSpes-
tcrs are in constant danger Of their Ives
as they are daily met with pitchforks and
axes and their lives threatened if they
should declare any of the owners cattle
afflicted with tuberculosis. However,
they keep right along with their wok and
Fortunately they are still alive.
This is the first year of the INSPECTION
in St Paul. ard of course the results viii
not compare favorabiy with those of
Minneapolis where the work of wedding
out the diseased COWS has been going on
for three years until the percentage this
year was only three -one-hundredths.
Many of the n2iiknlen of the city in rast
years have been paying private indi-
viduals to examine their COWS and of
course, in those cases inspection is little
more than a fermalitv.
The methods Of the Inspectors arc very
interesting While it has been stated
that the injections are made at night,
that is not necessarily. so. but it is more
convenient then, as the several times ct
which the temperatures are taken will
fall in the daytime
On the first day of the test the IN
spector calls and takes the normal tenn
perature OF the animal to be tested
and along in the evening he calls and
iniects the tubercultne. He puts q little
syringe into the fleshy part of the Shout
der. gives a little push and the opera
ton which tells such an Acknowledgements
full story of the conditions within the
animal is completed.
Next morning he calls at O'clock. at
-, at and right along until he is sure
that there can be no change in tenn
pera ture. Then If the average tempera-
ture is from 101 to 101.5 the animal is
passed. However, if the temperature
shows a tendency to approach 1929 de-
grees, which is considered as the limit
to which the temperature of healthy cat,
tie will rise the Investigations must be
continued until there is no possibility
Of its passing the limit mark.
If the temperature takes a sudden
Jump and goes high at first. no atten-
ton is given to the fact, as it may be
simply something peculiar to that ami
NAL, but If 1T increases steadily and
passes the 1925 mark the COW is con-
| demned. After that the owner, if he SO
wishes, may let the cow live and later
demand another test, but meantime he
! is prohibited from selling any milk in
the city. With no improvement in the
course of three months the animal must
be killed.
Away back in some statute book IS a
law making the state liable In case that
it Is proven that the condemnation was
a mistake. but as far as known there
has never been chance to test the law,
as the little mite of tuberculin will ind
the seat of trouble If it be only little
clot in a blood vessel.
One case was found in this city not
long ago where out of a herd of sixteen
cows fifteen responded to the tuber-
culine and were ordered killed. The
owner, his wife and daughter were all
consumptiyes, and there they were living
with the diseased cattle, perfect hive
of consumptive germs.
That is the kind of a case where the
owner usually puts in a great howl be-
cause he must lose the price of few
cattle
Sometimes. when the disease is detect
ed at an early stage, it is possible to
save the meat for use, but when 1t is
toe late the loss on the carcass is COM
plete.
The great trouble the department meets
in its labors is the apparent indifference
to the danger. when. in fact, it is only
ignorance as to its immensely and the
facility with which 1t can be rooted out
The disease which affects man and
| that which affects the beast is one and