Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1901-12-26
The Smith cattIe lest.

/ MR.. EDTTOR:-ln your issue OF Dec.
/ 18th, there appeared an article entitled,
Tuberculosis Again" This article would
I bear explanation, to give the Board OF
Z Agriculture and its officials justice.
The herd of X. A. Smith was tested as
other herds have been all over the state,
and hundreds Of farmers can testify 70 the
I infallibility OF the tuberculin test when
applied with judicious care.
fst The afternoon that Mr.. Smiths
herd was injected they had been driven
through a new passage way leading to the
barn cellar and were said to be excited,
which they did not show, as their normal
temperatures registered much lower than
many herds that have been standing in
the stable all the afternoon.
I'd. When / injected the cows with
tuberoulin, / was not aware that any
animal in the herd had been recently
tested with tuberculin, and therefore was
not prepared to make retest. The cattle
commission do not recommend retest
sooner than from four TO six months. A
retest made sooner than this is not reli-
able, and this is based on practical exper-
fence. Some animals may respond to
retest in a week or two, in from twelve to
seventeen hours from the time of injection,
while on the other hand they might not
give a rise in temperature until twenty or
thirty hours after injection, and then 1t
might be misleading, and sometimes no
rise in temperature at all, even II they had
responded to the first test made at some
recent date.
Sd. The COW referred to, I was after
ward informed, had been tested eight or
ten days previous to my test and at this
time she responded to the test. This
cows temperature did not register as high
from the eleventh to the seventeenth hours
as some of the other cows that were pro-
nounced all right, but she exhibited some
physical signs OF being affected by the
tuberculin that an animal free from tuber-
culosis never shows. This was noted and
explained to Mr.. Bell when the animals
were appraised and before he left Mr..
Smiths the COW was again spoken Of and
he said it was not ruleable to slaughter
COW on such temperatures but, II ! deemed
il best, TO do so. At this time Mr.. Bell
was not aware that this COW had recently
been tested.
Mr.. Smith and DIR. Gay had this COW
brought out and slaughtered, 50 | did not
have a chance to order this COW brought
10 the field, any more than / had about
giving orders about one Of the cows that |
condemned which had been led off and
slaughtered at the butchers slaughter
house several days before the appointed
time for the slaughter of these animals. |
did not examine this animal, but they said
she did not show any signs OF tuber-
In regard to what the post norton re-
vealed, there were six pronounced
cases OF tuberculosis, all of which had ABB
scesses to greater or less extent. -Four
cases were light, but showed well defined
tubercular LESSONS, and one OF these
showed unmistakable signs Of LESSONS in
the udder.
II has often been said that talk is cheap
some of il honest-some OF it anything but
honest-much more coming from a desire,
apparently, to be seen and heard Of men,
than from honesty of purpose
GEO. STEPHENS, ID. V. $.
White River Junction, Dec. %.
As to the COW in question, the HERALD
is satisfied, from special inquiry made,
that Dr.Stephens is correct in his statement
that animals tested do not react on a sub
sequent retest, il made within a short
time, as they would on a first test, and the
result might be deceptive to one not in
formed. As to the particular facts sur
rounding this case, entirely different YER
sions are given. 1t is clear, however, that
after full knowledge Of the first test, by
DR.. Gay, the Board, or its veterinary, or
both, decided TO leave the COW, and she
would not have been killed il il had rested
with them. 1t will be noted that DIR.
Stephens makes no defence Of his practice
of using the same hypodermic syringe for
testing an entire herd without cleaning it.