The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-07-27
TRANSMISSION OF BACILLI.
Agricultural Department Special
lists Dispute kecb's Contention.
They Have No Faith lin the Theory
That Tuberculosis ohnnot Be Com
municGted to Human beings
Through the Meats They Eat

that I tuberculosis cannot Be Com
municEted to Human beings
Through the Meats They Eat
Prof Eoch's latest contention. that
| bovine tuberculosis is not transrnJssibie 10
human beings, finds no approval among
the scientists of the Agricultural Depart
ment Scientists Of the Bureau of Ami
NAL Industry. whose whole system Of
( fighting the spread OF tuberculosis is bas-
ed upon the accepted. and TO them the
/ weIl-estabHshed. theory that the dread
disease is transmissible from cattle and
! other animals TO human beings. are just
now intensely interested in the subject.
Secretary Wilson used the following
strong language on the subject in his last
year book.
tuberculosis is the most prevalent and
the most destructive disease affecting
mankind and the domestic animals.
Among farm stock. cattle and swine are
most affected During the last twenty
years there appears to have
been great increase Of ami
mai tuberculosis in the prin-
cIpal countries OF Europe. and unfDTtu-
Uately. in those countries from which our
breeders desire to obtain animals for me
Improvement of their stock White this
disease exists in the United States. il IS
. limited IS TO territory. and even in JA=
worst infected districts there is a muCn
smaller proportion OF the cattle and Sw me
affected than is found III Eur JIean cUun-
tries
Modern Investigations show that tu-
beTCuicSis IS produced by a specific germ,
the bacillus tuberculosis. anu that this
disease CaTnOt develop until the bcsiy IS
invaded by this germ, which can only
Corte trora some diseased indy idTal, 'i-h-
ct nan or animal Being = strictly con-
tagIOUS q K aSe and arising only ~ con-
t9gion, i IS important for our stock IN
Tor n NJ no fsfTr- iFRTrI
pJTtJIICu CI diseased animals should &c
strictly enforced Until last ycar EeII-
anCe has been placed upon the ordinary
physical examination Of imp )rt2i cattle
while in tn quarantine stations.
Experience has shown however, that
this examination even by the most skill
fuI inspectors is not reliable Accordingly,
the tUbercuIin test has recently been
adopted, and It is hoped that with this
more accurate means Of diagnosis the
American farmer may be protected from
further imgOTtatiOnS Of this cOEtagIon.
As the loss Of a considerable proportion
Of high bred cattle after they have been
purchased and brought to this country
would be q severe burden TO importers. II
has been decided 20 station an inspector
in Great Britain to test and certify TO the
animals before shipment Similar ar
Tst8GumeutS have been made for testing
! Canadian cattle
Numerous restrictions have been placed
upon the interstate shipments OF breed
ing and dairy cattle by the individual
PRODUCTION OF diseased animals The
hardships and burdens thus put upon the
legitimate traffic IN healthy animals which
are carried in the channels OF Interstate
commerce leads to me suggestion tina {
uniform regulations under Federal au-
thOriJy may save our shippers much an
nOyanCe and loss, and at the same time
furnish protection from disease The au-
thorities Of several States have requested
this department to take action which
would prevent the interstate shipment of
44z. lie. rflT
existing law authorizes the measures re-
quiTed for efficient control. and anything
short Of this would prove an additional
| burden without bringing the desired re-
lief"
So well established had become the the
! DRY OF the trausnfSSiblnty Of bovine tu-
/ bercUloSis that Congress as long ago as
1894 passed an act prohibiting the impOT-
tatiou OF cattle and cattle hides, but a
year later. in an appropriation bill for the
department of Agriculture, II was pro-
Vlued thai the prohibition might be SUS-
pended by the President whenever the
Secretary of Agriculture zIfoutd certify
TO the President, what countries or parts
OF countries were free from bovine tuber-
Cuiosis- In November 1895. President
Cleveland accordingly lifted the embargo
with reference to Norway and Sweden.
/ Holland, Great Britain. Ireland the
I Channel Islands. and The countries OF
! North, Central, and South America. so as
10 admit Cattle and cattle hides under
sanitary regulations prescribed BY the
Secretary of Agriculture
It Is under this p8rti2: suspension Cf
the stringent law of 1873 that foreign cat
tie are now admitted 70 the United states.
bat every animal that IS imported is sub
jeCted to the test for tuberculosis pre-
scribed by the Secretary Of Agriculture
before II Is permitted 70 he turned over
Ia its owner The test consists in the in
lection Of tubercuiin. a substance extract
cd from the active germ Of the disease.
but which does not contain TIE quality Of
/ infection It is explained that tubercuIin.
H u lns-Ha HH...e~ tod TH4H
with tuberculosis. produces a considerable
si~e Of temperature. and when injected in
to an animal that is free from the-diseas Sc
no effect is Pre- dsICed When the test
owner has the privilege of returning the
diseased animal to the country from
which It was brought; Failing to do this.
the animal Is Killed by authority Of the
/ Agricultural Department and the owner is
! partly Unidentified.
The public is further protected from the
dangers eff bovine tuberculosis by the Ag-
ricuituraI Department through a careful
/ system Of inspection maintained at all
( beef-SlauShtertng establishments which
I do an Interstate OF export business AT
( each of these establishments the feDart-
ment keeps constantly on guard a force
I of experts whose duty Il Is closely TO OK
anime every carcass to see that no tu-
berculGSlS meat finds its way into the
/ markets. The presence Of the disease
{ very easily IS determined by the trained
eyes of these experts. The most common
sions- All carcasses exhibiting any sus-
piCiOuS signs are Immediately condemned
and destroyed Scores of carCasSeS have
/ been condemned in n day in various pack
/ ing establishments throughout the coun-
I try In all such cases the entire loss fails
upon the packers
II is pointed out by officials Of the Bu-
reau Of Animal Industry that the work
/ Of detecting the disease in animals de
I signed for market and the consequent
prevention in large measure OF the trans
mission Of bovine tuberculosis TO human
%, 4UCS. would be greatly advanced if the
{ States couid be induced TO adopt a more
thorough and uniform system OF eSDioD-
age. in the very nature Of things the
Federal Government cannot do K ali
While most OF the states have legis-
lated. in a general way on the subject
still the laws in May cases are loosely
the South. where the disease - most Il
able to be cu-cndered. there has been nc
+ legislation at 81 Pennsylvania seems To
/ have the most rigid law, and appears q
that state 70 tha Agricultural Depart
mert show that iU the last four years
cattle infected with tuberculosis have been
condemned to the value of $lf9.GHe or near
/ ports on this phase or the subject from
no other State Tt is known, however,
7 that In one essential particular California
maintains the safest and most practical
/ system a. E4feguards against the disease
( In that E-a there are county inspectors,
I whose o-. r il IS TT pass upon the health
/ fulnesz of very animal offered for sale
+ The States and Territories which have
: no avs relating to bovine tuberculosis
are Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho
( Louisiana Mississippi. Oklahoma and
! South Carolina All the other States and
Territories have statutes that deal either
specifically with the subject. OF that in
I Ciude the disease with other animal con-
bfs