The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1902-01-24

chronic diarrhoea, rapid or labored
breathing, coughing after vigorous ex-
ercise. If two or more of the above
symptoms are discovered in any ami
NAL, the owner should either have his
herd examined by a veterinarian or re-
port the case to the commissioner.
THE TUBERCULIN TESTS.
The use of the tuberculin test to dag
nose tuberculosis is not resorted to by
the Commissioner as Section 2, Chap
ter 100 Of the Public Acts of 1897 says:
.'No animal shall be quarantined that
does not give evidence of disease by
competent physical examination, :"
but as farmers are frequently using
the test throughout the state when
buying or selling cattle or in efforts to
stamp the disease out Of their herds
when once established, a few words rel
alive to the test and word of caution
concerning it's use may not be out of
place here.
The tuberculin test when applied by
a very careful expert is the only safe
duO pldCU1CdllJ quiz way aUO uooN
incipient bovine tuberculosis. The
claim which has been made that tub
erculin injected into cattle sometimes
causes tuberculosis does not seem to
have the approval of any scientist or
practical dairymen who is familiar
with the test. 1t must be concede d
however, that tuberculin is capable of
doing Invaluable damage in herd if
improperly administered, or if the
temperatures are inaccuratelv rcao;, or
| if the herd is subjected to but single
test.
The philosophy Of the test is very
simple. The tuberculin is injected in
to the circulation of the bovine and at.
ter certain length of time, if tubercu-
losis is present in the animals system
the tuberculin will excite the disease
into activity, thereby creating more
or less fever and consequent rise OF
temperature, which is determined by
the clinical thermometer in the hands
of the veterinarian.
| If through an error in reading the
temperature, or if the germs have beer
so recently taken into the animals
system that the disease is not sufficient
ly developed to produce fever enough
to cause rise Of temperature that
would warrant the veterinarian in con
demning the animal, and if the ami
NAL is allowed to remain in the hero
indefinitely, the mischief has beer
done. The disease possibly in it's yer,
earliest stages or perhaps in an encyst
ed and dormant condition has beer
started into activity and will unde
favorable conditions continue it's raw
ages on the animals system until i
becomes menace to it's fOckmates ant
a source of danger in the community
If in testing herd of COWS singl,
animal responds and the autopsy veri
ies' the diagnosis, it would most Ger
tainly be necessary to have the her,
retested after the lapse of severa
months to warrant any assurance tina
every animal in the herd was free from
the disease. The tuberculin ties
should always be accompanied by
thorough physical examination by
skillful veterinarian.
. The tuberculin test occasionally fail
to cause reaction in an animal suffer
ing with generalized tuberculosis il
the advanced stage of the disease. Tn
reason for this is that there is so muc
toxine or poison present in the AM
. malls system that the small amount Q
, tuberculn that is injected fails to Gre
ate sufficient fever to cause the neces
, sary rise in temperature to be read b
, the veterinarian.