Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-02-13
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.

NV" JUL IV' III
-
Dr: Nrouo WrNos With Re ference to
Dhiareh0 Ausnorltles on TUBERCULOSIS.
TO tho Editor of the Free press.
,,,.
iiaEe JUST Deen reading an article in the
rec IresS from correspondent who
~ u , ''e reiiapllity, or as he,
vi liners nave termed IL, the infallibilty
~. ne ,upe.ounh test. NO one claims
'n ~ ~ 10 Iiiaiiipie' that cannot be claimed
VI any 'hihs III winch humanity Is involV-
GU,
mat 1. ID renaDie, In every sense OF the
"oiu' mas peen demonstrated thousands
VI 'inieS' anu no one VINO mas any positive
hho"ieuse OF the subject, has ever denied
H..
mat IL Is reliaDle, practicable and In fact
indispensable can be proven by the opin-
IONS Oh those who have had sufficient
sciehtlHc training to interpret the signii-
canoe OF what they have observed.
mere are In the United States fifty-two
No| agricultural Experiment Stations. for
whose ESTABLISHMENT, equipment and main
tenance, the national government has
maze liberal appropriations. The STAFF of
all OF these stations Is composed of thor
oughly competent. scientific men. Each,
an expert in the branch which he repre-
sents. Inc different branches embrace
every subject that pertains, either direct
~ or indirectly TO be science OF agriculture.
the work OF these stations has rescued
the study and teaching Of agriculture and
all or It's collateral subjects from the hands
OF mountebanks and placed it upon a
sound. logical, scientific basis.
l-lle Is TOO snort, and the average farm
er finances too limited, even II he had
inc mental equipment ana sclenuhc tram
ING 10 enable MIN TO personally solve the
tnouSano and enc problems pertaining 10
ms protesslon,--for the pursuit OF scieht-
nc agriculture Is profession, second to no
other,-that present themselves.
nave no desire to appear egotistical
but to show some of the reasons for the
falth have, allow me to say: That FOR
several years nave received more or less
bulletins issued by the various Experime mt
Stations, reports and bulletins and the
Experiment station record published by
the United States department OF Agricul-
ture and publications OF the Bureau of
Animal Industry, and what is more, have
received every bulletin and report issued
oy our vermont Experiment stations, and
nave read most OF tnem. HOW many 1arm-
ers can make like claim.
Nearly, II not every station has taken up
the study OF bovine tuberculosis, and as a
rule, have probed the subject to the bot
tom, ana all nave arrived at the same con-
illusions. And Mr.. Editor. If you will al
low NE space l Will make few brief ex-
tracts from Bulletin 66, just issued by the
Experiment Station OF Colorado. as an ex-
ponent, as far as l can remember, of the
reports or all the other stations upon this
subject
The recent test of the College herd with
tuberculin and the consequent discovery of
tuberculosis among cattle which were sup
posed to be In perfect health has led to
some controversy; on the one hand by
those who, because OF their knowledge
gained by actual observations and expert
ments, and who having been trained to
think and reason to logical conclusions,
are warranted in expressing themselves;
ana on the other hand by those who are
not so warranted.
'One thing in particular, more than
any other, has inspired the issuing of this
bulletin viz: The evidence everywhere
extant, that since the stand recently taken
by DR.. Koch, there has settled upon the
public determined disposition to belittle
the whole matter and throw precautionary
measures to the wind. We urge upon
all the warning that the difference between
human and bovine tuberculosis has not
been settled finally, and that prrcautiou-
airy measures for preventing the spread of
the disease by butter and milk cannot be
safely abandoned 1t is one of the mis-
fortunes accompanying the deiverance of
such an incorporating thesis as that by
DR.. Koch that obstructionists of every dye
make it responsible for onclusions which
are not warranted by the facts in the case.
1T cannot lie too strongly emphasized
that, even If proven, bovine tuberculosis is
not communicable to the human race, the
necessity for the most scrupulous cleanll-
ness in the management of cows and their
milk production is as great as ever. This
incident coupled with the perfe city reliable
information which we possess that a large
percentage of the dairy COWS in Colorado
supplying milk to our towns and cities are
consumptive and that it is yet far from
proven that the disease Is not communi-
cable to human beings by the use of such