The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-07-08


N discussing the value of tuberculin
as diagnostic agent in detect
L ing tuberculosis in cattle, we must
establish the relation between the milk
reacting to tuberculin and human tu-
berculosis. We must decide, first,
to bovine tuberculosis; second, whether
the normal intestinal tract can take up
tubercle bacilli from milk; third,
whether cattle with no apparent dis
ease Of udder can secrete milk capable
Of causing tuberculosis; fourth, wheth-
er tuberculin is a satisfactory diagnos-
tic agent in determining the presence
of tuberculosis in cattle and whether
this can be demonstrated i'm any other
manner.
Under the first heading: Are human
beings capable Of contracting bovine
tuberculosis 9-When Koch indorsed
the opinion that bovine and human tu-
berculosis were not identical, the tu-
berculin test of cattle was for time
questioned. At the present time, how
ever, there can be no doubt that there
are two distinct races Of tubercle bacil-
h-namely, human and bovine. Theo-
and found that human. beings were Of
ten affected by bovine tuberculosis and
that, vice versa, cattle had human
tuberculosis. Sidney Martin, Cha
veau, Behring, Dorset. Ravenel have all
contributed links in the chain of evil
dence establishing the communicability
OF bovine tuberculosis to human be-
ings. That bovine tuberculosis can be
engrafted on man is apparent from a
where three men had received local tu-
bercular infections in the. skin, from
wounds received in postmortems on
tuberculous cattle.
Further, from reports on bovine tu-
berculosis and public health: IA
Scotch family, strong and healthy, had
herd Of cows which contracted tu-
berculosis. Two young daughters,
brought up on the milk, died Of tuber-
h 1s1lf 81 81 no : milk remained well and
Pr. Demme, chief physician of the
children 8 hospital at Berne, records the
case of four children, born of healthy
parents and without tuberculous ances-
tors, either on the paternal or mater
nal side, who died Of intestinal and
mesenteric tuberculosis: having con-
sumed for some time milk furnished by
berculous children, treated by Dr..
Demme in twenty years, these were the
only ones in which he could exclude the
possibility of hereditary faint and all
other causes of the disease, except milk
| infection. - y N -. e
Lydtin gives the following case:
| "Dr Srang Of Amorbach was called to a
| finely developed boy of five years, the
son Of healthy parents, with no heredi:
tary faint in their ancestors. The boy
| died a few weeks later with military
tuberculosis Of the lungs and enormous
| 1y enlarged tubercular mesenteric
| glands. At the necropsy it was learned
| that the boy had habitually drunk the
| milk OF a COW which had been killed
shortly before he died and which had
shown pulmonary tuberculosis.
For all practical purposes human and
bovine tuberculosis are identical anc
/ the responsibility of combating bovine
tuberculosis. -. -
The Avenue of Infection. @
| Second, is the intestinal tract al
avenue Of Infection?
That tubercle bacilli may be take1
! up by the mucous membranes of the in
testinal canal is demonstrated by the
old and oft quoted feeding experiments
/ Klebs fed milk Of tuberculous cattle tx
i've guinea pigs, dog and a goat
with ;. the result that, with tn.
nef Became t9berc9 9Rs 9 ganea fed PIG
berculous milk to ninety animals AM
thirty of them became infected. Boil
linger fed milk. Of a tuberculous Gov
to five hogs and all became tubercular
Wesener published results of feedin{
| tubercular milk in eighty-six instances
Of the animals fed Is per cent of tn,
hogs and 30 per cent Of the goats be
came tubercular.
! Third, whether cattle with no appar
ent disease Of the udder can secret,
milk capable Of producing tuberculosis
|E, Bang found that So per cent of cow
| fected milk. Woodhead has demon
strated l3 per cent of tuberculous cat
tie with normal udders to contain viru
lent tubercle bacilli Ernst, in. thirty
six cows with healthy udders, found 4
milk. Calves fed with this milk de
yeloped tuberculosis in SO per cent
Pearson produced tuberculosis in tw
pigs by feeding milk Of COW havin,
only pulmonary LESSONS, but no udde
disease. Law infected three calves b,
feeding milk from COWS showing III
udder disease.
Value of Tuberculin.
Fourth, Diagnostic Value Of Tube1
culin. Theobaid Smith, in an articI
on animal pathology. and animal indus
try IN !. the he, Yearbook yearbook or Agriculture
can only be detected by tuberculin.
Tuberculin therefore is indispensable
in distinguishing infected from non-iu
fected
! One of the objections that has ofte,
been brought forward against the us
Of tuberculin upon cattle is that it
entirely too delicate; that by its al
disease is detected in animals whic
might not have been dangerous 70
many years. It is, however, utterly i'm
possible to tell how soon very Sigh
case of tuberculosis may develop int
a very dangerous one, and during thi
time the animal is the best possibl
source Of infection for other animal.
The contagiousness Of tuberculosis bot
among animals and men is we'll estal
lished, and, this being known, animal
a which are found infected with tube
: culosis in the slightest degree shout
either be slaughtered and the health
y portion Of the animal used us food.
thoroughly cooked, or better still, sue
animals may be isolated and fed upo
sterilized milk. By adoptinga metho
{ of this sort, which is both economics
t and practical the objection so ofte
made that tubeIculin does not give
J, Indication Of the character Of the di
: ease is easily dispensed with The M,
i l1nent that the disease is found presen
!. that moment the individual become