The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-10-04
GIVE GOOD CARE
 ID FARM ANIMALS tuberculosis $ Cause of Heavv
 Losses tmong Cattle WORK AGAINST DISEASE Measures Proposed By the United States Bureau of Animal Industry
 If Followed Will Help to
 Eradicate Disease.

Dr. A. D. MelVln' chieA bureau of animal industry or the United States, department of agricui- ture. in an address before the inter national congress of tuberculosis here this morning pointed out tie heaVy | economic loss sustained by the i've stock industry because of tuberculosis l and discussed rnea -ors@ O. cohe'oi ,a arodication of this disease. Dr. Melvin said. in part;
 while the saving of human life ar lords the highest motive for combating 1 tuberculosis, the prevention or man l cial loss Is alone a sufficient reason TOT undertaking the eradication of the dis ease from farm animals.
 1 "statistics of the United States fed eral meat Inspection for the fiscal veal ending June 30, 1908. covering 5S,97S'- 1 337 animals, or more than one-haf1 oi l all those slaughtered for food Tn the country, show the following percent ages of tuberculosis: Adult caeele, 0.e61: calves, o.026; hogs, 2,o49; sheep l and goats, 0. The proportion or tuper- culosis is probably higher in animals slaughtered without inspection. "Reports of tuberculosis tests made l in the 15 years from 1868 to 1908 by | federal, state and other officers Wlth tuberculin prepared by the bureau or animal industry have been caretully | analysed and tabulated. Out of 4oo,- 1 900 cattle tested (mostly dairy cattle) there were 37,00o reactions, or 9.25 per | cent.
 From these two classes of statistics 1 1t Is concluded that on an average about 10 per cent of the milch cows. l per cent of other cattle, and ? per cent of the hogs In the United States are affected with tuberculosis the average percentage for all the cattle l being estimated at 3.5.
 aThe accuracy of the tuberculin test 1 has been confirmed in remarkable way by post -mortem examinations. Out l of 23,S69 reacting cattle slaughtered lesions of tuberculosis were found in 1 23.5s5. a percentage of 9s.S1. froperly prepared tuberculin applied by con- petent person Is therefore shown to be l a wonderfully reliable agent for diag- nosing tuberculosis. In cases where l the test appears to give unsatisfactory results this is usually due to the use of poor quality of tuberculin or to Ignorance or carelessness in apply ing it.
 "The economic loss on account Of tuberculosis in food producing animals is heavy. The loss on animals in which
 tuberculosis is found in the federal
 meat inspection Is estimated at $2,3S2.-
 483 annually, and if the same condi-
 tions were applied to animals slaugh-
 tered without federal inspection the
 animal loss on all animals slaugh-
 tered for food in the United States
 would be increased to $4,102,4S3 The
 stock of animals on hand Is also de-
 preciated in value because of tubercu-
 losis. Assuming that living tubercu-
 lous milch cows are annually depre-
 ciated to the extent of one-tenth of
 what the loss would be if they were
 slaughtered. other cattle one-third, and
 hogs one-half the total annual depre-
 citation abounts to $S,046,219. The an-
 nual loss from decrease In milk pro-
 duction is estimated at $1.150.O0 an l
 there also Is some loss from impair.
 ment of breeding qualities, etc. Taking
 all these items into account, the az
 gregate annual loss because of tuber-
 culosis among farm animals in the
 United States Is estimated at not less
 than S14,000,000.
 "Such heavy financial losses make the
 eradication of tuberculosis from farm
 animals very desirable purely as an
 economic matter. As the disease is
 found principally among cattle and
 hogs, and as most of the infection in
 hogs is derived from cattle, the main
 effort should be directed against the
 disease in cattle Among the measures proposed are the following: live stock
 owners should be educated by means of
 official publications, the agricultural and general press, lectures at farmers institutes, etc. Public authorities sh ould | make a; systematic effort to determine to what extent and in what localities I the disease exists, and should apply the tuberculin test generally and system atically to cattle in sections where thi l seems desirable. Reacting animals should be slaughtered under competent l veterinary inspection, so that the loss may be minimized by passing carcasses for food where the infection Is so slight that this can safely be done; dangerous carcasses of course, to be condemned. In the case of valuable breeding ani- mals where slaughter would involve i great sacrifice, the Bang system of segregation may be used. A system of ] tagging all cows sent to market is ad- . vocated, so that when animals arc 1 found tuberculous in the meat inspec- tion they may be traced back to the s place of origin, centers of infection located, and steps taken for eradication. i The bureau of animal industry is al- ready cooperating with the auth oritles of some states in reporting and trac- ing the origin of tuberculous animals. Each state should require that all cat tie brought in for breeding or dairy purposes shall have passed the tubercu- lin test.
 AS the eradication of tuberculosis is largely public health measure, 1t Is only reasonable that the persons whose cattle are slaughtered should be paid indemnity, at least In part. This is not only just but is absolutely essential if the cooperation of cattle owners is to be secured. Several states already have provisions of this character. "The benefits to follow from the eradication of tuberculosis from farm animals Are so great and so obvious that the necessary expenditures, even though they must be heavy, may be regarded as highly profitable invest ment."